Do I really need a blog?

I've seen a couple of agencies request including a website link (as in, either a blog or something similar) along with the query letter, etc.

The way I see it, it can't hurt.

I think it's good to have a home on the web, but the cyberworld is drowning in blogs. If I were you, I'd certainly set up something basic where you can post the occasional random thought or update, but if it's not a calling from on high, I wouldn't worry about developing something that ends up being a burden.

You don't need a blog, but it's nice to have. I use wordpress and it was easy to set up. If you feel you don't have time to maintain it, just post about 100 words maybe once every two weeks. Even once a month is fine. This way it always looks fresh.

It's much more significant for non-fiction writers, I think?

Among fiction writers, I suspect the overwhelming majority of self-published people try to do something "bloggy", often because it fits in with their perception of trying to promote themselves (though quite often not very realistically, I suspect). Trade published authors a little less so.

It depends exactly what you mean by "blog", as well. These days the distinctions between a "blog" and a "non-blog website" are increasingly blurred. Thousands of static sites are made with blogging software/CMS's, and thousands of blogs aren't regularly updated at all.

I only blog because I find topics I want to do a quick essay about, whether it's in art, science, or writing. I don't have any particular mandate. The front page is text-heavy, and to find links to my art and writing involves some scrolling down and actual reading.

I have a heavier presence on several social media sites, and readers will follow me back to my blog. I give them the chance to learn more, but I don't use the blog to directly sell my work.

I maintain a "how-to" blog simply to avoid copy/paste in forums or when I need to send folks somewhere for a lengthy subject. In other words, this is a static blog.

What works better for me is to be part of a community blog of writers where I have to contribute, say, once a month. The variety and popularity of contributing writers helps garner an appreciable following. Getting guest appearances on other blogs also works well.

Most of my social networking is on Facebook, and my author's site handles the heavy loading in so far as showing what I write and steering folks to the various buy links.

Kerry

I would recommend a tumblr. It has pretty much every blog function but is a social media site where you can "follow" fellow writers, agents, and fun groups and find things to repost. It's a great way to convey your personality and regularly post without having to worry about creating your own content every time.

I really enjoy wordpress for my blog. It was kind of difficult to figure out anything more than a basic blog, but if you know a little basic coding (I have googled the code needed for most stuff I have ever done) or if you like to play around which is what I have done. You can basically turn it into a blog/website.

whitbit said:

I would recommend a tumblr. It has pretty much every blog function but is a social media site where you can "follow" fellow writers, agents, and fun groups and find things to repost. It's a great way to convey your personality and regularly post without having to worry about creating your own content every time.

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-- huh, this is an interesting alternative that I had not considered. Thanks for the suggestion.

Bookmama said:

-- huh, this is an interesting alternative that I had not considered.

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Just be aware that if you use a site like Tumblr, they own the blog, not you (even if you own the copyright in the content). They make up the rules and can (and do) change them whenever they feel like it and interpret them however they like. You have no rights. You're not in control of the site. Many of us feel that having our own self-hosted pages (even if they're on free hosting such as that offered at byethost.com, 000WebHost.com and freehostia.com, though paid hosting is better still) is preferable and far safer, in the long run.

Flash,

Blogging leads to other things. Seriously, study other blogs and figure out what you have to offer the widest audience. Recommending books for behemoth companies can be a good source of revenue. Not the best way to make money since all of your best customers leave your website in order for you to make money. And don't call yourself unbiased, you would be recommending books and actively promoting the company, see the legal part of the blogging section.

I thought of revising a picture book of mine that was semi published in 2005 to show what I can do for other authors and illustrators then I'll accept requests for critiques. In revising, I realized this book has a great chance on kickstarter. There's something I would not have considered without blogging and I haven't gotten a single comment, yet.

I also came up with other book ideas through my blog journal--the rough draft of my blog. The fact that you are writing for a captive yet interested audience (if I go to your blog I want you to tell me all)----changes the way you write. It's more like speaking in front of a group.

Blogging, also got me to collect all of my best illustrations and I made a portfolio of them on my blog.

AND, you can make a private --password protected-- blog where you can post your works in progress for your agent, beta readers, etc.

You don't have to be like everyone else with your blog. Make your blog work for you.

I've been using Twitter a lot lately. I don't particularly love it (or social media, in general) but it's easier to find a sentence to speak or someone to reply to every few days than it is to come up with an entire, original, edited blog post. Plus, if you do have a blog where you post very rarely, you can link it on Twitter so people who know you there will see your other work. It also doesn't require much customization.

At the last writers' conference I attended, an agent who I deeply respect said that while you don't need a blog, a Twitter account, a Facebook, or anything else, you should definitely choose the one that appeals to you the most and stick with it.

It depends... (Good answer, huh?)

I have or have had blogger, WordPress, Tumblr and other blogs. Whether or not you should have one depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want to generate a ton of traffic, sell ads or eventually sell your blog for mega-bucks, forget about it.

I now use my blog to promote myself to a small group of people who hire me for ghostwriting and copywriting. I update about once a week or less. I consider it an ad for myself. People get to it when they find me on LinkedIn and other sites.

It works great for its intended purpose.

PS - Any of the "platforms" work fine. However, even more important is to have your own domain name. Get a domain and use WordPress. Cheap and easy. That's the way I like it.

The answer is no. But you do need some kind of website to build a platform on, even if it just has information about your writing and a link to your Twitter profile on it. It's also nice if that website is updateable so you can post the occasional update about book release dates, signings, giveaways, whatever you want. Not all writers, even published ones, have fancy websites. Some of them are pretty basic. Pick the template that will give you what you want and just make sure you keep it up to date.

