Blogs and stuff

[pepperlandgirl]

I put this here instead of the Blog forum because I'm interested in blogging and Romanceland.

I have a blog. (http://writingintandem.blogspot.com/) Well, technically, I have two blogs. But one is purely personal, and I post writing related stuff occasionally, but it's mainly for me and my fannish pursuits (gotta post my long-winded essays about the greatness of Simon Pegg somewhere). But my writing blog is a different kettle of fish. It's not really getting many (any?) hits, and I'm not sure what to do about that. As romance readers/writers, what sort of things draw you to a blog? I've been mainly using it as a way to update readers about what's going on with the books and covers and release dates--stuff that ends up on the website anyway. What other things would people be interested in? I'm not a huge blog reader myself. I have a few regular ones I go to, but they tend to be book review places, and I have no interest in reviewing books, so....

[rihannsu]

Oh, sweet Lord- I've gotta get off of my duff and write something in my blog.

[author_martina]

Wish I could help but I can't seem to get myself to keep up with mine.
Good Luck finding attention for your Blog!

[Karen Junker]

I think it depends on how much you want the public to know about you personally, whether or not you should write it on your writer blog. But I know I enjoy the blogs of people who let their hair down and write about their interests, the events in their lives, etc.

One writer I know told me that her publisher put in her latest contract that she has to maintain her blog...so that's something to think about. You may at some point be required to blog!

[dolores haze]

I personally like the blogs that are interactive, where I can post comments, argue vociferously, discuss topics, etc. In your blog I noticed no-one was posting comments. In that first section, where you give a synopsis of the older woman/younger man book, it might be helpful if you ask a direct question of the blogreader. e.g. What do you think of the older woman/younger man premise, thereby inviting/requesting comments. I know I'm more likely to revisit blogs where I've posted to see how the discussion is going. That might bring your traffic up a bit.
I liked that you had a "cut chapter" from one of your books available. What a nice freebie. As your fan base grows, stuff like that will keep 'em coming back for more.
How about linking up with the higher traffic blogs? I know I use the links on those blogs to check out new stuff pretty regularly.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck.
P.S. Pet peeve? People who don't update regularly. If I really love the blog I'll check back in a couple of times, but will eventually de-favorite a neglected blog.

[pepperlandgirl]

Thanks dolores and Karen, those are good points. I'll definitely start considering them when I post, especially the bit about asking questions to encourage response...

[AndiB]

I'm not an expert by any means but I do know that if traffic is the desired result you're going to need to put a little time and effort into things other than simply making posts.

Join a blog ring or blog carnival with other author's blogs. This doubles the opportunity for exposure, traffic, and sales. Read other blogs and leave comments. Whenever you comment on another blog it creates a link back to your own.

Optimize your posts so that the search engines will love you and make them (posts) regularly. I read somewhere that three posts a day until you have a sizable base of traffic is the recommendation. However, this is the recommendation for those trying to monetize through Google ads. I would assume you're attempting to convert page views into book sales so it could work very similarly.

Another thing you could do is link to other author's blogs on your blog. You'll be amazed at how many 'bloggers' look for those that have linked to them and visit out of curiosity. You could find loyal readers by doing that.

Offer a way for visitors to subscribe so that they can read your daily posts without having to search for you.

As was mentioned above, I really enjoyed the exerpt you had in one of your posts. It's a great teaser and could result in some sales. Another thing you may want to do is update readers on works in progress and what you do when you're not writing. You might also want to tell them what you are reading without reviewing the books (link it back to how if your readers like the book you are reading they may also enjoy one of your own with a similar premise, story line, character, etc.).

I personally like stories about how favorite authors have stuck their tape recorders in the freezer or literally boiled the water out of the pan (when making macaroni) through frazzled nerves, too much multitasking, and too little sleep...or am I the only one that does things like that? You get the jist. We all love to read about writers that have become successful but we also like to see their human side as well--especially in a blog.

I hope this helps and that it wasn't too much information. I guess you can see that I'm really procrastinating right about now...huh?

[pepperlandgirl]

It helps a lot Andi, thank you :) Especially since the majority of your suggestions are easy to do (I don't want to devote my life to this enterprise, I still have books to write!) but could potentially result in a big boost in traffic.

[author_martina]

My blog in in myspace and I am very new to blogging. Where do I find these blog rings etc.?

[AndiB]

I must confess I know absolutely nothing about the myspace blog platform. That being said I can't imagine that it would be that much different or present a problem when it comes to joining a blog ring. Google romance (or insert genre) writers blog ring and you should find plenty of options from which to choose. I would do it but there are so many and not every one is suitable for every writer. Good luck.

[author_martina]

Thanks I will see what I can find

[AllieB]

Asking a direct question of a blog reader is a good way to encourage comments, and I find the more comments already there, the more readers will add their own. I like book reviews, agent/publisher/editor reviews and personal stories about "this is what happened to me." Visiting a few blogs and leaving comments there on a regular basis can help reciprocal bloggers too.