Writers, Get Blogging

Have a blog to promote your writing career? If not, get one. Whether you write articles or books, fiction or non-fiction, a blog can help you develop and communicate with an audience for your writing. Although a blog can’t replace a traditional website, it’s a powerful online marketing tool and you should make the most of it. An added plus is that it’s far easier to get a simple blog up and running than it is to create an entire site. There are a number of blogging tools to consider including Blogger, Typepad, or Squarespace. Blogger is the blogging tool that I used to create this blog, which took me about an hour to design including a few template tweaks. Blogger is owned by Google and best of all it’s free.

December 8, 2005 | Filed Under Blogging and RSS, Online Book Promotion | Leave a Comment 

Are You Writing a Blook?

A blook is essentially a book based on a blog or website. It can be an online book serialized on a blog such as the murder mystery Hackoff.com or a print book derived from blog content (see Wikipedia for a more detailed explanation on blooks). The difference between a blook and any other book that has a companion blog or website (such as my book, The Web-Savvy Writer) is that with a blook the blog generates the original content and the print book follows later.

Print-on-demand publisher Lulu just announced that it’s sponsoring the 2006 Lulu Blooker Prize for the best blooks of the year, which has generated varied opinions on the merits of blooks and even some controversy on the definition of a blook itself. (And yes, Lulu also publishes a blook blog that covers the latest contest happenings.)

Do you think blooks are the wave of the future or just a gimmick? Feel free to post your comments.

October 18, 2005 | Filed Under Blogging and RSS | Leave a Comment 

Blogging for Press

Although blogging can be a great way to interact directly with readers and clients, your blog posts can also capture the attention of journalists working on a story. According to a recent survey by Euro RSCG Magnet (a noted PR firm) and Columbia University, 51% of journalists use blogs regularly and 28% rely on them for day-to-day reporting. The downside: journalists find few blogs entirely credible.

As a freelance journalist as well as a book author, I’ve counted on web resources such as blogs to help me fill in gaps in my research, discover new story angles, and even locate experts to interview. By focusing on quality content backed by your solid credentials, you can develop a blog that reaches out to readers and clients as well as the press.

September 5, 2005 | Filed Under Beginner's Corner, Blogging and RSS | Leave a Comment 

Are You a Web-Savvy Writer?

Are you making the most of the latest technologies that can help take your writing career to new levels? What do you know about websites, blogs, RSS, ezines, podcasts, search engine optimization, online media kits, virtual book tours, book trailers, and web marketing campaigns? Take the Web-Savvy Writer quiz and find out.

July 26, 2005 | Filed Under Author Websites, Beginner's Corner, Blogging and RSS, Media Relations, Podcasting, Virtual Book Tours | Leave a Comment 

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