So many writers don’t want to blog. I don’t understand why, since I love blogging. I have five blogs.
I read a column in the Huffington Post today by Alan Paul, who explains not only how blogging gave new life to his writing but also helped him land a column at WSJ.com and a book deal. Maybe reading the column will help more writers understand the value of blogging.
For me, I enjoy how blogging has allowed me to develop a voice. I also love the fact that it has given me a forum for my ideas, knowledge and thoughts…but not as a journal. I write as way to offer something of value to others. And when I get comments on my blogs telling me I have helped someone or that the information is useful, that offers me a huge amount of fulfillment.
Plus, I receive satisfaction in the fact that my blogs get read. Yeah, sometimes its just by 20 or 30 people a day, but that’s 600-900 a month–the average book only sells 250 copies per year. Some of my blogs get several thousand readers per month. Like any writer, I like knowing I’m being read. And, by the way, those readers become an author’s platform, which is necessary to get published. Not only that, the more readers you get, the more likely you are to get noticed by an agent or publisher and land a book deal.
Someone once asked me how much I write each day. They wanted to know if I sit down each day and churn out a certain number of pages. I had to stop and really think about it. Well…four or five different blogs at 250-500 words–each one at least once a week if not a few times a week (this one five times a week)–and then there are the miscellaneous guest blogs…oh yeah…those few pages of the book I’m working on I squeezed in each morning. I guess I actually write a lot each day just by blogging. In fact, someone told me I am quite prolific after seeing my continuous flow of posts showing up on Facebook.
Some bloggers make money from their blogs–usually from advertising. You need a lot of people coming to your blogs for that–and lots of page views.
If you are like Paul–and lots of other bloggers, a blog might lead to a column and then to a book deal. It’s a great way to build your platform. And if nothing else, as the old cereal commercial said, “Try it. You might like it.” If it gets you writing every day, that’s as good a reason as any to blog.
Note: Since this post was published, I’ve landed a writing gig with Social Media Magazines and a book deal with Writer’s Digest Books. My book, How to Blog a Book: Write, Publish, and Promote Your Work One Post at a Time, based on the book I actually blogged on my blog, How to Blog a Book, will be released in April and is now available for presale on Amazon.com.
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