Also, let's say you choose Blogger or Wordpress for your website, you still don't have to have a blog on it. I use Wordpress, and I do like it better as far as interface and templates and other stuff is concerned, but I have used Blogger in the past, too and it was a lot faster to set up and get going.

To me, the answer is "it depends". If you're writing non-fiction or selling some sort of service a blog/static website will probably work very well. To me, using a blog for fiction would be pretty tough, unless you were doing something like one shot stories that relate to your book.

It’s never too early to start thinking about a site. You will need one someday if you hope to become a pro. And early is a good place to get all your screwups out of the way before you become known!

WordPress.com is the best of all the free hosting sites, for reasons you can read on their propaganda page: http://en.wordpress.com/features/. My experience with them is that the page is truthful, not hype.

For more on this go to my post in the What To Blog About? thread. Especially important is the part where I talk about how to use a site which has both a blog (oft-changing) and a static (rarely changing) part.

Flash80 said:

I keep hearing though that if you have anything published you are expected to have a presence on social media so that you can promote yourself, but for a start, I haven't got a clue how to get one going. I need something easy to use and I haven't got the time to spend setting it all up. I also don't have a great deal of time to spend on creating blog posts

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I sympathize with the OP, though I do think many editors and publishers want and expect authors to participate in marketing their work via some kind of online presence. I’ve read several editor interviews and run across some (high quality) anthology calls that are quite clear about this.

I write short mysteries for anthos, magazines, ezines, etc., so I set up a really basic, free Wordpress site with links to my published stories. The site uses static pages, and I only update them when I have a new story published. I link the site in all my submissions. It’s painfully simple, but works for me.

It only took me about two hours to set up the site, and believe me, I'm completely incompetent at such things.

I’m not sure how something like this could work for pitching a novel. Maybe set up a site with a page about the character(s), one that “teases” the plot, and a bio/contact page?

Best wishes,
Peter DiChellis

pdichellis said:

[My site is] painfully simple, but works for me.

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Lessons learned from creating and helping with sites for over 20 years. START SIMPLE. STAY SIMPLE—as much as possible. TAKE BABY STEPS and wait for a while to see if each “improvement” really is.

A site which has a few small-to-medium attractive graphics and easy-to-find content is likely to strike readers as elegant, not amateurish. It’s more likely than the kitchen-sink site to make readers want to remember it and come back for more and tell others about it.

Yours is an excellent start.

pdichellis said:

I’m not sure how something like this could work for pitching a novel. Maybe set up a site with a page about the character(s), one that “teases” the plot, and a bio/contact page?

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I’m not sure if the contents of the site (and your suggestion fits with most pro author’s sites) are useful in pitching directly. But a good one is useful in a general pitch for all your work. “See, I have a site and I understand some of the basics of marketing over the web.”

Laer Carroll said:

Lessons learned from creating and helping with sites for over 20 years. START SIMPLE. STAY SIMPLE—as much as possible. TAKE BABY STEPS and wait for a while to see if each “improvement” really is.

Yours is an excellent start.

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Thank you for your advice and encouragement.

Flash80 said:

This is something I've been thinking about. It seems that everyone has a blog these days and even though I am subscribed to quite a few I never have enough time to read everything I want to.
I keep hearing though that if you have anything published you are expected to have a presence on social media so that you can promote yourself, but for a start, I haven't got a clue how to get one going. People mention blogger and wordpress and someone suggested something like this http://website.1and1.com/free-website-builder where you get a template, but how do you choose? I need something easy to use and I haven't got the time to spend setting it all up. I also don't have a great deal of time to spend on creating blog posts, is it better to not have one at all, rather than have one that's barely updated? I feel like I'm talking myself out of it before I've even started but if anyone has any suggestions about how to keep it going, while still working and writing, I'd be really grateful.

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I would start by creating a free Wordpress account. Starting your own blog is sooooo simple. At the minimum, create an about page, an author bio and a contact page where you can add a free contact form.
You won't get millions of readers overnight, so it's better to start early. I switched many topics until I sticked to the present one here. I don't blog as often as I should, yet it proved very useful to me. Whenever I bid or pitch for an online project I include my blog as a signature. It's like an online portfolio.
Because of this, I lately started a new blog for translations only
If you have any technical issues with your blog setting, send me a PM. I'll be glad to help!

Having some sort of web presence is important, but what that looks like really depends on you and your goals. I created a website with a blog and committed to updating it on a weekly basis. I set aside a day a month to sketch out blog posts for the month, and sometimes complete drafts. That way all I have to do is hit post until the next month.

Well yeah there is always room for more to grow, but at web you shoulf have to be sharing knowledge with the general audience and for such reason every one emphasize and focuses on quality Blog.

Flash80 said:

This is something I've been thinking about. It seems that everyone has a blog these days and even though I am subscribed to quite a few I never have enough time to read everything I want to.
I keep hearing though that if you have anything published you are expected to have a presence on social media so that you can promote yourself, but for a start, I haven't got a clue how to get one going. People mention blogger and wordpress and someone suggested something like this http://website.1and1.com/free-website-builder where you get a template, but how do you choose? I need something easy to use and I haven't got the time to spend setting it all up. I also don't have a great deal of time to spend on creating blog posts, is it better to not have one at all, rather than have one that's barely updated? I feel like I'm talking myself out of it before I've even started but if anyone has any suggestions about how to keep it going, while still working and writing, I'd be really grateful.

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You can only do so much. Twitter is called microblogging so you could do that instead. Or Tumbler. You don't have to do everything, just some things.I don't have a website because I can't afford it, so I have a blog instead.

By far the simplest places to blog for free are Wordpress and Blogger.