I have one, but it's crap and doesn't do me much good. On the other hand, there are writers who are great bloggers and who write things in their blogs that make me more inclined to buy their books. If you're a good blogger and are saying interesting/touching/funny things, a blog will keep you in my thoughts even when I don't have a new release from you, and if you can share tidbits about upcoming work (mixed in with the other interesting things you blog about) I can build anticipation for your books. So, good blogging = good promo. Bad blogging? Probably a waste of time.
Writers absolutely don't NEED a blog. Evidence - all the successful authors who don't! I have one, because I enjoy blogging. If I didn't enjoy it I would invest my time somewhere else. Same with Twitter - I'm on there because I enjoy it, but I don't bother with Facebook or Goodreads or other social media because they seem like work instead of fun. I read a lot of author blogs and, to be honest, I find most of them really dull. They don't inspire me to buy the writer's books. I'm sure many people think the same of mine. If you did an analysis of the time an author spends blogging against how many sales it bought them, I bet the numbers would show it isn't a very time effective marketing tool.
I have a blog, but it's thoroughly unprofessional and it's not mostly about writing. It started out as being about perfume, and then there was a lot of talk about gardening and sewing and complaints about my mother. In fact, yesterday was the first time in months that I posted any fiction.
I can barely push the cart through the rut of my actual writing. Keeping up with a blog would be like pulling molars with my fingers... after an amputation.
I have a an author blog but I mostly created it to replace my LiveJournal account which I deactivated when I stopped posting my WIPs there. I really only post major updates and links to reviews; I don't really have the time or energy to put together a decent author website, so the blog is more for having some kind of online presence aside from Twitter.
I was thinking of making one of my own! I hear it's a great way to get your writing out to the public! It's kind of like a way to keep your writing flowing to your fans without the full commitment of a novel! I also hear some publishers like writers to have a fan-base before they offer them a contract. Either way, they may expect the author to have a blog to keep them in the public's eye!
Oy, the over-use of exclamation points... I also have read the advice that an author needs a blog, and Twitter, and FB, and blah blah blah. I created a blog where I talk about writing in a broader sense and not shill my own work. After writing a half-dozen or so entries and looking at the non-existent traffic it gets I can't see expending any more effort on it. Nobody reads the damn thing, nor my other blog about automotive things (written under my real name and not my pen name). The problem with blogs is the same as books: there are simply too many of them vying for the attention of readers. Also, I think readers of books probably lean toward reading books and not wasting their time reading blogs. Just a thought. My Facebook page gets far more traffic though I still get almost zero interaction with readers on it. Twitter? Complete waste of time. The only people who 'follow' me are companies selling things like editing services, book covers, etc. The only private individuals who follow me are maybe two fans and a half dozen actual people I know/am friends with.
Do you follow other writers though? Or publishers in your genre? I have had a lot of valuable interactions and discussions on Twitter and it's my most successful social media marketing tool by far.
Wow, dude. That was completely uncalled for and kind of rude. I was trying to give information that I heard to try and help someone. I don't get the need to try and be critical to someone on a forum. Anyhow, it's nice of you to try and help someone who's asking for it, but why critique someone who was writing without soliciting advice? Geez.
I used to follow Stephen King but quickly grew tired of his liberal political whining. I follow a couple of indie authors I like but that's it. The Twitter format just doesn't appeal to me as a whole. I suppose there are many people who really like it but I get nothing out of reading it.
I have a blog, but really only for posts about book releases, or book price promotions etc... So it's not much of a blog. Twitter is tricky because a Tweet disappears down someone's timeline very quickly. I have a film-writing Twitter account from when I used to blog about film. It's good for driving traffic to blog posts, but not selling books. I write sci-fi, so I'm looking at starting a sci-fi blog to gather my potential target audience together in one place.
Honestly, I don't think it is necessary for a writer to have a blog. That being said, it would be a great way to practice as well as make you more noticeable in society. If you want to be known and make money writing, I would suggest starting a blog to gain followers.
I am weighing the potential benefits of this myself. I vacillate from day to day. It sounds like fun, but I have mixed feelings. I think it can sap time from the novel, and can also divide one's attention. But other times I have an idea for a post which would be cool to launch out there and have people read it, if they would actually do so. Still weighing it. Not convinced yet.
Yes. Me! Woohoo! I have a blog. It is clearly necessary, and if you think otherwise you are not a true musician, you use that sound filter, like bad writers do. I know writers who use word filters, and I can't name them, but some of them are above- they use word magic to make their incoherent ramblings appear plausible. They may as well be Katie Perry or milli vanilli. It is just cheating at being pretty, talented and charismatic. Cheats!
I have a blog but only really because I like writing about everything in my life besides writing, I love writing about my interests and the things that inspire me and I get to do that through my blog.
I actually want to start a Blog, to spice up my creative writing skills to get into the habit of writing in a regular fashion. You might read it but I'm not a native english speaker so I need to do that extra mile to get some fancy results. I'm still in the process of figuring out what I should write about haha!
I've been blogging just because I think having readers makes me sharper. It doesn't matter that it is only a couple.
I've recently started a blog but it's not for my creative writing. It's kind of like an inspiration diary where I share quotes and ideas with other people who are maybe a little more sensitive and anxious in their everyday life! You are all very welcome to check it out! It's thewithdraw on blogspot.de (thewithdraw.blogspot.de) - I am not sure if links or promotions are allowed, but it's not a professional blog, so I guess it's okay? But to answer your question, no, I don't think there's any relevance between being a successful writer and blogging. But I do think that some famous bloggers get book deals and some establish writers use blogging as a form of marketing.
I do, just to share my thoughts on writing, and kinda promote my work. Minimal as it may be. You can visit it in my sig. I am not very consistent though.
Blogging. Buh. I have about four failed blogs. My best one is the blog we have on-site here. I'm just not consistent about it and only really do it therapeutically, when I need to write something and symbolically release it by casting it into the public eye, regardless of how many eyes actually cross it. As much as I might want it to be one of my "things,' it's just not.
I've registered my book's title as a domain name dot com and intend to start a website/blog prior to publishing my book as part of my marketing strategy. I have experience in website design, with two other sites which I've been running for years. Anyway, I'm having trouble choosing a clean, minimalist WordPress theme specifically for authors, which also allows feedback from readers. Does anyone have any experience in WordPress, who could possibly give me some recommendations on themes please? Free is preferred. Many thanks Edit Just found this, which may be handy. https://blog.reedsy.com/author-websites/
Thanks for that @Carriage Return I'm looking through the enormous selection right now, but I really don't want to pay an arm and a leg at this stage. Here's another source for free writers' WP themes. https://www.templatemonster.com/blog/free-wordpress-themes-writers/ and http://madeforwriters.com
I use the free Sela theme at my site, though I have modified it a bit from the default. I doubt it's the best one, but people seem to have no trouble navigating around, and most visitors click to multiple pages/posts before leaving.
