Do you need to have a blog before you attempt to get published?

My non-expert opinion: It's probably more important to have a platform in place if you're writing non-fiction. It helps to establish the author as a subject matter expert. I write fiction and if I'm ever published I'll probably set up a blog or website once my book sells.

I have a blog up and running and I've yet to complete a novel or send it to publishers. Off the top of my head, here's the advantages I can see of having a blog early:

1. It gets you into the habit of regularly updating content
2. You might attract a few followers who will one day (hopefully) buy your book or spread the word about your book
3. It provides a sample of your writing online for agents/editors/publishers
4. I've heard several agents say that when you query them, they WILL el-Googlify you and they WILL look at your blog - it would be nice to have something sleek and professional-looking for them to find
5. You can use it to provide information about your upcoming projects. Say I finish a novel and I'm getting it ready to sub. I stick that up on my blog in the "current projects" section or whatever. An agent reads a short story of mine somewhere and goes "Hey, this girl can write! Does she have a novel?" and she goes to my blog. And there it says, yes I DO have a novel and I'm looking for an agent, whatdayaknow? Agent emails me (on email I provide on my blog) going "Yo! I hear you like agents? Well, I would like to be your agent!"
6. When your agent says to you "So, promotion - do you have a blog?" you can say "Yes, and I update regularly and have x number of followers" and so you have a ready-made mechanism in place to talk about your book and interact with potential future readers.

I'm sure there's lots of arguments against it, but I'm firmly in the "Yes, have a blog" camp. I think we live in an era where your digital presence is an important part of your professional self. As a writer I see my blog almost like an online CV/portfolio. I like to have it up there, providing examples of what I can do. I might even post some free short stories on it.

Then again, I like to write non-fiction articles along with fiction, so having a blog as the host site of all those articles makes sense. If you aren't into writing non-fiction then it might not be your cup of tea.

I agree with Psychomacologist. It's a great idea to start a blog before trying to get published. But only blog if you're passionate about doing it; if you really don't want to write one, then you probably wouldn't be motivated to keep it updated.

Platform isn't the biggest issue with fiction... it's getting into the habit of blogging and finding your niche. People who leave blogging until they have a book deal usually end up starting a blog in a last minute panic. Then they open a Twitter account and spam repeated adverts, and wonder why people are shouting at them.

This is the quiet time where you can figure out social networking and blogging, without too big an audience if you mess up.

Kristin Nelson, the agent who runs Pubrants said that she checks author websites and blogs if she requests a partial and likes it.

She also said lots of editors check author blogs, sometimes checking things as small as how photogenic the author is based on their profile picture.

I don't have the link to the post right now, but if you go to http://pubrants.blogspot.com/ there are tags in the sidebar, I'm sure you'll find it under "blogging."

I honestly think the most important thing a blog can do for a writer is help them establish and refine their voice through the daily habit of writing.

I am not published, but I am pursuing writing because of my blogs. I have a voice with my blogs, and I think my newest one will help to create a buzz when I write my book. I want to write about the journey in the book, and the blog picks up in the present struggles. I also wanted this blog to advocate and spread awareness of my son's disorders. I still battle the school system which I want to share my experiences to help other families. I think once I finish my degree, I would love to become a speaker/advocate. I wanted to have a book and blog to help get me out there and become more known. I'm just rambling a bit, but I don't think a blog could hurt as long as you keep it updated. The other important aspect of a blog is getting it in the search engines. You have to market it.

Definitely have a blog if you are writing non-fiction. You can then discuss the subject matter, show your research and blog on related subjects. I started mine nearly 2 years ago and the book has taken longer than expected (still not out yet!) but I have seen a lot of interest and anticipation, and made a lot of contacts. After publication you can of course keep a blog going to publicise the book. Don't forget to have a Facebook page and tweets on Twitter that both point to your blog and to where people can order the book once it is published.

All i can say is an author platform makes a lot of sense. This is the same advice i'd offer a company setting up, creating a strong brand strategy making life easier down the road (i'm a marketer by the way, so brand is pretty much my life

I've started a marketing strategy series for aspiring authors focussing on just this. Have a look as it may help (HERE), but i'd also really recommend these sites, as they're more comprehensive and show things from start to finish. They are:
- The Creative Penn
- Writing Tips
- Jane Friedman

I'd really recommend setting your platform sooner than later though. It can take time to create a foundation, and makes selling anything much easier (either self published or looking to get an agent/publisher)

Matt (turndog Millionaire)

The other commenters have given good reasons for having a blog, but I don't think that you need one straight away. While some aspiring authors have established blogs that have large fan bases and that will help them on the road to publication, a lot of blogs I've clicked through to just have a few followers that won't mean much in terms of future sales.

I've decided not to start a blog until I have an agent. There is finite time available for writing, and at this point in time I'd rather spend that time on my manuscripts and on researching and querying agents. I feel like it will have a better return on investment for me.

Once I have an agent, some of that time will free up. Plus, by landing an agent I'll feel like I've reached a level in my writing career where I can justify spending the extra time that a blog will entail.

Lastly, the manuscript I'm currently submitting covers several areas: chocolate, archaeology, Aztec mythology, location scouting, etc., that I would blog about if this was to be a published novel. But my next novel would be on different topics and it doesn't make sense to me to blog about things that may be part of a novel that doesn't see the light of day.

That's why I'm waiting until I get an agent. From what I can tell, most sales to a publisher take a few months, then it takes another year or so for the actual book to come out, so you'd still have a decent amount of time to build a following. And while not every agented novel sells, I figure at some point you have to take the leap, and an MS with an agent is much more likely to sell than one without.

Completely agree with Pharmacologist. I have a blog, and have only published an essay. But I like having a blog as a place to talk about my writing as it can garner me friends and others who may someday buy my work, but also a nice way for agents to find out about more about me once I'm ready to submit my work.

Nope.

Can it help? Maybe ... like others have mentioned, if you're hoping to publish nonfiction, a blog can theoretically help you create a platform. A good blog can also start to build a fanbase.

But do you need one before you start trying to get published. No.

I would say better than a blog is simply a personal website about you and your writing. A blog on that site could help, but I think the main benefit to be realized here is the recognition that a personal site might bring. In this day and age anyone can set up a site relatively easily. Even if it doesn't help, it could, why skip out on that opportunity.

I suck at things like blogging Do y'all think a more static website could work well?

Seriously, I do not need to give myself a lot of opportunities to stick my foot in my mouth. Sometimes what's in my head does not need to be posted on the internet!

backslashbaby said:

I suck at things like blogging Do y'all think a more static website could work well?

Seriously, I do not need to give myself a lot of opportunities to stick my foot in my mouth. Sometimes what's in my head does not need to be posted on the internet!

Click to expand...

Personally I think if blogging is a chore/not your thing, a static site can work as well. Think about the kind of things an agent/editor might be interested in and put them up on a nice, professional-looking website. Job done.

Blogging can be really beneficial, but only if it suits you. But I think you should have some digital, online presence at least, even if it's static

Thank you! I do need to get on that.

There are some great ideas here. For the reasons given above, I decided to start the process early. I have a primarily static site on which I post infrequent announcements about my writing and links to sites related to my work. The blog is on the second page, not the home (static) page. This might not be an option on some of the free blogging sites. I use Wordpress, which isn't good for a beginner.

My site has had over 1000 visits. Combined with Twitter and Facebook (to which my posts are copied), I have over 50 followers. When my first publication is out (April), I'll have this and more in place.

There is nothing like selling before you are selling. It is definitely good to have people liking and following your writing before they decide to buy it. Plus it lets you realize how hard marketing is if you plan on self-publishing.