Blogging is a Marketing Tool for Writers
Learn How to Start a Blog to Promote a Career as an Author
Sep 4, 2009
Blogging offers writers the opportunity to begin networking regardless of the stage of their writing careers. Beginning authors can use a blog to connect with others working toward publication. Writers with an agent can use a blog to begin building a fan base. For the published author, a blog connects fans to the latest news and events.
Join a Social Network for Writers
A blog can be a writer’s first step into the realm of social networking. At its roots, a social network aims to connect people with similar interests or backgrounds. Blogging is one element that acts as a social network.
Free blogging sites like Google’s Blogger provide user-friendly templates and easy-to-use dashboards, or control panels. While a writer may want to advance to customized templates after he or she learns to blog, the free options can be a good way to get started without spending the time to learn how to customize a blog.
Comment on and Follow Other Blogs for Writers
After a novelist decides which blogging network to use, he or she needs to get active in the community. There are two ways to start building traffic to a blog. The first is to begin following blogs of interest to the writer. There are blogs hosted by agents or editors. Other aspiring authors blog about their writing journeys. Or writers may opt to follow blogs specific to their niche, like science fiction blogs.
Following blogs may not be enough to build the traffic an author wants to see. This is where commenting on blogs comes into play. Almost every blog features a comment section. By clicking on the link for this section, a writer can post his or her own comment. If the comment connects or resonates with the blogger, he or she may click over to the writer’s blog and begin following it.
As a rule, novelists should strive to keep comments professional and original. Generic posts won’t garner much notice. Writers should also keep in mind that the comment section shouldn’t be used to promote the writer. At the most, an author can include a link to his or her blog in the signature of the comment.
Write Content That Appeals to the Target Audience
Authors can follow and comment on thousands of blogs, but if the content on their writing blogs doesn’t appeal to people, they shouldn’t expect to gain a following. To make the most out of blogging, a writer should set up a schedule for posting that he or she can maintain. Most bloggers need to add new posts at least once a week—stale content will prevent followers.
While writing once a week or on a daily basis can help an aspiring author learn the discipline of writing on a regular basis, writers need to adopt a professional tone. An agent or an editor may be able to get away with a snarky attitude, but most writers can’t.
Showcase Voice with a Writing Blog
Many writers set up blogs at sites like Blogger or WordPress. To separate his or her blog from other blogs, a writer needs to showcase his or her voice. This is what makes each blog original and fun to follow. Along with a clear author’s voice, a novelist might want to promote his or her website, host contests, or direct fans to places where they can buy the author’s books, as well as building a platform. Aspiring authors can view a video tutorial from YouTube to learn how to set up a blog with Blogger.
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