Readers who love fiction want to feel connected to the characters in their books. If they find themselves being drawn to a particular author, they might also enjoy staying updated on his or her work. Readers often follow their favorite authors on social media and subscribe to their email lists or blog. If you’re an author-in-the-making, blogging is a valuable tool you can use to attract and connect to your target audience.
Writing fiction novels and writing blog posts are two separate activities, however. While they’re similar in some ways (i.e., both require creativity.), they’re different in others. When you’re writing a story, you’re focused on the main plot and set of characters from start to finish. Writing blog posts, on the other hand, demands new ideas each day, as opposed to developing one idea throughout the chapters of a book. Thinking of things to post about on your author’s blog can be a challenge, which is why we’re sharing four great topic ideas for you in this post.
Feature a “Day in the life” post on your author’s blog
Readers and budding writers alike often wonder what it’s really like to be an author. They know it’s different from the average 9 to 5 job, but they can’t fully imagine the details of a typical day in an author’s life. A great idea for a blog post is to give readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of your daily routine as an author. You can also feature similar posts with other authors by asking them to describe their day-to-day routines and special events like book signings or guest appearances.
Post about rejections and setbacks
Many people who dream of becoming a successful author get cold feet as soon as the rejections start rolling in. You can use your blog to encourage and support inexperienced authors. Let them know that rejection letters are common in the writing industry. In fact, many best-selling authors endured repeated rejections before hitting it big. Take John Grisham, for example, whose first novel was rejected 25 times. The authors of the famous “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, were turned down more than 130 times before selling more than 500 million copies of their books! Use your blog to let writers know it’s okay to get rejection letters and to keep moving toward their goal.
Include surveys or fun quizzes on your author’s blog
Another great post idea for your author’s blog is to feature surveys or quizzes about your books. Consider offering a free book to the winner of a quiz or a discount to anyone who participates in a survey. Make it fun and try to create this type of blog post at least once a month.
Tell your personal story
If you’re becoming a popular author, you can be certain that your readers want to know more about you and your family. Your author’s blog provides the perfect space for sharing your story and telling readers about your journey. You might even consider breaking this up into a series on your blog, with the first post sharing a basic bio about your childhood and upbringing. Additional posts can feature more details about your adult life and what your journey into the writing industry has been like.
You can basically create any types of posts you want on your author’s blog. The key is to post often and make readers feel at home, so they want to follow, share and keep visiting your space. While you’re coming up with more great post ideas, don’t forget to feature highlights (and links) for your novels!
