Launching a book is thrilling. Lots of time, energy and thought goes into planning it. But that’s not the only day you should be thinking about.

You’re going to have that book for a long time. So although launch day is important, the real question is: How do you keep the book in the minds and in the mouths of people all over the world for a long time? It all starts way before your book is even written.

Start before your book exists.

Before you’ve even written a book, you can start by building a platform. This is how your future readers will find you.

Building a platform means putting yourself out there so the people who need to hear your message can find you. That means pitching as a subject matter expert. I did this a lot before my first book, Listful Thinking, was published. It meant I could back up my expertise when I was trying to find a publisher. And it meant I was ready to share my book when it came out.

When you’re building your platform, think about where your audience is likely to be—and go there. Pitching traditional media is important, but so is social media. And don’t forget about blogs, podcasts, and live-streaming shows! You can actually create an editorial calendar to keep yourself accountable. 

Once you have the book deal. 

Celebrate! This is a big moment. Then it’s time to sit down and set your media goals. It can often take a year or more from getting a book deal with a traditional publisher to the day of your book launch. You’ll need that time to plan a detailed strategy to connect with readers. 

One year before your book launch.

A year seems like a long time. In some ways it is—you can fit a lot of events, media, and content into a year. But it can also fly by if you don’t start planning. One year out is a good time to identify the outlets you want to be featured in. It’s also a good time to think about media training. It might take a little while to find a media trainer and actually get started, so you want to give yourself plenty of time. Or you could take a training course like mine called Media-Ready Author to get ready at your own pace. 

You’ll also want to start doubling down on your content calendar. Make a plan and stick to it! 

Six months before your book launch.

Think about what kinds of support you’ll need for the launch, such as a publicist or social media manager. Those people will help you start securing event dates for the launch period—both virtual and in person!

During this time, you’ll keep up your content creation schedule. It’s a good time to revisit your strategy. Where are people really engaging with your message? What posts aren’t getting as much attention? Use that feedback to tweak your strategy.

[Media-Savvy Author: How to Hire Professionals for Your Book Launch.]

Three months before your book launch.

Keep creating videos, blog posts, and social media content. This is the solid foundation of your author platform. Now is also the time to get more serious about pitching traditional media in conjunction with your book launch dates. 

Two months before your book launch.

Start thinking about your wardrobe, makeup, and overall presentation for your book launch events. Venues for your launch events should be booked at this point. Make sure to promote those events via your social media platforms. And start getting excited!

One month before your book launch.

The countdown has arrived. Self-care is key one month before your launch. You’ll want to keep up your schedule of interviews and content, but don’t neglect your basic needs. Get plenty of sleep and eat a balanced diet (which can be tricky if you’re traveling for events!). 

Speaking of events—if you’re traveling a lot, now is the time to concentrate on your packing and prep strategy. Layers, items that don’t wrinkle, and back-ups of everything you need are key. 

Day of your book launch.

Take a moment to breathe and take it all in. This is a big day! Bring yourself back to your “why” — the reason you wrote your book in the first place. Remember, sharing your thoughts and ideas with the world is a public service. Thinking about it like that can be very useful for the promotion process.

Keep the momentum going after your book launches.

When you’re in the book launch phase, you’re really invested in the book itself. That’s only natural. It should be the focus of attention at this point! But once your book is a few months old, you have to shift your focus and start to consider how your book can support you as an author and expert—not how you can support your book.

This does not mean you shouldn’t talk about your book. Of course you should! You just need to find new ways of framing and contextualizing how you talk about your book. The attention needs to be on how your knowledge (and by extension, your book) can solve problems or shift people’s mindsets.

The relationships you build with journalists, reporters, and producers are some of the best resources for you as you consider your post-launch strategy. Thank you notes (paper ones—yep!) go a long way in demonstrating your appreciation.

These really do make an impact on fostering positive relationships between you and members of the media. You can then leverage those relationships to pitch again from a new angle. 

You might be wondering what exactly you should pitch—how can you use your book as a jumping-off point that inspires the next stage of your media strategy?

Well, here’s a little secret: Everything you talk about doesn’t have to be in the book. In fact, it can actually be counterproductive to limit yourself to only things you covered in your book. You are an expert on a topic that includes what you talk about in your book. You can absolutely pitch on related areas within your expertise that didn’t fit into your book—and you should! This is essential to any sustainable media strategy. 

The post Media-Savvy Author: Setting Your Media Goals appeared first on Writer's Digest.

