An author blog gets Google’s attention
by Anne R. Allen
Should all authors blog? Of course not. We’re all different and we write for different audiences. There are lots of ways to establish an online presence. Anne Rice does a good deal of publicity from her Facebook page, and Stephen King is big on Twitter. Cheryl Strayed and Elizabeth Gilbert communicate with fans on Instagram.
Would a blog work for you? It might. Blogging is the best way to make friends with Google (otherwise known as SEO or Search Engine Optimization.) That means readers can find you through search engines. In other words, a blog helps readers find you and your books.
But I’ve Tried Blogging and Failed Miserably!
You’re not alone. Most blogs are abandoned after 3 months. If you try to follow all the “blogging rules” a blog can stress you out very quickly.
But you can succeed if you keep in mind that an author blog is totally different from a business blog. 90% of the advice on blogging is for monetized business blogs. So it doesn’t apply to you. As an author, you can make a blog whatever the heck you want it to be.
Author blogs can be “slow” (posting once a week or less) and FUN.
So you didn’t fail. You were slow blogging. 🙂
If your abandoned blog is still out there, you can start it up again. It’s better for SEO if you revive the old one rather than start a new one.
How Can I Work on My WIP if I’m Blogging Every Day?
You can’t. And you shouldn’t
Here’s the thing: most blogging advice is aimed at the bloggers who plan to sell advertising and monetize a blog as a business. They make more money if they blog daily.
But as an author, you’re blogging for name recognition and publicity for your work. Money will come later when you sell your books.
Author blogs can post infrequently and only need to appeal to your target book readership, not vast hordes of consumers. Your blog should be a fun, readable source of entertainment or information of interest to your demographic, not a hard-sell advertising machine.
An author blog only has to take a few hours a week — not the huge time commitment you’ve heard about. Ideally, you want to post once a week, but you can write those posts in one marathon session, and then post them to a schedule. Or don’t. Post once a month if you like.
Just make sure you respond to comments in a timely fashion. Comments can be the most important part of your blog. Those commenters are your potential customers.
But Why Should I Give My Hard Work Away for Free?
Your time is worth money, absolutely. An author blog does involve providing the public with free content. But those snippets of content are ads for your writing.
A blog gives you a base of operations for your marketing and establishes your brand. It allows you to communicate with readers and potential readers. It’s also a website you can establish free or inexpensively. And here are 8 more reasons why a blog helps an author succeed.
Compare the time you put into a blogpost with the cost of other publicity and marketing, and an author blog looks like a pretty good deal.
And it’s easier than you think. Author bloggers don’t need to build a huge audience. Business blogs are all about numbers because the more hits they get, the more money they can draw from advertisers.
Unfortunately, a lot of authors read blogging advice and take expensive blogging courses, and don’t realize those aren’t about author blogging.
Authors just need to know basic SEO, which is easy to learn. (And cheap. See below. 🙂 )
All that other stuff just causes stress. And hey, we have enough stress already. We have to deal with endless rejections (yeah, they pretty much never stop. The bigger you get, the more people want to knock you down.) Plus there are always nasty reviews, difficult editors, evaporating agents, writers block, and a whole lot of other things those business bloggers don’t have to worry about.
Author Blog vs. Business Blog
I don’t mean to disrespect business bloggers. They work amazingly hard. I tried to monetize this blog about six years ago and it nearly killed me. Literally. I hardly had time to sleep or feed myself. I had to give up writing fiction entirely.
Business blogging requires knowledge of advertising strategies and the specialized art of copywriting. Business bloggers need to be able to pack a piece with keywords, know the best strategies for SEO, plus keep up with all of Google’s ever-changing rules and algorithms.
Author blogging is so different from business blogging that I wish it had a different name. Maybe we could call it “A-Blogging” as opposed to “B-Blogging.”
The word “blog” is a newish invention anyway. It’s a contraction of the term “Weblog,” which was invented in 1997. The short form, “blog” was coined by a man named Peter Merholz, who whimsically broke the word “weblog” into the phrase ” we blog” in the sidebar of his weblog in 1999. “Blog” was first formally used as a verb a few months later by the legendary Evan Williams, founder of Blogger, Twitter and Medium. (no. not the whisky guy)
The original blogs were personal diaries. It wasn’t until the late 2000’s that they became big business advertisers and newsmagazines.
