Support for Indie Authors discussion

Hey there everybody. I've been thinking about starting my own blog but wonder if it's worth the effort. I'm scared out of my flipping mind to do it as it is so I sure don't want to if it doesn't help. The idea of talking about something of interest to anybody else is distressing to me but that's silly because if I can write books why can't I write a blog. I'm willing to give it a try if it helps. What do you good people have to say about it? Do they help get you noticed?

I have a blog but it's only a few months old. Its been kind of separate from my writing until recently so I don't make many sales from it for now. Most of my readers read my blog but not my book or read my book but not my blog
:-/

In my short experience, my blog has helped bring me more exposure than actual sales--which is just as useful. I've been reviewing books so authors and their fans now know my name. If anything...I now have a platform...and that alone will give me an edge in my next query letter--if only a small one. Many agents want their clients to be active in their own exposure and advertisement now. So having a blog or at least a website established before your book is even out is a great thing.

I don't know if you want to eventually look for an agent or remain indie but you'll eventually need some sort of platform at some point. Blogging is a commitment that not every author can make. I completely understand that, if you're spending hours writing, it should be on your books right? If you're not ready to blog then don't! You can start a website just to put your name and book out there and then add a page for a blog when you're ready. That's what I did with Squarespace.

I really have no clue since my first book goes on sale tomorrow but I do know that my blog is getting me attention and from more than just my friends and family. It amazes me when I look at the stats to see how many views it has had from all around the world. I'm always wondering how these people even find my blog but they do and with every visit I get the chance to tell them about my book. I think that blogging is just one of the marketing tools you have to use though. If I wasn't posting my blog to Facebook and Google+ and here on Goodreads, I don't think I would have as much traffic. Luckily it's easy to tie them all together so that you just post once on your blog and it gets distributed to everywhere else.

Lisa wrote: "I really have no clue since my first book goes on sale tomorrow but I do know that my blog is getting me attention and from more than just my friends and family. It amazes me when I look at the st..."

Lisa, congratulations on your first book going live tomorrow. That's wonderful! It's very exciting to release that first book! You have much to be proud of.

A blog helps with exposure, so I assume it helps with sales. I do a lot of posting on social media and regular blog articles provide new content to circulate. I don't have many 'official' followers, but every time I post I get a lot of traffic on my site.

I have a writing blog on my site and copy the pieces into my Goodreads blog, and I also write for an online magazine, which is great fun. I try to be entertaining, but really they are expanded thought bubbles. They are certainly worthwhile for my online profile.

It can help if you keep it up and write blog posts frequently and if the content to which your writing is relatable to readers. I'm an example of how blogging hasn't helped sell books lol. I keep up writing but not half as much as I should. I believe you really have to dedicate yourself to not only writing a blog but getting the posts out there so readers will be attracted by not only your blog but perhaps even your works.

I have a page on my blog that lists all of my books. I gets clicks. I have no way of knowing from there how many buys I get, but if the analytics are to be believed, people are reading it at least.

It sounds like a blog is worth trying at least. Thanks for the replies everyone.

Christina wrote: "I have a page on my blog that lists all of my books. I gets clicks. I have no way of knowing from there how many buys I get, but if the analytics are to be believed, people are reading it at least."

Have you put an affiliate link to Amazon on your page? I was thinking that would be a way to tell what sales come from my blog on Amazon at least.

April wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I really have no clue since my first book goes on sale tomorrow but I do know that my blog is getting me attention and from more than just my friends and family. It amazes me when I l..."

Thanks April! I had my book launch party last night and it was a blast. I think I'm still riding on cloud nine.

Lisa wrote: "Have you put an affiliate link to Amazon on your page? I was thinking that would be a way to tell what sales come from my blog on Amazon at least."

I've not. One of these days I will get around to setting that up, but I will admit to being lazy. ;)

I use my blog mainly for book reviews, and to announce any special news about my own books. I get a few hits on my website, but I'm sure they're driven mostly by my spam on Twitter and Google+. I seriously doubt that I've made any sales from it. My sales come mainly from my books gaining prominence in the markets, like Amazon or Smashwords. And that usually fades after about 60 to 90 days.

I get a ton of traffic on my blog. Mainly because of a weekly web comic I do and because I have free short stories related to my book series.

I call it the drug dealer model of marketing. Give them a taste for free then they come back.

If your blog content is good, deliver on a regular basis and is available via RSS feeds traffic happens!

Plus tweets and FB page links send traffic there.

Have fun with it. Share your life.

