Author Tech Tips » Blogging

How to Write for the Web (a guide for authors who learned on typewriters)

David Fried — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:48:26 +0000

If you’ve been reading Author Tech Tips, you know the importance of having a successful web presence. Usually that means having a website. But a website alone is not enough.

As writers, we’re writing the web content ourselves, but writing web content is its own skill. In some ways writing for the web is very different than writing for print.

Here’s how to make your web content fit your work and the internet medium.

How the internet is the same as print.

Believe it or not, the web is not entirely different than paper.

Fit the theme of your book.

If you’re writing a business book, your content should be intelligent and professional. If you’re writing sci-fi, it should be creative and quasi-scientific. If you’re writing articles for men’s lifestyle magazines, make it masculine. Whatever kind of business you’re trying to attract, your website content needs to be, on page one, a demonstration of your ability to deliver that style.

Provide value.

A lot of author websites are completely self-serving: “Hey, this is me. This is more about me. This is my book. Click here to buy my book!”

People don’t want to read that.

Instead, include the key premise of your book right up front. Use the website as a platform to further the cause about which you’re writing. Maybe even give your book away. If it’s fiction, you might create an online community by writing blog posts as the novel’s characters.

As you weave your message/story into the website, you reinforce your brand.

How the net is different.

Here are some key points you must know if you are having a hard time attracting attention online.

Make your text skimmable.

Online, people avoid reading long paragraphs. They want quick nuggets of information. Make it easy for them to find what they’re looking for:

Edit ruthlessly. Say everything in fewer words.
Include headlines to introduce every topic.
Bold the important stuff.
Use lists (bullets/numbers) and paragraphs to break it up visually.

Make your writing searchable.

You want to rank high on google. If you don’t know how to write search engine friendly content, take a couple of hours to learn at least the basics. Although it’s not the most important factor in search engine optimization, your content is the foundation without which the rest is built.

Find your keywords and include them. Sometimes the wording will be awkward, but with practice you learn to rewrite your sentences to include keyword phrases.
Include your keywords in headlines and bolded phrases.
Hyperlinks should always include keywords. Never link something with the words “click here”.

Make your site shareable.

The magic behind the web is the ability for ideas to spread quickly. As Seth Godin says, “ideas that spread, win.” Blog posts that spread, win too.

You want to make it as easy as possible for people to share your writing with others. If you notice at the top of each post on Author Tech Tips we have a Retweet Button. At the bottom of each post we have links to share the post via Facebook, Email and Digg.

If this is your first time here, chances are you came because someone clicked one of these buttons and shared this article with you. If you are concerned about people stealing your work we encourage you to read our post: Authors: Piracy is Not Your Enemy.

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7 Blogs Every Author Should Follow

Thomas Umstattd — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:14:26 +0000

One great way to improve your writing is to learn from the best.

Here are seven blogs that not only are good examples of excellent blogging but will also help you hone your craft and sell more books.

We recommend that you subscribe to these blogs through RSS. If you don’t know what RSS is then check out our helpful guide. We have also provided a place to subscribe by email if you are just not ready for RSS.

Blog #1 Michael Hyatt

Address: MichaelHyatt.com
Why? Michael is the CEO of one the biggest publishing houses and he has great insight on the industry and how it is changing.
Subscribe: by RSS by Emial by Twitter by Facebook

Blog #2 Seth Godin

Address: SethGodin.typepad.com
Why? Seth Godin is one of the most popular bloggers on the web. He is a good example of how to blog well. He has great advice on how to market your book, yourself and your ideas.
Subscribe: by RSS by Emial by Twitter by Facebook

Blog #3 Copyblogger

Address: CopyBlogger.com
Why? CopyBlogger is the best site for learning how to write good blog posts. Not only will following this blog (and reading the most popular posts) improve the quality of your blog posts but your overall writing as well. Highly recommended.
Subscribe: by RSS by Emial by Twitter by Facebook

Blog #4 There Are No Rules

Address: blog.writersdigest.com/norules
Why? Not only does Jane Friedman give great advice on writing she also collects the best tweets from the week and posts them on Fridays. She follows Twitter so you don’t have to.
Subscribe: by RSS by Emial by Twitter by Facebook

