To add contributors, invite them to your site. Add a personal touch by changing your site’s look. You’ll find that as your list of followers grows, you’ll gain self-confidence. That becomes another showcase of your writing, and it also lets others contact you. Submitting payment information The downside: Connecting with other writers doesn’t necessarily grow your readership; you end up in an echo chamber with other writers. Why am I so forthright about this? log in page. But not rightly so. Where the difficulty lies: You may run out of material quickly, or not have a very high frequency of posts. Changing your site’s appearance. I think it’s always worth getting a custom header for a new blog. This is not an exhaustive list of what you could blog about, but it gives you an idea of the most common options. After you pick your theme, you'll be taken to the page below. Be open, engaging, friendly, and personable. But again, it’s hard to gain traction if you’re switching it up all the time and not consistent in what you offer. Full disclosure: I get a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use this link to sign up for a Bluehost service. You could peek at Yahoo’s home page and watch how they create post headlines to get viewers to click. If your domain name is already in use, you’ll get a message that says your choice is “not available for registration” or something similar. If you’re interested in blogging, but worry about the time commitment, then consider creating a multi-contributor blog, where several authors in the same genre (or targeting similar audiences) band together. I like to give people as many avenues of access to me as possible: a URL, an email address, a P.O. If you treat the practice seriously, all the content that you generate for your blog can have another life, in another format or within another publication. Once you have settled on a theme you like, click “Install.”, Once the theme finishes installing, click “Activate.”, On the next page, scroll down to the banner: “New theme activated. The next page asks if you would like WordPress to create a “Contact Us” page. So, you’re convinced of the need and eager to enjoy the advantages of your own author website, but maybe, like me, you’re not a techie. In addition to being a columnist for Publishers Weekly, Jane is a professor with The Great Courses, which released her 24-lecture series, How to Publish Your Book. You can create such lists or round-ups on any theme or category that interests you enough to remain dedicated, enthusiastic, and consistent for the long haul—at least six months to a year, if you want to see a tangible benefit. Your site is now live, click here to view it.” Do that to see your new website! Only about 10% of your readers (or even fewer) will make themselves known to you or engage with you on your blog, so it takes a while before you reach a tipping point, where there’s a concrete indication of growing activity or interest. This model is ideal for unpublished novelists, memoirists, and poets. Video: Author Branding (28 mins) How to decide on and create your author … Tell of your previous projects, and add links (clickable web addresses) to them. Frequency: To gain any kind of momentum, you should commit to 2-4 posts a week. Officially launching your site All of them are free and easy to set up and use and take next to no time at all to get you into blogging. The next page asks if you would like to connect your Jetpack profile to WordPress. For example, the best of my blog content is condensed into a book, Publishing 101. Scroll down to “Appearance,” and hover your mouse over the link. Remember brevity and professionalism, but be sure you include what visitors—including agents and publishers—would want to see. Add an author’s archive page so that readers can see all posts by any author. November 10, 2020 by Nina Amir Leave a Comment. This is easier said than done. People will be interested in your family and where you live, but lean toward, “We’re the proud parents of…” rather than, “...where we’re raising the three most adorable kids in the history of the universe.” ???? 2. Choosing a hosting company They also like commenting, discussing, criticizing, praising, opining. It is not included in Plus or Basic. A good author blog works in a similar way – writers give their readers a small, delicious free sample of their work in order to entice them to buy the book. author pages build credibility for your site as a whole and for the individual authors and their individual brands Where the difficulty lies: In my experience, burn out. Before you start a blog, identify the other key people already blogging in your area—the influencers. Congratulations! After that, click “Edit” under “Sample Page.”, Step 1: Change the title of the page to “Writing.”, Step 2: Change the URL extension to “writing.” URL stands for Universal Resource Locator (I had to look that up), and simply means the address you type in to go to any webpage. Keep your domain name simple, professional, and clear—not quirky or extravagant. Subject matter: Think about this in terms of your headlines for your blog posts. Picking a domain name Meanwhile, I’ll list the steps if you’d like to try it on your own. Creating a password If people saw only your post headline (e.g., on Twitter), would they feel compelled to click on it? Well, if you have to ask, maybe you shouldn’t be blogging. 6. The chain of events goes something like this: My unproven theory: We have many authors blogging poorly because of this series of events. Don’t just make your blog about writing. It’s time to learn how to write a bio that, well, doesn’t suck. Through search? }; window.intercomSettings = { If you’re not the type to write guest posts, then consider proactively offering yourself up to be interviewed as part of other bloggers’ interview series. Nonfiction writers and experts have it easy: their subject matter lends itself to blogging, especially if they’re teaching workshops or regularly interacting with their target readers. After a few years, it’s tough to keep things fresh and interesting. If you look at a month’s worth of your blog headlines, they should convey a strong message about what you cover on your blog and who it’s for. If that’s beyond your capabilities right now, trust me, someone in your orbit will be able to show you how to do this. Search engine optimization really requires its own post. Ideally, starting out, you should shoot for several times per week. Well, that all starts with your own author website. But of course the best benefit is giving agents or publishers a quick way to reach you if they happen to see something they like. The author website can even let you interact with your readers through blogs. It’s your showroom on the Internet where you can display your best work. Novelist DiAnn Mills uses Expect an adventure. Step 1: Change the title of the page to “Contact” or “Contact Me”—because there is no “us” if it’s just you. You started a blog, and now it’s time to start blogging. An author’s book nears its publication date (or perhaps the author is attempting to secure a traditional book deal). It’s where agents, publishers, readers, and fans can learn about your work, put a face to your name, and contact you. It took me 18 months to find the right angle—to realize I do best when I focus on business advice and digital media topics for authors. This would be a good place for a photo of you and a brief bio. Next, give your visitors access to a welcome page (some call this the landing page) where they can get  acquainted with you and your site, even before you start blogging consistently. Is Your Writer’s Block Really Writer’s Indecision? Because blogging does work, if certain conditions are met. If your site is self-hosted, then install. Step 1: Change the title of the page to “About.”