I've been blogging for over a year now and I've built up a fair bit of traffic to my web-site http://www.thestorybazaar.com but I'm not sure how much this translates into sales. That said, it does give me exposure and a profile which helps me get taken more seriously in regard to other aspects e.g. getting involved in literary festivals, for example. But you do have to blog frequently to generate random visits, I do so three times a week as a minimum. I enjoy doing it, but it does sometimes interfere with my actual writing, let alone the rest of my life. I've just started another web-site, related to my latest book ( at http://reconquista.online/ ) and I anticipate that that will take even more time. So, I guess, it depends how busy your life already is.Julie Anderson

Nope! I don't think mine's helped :-/
So I ramped down on my activity, as I think I'm better off writing.
However, it is a good way of helping to get your name 'out there' even if it doesn't generate sales.

If you want some inspiration feel free to browse my snarky outpourings of mind vomit...
http://tlclarkauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2...

well more than blogs we are talking about people, yes blogs helps a lot with exposure but we cant as you cant tell people what to buy and when, that decision is mostly the buyers, so try to be patient maybe do spotlights and review on blogs that will make the book a little more known and sometimes that helps =)

Note to self: start updating my blog more consistently.

I credit my blog for the success I have had. Connecting with Fans is important.

I use my blog mostly for other stuff (music, film etc) but in the lead up to my book release I did a series of book updates that were reasonably popular. My book did gain exposure from the blog but I couldn't say if actual sales were made because of the blog specifically.

I think using a blog is a fantastic source of promotion for your book, but it really depends on what your blog is for. I use mine for reviews of films/music and discussions about pop culture, feminism etc, so I have to slide in mentions about my book wherever I can (as well as the book updates which are very promotion heavy) but if your blog is primarily for talking about writing/books then it's a real benefit for gaining exposure which can lead to sales.

There doesn't seem to be much correlation between my blog posts and sales but that doesn't matter. It tests different writing skills and helps through unproductive patches. Also, it can be about absolutely anything: your review of the latest superhero movie, a straightforward rant, a flash fiction. If your current book is a dark psychological thriller, it can be a relief to write something a bit silly!

My 2-cents would be that if you're thinking of starting a blog primarily to help sales, don't bother. It will likely become a chore and drain, as you may see little or nothing for it. A neglected author blog can send a message, although the exposure a blog gets is often small compared to the exposure books get in other ways.

If you would enjoy blogging, go for it! It's more likely to get you a following if you are enthusiastic about it.

As far as our experience, we have a blog for our series which we are not updating at the moment. We have found it useful in the past to keep in touch with a few fans, but it's effect on sales has been little or none. Since the few people who visit have already bought our books, for the most part, we won't get a sale out of them.

I don't think my blog has done much for sales, but then again I don't have that many readers on my blog. However, it may help get people to get to know your name, and it has one advantage in that in many posts on the web, it is frowned on if you keep naming your book, but you can provide links to a blog post.

I have a blog, but I don't think it does much for sales because I don't think too many people are reading it. How many people on LiveJournal do you think are interested in Mycenaean or Minoan fiction/culture? If your blog has a lot of traffic, it can help. Also, you can link your blog to your Author Page here at Goodreads, so more people will be able to see it.

I dont think blogs help to sell books. The persons who read your blogs are likely to be bloggers also and not out to buy books.

they have to be metasellers.
Blogs should be meta-sellers, making an environment for which the book is the concrete statement.
In some way, it is like a video, but rather more developed. I can make comments about current events, writing, and attempt to involve writers in the circumstances that provoke me to write.

I'm sure it depends on the blog. I don't have time to blog and don't keep one up, but I have found some great indies (and purchased their books) after bouncing through their blogs on a different quest.

Like Owen says, "If you would enjoy blogging, go for it..." but you have to be prolific to build a readership and keep them coming back. A good example is Chuck Wendig's Terribleminds blog that he maintains almost daily.

However, if you must consider diverting some of your time to blogging, remember the WIBBOW (would I be better off writing?) principle.

I run a blog, specifically for books and authors. Here, http://tpkeaneblog.blogspot.com/ I get about 4000 to 6000 views a month and each post gets 500 + in the week that I pimp them out. If that doesn't help with book sales, I honestly don't know what will. Posting in many blogs will increase that too.

T.P. wrote: "I run a blog, specifically for books and authors. Here, http://tpkeaneblog.blogspot.com/ I get about 4000 to 6000 views a month and each post gets 500 + in the week that I pimp them out. If that do..."

Would that I had that kind of pimping