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Is blogging worth it?
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I think a newsletter is far more important but some occasional blogging is all I can seem to manage.
I have different views on newsletters. I've signed up to a couple, they come in and I don't read them, I just don't have the time. I wonder how many other people are the same. I also don't read blogs. I'm not much use! I don't blog often these days (time) but I do it in the hope that eventually someone might follow me. It's great though, I can say what I want and no-one is reading it.
I have a blog, and I do post to it occasionally, but not often, either because of time or because I just can't think of what to write, or something else keeps me from blogging. I don't think it hurts for an author to blog, if they have the time, energy and enthusiasm to do so, but neither do I think it's something that is key to success. It's merely something you can do to help attract attention to you.
Agree with everyone. A newsletter can get you a few sales here and there which makes it worth it. A blog is a way to increase engagement if you have that handful of people who really dig you that much. Your posts are things that someone will discover one day and binge read if you're lucky. That's why it's really important to blog if you actually want to/enjoy it and you have something cool you want to chat about. At this point in my life I do very little unless I really want to ha ha. Key to happiness :)
That's sort of what I was thinking... that if it's not enjoyable for me, I shouldn't bother.
I faithfully blog once a week--currently have written 113 which I post to my web page at Authors Den. The topics pertain to my truth in real time as an Indie author. Faithfully posted every Friday morning and shared on social media--I currently have had 268 reads over the course of nearly 3 days! Build it, and they will come! I also note that the counters for my novels showcased at the Den get a few hits each day without fail.
One never knows the difference our efforts will make, or our effect.
Happy writing, everyone!
Mixed feelings about blogs. I hate writing them. I feel like the time is better used to produce saleable works. Also, wrestling with WordPress is a chore.But if I do write a blog, I force myself to try my utmost, since a blog can, of course, lure someone to your books. For example, I read Joe Konrath's blog for years with interest and appreciation, then I finally got a Kindle and decided to give him a try. Got 35% through one of his books, then quit. Wasn't for me. I probably won't try another.
Your blogging can be phenomenal, but if your books are lackluster, you're not going to sell stuff. Goodwill generated from blogging or any other activities only goes so far.
I've been slightly inspired to write a couple of posts lately. If anyone has feedback on my blog, I'd love to hear it:http://annabellecosta.blogspot.com/
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Thanks, Carol! What do you mean that the header didn't show up?
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Carol: that's so weird! It shows up for me. Anyone else can't see it?
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I blogged for several years on blogger and then attached my blog to my publishing imprint. I took this year off. I think blogging is good if you know what your blog is going to entail. Will it be about writing, life, reviews? I blogged about a lot of things, life, writing, publishing, recipes, expat life, etc. Sometimes it was tough to come up with material, but I tried to keep it interesting. Here's my blog if you're interested to see the subject matters - http://baerbookspress.com/blog/
Annabelle wrote: "I've been slightly inspired to write a couple of posts lately. If anyone has feedback on my blog, I'd love to hear it:http://annabellecosta.blogspot.com/"
I left a comment on one of your posts. It's nice.
Annabelle, have your Webmaster/mistress take a look at the HTML code for your Header. Your name is showing up in both Chrome and Firefox, but the "call" for whatever image you should be showing isn't appearing in either of my browsers, for some reason. It might have to do with an incompatibility among browser editions. I'll post below the "call," but your Webmaster/mistress will have to look at the coding to see why it's not coming up on some browsers. Again, your name does appear, however.src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrtSm232UZg..." style="display: block" width="890px; "
Echoing what Theodore said. My inspector says "Unable to load image" which usually means the path is wrong, but may also be a matter of rights. Again, ask your web admin.
Thanks for the advice, guys! I'm just using blogger so there's not really any "code" to get buggy. I'm going to reupload tomorrow and hopefully that will fix the glitch. Really weird...
Seems to be working, Annabelle. Looks terrific.
Hi. One thing that I couldn't see mentioned in this thread (apologies if I missed it) is the positive impact on your SEO (your search engine optimisation).I attended a SEO course (read: I'm a student of this, by no means an expert) and it was explained that Google does not like static content. Or, rather, it is less interested in static content. So - as it was explained to me - if your site does not change frequently, with new content being added, then Google's algorithms will place you further down the list of search results.
Even though it is your static content (your 'about' page, your 'buy my books' page) that are the most important on your site, it is the new stream of content (eg your blog posts) that keeps Google interested, and means your site stands a better chance of not ending up down in the lower echelons of Google search results.
As mentioned, I'm not an SEO expert, but this is one of the key reasons I try to keep to a regular blogging schedule. Hopefully it's working!
I have been blogging since 2013 and I must admit the well is nearly dry. However, you make a good point about changing my site more often. Thanks for the tip.Marjorie
I opted to start my book blogs on a few sites instead of having my own website. That way I don't have to draw readers to my blog they are already on these sites. Wordpress, Booklikes etc.It works for me, but I find you have to spend a lot of time on writing blogs which takes away from writing time. Keeping these blogs up to date is essential and time consuming.
What do you think?