BE MY GUEST: Why Should Authors Blog? By Terra Harmony

These days, it seems like everyone has a blog! Most of the book bloggers (like me!) read and review books and like to promote “Indie” authors by spreading the word about their books through interviews, guest posts and giveaways. But is it enough for an author to market his/her book to the readers? Maybe not! That is why, more and more authors are plunging into the realm of blogging and love to interact with their customers/readers directly through daily blog posts, building fan base much quicker than before!

So, should writers blog? Is it important for authors to have a blog if they want to be “noticed” and survive in this harsh competitive publishing industry where a new writer is born every minute? This is the question I asked Terra Harmony, a debut “Indie” author who blogs about her self-publishing experience. Read what she has to say on this topic. You can always be a part of the discussion by adding comments!

Authors: To Blog or Not to Blog? 

By Author: Terra Harmony 

That is not the question. The question should be more like: Do I start now or five minutes from now? Do I use Wordpress or Blogspot? Do I take the time to put on pants before I set up my blog? Of all the social media tools available to authors, blogging:

- is free

- is easy

- keeps you writing

- gets you networking

- gets you feedback

The first step is to establish your blog's purpose. Does it exist solely to promote your work? Do you plan to join the writing community by blogging the 'how-to's'? Do you intend to share your experiences with writing? Of course, you can do some cross-over, but sticking to the purpose of the blog will result in a steady base of subscribers.

I blog about the self-publishing process. Spawned by the realization that I have a bad memory, I use it to keep track of each step so when I repeat the process, I refer to the blog. As I became aware of the incredibly supportive indie author community, I wanted to contribute. My blog now consists of formatting manuals for Smashwords, Kindle, and Nook, a list of fantasy book review blogger sites, sample contracts for cover artwork, helpful twitter links, instructions on sending out review requests, how to garner attention on reader sites and other creative marketing ideas. When I published my second ebook and what will soon to be my third, I find myself constantly referring back to my blog for information, and hope others do too.

Of course, it would be a wasted opportunity not to at least mention my books, so I keep the cover art and links in a conspicuous place. I have also found keeping links to blog hops toward the top of the site increases subscribers on my blog as well as my book sales.

List of things writers "must" take care of while blogging:


- Be engaging. Give your readers a reason to participate, respond, and react.

- Be responsive. If readers take the time to make a comment; take the time to acknowledge them. Even a quick, 'hey – thanks for the comment' will go a long way.

- Be available. Include information on how to get in touch with you. Give them a way to contact you via e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

- Be helpful. Readers (unless they are completely infatuated with you), don't want to constantly hear about how much coffee you drank to stay awake to finish that chapter or how cute your cat is. They want information they can use – like links to great giveaways, news about the industry or how to resolve all those pesky e-pub error codes (a planned future blog post of mine by the way).

- Be entertaining. Visiting your blog shouldn't be a chore, even if your readers are all business. Make it fun for them!

So, have you signed up for a blog yet? Remember, pants are not a requirement.

About the Author:

Terra is a debut author with one novel, 'Water', a contemporary eco-fantasy, self-published as an e-book. Its sequel, 'Air', will be published at the beginning of 2012, followed by three more novels to complete the Akasha Series. Terra also currently has one short story, Gleaming White, a vampire paranormal romance, self-published as an e-book. The prequel, Streaks of Red, will be published in November 2011, followed by three more short stories to complete the Kindred Curse Anthology.

Terra was born and raised in Colorado but has since lived in California, Texas, Utah, North Carolina, and Virginia. Terra has served more than 5 years enlistment in the Marine Corp. She presently runs the language services division of a small business.

Connect with Terra:

E-mail: terra.harmony11@gmail.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/terraharmony

Blog: http://harmonylit.wordpress.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/harmonygirlit

About the Book:

WATER:
Elemental powers in the palm of her hand…and it won't be enough to save her. When Kaitlyn Alder is involuntarily introduced to a life of magic, she becomes part of an organization hell-bent on saving the Earth. Just as her newfound life holds promises of purpose, romance and friendship, the organization divides and a rogue member holds Kaitlyn hostage. Now one of the most terrifying men the human race has to offer stands between her and Earth's survival. 

Links to purchase the book:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Water-The-Akasha-Series-ebook/dp/B005PY2U8Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317477359&sr=8-1

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/92109

(Please ensure the 'adult filter' at the top right hand corner of the screen is turned off).

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/water-terra-wathen/1105957997?ean=2940013322226&itm=1&usri=water%2bterra

Discussion: 

Are you an author (published/struggling/aspiring)? Do you blog? How has it added to your overall writing experience? Do you think you sell more books if you have a wider fan base on your blog? Have your say in the comments section below! 

Blogging: Embracing New Year with New Aspirations!

Blogging in 2011: Retrospection

When I started blogging in April 2011, I wanted to “read” more books and “reviewing” them was a way to get back into the habit of frequent “reading”, the way I used to do when I was in college (Ahh! Good old times!). I LOVE to read, but after getting married and having quite many ups and downs in my life, I simply could not keep pace with the idea of sitting down quietly for a few hours, having some time of my own and sipping a cup of tea while browsing through the pages of a delicious book. So, the decision to start this blog came as a breath of fresh air!