We all know this intuitively. But when it comes to actually producing content, many authors feel stuck. If you’re in that boat, you’re not alone. Many of my media-training clients tell me that they want to do video, but they can’t think of anything to talk about.

I always tell them, “You just wrote a whole book’s worth of content!” The challenge is finding ways to translate and repurpose that content for video.

Here are five ways to use video storytelling to bring your book to life.

1. Go chapter-by-chapter and create one video about each topic.

This prompt works whether you’re a fiction or nonfiction author. Consider deep-dives into the tips, message, plot and character development, and background information for each chapter. You’re not trying to summarize each chapter here—and no need to get into “spoilers.” Pick one thing that stands out from the chapter and use that as your focus.

2. Interview the people in your book that you quoted and start a podcast or limited video series.

You’ve probably conducted quite a few interviews with experts if you write nonfiction—and they almost certainly had a lot more to say than you could fit in your book. Bringing those experts onto a podcast or limited video series and interviewing them about their work can give your readers more context and extra information that will help them engage with your book. I teach a whole class on how to go live on video if you’re not sure how to do it.

If you’re a fiction writer, your approach might be slightly different. If you did historical research, you could turn to those people and ask them if they’d like to come on your show. If not, you might think about connecting with your network of writers and inviting them on your podcast to chat about topics relevant to both of your books.

3. Turn your book into an online course with lessons.

If you wrote a nonfiction book, you can often use your book as a launching pad for an online course with lessons related to your area of expertise. This idea works for authors of many genres, from history to cooking. I did this myself—as a productivity expert and media trainer, I have lots of courses about my areas of expertise, from developing better note-taking skills to becoming a go-to media expert.

Making courses helps people become more familiar with the content of your books. It also helps establish you as a trusted expert.

[Learn more from Paula Rizzo at WD: Creating a Sustainable Media Strategy]

4. Do a deep-dive on a character.

If you’re a fiction writer, give your readers a peek behind the curtain and tell them more about the evolution of a specific character in your book. Did the main character change from your first draft to published edition? How did you come up with their name or backstory?

If you’re a nonfiction writer, this approach can work for you too if your book includes fascinating people whose complete stories didn’t fully fit in your book. It’s like the bonus chapters that used to come with DVDs. (Did I just date myself?)

Telling these stories can help people get a sense of the “world” of your book and will whet their appetite for more.

5. Get video testimonials from people who have used the methods in your book and share them.

Nonfiction writers often offer methods, whether that’s a meditation routine or set of healthy-yet-simple recipes. Find the people who have tried your methods and ask them if they’d be comfortable filming a short video testimonial. Sharing those videos can make a powerful impression. Plus, they’ll give your readers a taste of the benefits of reading your book.

No matter your genre, video is an essential tool for making lasting connections with your readers. And it’s essential for building your platform as an author. So take a look at your book, think about your approach, and start recording!

Click to continue.

The post Media-Savvy Author: Video Storytelling, Bringing Your Book to Life appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(How to Get Started in Food Writing.)

We touched upon how food bloggers get to create the content of their choice, the look and feel of their blog, and how they are loners, meaning they get to work alone.

What Is a Food Blog?

A food blog is a journal-type website that allows the writer to document anything food related. Some examples of topics a food blogger can choose to write about are recipes, restaurant reviews, food traveling, and stories about family food history or memories pertaining to food.

Pros and Cons of Having Complete Control Over Your Writing

• Pro: Having complete control over your topics, posts, and blog allows a food blogger the freedom to do exactly as they please. No pressure, no deadlines, no approval from management.
• Con: Being in charge requires you to be creative and structured. It is up to the blogger to develop topics and a calendar for posting. In addition to creating a calendar, it is up to you to stay on time with your posts.

Critical Key Number 1: Be reliable with your posts. Publish the same days each week, so your readers will come to know when they can expect a new post.

Pros and Cons of Having Free Reign on Creativity for Your Food Blog

• Pro: Creating a niche is imperative as a food blogger. Building a reader following will be challenging if you do not have a narrow niche. As a food blogger, you have control over choosing your niche, and no one else can have a say over what you choose.
• Con: You and only you are in control over your post ideas. The burden of creating interesting posts falls solely upon you, the food blogger.

Critical Key Number 2: Let’s talk about creating a narrow niche. Here are two good examples: food blog vs. dessert blog and dinner blog vs. an Italian food blog. Can you see the difference? One topic is broad, and one is narrow. It is best to choose a narrow subject for your food blog.

