Writing and Blogging: Going Solo by Ian Skillicorn

by Antonio Litterio

One of the sessions I attended at the RNA conference this year was Ian Skillicorn's guide to publishing and marketing for writers. Ian has very kindly agreed to let me include my take on his talk. You can check out his Corazon website for details of his "day job", but here's a taster...

Running your own blog is  a vital part of your publicity campaign, but set a realistic blogging/social networking schedule and stick to it. Say “I’ll spend two hours a week writing my blogs, and post twice per week (or whatever),” for example. Consistency is key. Whatever social media you use, always keep the goals of who am I blogging to, what am I telling them, and why, in mind. Share yourself with your followers much more, and more often, than you plug your own book.
If blogging is a chore, share it by inviting guest posts, although be careful. Get guest bloggers to send you their text well in advance for vetting before the advertised publication date. That gives you time to edit, ask for revisions, or politely decline. Search for authors who blog in the same genre as you, and offer to swap blogs. The Novelistas group of writers do this, and it means each member only has to write one entry every six weeks. Before signing up to do a blog tour, investigate your prospective host online. How successful have their previous blog-tours been? 

Over the next few weeks, I'll be covering some of the other sessions I attended at the RNA conference this year. To make sure you don't miss any of the relevant blogs, join in by clicking on the "subscribe" box above, or just drop me a line to christinahollis(at)hotmail.co.uk.