Blog It Up!

[Justin Bienvenue]

Hey everyone, I have been on here two weeks and I’m still not sure how to get this going so I thought why not start here. How does one blog? I find that blogging is anything you do as a writer/author to help promote yourself and to spread the good word to others, with feedback much appreciated. I myself have gotten little feedback in blogging but then again I am fairly new to the whole thing so maybe its just me. I say people see this they check it out, they read and then they give a comment, check out my profile, go over and just give advice and just go nuts, blog it up cause afterall we all have to start somewhere and for me im starting here. Blog however you wish, give advice, comments, tell how you blog just a little note on here and what works for you and what easy ideas one could give that has worked for you.

Still not feeling me? Well let me enlighten you on this about me, I have a website that gets very little hits, a published book thats hardly selling and promotional ideas that arent going anywhere and I cannot do much with because I have a really bad publishing company but do I let all this get me down? Clearly not since im still sitting here at my computer on this site writing to you all now. You gotta take it all and not think on it, this is what I have come to do because I know in the end I will get all the things I am looking for and I will see promise at some point, thinking negative doesnt move things forward and to me I shall keep on doing what I am doing to the best of my ability until I find that one opportunity and seize it for all its worth. Remember, you give back I give back, there is no end to what we as authors and writers can do for one another.

[Jordan Butcher]

Blogging is hard, very time consuming and not always as fun as it seems. I run a review blog so although I'm not an author and I'm not promoting myself on my blog, I am promoting others in the best way I can possible. You just have to hang in there. I find time is the best thing. Keep posting, stay excited about it even on the days when you don't want to and keep promoting your blog on different sites. People will find you, assuming you're writing about things they really want to hear about. And if you watch your posts, you'll be able to get a better idea for what people want over time.

Jordan Butcher
The Ink Puddle

[Dale Day]

Well, your link just got me as a follower to your blog!

[KW McCabe]

You might want to take a look at this article called How To Pull Traffic To Your Site. It might help a little :)   http://kwmccabe.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-pull-traffic-to-your-si...

 

Blogging in the beginning can feel like you're talking to yourself while you're trying to build up a following.  But keep at it. Don't give up!

 

Good luck!

K.W. McCabe

[Melissa P]

Blogging is tough and that's the plain truth of it. I myself have only got about 20 followers and I hardly ever get feedback. You seem to have a very positive approach to the whole thing, so good on you! Giving up is the easiest thing ever when nothing works out, but to keep going leads to positive results. So don't give up and keep on keeping on! I absolutely agree with your opinion on the fact that there is no end to what authors and writers can do for one another. So generally, what you give to others, you will get back. 

Besides possessing some sort of writing skill, the most important trait we need to have as authors and bloggers is patience. Eventually, people will find you and recognize your work and hopefully everything will lift off from there. It is a great idea to start talking and socializing with other authors, perhaps review their books and even interview them. Most authors will cross-post them ( this gets them and their books more publicity and also more publicity for you) and more people will get the opportunity to find out what you write. But remember, publicity and getting readers and followers isn't everything.

Good luck,

Melissa, Book Nerd & Critic. 

[Dale Day]

You not have 17 followers!

[Michelle Hughes]

Hey there Justin I'm Michelle my blog is www.tearsofcrimson.com what I did was went to google and found something called google insights.  Here's that link http://www.google.com/insights/search/  once I got there there's a box to the left that gives you a way to search trends in the last 7 days.  I typed in my search topic (I write vampire books so vampire) and I looked at what was trending in that topic for the last 7 days and I wrote articles from that idea.  At the end of every post I included the link to my book.  Don't know if that helps you out or not but it might help you get a little more exposure for your blog. It definitely gives you an idea for topics that match your book topic.

Truly,

Michelle Hughes

[Nina D'Angelo]

For starters, ignore the followings because followers does not always mean hits. I have 30 followers and get over 100 hits a day. It may not seem like much but it's more than I used to. I've found the more you write, the more people will come back to your site. Encorporate yourself into search engines like google if you have not. Network. You can network through linked in, zimbio, here of course and also add your feeds to twitter and facebook. Everytime you write a blog piece, ensure they are sent out through social networks. Create a facebook page if you have not already.

