| So what is this "blog factor"? Well, what a few thought | | | | or adventures and stories - a glimpse into the life of a |
| was a novel idea some years ago has now morphed | | | | private detective. This would give the reader (and fans |
| into something no one expected. There are currently | | | | of this character) a reason to return to the blog for an |
| nine million blogs out there with 40,000 new ones being | | | | update on this ongoing adventure or story. |
| added everyday. Some are informative and some are | | | | In another instance, I work with an author who wrote a |
| just downright a waste of your time. And while we | | | | fiction book about right and wrong with a new age |
| hear a lot about blogging these days, what is blogging | | | | spirituality spin. I advised him to blog on issues related |
| *really*? Blogging in its simplest term is like an online | | | | to that - right and wrong in our society and his own |
| journal but much, much more powerful. Blogs (short for | | | | personal "spin" on these issues. Some of his blogs |
| Web log) is a place where surfers can get up to the | | | | might be controversial but that's okay, you want to |
| minute information on a topic or voyeur into someone's | | | | create your own "voice," your own take on a certain |
| life. Some blogs are nothing more than a daily glimpse | | | | issue and if that opinion is controversial, all the better |
| into someone's life, while others are so sophisticated, | | | | for exposure and for getting people to interact on your |
| it's hard to tell them apart from an online news service. | | | | blog. Getting readers to respond to your posts is a |
| Why Blogs Matter | | | | great way to gain interest and momentum for your |
| Google, the #1 search engine on the net, loves blogs. | | | | blog and (more importantly) getting people to talk about |
| So much so that if you do it right Google will spider the | | | | it will grow your blog like nothing else! |
| heck out of your site. What does it mean to "spider"? | | | | How to Start a Blog |
| Well spidering is when Google, or the like, searches | | | | Starting a blog is super easy. All you have to do is |
| your site's content to establish ranking, and the more | | | | register at a blog site (like and get started. It's that |
| content you have (i.e. fresh content) the more Google | | | | easy. The blog service will link to your site; you'll need |
| will do its magic and push your site up the search | | | | to ask your Webmaster to add a button to your home |
| engine. Another reason blogs matter is that they are | | | | page so people can find your blog. |
| interactive and, if you blog on your book's topic, it will | | | | How to Blog Effectively |
| help to further your expert status on a particular issue. | | | | The best bloggers know that the more you add to |
| When we plan "Virtual Tours" for our authors, we | | | | your blog, the more traffic you'll drive there. Some |
| include as many blogs as we can into a tour. Why? | | | | bloggers I know post daily, sometimes even multiple |
| Because if you can get into a good blog that's seeing | | | | times a day while others post weekly. How much you |
| a lot of traffic, you can really start to gain some | | | | post will probably depend on how much time you have |
| exposure for your book. | | | | to dedicate to this. The challenge will be that if you |
| What Would You Talk About? | | | | want to keep driving people to your blog, you'll want |
| This is the question we get asked most often. "If I start | | | | fresh content. This doesn't mean you have to create |
| a blog, what on earth would I talk about?" Well if your | | | | this all yourself, in fact you can invite people onto your |
| book is non-fiction it's pretty easy to figure out what | | | | blog and interview them, or you can just post a one |
| your topic would be, but if your book is fiction it could | | | | paragraph "thought" on your topic. It doesn't have to be |
| get a bit tricky - but not impossible. An author I work | | | | complicated or long, it just has to be fresh. Also be |
| with has a series of books starring one character - a | | | | innovative, as we discussed earlier, be different with |
| private detective. I recommended that he "blog" this | | | | your blog, have fun with it. It might seem complicated |
| character, meaning that the character (not the author) | | | | at first but once you get the hang of it, you'll quickly |
| would have the blog. It could be the character's diary | | | | become a blog expert! |