What can I blog about?
What can I blog about?

That time again and you can’t think what to blog about?

If you have designed your blog with a theme that supports your book and major interest, and posted a tag-line on the landing page, these condition readers’ expectations of what to find on the site, so your posts will focus generally around that theme, but they can still be varied in content and angle.

Bearing in mind that to attract readers and subscribers you need to give value – something to inform, entertain, amuse, interest or surprise them – here are some suggestions of what to blog about. Though these are aimed at non-fiction writers, they work for fiction as well:

1. You, the author: posts on why, how, where, when you wrote the book and events you attend – signings, launches, interviews, etc. quote extracts but it’s not a good idea to blog too much of your book or more than one or two of its illustrations.

2. You, the person: whatever you feel comfortable in sharing about your work and life – readers like learning about the authors they read. (Be aware of security: avoid details that identify exactly where you live and especially when you might be away).

3. Place: for travel, history, memoir and biography, opportunities for writing about related places are many, but everything happens somewhere, and almost any topic has a location reference that can be made intriguing and interesting.

4. Time: the same applies to times past in relation to your topic, e.g. what your travel destination was like in the past, how crafts were produced, how science was studied, or illnesses treated a hundred years ago, especially if you have access to old photographs. Ideal for memoirs.

5. People: stories about historical figures; people met on your travels; notable influences connected to your special subject. If you write on local history, persuade a few local ‘characters’ to let you interview them for profile pieces.

6. Information: updates or details about your area of expertise – new developments, techniques, events, or you could link them to topical issues such as national and international celebrations, commemorations and current news.

7. Photo-essays: a collection of pictures around a theme that requires few words but can create a mood consistent with the theme of your book.

8. Reviews: reviews of other people’s books that reflect your principle interests. Don’t restrict yourself to one genre: a historian could review a historical novel or a scientist comment on science fiction and vice versa, attracting a new audience to the site.

9. Interviews: other authors may be willing to participate in blog interviews (usually worked out via email): a good way to forge online relationships.

10. Humour: use humour where appropriate – funny anecdotes, disastrous DIY projects, pets’ antics – people love to find something to laugh at and lift their day.

Your posts don’t have to be long: 500-800 words can inform and entertain; with 800-1000 words you can examine a subject in detail.

Always, always, edit and proofread your posts to eliminate spelling or grammatical errors. Your blog is a public window on your work; it needs to show you at your best. The same approach to presentation (and to libel, liability, plagiarism and copyright) applies to a blog as to any other medium of publication.

And, most important, write about what you love – it will shine through in your writing.

Happy blogging!

*This post is adapted from Writing Your Nonfiction Book: a complete guide to becoming an author.

Now in paperback
Now in paperback

 

 

10 Topics for Authors to Blog About

6 thoughts on “10 Topics for Authors to Blog About

  • April 17, 2014 at 8:11 pm
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    How useful, to have a list like this as an aide-memoire.

    I know it makes sense to have some sort of theme. Maybe it’s just my butterfly mind that is interested in all sort of random stuff that makes my blog so haphazard. (Must try harder …)

    • April 17, 2014 at 8:25 pm
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      Glad it seems useful, Jo. Each topic can produce many posts, and it might be an idea to draft a programme running through the topics, and that would give you variety as the writer, too, as well as some structure – if that is helpful.Also a good idea to take a break now and again to recharge batteries, as you are doing. Look forward to your re-emergence 🙂

  • April 21, 2014 at 7:51 pm
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    Hurrah, you’re back again. (I know this has nothing to do with the post, but, in the hacking circumstances, just wanted to let you know it’s good to know you are mended.)

    • April 22, 2014 at 7:34 am
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      Thanks, Jo, it’s good to be back! It turned out to be a domain name issue which, while annoying, feels less of a violation than a hacking, so everything is back to normal with great relief.

  • May 8, 2014 at 3:59 pm
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    It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button!
    I’d without a doubt donate to this brilliant blog!
    I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS
    feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and will share
    this site with my Facebook group. Chat soon!

    • May 8, 2014 at 4:42 pm
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      Thank you, Jackie, for your lovely comments and appreciation. I’ll happily settle for being bookmarked and shared wuith your friends. I like to keep the site without the distraction of buy buttons and advertisements, it’s one of the few ways of being different these days. See you again soon.

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