You’ve got to love it when someone who gives advice needs a healthy dose of his – or her – own.




One of my key components to any plan for clients is blogging in advance. It is wonderful to have two or three weeks worth of posts ready to go live, or be pushed to a later date to make room for breaking news.




It is a principle that I’ve followed for a very long time, but somehow let slip in with the passing of 2009.




With a puppy now mingling with the cats, keyboard sliders that needed replacing (NIGHTMARE!!! My keyboard tray is slanted, but staying that way.), searching for freelance work, getting a new blog ready to launch later this year, having a major breakthrough on a dark urban fantasy series that has haunted me for about a year, and other life issues that are too numerous to name here, I completely let slide my archive – and find myself desperate to catch up with posts.




Oh, the ideas are there on a lovely notebook attached to a clipboard I bought specifically for this purpose, but they remain vague notions on the page, desperate to be written.




So, do as I advise, not as I do!




Take about thirty minutes this week to write down some quick ideas for your blog. Then, set aside the time to write them. I’ve always found having at least two weeks’ worth of posts (six for me), is the perfect amount. Some I share on article writing sites while others are tweaked for guest blogs.




As I write this, my cat, Two Toes, is walking across my shoulders, arms and hands to help me “type.” She has a cold, so I don’t have the heart to put her down. However, this is always a problem. I sit at the keyboard and my cats immediately wake up from their naps to find out what I’m doing – just like when you are reading the newspaper.

Many authors say they cannot find time to blog. It takes too long, it takes away from writing time, it is too much of a commitment, etc.

My philosophy on blogging – as I've said on this blog many times before – is it should be fun and informative. You can write a bunch of blogs at one time and post-date them. You can commit to a certain number of days per week to blog that fits with your schedule – not someone else's. (Three days a week typically works for me.) You can make it as hard – or as fun – as you want.

Every aspect of blogging is up to you. To really brand yourself and your work, blogging is essential to any marketing plan, so if you are not blogging, I encourage you to throw out the excuses and get started. Start slow – maybe a post a week – then gradually increase until you find a schedule that works for you. During this time, you will also "find" yourself as a blogger.  By this I mean you will define yourself and your blog's content theme.

ProBlogger has a fantastic post about how to make blogging work for the part-time blogger. Check out "Advice for Part-Time Bloggers Juggling Blogging with Work, Family and Other Commitments."

After reading my post, How Do You Build Blog Traffic?," publicist Don Lafferty wrote:

Good stuff, Angela.

For someone with no blogging experience, the dynamics of the
practice can be difficult to grasp, especially when trying to explain
the psyche of the average blogger and blog reader.

Gaining an understanding of how and why blogs are read is an
important first step in getting a wannabe blogger to that "eureka"
moment.

Once the new blogger gets this, your advice regarding easy
linking/sharing tools, regular posting of quality content and lots of
promotion all make a lot more sense.

Don makes a good point. Why do I blog? What blogs do I read and why? What keeps me coming back for more?

This isn't easy to explain, so I will just share with you how I got started and my blogging habits.

A few years ago, I started a Blogger account after a friend urged me to start blogging. Knowing that I am a writer and former journalist with an opinion on just about everything, he thought it would be the perfect fit.

At the time, Blogger was a pretty basic service – but it was free. I started a personal account and started writing. I considered my blog my personal online journal, something I could share with friends and family, and that could be found by others within the Blogger director or search engines. I wasn't worried about SEO or building an audience. I just wanted to write.

The former reporter in me really loved the fact that I could give an opinion without going through some convoluted editorial process that would ultimately change the meaning of my words. I was sick of the editorial filter and its biased urges to find bleeding headlines to win contests and sell papers, rather than telling the real news out there.

The more I blogged, the more potential I could see in it. Friends everywhere would check it out, or subscribe to my RSS feed if they knew what that was. (Sadly, many of my friends don't. I need to get a bottle of wine, some snacks and teach them.)

When it really hit me was with my first comment – from someone I did not even know. I received several more after I blogged about a church I used to attend that was in flux.

I realized I had a voice. I wasn't anonymous anymore. These people, who didn't even know me, had found my blog, found something interesting on it and actually commented about it.

For me, this was my Ah hah! moment. I started researching social media in earnest. I tried to get those in the nonprofit I worked for at the time involved, but it was the Internet – which to them was akin to the Devil's Horns of television (rabbit ears for those too young to remember that phrase).

I moved on to a new job that wanted social media interaction – until they realized they were too old fashioned to be in cyberspace. It was a bad job move and before I knew it, I was out in the cold in a bad market.

