Blogging doesn't make you money....SAY WHAT???

Sometimes I come across some really GREAT people that make really IGNORANT comments. It cracks me up because most of the time, these people have no clue what they are talking about...and in that case, they really should keep their mouth closed.

Am I ranting? No. I'm actually chuckling inside, because these comments give me GREAT ideas to blog.

I'm not going to tell you the participants in this story, but I think it's really important for you to know the outcome....

I had suggested to a TRADITIONALLY published author that they should start a blog using their new book as the theme. IT'S A GREAT IDEA!!

I got a sweet smile, laughed at, and then..."blogging doesn't make you money."

I didn't rant, or go off, I simply got a pen out of my purse and wrote GREAT BLOG TOPIC on the palm of my hand. I did NOT want to forget the feeling I was having when those words left the mouth of that author.

I was almost giddy! Excited in fact! Little does that author know....

So this brings me to what I think is going to be a GREAT topic. WHY BLOGGING IS CRITICAL TO MAKING YOU MONEY!

1) Forces you to think about a target audience. Isn't this what helps sell our books??? Selling books=money...right?

If you target your audience (this blog targets writers and how to help them-readers probably AREN'T reading this blog), and promote it as the targeted blog, you will gain readers. The author who prompted me to write this blog, has a VERY targeted theme that would appeal to a VERY targeted audience that will lead to many sells...

For instance, if you write paranormal, you would do some great blogs posts on haunted houses, paranormal activities, talk about paranormal shows....etc....you get the point. You are building that target audience.

2) Forces you to write.
We have to write in order to get a book out. Blogging helps you stay focused and write! It helps you hone your voice. You can experiment with what works best for you and see the results from the traffic you get and  comments you will receive.

Blogging helps you explore topics that forces you to research topics, which in turn makes you more knowledgeable. AND that could spark more ideas for writing. Writing=money!

3) Makes you more visible. (blog forums)
I use my blog to promote my novels. Regardless this is for writers, I post on all forums. When I post a blog, I go to the Kindle forums, Nook forums, writer forums and post the blog topic with the URL. This leads to a lot of page views and believe it or not...usually a couple books sold!

The forums have my books in my tag lines and I hear from the reader how much they liked my blog and book covers so they bought "such and such book." THAT'S MONEY....RIGHT?

4) Creates a following.
A following is what all authors want! WE love to have readers, regardless of where they come from.


5) Leads to appearances.
This blog has given me a great platform to teach workshops. I've been teaching workshops for over three years. During this time, I have met some GREAT people in the writing community. I teach at conventions where I meet readers and writers. The readers want my books, the writers want any advice I can give them.

Blogging has also given me the opportunity to participate in book clubs! The book clubs read one of my books, and they love to bring up how I come up with characters, their development, the process. With out blogging about it here, I'd have a really hard time answering those questions.

Don't listen to ignorant statements. Don't miss out on opportunities to find an audience. Hey...Donald Trump blogs! Do you think he'd waste his time if he wasn't making money???

Blogging is like the NEW BLACK for authors. Well...maybe black doesn't look good on everyone, but it is my favorite color!

Smoke and Mirrors. . .Fall In Love With Your Blog

I get a lot of emails from other writers that tell me they really enjoy my blog. This truly makes my heart sing. The purpose of my blog started out as a mish-mosh of stuff before I realized that I get so many comments/emails about my marketing and promoting skills, along with my positive attitude.

Don't let all the smoke and mirrors full you! I do love my blog, I am a positive person, and I love writing, but I have my days that I let out a big ole sigh and have to make myself sit down to come up with something, anything to put here.

Recently I received an email from a reader who has a lot of issues with coming up with ideas and he flat out said that he HATED his blog.

My response. . .OF COURSE YOU HATE YOUR BLOG BECAUSE IT'S HARD! IT'S A COMMITMENT!

It's not like the first time you got the butterflies in your stomach when you decided you wanted to start a blog. You carefully chose the design, the colors, the font, the pictures, the tabs. . .all fun and games until you make it live and realize that you have set a precedent to be there, make a commitment to you readers--yourself.

Here are some great tips to help fall back in love with your blog and connecting to your readers.

1) Redesign your blog. Maybe you are a little blah and need a little more creation. I have redone my design twice in the past six months. I do this with my colors of my house to get my creative juice flowing and being in my little world of the blogsphere is no different.

2) Add some fun with new plugins. Blogger plugins here, Wordpress plugins here You can check them out and see what will work for your blog. You can add some cool plugin bling!!


3) Check out your older posts. Frequently I will go back and look at topics that I blogged about that has already changed. Like my blog on Facebook. It was pre timeline! Guess what? I need to resurrect that blog and add to it. Make it better.


4) Guest blogs. Add some guest bloggers. I don't host a lot of guest bloggers here, but when I do it's because I think they have something really great to offer or to help you learn something new. Get some guest bloggers that are industry leaders. Most of the time these leaders will recycle blogs from other appearances, but that's okay. It will be your readers first time seeing it.

I might have some days that make me squirm or procrastinate to write the blog, but I'm committed to making my career exactly how I want it. AND quitting is not an option....

What do you do to fall in love with your blog on a weekly basis?

To Blog or Not to Blog. . .That Is The Question

Blogging is only going to help you if you do it well. No blog is better than a bad blog. This is not the place to rant, wax poetic, or otherwise indulge yourself. Use our guidelines to help you build a better blog.