Blog #5 Rachelle Gardner

Address: cba-ramblings.blogspot.com
Why? Rachel is a literary agent who has great advice on how to improve your writing, get an agent, and find a publisher.
Subscribe: by RSS by Emial by Twitter by Facebook

Blog #6 Author Tech Tips

Address: AuthorTechTips.com
Why? We help authors timid about technology. Our goal is to make promoting your work online easier and more fun. We also cover some industry news as it relates to technology.
Subscribe: by RSS by Emial by Twitter by Facebook

Blog #7 Wild Fire Marketing

Address: wildfiremarketing.blogspot.com
Why? Rob Eagar specializes in helping authors sell tons of books. His blog has practical advice from speaking to radio to how to execute a successful book signing. Also, check out his guest posts for Author Tech Tips.
Subscribe: by RSS by Emial by Facebook

Bonus Blogs

Ok so there are more than 7 great blogs for authors. Here are some more you should check out.

What do you think? Are there any good blogs we missed? Post them below in the comments.

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How Blogging Got Me Published

Renae Brumbaugh — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:05:20 +0000

In this post author Renae Brumbaugh tells how her blog took her from unpublished stay at home mom to the published author of multiple books.

This is not rocket science. You can do this too.

Renae’s Story

Man. I sure wish I could see my name on one of these books, I thought to myself as I browsed the titles on the bookstore shelf. Sure, I could wish as much as I wanted. But I didn’t really believe it could happen to me.

Sound familiar?

My thoughts echoed the thoughts of millions of other wanna-be writers. I wanted to be published. I just didn’t know how to make it happen.

Then in 2007, I attended a writers’ conference. There I was told that every writer should have a blog. I didn’t even know what a blog was! So I went home and typed, “What is a blog?” into my search engine. Blogger.com came up, and before I knew it, I had my very own blog. I named it Morning Coffee.

I had no idea what to write on my blog. I mean, my life just isn’t that interesting! I couldn’t see writing about my piles of laundry or my less-than-thrilling weekly menu. After giving it a little thought, I decided to write devotionals.

But that was too hard. There are simply too many great passages to choose from! Every day I spent more time deciding which passage to write about than I spent actually writing. Finally I said, “Enough. I’m going to make this easy.”

I opened my Bible to my favorite book: James. I started with chapter one, verse one, and began blogging my way through the book. Before long, I started getting encouraging comments and e-mails. “This is great! You should turn this into a book!”

Yeah, right, I thought. But little did I know, God had plans for my little blog.

I wrote up a query and sent it to every publisher that accepted devotional books. Every single one. Within a few weeks, I had interest from three publishers. I sent them each a full proposal. It was rejected by two of them. It was accepted by one: Chalice Press. And it only takes one!

The discipline of starting a blog and posting faithfully has been life-changing for me. Since signing the contract for Morning Coffee with James, I have sold more than two hundred articles, have developed a syndicated humor column, have been given contracts for eight other books, and have contributed to various compilations. And it all started with a blog.

Blogging Tips

If you are a wanna-be writer – like I was just a few years ago – I’d like to offer some tips:

Be humble. Take advice from the pros. They really do know what they’re talking about.
Attend writers’ conferences, read books about writing and publishing, join a writer’s group. Follow the advice you’re given.
Start a blog.
Post faithfully. Even if no one ever reads it, even if it doesn’t turn into a book, the simple act of writing every day will cause more growth than you can imagine.
Keep writing. Keep posting, even if no one ever leaves a single comment. You never know what may come of it!

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3 Baby Steps to Get Your Book Published (for those who don’t know where to start)

Thomas Umstattd — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:41:51 +0000

The number one question we get is “I want to write a book but I don’t know where to start.”

Here is your answer.

Step #1 – Read a Book on Book Proposals

Before you write your non-fiction book you need to write a book proposal.

5 Reasons to Write the Book Proposal First

It’s much less work to write a proposal than a whole book.
A book proposal will give your book focus and direction. Think of it as a super fancy outline.
You will write your book in less time after your proposal is done.
A book proposal will help you build an audience focus instead of an author focus. Authors who write for themselves have a hard time selling their work.
You can sell your book proposal to a publishing house before you even finish your book.

