Welcome to the first post in the “You’ve Got Questions – We’ve Got Answers” series!

This question came via Jen Kirchner (you can follow her on Twitter: @JenLKirchner).

Q. “Experts” have been saying for the last couple of years that blogging is what authors need to do in order to promote themselves. But a lot has changed in the last year. Do you think this is still good advice? If you do, what should writers blog about to set them apart from their peers?

First off, for anyone new to this blog, here is a quick refresh on what I think of “experts”.

Ahem. Moving on.

Now, I do believe that there is a lot of well-intentioned, if not helpful, information out there about authors blogging. I do think that having a blog presence will contribute to building an audience for your book.

However, the advice is far from one size fits all. So, let’s break it down a bit, shall we?

Published or In Progress?

If an author is already published and has zero interweb presence, then it could be very helpful to build one. Many publishing houses are doing little to market the work of new authors, so this is one way you can help yourself.

Having a blog will give established fans a place to interact with the author which gets their fanboy/girl blood pumping. That in turn means way more “hey, check out this awesome author who is totally cool and so are his books!” conversations with their friends, and the blog is the place they can send them.

That is, of course, if you are interesting.

The honest truth is that some people make amazing authors, but boring bloggers. Sometimes this is simply because they don’t know how to blog properly, and other times it is for the plain and simple fact that they aren’t interesting in that format.

I know. That sounds like a contradiction.*

If their work is published, obviously they are interesting, right? Uh, no. A successful publishing career means that they create interesting worlds, or their characters are interesting. It does not guarantee that they are the person you want to be seated next to on a 5 hour flight making small talk.

This doesn’t mean the published author shouldn’t give blogging a try. It just means there is a need to be brutally honest with yourself after giving it a go (or better yet, find someone else to be honest with you).

Look at the time you are investing in posts versus the response the blog is getting. If you’re spending hours and hours writing posts that three people (one of whom is your mom) are reading regularly, well, then, maybe you should be investing that time in your next project.

Stick to 140 characters on Twitter, friend.

[Twitter interaction will be a WHOLE other post. Don’t worry. It’s coming.]

Now, if you are a writer who is working your way to being published, regardless of publishing method, blogging can be a huge way of building a fan base before you even have something for them to buy.

Again, how successful this method is comes down to being interesting. So, let’s assume that you have that ability.

What should you write about?

There are a lot of “rules” out there about what you should and should not be blogging about. Don’t be controversial. Don’t write about writing. Don’t write fiction. Don’t write about your personal life. Have a specific schedule. Keep a theme. Write short posts frequently. Write long posts once a month…

The list goes on, ad nauseam. (<;– Four years of Latin, FTW!)

So, here are a few things to consider. These are not rules.

Convey your voice.

Are you witty? Sarcastic? Silly? Do you have a voice of authority? Make sure that you get YOU down “on paper”. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve purchased (and friends have purchased) thinking, “I wouldn’t normally be interested in subject ‘x’, but the author is so funny/quirky/smart/genuine on their blog I have to check out their book”.

When you walk into a bookstore, the choices are endless. Having a blog that gives people a taste of who you are can set you apart from the others. Sure, great story and characters are what keep someone reading a book, but a unique voice can be what makes a reader pick it up in the first place.

Broaden your subject matter.

Okay, so you write historical fiction that takes place in mid-fifteenth century France.** If I don’t particularly love history, or France for that matter, and that is pretty much ALL you blog about, guess what? No matter how well written your pieces are on the clothing/weapons/codpieces of that era, you’ve lost me as a potential reader.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write about what you know. Just broaden out. For example, if you write sci-fi/fantasy, rather than only writing about what your novel focuses on, try broadening out to a wide assortment of geekery. You want to keep the fanbase on the blog wide, so more readers are open to checking out your book, even if its subject matter is specific.

This is not to say that you shouldn’t blog about subjects that relate to your book. You want to appeal to the audience that is your ideal demographic. Just don’t limit yourself to only that ideal. Give those on the outskirts a reason to try your work.

Don’t write with authority unless you are one. And even then…

Writing on any topic in an instructional way needs some backing.*** I see lots of writers write about writing. Are you sharing your personal process? Go on with your bad self. Awesome. Fellow writers will enjoy that and even some readers appreciate knowing how you come up with characters and worlds.

But if your blog becomes predominantly about writing, you aren’t giving readers any idea why they should be looking forward to your novel. Or your next post for that matter.

Instructional-style posts can be a great addition, when delivered without pretention.

Are you writing a mystery novel where the main character loves to bake? Then the occasional recipe on the blog might actually be a great idea. And unless you actually are an expert baker, feel free to share your mistakes in your post. Again, it’s all about personality.

Write often. Or don’t.

There is a lot of talk about frequency. Write multiple times a week. Only write once a month.

Here’s the thing. If you are reading this, you are working on a writing project of some kind. That takes time. For a blog to be successful, it also takes time. Time to put together and write the posts. Time to publicize the posts.

