So who exactly is “Bookshop Bistro” ?
The site was launched, and is primarily managed, by Tanya Jones (a.k.a. Tanya Thibodeau) – from the technical perspective. However, the site itself is really the makings of several different authors (and we warmly embrace any new authors who wish to jump in and be a part of this site). You can read up about some of the authors who contribute to the site through an associate site: StarFish – A Publishing Co-Operative
The idea was to create a place where the authors really are the ones in control. Many book sites are run and controlled by a select few and tend to reflect their own personal tastes. Many of them have incredible waiting lists for an author to be featured, or selection processes that exclude countless authors, and many of them don’t even allow for guest blogging.
We do things differently here, most everyone is welcome (with only a very few exceptions such as pornography or derogatory materials) and because Tanya is an accomplished web designer with intimate knowledge of WordPress, she is able to transition the site as it grows in any way necessary.
The site is still in its infancy and we’re really only seeing about 1,000 visitors per month at the moment (February 2016). But over the course of the next year we’re really hoping to see that substantially increase – and if you’re reading this, you can help by sharing our content out within your networks and inviting your friends to come take a look and sign up for our email options.
We’re a friendly bunch of people and we definitely welcome ideas suggestions! We really want this site to develop into a place that both readers and writers WANT to be – a go-to place for information, suggestions, fun content and, well, everything BOOKS!
We also want to remind people that ANYONE is welcome to submit content to our site. You don’t have to be an “author” or even an “aspiring author” – readers are welcome to submit their own thoughts, opinions and reviews on books, reading and experiences. The only thing we ask, is that everything submitted relates to books or writing in some way and is respectful. We won’t post content that is rude, hateful or harmful, so there’s no point in submitting that sort of stuff. However, that doesn’t mean it has to all be rainbows and unicorns either. It’s fine to submit a piece that touches on things that you don’t like – constructively critical articles can be equally as helpful to authors and readers as the good stuff – just make sure that it’s objective, fair and polite… if you wouldn’t say it to your grandma, don’t say it here! 🙂
In fact, we’d love to see readers provide articles that talk in general about what they do and don’t like about books and authors in general – writing styles, genres, covers, marketing, book events… all of it!
We hope you enjoy the site and look forward to interacting with you!
Bookshop Bistro 