The other idea was to polish my writing skills. If there is one passion I have apart from reading, is “writing”! I have been penning my thoughts down as long as I can remember, it has become my second nature. Some people express themselves better through “speech”, in other words, “talking”. But being an introvert, I prefer communicating through “written words”. I am more comfortable chatting with likeminded people in the virtual world than actually going out and making friends with total strangers who may share the same interests as me.

That is where, my blog essentially helped me in finding people who love to “read” and “write”. I know so many new writers now, so many bloggers whom I love to interact with, so many forums and communities which make me feel that I am not the only one who has the same questions on blogging/writing. I would like to especially mention two sites, which I think every writer/blogger should join!

1. If you are new to the blogging world, make sure you join this site! http://bookblogs.ning.com/

2. If you are an aspiring/struggling/published/unpublished writer, this site offers great help! http://www.shewrites.com/

The day I started this blog, these two sites have become “the most essential” for gaining knowledge of what’s happening in blogosphere and writing industry and they are great to build contacts!

Goodreads is one site which I joined but never actually realized how good it is until a few weeks ago. But in 2012, I am planning to build my Goodreads profile by utilizing this forum to the fullest. It is amazing to know what your friends are reading, you can compare books, recommend, post reviews! You do not have to be a blogger to join, anyone who enjoys a good book, can be a part of this amazing community. I am still discovering it, so I may be missing out a few things, but nonetheless it is “good”.

Okay, so where was I ? Yes! Blogging in 2011! It has been the most exciting, thrilling, mindblowing, incredible venture for me! Even though sometimes, I felt the pressure and thought I may not be able to sustain it for long, but hey! I survived! YAY! :) I have 71 posts and 400 plus followers at the end of the year, pretty good! Nothing makes me more happy than to see an ardent followership and readers building and growing day by day! :)

During blogging, I not only read amazing books but also discovered debut and indie authors and I especially loved every bit of interviewing writers/bloggers. I received soooooooooooo many comments on my review/discussion posts, which was simply marvellous! I came to understand the new marketing and publishing trends in the book industry, which was so overwhelming! It is so great to be part of the digital age and see the transition happening!

I also learned some valuable lessons:

Do not forget the main reason to blog: ENJOY while I do it! If the pressure around is making me unhappy and burdened, then it is just useless to even continue it! It does not matter what everyone else is blogging about, how many challenges they have, or how many reviews they are posting; it is not a race, darling! Yes, I knew this when I started to blog but people forget (sigh!), stupid me! There was a time when I was obsessing over posting as many reviews as I can, reading day and night, without realising that in spite of posting so much, I felt like quitting it! ThankGod, I am over that phase.

Having said that, this blog is definitely staying and there will be review posts, but I am not a genie or a nerd who does not have a life besides blogging, so posts will be published as soon as I will get a minute from my personal life: which does include family, friends and chores!

When my parents came to meet me all the way from Pakistan (after 4 years!), I was ecstatic, but at the same time, I was worried as to how I will continue blogging. I kept on posting, but could not keep up with my routine schedule. They went back in November and by that time, I was way behind, had my inbox overflowing with e-mails from authors. Now, I realise I should have posted about my being busy and the actual reason, in that way, my readers would have known why I was not posting as usual, instead of wondering about it. Okay, that’s another lesson learnt!

Blogging in 2012: Aspirations

Moving on to embracing the New Year with New aspirations:

1- Read more books.

2- Go to local library more often and discover new reading/writing groups/ workshops

3- Organize posts in advance

4- More emphasis on social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook to spread a work about my blog.

5- “Do” more from my enormous To-Do-Lists (Yes, It’s plural! I have got dozens of them!)

6- Stop procrastinating and start my pending writing project. (It’s time!) Maybe open another blog for this purpose alone (Phew! the final nudge/motivation to get me going).

7- Join more writing forums/sites to find friends with whom I can interact/share/discuss my work on one-on-one basis. If any beta readers (chick lit, short story, memoir) are reading this, do contact me here.

8- Give time to family and friends. They keep complaining that I have ignored them since I started this blog…oops! Well, in my defense, blogging is not just posting, it also means checking and replying to dozens of emails daily, scheduling future posts, reading books, posting on different forums (like every day) about my latest posts (which I think takes most of the time!) to increase traffic. Not to mention, read other blogs, reviews, articles on writing and the list is endless! Phew! And it’s not like I am getting paid to do all this! (now that is what makes my folks more furious! *frowns*)

9- Stop the habit of getting “distracted” so easily. Hee hee! Now, that is more like a syndrome in my case, which eventually I think I WILL learn how “Not-to-get-distracted”, one day… somehow… hopefully (I am positive!) Maybe there is a book or something which can help me with that. *wink*

10- Do more eclectic posts and discussions to interact more with my readers/followers.

Happy New Year to all of you! 

Happy reading/blogging/writing in 2012! 

May this year bring the best for all of us and may our dreams and aspirations come true! Cheers! 

Do you have a blog? What are your plans for this year on blogging/writing/life in general? 

Are some of your aspirations, same as mine? Share with me through comments section below!