13 Mistakes Authors Make on Their Blogs

I'm prepping for a presentation to about 100 authors at the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference later this week. As I was looking at author blogs, I noticed quite a few were missing key elements that would make them a lot more effective so I put together an article for the group about some mistakes authors make on their blogs...

Are you getting results from your book blog? Is it getting harder for you to spend time on your blog because you're just not seeing how it is going to pay off? If so, you're not alone. Hundreds of blogs are started each day and many of them are abandoned after several months because it takes time and energy to keep a good book blog going.

Make no mistake, blogs are a great tool for building community, interacting with readers, and marketing your book. And, it's not enough to set one up and post occasionally. You have to use it effectively to drive traffic and attract readers.

I've discovered several common mistakes authors make with their blogs. Most aren't using features available with blogging software. Many authors' eyes glaze over with the mention of RSS, pinging, trackbacks and permalinks. Does this describe how you feel? You may be ignoring these things, hoping you don't really need to know.  But you do if you want great results from you book blog.

Here's a list of what I found on a recent trip around the author blogosphere:

Content:

1. Not posting frequently enough.
2. Content is not focused or optimized for the search engines.
3. Articles are too long.
4. Not linking profusely to sources. Links are the currency of the blogosphere.

Design

5. No name of author on the blog home page.
6. No author photo.
7. No subscription form; no way to get blog updates through RSS or email.
8. Readers can't leave comments or have too many hoops to jump through.
9. Too many categories or none at all.

Marketing

10. Blog isn't listed in the 200+ blog directories.
11. Blog posts are not being syndicated to social networking sites.
12. There's no call to action to buy the author's book.
13. No contact information.

If you're using a blog to build your online visibility, optimize it by taking time to learn how to leverage your content to get the widest reach.  A blog is like any other marketing tool - you've got to use it effectively to get positive results.

I'd love to hear your tips for creating a fabulous author or book blog.  I also welcome links to author/book blogs you think stand out so we can learn from those who are doing it well. Post in the comments below.

You're invited to claim your free instant access to a 5-part video course on how to get the best out of your blog.

Comments

[Ginevra]

all great pieces of advice - thanks!

[Jenny]

Thanks for the help here! Can you offer some links and suggestions to learn how to make those things happen?

[Denise Wakeman]

Hi Jenny, this blog has hundreds of posts that cover ways to build a better blog. Take a look at the categories in the right side bar and select the area you want to improve. Also, watch the 5 part video on how to get the best out of your blog: http://masterbusinessblogging.com

Blog on!

[Nameles Wonderer]

Denise,
Well i am Not part of the 1% who don't. I am a newbabie to this fascinating technosphere and intersected the Iran Uprising, Michael Jackson Man-N-Mirror, Twitter and Blogging as a writer. I don't understand women or computers, and I am beginning to understand computers! So the notion of building my public identity through writing & future business concerns on a technosphere that is beyond my comprehension is challenging. I started out on twitter as a loving begging dog and really i feel like i have paws (i still use two fingers to type) and all the buttons, urls, web 2.0=5*?!$%&# kind of reminds me on "what's the bleep!"

I have subscribed to your five lessons. Thank you! One of the problems I am encountering in getting started is that everybody has lessons and I am having a hard time focusing on what lesson to follow. What I really desire is professional relationship with experts that still use the phone and personal contact. Is this old notion of social relations completely falling by the wayside in this emerging technosphere? The reason i desire it is to care, feed and nurture my work, writing and business concerns with someone who is willing to see the broad big picture and then coach me in where my attention is most valued in social relations.

Learning is always exciting and the complexity of this technosphere is like dropping all my tools & shadows at 58 years old, getting down right naked, and running like crazy to dive into a 300 ft suanmi looking for an island of sanity. So i am in predicament and you seem like a person that may understand.

I am on my way to LA tomorrow and would love to converse professionally with you if time and circumstances permit.
Cordially Patric

[Susan Putman]

Thanks for the update. It's good to know what needs to be there as I set up my first blog.
Your on the spot with the goods.
Susan Putman

[Denise Wakeman]

A big part of author success is selling books. A great book and author blog can help you achieve that. You also need to be assertive about promoting your blog. My recommendation is that you check out Kathleen Gage's excellent report (and teleseminar) about how to become an online bestseller: http://budurl.com/bestsellingauthor

[Kelly Stonebock]

As a new literary publicist, I found this really helpful. Thanks.

[Maria Antonia]

Denise, one quick question regarding #9 -- "Too many categories" (I'm assuming that this refers to what Blogspot calls Labels).

What would you say is "too many"? I counted the number of labels on our blog and there are 94. Something tells me that this might be too many...

What would be a good number, in your opinion?

[thepenancelist]

thank you for this much need advice.... urrrgh give me a blank page to fill any day, over understanding all the technobabble... am off to try and set up a blig, blag, blog....whatever it is called!!

[Denise Wakeman]

Great question. My suggestion to clients is to start with 7 to 10 categories. 94 is a heck of a lot and may confuse your readers.

Think of a category like a subtopic of your primary blog topic. Focused categories help your reader find the exact information they want. Too many choices make confused readers.