Know Your Theme

Before you build a blog, you must decide what your purpose is. Ask yourself these questions:

1.      Do I want to be funny and pithy?

2.      Do I have enough energy and time to write daily, or at least every other day? (Remember, a blog without fresh content is as stagnant as a mosquito pond)

3.      Do I have friends to guest blog?

4.      Will I be able to sustain my blog with consistent content?

5.      Would I prefer to blog alone, or blog with buddies?

6.      If I blog with others, will I be a leader or a follower?

7.      If I blog with others, will I be able to set boundaries and resolve problems?

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can move forward. Remember, you have to decide what your blog is going to be about—the writing life, genre specific content, book reviews, some element of craft, etc.

When I decided to start this blog, I structured it to be a destination site for writers seeking information on marketing and promoting. I started The Naked Hero with author Misa Ramirez and Lee Lopez to appeal to readers.

There is no shortage of blogs out there for readers to choose from, so make sure your blog or grog stays focused so readers know exactly what to expect when they stop by. This means you need to know your audience.

Know Your Audience

Once you have your theme dialed in, you will know who your audience is. On the flipside, if you know who you want your audience to be, that can help you hone in on an appropriate theme.

Ask the simple question: Who do you want to be reading your blog/grog? Mystery readers? Agents and editors? Romance writers? Men? Women? Mothers? Sci-fi fans? Self-published authors?

Whoever it is, identify them, then gear your site to them. Write about ideas and topics related to your theme that your audience will also be interested in. Blogging/grogging requires commitment. A following is not born overnight. It takes time. Be cognizant of your readers so they know you care about them.

Do you have a blog? What is your audience?


International Bestselling author Tonya Kappes believes that targeted and smart promotion and marketing can take a book from lackluster sales to the world of bestseller. She pooled her resources and knowledge to write The Tricked Out Toolbox: Promotion and Marketing Tools Every Writer Needs. When not touting marketing and promotion through her workshops, she write cozy mysteries, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction. I'm addicted to coffee, McDonald's Diet Coke, and Red Hots Candy!

Are You A Fearful Writer. . .Don't BE!

"The fear of becoming a 'has-been' keeps some people from becoming anything." Eric Hoffer

"Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is freedom." Marilyn Ferguson

Some of you may roll your eyes at those quotes, but fear is a real emotion for some writers. As writers, we have all these stories in our head, and sometimes those stories don’t make it on the page because of fear.

Does this sound familiar? Let’s look at a few fears that might be holding you back.

Fear of Inadequacy

Even I have a hard time with this one! Me? Moi? Yes! This , most-talkative, loves to pay it forward writer has this fear. I’m always questioning myself about THIS blog or my books. Even the blogs that get the most hits or the books that have sold out at book signings or bestsellers. A lot of “who wants to read this?” Or “what makes me an expert?”

Well…this amazes me because you are here, reading my blog and I have a lot of great readers who encourage me to write more. It only takes one comment to make me feel better and a little less fear.

You are a writer! You have something to say, whether it’s blogging or writing that great book. Call me! I’ll tell you how much you matter.

Fear You’re Too Old

Yeah, yeah. . .I have this one too. So maybe I’m not soooo old (ummm forties, but my kids think I’m ancient!), but I do wish I would’ve figured out my love for writing a little earlier in life.

Look at it this way, we get wiser with age. This will add depth to your writing and patience! Didn’t you know that patience really is a virtue in this business.

Fear of Too Much Research

Okay. This is very much a concern because details are so important in a novel. Trust me, if you get a color wrong on a 1948 Chevy truck because they didn’t make that color back then, those Chevy experts will come at you in troves!

LEARN to love to do the research. Make it fun. If you need that 1948 Chevy in your novel, you can take a day to visit a Chevy dealership or if you are near Illinois you can visit the Chevy Museum.

This is your novel. You should love learning about your characters and their environment. Step back and make it fun. My group of characters in Carpe Bead ‘em, had a spa weekend. Guess where I went for the weekend with a group of my girl friends? Yep! The spa, and had a Moor mud bath. . .ah. . . .

Fear of Revealing Too Much

There seems to be a lot of this question in the online social media age we write in. Do we reveal too much of ourselves on line or even in our novels?

A lot of readers ask me if I’m anything like the protagonists in my novels. Most the time there seems to be a hint, but for the most part my protag is pretty much her own. But it doesn’t mean that we aren’t baring our souls in each and every word we write. If we are digging that deep, which I know you are, you are going to really touch your readers!

Fear of Having Only One Book in You

This happens to me with each book, not just one! Somehow during the writing process or when I’m wrapping up edits, another book or story plots literally moves into my head, kicking out the previous characters.

You are a writer. You have several books in you and you need to realize it! Some of your stories might take longer to come out or for you to write them, but they are there just waiting to be written.

Fear of Rejection

Most of us fear being rejected. This fear alone can make you so scared that you won’t ever finish that novel. Rejection happens.

It’s such a subjective word. But you have to realize everyone is different. There are no two people alike. AND you can’t please everyone. If you believe in your work, your words, that is all that matters. Go into any bookstore or online, find the author’s website or read their story. At some point in their career they were rejected. Every. Single. One. But they kept going. They found someone who really liked their work. They never gave up and neither are you!

Remember that the difference between a winner and a loser. . .a winner NEVER gives up.

Fear of Success

What? Fear of success? I bet you are rolling your eyes again. . .yes! This is a real fear.

Success means that you are read, people love you, you have to produce more. These are enough to stop you in your tracks and stump your career before it begins.

You only have to take your career one step at a time. When you get to JK Rowling status, you can worry about success then.

How do you get over these fears?

Face them! Head on!

Writer’s Digest has a great article on TenWays to Harness Fear And Fuel Your Writing.

Kristen Lamb has a great blog on the fear of blogging, Here There Be Blog Trolls–How to Spot Them & What To Do where she discusses those nasty thoughts she calls TROLLS, and gives some great suggestions how to overcome those trolls.

Do you have any of these fears? How do you overcome them? We all want to know.