Back to Basics: A Writer’s 101 Guide to Blogging
On Thursday at 1p EDT, I’m presenting a live, online class, “Build Your Author Platform Through Blogging.” In preparation for that, I’m gathering my favorite resources and 101 articles that…
On Thursday at 1p EDT, I'm presenting a live, online class, "Build Your Author Platform Through Blogging."
In preparation for that, I'm gathering my favorite resources and 101 articles that are helpful for anyone in getting started—and posting them here for everyone to enjoy.
First, a few blogging principles:
- Provide consistently great content and resources. Even if you're an experienced writer, it may take you considerable time (and patience and trial-and-error) to adapt to writing for an online audience. Practice consistency, and be patient in getting results.
- Interact with readers on your blog, and throughout the online community. Be active in your comments, on your own blog and others' blogs, and share the love through links to great resources on other blogs. Developing relationships with others is a critical factor to most bloggers' success.
- Be a quality guest and look for guests. Writing posts for other blogs can open you up to audiences who you aren't typically reaching, and offering quality guests means that those guests will help market and promote your blog, too.
My past posts on blogging
- What Should Fiction Writers Blog About?
- Why Start a Website or Blog If You Have Nothing to Promote?
- What Does It Take for a Blog to Become a Book?
- The Benefits of Blogging (Your Feedback)
- 5 Things That Make Me Stop Reading Websites and Blogs
- The First 5 (Simple) Steps for Growing Readership on Your Blog
Three key resources for every serious blogger
- Chris Brogan (a well-known master at blogging and online community building)
- CopyBlogger (everything you need to know about online writing from a marketing and business perspective)
- ProBlogger (the name says it all)
Excellent and recent articles on blogging
- The Secret Ingredient to an Irresistible Blog
- 4 Foundations of a Successful Blog
- Writing for the Online Audience
- What Do you Talk About on Your Blog If You Write Fiction?
- 23 Essential Elements of Sharable Blog Posts
- The 120-Day Wonder: How to Evangelize a Blog
- 10 Ways to Create a Better "About Page" for Your Blog
- On Getting Your Name Out There: Author Blogging
- How to Grow Traffic to Your Blog
- One Simple Way to Generate More Comments on Your Blog
- Secrets to Writing Good Blog Headlines
- How I Sold a Blog for $20,000 in 8 Months
[try to ignore the dollar signs and just focus on the helpful advice] - Marketing Your Blog
[good commenting and guest posting principles]
If you want hands-on help on how to get started in blogging—plus my two cents on how to choose a blogging platform—then be sure to check out my class on Thursday. Because it's live, you'll have an opportunity to ask questions, too.
Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).
