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| Is Your Blog Capturing Your Audience? |
I think I heard a big collective gasp from many of you.
Well, immediately after reading it I knew I had to compose my own post about why I agree - and disagree - with Kristen Lamb's idea of blogging on topic.
First, why I agree: Kristen Lamb is totally spot on right. She says she doesn't do marketing besides what she does for authors. My background is in marketing and it is exactly what I have thought from the very beginning of my endeavor to get published. If you want people to buy your book, draw them with a blog on a related topic.
Think about it. Do regular, reader people care about the craft? Not really. They pick books based on subjects they like. When they go searching online for the author, they usually want to either find personal author info or more stuff like in the book. The reverse is true. If a reader is interested in fiction and 17th century art and you blog about artists of the 17th century, the reader may find you, like your blog, then want to read your book.
Roni Loren who was on my site this last Saturday said it about her own pathway. She wished she had started a blog for her readers from the beginning. Her author blog is now geared for readers. It is all about romance and flirtation and sexiness. A few years ago I went through a real romance reading phase. (If you do the math you might find it was when I conceived my youngest, but I'm not saying anymore than that.) I searched online for leads to new books I thought I might like to read. A blog like Roni's would totally have drawn me in. And then I'd see that amazing cover and want to read her book.
Now I write children's books. So most of my thoughts on this subject are related to children and preteens. That means my main readers are children. It is hard to imagine children following blogs, but it's not impossible. My first book that I am currently querying is about a 12-year-old super spy. So imagine I started a blog with weekly "spy tips and tricks". If I included some cool interactive things or secrets, it's exactly the type of website my 9-year-old would visit. And if she visited it, believe me she'd tell me she wanted whatever book that blog was advertising.
And you don't have to be exactly so literal with your "on topic" blog. The trick is to think about who your reader is, what they like, what they search for online. Here's some examples I came up with from well-known children's books:
- Harry Potter - a blog about magic tricks
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid - a blog about real life stories of sibling rivalry
- Lemony Snicket - a blog where Snicket answers reader's questions about the book/life in general (in Lemony's voice, of course!)
- Judy Moody - a blog about potentially awesome summer activities
These aren't great, but you get my drift, right? This works for adult books too.
Now before you completely dump your writer blog or think that I'm telling you to dump your writer blog just stop. I'm not dumping this writing blog, after all. Because although I strongly agree with Kristen's "On Topic" philosophy, I also kinda strongly disagree.
But you'll have to come back Friday to find out about that.
Speaking of Friday - I have come to the point where I don't feel like Facebook Friday should be an every week event. Yes, I will still include Facebook Friday as an occasional series, but I have other things to talk about and I think other things you might want to read. So come back Friday for the conclusion to this.
Meanwhile, what are your thoughts on blogging on topic? Can you think of some books and blog ideas to go with them? I'd love to hear what you come up with!
28 comments:
I sort of do this. My blog is about the intersection of psychology and YA. I'm not going to blog on a narrow topic because I plan to write lots of books, and changing the flavor of the blog just because I'm now writing a sci-fi (my last book was dark urban fantasy) doesn't make sense to me. Psychology, however, is applicable to anything, so I have that theme running through my posts. I do post about writing, but a lot of my posts are about psychology topics. I think there are lots of ways I could improve upon it if I had time, but that's what I can manage now. Interesting post!
Funny you should say that as I recently set up a new blog to do just this. ; ) still early days though.
I disagree with her, mostly, but I think it depends on whether you're a published author or an aspiring one. Author blogs *can* turn into dead zones, with nobody visiting, because honestly--how much can you really say about your one or two measly books? (which is why your suggestion to not be so literal makes sense). Whereas the writing blogs have fresh information -- and there are an awful lot of people out there thinking about, and working on, their craft. And, I've found, in just a month of blogging, that there's a definite community of writers out there who visit blogs of other fellow writers *in order* to feel part of that community--being an unpublished novelist is a lonely business. Had I published a few bestsellers, I'd probably model my blog after Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations, http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/
I've already blogged about this topic, and ended up with over 60 comments from people who definitely didn't agree with Kristen's belief that only published authors have the right to blog about writing.
I've seen some pretty nasty comments from her on other people's blogs (which is why I kept her name out of my post). Let's just say, she's fallen from my inbox and so many other people's too. Her ego is getting a little ahead of itself. ;)
And in all honesty, I don't really follow author blogs unless I was following them before the individual became published. After the book comes out, it's the book that will sell me on an author, not her blog.
The reason I didn't really agree with her post is that I didn't start my blog to reach readers, I started it to connect with other writers and with publishing professionals. It's worked very well considering those goals.
There doesn't seem much point to me to trying to reach readers at this point. First of all, that's what the book itself is for, and second, why connect with readers before I have a book to sell them?
