PROMOTING BLR AUTHORS
BLR is thrilled to publish your work in our pages, and we’d love to promote you and your writing on our social media (Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and YouTube Shorts) as well as in our newsletter and blog. You are welcome to submit audio, video, photos, written responses, or any combination thereof. We’ll edit lightly—as appropriate for the various mediums—and then tag you when we publish. Thank you!
Instructions
Click on the option(s) you’re interested in for suggestions and upload instructions.
Uploads are made through a Google form, which requires a login. If you have a Google account, please click the button to upload directly. If you don’t have a Google account, we can download your files from your Dropbox or other sharing service. Please email melissa@blreview.org and provide link(s) where we can download your files.
Audio
We’re excited to share your audio recording of your writing on social media, our website, and blog. These recordings make our issues and content more accessible.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Introduce yourself and share the title, genre, and BLR issue number
- Read your piece:
- Poem→ read in its entirety
- Prose→ read the whole piece if possible. If not, please read an excerpt of a page or two.
- If at any point you mess up, just pause for a few seconds, start the line again, and keep going. We can edit it together.
TIPS:
- Record the audio in a quiet space (pillows and rugs/blankets help with echo in a room)
- Use a mic if you have one that plugs into your device; if not, sit close to the microphone but not so close that it’ll pick up your breathing
Video
We’re excited to share your videos to help promote your work. The suggested ideas below are based on topics that typically have higher engagement and shares among our audiences.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Introduce yourself!
- Offer some orientation
- If answering a question, e.g. “What’s the inspiration behind your poem?” start with “The inspiration behind my poem <title> is…”
- If reading from your piece, include the genre, title, and BLR issue number
- If reading an excerpt, give a 1-2 sentence recap
- Feel free to send separate clips or one longer video
TIPS:
- Face a light source (window, light) so that your face is well-lit
- A quiet room with rugs/pillows gives better sound
- Vertical videos are preferable
- If you can only do horizontal, frame it so that both shoulders are in frame. This will make it easier to crop.
SUGGESTED VIDEO IDEAS:
- Read from your piece:
- Poem→ read in its entirety
- Prose→ best to read a short excerpt
- What is your piece about and what was its inspiration?
- Show any photos, props, etc. etc. that go along with it!
- Talk about or show a unique formatting choice or setting in your piece and why you chose it.
- Show us your writing space and tell us about your writing process.
- How has writing helped you heal? Can writing heal?
- What’s the best/worst writing advice you’ve received?
- How has being published in literary magazines helped start your career? (Any thoughts on BLR would be great!)
- Which BLR themes resonate with you most? (i.e. health, healing, community) Why did you choose to submit to BLR?
Photos
We’re excited to share your photos to help promote your work. Here are some tips and ideas to help you get started.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Please share at least two photos so we have a backup
- Try to take vertical and horizontal options, if possible
- Choose any of the ideas below
TIPS:
- Face a light source (window, light) so that your face is well-lit
- For horizontal photos, make sure they are zoomed out enough that they can be cropped
- If time allows, try a few poses or locations so we have a variety to choose from
IDEAS:
- Selfie of you and your issue or reading your issue
- Photo of you and your piece in the issue
- BLR issue with your pet or “reading” to your pet
- BLR in your favorite reading nook at home or writing space
- Issues amongst colors/items similar to the cover
- Around your city or in unique places!
- Take BLR along on your favorite activity: biking, dancing, knitting, chess club, cooking, etc!
Written Responses
We’re excited to share your written responses to help promote your work. The suggested ideas below are based on topics that typically have higher engagement and shares among our audiences!
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Choose from the questions below Please answer a minimum of 3 questions, though feel free to do as many as 6 if you are inspired!
QUESTION OPTIONS:
The Writing Process
- How do you select an idea/topic to write about?
- How do you know a story/character/poem/idea has potential?
- What’s your biggest challenge in writing? How do you overcome it?
Working with BLR
- What was the BLR editing/publishing process like for you?
- Which BLR themes resonate with you most? (i.e. health, healing, community) Why did you choose to submit to BLR?
- How has being published in literary magazines helped start your career? (Any thoughts on BLR would be great!)
Miscellaneous Musings
- How has writing helped you heal? Can writing heal?
- What’s the best/worst writing advice you’ve received?
- If you could take three pieces of writing to a desert island, what would they be? (Feel free to mix it up — books, poems, stories, diaries welcome!)
Tagging
We’ll tag your profiles to help you gain exposure. You are also free to use any edited social media clips or graphics for your own channels (just tag us, please!)
Instagram: @blreview
X (Twitter): @blreview
Facebook: @blreview or Bellevue Literary Review
LinkedIn: @Bellevue Literary Review
YouTube: @BellevueLiteraryReview
Author News
In addition to this content, we also promote our authors through our “Author News” newsletters. In the future, if you have any exciting news or updates, let us know here.
If you have any questions, please reach out: melissa@blreview.org