Pros and Cons of Working Alone

• Pro: Working alone has its benefits—no one to walk in and disrupt your train of thought. No one is telling you to speed up your work process or change the way you have written a piece. The idea of working at your own pace is comforting and relaxing.
• Con: Sometimes having a colleague or partner can be helpful—having someone available to discuss your thoughts and ideas can provide fresh insights on topics. Also, bouncing ideas off one another individual helps get the creative juices flowing.

Another big con is learning how to generate money from your blog. Writing blog posts for a business provides a steady stream of income. Writing for yourself, however, leaves the burden of earning money on your shoulders.

Critical Key Number 3: Since food bloggers typically work alone, it can be a good idea to run your ideas by your family and friends. They should provide you with honest feedback, which is precisely what you need.

Critical Key Number 4: Do your research. Look online and read books about how to make money with your blog. There is a ton of helpful information out there. It is up to you to find it and implement it.

Tip: When looking for books about blogging, be sure to check the reviews and read other readers’ comments. This will help you choose a book or two that is right for you.

The post 6 Food Blogging Pros and Cons appeared first on Writer's Digest.

I’ve always thought of authors as true rock stars. As a kid, I would send them fan mail. Hearing their names would spark a sense of reverence in me. Judy Blume! Beverly Cleary! Madeleine L’Engle! As I got older, I would look at author photos, like of Judith Krantz and John Irving (I know, quite a range), on the back flaps, trying to see in their eyes just how they were able to create the immersive worlds into which they transported me. How did they do it? Who were these magicians conjuring up entire realities with the alphabet and taking me with them on their paragraph-filled broomsticks?

(Inspirational Writing Quotes from Famous Authors)

My respect for authors has only grown as I’ve become an adult, a mom of four, a booklover, and a literary podcast host. The questions I’ve always wondered—how did you come up with that idea!? Was that character inspired by your own family? How exactly did you pull this off? I can ask! And I do. Daily. Then the authors answer! Each podcast leaves me feeling energized. Electrified. Giddy.

And yet, despite my adulation, authors often drift through the world unknown, unrecognized. These modern-day masters can be sitting next to us at a restaurant or on a bus and we might not even know it, even if we’re holding their books in our hands.

As I’ve gotten to know authors and their worlds—and now that I’ve become one myself—I’ve seen opportunities to help. Holes in the literary landscape. Pathways not taken. And I’ve decided to act.

When I interview authors, I often want to hear more about them. Last year, I decided to start a literary website and commissioned original essays by authors from my podcast. It became a publication called We Found Time that I published during the pandemic. When I “closed” that “magazine” after a few months, I realized I’d compiled enough essays to make up an entire anthology, which was published in February. The best part was eliciting content from authors I loved: stories about their kids, their childhoods, their favorite books, their workouts, their sex lives (!), all written in their inimitable prose. From there, a second anthology was born.

But even an essay wasn’t enough for me for some authors. Several novelists, I thought, should write memoirs. Some friends should, too. Everyone I spoke to was a potential memoirist. Everyone had a story to tell that I wanted to read. I considered starting my own imprint, and then, my own publishing business. But that seemed like I was working backward, trying to do something similar to what was already being done. I wanted to do something different.

Given the many initiatives I was already launching and running, I realized starting my own publishing company would be a serious full-time job and would take a disproportionate amount of my time. An editor I’d worked with suggested I structure it as a fellowship since I’d already found four fabulous women to write memoirs and two editors to act as book coaches. I took that brilliant idea and rolled it out this spring, launching the Moms Don’t Have Time To annual fellowship. This way, I can still bring more stories into the world, but maybe the format won’t always be print. Maybe it will be an audiobook or a podcast. But I’m hoping to nudge untold stories out of gifted storytellers.

IndieBound | Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

After launching my own book, I realized just how much effort goes into being an author and publicizing a book. I decided to launch The Zibby Awards dedicated to the often-overlooked parts of a book and the team behind it. Categories include best spine design, best author newsletter, best dedication, best publicist, best sophomore novel, best author Instagram account, and other unique accolades. Being an author today requires far more talent than just writing. It’s a full-court press. Some authors do a great job and deserve praise, just like the costume designers and sound editors at the Oscars.

The literary industry needs some glamorizing, and the authors should be the stars. After all, they have the power to move us, bend our brains, tote us through time, and delight our senses just by what they write. There’s no trophy big enough for that. So why not celebrate in a fashion similar to the Golden Globes with fancy dresses, sponsors, and celebrity hosts?