Some bloggers can throw together an interesting post in no time at all. Others can’t. Some bloggers enjoy writing several posts a week. Others dread it.

Figure out which blogger you are. Then go with what works for you. Quality is always more important than quantity.

BUT…

I would recommend posting at least twice a month. If you have it in you to post weekly, that’s great, but honestly, if you are working full time, have family obligations, plus time for your work-in-progress, it may not be doable for you.

Whatever you do, once you find what works for you, stick with it. You want people to be in a habit of looking forward to your posts. If they know that you post every Friday, they’ll be there. If they aren’t sure when you post, they may not go looking for when you do. (And no, not everyone subscribes or uses RSS feeds.)

Themes

Some bloggers choose to blog about certain topics on certain days. I do it on occasion, like the “Why It’s Worth a Watch” series on Wednesdays, and serial fiction on Thursdays. These themed days are not necessary for every blog, or for every day you choose to post. They can help bring readers around who like a particular aspect of your blog, but this is another instance of finding what works for you and your voice.

The danger that can come with themed days is originality. If you choose to use them, do something unique to you, your writing, or the audience you’ve built. Otherwise, you run the risk of looking like a thousand other bloggers.

How about some fiction?

There is nothing wrong with writing some fiction on the blog. It can be a) a great way to show your creative side to potential readers b) a great exercise for you and c) a whole lot of fun. Flash fiction, letters to fictional characters (or fake letters from real people), serial fiction; they can all be great outlets for you and fun ways to connect with your audience.

The key word is some. Again, your blog should be a reflection of you, not just what you write. If you only write fiction on the blog and it’s not the favored genre of someone, you may lose a potential future reader.

You also want to be careful about posting anything you have plans to publish on your site.This doesn’t mean that you can’t post blurbs to whet your potential reader’s appetite. Just don’t make excerpts of your novel the focus of your blog, or put the entire story out there before publishing.

Spelling counts

If you are putting yourself out there as a writer, for the love of all that is good in the world, spelling and grammar DO count. The occasional mistake is forgivable (hey, I am totally guilty) but when they happen regularly, or go uncorrected, it becomes a distraction. Not to mention that it reflects poorly on your craft.

At the same time, don’t be overly formal if that isn’t the tone of what you write or who you are. If you are writing YA, the occasional OhEmGEEE may even be acceptable.

Don’t be so married to structure and rules that you sound like a robot.

Above all…

If you are a writer, you should be giving blogging a go. When you do, it’s about being uniquely you. You’ll probably notice that just about every heading above allows you to “do or not do”. That’s because every writer is different.

I’ve heard people say that you should be uncomfortable when you are striving for something. That means that you are working at it. While I believe that blogging can be uncomfortable for some at first, if it remains that way, try something different.

Ever had to break in a new pair of shoes? They may start out causing minor discomfort, but if they are well made and a proper fit, they feel fine after a bit of wear. If they don’t, they may not be right for you. That doesn’t mean that you never wear any shoe again. You try a different brand, size, or style. Or, you might deal with minor discomfort because it gets results. (If high heels didn’t make my legs look good, I’d never wear them. It’s all about results.)

Look at blogging the same. If after a while your blog is still “pinching your toes”, it’s not a good fit. Don’t give up on blogging altogether. Try something different.**** If your blog is getting results, but you don’t love doing it, well, then maybe blogging is the “stiletto” of your social media closet.

If you do find that no matter how many blogging methods you try, you are not only uncomfortable but the results are dismal, then blogging truly may not be the right tool for you. And that’s why we have Twitter and other social networking tools.

Phew. That was a long answer. I tried to contain myself. Really.

If this post raises more questions, great! Ask them in the comments. If you are sitting there thinking, “who made you the blog boss”? Short answer: no one, but experience is a pretty sweet teacher. Long answer: ask me in the comments and I’ll tell you.

For those of you who are already blogging, did you find it took you a while to find your “comfort zone”? Are you still trying to find it? Feel free to get all share-y.

Keep the questions, of ALL kinds, coming. A Twitter post is in the works based on a question from August McLaughlin, so be sure to get your tweeting questions in soon.

*It probably sounds mean, too. It’s not meant to be. Everyone has strengths. No one should beat themselves up if blogging isn’t one of them.

**I totally mad-lib’d that. If that is what you write about, PLEASE know that I had no idea and this post is not about you. History and France are awesome. I think.

***This is particularly true for non-fiction authors. Their blogs are expected to reflect what they are writing about. And readers will want to know what qualifies them. Fiction writers can get away with instructional posts so long as they a) have the creds or b) stick to giving opinion/recommendation based on personal experience.

****Stuck? Trying to figure out something else to try? Check out Novel Blogging by Liberty Montano. It has great recommendations for blog topics and exercises to help you find the right shoe. I mean, blog.