When I started my own blog coming up on six years ago, I didn’t have an actual game plan in mind. I hadn’t gotten past the idea of throwing stuff on the proverbial Internet wall and finding out what would stick. Also, blogging was still in its infancy in the online romance community, so it’s not like there was a large pool from which I could ask for advice. I just jumped right in, and figured out how to swim along the way.
Since Romancing The Blog’s inception, there are been several posts about author blogs, but there hasn’t been one addressing reader blogs (that I could find anyway). I certainly follow a handful of author blogs, but by and large, it’s the readers who are running amok on my Google Reader. Why? Because the entire genesis of my blogging can be boiled down to one simple reason: I wanted to connect with other readers who loved the romance genre as much as I do. This was especially vital because before my move to the west coast, I didn’t have a single person in my “real life” with whom I could talk romance novels with. Sad, but true.
Over the years I’ve seen the number of reader blogs steadily rise – with some running the marathon, while others have faded into the sunset. It’s these blogs that fade away that truly disappoint me, because the more voices there are, the more vibrant the online romance community is. So to help other readers jump into the blogging waters, I thought I’d offer up my Four Helpful Hints To Starting Your Own Reader Blog.
1) Find Your Voice. I’ve never held much stock in the cliché that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Not everyone is going to be a Dear Author, Smart Bitches, Book Binge or The Good, The Bad, and The Unread, and not everybody should try. The trick to making your blog a success is finding your own voice. If you’re forcing yourself into a ready made template that you personally aren’t excited about, blogging is going to get real old, real quick. Blog about what you want to blog about. Find your passion and I guarantee you that your enthusiasm will be infectious.
2) You Gotta Be Consistent. I don’t subscribe to the school of thought that you need to blog every day, but you do have to be consistent. If you want people to visit you, and leave comments, you need to blog at least a couple of times a week. People have short memories, and have a tendency to clean out their RSS feed readers. If you go weeks or months without updating, people will soon give up on you.
3) Stress? What Stress? Updating and maintaining your blog should not be stressful. It also shouldn’t be the world’s biggest time suck. If you’re stressing out about your blog? Yeah, you’re thinking too hard. Again, find your passion. Nothing is a chore if you’re passionate about it.
4) Comment, Comment, Comment. So you’ve got this great blog, but nobody knows you exist. The quickest way for people to discover your blog is by you going out and commenting on other blogs. Visit some of your favorite blogs and leave comments, and be sure to plug in your blog’s URL. This is how I discover all the new reader blogs I follow.
Most importantly, blogging is fun. If it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t have maintained mine for the last 5+ years. Don’t be afraid, and find what works for you. I adore authors, but it’s the reader bloggers who have my heart. It’s all of you out there that keep me wired to my Google Reader every morning as I down my morning jolt of caffeine, and I selfishly want more of you. So come on in, the water’s just fine.
GREAT post!
Love the bit about consistency.
I tell folks I want to be their cup of coffee in the morning.
Totally hear you about reader blogs.
by Kimber Chin October 10th, 2008 at 8:21 amI LOVE it when authors talk about other books they love
(that’s why I give away a book I love
every month).
It tells me so much about them.
I’ve got a question. Is a weekly blog too little? I do my new blog post for the week every Saturday morning. I want readers to know it will be there that day and time and count on it. I am planning to up it to at least two possibly three times a week when my book comes out and I have more to talk about. But right now as I’m building a readership, that is about as much as I feel I can handle. Still, I want to give the blog the best start possible. Does a once a week blog turn people off?
by Jess Granger October 10th, 2008 at 8:55 amJess,
Some of my favorite blogs are
once a week blogs.
I especially appreciate
the ones on Wednesdays,
hump day.
They are that little boost that gets me through the week.
Dependability is key for me.
by Kimber Chin October 10th, 2008 at 10:12 amI tend to crave those Wednesday hits
so when they aren’t there,
I get disappointed.
I blog with book reviews as I finish reading each book. Sometimes I’ll post a couple in one day and other times it takes me a week to finish a book. I’ve found that more people to visit my blog now that I blog on several others. I use blogger because it was the easiest to use when I was setting up my blog.
by Liza October 10th, 2008 at 10:29 amJess: Once a week can work, as long as you’re consistent (which it sounds like you are).
There’s really no hard and fast rule - it just bums me out when someone starts a blog, I get hooked on it, and then they drop off the planet for months at a stretch. So yeah, consistency is definitely the key.
by Wendy Crutcher October 10th, 2008 at 10:44 amWendy, your rules are what I adhere to for my blog, too, although mine is technically an author blog.
