Writers tend to
balk at promoting themselves and their books. They only want to do one thing:
write.
Maybe you
believe this:
Writers write.
That’s what we do. That’s what we are good at.
We don’t do promotion. It’s not our job (or so we
believe). It’s not what we are good at.
If you do,
here’s the rub. If you don’t promote yourself and your book, you:
- Don’t get book publishing
contracts.
- Don’t sell many self-published or
traditionally published books.
- Don’t succeed as an author.
That leaves you
with a few options. If you are stubborn, you can maintain your position: I
don’t do promotion. I’m a writer. Period.
Or you can
change your attitude, and say: I’m willing to take on the role of book
promoter. I will learn this and do it because it is part of what authors today
must do. I want to succeed!
But there is
one other option. You can decide to write and promote your book at the same
time—simply through the act of writing…well…blogging.
But blogging is
writing.
What to Blog About
A blog involves
a different type of writing, but it’s writing! You simply need to commit to
publishing a short blog post—300-500 words—a few times—2 to 5—a week. That’s
not so bad, right? You can do that; you’re a writer.
And there are
so many things about which you can write or blog. I came up with 20
things aspiring and published authors could blog about. Book marketing
expert John Kremer came up with 101.
To promote your
published book or forthcoming book:
·
Determine
the subjects and themes about which you write.
·
Brainstorm
a list of possible topics based on these book subjects and themes.
·
Blog
about those themes and topics regularly and consistently.
Or pick the
topic of your published or forthcoming books, and stick to it. Blog about it
day in and day out. In the process, you’ll become an authority, which will help
you land book contracts and writing assignments.
The more often
and regularly you write about the topic of your forthcoming book or your
published book, the more you promote that book. It’s that simple.
However, be
sure you share those blog posts on your social networks. That’s part of the
promotion process as well—and not too difficult or time-consuming.
The Blog as an Author Website and Branding Tool
If you are
still having trouble wrapping your busy writing fingers around this concept,
consider this: Do you write morning pages? Keep a journal? Spend time emailing
friends? Blogs began as online journals. Take on blogging as an author website
where you can brand yourself by revealing the many aspects of who you are as a
writer. Connect with potential readers, let them know more about you through
your posts, and show off your awesome writing talent for potential book,
newspaper and magazine publishers. (And, of course, feature your published
works.)
Simply start
your daily writing period with 30 to 45 minutes of blog-post writing. Compose a
short post about a topic related to your book or your writing process—something
that pertains to becoming a published author. Add your photos and videos easily
created on your iPhone or other Android phone, or created on Canva.com.
Have fun with
your blog. Make it a creative statement. Allow potential readers to get to know
you and to connect with you emotionally.
The Blog as a Writing Machine
If blogging
still seems like a superfluous activity, employ a down-and-dirty a tactic. Use
your blog as a way to write a book. Blogging a book is the quickest and easiest
way to write your book and promote it at the same time. You’ll hardly know you
are promoting your work at all!
When you blog a
book, you write it intentionally on your blog. (You don’t later try to
repurpose your posts into a book.) Plan out your book in post-sized bits. Then
publish the first draft of your book in those small posts (300-700 words)
regularly and consistently on your blog. (Create a manuscript in your favorite
word-processing program at the same time; copy and paste into your blog.)
Blogging a book
allows you to garner a loyal following of readers—fans—for your book as you
write it. This fan-base is called an author platform. It represents the
foundation for your book promotion.
Your fans will
purchase the finished product: your book. They also will help promote your blog
and the book when it is published. Plus, if your blog becomes popular, you
might land a publishing deal in the process. You can always successfully
self-publish once you have a platform, though, if you don’t get discovered or
you don’t want to pursue traditional publishing.
So, become a
blogger…not just a writer. Become a book promoter. Write. And blog. In the
process promote yourself and your work by doing what you do best.
Nina Amir, the Inspiration to
Creation Coach, is the bestselling author of How to Blog a Book and The
Author Training Manual. A speaker, blogger, and author, book,
blog-to-book, and high-performance coach, she helps people combine their
passion and purpose so they move from idea to inspired action and positively
and meaningfully impact the world as writers, bloggers, authorpreneurs, and
blogpreneurs. Some of Nina’s clients have sold 300,000+ copies of their books,
landed deals with major publishing houses and created thriving businesses
around their books. She is the founder of National Nonfiction Writing Month,
National Book Blogging Month, and the Nonfiction Writers’ University. As a
hybrid author, she has published 15 books and had as many as four books on an
Amazon Top 100 list at the same time.
To find out more about Nina and
get a free goal-achievement e-book, visit www.ninaamir.com.
Receive a set of free blog-plan templates when you visit www.howtoblogabook.com or a free
guide to writing a nonfiction book at www.writenonfictionnow.com.
Follow Nina on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NinaAmir
Facebook: www.facebook.com/InspirationToCreation
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninaamir
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ninaamir
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2 Comments
Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog! I hope your readers decide to blog some books!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Nina. Any time :)
DeleteI love to hear from you. So feel free to comment, but keep in mind the basics of blog etiquette — no spam, no profanity, no slander, etc.
Thanks for being an active part of the Writers and Authors community.