Six months of unemployment nearly drove me insane. But my blog was there, and I talked very openly about my life, what I was feeling, how down I was… I bared my soul to perfect strangers because I knew that somehow, somewhere, someone else was feeling the same way – or they had at some point in their lives.

My posts reached some people who truly needed it. They didn't feel so alone. Once again, perfect strangers were touched by my words. It was amazing and humbling. I realized the true potential and power of my voice online – even if it was just to a small audience.

Six months, two crappy jobs later, I got a cake gig at a nationwide company with a social media division. There, I wrote news updates, then started taking on clients for social media projects, like blogging, social networking and podcasting.

I was in heaven. This job combined my love for the net, my journalism and writing skills and my hunger for more information on just about anything. It also allowed me to share my knowledge with others – something I truly love to do. I wouldn't have started Market My Novel otherwise.

This is why I blog.

When I search for new blogs, I look for anything on social media – obviously – but I also look for blogs with interesting factoids about films, TV, books, reviews, animals, writing prompts and more. If a blog hasn't been updated in a month, I don't go back to it. (This does not apply to personal blogs, only those with a professional message. Personal blogs aren't updated as much – and don't have to be unless they are your one blogging stop.)

Recently, I found a fabulous blog post at a Texas attorney blog that I wanted to use. I would have – until I realized he had not updated for six months. I did not bother. I did not want to send viewers of our blog to one that failed to update in a reasonable fashion.

I find fabulous blogs through StumbleUpon. If you don't have an account, or the StumbleUpon toolbar, get it. Read my post with Stumble expert Caroline Middlebrook for more details. Stumbling helps easy my brain and gives me a mental health break in the middle of my online workdays. I always find something for writing, or for client blogs.

For those of you who don't "get" blogging, I hope something in my journey will spark a fire in you to begin your own path down the blogosphere.

Good luck!

You can view my personal blog at http://www.angelawilson.blogspot.com, but be warned: I share everything in here about my life, my political views religion and more. If you want my professional blog, stay here. I don't blog there nearly as much, thanks to a Twitter addiction, this blog and client blogs.

fter reading my post, Are You Blogging on Amazon?," children's and YA author Julie Berry posted a great question about blogging:

What should you blog about?
Blogs, vlogs and microblogs are all about personal connections to your readers. These are public journals that give insight into you as a person, a writer, guest blogger, a pet owner, a mother, a grandmother, a worker bee, a busy-body, a coffee fanatic… You get the idea. Also consider sharing links to other author blogs and Web sites that you find interesting.

Before you begin blogging, you should review other blogs and see what content you like and what you don't. Then, sit down and make a list of things you would feel comfortable sharing with readers. Set clear parameters. For example, some authors avoid politics and religion.

A good rule of thumb for some: If you won't talk about it at the dinner table, then don't post about it.

When is the sales pitch OK?
Everyone understands that an author is going to post links to their new works on Amazon. Blogs and the like are a great way to build up to a book launch. Here are ways you can make your posts fun and exciting – and not feel like a slick sales pitch:

• Talk about the book as your write it. Share your ups and downs as a writer with your readers. For example, your cat pukes a hairball all over your freshly printed manuscript. You are out of ink, barely have paper and the gas tank is dry. It is a Monday that every reader can relate to and they will empathize with you. (Can you tell I'm a cat owner?)
• Talk about the joys of getting the book finished.
• Do a countdown to publication and what that means for you as a writer-turned-promoter.
• Tell readers about guest blogging engagements so they can drop by and leave a comment. Here is a quick and simple way to do it without feeling too sales-ee. "Today I drop by ABCBooks.com to blog about my latest, TRAIN WRECK. The interview asked some great questions. If you have time, stop by. Here is the link: http://…"
• If something is delayed, talk about it.
• In between posts about the book launch, post items that are more personal, so your blog is a healthy mix of business and fun.

How often should you blog?

Everyone has different blogging goals.

Many people try to do a blog post per day. I think this is fantastic, but it isn't possible for everyone. If you blog at least three times per week – meaningful content – then you are doing well.

Personally, I try to blog at least three times per week at Market My
Novel. I blog everyday for clients, but I have limits and like to see
the sunshine every now and then. Many other bloggers also do the
3-A-Week approach on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

There are exceptions to the rule. For example, I've read a wine blog that posts only twice per month. Normally, this would not do much for developing readership. However, that particular audience never fails to show up at this particular blog.

Blogging is a personal venue to touch base with your readers. Be sure to add an RSS feed to your site, so people can have your updates automatically emailed to their Inboxes, or pick them up in a feed reader.