Think of an author blog as being more like one of the original “weblogs.”
But I Don’t Know Anything About Tech!
I started my blog as a total technomoron. I’m a Boomer. I’m so old I remember when hand-held calculators were cutting edge technology.
Bonus points if you remember the commercial jingle:
Rockwell calculators,
Gee, they’re really neat…
They have big green numbers,
And little rubber feet.
When I started my blog in 2009, I could send email, shop online, do a Google search, and that was about it. But I figured out how to have a successful author blog without the help of even a resident teenager. I learned how by trial and error.
Lots of error: I made the mistakes so you don’t have to.
These days I recommend new writers start with a free WordPress blog. If you decide you want a “self-hosted” blog later on (the ones you pay for) It’s much easier to switch from one WordPress blog to another. Wix is also a good choice for a free blog that’s user-friendly.
Yes, I needed some help from the wonderful Barb Drozdowich when we made the move from Blogger to self-hosted WordPress, but most people can handle the WordPress free or Wix on their own.
Blogger still exists, and it’s easy, but there’s no tech support.
Mostly starting a blog is easy. And it’s not hard to learn the basics of blogging.
The harder part is maintaining your momentum.
Here’s the Secret to Keeping that Author Blog Going:
It’s all about reaching YOUR readers. Not everybody and their grandmother.
And you’re a writer, remember? Quality content is what you do. And what should you blog about? Anything and everything that will appeal to your readers.
Catherine Ryan Hyde, who has sold something over 3 million copies in the last few years, blogs about her animals, astrophotography, and traveling. Her readers love it. For more detail about what to blog about see my post, “What Should an Author Blog About?”
You don’t need to advertise anything on your blog but you. So write about anything that appeals to the kind of people who would like your books. You don’t need to choose a niche like a business blogger. You don’t have to limit your topics to doughnuts, or pet tricks, or writing. (In fact, don’t write about writing — most readers don’t care. 🙂 Do what I say, not what I do.)
Write your passion. What is interesting you this week? A film? A book? A walk in the woods? Blog about it. That passion will keep up the momentum.
Do I Need a Newsletter AND an Author Blog?
If you’re working on your first or second book and you’re just making your way into the marketplace, you probably cringe when people say… “you must have a newsletter! Write your fans three times a week or they’ll forget who you are…”
And you say, “where do I find these people to sign up for a newsletter?”
The answer can be, um, start a blog.
Personally, I prefer a blog to a newsletter anyway. Mostly because I hate having author newsletters clogging up my inbox. The only ones I still get are ones that come infrequently and offer me something: free or discounted books, stories, recipes, and news that a favorite author is visiting my area.
I prefer reading novels to reading author newsletters, and I think I’m not alone in that.
On the other hand, some people call this blog a “newsletter” because its notice arrives in their inbox every Sunday. The biggest difference between this and a newsletter is that new readers can discover it. Social media brings us new readers every week.
And here are some other things that make a blog superior, IMO:
- A blog can be read on a webpage, not just in an email program, which may be harder to read.
- A reader can delete that Sunday notice and still come visit the blog and read our content any time you want. We’re not clogging up your email inbox.
- Blogs have comments, where readers can interact.
Newsletters are great if you already have 1000s of readers who want to know all about your fabulous life. But if you want new people to discover you, it’s much better to be out there on the Internet where Google can find you.
by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) August 1, 2021
***
What about you, scriveners? Have you ever started a blog and abandoned it? Do you have a blog you update regularly? Irregularly? Have you been afraid of blogging because there seemed to be too many rules and too much stuff to learn? Did you ever have a calculator with big green numbers and little rubber feet?
BOOK OF THE WEEK
The Author Blog: Easy Blogging for Busy Authors
Named one of the “Best Blogging Books of All Time” in 2019, and “Best SEO Books of All Time” in 2021 by Book Authority, this is an easy-does-it guide to simple, low-tech blogging for authors who want to build a platform, but not let it take over their lives.
And the ebook is only $2.99
at Nook, Kobo, Apple, and Amazon.