I want to shake things up. I want faster turnaround times in publishing. An avid reader, I want to read or hear stories soon after they are written, not two years later after production pipelines plop them out. I want to learn more about the authors and follow their lives and journeys. I want to see them snapped in Us Weekly and recognized—that is, the ones who want to be. I want the age-old practice of storytelling through the written word to become the coolest, most on-trend endeavor today. I want to reimagine the format of books, the distribution, the printing, the praise.

I want to be the ultimate book messenger.

Want to join me?

Click to continue.

The post How I’m Changing the Literary Landscape—and Why appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(Should writers have a blog?)

This is a great first question. I’ve been blogging for more than a decade, and I constantly re-evaluate my topics, my treatment, and my goals. Once you begin posting to a blog, you are creating and sharing content, and it makes a lot of sense to think about what you’re sharing and why.

So, let’s dig into this.

What Should Writers Blog About?

While I think it’s important for bloggers to ask what they should post, the better first question is, “Why do you want to start a blog?” Is it for fun? Is it to share thoughts about your life? Do you have a topic that really interests you? Or do you just want to try it out because others have? Any of these reasons (or something completely different) are fine, but the reason why will help guide you to what.

(8 Blogging Tips for Writers to Find Success.)

For instance, if you’re really into a specific topic (like extreme weather), then you should have a good idea of what kind of subjects you’d like to cover (hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, etc.). If you’re doing it to improve your author platform, then you’ll need to figure out who your target audience is and blog about things that interest them. The best blogs combine a blogger’s intrinsic interests with an audience’s interests.

As you can imagine, 100 people could visit this post and walk away with 100 different blog post ideas.

*****

This online writing workshop will guide you through the entire blogging process—how to create and setup a blog, where to start, and much more. You’ll learn how to attract readers and how to market your writing. Start a successful blog today and get noticed by editors and publishers.

Click to continue.

*****

What Should Writers of Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry Blog About?

Over the years, I’ve heard so many theories about what writers of different genres should do with their blog, and it’s great to consider different perspectives. But what’s always worked best for me is to experiment and pay attention to responses. Then, decide whether your strategy is working.

(Should writers use social media?)

Could nonfiction blog posts work for a novelist? Possibly, if they line up with the subject of the novels. Could flash fiction posts gain traction for a person who writes nonfiction? Maybe; I’ve never tried it.

One thing I do know for certain: If you just do what you’re told and what everyone else is doing, then you’re more likely to disappear in the flood of blogs and sites that already exist. Find ways to differentiate, whether that’s through content, style, or tone.

Final Word on Choosing Blog Topics

Blogging is best done through trial and error, but a good place to start is by looking at your writing goals and trying to think how your blog can complement those. If you’re writing historical fiction, you’ll likely do a lot of research that can’t fit in the story. So share little nuggets of information on your blog and plug your fiction with each post.

Who knows? Eventually, you may become an authority on certain aspects of history and find yourself pitching a nonfiction book that complements your historical novels. Or vice versa, for whatever your subject of choice may be.

The post What Should Writers Blog About? appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Static author websites are great, and you’d be crazy not to have one. But starting an author blog is a different (and often tragic) story.

In fact, your author blog might even kill your writing. There are hundreds of authors who started blogs, churned out posts for a year, and let it come to a dead stop.

Why? Because they realized it wasn’t worth the effort.

I’ll show you the five major reasons an author blog can be bad for your writing (with examples). We’ll cover some other, better audience-building methods to focus on instead.

And, since I’m a complete hypocrite and I run my own author blog, I’ll show you the one and only reason you might want to start one anyway.

Ready? Let’s save your writing…

5 Ways an Author Blog Could Kill Your Writing (and What to Do Instead)

1. Blogging Will Steal Your Valuable Writing Time

There are two ways to run a blog:

1. Post erratic, guilt-induced content apologizing for why you haven’t posted in a while. Give up. Come back for one or two weeks. Give up again.
2. Post high-quality content on a very measured schedule.

#2 is extremely effective for building an audience… But it comes with a heavy price: years of your time, effort, and perpetual focus.

Blogging takes a lot out of you. You need to come up with content, publish at least once a week, manage your website, deal with commenters, etc. To get a meaningful audience on a blog, you will need to carve a huge, vital chunk out of your writing time every week.

Your author blog will steal creative productivity from the writing projects you actually care about.

Jane Friedman, a full-time writer working in the publishing industry, warns about the investment it takes to blog:

“You do not have to blog, and if you don’t have much interest in the form, then please don’t pursue it. As with any form of writing, it takes a considerable investment of energy and time to do it right and get something from it.”

