Power of Blogs for Indie Authors
The power of blogs for Indie authors cannot be understated.
We all know that social media and online presence matter. It's nearly impossible for Indies to sell ebooks and paperbacks without utilizing internet tools like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, forums, blogging and more. If you talk with enough authors, it's clear they each have preferences. Many swear by Twitter, but this can be a difficult/confusing tool to start out with. Others prefer Facebook or LinkedIn. Some love spending time in forums, like at Goodreads, Amazon or Authonomy.
My preference is doing a little bit of everything, but regular blogging for me has been the single most important element in building an internet presence and selling ebooks online. It's just from my own experience, but the power of blogs ranks number one for making connections with perfect strangers from all over the world.
Why, and what's a perfect stranger? A perfect stranger, to me, is someone who finds my blog by searching for the subject matter of what my blog is about. They use Google or another search engine, type in a term like "sell ebooks on Kindle" and then happen to click on my blog listed among the pages of search results. Of course it makes a huge difference when my blog comes up on the first page and near the top, hence the need to learn/practice good SEO habits and also use a great host like WordPress or Blogger (which also provide free blogs).
The other question is why are blogs my preference over other social media methods like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, forums, etc? The answer is because a blog post acts like a perpetual billboard over time, discussing a topic that will become searchable for years to come. Hundreds to thousands of people the world over will see my individual blog posts covering an array of related subjects, and since there is relevancy in my posts (and books) to their search terms, the chance they might buy my books is much higher than just someone seeing a general listing in a forum or on Facebook.
Blogs bring targeted customers to your website. What you discuss is relevant to what they want.
I maintain a free blog at both Blogger and WordPress. The one at blogger is dedicated to my novels and personal life. The WordPress one (this one you're at), is dedicated to Indie authors selling ebooks and e-publishing in general.
There are just a few rules for successful blogging. One rule is to add posts regularly, at least weekly and as often as daily (if possible). Some very successful bloggers I know, Joan Reeves of Slingwords and Jana Matthews of New Moon Manifesting, usually blog several times a week and have great results from that.
Another rule is to use your own voice. It can be professional or downright personal and filled with slang. People want to see the real you, and a blog is great for that. Be true to yourself, and the right people for your books will come back.
Another rule, and the most important, is to use great SEO habits with each post like the ones outlined in Get On Google Front Page. My WordPress blog has only been in existence for 18 months, yet it's had over 2,000 search terms lead perfect strangers to it and to my books. What follows is a list of last week's search terms that led people to my blog, just one week's worth of searches totaling 125 search terms, words/phrases typed in by people to search engines which resulted in both this blog being listed in the results and people actually clicking on the link for this blog. It's an indicator of how well a WordPress blog and some regular posts with good SEO will attract people from all over the world in a relevant search to the products offered here. (You may want to scroll through it quickly, since it is rather long .)
2epub
red moon chronicles trotman
jason matthews ebook
best way too sell ebooks
jason matthews author
ebook piracy
selling ebooks on wordpress
createspace ebook
kindle ebook sell
how do i market my e books
can you publish on both kindle and nook
selling ebooks on amazon
sell ebook amazon com kindle ebook
selling ebooks with protection
uploading ebooks for sell
iriver cover story actual size
percentage of ebooks with drm
kindle ebook table of contents
how to sell ebooks on amazon
self promotion
sell ebooks on wordpress
selling ebook ibookstore amazon royalties price
best way to price amazon ebook
amazon or authors who set 99 cent price?
ebook sales slow at kindle
where to sell ebooks in japan
kindle direct publishing japan
free word to mobi conversion
indie authors forum
kindle tags are back
how to tag my book on the internet
how to make, market & sell e-books epub
selling ebooks
how to sell e-books on google store
how do i turn my manuscript into an ebook to sell on amazon?
why does amazon lower price to 99 cents
how can i sell more kindle books
amazon indie promtion
formatting ebooks for amazon
top markets to sell ebooks
sell ebook in germany
ebook
ebooks process in google
sell ebooks nook ebook
selling ebooks in wordpress
how do i sell my novel as an ebook?
amazon kdp
how to set ebook price
best place to sell ebooks for independent publishers
how to make wordpress site to sell ebook
kobo touch
how to make bookmarks for an ebook
amazon author forum
how to publish a social sciences ebook on amazon
publishing ebooks with drm
sell ebooks on your wordpress site
making ebooks
where to upload and sell ebooks with lr
how to make table of contents for kindle
ebooks a fad?
indie authors
using bookmarks and hyperlinks for kindle toc
wordpress sell ebooks
indie authors grammar
amazon author link does not show on ebook page
ebook navigation control file
sell ebooks on amazon kindle
how to make free e book for sell
how do i price my ebook to sell on amazon
selling e-books on amazon
how to do hyperlink book mark in wordpress
how to sell ebook on pubit
how to sell ebooks blogs
where does the ncx file go?
e-books blog
complaints about kindle ebooks
forums for indie authors
doc tomobi
get a free website for uploading ebooks on.
resell e-books amazon
how to get more amazon tags
market for spiritual books 2010
kindle
google ereader compare to kindle
doc to mobi
free website to sell ebooks
creating a toc in html for amazon kindle docs
how to get more tags on amazon
blurb create ebook
selling e-books
Интернет
how to market ebooks in uk
wordpress themes for authors selling ebook
books on keyword research
low price ebook drm
best places to sell ebooks 2011
kdp.amazon.com
jason matthews ebooks
how to sell self published "ebooks"
jason matthews how to make sell ebooks
amazon forums threads
what is the best price to sell ebooks in an ebook store
sell ebooks on amazon
how to make front page in google
images of kindle
how do i market an ebook
royalty payments to authors for ebooks
nook formatting for authors
how to market ebook on pubit
inserting pictures kindle ebook
kindle use bookmark to create table of content
createspace ebook store
best way to sell ebooks
nook color manual
smashwords best ebooks august 2011
indie ebook authors high price or low price
how to make changes to ebook on amazon
how to make and sell ebooks
companies that market ebooks
beginning bookmark kindle
jigsy no longer free
i have a blog and want to sell books on it
typos in sample ebook amazon
how to make, market and sell ebooks – all for free
That's quite a list, and hopefully yours will be similar soon if it's not already. My advice is to start blogging if you've been putting it off. Check out WordPress and Blogger for great free blogs. Stick to topics related to your books or products. Keep posting at least once a week for as long as you can. Use good SEO habits like the ones in Get On Google Front Page. It might amaze you who shows up in time.
–
Subscribe to this blog for updates on whatever I learn for those who want to sell ebooks.