Recommended book proposal books:

How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen
Book Proposals That $ell: 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success by Terry Whalin

Step 2 Start a Blog on Your Subject

How can you expect people to pay for your book if you can’t get them to read your blog for free? Bloging is a great way to hone your craft, build a platform and connect with your audience. For more about starting your book as a blog read 5 reasons to use your blog as your books’s first draft.

Step 3 – Subscribe to Author Tech Tips

This would be self promotion if we charged money. But we don’t. All our advice on how to build your platform using digital tools is free. Our newsletter is free. Our RSS feed is free. Not sure what an RSS feed is?

At some point, AuthorTechTips will come out in book version. We eat our own dog food.

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Top 5 Blog Title Mistakes Authors Make

Thomas Umstattd — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:40:05 +0000

Mistake #1 Descriptive

When you were in school your teacher probably taught you the purpose of a title was to describe your writing. Your teacher was wrong. Descriptive titles are boring. The purpose of a title is to tell readers why they should bother to read your article.

The Internet uses tags and categories to describe content. Don’t waste title space describing content too. People do need to know what they are clicking on. So, describe the value of your content. This is a subtle difference that changes everything.

Bad Title: Baby Boomers & Social Security
Better Title: Why Baby Boomers Don’t Deserve Social Security
Best Title: You tell me by leaving a comment

Mistake #2 Lack of Focus

Many titles give you no clear idea what the blog is about. While the titles avoid describing the content they also avoid describing the value of the content.

Burst Blog has a good list of unfocused titles and how to make them better:

Bad: “Breaking News”
Good: “Iowa Caucus: Prognostications, Results and Breaking News“

Bad: “Month/Year in Review”
Good: “Year in Review: Best Homebuilding Products of 2007″

Bad: “Weekly Book Review”
Good: “Book Review: How The Dead Dream by Lydia Millet”

Mistake #3 Too Clever

So someone sends out a Tweet that says “Who’s Your Daddy (link)”. Are you going to click that? Maybe. But you have no idea why you should bother to read the post. Clever is good. Too clever is fail.

Bad Title: Who’s Your Daddy
Better Title: Is Satan Your Daddy?
Best Title: You tell me by leaving a comment

Mistake #4 Generic

Generic titles are like clever titles but without the clever. Giving a post the title “Follow Me” will not get anyone to click.

Bad Title: Follow Me
Better Title: How I’m Going to Change the World & Why You Should Help
Best Title: You tell me! Leaving a comment.

Mistake #5 Cliche

If other people are using the title don’t use it too. Even if its the greatest title ever if you’ve already seen it so has everyone else. Your an author you can think up something original.

Bad Title: Shock & Awe
Better Title: 5 Things that Shocked me senseless
Best Title: You tell me! Leave a comment below.

If you want ideas on how to write titles that will draw people in check out our post on Magnetic Blog Titles.

What do you think?

What makes a blog title bad? What do you think would be better titles for the examples above. If the title is too vague feel free to come up with your own content.

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Why Your Blog Should Be Your Book’s First Draft

Thomas Umstattd — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:02:17 +0000

7 Reasons To Blog Your Book First

1. You start building a platform right away.

Platform is the first thing publishers look for. No platform? No contract. Your platform is how many people listen to you on a somewhat regular basis. As you blog regularly you will gather a faithful group of readers which will be the beginning of your platform.

2. You find out what connects and what doesn’t.

When you write you have no idea what people like and what they won’t. Your editor can help, but you are both shooting in the dark. On a blog the stats show what connects with your audience. More importantly, you find out what doesn’t connect. Your book will dramatically improve if you remove the boring content.

3. Blogging allows you to enhance your message with media.

Is there a video that helps you prove a point? If you have a blog you can embed it. Try that with a paper book.

Click here to view the embedded video.

4. Your message gets out right away.

The publishing industry moves at the speed of a blind turtle. If everything goes well, it will be years before it hits store shelves. And that is if you work hard and get all the right breaks. If you want to reach people tomorrow start blogging today.

5. Your blog creates a rally point for your following.

Assuming you spend the $20 a year to buy YourBlogName.com, you will be able to use your blog as the center of your platform. Got a radio interview? Push your blog. Writing an article for a magazine? Put your blog in your bio. As people come to your blog and subscribe you get their permission to contact them when your book comes out.

