My reasons to start My Musings three years ago were twofold. First, best-selling authors were suggesting that blogging was one of the best tools in the writer’s platform for developing a following and building a relationship with readers. Once having established this relationship, I hoped to convert these fans to book readers. Second, I wanted to chronicle my journey into writing and self publishing and to provide strategies and support for indie authors. I hoped they would learn from my mistakes and be encouraged by my successes.
After a while, blogging took on a life of its own. I was spending more time researching and journaling then writing. I only realized I’d lost perspective when I tried to revise my bio for an upcoming book. Since I did not know who I was as a writer, I could not succinctly describe who I was in the short 140-character bio.
I took a three-month hiatus from writing to tend to a sick parent and the subsequent death. I returned with a better understanding of me as a writer. (See Death lead to focus and clarity.) I am primarily a writer of hiking adventures who blogs about the business of indie authoring—two different audiences. I feel there is little crossover in readership. There is no direct correlation between my postings and sales. If I were to use the affect on sales as the sole criterion for blogging, I would say it is a waste of time.
But, there are other advantages. (See Too busy to blog.) Blogging has made me a better writer than I was three years ago. (I hope you agree.) It has helped my find my voice; I don’t think I would have done as well with writing exercises alone.
The blog is also a tool in my writing business. I use it to strategize and to help keep me on track. As an authorpreneur weighing the pros and cons of My Musings, I deem the blog a necessity to my writing career. I never begrudge the time or effort spent on the blog—in fact, I enjoy it.
For me, guest blogging is a better tool for increasing book sales primarily because I am writing to hiking and biking sites. Had I chosen to blog about my outdoor adventures in My Musings, my audience would have been receptive to my books, and my blog would have been indispensable to my success. I should have paid more attention to my advice: before you start blogging, clearly identify your audience. (Things to consider before setting up a blog.)
To compensate for not having better targeted my audience in by blog, I developed Pinterest Boards around my topics. I notice a direct correlation between my pins and my sales. These pinned visuals do little to develop rapport with my readers, but they do give me an online presence. Additionally, on Woman on Her Way I journal about my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wanderings, and I enjoy reading and responding to the comments.
Debunking Blogging Myths
- “Creating an online presence is essential, but blogging doesn’t need to be a big part of it.”
According to Social Media B2B, companies that blog regularly generate 67% more leads per month than those that don’t. As the CEO of your writing business, why would you want to limit using a tool that generates more readers and increases your online presence? There are many types of author’s blogs (See The Author’s Dilemma: To Blog or Not to Blog by Claire E. White). Pick the blogging style that best suits your time and abilities.
- “Blogging is a better tool for non-fiction than fiction writers.”
It makes no difference what your genre is, blogging successfully can help you reach readers. See 5 Steps to Blogging Mastery for Fiction Writers by Kimberley Grabas and 16 Plog Post Ideas for Novelists that will Engage the Right Audience by Chris Well
On a LinkedIn post, Elyse Sussman Salpeter wrote “I am a fiction writer and I blog because it allows me to create a relationship with my readers. I don’t consider it a chore and I’m able to promote my novels, my thoughts on everyday life and offer writing tips. I completely think it has helped me on many levels to gain followers across the board. Do it because you want to, and have something to say, not because you need to. I get a lot of interaction from this blog that I might not get in other channels. This blog is also a great place for me to put updates and mimic what I do on my webpage as well. I don’t spend a ton of time on it, just a bit of time to write it up, then some time editing and cleaning it up.”
- “There are many authors who don’t blog and plenty of author Websites without a blog.”
First, don’t confuse a book’s landing pages with the author’s website. Though blogging implies have a dedicated Webpage to write in an informal, conversational style, several of my indie author friends use Facebook to “blog” or converse with their readers. What is important is keeping the reader involved, and doing it consistently.
Second, many successful and traditionally published authors have a publishing house supporting their ad campaigns or have reached name-recognition, and count on their large following to continue buying books based on their name. Unless you have achieved this status, blogging is a good way to create a buzz around your name and books.
- “Blogging takes a lot of time.”
How much time it takes to write a blog depends on your style, available, topic, research, etc. Writing informally about a topic you are well versed in and opinionated about can take less time than something more formal. This is your blog, spend as much time as necessary to deliver a well-written and engaging post.
Alternatives to blogging
- Guestblog
- Use other social media tools such as Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest to keep readers actively engaged.
- On your Website, post author interviews, book tours, and book reviews—whatever you think will interest your readers and keep them coming back.
- Build an email list, and then send out occasional letters.
My suggestions are to blog and use all the alternatives mentioned.
Do you think you absolutely need to blog for your writing success or do you find it a waste of time? Please comment.