Also available at Scribd, 24 Symbols
and it’s available in paperback for $9.99 at Amazon
My biggest obstacle to regular blogging is that I feel like I need to research the bejeezus out of, and comb and groom, every piece I write so it’s complete and perfect.
I know, I know, recipe for failure, right?
So I have a few questions – what level of writing do readers expect from author blogs? Does it need to showcase my very best writing? Can it just be short silly stories of the lives of the animals in my house? Or should I share something more substantive? Snippets of backstory from my fantasy world? I’m a long-form writer and don’t consider myself particularly witty, so I feel like my blogs always kinda suck…
Loring–Writing for a blog should be like talking to a good friend, not a scholarly paper or a piece of in-depth journalism. So try to get all those ideas out of your head. Cute animal stories and snippets of backstory would work really well. Here’s some more info on How to Write for a Blog: https://annerallen.com/2019/03/how-to-write-web-content/ Have fun with it!
Another fine heap of good advice. Thanks again.
CS–Thanks for being a faithful reader!
Anne—Thank you. So helpful! And, thanks as always, for your calm, sensible, and realistic advice. Writers, pay attention to Anne. She—literally—wrote THE book on blogging.
Ruth–Many thanks. 🙂
Anne did write THE book on blogging. I read it a couple of years ago and haven’t looked back since. This is my fifth year of blogging and I love it. Anne’s concept of slow blogging absolutely resonated with me. It’s about time for me to re-read The Author Blog. Thank you
Joanna–Thanks! I love to hear that!!
This is so very funny – I have spent the last couple of days looking into how to start a blog and how to add it to my wix website. I’m not a techie skilled person at all, and so I am not sure whether to use a wix app to start a blog (since I already have a website with them), or whether to start it separately via WordPress.
I had ruled out Blogger, and now reading this post just confirms that, as well as how important blogging seems to be.
Cool! And thanks for that!
Katja–Yes. Stay with Wix. You don’t want to fragment your audience. Keep them on your website. I advise keeping to one website/blog as much as possible. Lots more advice in my book to make it easy to start that blog. 🙂
And I used to love Blogger, but Google pays no attention to it, so I’m afraid it may simply disappear.
Oooh, thank you for that advice. I will stick with Wix then, okay!
Yeah, I only know how beloved literary agent Janet Reid who still uses Blogger. She has begun to complain about it a while ago, lol.
All terrific advice, Anne, and I love how you stay on topic (not a biz blog, hallelujah). The synergy of blog to FB or other social media is important for pumping that SEO. And there are few pleasures greater than being in a deep conversation online and being able to coyly say “you know, I blogged about that a few months ago if you’re interested…”
Will–I may have hammered that author blog/business blog a little too hard, but I’m amazed at how many authors are still trying to follow business blog rules and stressing themselves out.
And yes, it’s fantastic to be able to drop into a convo that you’ve written on the subject. And if the convo is online, they may even clock over and read it!
I’m glad you emphasized that difference! Ever since I moved my blog to self-hosted (which I’m not sure was a good idea), I’ve been stressing. Every post includes a rating telling me how bad my SEO is, how bad my headline is… basically I’m paying for a platform that tells me I suck. And I thought querying was demoralizing.
I want to do what you describe – post about things that interest me and interact with readers. That’s fun. Crafting the perfect keyphrase to make Yoast happy is… not.
Jenet–Oh, those annoying Yoast SEO elves! I wrote a whole post about them last year. It might be best to ignore them. https://annerallen.com/2020/07/yoast-seo-secrets/
Good Sunday morning, Anne and Ruth. I don’t remember having a calculator with big green numbers and little rubber feet but I still have two slide rules. I took them out one day and showed my kids (now 33 and 30). They had absolutely no idea what they were. Quite frankly, I’ve forgotten how they work.
Ah, yes, to blog or not to blog? I’ve been blogging away for about ten years and put out a new post every second Saturday. The day I die is when I’ll stop blogging. There are so many positives to blogging that I could write an entire post about them right here. Instead, here’s a link to a reasons-for-blogging I put up over at The Kill Zone: https://killzoneblog.com/2021/02/is-blogging-worthwhile-for-thriller-and-mystery-writers.html
Enjoy your day, ladies!
