Everywhere we turn are new blogs written by authors. For several years it was touted as the way to connect with readers. Now, with a blog on every Internet corner, is that still the truth?
Yes and no.
When we go into blogging with a purpose and a focus, it can still be extremely valuable. But like everything else in publishing, it’s not a one-size-fits-all.
If you’re considering it, it’s important to find out if blogging is a good fit for you personally. Blogging takes a commitment. It’s almost like the decision we each had to make when we decided to call ourselves writers.
There is rarely a blog that is an overnight success. I have seen it happen a couple of time, but we should begin expecting growth and benefits to take time.
For writers, there are definite benefits to blogging:
- It provides a place to connect with our readers on a deeper level. Social media is a good way for casual connections, but a blog is a place where we and our audience can get to know us better.
- It provides a place to practice writing. Blogging helped me move from writing when I felt like it, to writing when I had too. Every professional writer has to make this transition.
- It provides a place to prove to industry professionals that we can write on a deadline and produce quality work. When we write for pay, those who pay us expect us to turn things in on a schedule. Blogging regularly shows that we’ve mastered this basic skill.
- It provides a place to prove our audience. For non-fiction writers it can be a place to prove that there’s an audience for the topic we’re writing about. For fiction (and non-fiction) writers is can prove that we can connect to readers through the written word.
2 things blogging is NOT designed to do:
- It doesn’t provide a great way to sell books. Yes, some authors do sell books on their sites, but it’s not the best (or even a good way) to generate book sales.
- It doesn’t provide a place to run non-stop commercials promoting yourself and your books. A blog has to provide value. I don’t know anyone who finds commercials (even infomercials) valuable.
What’s Next?
Once we’ve made the decision to blog, we need to figure out what to blog about. Finding a focus for your blog is really the hardest part of blogging. And it should fit in with what you share on social media.
It’s sometimes easier for non-fiction writers to find a focus, because they’re usually drawn to write about topics they’re passionate about.
For fiction writers, it’s the stories and characters that grab our attention. We may include topics, but that’s not our focus. It’s also not possible to characterize our fiction readers in a topical manner. For example, not all readers of suspense drink coffee and love to ride roller coasters. Suspense readers come in every shape and size, with interests from motorcycle riding to keeping cats.
Beyond that, unless we’re already famous novelists, we’re going to get very few followers just because we’re authors. So we have to find another way to connect with our audience.
So what’s a writer to do?
We must write about something we’re passionate about. Perhaps it’s travel, motorcycle riding, history or even knitting, I don’t hide the fact that I’m a writer, but that isn’t my focus. Then, as the blog following grows, my name comes up more and more often. My loyal blog followers are happy to share my writing successes and my platform builds.
One MBT member who has had great success with this is RITA nominee, Beth Vogt. She loves quotes, and she loves photography. So she’s built her blog around that. Here’s a link so you can see how she has made this work. http://www.bethvogt.com/blog/.
There are lots of successful blogs by authors throughout the Internet, too many to name. I recommend you take a look at what your fellow authors are doing and let their creativity inspire you!
Now it’s your turn, what creative blogs have you visited. If you’d like to get other opinions on a potential blog idea, audition it by sharing your thoughts in the comments section below. We’ll be happy to chime in and help you find something that fits!