45 Ways to Blog as a Novelist: Tips for Writers of Fiction

We all know that blogging is one of the best ways to get attention in today's Internet world. A blog is a godsend to your website, bringing it traffic, fans, and more. But you have to post regularly.

Stuck for what to blog about? Here are some tips for novelists, but the same tips can apply to writers of nonfiction, memoirs, children's books, business books, and more.

1. Review other novels, especially from other lesser-known novelists.
2. Write a blog post using the voice of one of your main characters.
3. Have that main character tell some side stories not included in the novel.
4. Write about the setting - time and/or place. Use some of the research you did to ensure that your novel was accurate.
5. Invite your readers to review your book. Feature their testimonials on your blog.
6. Interview some of your readers: via Q&A text or via an Internet radio show or via a teleseminar.
7. Podcast your book, one section at a time.
8. Write about trends in your genre.
9. Write about your favorite novelists, especially those that write in your genre. Include their photos and a sampling of their books.
10. Answer questions from your readers.
11. Fill in the back stories of some of your minor characters.
12. Write a story featuring one of those characters.
13. Feature excerpts from your upcoming novels. Ask for feedback.
14. Link to the blogs of your favorite authors. Tell readers why those blogs would interest them.
15. Link to book review sites. Recommend your favorites.
16. Create a hall of fame for your genre. Of course, include yourself.
17. Write a blog for each of your upcoming book signing events, online events, etc. Invite your readers to attend - or to let their friends know about your events.
18. Write a follow-up blog on each of your events describing what happened. Take photos of the event and post them here.
19. Review book trailers for novels you like (or other books as well). Feature the book trailer videos in the blog post.
20. Write about your writing routine. Describe when you write (morning, evening, weekends), where you write (the proverbial garret, a coffee shop, at the kitchen table), and how you prepare to write (eat a banana, listen to music, kick your husband or wife out of the house). You could easily stretch this out into three or four short blog posts.
21. Share the genesis of your novel. How did it come about? What ideas, events, characters, etc. inspired you to write the novel.
22. Describe how you went about plotting your novel.
23. Write about a hobby you have.
24. Write about your spouse, your children, your town, your state.
25. Opine on the state of the nation. Opine on world affairs.
26. Opine on Weiner, Schwarzenegger, Sheen, and other fools.
27. Describe how you go about doing research for your novel. Book research? Google? Travel?
28. Share some of the interesting tidbits, facts, insights you discovered as you did your research. Share things that didn't make it into your novel. Share the facts that became key items in your novel.
29. Review books on writing, research, plotting, etc. that you like. Feature their book covers in the blog post.
30. Share or review the novels you are reading now. What's on your nightstand? What's in your purse or briefcase?
31. Survey your readers opinions on any key issue in your books. You could do a number of polls. Announce the surveys. Then promote the surveys. Then announce the results. That's worth at least three blog posts, probably more.
32. Run a contest. Ask people to name their favorite character and describe why they like the character. Offer a free book, sample chapter from your new novel, a phone call from you, or something else as a prize.
33. Feature your reader comments in upcoming blog posts.
34. Interview your readers.
35. Have your readers interview you. Encourage them to send in a series of questions you will answer.
36. Ask your readers to pick which of your characters is most like them.
37. Tell your readers which of your characters is most like you.
38. Interview book reviewers.
39. Interview bloggers.
40. Interview booksellers.
41. Feature your favorite bookstores (with photos). Describe why you love them.
42. Interview your favorite novelists.
43. Write a ditty. Write a poem. Share a short story.
44. Expose your inner being. Share your feelings.
45. Let readers know about your day.
46. Post photos of your favorite novelists and other book authors.
47. Join in the Amazon Bestseller Campaigns of your fellow authors. Promote these campaigns via your blog.

Reader contributions to this list:

1. Have a reader interview one of your characters.
2. Report about the blog tours and launch parties of your fellow authors.
3. Have readers vote for variations of your book covers (or titles).
4. Write guest posts on other blogs. It's a great way to exchange blog posts with other authors. Plus, of course, it exposes you, your book, and your blog to other readers.

People care about novelists. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to be professorial. You don't have to be journalistic. Tell the truth. Keep it simple. Cut a vein and let it bleed on the screen.

