A writer friend asked me this question: “Do you think the same people who read your blogs read your books?”
Good question and I wish I had an answer. I can track readership of my blogs, specifically by social media links ie: Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Google +. But I have no way of knowing whether any of these readers have read my books, unless, of course, they tell me.
So this blog is really a query to my writer friends. “Do the same people who read your blogs read your books?” Or put another way, “Does your blog motivate people to purchase and read your books?” Or, “Is blogging a good tool to market your books?”
I’d love to get your thoughts.
This is a good question. I am not sure of the answer. It is a difficult to measure this in any meaningful way. Also, I do not see my blog, as a way to sell books. It is there to inform and help other authors and readers. My blog was there long before I started writing
Interesting, Wendy. I’m not sure, however, that your blog isn’t a good way to market your book, though. Perhaps it can be both – an information piece and a sales piece.
I think it depends on what you blog about…if you´re blogging about the craft and you´ve written books about the craft, then the writers who follow your blog are more likely to buy one of your booksI´ve bought some craft books written by ¨craft bloggers¨ but I haven´t bought their other books unless they happen to write in my favorite genres.
The problem nowadays, in my opinion, is that we are overwhelmed with book choices, so we tend to go for bestsellers and authors known to us. The debut author has an almost impossible task.
Friends and people with whom we´ve made some kind of connection are more likely to buy our books, so the adage about social media being about connections is true, i think.
The challenge is to make real connections, but if we spread ourselves across too many social media sites, I think we´re less like to make connections.
As a fellow author, I truly am overwhelmed by the marketing side and would love to forget all about it! I know I can´t if I expect to sell books, but so far, I´ve tended to ignore it as much as possible. Stupid, I realize, but we are who we are, I guess.
All very good points, Sheryl. Sometimes, I find my most popular blogs are not actually about the craft of writing, but about research I’ve done on my books ie: the actual subject matter. I also like writing about this myself. Maybe there’s a happy medium?
I believe it is a tool for both; purchasing your books (because they have a heads up about your writing style and subject matter – at least in my case) and marketing them (because the are built-in readers who will know when your book is available and they may reblog, or share, that information. As far as keeping track of the purchases, it is a good question. If you published traditionally or self-published, the publisher should be able to get stats from Amazon, etc. But your blog followers – well, you might just need to ask them (whether they answer you, or tell the truth – that;s another question).
I agree, Wendy. I think it is a tool for both as well. Thanks.
Yes! All the bloggers bought my book and many left reviews. Best source of readers.
That’s great to know, Terri. Thanks.
Since my books aren’t out yet, I blog to grow my audience of readers for my blog about Self-Reliance. I hope that these same readers will be interested in my novels when they come out, since my characters deal a lot with being outdoors and being self-reliant. But, of course I have no idea if that will be the case. But blogging has helped me discipline myself to write – and I have found my ‘blogging voice’ – which is different than my fiction writing voice. Also – something that all authors should remember is that having a blog on your website brings in 50% more traffic than if you don’t have one – search engines love the fresh, new content! So even if you feel no one is reading them, they still hep people find you online when they are doing searches…just saying.
All very good points, Indy. Thanks!
Good question, and one I’d love to know the answer to.
We are told writers should have a blog to promote their books on, but also not to promote them too much on said blog. I’d love to think readers of my blog might at least feel tempted to buy my books…and I do think some of them do buy them, but it would be great if they all did!
Thanks, Christine. I sometimes get chastised by my readers for mentioning my books in my blogs. But, gee, they often are great examples of the blogs’ subjects, that I can’t resist.
As long as you are not constantly going on about your books, it is natural to mention them from time to time. Most writers do.
Thanks, Christine.
I follow the blogs of authors, and am disappointed by the sporadic postings. Most of these writers post to promote their books, or when they have a wee rant, or an inspirational musing (I am one of those) They can’t figure out how to blog and write a book at the same time, and it shows. I prefer to follow a blogger, someone who has a distinct voice, and writes short pieces on a regular basis, like a morning cup of coffee. I read historical fiction and that field tends to have an overlap of published authors who are steady bloggers.
Thanks, Judy. I enjoy blogging . . . it is writing, too! But I will say it takes time out from writing books.
I am with those know that differences between the craft of writing novels and the expertise of a great blogger are distinctly unique. I read a variety of authors in a number of genre’s, budding and vetted, with well-written, well-edited material and separately appreciate the bloggers who teach the sport of writing. And the two shall rarely meet . . . so I can keep my butt in my own aspiring chair.
Well said, Deborah!
Yes and No. I think it has a lot to do with your strategy and long-term goals.
For nonfiction, it does help a lot.
Fiction, however, is a different beast and needs to be approached a bit more strategically. Your super fans will love that you blog, but the casual can may not care.
The most important question to ask yourself is this: “Do I like blogging?” If not, then it’s probably a waste of time for a fiction author.
🙂
All good points, Jim. For me, I like blogging so I don’t feel it’s a waste of time. Best of luck.