I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the role a blog plays in the evolution of nonfiction authors. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been writing about entrepreneurship for authors, balancing risk and opportunity when it comes to investing in online training, and making the leap from blogging to authorship.
All these subjects have one thing in common: how authors can learn to get big results blogging, big enough to drive book sales and other ways to make money from your content.
Now I’ll admit that I started this blog late in 2009 as an extension of my book design and consulting business, so I always wanted to get those kinds of results. In other words, I wasn’t blogging as purely an artistic enterprise.
Maybe you’re the same, or maybe your blog is simply a way for you to let off steam, network with friends, or report on your personal activities. And that’s all fine.
But for nonfiction authors, there’s no disputing this fact:
Blogging is far and away the best marketing vehicle ever invented for nonfiction authors.
Why? Let’s count some of the things a blog can help you do:
- Establish and promote your author brand
- Build a foundations as an authority in your field
- Use your content to attract a targeted community
- Get direct market feedback from readers
- Refine your ability to write keyword-optimized copy
- Run surveys and polls to gauge your reader’s needs
- Create a way to grow your email list from your visitors
- Use a structured approach to create books from your blog
- Provide a mechanism for media who want to contact you
- Engage your readers in a dialogue through comments
- Forge a network with your blogging peers
- Use your blog site as the platform for launching new books, products, or services
- Generate income as an affiliate partner for others with products or services your readers need
- Develop and beta test your own products and services in partnership with your readers
- Create an active and engaged community that helps you get a contract with a traditional publisher
- Become a thought leader in your field
- Attract organizations looking for speakers for their events
- Promote events in which you will be participating
- Publish audio or video content through your blog or an associated podcast
- Create a hub that you can refer your social media outposts to
- Interest blog and magazine editors in running your content
- Syndicate your blog feed throughout the social universe
Well, I could go on and on, couldn’t I?
There’s only one problem: very, very few authors have any idea of how to:
- start a blog that works,
- build the traffic needed to succeed,
- gain authority in their field, then
- turn that work into the kind of results that can actually change your life.
I’ve been preaching this gospel here on my blog, in my books, and in live events for years, and while some authors seem to “get it” most others don’t. They continue to do the same things they’ve been doing for years, getting about the same results.
Something Special Coming For You
For those authors, and for anyone thinking about starting a blog, or anyone who wants to make more impact or get better results, I’ve got something very special coming for you next week.
I’m going to show you exactly how I got started in blogging and who taught me how to turn my blog into several six-figure businesses.
You’ll hear this “from the horse’s mouth.” I’m really excited about it, this isn’t like anything I’ve ever done before. It’s going to be awesome, so stay tuned.
Photo: Sebastian Wiertz