Especially the consistency and the stress.
by Megan October 10th, 2008 at 11:32 amLove this! Consistency is the hardest part for me because I do most of my blogging at work (shame on me), but I’ve been doing okay since I cut back to twice a week.
I don’t get many visits when I review though. My most popular posts are the tacky, trashy ones.
by JenB October 10th, 2008 at 11:41 amExcellent post, Wendy. You really nailed what I consider the key points to blogging. Like you, I enjoy reading author blogs, but it’s the reader blogs that capture my heart.
This bums me out, too. Especially when it’s someone I think has a great blogging “voice”.
by Holly October 10th, 2008 at 11:51 amI just started really blogging regularly on Chasing Heroes. At first admittedly once a week seemed a lot to me, and I stressed over it the first month, but since then, I’ve settled into my own routine and look forward to it. Once a week I think is good, otherwise it can be difficult to keep up. But I do try to keep it fresh, as I know my partners do. After a couple of months I found my voice… Great post, with excellent information and advice.
by Lee October 10th, 2008 at 12:17 pmI miss Maili.
by Alison Kent October 10th, 2008 at 1:10 pmThanks for this post! I’ve only been blogging for about 2 months, so I can use all the advice I can get.
I agree with you about having your own voice. I know my perspective isn’t going to be shared by everyone, but it’s impossible and unrewarding to try to sound like others or to please everyone. I have to remind myself that it’s essentially my blog — as an outsider to the romance biz, I will never be in blogging for pay or promotion or contacts or any other motive, so there is no reason not to be true to my self.
One last thing: I like that RtB has a way for bloggers to add links on the sidebar to their blogs. I get a few hits a day from my link on the sidebar, and I really appreciate it.
by Jessica October 10th, 2008 at 1:58 pmI’m laughing at that because, thanks to G-Reader, I don’t seem to get anything done!
It never fails that the days I’m determined to ignore new posts and actually accomplish something on my own blog or in RL, those are the days that all kinds of really good stuff gets posted!
I started blogging for my own enjoyment and the fact that a few people seem to like what I do over there, just makes it even more fun for me. But I find myself CONSTANTLY reminding myself that it’s MY blog and I don’t HAVE to do anything or follow anyone’s rules or timetable, so enough with the blog guilt!
by BevQB October 10th, 2008 at 3:07 pmGreat post Wendy - and really good tips as well. All things that need to be thought of when putting together a blog.
by Tracy October 10th, 2008 at 3:33 pmWhat a fantastic post, Wendy!
I totally agree with everything you said here, I was nodding right along while I was reading it. it’s important for bloggers to stay true to themselves, that way blogging stays fun and less of a chore to do.
by Rowena October 10th, 2008 at 4:42 pmOh, hear, hear Wendy!!! Great post. And I echo everything you say - in spades, with a few additions of my own.
Commenting on blogs is a very important thing to do!! Don’t worry if you think you don’t have anything to contribute. Maybe you don’t to a particular post, but comment on one you do. ‘Cause I track back to all the new commenters who post on mine and I often find a gold mine of a blog when I do!
Authors - post on reader blogs!! Trust me when I say nothing will thrill us more than when an author posts on our blogs. And I don’t mean post about your books, but make a comment just as if you are a reader. Trust me - we WILL remember the next time we are in the book store and see your latest book. If you have joined in the discussion in a friendly way - I think 90% of reader bloggers will be sure to buy your book. I think this is a real underdeveloped way to get your books noticed. I read very few author blogs but I sure stand up and take notice if they comment on mine.
One thing you didn’t mention was the incredible experience of meeting fellow bloggers in person. There is such an instant connection there - as you well know *big grin*
by KristieJ October 10th, 2008 at 9:12 pmStressing about it - yep - not fun. I blog because I love to - I love to share books I’ve loved, my thoughts on various aspects of the romance industry, my ‘adventures’ as a non-technical person living in a technical world - whatever strikes my fancy
Consistency is important. I have kind of a rule of thumb (that I don’t always do - but it’s kind of a loose rule) If someone hasn’t updated in 3 months, I remove them from the side bar.
And one more thing I’d like to add. If you are going to take a break, let us know. It’s amazing how close we can come to feel with fellow bloggers and when the just up and disappear - we worry!
Great post, Wendy. It reminds me of the heady excitement of discovering reader blogs, finding like minded folks talking about romance insightfully. And the fun of starting my own blog. I didn’t even care if anybody was reading at first, I was having a great time just putting stuff out there. Then Sybil let me know that my comment moderation was on, and what do you know, people had actually read and commented! Hee! That did ramp up the excitement level a bit.
