Should I blog? Fiction blogs?

Getting published because of a blog is highly unlikely - and yes, if your writing is strong enough you can get a following, though those reasons shouldn't be the ones you are looking to for an incentive to blog. You need to consider the time that blogging will take up, because you can use that time for more productive endeavors such as writing the WIPs. Everyone blogs for a different reason, so ask yourself what you would most enjoy doing - that answer will dictate the form your blogging will take.

Agents and publishers increasingly look for potential fiction authors who have a platform, because they want to know you can promote and market your own books. Having a blog is a good way to build a platform. Just don't sacrifice real writing time to work on it...

Hello there

I am also interested in writing myself and have a couple of ideas in mind on what to write. Now I have a question to copyright on the internet: if I do publish a story "in progress" for example and someone else reading it takes up the wording for him- or herself, do I as an inventor and creator have any chance to keep the copyright?
I also think it might be a good idea to start some chats online via modern phone systems with other people about story lines, sometimes this can be very dynamic as I have experienced. But the quality of the connection needs to be good. Communal writing might be an option for the years to come.

I wouldn't put anything online that you later intend to publish. A lot of publishers won't accept something that has previously been posted on a public website.

My philosophy is to create some content first (finish a book), then use a blog to discuss and promote it. Pull in eyes with your blog, then link to your book for people to check out and (hopefully) buy. This is the model I use, and also one of my favorite sci-fi authors: Michael Stackpole. He blogs about the industry and writing tips, while also linking to and selling his work.

You can certainly blog about works in progress, but it might become a distraction to actually getting them finished. That's the ultimate goal, since you're not really getting anything out of just blogging for its own sake.

I would also recommend blogging any actual content that's going to appear in a book, unless you're using a small excerpt to launch a discussion or something.

Keeping a regular post schedule on a blog is also a great way to communicate to people that you're serious about writing. Blog about a topic that fits with your book--it might be writing or it could be the time period or genre of your book--but be careful about how much you put online. Unless you get super famous through blogging first, having more than a small portion of your manuscript available online will be a mark against you.

If you must blog, think about your audience and what you have to offer. There are a lot of amazing writers out there blogging about writing. How would you stand out from that pack? And how would you attract people who want to read your book? Other writers aren't going to necessarily make up a big part of your potential buyers.

Sometimes it's better to blog about something else, something you might really feel like you're an expert in, which may have a tie in to your novel (although don't just blog to advertise... no one wants to stick around to be advertised at, so it's pointless).

A lot of people write their novels around things they already know about. If it's a hunting novel and you are good at and interested in hunting, most of the time you're better off writing a hunting blog than writing a blog about a hunting novel, or a blog about writing. Because you'll know what you're talking about and you can connect with people who are interested in the topic and therefore likely to want to read your book.

I do often wonder if it's better to have a rubbish blog (e.g. not many followers) than no blog at all.

ellewest said:

I do often wonder if it's better to have a rubbish blog (e.g. not many followers) than no blog at all.

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You don't have to admit to a bad blog.

glad this question was asked, I often wondered about starting a blog but it seemed too time consuming and I would rather work on my novels

First of all, you should absolutely have a blog. This is one of the fastest ways to build your platform as a writer.

Secondly, if you want to blog about writing, go ahead and do so. True, there are lots of people blogging about writing already, however no one is doing it quite the way you will do it. Which leads me to my third point:

If you are going to blog at all, you need to have a unique voice. This means blogging about things that interest you in a way that's unique to you. Basically, my advice would be to start off with a mix of your writings (excerpts or flash fiction) and some fiction tips. Don't be scared to let your personality flow into your blog, including personal stuff...it is surprisingly effective for drawing reader engagement on your blog.

For instance, when I had my baby a week ago, I mentioned it in a blog post and my readers liked that; it made them feel like they were a part of my life.

Don't wait till you have a book. Build your audience now and once your book is out, they will be your greatest fans.