I have to confess that, lately, I’m more a blogger than an author, and it has become a dilemma. If I quit blogging regularly, readers who look forward to at least four posts a week may go away. If I continue blogging, readers of my novel, who were looking forward to the next book in my series, may not care anymore.
Here’s my dilemma. Blog posts need to be thought out carefully to honor our readers’ time. My posts are often light or funny, and it takes time to place a message inside the humor.
I edit each piece as carefully as I can. That doesn’t mean they’re 100 percent error free (I struggle with commas), but I make a post as clean as I can. Blog posts reflect our writing and, ultimately, the reader’s decision to read our novels.
Next, art and photos have to be analyzed, selected, and attributed to their creators unless they’re purchased and downloaded from a source like Shutterstock. Then, the art is resized and captioned for SEO search engines. Also, tagging and categorizing the piece are both important to help it be found.
Last, I respond promptly to readers’ comments. I don’t take any comment for granted. Consequently, my style of blogging can take a good portion of my morning.
The whole process, along with a daily Twitter and Facebook presence, leaves me little time for working on my novel. Once I’m done blogging for the day, I’m not always able to become totally immersed. I have to zone out to tell a story,
So you tell me—can decreasing blog posts or taking a break from the blog altogether, cause me to lose my readers? I confess that I enjoy both equally, but I wonder if anyone does both well, simultaneously. I welcome your comments. Please let me know.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/confess/
It is quite a dilemma, Linda, and all of it can consume our days. I have no easy answer. I think only you know what will work for you. We’re all in the same boat. 🙂 I do want to commend you for the effort you put into your blogs, to keep them clean and well-written. It doesn’t go unnoticed.
Aw shucks, Jan! Your words make 2017 almost worth it!☺️
I’m not sure how much my blogging efforts contribute to book sales. Without any numbers to back this up, I suspect not much. Most of the people who read, like and comment on my posts are other writers. Most writers already have huge piles of books to read and write. But I figure I should post at least once a week to keep the blog alive and me in a blogging frame of mind. Two weeks at the outside. As for writing, meaning creating scenes and dialogue and plots, that requires a totally different state of mind than blogging. Works best for me when nothing else is going on, so either late at night or early morning. If I had to choose on any particular day between blogging and writing, I would have to pick writing — unless I’m not in the mood, in which case the blog is a good alternative.
Audrey, you understand, exactly! I have often wondered how I could get more readers, who aren’t writers, to come on board. Even on twitter, most of my followers and the people I follow are writers. We mostly blog and tweet to each other. I will say I do get a lot of writing advice from my fellow authors. Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year!🎆
You’re welcome, Linda, and Happy New Year to you!
I have the same dilemma… so I have decided to try and schedule my posts for the week to give me more writing time. I may have to sacrifice an evening to do it, but it could work…
I tried scheduling and I bumbled (if that’s a word) the darn schedule. Meaning I didn’t stick to it very well! I will definitely try blogging less and writing more! Thanks for sharing!
I wonder who you used for scheduling? I have tried them all, and Buffer is by far the easiest to use!
Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
Thanks, Anita! It’s a dilemma for a lot of us.
My sense is that you may gradually cut down on blog posts, without losing followers. A post like this helps to prepare readers for a change. In the end, it’s about quality over quantity… and more books.
Thanks, JoAnn! I will take that advice to create a post like this (possibly soon😄) to announce a hiatus! In the end, it’s about more books!
I tend to lean toward putting the novel first, but I’m not a regular blogger anyway. I’m more of a sharer of other blogs, and once and a while write a blog. Blogging does take more time and effort than anyone who doesn’t blog would realize.
To figure it out, ask yourself, “Why do I blog?” If you blog to attract readers for your novels, does putting the blog ahead of the novels make sense? Or do you blog for blog visitors or a following? The answer is according to your answer.
You said, “I love both equally.” If that’s your answer to the why, then you’ll need to find a way to divide your time equally. Ever how many days you have to write per week, divide that by 2. If you can write 6 days, blog 3 days, write your novel 3 days. Or figure it in hours. Perhaps you can do both in a day. How many hours do you have per day to sit down and write? Split that in half. If you have four hours per day, work on the blog 2 hours and your novel two hours.
How much time are you willing to sacrifice? How much time are you willing to take from something other than writing? It may take juggling and maneuvering, but I’m sure you’ll find an answer that works best for your.
Thanks, Kim. This was awesome. That’s why I reach out to you guys and I’m gratified when a busy author takes time to give me an in-depth answer. Happy New Year to you and your family!
My pleasure, Linda! I hope it helps. I love helping authors when I can. 🙂
Whatever you decide, Linda, enjoy a blessed and bountiful New Year! xo
Thanks, Bette! I wish the same for you!
I enjoy blogging, yet I know it takes time from my novel. However, “I confess that I enjoy both equally,” Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Thanks for commenting.