I’ve heard many people in the publishing industry say, “Every author should have a blog,” but are blogs really effective? Each author must decide for himself, but first, it is important to understand what a blog is and how to use it effectively.
A blog is a shortened version of the term “web log.” It is basically a magazine or newspaper that is online for the public to read. Companies use blogs to share information about their products, new items in their markets, and other information relevant to their industry. Blogging is similar to authors who want to connect with readers, books are the product and readers are the customers who want the product, at least they should after reading your blog.
Blogging is a great marketing strategy for authors because it’s a way to tell their stories, talk about their books, share information, items of common interest to readers, and ultimately get people to buy their books. Whether they write fiction or non-fiction, most authors tell a story, and a blog is just another way of telling a story, the story about you, the author, in a more personal way that will make readers want to hear it. . more than you have to say.
Having a blog does not mean simply posting whatever and whenever. As an author, you want to have a strategy for your blog posts. Ultimately, your goal is to sell your books to your potential readers. Make sure your posts reflect that strategy. If you’re writing romance novels, there’s no point in posting about your gardening interests unless you can relate them to your book; For example, if your heroine’s name is Cecilia and she is a gardener in her book, then you could get creative and present Cecilia’s gardening tips.
The following are some key tips to make your blog effective and engage your readers:
- Have a headline that grabs attention.
- Keep the content relatively short, just a few paragraphs; one chapter of your book per day might be too long, so spread it out over a few posts. Remember that people online have short attention spans.
- Post selections from your books.
- Write about why you wrote your book, tell the backstory.
- Give previews of future books or ideas you’re working on.
- Review products of interest to your readers; If you write historical fiction, check out other historical novels or historical movies. If you write about nature, the outdoors, activities like rock climbing, write reviews of nature hikes, the best places to kayak, or the latest climbing gear.
- Share information about your industry or genre: Lots of readers want to be writers, so talk about writing, publishing, and marketing books, be helpful to everyone who asks for help (within reason).
- It offers points that can be a bit controversial.
- Ask your readers for their opinion on what you publish. Ask for feedback from them. Asking for feedback tells your readers that you want to know what they have to say and that you are interested in understanding your customers. Respond to comments people write. Remember, many people see authors as celebrities. They will be pleased that you took the time to respond to them. The more comments you get, the more people will want to leave comments. Don’t worry about negative comments – you can control what comments appear on your site, but a little controversy can help too.
- Ask your readers what topics they would like you to post about. Ask them for ideas for future books, or publish a piece and ask them for feedback.
- Link to other sites and exchange links. Find authors who write on similar topics or in similar genres. Interview them, or review each other’s books. The links will help your search engine optimization and you will have more links to your site to attract readers.
- Advertise your blog. Simply putting a blog on your website will not attract people to your blog. Announce it through your email lists. Get involved in social media sites like Facebook and Twitter where you can promote your blog.
- Avoid trying to sell directly. Nobody likes a pushy salesperson. Share information and make people curious about your thoughts, opinions and writing. People like to do business with people they know and like. As they get to know you and like you, they will be more curious to buy your book.
- Go beyond the written word. Include photos in your blog to attract the most visual people. You can also include audio and video on your blog. Take turns playing or switching between different types of blog posts.
- Automate your blog so everything you post goes to your social media sites. Ping.fm is a good site that allows you to cross-post.
- Get listed in blog directories so people looking for information or the topics you’re writing about can find you.
- Follow other authors and people on publishing industry blogs and post comments on those blogs; your website will be included so that people will follow you back to your website.
- Post an average of three or more blogs a week so you always have fresh content and readers stay engaged.
Blogging can be a fun and satisfying way to promote your books, have conversations with readers, test ideas for future books, and learn a lot about how to market your books to attract readers. Ultimately, you won’t know if blogging is effective for you unless you try it.
