YES! For many reasons a blog is important.
I hear this question often from writers who wonder what the importance of a blog has to do with writing. Why can’t we simply write our books, and share them with the world?
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Well, grasshopper, the publishing world has changed, and how we communicate with people has changed. Most people when they have a question or want to learn about a new book or author they go to the internet and search for more information. If you do not have a website, then what will the learn about you? How will they find out about your book?
Four Reasons To Blog and Have A Website:
#1 Reason you need a blog is to connect with your readers.
You need a place on the web people can connect with you, they can learn about your book and more about you. People are naturally curious and want to know more about people who write the books they love. It also builds trust in you as the writer as they become familar with you as a person.
#2 Learn more about your book or books you have written
#3 A place to give value to your readers and prospective readers of your books.
What can you teach your readers in bits and pieces from your book if you have already published, or while you are writing your book?
#4 The most important thing you can do on your site is build your email list.
Now you may be asking me why you need an email list. Won’t your publisher market for you? Unfortunately, no, not like they used to. Now they are looking for writers who have taken time to grow their presence on the web and social media. If you decide to go the self-publishing route, then it is up to you to market your book. The best time to start is while you are working on your book.
Do Writers Need A Blog? Why and How do you start a blog? Plus FREE Download! Tips From #TheWriteCoach
How Do You Start A Blog?
Next, you may be asking, “How do I start a blog?”
This is an excellent question. There are a couple of different ways to go about it. You can always start small and work your way up to a more sophisticated site.
Start Small
First, if you are on a shoestring budget, I recommend you use WordPress.com for your platform. The platform you use is simply your parking lot on the Internet, and then you can build whatever you want there. This is where I started, and many people do.
WordPress.com is free and will allow you to create a beautiful site as you learn how to utilize the WordPress dashboard, which helps you control and create beautiful pages. It was intimidating for me when I started blogging eight years ago. Now I can do all kinds of things on my site.
The reason I recommend WordPress.com is when you are ready for a self-hosted site it is easier to migrate your information to WordPress.org platform. Okay, I may have just lost some of you.
- Wordpress.com - Free platform and they host it for you. The wordpress.com version limits what you can do on your site as far as plugins and other options. You do have many themes you can choose from for free to create your site.
- WordPress.org - You find a hosting service like Bluehost.com is my favorite. The hold the parking lot space for you on the internet. Then WordPress.org gives you a framework to put your site. Next, you will choose a theme, free or paid. A Theme is how you decorate the inside and outside of your “building” on the Internet.
Now, I am in love with ThriveThemes.com, because there is so much you can do with Thrive Themes. They have many great themes and plug-ins which all work together. You can purchase them separately or purchase all their products for a subscription fee. I choose to use the subscription plan. It provides me with everything I need for my site, and I have customer support whenever I need help or have a problem with my site.
So, hopefully, this helps you understand the difference between the FREE and Paid version of building a website. I do not recommend Squarespace, Wix, or Weebly. They have great offers but are extremely limited in what you can and cannot do on them. As well as, if you decide to move to a self-hosted site, you would have to completely reconstruct your site from scratch, because you cannot transfer from a pre-made platform such as these to a self-hosted site.
We could spend a day talking about the differences. Do not get lost in the details. WordPress.com is a great place to start small and inexpensive. WordPress.org is what you will graduate to in the future, or you may even want to start there.
Now what?
You have chosen WordPress.com or WordPress.org what is next?
This is where the true fun begins.
You need to know what to put on your site, and this is where I want to introduce you to Tim Grahl. He is a favorite author and blogger of mine. He has written an excellent post going into extensive detail on what you need to put on your site, and how to do it.
There are four basic pages he recommends you use on your site, and three additional pages.
Learn more about HOW TO BUILD THE ULTIMATE AUTHOR WEBSITE (IN 1 HOUR).
Follow Tim’s instructions on how to set up your site, and I highly recommend his book he mentions in the post, Your First 1000 Copies.
Tim Grahl is an excellent resource to follow to learn how to set up your site, and how to publish your book.
Now make 2018 the year the world learns all about your fantastic goodness you have to share with them.
Who is your favorite author?
Share a link to their site.
Share your response in the Facebook Comments below!
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