Blogging is a great way to get name recognition, build an audience and promote yourself. Here are some suggestions of what to blog about on your site:
1)
Your
writing process. Blog about where you
got the inspiration for the story; your research; locations where you’ve set
your story. Blog about your characters;
do interviews with them. Blog about writer’s
conferences/ workshops you attend.
2)
Showcase
your writing. Post scenes, dialogue, excerpts. It wets the reader’s appetite for more of
your work. For example, author Diana Gabaldon
used to post her work on the internet for readers to critique. By the time her book was published, she had
hundreds of people waiting for it.
3)
Use
pictures. All your blog posts should
contain photos. But photos can be blogs
in and of themselves. A picture is truly
worth a 1000 words so share away. For
example, flowers, dogs/cats, locations, dresses, landmarks, oceans, et al. Put up photos of what your characters look
like; photos of locations/cities where you’ve set your book. Your readers will love it.
4)
Do
interviews. Interview other authors,
editors, agents, other bloggers, librarians, booksellers. You can also interview people that are in the
same profession as your characters.
These can be great learning experiences for you and other writers and readers.
5)
Hobbies/Pets. Yes, hobbies and pets make good blog
fodder. They are fun ways to connect
with readers. For example, author K.M.
Jackson has a great blog (www.kwanawrites.com)
and she always adds snippets about her dog Jack. Readers often ask about him, and keep going
back to her to hear about the dog’s antics.
Another example, author Nalini Singh (www.nalinisingh.com) writes a leopards
and wolves series. She also posts photos
of cubs and pubs on her blog, and now her readers are sending her photos for
her blog. That engagement with your
readers is priceless, and is what all writers want to achieve.
6)
Tie-ins
topics. These are topics that touch upon
the themes in your book. For example, if
you are writing a cop thriller, blog about cops, guns, bounty hunters, etc. If you are writing paranormals, blog about
zombies, vampires, shape shifters, ghosts, angels that are in your books. If your main character is a baseball player,
blog about baseball. Etc. Etc. You get the idea.
7)
Blog
for others. Volunteer to blog for other
authors and other writer sites. This
will expose you to other readers and help build your brand.
Happy Blogging!