It’s important to remember that it needs to be fun and not stressful.
KristieJ, I love it when an author comments.
by Devon October 10th, 2008 at 9:48 pmThanks Wendy! Great post.
I just started blogging and the hardest part for me so far is finding my voice. I’m having a hard time putting my RL voice into words. I’ll just keep keep blogging and hopefully I’ll find it.
by Leslie October 11th, 2008 at 12:48 am“If you want people to visit you, and leave comments, you need to blog at least a couple of times a week. People have short memories, and have a tendency to clean out their RSS feed readers.”
I totally understand why you say that, but I think it’s counter to your wish for “more voices” and a “more vibrant” community. For example, I’m never going to achieve consistency, precisely because I *am* a reader. Blogging isn’t my job, and I’m not a big site with multiple authors. If I have to conform to some minimum productivity to be part of the community, I might as well quit like those other reader blogs you lamented.
Reader blogs are an all-volunteer community; not every member can sustainably contribute at the same level. So how about turning the idea on its head? If you like single-reader blogs, maybe create a section in your RSS feed reader for the infrequent ones–so their silence doesn’t annoy you every day–and let them post at leisure. When they do, go say hi. Win/win, yes?
by RfP October 11th, 2008 at 1:21 amJess : There’s one blog which was updated only once a week, but which I read religiously for years. That was Fred Clark’s page-by-page review of the first book in the Left Behind series. But that was extremely informative, sensitive and funny. It was worth waiting for, and it blossomed into a large and lively community of readers as well.
I think it’s the exception to the rule, though, so I try to blog every other day. I also leave comments on at least twenty other blogs each Saturday (it’s a slack day at work, so I can get away with this). Helps to get my name (and website) out in the blogosphere.
by Marian October 11th, 2008 at 9:58 amBlogging should never, ever, ever feel like a “job.” Unless of course you’re getting paid for it - and honestly, how many of us are ever going to be that lucky?
Everyone’s definition of consistency is going to be different. However, blogging does have to be made some sort of priority if it’s going to “work.” My blog is certainly not the most important thing in my life - I have a full time job and a full time Real Life - but it’s been easy for me to maintain mine for almost 6 years because I have “fun” doing it. Nothing is “hard” or a “chore” if it’s fun.
If that’s the only thing people take away from this post, I’ll be happy. Have fun! And if it isn’t fun for you? And nothing seems to be working? Well then, maybe blogging just isn’t your bag? There’s certainly no shame in that.
Which all ties in to finding your own voice. The early days of my blog were certainly trial and error, and I floundered around a bit. But the more I blogged, the more comfortable I got with it. Now, it’s like putting on a pair of comfortable shoes.
by Wendy October 11th, 2008 at 1:44 pmReally great post. This gives great insight to being a successful blogger for those new to it and those who have been blogging for a while.
by Brie October 11th, 2008 at 8:59 pmWendy, thanks for such a supportive–and informative–article! I’m a new blogger as well, so your nuggets of wisdom are very helpful to me. I really appreciate RTB, too, since it’s been a great resource.
I’ve really been enjoying this blogging venture of mine, and the greatest part about it has not been the act of blogging (although I love posting about the books I cover in my little corner of the cosmos), but connecting with so many great people, readers and authors alike.
And the support from other bloggers–wow, I am so humbled by it. I’m really glad I took the plunge, and I hope to blog for a long time to come.
by Heather October 11th, 2008 at 10:18 pmI LOVE your post. I try and post at least every other day, regardless of whether or not I have finished my book. This usually doesn’t happen as I read a book in a couple of days.
by Heather October 12th, 2008 at 10:44 amConsistency was my bane through the summer. It’s been better the past month and I feel like I’m back in my groove. I love my groove…er…rut? Cuz then I’m a happy camper keeping up with everything.
by Rosie October 13th, 2008 at 11:51 pmAaah, the elusive groove. Nothing worse than losing your blogging mojo. Goes back to that fun vs. work thing. When you’re in the groove, you blog more b/c your having fun. It’s work to get it back, but it’s great when you can.
by Devon October 14th, 2008 at 7:49 amHi Wendy
Thank you so much for this post! I’d been thinking about starting my own blog for a long time and reading this gave me the push I needed. So I’ve done it - hooray! Now starts all the hard work…
by Jenre October 15th, 2008 at 4:03 pm