Should All Authors Blog?

I have pondered the benefits (or not) of writing a blog that is frequented mostly by other writers. It doesn’t seem effective as a platform. But for me, living in a very small town, talking shop with other writers is so edifying. You bring up great points that have been tickling my mind, however. Thanks for giving them voice.

I’m in the process of writing my memoir about the 9 years I worked as a stripper in Waikiki. I also happened to be a drug addict living with an abusive man. Lots of self esteem issues!

That was all 20 years ago.

I blog about how I got where I am today (alive and clean), the self worth issues I used to have (and still have!), and it seems to resonate with my readers.

Although I went to extremes, the common thread of my platform (blog, twitter, facebook)is that young girls don’t need the stripper pole to feel beautiful and validated. Also – the drug addiction is something I touch on, because it’s part of my story – and many people can relate to addiction (be it drugs, internet, social media, shopping, etc).

As I am still in the process of writing my story, I feel it’s important to build a platform of loyal (but most importantly interested) followers.

Blogging is a great marketing tool – and fantastic way to make great friends with people who share similar interests. Writers support one another, and I know I appreciate it when someone RE TWEETS my blogs. I try to RE TWEET them as much as possible.

@thatgalkiki

This is interesting. I started a blog a few months ago with the understanding that as a wanna-be-published author I kind of HAD to, but I’ve been amazed and so blessed to find that it’s become one of the most rewarding things in my life at the moment.
I’m loving the reader interaction, loving meeting new people and making new friends, and loving being able to share ideas and thoughts that would otherwise remain unsaid. Not only that, sometimes the response (and the encouragement) of these otherwise complete strangers has helped me grow into a deeper relationship with God and with people in my real world.
Now that, I think, is noteworthy.

I do blog and it’s mostly with other writers, but I love it and the networking/relationships it’s formed for me.
Totally agree about the other medias too.

I have a homeschooling-mommy-themed blog, and once I figured out that theme, it’s been growing quite a bit this year. I find a lot of the benefits the others have mentioned, but I’m not published yet. Since I write women’s fiction and inspirational romance, I’m hoping that these followers will turn into book readers. Homeschoolers and SAHM’s tend to be avid readers. I’m thinking, once I get through NaNoWriMo, I might put on the blog a short story and see how it’s received.

Thanks for this post. I found I wasn’t sure if I had anything to offer for my blog. I’d rather focus on getting my fiction to a better calibre.

I’ve only been blogging for 6 weeks and I’m really enjoying it. I love connecting with other new writers to share our struggles, tips and good news. I became a little addicted at the beginning, wanting to post everyday. I’ve since cut back to make time for my other writing projects.

After a year, I suppose my subscriber numbers are pitiful and by that measure I should close up shop. (I have recently cut back.) But I still think of the blog, the landing page of my website, as the place to welcome potential readers of my books, which is what I am more concerned about. I technically subscribe to dozens of blogs that I actually never read, so that measurement isn’t necessarily meaningful to me. I see steady growth in the number of unique visitors, and that tells me that somebody new heard about my books and was at least interested enough to see the site and the blog is doing its job of being a point of exposure.

I’ve found blogging is less about finding new people, and more keeping old ones. Any time I get a short story published, my subscribers go up. Next time I have a short published, they’re still around so I can tell them about it. I’m sure with novels, the number of new subscribers with each book would be a lot higher than it is with shorts.

I’ve noticed quite a few literary agents blog only sporadically or have stopped entirely (don’t even think about it, Rachelle I’ve been told I “should” blog, therefore I do, but no one has ever commented so I doubt anyone reads them. They’re just reviews of classic mysteries, nothing to change the world, but I like being able to gush over a writer who’s not a hot commodity. Take that, techmology.

I do have a blog and while, admittedly, there are times I don’t have time or I don’t know what to blog about, I do enjoy it. My take on doing a blog (even though a lot of my followers are other authors) is mostly for when my book is out. I always look for a favorite author’s website or something where I can keep up to date on what’s coming next. This is why I have my blog. Granted, a website would do the same thing and I have one. But there is something a bit more personal about the blog. Letting the reader get a look at what life as an author is like. It isn’t always glamorous, is it?

As always, this information is really helpful & thought-provoking. I especially appreciate not using a blog to promote me or my book, but to offer something helpful. I DO blog, but may not for long unless it grows. Many read it, very few stick with it. It may be an indication to change something drastically with my blog or to abandon ship.

I began blogging in December 2007. I did this based on the conventional wisdom of the time, that a writer needed an on-line presence, and since starting a website was beyond my reach at the time, I figured the blog was a poor author’s way to have an on-line presence. I finally have a website, with its own blog, but I maintain my first blog.

How’s it going? Lousy, I guess. I’ve never had more than 15-18 followers, comments are almost non-existent, and it gets so few visitors (between 600-700 views per month) that I’ve quit looking at the stats. Why do I keep it up? The few friends and a cousin who read it seem to like it, and it gives me an outlet for things that don’t fit in a book.