Other than that it makes some good points, as do you. Thanks, Laura!
If it can be pulled off successfully, Kristen's advice could be helpful, but I think it might be easier advice to follow if you write non-fiction. For fiction writers, it could me more that we need to cultivate a voice that hints at the types of books we'll later have published.
That's an awesome way to integrate something else besides writing into your blog. And very relevant to what you write it sounds like. Thanks for the comment.
Can't wait to see where it goes, Freya!
You hit on many of the reasons I disagree. Good points!
You echo so many of my thoughts. And it is true that there are very few published authors that I follow. Many published authors don't seem to have the time or heart to blog consistently anymore anyway. It all really comes down to why you have a blog in the first place. But that's for Friday's topic.
I'm heading to your blog now to see your post...
One could argue that if you have built up a readership before you are published then you automatically have people who will buy your books. But it is a tricky and difficult feat, I think, and you are right to not be worried about it. Blogging for the community is a great reason to blog, imho.
So true that it is so much easier to follow that advice for non-fiction - and much more relevant. Great point about cultivating a voice now. Thanks for the comment :)
Great post:) I don't blog on the topic of writing too often b/c there's so much out there already, and mainly my friends/family read my seldom posts & they don't care about the craft. I have lots of ideas for when I'm published, but the creation of the blog was just to have it in place. Wanted to make a comment about children not reading blogs . . . my 11-yr-old follows a few of her fav authors & even has a blog herself! And I teach 2nd graders & we do author of the month studies. They go nuts over their websites & tell me they go on them at home all the time:):):) If you want to see what an 11 yr old's blog looks like, check it out: http://peaceloveandponcho.wordpress.com/
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post! I have read so many blogs and articles that talk about middle graders not researching their authors, but from my experience, I disagree. I really appreciate you showing examples to back me up!
I began a blog two years ago about caregiving - to go along with my memoir. It didn't really work for me. Instead, I've been "writing my way through life" with my current blog. It fits in better for me and hopefully I can share something with people. I've met tons of nice, supportive writers through blogging. So, I'm glad many of my bloggy friends write about writing and the other things that they do. I'll need to read Lamb's blog.
That's really what's key, isn't it? To find what works for you. Find something you can consistently blog about and remain dedicated. That's my theory, anyway. Thanks for the comment.
I am very interested in this discussion, Laura. It is something I am struggling with. As a writer, I like the community of writers - I feel comfortable there, and we share a lot of interests so I love blogging with other writers. But in terms of reaching readers, a blog for writers isn't going to gain you a new audience unless, in my case, my writer-readers happen to be in the market for picture books. So how DO you reach parents, teachers and librarians if you're not really blogging on parenting, teaching or life in the library? How do you draw in the gatekeepers who are going to purchase your children's books? Because although it's probably not that far off, at this point, most 2-6 year olds aren't blogging :)
You make some excellent points here! I started my blog two years ago to share my journey and connect with other writers on the same path.. the community is fabulous, and I always love reading what others have to say and share :)
Great thought provoking post!
I very much agree with your thoughts, susanna. I think you do an excellent job of providing resources that would attract your parents and librarians, but it isn't quite as accessible as it could be. Perhaps blogging isn't the right medium for attracting the readers of your books. The question you need to ask is what interests your readers. It might be a blog about parenting tips. Or maybe you share your favorite picture books (and your own) with tips about how to find teaching points for children. Then your blog becomes a read and teach. That could be attractive to lots of parents teachers and librarians. Especially when looking for a lesson to go with a favorite book.
Thank you!
I see the validity, but I'd have to do some serious sitting down and thinking about the best way to approach my angle. I really don't want to post celebrity boy-band gossip all over my blog. My book is satirical toward that, and I shouldn't endorse it. But what else could I use?
If you can't go quite with what your book is about, the next choice would be to think about what your readers enjoy. It may have less to do with your book and more about what capture that audience. Or tune in Friday when I continue the conversation :)
Just want to add one quick and rather obvious point: you can have more than one blog (if you have the energy)--an "author" blog and a writing blog. I've seen a fair number of authors doing this.
Yes, you can. Which is going to be one of the things I say on Friday :)
I'll have to stop back for the "strongly disagree" post! :) And I second gail's comment - especially since I just started a blog just for my book! :)
Good for you! What work! See you tomorrow :)
Interesting. Looking forward to your 'strongly disagree' post, as others have said.
Isn't a blog supposed to be fun for the owner as well as the reader? Or is it all about the analytics?
My blogs are my way of interacting with other writers and anyone who stops by to read and/or comment. It's a way of hearing my 'voice'. It's also a good way to find others for sharing writing wisdom and the blog is a place to showcase my photography.
DG Hudson
Yes, that is a valid reason to blog. I hope you read my other article on the subject of why I disagree. I believe I mention that there. Thanks for the comment. :)
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