Table of contents
Introduction
Blogging is an ideal way for authors to build their visibility and develop trust with their ideal readers.
A blog is longer form than social media, and allows for more opportunity for nuance. It can also feel more personal for your readers and they can get to know you at a greater depth, When you are known liked and trusted they are more likely to buy more of your books and what you write.
It is almost like sending a hand-written letter to your readers which is worth reading again. Your blog posts can be similar to a cache of real letters that are tied with a ribbon and not thrown away. They mean something.
You may have heard that blogging is now dead, and totally ignored in favour of social media. Blogging has a lasting impact, and is having a revival of interest right now. I was recently at a self publishing conference and there was a lot of talk about blogging being more popular now. Even in 2024 77% of internet users were reading a blog and that figure is rising OptinMonster). As a writer you want to attract readers who take the time to read – the slower pace of a blog is the perfect medium to do so.
Why blogging works for authors
Authors of books find it extremely useful to have a blog on their own website. Especially if your blog is self published it helps readers to connect with you and develops the know and like factor which is an important part of trusting.
The advantage for an author is that you can tell behind the scenes background stories about your characters, or expand more on the locations that you write about. One author I know who developed additional information around the characters in her novel found that her sales definitely increased when the blog posts were published.
Blogs help your site get found on search engines
When you have your own hosted domain in your pen name each post you write helps you be found online. Your blog post can be read and also provides links to buy your book or books.
This is so effective because search engines love new words and images and each blog post is like a feast for them! Your website pages may stay broadly the same but each blog post is a completely new page, and presents a new angle on a specific subject.
Your blog posts can be the heart of your messages
A well thought out blog post can take some time to create. But the time spent thinking and writing can be put to good use. In addition to the original post you can also earn back more time and impact.
When you keep up to date with your readers through a newsletter you can encourage them to your blog to read the latest post. You simply provide an introduction and then link directly to your post. This obviously has the benefit of directing visitors to visit your site and to stay there and read the post.
In your blog post you probably addressed the subject from different angles. You can take the different ideas and make each of them into a new social media post. Maybe you added images, quotes or statistics each of which can be used on social media as a separate post. Readers can be encouraged to read more by going to the complete blog post.
Writing a blog post can feel more informal than writing a book. Whether you write fiction or non fiction it is a chance for you the author to be more personal. Authors I have worked with often think their readers are not interested in them as a person. When they do write more about themselves and the reasons behind the books they are often surprised by the warm response. This can encourage readership of your books, attendance at book signings and greater loyalty. The tone can be more entertaining or lighthearted if you wish, and it can be the ideal space to try out new ideas for future books.
Overcoming blogging fears
The three main obstacles to blogging which I hear are to do with starting,not knowing what to write and then a fear of not keeping going.
Difficulty starting is often to do with fear of the tech. If you can write on Word you can write a blog post: It is that easy. In fact I think it is a good idea to just write it first in a program that feels completely natural which will make it easier to feel confident.
If you like to write by hand in a notebook or journal please continue to do what you are already doing. Nowadays most people can type with a keyboard, but if you already love journalling by hand don’t feel you have to type. It is better to do something that already feels comfortable as that releases your brain from any technical worries and allows you to concentrate on the important thing – your ideas.
Writing by hand
Word processing has made typing so much more accessible, and the role of the secretary has almost disappeared. But the act of writing on paper might help with your ideas.
When I first worked in book publishing many authors still wrote their books by hand while a secretary typed up the manuscript. I particularly remember John Braine who wrote “Room at the Top” was one example of an author who wrote by hand. Additionally he was very particular about the kind of notebook he used. It was something he was used to: he wrote all his books in a cheap old-fashioned school exercise book. It was the only way he felt comfortable writing. It might work for you, too. If you feel worried about writing in a beautiful notebook you might be more productive writing in the cheapest least scary notebook you can find!
When you have written it you can speak it into an app to get it transcribed. Using an app such as otter.ai.
Not knowing what to write
Deciding the scope of your blog is important. However at the beginning you may not have it all pinned down so just start from where you are. Also as you progress you may find that your ideas change and you don’t want to have to start again.
Many well known writers don’t know exactly what they want to write until they write it. Authors of fiction talk about the way the characters seem to dictate how the story unfolds and it could be the same for you. Getting into action is the most helpful approach because Done is Better than Perfect. Only by getting into the writing will you be able to try out your ideas and see how things develop.
Do you worry that you might be judged?
If English is not your native language, you are dyslexic or never enjoyed English at school you might worry that your grammar is not correct. If people can see faults in the way you express yourself the perception can be that your ideas do not have value.
Software such as Grammarly https://www.grammarly.com/ can come to your aid if you don’t have a helpful human being who supports you. Grammarly checks your grammar for free based on what you type in to te site, and as you see improvements at a glance. If you want to check other sources and pay a little each month Grammarly can also detect when AI is used which can help to avoid errors or misquotes.
However once your words are out in the world the truth is that there is the possibility that not everyone will approve. But you can’t cater for all tastes and opinions and nor should you. When you stand up for your observations, and your views on the world you have stood up for something important and that is far more significant for your self esteem than any casual uncomplimentary comment. Also the quick unfriendly response is far more common on social media than with longer blog posts.
How to get started with blogging
Plan a few starter posts.
