Why Blogging May Be THE New Way to Be an Author
by Diane Eble
In our teleseminar
on blogging (see below), Cathy Perkins told the true story of a friend of hers who has a blog and wrote a post that
the Los Angeles Times contacted him about. The LA Times interviewed the blogger, and his name and blog url were
included in the article. Traffic to his blog increased ten times, and who knows where that exposure will
lead.
Nowadays, to the media, it's less important if you have a printed book than it
used to be. If you have a well-visited blog that looks professional and people visit and comment on, you are seen
as an expert.
If you are or want to be an author, you must have a blog. There's just no way
around it. Your blog needs to be the hub of all you do.
The blog--not the book.
As I said on the teleseminar, the blog is going to be your primary means of
showcasing your expertise. As Cathy said, quoting Alex Mandossian, "An author does not make money writing books. An
author makes money explaining books."
If you have a book, you're really fortunate. Use snippets from your book, and let
people know there's more in the book.
If you haven't written a book yet, you're still fortunate. You can write your book
on your blog, getting feedback along the way, testing which pieces are most interesting to people. Cathy also
mentioned another person who is writing her book on the blog, a chapter a week (over several posts), and people
comment that they are eager for the next post. The author is also changing what she is going to write, because of
the feedback from her blog readers.
Welcome to the world of Web 2.0, folks, where the rules are being rewritten. Why
not be one of the people determining what those rules are?
Get yourself a blog--now!
For more help on
blogging:
If you're not sure where to begin, I highly recommend
taking Cathy Perkins's Wordpress Workshop. But hurry--because of the personal attention each student will
receive, class size is limited. Also, it starts soon--January 18. Check out the
details here.
Publishing Coach Weekly Teleseminar Replay
"Blogging for Authors"
Special Guest:
Cathy Perkins, "The Wordpress Wizard"
In this interview with Cathy Perkins, "The
Wordpress Wizard," Cathy and I discussed how blogging offers a special opportunity for authors. Find out
why every authors needs a blog, what's involved with blogging, how you can make money from your blog, and
more. We also answered questions. Listen in, and do check out the resources mentioned!
Special Bonuses when you sign up for The Wordress Workshop:

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