2. Blogging Builds the “Wrong” Skills

I wrote a post on my blog called 26 Ways to Write Instantly Sympathetic Characters. I’m pretty happy with it, because it’s already one of my most popular posts.

In total, it took me six hours to write it. I spent about two hours researching:

• Hunting down examples
• Studying my favorite characters
• Actually learning how to create sympathetic characters

The other four hours? Writing the post. Instead of implementing what I had learned, I was working on skills like:

• Creating internet-viable content
• Blog-style pacing and scannability
• Information dissemination (as opposed to absorption)

Traditional blogging is information heavy and story light. Very few blogging skills translate to writing publishable stories.

As an author (aspiring or otherwise), you’ll build your storytelling skills much faster if you just focus on writing stories.

Are There Exceptions to This?

Of course. There are no rules in writing. (Though there are some very overconfident guidelines.)

Let’s say you publish weekly microfiction to your blog. Every week, you get a little better at storytelling… while also building your audience. Hopefully.

But I have only one question for you: Why do you want to build a following from scratch?

There are plenty of voracious, established writing outlets that are overflowing with readers:

• Wattpad
• Reddit’s /r/WritingPrompts
• Writing forums and online writing groups

Skip the years of sweat and tears. Start on one of these platforms. Grow your writing skills while tapping into an enormous pre-existing audience.

Author Blogs Don’t Sell Books (Not Really)

Long ago, quick and dirty practices thrived on the internet…

Back in the “wild west” of the Dot-com Boom, content producers could see massive results with even the laziest tactics.

Publishers saw gold.

I’m not blaming the publishers here – when there’s a new frontier, you have to explore it. But those wild west days are long since over. The almighty Search Engines ruled in favor of the users, not the exploiters.

And with that, the internet was tamed. Yet some old myths refuse to die…

Do you feel obligated to start an author blog? Is your publisher telling you “that’s the best way to sell books?”

Every guilt-tripped author blog looks the same. Start with the first posts, and scroll up through the latest, and here’s what you’ll see:

• The first posts are wide-eyed and brimming with optimism. They vary in length and quality, and make too many promises.
• Then comes a stretch of posts put out at seemingly random intervals.
• The latest posts are sparse and almost always start with an apology.

Eventually, the blog withers like the grass in the West Texas desert.

Answer this for me:

1. Who are your favorite authors?
2. When was the last time you bought a book… because you were reading their blog?

Rarely? Never?

Here’s how most readers buy books:

• Get recommendations from friends
• Find a great deal or get an email notification about their wishlist
• See their favorite author announce a new release on social media

Unless you live and die by the blog, there are vastly better ways to sell books. We’ll get to those soon.

But first, I want to show you why even the most successful authors don’t bother with blogging.

Even Professional Authors Get Sick of Consistency

The most successful authors are really good at finishing projects.

One day, you will finish your book. No more adding. No more editing.

The same can’t be said for a blog. You will always have to feed the beast. Otherwise it will starve, and it will whine pathetically, and everytime people come over to visit, they’ll see it and make that “Oh, dear” face.

For example:

Neil Gaiman was at a wedding. He wrote something for the Bride and Groom, and it was beautiful. People asked if they could get a copy of reading.

Then, Gaiman remembered he had a blog: “I have a blog. And it is dusty there and really, I should put [the reading] up. So look on my blog.”

Neil did not post again for almost six months.

You can tell he’s more concerned about publishing his next book than his next blog post. Which is something his readers (and publishers) are extremely grateful for.

That brings us to the final death knell for author blogs…

Your Readers Just Want to Read Your Stories

Chuck Wendig is a full-time author who somehow has the time to update his blog almost every day.

His advice for starting an author blog?

If you don’t love it, don’t do it. Here’s why:

“Blogging because you have to? What an execrable task. Who wants to read a blog that you feel is an obligation? I want to read something the author wants to write, not filler content meant to prop up a dead thing. This isn’t Weekend At Bernie’s.”

What Should You Do Instead of an Author Blog?

Someone once said, “Blogging is like social media, but for adults.”

This statement is not only arrogant, but it’s also extremely ignorant.

Social media is a perfectly valid way to grow your audience. In most cases, social media is a more valuable way to reach an audience – because everyone is on one platform or another.

Barring distractions, ideal social media usage is far less time-consuming than an ideal blog posting schedule. Authors who use social media (with a strong, distraction-free plan in mind) have more time to write.

A Two-pronged Strategy for Building Your Audience

Focus on one platform you absolutely love. Build your audience there.

