Re-post: Blogs and Web-sites

The time to build a following is before your book is published, maybe even before you’ve found a home for it. Think of how impressive it would be to a publisher to have a well known writer with a following submit a manuscript.

The purposes of a standalone blog and a web-site differ. A blog is more fluid and an opportunity to show off your talents as a writer, Keep it themed and post on a regular basis and encourage a following; your web-site on the other hand is all about you, your stories and your books. A blog attached to your web-site can be used as a billboard with highlights about publication and appearances. A standalone blog, while periodic updates about a book coming out, should not be only for the purposes of advertising your accomplishments – imagine a day of programming consisting of only commercials, boring.

Be careful that your blogging does not overwhelm you and take away from your writing. Keep it themed and post regularly so that your readers know to keep coming back for new and interesting content. Your web-site should include, at the very least, a page about you, a page (or pages) about your book(s), buy links, and a media “room” with press releases, reviews, links to online interviews and other online media sources. Keep dates and links updated on both your blog and your web-site – it’s a huge turnoff to read about a new book release “coming” a year ago.

Whether you use a friendly themed site and manage your blog yourself or hire someone else to do the job, know what you expect from your website. Do you want to sell books? Interest people in a cause which you write about? Sell your services as a ghostwriter or editor? Make sure that purpose is clear on your main page and add the other stuff in as peripherals on other pages as needed. Don’t lie to people – if you are looking to make a sale, be upfront about it otherwise it’s insulting.

Use links on your web-site (and your blog if available) to help increase traffic. If you have a list of author sites such as Chelle Cordero  http://chellecordero.com then whenever someone does a search for Chelle Cordero your site is likely to come up; if they click through and your layout is eye catching, there is a good possibility you gain a new visitor. If you can arrange to “swap links” (be careful who you choose to swap with) then you will increase traffic to your site both by searches and from visitors to other sites. Make sure that you have a counter on your site, these can be simple in view counters or more complex systems where you can track search terms and more.

Another simple way to increase traffic to your web-site or blog is to visit other blogs and post comments using your web-site URL in your signature. Allow and encourage comments on your sites. Learn to make use of other social network devices such as Twitter and Facebook where you also have the ability to have your status updates posted automatically to all of your pages. Make your domain name your own, or as close as you can get – in many cases having your own domain name without the hosting site name is inexpensive and well worth the investment (such as http://chellecordero.wordpress.com will leave off the Wordpress moniker).


Writing Exercise: Write a 2 to 3 paragraph eulogy for yourself. Make sure that you include some of your major accomplishments. Do you think this eulogy really describes you to someone who has never met you?

Writing Prompt: Write 30-second commercial radio spots for the following: pasta, batteries, a musical instrument, a toilet bowl cleaner, and a gasoline additive for your car.

Challenge Assignment: Every story has at least one main conflict, many have more. Make a flow chart using the first real conflict in your story and showing 2 options your main character has in overcoming that conflict. BUT… your next conflict must follow the character’s choice no matter what was chosen. Keep making choices and using your conflicts until the end of the story.