6. You get instant feedback.

The comments you get on your blog will help you find logical flaws, and answer people’s questions and objections before they have them. Did something not make sense? The commentators will let you know.

7. Your blog will boost your credibility.

As an unpublished author it can be hard to build credibility. But, if you are the editor of YourBlogName.com suddenly people will treat you like the expert. The key is to have your blog on YourName.com. A free blog will not boost your credibility. You need your own domain name.

Will a publisher buy my writing if it’s published online?

In a word, “yes.” I have clients who have sold their blog’s as books and can point to many bestselling books that were blogs first. Free is not your enemy. Obscurity is your enemy.

Your book will have exclusive content. Save some of your nuggets for your book. Plus, everything in your book will be edited and focused. Remember all those stats and comments from benefit #6? They will help you hone your message. Plus, your editor will add value to the book by cleaning up your language.

What do you think?

Do you think this will work? Do you know someone who has sold their blog to a publisher? Do you have a blog you want to get published?

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A Ninja Writing Guide – For Authors Who Want to Blog

Peter Nevland — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:05:59 +0000

Little arm hairs raise on end. Bumps form on my skin, desperately struggling to retain its warmth. It’s freezing in this room as I type away on the computer. I want to be in bed! If only that guy standing next to the refrigerator hadn’t asked me to write a ninja writing guide. This one’s for you, Thomas…

1. Have something to say before you write.

Did abuse in your life start your fire to bring healing to women? Do you love soccer more than any sport in the world? Does political drama make your blood congeal and fester? Can fart noises bring us world peace? Decide what fuels your passions and plan to write about it. Even better, make sure it’s something that someone else cares about. Once you’ve done that, don’t think about it for a while. Clear it from your brain. Now you’re ready to write.

2. Start out with a powerful opening.

Any one will do. The key is to grab the reader’s attention long enough so that he or she greatly desires to find out what comes next. It doesn’t even have to be about your subject matter. You can pick the first exciting image that comes to mind. Really. Try it! Just write down whatever pops into your head. It’ll get you started.

3. Connect the first sentence you wrote to the topic you want to write about.

Your brain will figure it out. I always prove this to the students in the workshops I teach by taking one of their introductions and then challenging them to give me any topic to connect to it. They love throwing out the most contrasting topics, and I love quickly writing a sentence that links the two together. As long as you have an image-rich introduction, you’ll be able to grab an image from it and use it to compare or contrast another image by your subject matter. Kids learn this in 5 minutes, so don’t try to prove me wrong.

4. Use specific facts

Specific facts satisfy the analytical part of your reader’s brain, confirm in their minds that you know what you’re talking about and allow them to focus on connecting with you emotionally. If you don’t use enough facts, you’ll sound like a vapid beauty pageant contestant or a manipulative politician. If you use too many facts, your nasal voice will scream “Poindexter know it all” and cause eyes to sleep deeply and dream of some interesting writing.

5. Use interesting verbs

Interesting verbs jolt a reader’s eyes wide and flood their senses with attentive joy, while big adjectives overload and confuse the mind with too many, non-specific, organic, difficult-to-process electrical, synapses. If you want to resurrect the dead, massacre the living or soar the heavens of imagery, embrace verbs.

6. Don’t say everything that comes to your mind.

If you do, you’ll pry butterflies from cocoons and kill your audience’s imagination. Great writers know what to leave out and let the reader figure out the rest. I don’t have to describe the minutiae of John F. Kennedy’s smile orCharles Mansonis eyes to bring their respective charm or murderous intent into your room. One small mention connects all your feelings about them to the story and gives your thoughts license to paint in the blank spots of canvas. Let your passion and life lessons boil underneath your writing and draw your audience to discover the mystery that churns beneath the surface.

7. Connect the end to the beginning with added evidence of transformation.

You score extra points for making it an even more powerful mental image than your opening. Every great speech or piece of writing does it. From the Gettysburg Address to I Have a Dream to Ich bin ein Berliner, great writing and great speeches end with a powerful mental image that refers to the beginning and goes beyond it. It’s part of our desire not only to participate in a journey, but accomplish something through it, even if it’s not positive.