Garry–You have a perfect example of an effective author blog. And twice a month is a great schedule. Guest blog posts like your one at the Kill Zone help draw traffic to your own blog and your books. (I’ll be guesting at The Kill Zone on August 28.) Thanks for the link!!
Yay!!! Looking forward to your TKZ post, Anne!
Anne, your post today nails exactly why yours is one of the few blogs I subscribe to. Always entertaining, always informative, always down-to-earth and funny.
Debbie–Thanks so much! 🙂
I’ve kept mine going since March and I did it by following your advice, so I just wanna say thanks.
Rich–I love to hear stories like yours!! Keep on blogging. 🙂
Such good advice, Anne. I blog once a week, on Tuesdays. I’m so glad you say it’s not necessary to blog every day. I occasionally reblog a post that interests me between my own posts.
I blog about anything and everything. Visits and holidays, with photos, book reviews, extracts from my books, poetry I’ve written, stuff about my wip, author interviews, my paintings and cards I’ve made, and anything else that catches my attention.
I don’t have the huge following of many bloggers, but it’s creeping up, so I’m reasonably happy, although I’m not getting many sign ups to my newsletter. This concerned me for a while, but now you say that a blog is as useful, if not more so, I’m not going to worry about it.
Thanks for all your encouragement.
V.M. It sounds as if you’re doing it exactly right. An eclectic blog that appeals to your readers is just what you want. You could gather it all into a newsletter you send around once a month or so, but I don’t really see the need.
I’ve found that posting every other week to my author’s blog gives me time to write something fairly substantive, respond to comments, and read and respond to other bloggers. I’m so glad to hear you defy the conventional wisdom of the newsletter. I don’t do one because I have nothing newsletter-worthy to say, and every time I subscribe to one, I end up unsubscribing after awhile because the constant self-promotion gets very tiresome.
Liz–A good newsletter has pretty much the same content as a good blog. Neither should be all about self-promotion. But as a reader, I prefer a blog on many levels. Some prominent nonfic writers have started putting all their best info into a newsletter rather than a blog, so it will feel “exclusive” for the special folks who like to read long articles in their email program, but I think that’s silly. I also think that having a newsletter AND a blog is just too stressful.
Way back when, I called my calculator a computer–because wasn’t it?
My web designer created my first blog in 2005. She advised me to call it ‘Leanne Dyck’, but I told her I wanted the name ‘Designer’s Notes’–back then I was a knitwear designer.
I abandoned ‘Designer’s Notes’ and a few other blogs before I created ‘The Sweater Curse’ blog–named after my thriller. ‘The Sweater Curse’ (the thriller) was released in 2010 and I guess I thought it would be the only book I’d ever write or that I’d create a blog for each of my books. Neither held to be true.
In 2014 (give or take a few years) I changed my blog’s name to ‘Author Leanne Dyck’ If I’d only have listened to my web designer I would have saved myself so many headaches. Ah, well, live and learn.
I’m an avid blogger–adding new content weekly. Blogging helps me to network with others in the publishing industry and to showcase my writing. I’m happy to report that I’ve found that is possible to grow both as an author and as a blogger.
Thank you for your helpful article, Anne, and for this opportunity to reminisce.
Leanne–Back in 2005, everybody gave their blogs cute names, so you can be forgiven for not taking your webmaster’s (wise) advice. But I’m glad you finally put your name on it. So many blogs don’t have the author’s name anywhere and it drives me bonkers. And you’re certainly not alone in thinking you should put your first book title in your blog or domain name. I knew people who bought domain names for their book title before the book was written. Somehow they didn’t get it that successful authors write more than one book and they don’t need dozens of websites. So you were on a learning curve that most people shared with you. We do live and learn. 🙂
Thank you for your pat on the back, Anne. Your kind words made me feel much better.
Blogger does have something in the way of tech support, just not as good as the tech support for other blogs. I would suggest staying away from Tumblr, as it’s more directed towards those who are not writers, but artists, celebs (A,B,C and D list) etc. etc.
I’ve been blogging for about 13+ years or so, but I’m slowly running out of steam/passion for it. Trying to get my mojo going again, but who knows if I’ll be successful.
