Saturday, January 17, 2009

BLOGGING FOR FIRST-TIME AUTHORS

THE FOLLOW ARTICLE IS FROM THE WHEATMARK NEWSLETTER. Hey, if it is good advice, pass it along.


Book Marketing Tip

Blogging for First-time Authors

By Kathryn Gautreaux

One of the essential ingredients to a successful book marketing plan is a blog.

A blog will allow you to post journal entries about your process during the book writing stage, to post entries about your publishing timeline, to write about your published book, and to write about everything else you are interested in between.

On the Wheatmark website we have a blog post that includes step-by-step instructions on how to start a blog using Blogger - one of the free blogging sites available.

How does blogging for book marketing work?

It works by establishing a home base for your marketing efforts. As you read other people's blogs, you can comment from your blog identity, allowing them to follow you back to your blog. When you use Twitter, you can put up tweets about new blog posts and also put the link to your blog in your profile so Twitter users can read more about you. This will drive traffic to your blog.

On your blog site, make sure to add a link to where prospective readers can buy your book.

Why does blogging for book marketing work?

It works because it creates a virtual world where you can be the expert on your book's topic and allows people with similar interests to interact with you. The more readers you gain for your blog, the more readers you are likely to gain for your book! By allowing readers to be a part of your journey as an author-from first inspiration to the exciting book launch-you can form a community of people invested in your project and your success!

It can be difficult to get going... So here is a quick list of topics you could start blogging about today!

List of 5 ideas or thoughts -Numbered lists are always winners. It helps the blog reader understand what they are going to be reading and helps them get to the end. This works in a blog about business very easily. You can write about one of your chapters, offer tips, etc. But it could also work for fiction! Say you are writing a young adult fiction book about battling a demon. Your numbered list could be "5 Things You Need to Battle a Demon." It's entertaining and it brings people into your book.

Publish a list of links -Can't think of anything to write? Has someone else written it already? Post a link to the articles on your blog. They'll appreciate the favor and also your blog readers won't feel like you've abandoned your blog for the day!

Take a recent experience and share it-Maybe it is obvious, but writing about something that made you have an emotion is always good fodder for a blog. It lets other people into your world and also allows them to share their own experiences in the comments section. It may even inspire you!

Are you ready to start blogging for your book? Check out the step-by-step blogging instructions on the Wheatmark blog. To learn about more marketing and publishing-related tips, visit Wheatmark's Author Resources as well.

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