. After that, click the checkbox next to “Automatically add new top-level pages to this menu.” Then click the checkbox next to “Top Menu.” Last, click the “Save Menu” button. Then you will be taken to a “Welcome to Bluehost” page to create a password. Step 5 Write compelling content to create a blog that your readers love. … a page where you can pick your website’s theme. After completing this form, scroll down and complete the “package information” section. You will now see a new heading that reads “Congratulations. Your goal should be to write a blog through which you can build a following. Creating your account Your author website becomes your home base, as if you had a corporate headquarters. See you then!”. Search this expansive list for a theme that feels just right to you. People who enjoy a blog like to get in touch with the writer and say … “What I’m Reading Now” types of posts and other “media consumption” lists where you talk about what stuff you’re watching, saving, listening to, collecting, etc. The essential publishing industry newsletter for authors. That turns your text into a clickable URL, and it will now look like this:  A list of my published works. With the following simple instructions, you should be able to build yours from scratch in the next hour. A very popular way to make people aware of your blog is to link to others’ blogs. I talk about the basics of author websites here. The longer you blog, and the more of an audience you build up, the more you can ease back on frequency. For example, if you’re writing a memoir about addiction or caring for aging parents, your blog can offer information and advice (and stories) for people going through the same thing. It is no secret that authors write some of the very best blogs. Since more than half of website visits are made on mobile phones, this is crucial for your blog’s aesthetic. On the left side of your screen find the “Pages” box. Here’s what my blog traffic looked like in its early years. After you click the “Update” button, click “Pages” in the sidebar on the left side of the screen. Author – List your name as the post author, even if it’s your website. It isn’t an activity authors should be dragged into, kicking and screaming. This is why advice about blogging can be so contradictory and confusing: much depends on what genre you’re writing in and who you’re writing for. (Right click on that and you’ll see the URL it would take you to.). Google my name and you’ll be directed to JerryJenkins.com. This post is my 100th blog post – a milestone! This is the main reason the phenomenon of blogging came to be so popular. This refers to a statistical tracking program some site owners love and others ignore. The best platform to use is whatever you use for your author website—do not be tempted to build your blog somewhere else. For most budding authors and bloggers, I recommend Bluehost as your hosting company. Create a list of favorite reads by genre/category, by mood, or by occasion. Of course, they don’t own your website. In the writing and publishing community, weekly link round-ups are very common. In my opinion, the one worth buying is Domain Privacy Protection—but it’s your call. Check back here on [date] when I plan to blog on [subject]. In the audio and transcript, he outlines tips for blogging and also how to make money from your blog, and why writers have a real advantage as bloggers. step-by-step guide to hosting your own website or blog. This is the best option for anyone writing and publishing nonfiction. You want to make it very clear to new visitors that you are the one writing. Receive emails that include the full text of each new post, A Writer’s Guide to Fair Use and Permissions + Sample Permissions Letter, Writing With Sharpness: Q&A with Elinor Lipman, How I Landed a Book Deal Via Twitter—Unintentionally, Using Book Promotion Newsletters to Increase Sales. Give me about half an hour, and you—and anyone you tell about it—could be admiring a gorgeous new site all your own. People who enjoy a blog like to get in touch with the writer and say so. After that page opens in your web browser, click the green “get started now” button. Let’s change this so it’s more applicable to an author instead of a business. This is invaluable starting fodder for a successful blog: knowledge of one’s audience. These landlords are called hosting companies, so you rent your online space from them. On the Internet, a few landlords own the hardware that makes websites work. Using Amazon Author Central and creating an Author page can make a big difference in your book sales. After they accept the invitation, their name appears in the drop-down menu. Frequently Asked Questions Step 4: Write briefly the reasons someone might contact you (“I’d love to hear your thoughts on…” or “If you’re looking for a speaker on…” or “If you’re looking for writer who…” And then, of course, your contact information. Author blog. What will they find if they Google your name? Your author WordPress website can help you not just with announcements, but also lets you create a page and share exciting details about your next venture. Click the “Select Files” button on the page that opens, and find the photo of yourself you want to use. Her book for creative writers, The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), received a starred review from Library Journal. Blog posts. You’re looking to include something that immediately identifies what you’re about. Focus mainly on your writing, but add a little personal information as well. If you’re an author, published yet or not, you need your own website. If not, get started today—it’s a free service and easy to set up. That required a lot of editing and reformulation (online writing can’t be dumped into print without a lot of work), but it reflects the value and depth of what appears on my blog. Now you want to create a tagline. But it can be most difficult for unpublished novelists to gain traction with a blog; only after the novelist has built a name for herself does a blog readership tend to develop. Fiction writers can have successful blogs as well, especially if they’re able to focus on a specific topic, theme, or subgenre. The better you know your audience, the better your posts will be. After you create your own tagline, click “Next Step.”, On the next page, you’ll be asked if you’d like to “update your site with news or blog posts.” I recommend clicking “Yes,” even if all you enter there for now is a paragraph saying, “Welcome to my new blog! “Destined to become a staple reference book for writers.” —Publishers Weekly. It Finally Found a Publisher. However, I don’t want to be totally defeatist here! Keep sentences short. Step 1: Type “Main Menu” in the “Menu Name” box. And finally, avoid turning your guest blog into an article directory. Click the blue “Log In” button and enter your email and password on the next screen. Top Picks Thursday! Learn how your comment data is processed. On Oct. 7, I’m offering a live class that tackles everything you need to know to get started (or to help you determine whether blogging is right for you). 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