Sunday, October 28, 2012

What Do Author's Blog About?


Everyone expects authors to promote their books when they blog, but what if they don't have a book coming out, and the ones out are two to three years old?  Do they keep blogging and promoting, or do they stop until the next book comes out?

Here's my story, I wrote three books, The Catalyst, Addiction and The Deceived.  They are still up at my publisher, Eirelander Publishing if you care to check them out.  I call them, The Odyssey Mysteries trilogy, and they are set in the Midwest riverboat casino industry, which has now become mostly grounded. The books have been taken down from Amazon and other places because my publisher is redoing the covers. 

I also wrote a short story titled, A Fool's Fool, a humorous contemporary romance about harassment in the work place.  It can be found at Eirelander Publishing too, and in audio at Audio.com.  The link is below.
http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B00945MFMI&qid=1347906078&sr=1-1  



Okay, I have strayed from the topic.  What I'm getting at is that most of my followers are readers not writers, and they aren't interested in reading about how you write a story.  For me, I'm fascinated by all sorts of things, and I think the people who follow me on my blog are too.  A lot of people don't follow me on my blog, but I know they go there every Sunday because I receive private messages from them instead of comments on my blog. 

Your blog followers' attention can be captured by many different subjects and you can keep them coming back for more.  Many of those people will be there when your next book comes out.
 
Now, I know some of you will disagree with me, so I'm eager to read your comments. Wink!

Sandra Marshall 
You can find me at Facebook, LinkedIn, Blog

15 comments:

  1. I tend to agree with you Sandy. My blog followers are mostly readers, and so I consider my audience when writing posts.

    Best of luck!
    ~Adele

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Adele. I try not to be too controversial as well, which can be difficult since I have so many opinions. lol

    ReplyDelete
  3. I find coming up with post topics to be difficult most of the time. I'm in admiration of anyone who can pull it off on a regular basis!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I try to keep our blog topics as romance or romance writing or writing in general topics. Anything that can be connected to romance or writing is fine.
    Everyone who'd read our blog is interested in romance and writing, so no political/religious material is accepted.
    Authors have to be careful about giving out too much personal information. It's very hard to show a personal side of your life without going overboard.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've questioned for a long time what the actual selling power of a blog is. I like to blog, as long as it's not too often. But I wonder how much good it does my sales.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I don't always blog about writing. I think readers like to get to know the authors and they don't always like us to talk about writing. I've gotten the most interest when I've blogged about paranormal experiences or a place I've traveled. I think we should blog on a variety of subjects.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for your comment, Cindy. There are some people who are excellent at coming up with new topics and at writing them. I don't think I'm either.

    LOL Okay, Marianne, the hard part is keeping the topics on writing and romance. So many other authors can do a much better job than I can on those topics.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jean, I agree with you. I'm not sure either.

    Thanks, Cara. I find that anytime I blog about my travels, pets, or something controversial I get people interested. Grin! I always insist that people who leave comments be nice though.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've had guests on mine and post my books!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm always looking for a subject that raises a questions that might engage or interest the reader. I love finding out about new titles but what I really enjoy is the author's take on whatever subject she/he is blogging about.

    I enjoy the blogs about writing because I think there's always something that I can learn.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks, KT. I've had you on my blog. Smile!

    I'm always looking, too, Paris. I find so many that I have to write them down, so I don't forget. lol I enjoy the blogs about writing, too, especially those who have so much more expertise than mine. Thanks for your comment, Paris.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi, Sandy, I love your work. When I don't have a book coming out, I often do reviews. I recently started reading books written by authors from different countries. I pick up new insights and perspectives that way. I do reviews and call it "Books Around the World." Sometimes I host other authors at my blog. You are always welcome to be my guest at "Travel The Ages." As an author and a reader, I look reading about "writing tips" on other's blogs. Thanks, and take care!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sandy,

    Since you check in at my blog you know I'm a writer but my blog is mostly of interest to a general audience who may be readers of mine, readers in general, or people just interested in my topic. I chose to do this because so many wonderful blogs are out there that help writers

    I've also been told that people like my blog because it's inspirational and/ore motivational. That's fine also. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I think a blogger should blog on what interests them because most likely it will interest readers too. I get the most hit on family recipes, vacations, retreats, and historical research topics.

    Keep blogging, Sandy!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you, Historical Writer/Editor. I deeply appreciate your offer.

    Casey, I enjoy your blog because you add pictures of the place or topic you're writing about. The blog you wrote about Alaska was inspirational. Anyone who trusts a pilot (even if it's their son) to take them into a crevice of a mountain is inspiring.

    Thank you, Linda. I enjoy your blogs very much.

    ReplyDelete