Ideas for Authors: Blogger

 

My first big idea for Blogger is to create your own blog. (LOL. Please don’t smack me.) Blogs can be an awesome way to reach fans, connect with other authors, and eventually sell those books.

Here are some suggestions for your personal blog:

• Write your story, make it autobiographical with tons of pictures about your life and writing. Fans love this.
• Write about your other passions. Love photography, embroidery, motorcycle treks? Blog that journey. Fans love this.
• Focus on your books. Have a series or a common setting? Make the blog something like “My Fictional Town Chronicles,” and write bits about the town, characters, etc. Add as much detail as you want—extra short stories, character interviews, town maps. Fans love this too.
• Review other books. I do a reading challenge every year. I’ve been blogging my choices for two years now. It’s a fun way to connect with others. This year I’m doing the PopSugar Challenge again, but I plan to focus on romance books. Readers seem to like them the best. A note on this one: Take care of others as you write your post, and only tag authors who give you permission to do so. A bad review with the author’s name can be hurtful. If I have a book I really dislike, I don’t blog it.

• Highlight your other skills. You’re a writer, and you’re fab at that. What else are you good at? Cooking, computers, sewing, gardening, machine maintenance? Create a blog to spotlight your skill and teach others a thing or two. A recipe exchange is always popular. I have a blog about computer apps. (Oh, wait. You know that if you’re reading this.) In my earlier incarnation, I was a computer teacher for an elementary school. I taught teachers and kids how to use technology and the internet. That skill is now this blog. It makes me feel like I’m helping others and might get me a speaking gig someday. Show off what you know. Sing your praises on a blog.

My second idea for blogging is to create a group blog. (Shocking, right? LOL) Team up with other authors and take turns blogging about your books, a theme, or whatever. Then it’s not such a burden to blog all the time. (I go twice a week. It’s worked during Covid, but who knows what 2021 will be like.) There are writers that use their Facebook group page with a blog. The admins take turns writing and posting on both the blog and on Facebook.

You could team up with writers from the same press, from your writing group, or from a group that writes similar types of stories—an MC blog, or an Inspirational one. And by teaming up, your fans and their fans all see the posts. Which could end up with some sales.

My last two cents about blogs: As a writer, you need to develop your brand. Be sure your blog matches your brand. (That’s why I’m changing my book challenge to include more romance.) Be professional, be kind, and be brief. Most readers don’t have time for long posts. I try to keep mine to about 500 words. I’ve had some at 1000, but those are usually how-to or a big rant. Honestly, I grabbed that 500 number from The Cat Who books when the reporter talked about editorial articles were. It works here, too.

The blog is yours to play with. Make it totally you, your books, and your brand. Readers will flock!