how to hook me with your author blog and make me follow you (and buy your books) with the devotion of a dachshund

There's an article in the latest issue of Writer's Digest that takes you through the "7 steps of starting an author blog". It's a helpful article and worth reading.

The problem with these articles aimed at writers — particularly fiction writers — particularly unpublished fiction writers who don't have a following beyond their relatives (and maybe a few supportive friends) — is that they don't really explain the point of having an author blog in the first place.

Or rather: the point of a blog...