To Blog Or Not To Blog

I've been asked should you have a blog as an author? Does it make money? Is it worth the time?

I can't tell you what you should do.

I can give you some ideas that may help you decide.

First, before you go any further, you really should look at your author platform. How are you engaging your audience? Or how are you building relationships?

I believe your author platform isn't set up for just selling books. That's what marketing and advertising and newsletters do. Your platform is how you interact with your audience.

Let's talk about whether you should blog as an author.

Blogs are a lot of work. You have to add content on a regular basis. Some bloggers are posting daily, some post two to three times a week, and some post a few times a month or less. I post new stuff, but not regularly. Sometimes it's two or three a week, sometimes it is two or three times a month. It is at least one post a month. I hope.

Is that the best way? I don't know. I don't care. I post on a schedule that works for me. My writing takes more importance than my blog. But I enjoy my blog, and I enjoy sharing shit that I'm going through when it comes to my writing or publishing, and I hope it helps others. So for me, it isn't a chore.

I don't monetize. I'll be honest; I haven't figured that out yet. Like I said earlier, I want to concentrate on my books and putting more out there. I'm sure I'm doing the whole blogging thing wrong.

To be completely transparent, I would rather just write and not even do blogs or social media of any kind. All of it requires a lot of work. But I want to help other writers and hopefully sell a book or two. Can't really sell books if no one knows who you are.

So should you blog as a writer? I don't fucking know what you should do. Hell, I don't always know what I should do. But my advice, look at your big picture. Where do you want your time and energy spent? Everything you do will take time. Don't do something just because "THEY" say you should. If a blog will enhance your work, your life, and not cannibalize your time. Do it. Just like with anything else, if something you are doing is taking away from your writing, maybe you should think twice.

In the end, do what is best for you.