A blog can be a very valuable tool in an author’s promotional repertoire. This personal online space provides a platform for you to voice your opinions and ideas. It’s also an ideal place to inform your audience of book events, upcoming projects, industry news, or any other information you find interesting.

The first step in the blogging process is to create one. There are many free blogging sites available, such as WordPress, Tumblr and Blogger. Each of these sites offers different features and caters to different blog types, users and levels of technical proficiency.

Once you have decided on which blogging site works best for you, you’re ready to become a blogger. Below are 4 Cs to keep in mind when starting your blog.

Commitment – Before you begin, the first step is to commit yourself to your blog. In order to maximize your presence, commit to publishing relevant, interesting content on a regular basis. Further, when readers comment on your blog posts engage in conversation with them and do the same on other blogs that you read regularly.

Consistency – Consistency is crucial when it comes to updating your blog. Whether it’s every day, every other day or once a week, create a plan outlining how often you will publish posts to your blog and stick to it.

Communication – You have already made your voice known through the words of your book, but why stop there? A blog is a great way to continue to offer your followers insights on your opinions, ideas and future plans. When crafting posts, make sure to be conversational and talk to your followers rather than at them. This will help you form a relationship with your readers that will keep them coming back for more.

Content – Remember the saying “quality over quantity?” This applies to your blog as well. Regardless of how often you publish posts, their content should always be informative and engaging. Delivering quality posts less frequently is more valuable to readers than blasting out a high quantity of posts that don’t offer the reader any sort of educational or informative information. But, if you can deliver quality all the time, by all means, go for it!

In short, blogs are an important tool for promoting your book and yourself as an author. Through this social platform, you will can reach audiences far and wide, keep your finger on the pulses of the industry and your audience, and offer your insights and opinions on various topics. It’s also an ideal location to announce when you’re working on a sequel to your book!

Stay tuned. Next week we will be offering you tips and advice on the type of content you should include within your new blog.