8. Edit what you wrote.

You haven’t finished yet. It didn’t come out perfect the first time. People who think that are idealistic morons who will aspire to mediocre writing. Even God wrote the ten commandments twice (although to be honest Moses broke the first ones, necessitating the 2nd draft). You should find plenty of opportunities to remove unnecessary words, replace boring words with exciting ones, improve your work’s rhythm and cut out whole sections, if necessary. If you can’t find the courage to be that harsh with your precious masterpiece, get someone else to examine its attributes and save you from exposing your rough draft to the piercing stares of a critical world.

If you really want to take your writing a step further, find one activity that allows you to assemble a whole out of more parts than a formula can define, and then find a different activity where spontaneity and improvisation cause you to do things outside your comfort zone. James Michener prescribed ceramics and rhythmic dancing, in Chapter 10 of his book, This Noble Land. Cooking and funky white boy dancing both unwittingly preceded my writing explosion. Whichever ones you choose, don’t just think about them. Some things you can only discover while in the act.

This may not qualify as The Ninja Writing Guide, but it will improve the words you glue on a page. No qualifications will prepare you for the actual steps of risk you face. But taking them puts muscles on bones, skin on corpses and brings armies to life that can change the world.

I get goose bumps just thinking about the power of words. It’s either that, or I’m just freezing in this room, and I need to go to sleep.

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Author Interview: Mary DeMuth

Thomas Umstattd — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:18:39 +0000

Mary DeMuth is an author, writing coach, and sought after speaker who speaks at writers conferences all over the country.

In this interview she shares how she uses social media (Blogging, Twitter & Facebook) to sell books and connect with readers.

What is your blogging story? When did you start blogging and when/why did you start your other blogs?

I initially started blogging when we moved to France as church planters. I thought it would be a great way to keep in touch with folks back home. I enjoyed it so much, and started creating a following immediately. That was the fall of 2004 with RelevantBlog.

How much traffic do your blogs get?

Combined, about 30,000-50,000 visitors a month.

How did you promote your blog at first? Has that changed now?

It was just my own networks plus our email distribution list that first drove people to my blog. Now I promote primarily by writing comments elsewhere, adding Feedblitz, and advertising through my updates on Twitter and Facebook. I’d say the latter is what drives the most significant traffic these days.

You have a robust online presence (Twitter, Facebook, etc). What role does your blog play in connection with those other sites?

An intrinsic one. I promote my blogs through Twitter. I have three blogs: Wanna Be Published, My Family Secrets, and RelevantBlog. Whenever I post to the blog, I write an intriguing teaser and a link on Twitter. I also promote other people’s blogs so I’m not a me-monster.

Does your blog help you connect to readers or sell more books? If so how?

Yes, absolutely. I’ve met plenty of new readers through social networking. They say it takes about 5-7 touches before a consumer will make a purchase of your product. Blogging, facebooking and twittering provide several touches at once. One time, a guy with my last name bought a novel for his mother, simply because he found me on Twitter (because of our name). So, you just never know!

What would you recommend to hopeful authors who want to start a blog?

Have a purpose for your blog.
Be interesting.
Be consistent in posting. Don’t orphan your fan base by being gung ho a few weeks and then dribbling off to nowhere.
Advertise through your social media networks.
Write inviting posts that aren’t too long.

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5 Keys for Magnetic Blog Titles

Thomas Umstattd — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:32:04 +0000

Most blog titles are about as magnetic as a skunk. Learn how to write titles for your blog posts that will pull in more readers.

#1 Focus on Benefits

Your readers don’t care about you. They are asking “whats in it for me.” Answer that question in the title and they will read on.

Examples:

#2 Tease

Curiosity is a powerful motivation. Perk your reader’s interest. If you can make your reader curious they will read on. Contradict a known fact. Challenge an accepted authority. Make your reader question himself.

Examples:

Authors: Don’t Bow Down to Amazon
Why Copyrights Hurt Authors
Google XML Sitemaps plugin will do this for you automatically.
Make sure each page title corresponds with the title of that post. If you use WordPress, the All In One SEO Plugin will do this for you automatically.

Did this make sense? Feel free to leave questions in the comments section if it didn’t.

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