Because you may have some reluctance to press “Publish” it can be a good idea to have say, 2 or 3 posts already written. The advantage of having a few blog posts to release is that you can start to “train” the search engines that your site is worth visiting. And new content is the first way to do that. Release each post with a gap in between to build momentum.
As I mentioned your aim is to produce the words in a way that feels enjoyable and problem-free. Each post should be about a specific angle on a subject and will make more of an impact if it is longer than shorter. The recommended minimum word count currently seems to be 300 words. But tha latest research by xx has found that posts of up to 2,500 words are popular.
Choose the blogging platform where you will publish
WordPress is used by nearly half of the world’s bloggers and can give you a web site with static pages as well as the blog facility. You can have it hosted on your own domain (WordPress.org) or you can have it hosted by them (WordPress.com). It is also worth looking at Squarespace and Wix which can do the same – it depends what your needs are for the website.
The most popular blog-only place to write is currently Substack. The disadvantage is that it is not your own property. So if the owners decided to take it down you would no longer have ownership of your content.
However Substack is easy to use, is currently popular and has the advantage if you get committed readers you can charge them to read what you write. Obviously you have to build your readership first. If you are not already signed up it could be a good idea to get familiar with it and have a good look around. Integratons with websites are possible.
Current popularity can be a two edged sword. It genuinely helps that Substack is popular right now and will give you credibility. However a few years ago Medium was extremely popular and its place seems to now be filled by Substack. The digital world moves fast, and sometimes change can encourage you to action. If you have a wordpress site and want to put yourblog post somewhere else as well put it first on your website, and then when you publish it on say, Substack or Linked In or facebook for add the comment This article was originally published on xxxx.
Keep your blog publishing schedule sustainable
Quality is always more important than quantity, but quantity can lead to quality! If you love writing already it is not a problem but good advice would be to write fairly regularly. Don’t forget that unlike on social media what you write can be searched for and found long after you have written it. So if you think a post a month feels right – that would be the goal to aim for. Publishing once a fortnight or once a week give you more opportunities but posting once a day or even several times a day is only possible by blogs who have a number of writers posting for them. As the author of your own books I would keep it specifically written by you, and only use Chat GPT for ideas, not for your final version.
It is worth mentioning again that your blog post can be found on Google and other search engines, and that Google is rewarding authentic experience as well as expertise authority and trustworthiness. The old days of spamming the search engines with hundreds of keywords or backlinks don’t work any more, and in fact will penalise your site.
Organic growth brings benefits
The idea is to build a loyal audience over time. Writing blog posts – like writing books – is a long game. The more you have published the more you will have a footprint and become visible and better known. Even if your published work varies with different genres or treatment your blog can be the place where people will get to know like and trust you.
If you want to find out more and go further in depth about your voice in blogging please see the kindle ebook “Distinctive Voice- the fearless guide to a wholehearted blog worth noticing”. It is written by me with Ute Wieczorek-King and is packed with exercises and ideas to help your blog stand out. As the title suggests, is a friendly and encouraging read!
Piggyback on relevant established web and blog sites.
A shortcut to credibility is by being in the company of relevant respected blogs and websites. Digitally this is done by linking with them. Think of the places where your blog could be linked to, include a site in the body of your blog post. and write a relevant blog post around it. This can be done in a completely natural way. When I linked to Grammarly and to Amazon for the ebook there was a point to the link and It did not look awkward. Similarly when you refer to a subject you have already written about in a previous blog post you can link to that is a way that is easy for readers to follow. And of course the search engines can follow as well.
Examples could be of organisations you belong to, the source of your quotes or statistics, or simply something that is relevant to what you are writing about and well known. The major question is whether it is of interest and appropriate for you and the person who is reading what you have written. It depends what your books are about.
Your blog can help your pen name become better known, and is particularly useful if you are self publishing. If your books are about nature, camping or walking holidays and the benefits of being outside you could talk about equipment, tourist information sites, weather information or whatever is relevant to each individual post.If your books are set in a specific location you can reference websites of local relevant places of interest, local societies or other well known books.
Building an email list
An email list is a good way to get to know your readers. Unfortunately book sales do not give you information about email addresses but even so it can be a valuable asset.. You can lead readers of your email to your blog posts and ask them their opinion on questions of plot, cover choices and so on even before the book is published. To get readers to sign up to your email you can offer them something for free which is of value.
Can you make money from blogging as a writer?
Readers of your blog can be led to read all your books which creates sales. As mentioned before Substack has the capacity for readers to pay to read your blog, and apparently there are writers there who make money into the millions.
An alternative approach is to sign up as an affiliate for a product you recommend which you think would also benefit the people who read your blog. Ideally these are products you use and are pleased with. There are a large number of products to help writers for instance, and if you have found them valuable, so might your readers. To adhere to legal requirements it is necessary to reveal that you could make money if products are bought. Laws change in each country so it is a good idea to check them out.
Having any book published automatically confers authority. So if you offer services around the subject, either in a group or 1 to 1 your book is effectively a powerful business card. Writing a book has become extremely popular, but the best way to financial success is to offer services connected to it. The other way is for your book to be a best seller and to be fought over by many publishers, be printed in many languages – and financially best of all – be made into successful films!
Summary: The 5 steps to becoming an author who blogs
- Pick a platform
- Give yourself permission to build up your ideas in as effortless a way as possible. Hand-writing, simple word processing or whatever seems easiest.
- Publish 2 or 3 starter posts to get the blog going
- Refer to friends and allies on the internet
- Stay honest and write in your own voice