Market My Novel

Over the last few weeks, several authors have asked me if blogging is really good for book marketing.

The short answer is YES!

Blogs are an incredible, free way to improve your search engine rankings, connect with readers and constantly promote your work. They are interactive, which makes them more interesting than the static pages of a traditional Web site.

Why do readers like blogs? 

Tidbits about authors. Blogs are personal musings that readers can devour to learn more about their FAV writers. Readers like personal details. It makes them feel like they know you.


Up-to-date information. Many times, authors will update their blogs more frequently than their Web sites. That makes an author blog the go-to place for info on the latest releases.

Contests. Blogs are a great way to share contest information – even if the contest is held on a social network like Twitter.

Social network links. Readers check out blogs to find author handles and links for social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

Scoops. Many authors share the cover art to their new books well before the street date. They also give tantalizing glimpses into coming stories, free short stories, and more – free items that readers eat up.

Comments. Readers love to chat, but they won’t always have an opportunity to speak to their favorite authors at book signings. Comments are a great way to get feedback from fans. 

Free stuff. Who doesn’t love free stuff? Readers especially enjoy a good contest filled with freebies like books, bookmarks, postcards, coffee samplers (with a cup) and more. They also like free short stories, original art and anything unique the author can post.

As a reader, what makes you check out an author’s blog?