This is a reprint of an earlier blog of mine that hit a nerve with many writers. The dilemma of spending time marketing your books vs. writing your books clearly resonated and drew lots of responses. I’ve tried to practice what I preached in that post and have cut down my time on social media. Some. Yet, here I am writing something that is not my next book. How effective is this use of my time?
There are two sides to this new dilemma of blogging. Both sides take time from writing your book. The first is writing blogs. The second is reading them — other writers’ blogs, that is. Writing them takes a great deal more time. Is it worth it? Actually, yes. It’s difficult to know whether my blogs drive sales, but I do know it drives people to my web site. I can measure the number of hits on the actual blog. That’s a good thing.
The other positive about writing blogs is that I actually learn from my own blogs. When I write about characters or scene or POV, I am focusing on the good, the bad and the mediocre. I am reading and re-reading other writers’ to see what works and what doesn’t, which characters shine and which fall flat, which scenes and settings have atmosphere or how point of view affects the story.
One of my blogs was about how to use animals to give your characters character. The topic forced me to think about my animals. How does my character interact with her dog or his parrot? What does it say about them if they leave them alone for days at a time, or if they are constantly worried about them? Great device for character development.
Another blog dealt with the forensics of fire. The fire took place in 1911. What was arson forensics like then? The blog helped me organize the details of my research so I could determine what was missing in the mystery.
So, the answer to the first side of this dilemma, is yes, writing blogs can be very valuable to the writer. After all, it is writing. However, I have no hard evidence that it drives book sales. As to the second part of the conundrum, reading blogs can also be a valuable use of time. There are some blogs I find extremely helpful. A good blog has a message that is of particular interest to me as a writer. I probably won’t read a blog about cookbook recipes, auto mechanics or pit bull fighting.
I will definitely read blogs on forensics, crime-solving, digital photography, art, and many historical subjects. Once the topic is of interest to me, I will take the time to read a well-written blog (yes, that’s important), and hopefully, one with a sense of humor. I will often share those with writer friends. Here are a few I can share right now:
http://barbararogan.com/blog/?p=711#! Specifically on how to create a good scene.
http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/ Great, knowledgeable forensics Q&A and more.
http://www.blogher.com/bloggers-beware-you-can-get-sued-using-photos-your-blog-my-story – How not to get sued as a writer using photographs. Handy info.
For the moment my dilemma is solved. I’ll keep writing weekly blogs as long as folks keep reading them. I’ll keep reading blogs that can help me write better. In the end, I hope both of these activities will help drive book sales.
Your blog post hit a nerve with me. Five years ago, I wrote a weekly blog for a couple of years, and frankly, it took time away from my writing, which I resented. I researched, wrote, re-wrote, edited, and spent hours on most posts. My reward came from my readers. I was able to build a group of loyal followers, many of whom are with me to this day. I don’t think blogs drive sales, but they do boost a writer’s reputation and social media profile. You mention that another positive is the learning experience that comes from writing blogs. I agree with that, but on the other hand, a blog is so time-consuming that I still question if that learning experience and its limited marketing impact makes it a worthwhile endeavor for a busy writer. However, I enjoy your blog posts and they have increased my interest to read your books.
Thanks, Penelope. I agree with everything you said. I think you have to be in the right mindset to write blogs. It can’t be something you hate to do or it will show in the writing. Think of it as a way to validate your own beliefs, because readers do respond when you’ve been at it a while and built an audience. Having said that, you do have to build an audience, which means regular blogs (weekly, at least) and marketing the blogs, which takes even more time than writing them. Whew. Glad you like mine. Please feel free to share them. You know, you can use other people’s blogs from time to time if you get their permission.
Personally, I have learned more about your books, and what it takes to mix fiction with historical fact. These blogs of yours have given us insight into what drives you, as a storyteller and writer, along with being a historian who uses a lot of research to lend credence to her writing. Should you blog less and write more? NO! Please continue to write your blogs as often as possible , while remembering it’s the books that pay the bills, and give us, the readers, reason to ask for more of both! (Hope this makes sense)
This absolutely makes sense, Jerry, and is a very articulate and positive support statement. Thanks so much for all your comments. If I may ask, why is your email address “confused?” You seem anything but confused to me.
Thanks for reposting this, Lynne. I missed it the first time. You make some good points.
Thanks, Sandy. Glad you enjoyed.
Hi Lynne,
Ah, the age-old question. I’m convinced that my blogs have brought me a lot of new friends who ultimately became readers. So, even if you don’t see a direct translation to sales right away, it’s coming! At least that’s what I think haha.
I agree with you, Kris. Or else I wouldn’t blog. And I have met a lot of terrific folks!
I believe I commented on the original post.
Blogging for non-fiction writers is a really good idea. It’s probably one of the best things you can do to sell your books.
For fiction writers, blogging isn’t likely a good use of your time. Especially if you don’t like it.
But if you’re creative, you can probably find a way to make your blog worth it. It won’t likely be useful to build your audience, but rather a way to continue to connect with your readers after they’ve found you.
Jim, why is blogging good for non-fiction rather than fiction writers? Any specific points?
Nonfiction tends to revolve around information, education and inspiration.
People tend to go to the Internet for two things: information and entertainment.
Information is the one that’s easily cataloged and can be optimized for discovery with search engines.
In this case, blogs act as lead gen for the books you sell.
Makes sense. Thanks, Jim.
There are a lot of “shoulds” about the kind of marketing you should do to sell fiction. One of the biggest is blogging. I think blogging is a total waste for fiction. Very time-consuming, and definitely not a driver of sales. This said after I spent literally years writing weekly blogs and never seeing sales materialize. And after I cut down, I get a reader who tells me I’m not getting sales from my blog because all I had on there lately was promo. (I think she just wanted free reading material.) I regret all the time I spent researching and writing those blog posts. I would have been better off writing books.
Thanks for your comments, Linda. I write fiction and I believe I have improved my sales with my blogs. But until I do a study on this, I guess I won’t know for sure.
I think it depends on what you write about. If it’s fiction, blogging might not be the best use of your time. If it’s non-fiction, posting on your blog and on other blogs can be a very useful way to establish yourself as an expert in your field.
Blogging can give you credibility. Thanks.