FRUGAL EREADER by Elizabeth Brown

Today I would like to invite fellow blogger Elizabeth Brown who maintains Frugal eReader to stop by and talk about her blog.

Elizabeth – Thank you so much for inviting me to take part in your wonderful blog and letting me introduce my blog and myself to your readers!

Deb – It’s my pleasure.  A few months ago you created The Frugal eReader, a blog designed to feature “Frugal Finds Under Nine for the Kindle.” Can you tell us about how you came up with the idea, and why you decided to start it?

Elizabeth - Of course! I’ve always been an avid reader, and this summer I finally purchased my very first eReader as soon as the third generation Kindle was announced. However as many others know, the wait was actually about a month for it to be released and shipped. During this torturous time I familiarized myself with the Amazon’s Kindle store as well as the discussion forums. I was spending a lot of time searching for eBooks that I’d want to download to my new Kindle… and discovering that there are thousands of eBooks that come at a great value. After a couple weeks, I figured that I couldn’t possibly be the only one doing all of this.  I then decided to create a place so that others didn’t have to worry about spending a lot of time and effort searching for great books at low prices. My goal was to create a place for Kindle and book lovers to discover new eBooks and authors, and to read more, read often and read frugally!

Deb – What does The Frugal eReader include?

Elizabeth - The Frugal eReader is dedicated to featuring Frugal Finds Under Nine ~ eBooks available on the Kindle from traditionally published as well as self-published authors that are under nine dollars. Many of the featured eBooks are as low as $0.99 (if not free J), all are under $9.00, and nearly every genre is included. I post every day, and feature special weekly posts three days a week. These weekly posts include “Monday’s Three: Under Nine, Under Five, and Under One,” “Frugal Freebie Wednesday,” and “Top Five Under Five Friday.” I have expanded The Frugal eReader to include Frugal eGames for the Kindle, as well as appropriate Amazon announcements related to the Kindle. Each and every post can easily be found through the multiple labels or the search box on the blog. For those who always have their Kindle at their side, the Frugal eReader is also available to be automatically delivered wirelessly ~ so a Frugal Find is never missed!

Deb - Many self-published authors have been featured on your blog, myself included, and you have now started to accept daily sponsorships. Can you talk about the different components in more detail for those who may not have been aware of them?

Elizabeth – While creating The Frugal eReader, I have had the opportunity to discover the community of self-published authors. The Kindle has enabled writers to realize the dream of becoming an author in a whole new way, and I truly find it courageous and inspiring!  I’ve experienced such a warm reception, and enjoy featuring the works of these authors to help them gain exposure to all of the readers out there.

Along with the daily-featured posts and special weekly posts, I have started monthly author interviews. I invite authors for an interview after I have personally read one of their novels. These interviews are the sole post of the day, and are usually coupled with a giveaway for the readers of The Frugal eReader.

I’ve recently created two other components for The Frugal eReader in support of the author community: daily sponsorships and daily banner advertisement space. The daily sponsorships allow one author to be highlighted at the beginning of the day with details about and links to their chosen novel. That novel is spotlighted as “A Frugal Find from Today’s Sponsor” at the top of the blog for the entire day, and the author’s banner is also featured under “Today is Sponsored By” for the entire day. The author’s sponsorship post lives on the blog forever under the “TFER Sponsors” label. I’ve also decided to replace my original ads with authors’ full size banners to promote a novel (or novels) in a highly visible space for an entire day.

For additional details on submitting a novel for a featured post, please visit the “Contact and Submissions” page of The Frugal eReader. More details about the new sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available on the “Become a Sponsor/Advertise” page.

Deb - Can readers and authors interact with you and The Frugal eReader through any other outlets besides directly through your blog (http://www.thefrugalereader.com)?

Elizabeth – Absolutely! I’m very active on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Frugal-eReader/101086513289732) and love interacting with fellow readers, bloggers, and authors on twitter (http://twitter.com/frugalereader). I’ve recently added The Frugal eReader to the NetworkedBlogs community, and discuss anything Kindle over at the Kindle discussion forums on Amazon (Elizabeth Brown). Of course, I can always be reached via email at etrubrown@thefrugalereader.com!

Deb – I wish you the best with The Frugal eReader.  You offer a great service to authors and I’m sure they appreciate all your hard work.

Elizabeth – I appreciate you inviting me to be a guest on your blog today, Debra ~ Thank you again!  As I continue with The Frugal eReader, I hope that it carries forward as a resourceful and positive place for readers and authors alike!