• Want to engage a community? Head to Facebook.
• Are you an endless font of hilarity, unique thoughts, or controversial quips? Take to Twitter.
• Love taking pictures of yourself? Instagram. (Okay, maybe this isn’t the best platform for authors.)

Be consistent. Focus on engaging with your fans (or future fans). Don’t go to Facebook just to share your stuff. (And quit stalking your ex.)

Get into pre-existing networks.

• Offer to get interviewed on Podcasts.
• Finish your book and give away advanced copies to reviewers.
• Guest post on popular blogs where your future readers might already exist.

These strategies will allow you to tap into a much larger audience – without having to build your following from scratch. Most owners of blogs, podcasts, etc. will be thrilled to have you create content for them.

The Only Reason You Should Ever Start an Author Blog

Why did you start writing?

You wouldn’t be a writer if you didn’t love at least some part of it.

The same should go for blogging. The only reason you should start an author blog is if you love blogging. I publish regularly to my writing blog because I genuinely love sharing writing advice.

Your author blog must be a labor of love – or else it will burn you out. Take a stab at your other options first before you start an author blog. Save your writing time for writing.

Quick Question: Do you read any Author Blogs regularly? Why? Let me know down in the comments below.

Click to continue.

The post 5 Ways an Author Blog Could Kill Your Writing (and What to Do Instead) appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Image by @neonbrand on Unsplash

Encourage a writer to start an author blog and you’re likely to provoke a wince. Many resist blogging because they believe it will steal time away from precious minutes otherwise spent on their work-in-progress.

Others hesitate to blog because they don’t know what to blog about. While nonfiction authors are positioned to discover natural fodder for posts as they dive in to research, for writers of fiction (as well as memoir and personal essay), material may be less obvious.

Here’s a secret no one tells you: Blogging is simply a medium that allows you to connect with people who love the same books, hobbies and activities you do. Even more, it’s a way to cultivate a readership before you’ve even finishedyour manuscript, a method to build that ever-elusive “platform” that agents and publishers chatter so much about. I won’t lie: In the beginning, a blog might be a big time commitment, and it can feel a little technical.

But once you master a strategy, you’ll unleash areas of your creativity you never knew you had—and when you’re ready to query, you’ll already have an established audience in your pocket to bring to the negotiating table.

Learn the ABCs of how to develop content for your new author blog in the May/June 2018 Writer’s Digest, and follow these basic steps to give your website a firm foundation—which is, actually, a lot like building a house.

Choose a domain name.

Your domain is the “street address” where your blog lives online. Choose a name that’s memorable and ties to name associated with your author brand.

Connect to a server.

The server is the plot of virtual land where the files that make up your website live. Some services like WordPress, Squarespace or Wix will host your blog on their servers as part of a paid subscription. This is potentially dangerous for bloggers because you don’t have complete control and ownership of your content. I recommend using a self-hosted WordPress site and starting with a server like techsurgeons.com, because they specialize in author and artist websites. Other webhosts include low-budget options like FatCow, HostGator and BlueHost, though service might be unreliable at times. There are also high-end options like Media Temple and WP Engine.

Select a platform.

The platform handles the architectural structure and design of your blog. It determines how your content is organized and how it looks. While platforms like Wix and Squarespace might seem more user-friendly at the outset, I recommend WordPress because it offers a lot of versatility and is a far more powerful solution for the long run. Once you’ve chosen the platform and have put it in place, you’ll want to select a theme that will dictate the visual layout of your blog.

Add some content.

Before you start shouting from the rooftops that you have a blog, you’ll need to create a few key pieces of content. These are: your home page (which you can set to be your newest blog post), an About page and a Contact page.

[Learn best practices for writing online content in this course.]

Once you have these elements in place, get ready to start blogging. You have fun work ahead!

The post Home Base: Follow These 4 Basic Steps to Begin Building Your Author Blog appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Starting that blog was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Blogging helped me hone my voice and connected me to a community of readers. But, oh, if I could start over knowing that many of my far-fetched writing dreams would come true, I sure would do a few things differently.

If you’re starting a blog with dreams of writing a book some day, don’t make the same mistakes I did. Launch your blog with your book in mind.

Order a copy of Kim Dinan’s The Yellow Envelope today.

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[WD uses affiliate links.]

Consider your domain name

If you listen to only one piece of advice in this article, let it be this: Choose your domain name carefully. Did you catch that? Let me say it again, just to make sure. Choose your domain name carefully. I’ll use myself as an example here. I decided to call my travel blog So Many Places (because there were so many places I wanted to go- get it?), bought the domain name www.so-many-places.com (more on those hyphens later), and then soon regretted the whole thing.

