Is Having a Blog Worth It? (A Writer Post)

Today I saw a writer pose the question about whether or not having a blog is a waste of time.

Blogs are optional

The answer is simple. If you are expecting your blog to sell books for you, then yes, it’s a waste of time. Do NOT expect a blog to sell your books. If, however, you are looking to share things that inspire you or/and post updates about the stuff you’re working on, then blogging is worth your time. It really depends on your purpose in having a blog.

Websites are a must

Regardless of whether you have a blog or not, you should have a website. There should be a place readers can find a list of your books, what those books are about, and where they can find them. This makes life easier for them. I don’t know how many times I’ve been disappointed when I found a new author but realized they had no website where I could find a list of their books. I don’t want to browse through their catalogue on an online store. I want the list in an easy to find place on the author’s website. It doesn’t have to be fancy. I just want to know what the series is, and, if the books are in a series, I’d like to know the series and what order the books are in. That’s really it. Contact information, about the author, etc, are optional.

Email lists are recommended

Now, I am not the kind of person who opens every email I get. I can’t. My eyes would kill me if I did. But when an author I like has a new book out, this is the best way for the author to let me know about it. I don’t think the frequency of emails matters so much when it comes to selling a book. It depends on the writer. Some writers are conversational and tell good stories about their lives. They do well with frequent emails. Other writers, like myself, have no idea what to say in an email. Even on a personal level, I struggle with this. So I just send an email when I have a new book out. There is also a middle-of-the-road approach. Some authors send an email once a month giving updates on what they’re doing. I have made a blog dedicated to this so that people don’t have to subscribe to an email if they only want to see an update once a month. But this depends on the writer. With all that said, I do recommend having some way you can reach your readers in their inbox. So give readers the option of signing up for your email list.

Let’s say you decide to blog. Here are some tips I have found useful over the years:

1. Write about your current works in progress.

It’s not enough to make “buy my books” posts. That is what you can do in the email list. You can announce a new release on a blog, but I would not have that be the only time I make a post. Let your readers know what you’re working on and any neat things that pop up while writing the story. Teasers are fine, but I think it’s more fun to talk about the characters like they’re real people. It’s also fun to find out stuff that went into writing the book. What inspired the book? What twists and turns did you find the story taking that you didn’t expect? (Don’t give spoilers. Just hint at them.) Did you expect a character to have a certain personality but found out the character’s personality was different? Is there something in your story that has a personal meaning to you? (For example, did you choose a certain colored shirt or put in a cameo that stemmed from real life? Another example, did you name a character from someone in real life that you care about?) Was there a certain theme you put into the story that makes it significant to you? Do certain characters represent someone or something that deepens the meaning of the story? (For example, in one story I wrote years ago, one character represented the unyielding quality of judgement while another character represented Jesus Christ’s grace and mercy.) I find the layers put into a story makes it more fun to write. Don’t be afraid of putting layers into your work and discussing that in your blog.

These “extras” add to the flavor of the story while you’re writing it. They don’t “sell” the book, but they let readers get insight into the stories they won’t get simply by reading them.

2. People can sign up for to receive the posts in their inbox without subscribing to an email list.

Put an option for people to receive emails when you make a blog post. I get frustrated when authors don’t do this. I might not remember to come by to check out a blog post. I need reminders. If I need reminders, then other people probably do, too. Make it easy for people to know when you make a new post.

3. Reply to comments.

I understand why writers who have 30+ comments per blog post would not have time to reply to every comment. Most of us, however, do not have a lot of people making comments on every blog post. So when a comment comes in, acknowledge it. If the person was nice, let the person know you’re glad they decided to stop by and say something. You will develop relationships with these people over time. (Ignore and block the jerks. This is your blog. You don’t need to take abuse from anyone.)

4. Be professional.

I realize that in today’s culture, it’s easy to get into a shouting match while online, but your writing blog should be a place where you are cordial at all times. (That’s why you block the jerks who try to rile you up.) You are not selling your books, but you do represent them. The way you write posts give a lot of information about you. I can tell which writer is pleasant and which writer is not pleasant by the posts they create. You have no idea who is coming by to read your posts. If you start bashing a certain political group, a certain religion, or some other belief, it doesn’t cast you in a good light.

For example, I remember the author who made a blog post saying that only stupid people believe in God. This was almost ten years ago now, and I still remember that blog post, and I remember his name. The ironic thing is that I thought his books sounded pretty neat, and I was ready to buy one until I read that blog post. He wrote science fiction. If he wrote books on atheism, I could see the point of him making that blog post, but atheists weren’t his target audience. I don’t know how he thought this would be a good selling point. But it’s things like this that will alienate you from your potential readers. Unless your books are geared toward a certain audience, there’s no point in criticizing someone’s belief system. You may not mean to go directly after that person, but they will probably feel attacked. Why would someone who feels attacked want to buy your books?

I realize we’re not perfect. God knows I have had my fair share of sin. But we should strive to be professional when we’re on the blog (or even on social media) because, at the end of the day, we represent our books.

5. Share things that inspire you.

The blog isn’t just for others. It can also be for you. And it doesn’t have to be just about your books. What are things that you find interesting? For me, it’s talking about writing issues. I don’t think there’s enough blog posts that address the benefits of writing for passion. It seems that the main focus is on writing to make money. That’s fine if writers want to do that, but I feel like there’s a void out there for authors who, like me, want to write for passion. I find it encouraging when I happen to come across a blog post from a writer who writes for passion. I write the posts for myself, and I write them for other writers who may be feeling the way I am. So if there’s something you feel is lacking out there, you can contribute it to the world.

6. Think of this as fun, not as a marketing gimmick.

Blogging will be a pain if you are thinking of it as a promotional tool. Instead of looking at it as a business strategy, think of it as something you do in your leisure time. It should relax you. Imagine yourself in your living room talking to a friend. The best part of this is that this “friend” is happy to let you ramble. Even if no one reads the blog post, there is value in it because you feel better after writing it. Maybe in addition to writing books for passion, we ought to think of blogging as a passion project, too.