Our thanks to Dustin Ford for this guest contribution!
Is publishing a book one of your biggest dreams? If the answer is yes, you must be willing to do whatever it takes to turn your wish into reality. Convincing a publishing book to take your work to the next level isn’t easy. There are hundreds of aspiring writers like you out there who struggle to get published. If you want to convince editors your book’s worth it, you need to stand out from the crowd. A blog is a great means to promote your writing and increase your chances to sign a book deal. Here are 4 reasons why you should start a blog if you want to launch your writing career.
Promote Yourself as a Writer
Social media platforms and blogging are the two main pillars of today’s digital marketing. As we are only going to focus on the latter, let’s find out how owning a blog can help you promote yourself as a writer.
- Blogs are a cheap, easy to use marketing mean. Everyone can build a blog from scratch without paying a dime. You can start your blog using WordPress for free and there’s nothing to worry about; it’s easy to handle and you’ll find plenty tutorials to guide you step by step. Once you get it done, start posting articles that show your writing abilities. You can even publish quotes and paragraphs from your work to trigger your audience’s interest.
- A blog can help you promote all your services: If writing is your biggest passion, you must be ready to make it a full-time job. There are plenty opportunities for you to write and get paid. Your blog will also give you the chance to promote yourself as a freelance ghostwriter or copywriter and boost your authorship; a versatile and experienced author can write custom copy and these niche services help you acquire the necessary skills.
- You can leverage your profile posting on other blogs. This form of blogging is called guest blogging and it will help you expand your influence and readership. Interconnect your blog with other similar pages by posting on those author’s blogs. It’s a common practice many businesses use for marketing purposes.
Draw Publisher’s Attention
After you grasped a better understanding of how blogging works, it’s time to pass to phase two: target the right people. In your case, the tight people are editors, publishing house owners, journalist and thought leaders. If you managed to get their attention posting interesting content on your blog, publishing one of your works would be way easier. It always helps to know someone from the inside who can recommend you and these people have a lot to say when it comes to who’s getting published and who isn’t. Try to write posts that match their interests, follow them on social media and when the time comes, step forward and make the proposal: ask if they are willing to review some of your materials.
Meet People with Similar Aspirations
Being part of a community which shares similar interests can help you sign a good book deal. Your blog’s aim is to help you connect with people and good networking means gathering valuable contacts. Your online acquaintances can open plenty of doors for your future career, so try to get in touch with people who share your passion for reading and writing. Don’t be afraid to connect with other aspirant authors; getting to know the competitor will increase your chances to understand how this business works. Besides, blogging on their page or allowing them to post on yours, can benefit both of you.
Find out More about Reader’s Interests
Your author blog will allow you to maintain a constant dialogue with your followers and submit some of your work for analysis. Don’t shy from asking them to post a comment about your posts and share their opinion. It’s actually a good method to understand the audience’s needs and adapt accordingly, because, in the end, publishing a book means selling a product.
Now that you understand the practical side of blogging, get to work and start building your own page. Don’t forget that only owning a blog won’t help, unless you actually use it, so make sure you add a post to your blog at least once a week if you want to sign that book deal soon.
Dustin Ford is an established writer. His articles about technology and gadgets are featured in prestigious publications but he’s the proudest about his collaboration with Technology Dreamer.