Why? Well, when I launched my blog it was just a blog. But over time it grew into a hub for all of my writer-y pursuits including freelancing, editing, public speaking and, most recently, publishing a book. I’ve evolved—but my domain name is still stuck in travel blogging land.

What I wish I’d done is use my own name as my domain name (I did eventually buy kimdinan.com, but now I have two websites to manage). The same piece of advice goes for social media handles. Cheryl Strayed’s twitter handle isn’t @hikergrrl, is it? J.K. Rowling’s Facebook author page isn’t called Wizard Woman Writes. Nope, you’ll find them online by their names. Make it easy for your readers to find you, too.

Don’t use hyphens in your domain name

Imagine this. Your book has just been published and you’ve been invited onto NPR to have a friendly conversation with Terry Gross. She asks, “Where can we find you online?” You respond, “I’m at Joe Smith dot com but there are hyphens between Joe and Smith so it’s actually Joe hyphen Smith dot com.” You don’t want to say that, right? Hyphens just make things complicated. If someone else already owns your domain name, insert your middle initial (joehsmith.com) or, if that won’t work, consider something like joesmithwrites.com.

[5 Ways to Turn Your Blog Into a Book-Writing Machine]

Collect e-mail addresses from day one

You’ve just launched your blog and there are 3 people that read it: Your mom, your sister, and a Google Bot. No matter, you should collect email addresses from all of them. There will come a day when someone you don’t know will land on your blog and when they do you want to make sure you can collect their email address. On the homepage of my blog, readers can sign up to receive each new blog post via email or my monthly newsletter. Some bloggers offer a free downloadable gift in exchange for an email address. It doesn’t matter how you do it, just make sure you have an email sign up form on your homepage. All of those loyal readers with email addresses will come in handy for book marketing one day.

Your blog and your book should have similar themes

This seems obvious but bears mentioning. Before launching your blog ask yourself what kind of book you want to write. If you start a blog about horticulture but you plan to write a young adult crime series one day, your blog won’t attract the right kind of audience. Use your blog to build a community of readers that will want to read your book.

Be a real human

When someone stumbles upon your blog, they want to know that you are a living, breathing person. Put your photo on your homepage, spend some time crafting a compelling About Me section and make sure your contact information is easy to find (you don’t have to share your email address but at least install a contact form.) Make it easy for your readers to form a bond with you—they’ll be more likely to come back for more and, yes, they might even buy your book someday.

Learn to market yourself

I don’t know a single writer who enjoys tooting her own horn. In fact, marketing is essentially the antithesis of writing. When I’m writing I sit at home, alone in my pajamas, and hang out with my own thoughts. When I’m marketing I am, at the very least, persistently visible on social media and—if I’ve got a book to promote— I’m in the public eye as much as possible. Maintaining a blog has helped me strengthen my marketing skills and made me more comfortable with marketing overall. Over the years I’ve asked readers to buy my e-books, like my social media pages, and fill out surveys. My blog has shown me that the world will not come crashing down around me if I ask for support—and that lesson has helped me promote my book with confidence.

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The post How to Launch Your Blog With Your Book in Mind appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(7 Tips for Effectively Engaging a Virtual Audience)

That said, there are many ways first-time authors can leverage social media to build their online presence and gain momentum in their careers. Here are my top 10 insights.

10 Ways First-Time Writers Can Get Noticed on Social Media

1. Choose the platform that works for you

Are you on Twitter or Instagram? Are you on Snapchat or Pinterest? When first starting out, it can be tempting to sign up for every platform under the sun. And while it’s a good idea to at least reserve your handle (preventing someone else from taking it), you probably shouldn’t start posting away everywhere. What platform do you like and feels most instinctual to you? Do you want to share pithy quotes? Then choose Twitter. Are you out of storage space because of all the photos you’ve taken on your phone? Then choose Instagram. Do you have pages and pages of inspiration for your characters? Then put it all on Pinterest and invite your readers to find extra content there.

2. Make all of your social media handles consistent

This may seem intuitive, but it’s important. You want followers to easily find you. And, unfortunately, this can be more difficult than it seems as well, because some handles may already be taken. So choose one where you can be consistent.

3. Don’t use the same content across all platforms

It can be tempting to link all of your accounts together and post one thing at one time, but try to resist that temptation. Each social media platform has its own community and set of rules. For one thing, if people follow you on multiple platforms, they’re going to know that you’re just being lazy. And that concern aside, often certain things won’t translate across platforms (tagging, for example, is hard to do when platforms are linked). But most importantly, each platform should have its own voice, which should be developed and honed.