The important thing is to enjoy what you're doing and le it show through your writing. Blog because you want to, not because you want a following. The more you write, the more people will follw. People don't want blogs that write one post a month, they want consistancy.

I know having a following is important but if you concentrate solely on that you may find it distracts you from your main aim- getting your writing out there. The main thing is patience. Build up a following overtime. I think it's better than people just clicking your follow button and then never reading.

Write about your novel. Write about the stages you are up to, the struggles you are going through. Allow readers to take the journey with you. This is what I do.

I hope this helps.

Nina

http://ninadangelo.blogspot.com

[Dale Day]

The important thing is to enjoy what you're doing and le it show through your writing. Blog because you want to, not because you want a following. The more you write, the more people will follw. People don't want blogs that write one post a month, they want consistancy.

This is about the most important thing I've read about blogging!! If you don't enjoy what you're writing about, your readers won't enjoy it either!

My main purpose is writing stories that others will enjoy reading. I consider myself a storyteller far more than a writer/author. So, my main time is taken up with writing/editing/revising/reviewing for publication. The time I spend here, on other websites, and blogging is strictly secondary.

http://lvcabbie.blogspot.com  A Soldier's Tales

[Paula McBride]

Hi Justin, good on you, just keep going!

Someone once told me it takes the same amount of time to market your book than it did to write it!

That's great, but most writers want to get on with their next idea - so it's hard work fitting it all in!

You seem to have the right attitude though, and this will show in your blogs. Make yourself approachable, tell people what you're up to and your positiveness will shine through and be appealing.

Good luck and many regards

Paula

www.tothewillowgarden.co.uk

[Allison]

I agree with others here. Blogging is writing about what you love.

There is a lot of other standard advice I could give. In reading about blogs, I've heard you should find a niche. This might even mean going against the grain. For example, I've read one should always write positive reviews. While I don't set out to write negative reviews, I don't avoid them either. And I've found an audience who appreciates my honest critiques. It also helps to write regularly, whether that is every day, week, or month. Your audience will get to know your schedule and so pay return visits. And you should post to other sites, just like you have.

Yet all of this could fail. Two years ago, I started a blog about guinea pigs. I posted stories and facts. Very few people visited my site. Last year I gave it up.

Or all of this could succeed. Two years ago, I also started a blog about books for young people. While it continues to grow, there are months when I wonder where everyone is. And despite lots of hits and followers, I have limited comments. Through all the ups and downs, which kind of feel like watching stocks, I just keep writing about books I love.

As a result, I now write every day. When pressed for time, I can post a review in a couple hours. I also love those days when I have the luxury of several hours. Sometimes what I read also inspires a story. At the very least, reading books has helped me understand better how to write. I have interviewed authors and corresponded with literacy organizations. My social world has broadened. So many good things.

I suppose my best other advice would be to pick your writing priorities. I tried initially to maintain two blogs. After a year, I sadly realized that I could commit time to only one of them. If writing novels is your priority, find a way to tie this into your blog. This way you'll give the most justice to your novels.

PS Oh, I've also been told to make sure you sign every post with a link to your blog. So, what is your blog URL?

[Justin Bienvenue]

http://jbienvenue.webs.com/

[Caroline Miller]

Hello Justin,

I'm new to this site by a few days and really don't know how to get around or with whom I can feel rapport.  I'm guessing I'm a lot older than you.  I'm 75.  Had a long career ending in politics but have written three novels which were accepted for publication.  My publisher recently folded and have just signed a new contract with another to get the books up and running again.  I've been blogging for almost two years. Progesses is never what people promise.  Getting an audience is like digging for diamonds.  Frankly,I'm  not sure this site will be of help in expanding an audience but we'll see.    I have over 100 pretty steady readers at my site from all over the globe but mostly USA.  I write a blog about the writing life using literature of some form as a take off point for each day's theme.  All this is a way of saying, I know what you're saying about the good fight.  I'd like to help you if I can.  I presume you've signed up for Google Analytics to track your readers.  Maybe we can share ideas.