Authors write books for a multitude of reasons, but why would anyone blog a book?

When I started writing my book, I also started a blog (this one) with a dual purpose:

1.     To give me somewhere to write about and share the process of writing

2.     Because I was blogging about writing a book, the blog would act as a catalyst for the writing.

These things have been key to finishing my first draft, especially in weeks where paying work piled up and deadlines loomed, visitors descended or I took holidays. Blogging has been about building my commitment, creating a writing habit, and hopefully inspiring and helping others to write in the process. Over the course of these past eight months, I have learnt about false starts, dead ends and distractions, but also an awful lot about writing-in-practice.

In case you have been thinking of writing a book and just can’t get or stay motivated, in case you simply have an idea that you want to explore as a possibility, if you have a maybe someday book tucked away in your brain or on scraps of paper, or just because want to give it a try…here’s some reasons to blog a book:

• Blogging is a way to build and connect to an audience.
• You have full control over your content, deciding what to publish when, in which order to publish (totally break from chronology if you want), and how much of your book to make available. You don’t have to blog your whole book – I have been blogging small sections of mine as I work my way into the story and work out characters and aspects of the narrative.
  
• You can publish as you write, creating possibilities for immediate connection to readers. This can allow you to try out material, see what works and what doesn’t.
• It is inexpensive and pretty easy.
•  You can write a relatively short book – anything upward of 20 or 30 thousand words.
• You can blog about anything – as long as it’s interesting enough to entice readers.
• Your blog can be a resource showcasing your writing ability.
• It gives you a way to build an author platform – to create a writing reputation and promote yourself.
• It brings your commitment to writing to a regular and conctrete task, ensuring you will keep writing no matter what else is going on, until your book is complete.
• You get to call yourself a blogger and (fingers crossed) an author.

Have I convinced you to get blogging yet?

There are some fabulous authors who are also bloggers, who blog their books, connect with their readers via their blog, or comment about blogging a book. Here’s just a few:

• Blogger/author Kathy is blogging her book “in full daylight” at Ark at the End of the World. You can also follow her on Twitter @zucchinibikini.
• Fantasy author Ksenia Anske has a wonderful reader following. She connects with her readers through her blog and other social media. She solicits her readers’ feedback on what content they want her to blog about. You can also find her on Twitter @KseniaAnske.
• Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner talks about the pros and cons of blogging a book at her website. You can also find her on Twitter @RachelleGardner.
• Author Nina Amir has blogged about and produced a ‘how to’ book for book blogging from her site How to Blog a Book. She can also be found on Twitter @NinaAmir.

If you are already blogging your book, my readers and I would love to check you out – why not leave your URL in the comments space below.

Photo credit: Beautiful Book