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51 Ways to Blog as a Novelist
We all know that blogging is one of the best ways to get attention in today's Internet world. A blog is a godsend to your website, bringing it traffic, fans, and more. But you have to post regularly.
Stuck for what to blog about? Here are some tips for novelists, but the same tips can apply to writers of nonfiction, memoirs, children's books, business books, and more.
- Review other novels, especially from other lesser-known novelists.
- Write a blog post using the voice of one of your main characters.
- Have that main character tell some side stories not included in the novel.
- Write about the setting - time and/or place. Use some of the research you did to ensure that your novel was accurate.
- Invite your readers to review your book. Feature their testimonials on your blog.
- Interview some of your readers: via Q&A text or via an Internet radio show or via a teleseminar.
- Podcast your book, one section at a time.
- Write about trends in your genre.
- Write about your favorite novelists, especially those that write in your genre. Include their photos and a sampling of their books.
For the rest of the 51 ways, see: http://blog.bookmarket.com/2011/06/45-ways-to-blog-as-novelist-tips-for.html
If you like this list, help me add more. Email: johnkremer@bookmarket.com.
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Comment by Neil Ostroff on February 7, 2013 at 1:44pm
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This sponsorship worked!
The KFD sponsorship for IMAGINATION http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATFC3JM on Tuesday did fairly well and once again eclipsed all my other marketing efforts in return dollars to spent ratio. I got below the 5,000 rank for a bit on Amazon and sales did increase dramatically for a few hours. As usual, I would recommend KFD as a top return.
I’ve slowed marketing efforts on my other nine novels to focus more on the four-book dystopian series I’m working on. It seems no matter how hard I try to focus on marketing, I always quickly return to the creative process of the novel writing art form.
I envy those authors who have personal publicists who handle all the drudgery involved in getting your name out there. How nice would it be to focus solely on writing? I’m not complaining however, the internet has provided the average writer with worlds of exposure at the click of a mouse. The only problem is that world is getting more crowded.
I do have a few more sponsorships this month and I expect to see some good results, but then I think I’m going to stop spending money on them for a while. The whole sponsorship process has been polluted by writers who have more money than talent and can buy up all the sponsorship space. The result is that readers aren’t taking the ads seriously anymore because they’ve been burned by bad stories.
I believe this to be true because I’ve seen my results from paid sponsorships dwindle over the past two years. A well-placed sponsorship used to sell hundreds if not thousands of copies, now I think readers are way more wary of what’s being touted as the ‘day’s best read’, ‘or book of the day’.
I still believe the best way to hit it big is by word of mouth and the luck of going viral, but I also think the secret lies in posting long samples of your work on as many sites as possible. There’s no need to try and convince someone to buy your book when they’ve got several sample chapters already in front of them and are enjoying what they’re reading. I always end my sample chapters with a simple note and link to purchase the book. I find this much more effective than spending good money on ad space consumed by “vanity” writers.
http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com
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So, you married a writer?
So, you married yourself a writer, eh? You bought into the romantic notion of the two of you sitting fireside, drinking glasses of pinot noir while your significant other sits beside you writing the next great American novel. The only sound is the crackling fire and the tapping of the keyboard as they belt out their genius.
Every once in a while your significant other looks up from their masterpiece and flashes you a smile that makes you feel like you’re the most special person in the world. Your house and bank account are huge and your worries are small.
Yeah right, think again. Unless you’re one of the lucky few who actually make a living at their craft the reality is much different.
My wife married me, a writer, and let me tell you how reality is for her. I have a strict routine which I follow daily. Any deviance from this routine and I feel disconnected with the world and my place in it. This routine has been ongoing for fifteen years now. I have been with my wife for sixteen years, so this is nothing new for her.
Every morning, after brushing my teeth, I fix a cup of instant coffee and sit down in front of my computer. That’s how it is. That’s what I do. This is my most creative time and I’m always at my best. This is when I write new material and give old material a serious read. I must do this alone, which means no noise, or activity around me.
My wife spends her mornings upstairs alone, watching TV or getting ready for work. My writing usually lasts about an hour and a half and when I’m finished, I immediately exercise for another hour. At this point, my wife has started her day and is off somewhere not to be seen until the evening hours. For me, depending upon if I’m working my conventional job or not, the afternoon is spent marketing and promoting. Before I went indie, I used to fill this time with querying agents and publishers, but thanks to the digital revolution, these people are no longer necessary. My nights are spent jotting ideas and reading other people’s books. Occasionally, my wife will sit beside me and also read a book.
Every month I get direct deposits from Kindle and various other outlets, and I smile that I’m actually earning money at my craft and people are reading my stuff. However, as far as the romance of what being married to a writer is like; it does exists, at times, but usually we’re both drinking pinot noir and there isn’t any writing going on.
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Back to writing
I’ve spent the last few weeks doing a lot of marketing and promotion for my nine novels and it has paid off. My main blog, ALWAYS WRITING has reached a milestone 250,000 + page views, and the other sites that I post blog articles have reached a combined 150,000 + page views. Not bad for the twenty months they have been in existence.