4. Develop a strong voice

Your content should reflect who you are as a writer. Share ideas and insights that distinguish you from other authors and public figures. Always remember who you’re talking to—your audience and who they consist of—and think about your “brand” (see number 6 for more on branding).

5. Post consistently

Post consistently and often. At this point, most platforms reward you for activity, i.e., there are algorithms that will naturally boost more popular posts, but consistency helps as well. It will also encourage people to follow and engage with you.

6. Focus on your brand, but don’t fall into the “ABS” (Always Be Selling) trap

Social media is a chance to get to know and really engage with your readers. If they like your writing, they’ll want to know when your book is coming out… but they want to engage in different ways too. No one likes being asked to buy something every time they see you.

7. Interact with your followers to get noticed on social media

Don’t forget to go back and comment on comments. This is the whole benefit of social media! You can talk to your followers in real-time and build a relationship with them.

(Author Platform: How to Build Your Online Audience and Stay Sane)

8. Interact with other authors

Authors can be a hugely supportive community. Just as you would reach out to other authors for blurbs, reach out and engage on social media as well.

9. Make sure all of your posts are tagged

Hashtags help drive engagement and help grow your fan base. Tagging helps lead people back to your page that may not have otherwise seen it.

10. Be careful

It’s easy to forget that you’re becoming a public figure if you’ve spent most of your life being private. But now simple posts are subject to scrutiny, so just watch your intention and tone. You don’t want something taken out of context, or to turn people off from your writing. All publicity is definitely NOT good publicity.

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The post 10 Ways First-Time Writers Can Get Noticed on Social Media appeared first on Writer's Digest.

“POO!” she screeched as my fingers scrambled across the nightstand for my glasses, my foggy mind already assessing the possibilities: Does she just have to go, or has she already gone? Is it in her pajamas? “POO! POO! POO!” she yelled more frantically as I stumbled down the hall. Maybe, I thought with growing alarm, it’s OUTSIDE of her pajamas.

I burst through her door to find her searching fruitlessly through her covers for the stuffed Winnie the Pooh she’d left in the living room.

Which is to say that (thankfully) things aren’t always what they seem.

Our “Writer for Hire” themed issue of the November/December 2016 Writer’s Digest hits newsstands this week, and if you hear the term “Writer for Hire” and think it might not apply to you and the kind of writing you do, think again.

Every type of writer can find ways to make more money writing with the tips inside.

Why You (Yes, You!) Are Already a Writer for Hire

• Even if your only online home is a simple blog, you might be able to turn it into an unexpected moneymaker using Jane Friedman’s “8 Ways to Make Money From Your Website.” (Her article covers everything from simple PayPal “tip jars” to sponsored content to digital “products” you might not have thought of. For a more detailed preview, check out our online exclusive sidebar, “Making Money From Your Website: Models for Success,” showcasing standout examples of her suggested techniques in action.)
• Even if you aren’t a ghostwriter, you’ll likely find that John Peragine’s “Ghostwriting Business Blueprint” can serve as a useful guide for growing any type of writing business.
• Even if you haven’t laid the groundwork for a full-time freelancing career, you might be able to start landing bylines sooner than you think following the methods in “Just Say Yes,” where Jeff Somers shares how he went from zero experience to zero day job in record time.
• Even if you have a traditional publisher for your book (and of course if you’re self-publishing), you’ll need to do a lot of promotional legwork—which is why author and marketing pro Nick Courage shares his secrets for how to “Hire Yourself” to be your own best publicist.

How You Can Make More Money Writing, Starting Now

You’ll learn all of the above and more from the “Writer for Hire” package in the November/December 2016 Writer’s Digest. Preview the full table of contents here.

Especially if you’ve been feeling stymied in your writing’s “value” in any way, I encourage you to seek out this issue at your favorite newsstand or library, or download this guide to help you make more money writing right now. You might find your words can easily be worth more than you think.

TTFN (with a nod to the better Pooh—ta ta for now!),

Jessica Strawser

Editorial Director, Writer’s Digest magazine

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Learn more about my debut novel, ALMOST MISSED YOU, forthcoming from St. Martin’s Press in March 2017. (Now available to add to your Goodreads shelf or preorder from Amazon or other fine retailers!)

The post Why EVERY Writer Is a “Writer for Hire” appeared first on Writer's Digest.