As an interesting factoid about me, when I started I was blogging twice a day, three to four times a week. Eventually went down once a day, three to four times a week. Over the years I’ve slid down to twice a week, then once a week.
So my advice to everyone here is to stick with one blog (don’t splinter) and to whatever schedule you’re comfortable maintaining for your blog. Consistency is the key word when ti comes to blogging.
GB–I have a fondness for Blogger, and I wish Google would give it more love. It’s a very user-friendly format. But it tends to not be so comment-friendly/ Some people find themselves routinely blocked from commenting for no apparent reason. If you were blogging 13 years ago, you would have felt intense pressure to blog multiple times a day. That’s what they told us we had to do. I’m glad to hear you got real and cut down. Bloggers who tried to keep up that pace ended up abandoning the blog entirely.
Great advice to avoid “splintering”. One blog is all you need. And you’ll have better traffic if you blog to a schedule, even if it’s once a month.
Congrats on blogging for 13 years! I hope you get your mojo back.
Not so much pressure to blog that many times early on, but I had a lot of pent up stories/content waiting to be posted that I couldn’t post to the very toxic chat rooms that I was residing at. So blogging six to eight times a week didn’t seem that outrageous to me at the time. But we live and learn.
Terrific as always, Anne. Slow blogging is a godsend. I blog on the Kill Zone twice per month, plus my blog and the occasional guest spot at other blogs. At times, the blogging schedule for my site gets pushed to once every three weeks, but I’d rather write a well-researched article for my audience than toss up something quick to satisfy my self-imposed deadline. That way my audience stays engaged and I don’t have to live with unnecessary guilt. The strange part is I gain more traffic on the every third week schedule than when I’m posting bi-monthly to my blog. ‘Course, I also use drip marketing. Whenever I publish a new article on my blog I schedule a year’s worth of social media posts to funnel new readers to that article. On the off weeks, I’ll also tweak (not copy/paste) an older article to publish on Medium, with a backlink to the original post. It’s a simple and effective way to recycle old articles and a light rewrite keeps the Google bots happy. 🙂
Sue–You’ve got some fantastic blogging tips here! I tried to post a version of each blogpost on Medium, but I fizzled out. But it’s good advice for people who can make the time. And you do want to keep sharing earlier posts on social media. This is why you have a successful blog!
Just finished the ‘content’ for my website developer and considering revisiting a blog. This, and the links, are very useful. Thanks.
Val–You’ll get that website on Google’s radar fast if you add that blog. Best of luck and have fun with it!
I started in 2009 as well. The things I’ve stumbled on and the blogging roads I’ve traveled. They were all part of the learning process. I, too, had a business blog up until a couple years ago. I just lost the drive and figuring out how to get it to be the success others had. Now, I post the occasional recipe. Different topics. And like you said, I try to have fun with it.
Traci–Keeping a blog alive with the occasional recipe or story is a great idea. When you need more publicity–say for a book launch–you can blog more often and bring back the traffic.
Hello Anne! Hope you’re all better now.
Even though I’ve been blogging for some years now, I found your book, The Author Blog, immensely helpful and that’s an understatement! I still dip into it from time to time.
My blog has become my only online presence as I’m no longer on social media. I enjoy blogging and don’t limit myself to one particular theme though, lately, I tend to write book reviews more than anything else. The one issue I have not been able to work out is encouraging readers to comment. According to my stats, there are people who visit but hardly anyone comments. I could get hung up about it but, hey, life’s too short! So, I’ll just carry on blogging ????
Joy–Using your blog to review books is how you earn your crown in heaven. 🙂 Seriously, book reviewing is a gift to book lovers everywhere. People aren’t commenting on blogs the way they used to. I’m not sure why. But some posts invite comments more than others. You might write about a reader pet peeve or something that readers could add to–“What is your pet peeve when you’re reading a new author?” Something like that.
Love this post. I’ve been blogging for five years to keep in touch with my readers. As opposed to other authors that I know who send out newsletters – I write humorous observations on modern life. Why is there a fly circling the deli? Is mahjong the true game of champions? Are Facebook followers really your friends? My followers love it. And, these blogs eventually became my 3rd book – What’s That Growing in My Sour Cream? The point is – a great blog can expand your brand. And bring new readers.