Now that I’ve reached a comfortable level of exposure it’s time to get back to the business of writing books. I did manage a 20,000 word outline of a planned six book dystopian series, and also broke out an old manuscript from last year; a YA literary fiction novella about teenage drug abuse in the 1980’s. The manuscript only took six months to write so if I don’t think it’s worthy of publication it’ll go back into the drawer. It wouldn’t be the first manuscript collecting dust in that drawer and it won’t be the last. I believe readers deserve a rich, storytelling experience and I won’t publish a book that I don’t think possesses those qualities.
I’ve never written one book at a time. What I usually do is write two or three beginnings to different projects and then spend a few hours plotting out the gist of each. I’ll then write an intro paragraph for each one and continue on with the concept that most hooks my interest. I’ll write until a rough, first draft is complete (usually about a month). Then I’ll put the draft aside and start the process all over again with new ideas.
When I’ve got two complete rough drafts, I’ll work on both simultaneously, writing one in the morning and the other in the early afternoon. When both novels are nearly complete, I’ll choose one to work on exclusively until it is perfect (perhaps, another two months). Once that novel is finish to my strict and insane standards, I send copies off to my editor, formatter, and cover artist to put the book into production.
As the chosen book begins marketing and promotion, I’ll start the novel-seeking process all over again with three new story ideas. The remaining, nearly complete manuscript will sit in the drawer until I finish the first draft of my next new project. Then that one will sit and maturate while I spend time fixing the previous manuscript. This method allows for one heavily edited, thought-out, and finished manuscript about every six months, which is about pace with what I’ve achieved over the last two years.
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Keeping up with the world
Two years ago, after amicably parting ways with my literary agent of four years, I decide to take destiny into my own hands and publish my books in eformat. I had a huge collection of completed and professionally edited novels and decided that publishing one every three months seemed feasible. So, that’s what I did.
Little did I know I was on the cusp of an indie publishing revolution. My books were available at the right time, for the right audience, and at the right price. Kindles and Nooks were the new “it” device to have, and readers who were once against reading a story electronically, suddenly realized the ease in which they could purchase and carry along their favorite books. My sales went through the roof.
I’m not saying I was a bestselling author, but my books all ranked in the low thousands for a time. Then something strange happened, my sales started to drop. I wasn’t doing anything different than before. I still spent an average of two hours a day marketing my titles, on top of the two hours a day I spent writing new material. Yet, my rankings kept slipping.
I decided to look deeper into this new age of publishing and what I discovered is frightening.
It seems anyone who’s ever written anything is now publishing it on the internet. Last year, Amazon reported about 20,000 new titles being published a month. This December it was over 80,000. That’s a lot of competition! And these new publishing folks are savvy marketers even if they’re not great writers. They’re using Utube, and audio conversions, and video’s, and social media, and a thousand other techno resources to peddle their stories to the masses.
So, where does that leave the introvert, artist, novelist who cares about his books as if they were his children?
As I get older and more experienced in my writing, I’ve come to realize that it is the story that is most important. It is eternal once written. To create something that effects people, or entertains, or changes their perspective about life, is what any real writer hopes to achieve. Sure, there are gimmicks and tricks, and social media, and threads to artificially raise awareness of your book, but if it was written as a piece of merchandise just to have out there, chances are it will fail.
Last month, I researched much of the latest trends in marketing (seo optimization, book trailers, keywords) and it made my head spin. Whatever happened to a good story selling itself? It’s getting harder and harder to keep up with the world.
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Comment by Craig Dressler on January 23, 2013 at 10:56am
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Christian Espionage Novel Released
The Christian espionage novel entitled Heart of Terror was just released. One reviewer called the book "a well-written, engaging novel". He went on to say: "The story is a low-key, solidly written account that reveals some of the inner workings of the Muslim world in Iran and Saudi Arabia... The story is engaging and flows smoothly in a steady rhythm... It is an entertaining and thought-provoking story."
Heart of Terror is available as an ebook as well as from the usual outlets like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
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Comment by Karl G. Larew on January 20, 2013 at 2:22pm
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you're probably right, and maybe that trend will help remove the remaining stigma attached to self-published books--and the supposed stigma clinging to books offered for 99 cents (some people think, still, that such a low price means the book can't be any good!). Does anyone buy hard copies anymore? Best wishes. Karl. Oh, BTW, my book The Philistine Warrior--largely a retelling of the Samson and Delilah legend--sold pretty well after I advertised it in Biblical Archaeology Review last Fall, but even it sells, with rare exception, only in digital. K
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Novels may die
I’ve been writing 50,000-70,000 word novels for a while now and to do it properly takes a lot of time. My fastest writing ever was last year when I finished a 60,000 word novel in eight months. And I do believe there will always be readers who want to immerse themselves in a long, detailed story. However, I also believe that a new wave of reading experiences will take over the future. What are these, you ask?
