I wrote earlier this year about how some authors and publishers seem to be missing the boat with respect to the web. It seems as if some in the industry are scared of the web but I’ve written about my optimism for what new media and social networking might offer for readers and authors alike so I’ve been actively seeking out the authors who are actively participating in web 2.0. There are many authors with their own blogs and I may talk about them another day but what struck me this week is how many blogs being published by authors working in collaboration.

In particular there seem to be a growing number of blogs hosted by a small group of authors who each post once a week. This seems like a great idea to me: it gets the authors some exposure but it cuts down on the workload for each individual. Blogs are a lot of work, especially if they’re being used as part of an artist’s publicity when there’s an expectation they’ll be updated regularly. In addition to sharing the workload I imagine each author gets exposed to far more potential readers than they would be if they had a blog of their own. I’m sure many readers are like me: find the blog because of an interest in one author and stick around to read content from the other writers posting articles.

The first of these shared blogs I came across was The Kill Zone and it’s an excellent example of this type of blog. The seven mystery and thriller authors who run the blog each ‘own’ a day of the week and write about a range of issues including the craft of writing, the publishing business and even about using social media to promote yourself. The blog also has occasional guest posts from other authors. Even though I’m not an author I find this a ‘must visit’ blog because it gives interesting insights into the business. I’ve deliberately started tracking down books by these authors and enjoyed the first one I got my hands one (I reviewed Michelle Gagnon’s The Tunnels in March).

Other blogs from groups of authors (or would the appropriate collective noun be a murder?) include:

• Cozy Chicks which, no surprise given the name, is hosted by seven female writers of cosy mysteries who talk about the book business, getting published and much more
• Jungle Red hosted by six female authors who write about the creative writing process, their inspiration and a little bit of politics
• Femmes Fatales (eight women mystery writers talk about the process)
• Poe’s Deadly Daughters is another one hosted by a group of women (I’ll leave the issue of where the blokes are hiding for another day)
• The Naked Truth about Life and Literature (there are some blokes here and a wide variety of sub-genres represented)

And an interesting twist is offered by Hey, There’s a Dead Guy in the Living Room which is another daily blog but the posts come from a literary agent, a publisher, the editor of an online reviewing site, a PR expert, an independent bookshop owner and an editor as well as an author.

Honestly the above list could be much longer but I have to go and do some of the work I’m paid for now and you’ll find loads of links to more of these kinds of sites in the blog rolls of the ones I’ve included. I’m just chuffed to see that some people do ‘get’ web 2.0, I hope their dedication brings them all lots of new readers. Like me.