A Brilliant Novel Marketing Idea

I found the following story in Roland Hachmann's Web Jungle. It's a wonderful example of an entrepreneurial author:

Back in 1897, novelist W. Somerset Maugham, now best known as the author of Of Human Bondage, was having trouble selling his first novel Liza of Lambeth because his publisher wasn't interested in advertising the book. So he took matters into his own hands.

He placed classified ads in a few daily newspapers in London. The copy read: “Young millionaire, lover of sports, cultivated, with good taste of music and a patient and empathetic character wishes to marry any young and beautiful girl that resembles the heroine of W.S. Maugham’s new novel.”

By the end of the week, the first edition had sold out. The novel went on to get critical praise and many, many more sales.

Now, in today’s world, a classified newspaper ad like that won’t work because people don’t read the classifieds like they use to.

But the basic strategy of tying your book into your potential reader’s dreams and aspirations, that will always work. Maugham tapped into his potential reader’s desire for love (a universal perennial yearning that every romance novel taps into).

For more such success stories of debut novelists, see http://www.bookmarket.com/debutnovels.htm.

Novels Via Cellphones

A New York Times article recently covered the phenomenon of Japanese novels being written and delivered via cellphones. While many thought it a novelty, the phenomenon has turned out to be the genesis of some of the bestselling novels in Japan for last year.

Indeed, of last year's ten bestselling novels, five got their start as cellphone novels self-published by their authors and later picked up by a publisher and bought out as a printed book.

A debut novel Love Sky by Mika was read by 20 million people on their cellphones or on websites where the novels were hosted as well. When the novel was published in book form, it became the #1 selling novel in Japan for all of last year. In addition, the novel was made into a movie. Not bad for what was essentially a self-published novel.

Great Book Cover

Great book cover:



For more info, see the Blogger blog: http://www.jayjaxbooks.blogspot.com.

Some Great First Lines

In a review of Alice Sebold's new novel The Almost Moon, the reviewer quoted the first lines of her new novel as well as a previous novel.

In her first novel, it took her two lines to kill off the heroine:

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." -- The Lovely Bones

What great first lines! They draw you into the novel right away.



In her newest novel The Almost Moon, Sebold gets to murder within the very first line:

"When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily."

Another great first line. It juxtaposes a cliche (when all is said and done) with a simple statement of murder. Incredibly dramatic in an understated way.

Would you continue reading if you had read these opening lines?

How does your book (fiction or nonfiction) stack up in drawing readers into your book?

Interview with Jeff Rivera, novelist

Forever My Lady is the award-winning novel that tells the story of a Latino juvenile delinquent that turns his life around. Originally self-published, the book was picked up by Grand Central and is now available in bookstores or on his website at http://www.ForeverMyLady.com.



Q: You took a very unconventional route to get your novel out there. What challenges did you encounter along the way?

A: I would go to the Self-Publisher's Hall of Fame webpage on your site and I would visualize myself as one of those people who got picked up by a major publisher. I typed in my name on that list and printed it out because I wanted it to happen so bad. I had no idea the prejudice that some people had to self-published books, but strangely enough not from the publishing industry. It was more from the literary snobs and writers that were against non-traditional ways of publishing. I think the greatest challenge was sticking with the book when I didn't see the results I wanted to see right away. But I was passionate about the story an believed it had to get out there.

Q: Why do you think Warner Books/Grand Central picked it up so fast?

A: I knew my market. I knew exactly who the book belonged to. In my case it was Latinos, but more specifically those interested in urban Latino literature. Once I figured that out I was able to gear my pitches to people who were interested in serving that market as well. Also I really worked to make the book the best it possibly could be. I would take walks along the beach and visualize people reading the book and feel them really getting into it. I did the same thing when visualizing the right editor. And quite frankly I had what they were looking for.

Q: You have received thousands of fan letters and emails about Forever My Lady from people all over the world, why are so many people excited about the book?

A: I think it's a universal story that everyone can relate to. Everyone knows what it's like to love someone so much or want something so bad -- and that person or thing doesn't want you back. And in terms of my particular market, I think they felt like, "Finally, there's a story for us."

Q: Would you suggest people self-publish as a way to break in? If so, why?

A: Absolutely, it's not the best way necessarily but neither is traditional publishing. I would say, try traditional first. If that doesn't work, go for it. Know the pros and cons. Then go for it 100%.

Q: What would you do over again if you could?

A: In retrospect nothing, because I learned so much along the way and I can help people now and tell them what to avoid. The whole thing has been a rewarding experience even when I was in bed crying from not selling a million books in the first week.