Brad–Exactly! A good blog brings in NEW readers. A newsletter doesn’t. Your blog sounds like great fun. And turning the posts into a book is how you monetize all that work. Congrats!
An amazingly useful post, Anne! I read your book and followed a lot of your advice. I decided to focus my blog on reading and writing, and made a list of the sub-topics I would be interested in blogging about. The tip about batching blog posts is amazing, and it has helped me blog consistently every week over the last few years or so.
Gargi–I’m so glad to hear my book helped you! Just a few tricks make it so much easier.
Fantastic article Anne. Great descriptions on the difference from A and B blogging. I’m old school too. I love the engagement and the friendships blogging has brought. We all need a break sometime, but we always come back. It’s writing. It’s part of what we do. 🙂
Debby–I’d miss the engagement I have here so much without blogging. I’ve met so many people in the blogosphere! They’re the people who have helped most in my career. And yes. It’s writing. It’s what we do. 🙂
Hey, remember the good old days of blogging? I’ve been off for so long now, (dealing with my mother’s Alzheimers) but now that things have settled down, I’ve been thinking about starting them up again. I miss writing “in the now”. My problem is I don’t have time to comment or visit anymore. Blogging really does take time, and that is what’s been holding me down.
I’ve admired your tenacity to blog. And Ruth. You’re right, things are changing with blogging, which is why I still don’t have a website. I can’t make up my mind about ANYTHING, blogging site just one component of the issue.
Anyway, thanks for the refresher course in Blogging 101. It’s still true advice to anyone.
You’re the best! You too Ruth!
Anne–Great to hear from you! I actually Googled you a few weeks ago to see if you were still around. And I see you have a brand new book out. Congrats! And you still have your lovely blog, which actually IS a website, as long as Google keeps Blogger alive. All you have to do is keep your book page up to date and post something once a month or so to get it back working again. It doesn’t have to be a long post. Just something your readers will care about.
So sorry about your mom. Caregiving does rob a lot of people of big chunks of their productive life. I’ve needed caregiving myself since a fall last summer put me in a wheelchair. I’m slowly getting back to normal, but it’s a tough slog. But I discovered the blog was my first step to getting my life back. Even when I was still bed bound, I could write a blogpost or two and keep up with comments. I thought I was working on a new book, but my brain was too fuddled with meds to keep track of a mystery plot–so all that writing was wasted. But I could write short blogposts. So even though it does take time, I think it’s time well spent.
And I’ll bet your readers would love to hear from you with a few new blogposts. Thanks much for visiting us!!
Not sure if my first calculator had rubber feet, but I do remember the heated discussions about what would happen to math if children got to use calculators in school! Last time I blogged was in 2013, I found it so stressful. But I have toyed with the idea of starting up again – so your article found me at the right time, i think. Really useful and practical. Thank you 😀
Natalie–Yes! It was all “O tempora, O mores!” when the calculator came in. Would children ever learn arithmetic again? 🙂
I hope you’re able to try blogging again–with less stress.
My problem is finding things to blog about, but I’ve found it easier if I can write a series of blog posts (currently ‘As I get Older’) and schedule them. I generally write more than I intend once I start wittering on, so it’s just a question of organising it into more than one post.
It is also easy to reschedule posts if something more immediate comes along – as it did for August (and September) when Marsha Ingrao asked for volunteers to guest-host her Story Chat for a couple of months.
It is easy to use blogging as an excuse for not writing anything else though. I realised that was what I was doing and got my finger out (metaphorically speaking) topen five short pieces for Facebook flash challenges (three of which won their challenge! No prizes – just satisfaction).
So, if nothing else, a blog keeps your writing muscles exercised.
Cathy–That may be the best perk of all you get from blogging: exercising those writing muscles. Also you can network with other bloggers the way you’re doing with Marsha. Great that you’ve been able to find a way of scheduling blogposts that fits with your own writing rhythm. I find other blogs are a great source of blogging topics. When I’m tempted to leave a long comment, I realize the comment would make a great blogpost.
Good advice – thanks