About the Book
Whether you're an individual or a
business, a blog is an extremely effective tool for developing your online
presence and reaching a global audience.
It's a dynamic platform which you can
use to share your creativity, advice, services and skills. You don't need to be
technically-minded to have a blog. All you need is an internet connection and a
couple of spare hours in your week. Anyone can blog. That said, you don’t want
to settle for just any old blog that you'll get bored of!
Blogging for Beginners poses the questions you should ask before
you begin and all the information you need to get started. The book is packed
with tips on how to set up your blog, develop its identity, choose content,
gain a readership and increase blog traffic.
Extract from my article in The New Writer and my new e-book Blogging for Beginners:
"When I was 11 years old, I wrote in my diary, 'I've started a new novel today which I'm going to get published.' I believed that to get a book published all I had to do was write one. It was a shock to discover this was not the case.
I later learnt that the book had to be brilliant. Not only that but it had to land on an agent’s desk at the exact moment they were savouring a fresh cup of coffee, the sun was shining and they were feeling a profound love towards all humanity. Rejection was inevitable. If you were very lucky, you would receive a personal letter, and only then to tell you that your book was rubbish but your font had potential.
Patience is not my greatest virtue. By 24 I was fed up of waiting for someone to pluck my work out of the slush pile and bless it with their approval. All I wanted was to write and be read. So I began a blog about the only thing I really knew anything about; working in my Mum's eccentric chandelier shop. At first, my readership consisted of a few friends and relatives, but gradually my following grew. I took my weekly deadline very seriously and edited as ruthlessly as if it were to be printed in a national newspaper.
Six months after I began, Salt Publishing got in touch with me through Facebook and told me they loved the blog. More importantly, they commissioned the book Shop Girl Diaries. Since then I've contributed articles on social media to magazines and guidebooks and I run blog workshops in the UK.
My experience has been positive, however a successful blog doesn't happen overnight. Blogging takes time, perseverance and often won't pay a penny directly or for some time, yet, if you stick with it, it can reap wonderful rewards. Having a regular blog increases your chances of your work becoming visible while making you accessible to those who might be interested in it. You also become part of a huge interactive community which can stimulate and support you in whatever your blog mission is. Blogging for Beginners is not just aimed at writers. This is for anyone wanting to be pro-active and embrace the blogosphere."
My next Blogging and Social Networking Workshop will take place on Saturday 25th January in London, SE1.
For more details and bookings, visit my Blog Workshops Page. Places are limited!
For more details and bookings, visit my Blog Workshops Page. Places are limited!
2 comments:
Bought it so that I can simplify my own workshops about blogging and just tell them to go and read your book for the details! Congratulations and good luck with it.
Thanks Nicola! I've been running blog workshops for a few years now and just thought it made sense to write the info down! I hope people find it useful. Thanks for mentioning it on your blog.
Post a Comment