As our lives become busier and busier, it’s harder to find time to sit and just read a book. People have shorter and shorter intervals of spare moments; a twenty-minute bus commute or a ten minute wait in a parking lot to pick up your kid are the norm. We need quick, exciting stories to pass the time.
I believe readers and writers will see a new trend of the reading experience evolve. I think shorter series novels will take the place of long, epic ones. These stories will hook the reader immediately and satisfy the escapism bug without delving too deeply into page upon page of subplots, characterization, and long, overly developed plots. Like a quick shot of whiskey to loosen you up instead of a whole evening of drinking.
Gone will be the days of $2.99, $1.99, or even $0.99 ebooks. These short, series novellas will cost a quarter, or a dime, or maybe even free to hook an audience into the series. Fans will alert others when a new novella is released and the viral effects will be staggering (assuming you can write a good story).
Authors will have to be extremely prolific in the near future to keep up with the demand of writing a dozen or more series novellas a year. But the big corporate pressures of the past to create a perfect, profitable, publishing package will go extinct. Readership will decide what series are worth their time, not a table of executives sitting on a high floor of a skyscraper in New York City.
That said, I have nearly completed the first novella in my planned six-book dystopian series. Each book will be priced at $0.99 and end with a killer cliffhanger (much like the television series’ LOST and THE X FILES always did) hooking the audience to purchase the next book. Bring on the future of book publishing and readers. This is the most exciting, innovative time ever to be an author.
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What if?
I just got back from a three day trip to the casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I brought my laptop but got little creative writing done. I did pretty well playing at the blackjack tables and also threw a few bucks into the slot machines. It was while playing the progressive machine that my mind began to imagine ‘the what if’s’.
The jackpot was for 1.2 million dollars. What if I suddenly hit it big? What if all the right symbols lined up and bells start ringing? How would my life change?
As I spun, I fantasized about buying a big oceanfront house and a fancy sports car, and taking vacations in warm, tropical climates. I imagined myself luxuriating on a hammock beside a crystal clear pool while Bob Marley thumped from waterproof speakers. I also imagined the best perk of this illusory sudden wealth; more time to write my novels.
Even as a child, I couldn’t fathom enjoying anything in this material world if writing wasn’t involved. While other kids dreamed of lying on a beach enjoying the sunshine and rolling swish of wavelets, I dreamed of lying on the beach with a pen and pad and writing books. It has always been the central focus of my existence as a human being.
To not be able to write would be like taking away a painter’s ability to see. I’d be handicapped for life.
As I hit the spin button on the progressive slot machine a final time and my numbers still didn’t come up, I was okay with the fact that I’m not yet spending my days immersed in complete creativity. I still have to play the game of the world for a while longer. Though I haven’t hit the big time in authordom at the moment, each day I sell more books and get a little closer. I’ll keep at it until my numbers do line up.
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What makes a writer better?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what makes a writer better. Certainly, you have to be creative, that’s a given, and you have to love stories and reading. But what is that will make you better? Here’s my answer; time.
What do I mean by that?
With the exception of a few very talented people, most writers take years to hone their skills. Some writer’s like Stephen King say that a writer’s schooling is never finished. That writer’s always have something more to learn about the craft. There’s always a better descriptive phrase or character trait out there in the field of the imagination. And I do believe that.
A few things that I’ve learned over the years that have helped make my stories better is blogging. I try to post every two or three days if possible. The constant pressure of trying to come up with a subject and then write a post for the world to see has honed my storytelling skills. A now famous newspaper journalist-turned-novelist once said that the daily articles she provided for her editor prepared her for the rigors of writing a full scale novel. This writer’s name was Jennifer Weiner, bestselling author of numerous chic-lit novels.
The other thing I’ve learned about becoming a better writer is you have to talk to yourself a lot. I mean a lot! I know it sounds crazy but a few of you will relate. Tell yourself stories during the day. Make up things about people you pass on the street. I spend a good portion of my social activities imagining things about people I see, sometimes talking out loud to my wife about the fantasy lives I’ve concocted about these folks. She’ll look at me a little weird.
The last quick note I want to say about becoming a great writer is that you must write something every day. I know everyone’s heard that a million times but it’s so true. It makes you better and faster. My first novel took me three years to complete, my eleventh novel took one. And now I’m in the throes of a four book dystopian novella series that I’m planning one complete book every three months.
Writing is a profession as difficult as any. You can’t take a magic pill or a single college course and learn all there is to the craft. A real writer knows this and knows with time they will only get better.
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Comment by Elizabeth Ritch on January 12, 2013 at 7:16am
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Hello all! Just joined the network and feeling happy to be here. I am looking for any ladies (or gents) who would be interested in reviewing my new book, take a peak at it on amazon http://www.amazon.com/The-Depth-Pink-Elizabeth-Ritch/dp/1481952269/... and if you're interested, message me!
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