The blog at my author website is more specific, mainly posts about this work-in-progress or that published book. It’s more business than creative.

I keep it up for the time in the future when hoards of adoring fans of my writing will want to know all about what I’m thinking, what I’m writing next, where I’m going, etc. At that time there will be a backlog of close to 1,000 posts, maybe more, for them to read and find a way to connect with me.

At least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I do blog, but I’m glad for this post because, to be honest, it’s been hard for me to retain any passion for it. There are just too many blogs out there, and they require more attention than most people (writers or readers) are willing or able to give. Not only are there newer ways to connect with more people without requiring multiple minutes of a person’s time, but they seem to be more effective, too!

I keep my blog around because I’ve been rather negligent about pursuing those other methods, but also because I occasionally do have something to say that warrants more space than a tweet or status update. I just need to adjust my approach toward all of it.

I do have a blog (listed above) but for me it’s about my spiritual journey in this Universe. It doesn’t pertain to my fiction writing.

I don’t really care about the number of followers, it’s about saying what I feel is my truth and sharing it. Those who will read it, will, those who don’t…oh well.

It’s fun.

I LOVE this post, Rachelle. I’ve seen so many unpublished writers stressing about this subject.

I started blogging for fun just because, honestly, at the time I thought it was royally stupid. Then a few people started reading it, and that was cool.

Then i found out it helped my chance to publication, so I started to get a little more serious about it.

Then Annabelle was born, and my blog took a completely different direction, and gained a large non-writing audience, and that’s where my success has been. (granted, I’d take Annabelle’s health over a a successful blog ANY DAY obviously, but I’ve also decided to embrace every silver lining God allows to come forth, and use it for HIS glory)

That said, I’m taking a break from it this week, which I rarely do, but it’s much needed!

Thanks so much Rachelle. I can now put blogging on the back burner without guilt. Like a weight has been taken off my shoulders.

Blogging is in a bubble similar to a financial bubble. It got easy, everyone was doing it, so we all joined the party, because some people are making “easy money” with their blog, and it’s a great way to promote your writing, so if they can do it, why can’t I?

Then reality sets in that most of us are not all that interesting, and of those who are, not all are great bloggers, or are too busy living interesting lives to find time to blog to others about it on a regular basis.

So blogs gradually fade away, only a few survive that are relevent and are not merely writers blogging to other writers and other writers reading writer’s blogs, and are relevant, distinctive, and offer quality posts.

I see similar trends happening with Facebook and Twitter. They have their uses, but too many people will discover that they’re wasting a huge portion of their lives with these timesuckers and will get back to living.

If I read every post of every blogger I’ve had a chance to follow during the past year, I could easily spend 24 hours a day, reading, commenting and posting on my own blog.

I’d rather write novels and short stories. Once I have a quality project finished, I’ll figure out the best way to market it. I don’t think blogging, FBing and tweeting about it will help too much in the long run. But I’ll incorporate those media if they still seem viable in the coming months and years.

Thank you!

I got really tired of the “standard” advice that all authors must have a blog. That makes for a real lot of blogs… And not much of an audience (other than our other SM friends who are trying to be supportive by reading our blog posts… Or maybe just reading and commenting I hope that we will do the same for them).

I blogged fairly regularly for several years. I attained a small readership… But often, my posts would get maybe 12 or 20 views in the first few days. Not really worth my while.

I think the days that “every” writer should have a blog are long gone. ‘cuz now, most writers do. WAY too many blogs.

I stopped blogging over a year ago. I think my time is better spent now. I put a lfair bit of time into Twitter… But that’s about it.

I’m giving blogging one more big push since talking to social media experts at ACFW conference, though I have a bunch of things in the pipe that need to come through before making all my changes.

A central theme to my fiction is how Christians react to the environmental movement and local foods. By January, I’ll be blogging less (two days a week instead of three) but focused entirely on those issues. I can hardly wait to get there!

Thanks for sharing your post. I use my blog as the basis for my books. Eventually most of them will appear in a book, after being edited and reformatted.
Blessings,
Deborah H. Bateman-author

I just found the link to this post on Talli Roland’s blog. Thank you for this perspective.

I do blog but with school commitments, I’ve not posted as much as I would have liked to in the past few months. I keep coming back to my blog, however, because I love the community of bloggers I’ve met over the years.

Blogging isn’t for everyone and I think it’s wonderful that writers are realizing that they don’t have to take away from their precious writing time to do another task. If you enjoy blogging, do it! If not, don’t stress over it.

Thanks Rachelle!
Jen

Your list here really helped me determine whether it is necessary for me to have a blog. I’m almost done polishing my first novel (sending out queries in two weeks, yikes!) and I didn’t want to be the only writer left behind in the world of blogging. Under your heading, “Don’t have a blog if:” the first three bullets fit me perfectly. I’m much better at using sites like twitter, facebook, linkedin and things like that, and I think I can survive with just those. I really appreciate this!