Should Fiction Authors Have a Blog? 5 Benefits of Blogging

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I published my first fantasy novel in 2018. Now, I’m preparing to publish my fourth book in the award-winning Chronicles of Avilésor series.

But long before the first book was released, I’d been getting consistent advice to prepare for querying literary agents and publishing books — build your platform; build your fan base; build your authority.

I knew going into the querying phase that the odds were against me because most literary agents overlook brand-new authors who don’t already have a strong online presence with a built-in base of followers. The publishing landscape is very different now than it was twenty years ago. Nowadays, the majority of the marketing falls on the author rather than the agent or publisher.

I ended up going in a different direction and publishing independently. This route was the best alignment for my goals and vision, as self-publishing allowed me to maintain my full creative rights. But, whether you want to publish traditionally or independently, the advice is still the same — you need to build your platform, fan base, and authority if you want to catch an agent’s attention or push your indie book to success.

Here are some of the biggest benefits of having a blog if you’re a fiction writer:

1. Online Presence

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When you search your name on Google, what comes up?

When I search my name in an incognito window, the first results are my branded social media pages and my websites. But it took a long time to make that happen. It took years of consistently publishing posts and articles.

The same goes with photos. In 2018 when I was a brand-new author, if I googled my name, I was lucky to see my LinkedIn profile picture near the top of the mix. Now, my photos, book, and logo dominate eleven of the first fourteen photos that populate in the search. Not too shabby!

And look at the categories above the thumbnails! All but one of those related categories circle back to me: Shutterstock, Literary Titan (the award my books received), [A] Fallen Hero (my first novel), Chronicles [of Avilésor], author photographer, Facebook (with a photo of my book), award, artist.

Again, that took a lot of work. A lot of publishing and using alt text so search engines could properly recognize and categorize my photos. The Amazon listing of my first book is right there in the second row. Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, one of my audiobook narrators, is even there in the top row in a TikTok duet!

The point is, when a potential reader, literary agent, or publisher searches for me now, they’ll find a LOT of content because I’ve built up a strong online presence over the years. This is invaluable. It immediately builds a sense of confidence among readers and professionals when they can see that I’m a professional with a ton of content to back up my online authority.

(I haven’t googled my name in a long time until I started writing this post… so I have to admit that I’m pleasantly surprised by how much the search results have changed!)

2. Organic Traffic

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Have you ever heard the term “content marketing”?

I started to understand and appreciate the value of this marketing practice back in 2021 when I started working as a freelancer for a writing agency and a ghostwriter for the company’s founder.

Content marketing is a deliberate marketing approach that strategically focuses on producing high-quality, engaging, relevant content designed to target a clearly defined audience with the ultimate goal of driving an action from the consumer.

Essentially, content marketing is the inverse of an upfront sales pitch or advertisement because you are offering something valuable instead of pushing someone to buy, subscribe, or commit to something. It’s more like having a casual conversation with an acquaintance as opposed to a pushy car salesman making someone uncomfortable.

This is what blogging can accomplish when you recognize your target audience and write valuable articles using strong keywords. You can see how much my website traffic grew in the last four years compared to the first four:

What happened to cause that growth? Well, in 2020, I joined an affiliate program and learned how to target a specific niche. The next year, I started working with the founder of the writing agency, who was a pioneer of content marketing before the practice even had a name. I refined my writing approach, and this blog, which had started as a personal résumé website, became a valuable resource for other writers and authors, not to mention a connection point for my fans.

Some of my content is centered around my book series to share updates with fans. Other posts discuss the business side of writing and publishing, and those are the posts that populate in organic searches as aspiring authors search for information to help them on their own journies. That, in turn, drives people to my website, where I have a chance to introduce myself and my work to them.

Even if that doesn’t translate directly into book sales, it does result in exposure (and I didn’t have to pay for a single ad).

There’s more to the equation than just book sales. Perhaps one of blog posts inspires a writer to subscribe to my Substack where I regularly discuss entrepreneurial tips for authors and artists. Or a follower signs up for my free newsletter to get periodic updates. Or a fan decides to join my Patreon community. Or my advice helped a new author so much that they buy me a drink to say thank you. Or I gain new social media followers.

Like I said, there are many ways to measure growth beyond simply focusing on book sales. Maybe I don’t get any new followers, subscribers, or donations, but my website traffic is so high that I earn money from ad revenue. Organic traffic comes with a ton of potential opportunities.

3. Authority

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Aspiring and newly published authors both face the challenge of proving that they are capable writers. If there’s any doubt, why would a reader pick up your book? Why would an agent agree to represent you?

Regularly publishing on your blog is a way to build up your résumé and demonstrate your skills to potential customers, fans, and business partners.

What you have to say is just as important as how you say it. I know… it can be hard to sound confident when you’re just getting started and have a lot to learn. But think about the experience you do have under your belt already. Research relevant topics that interest you and compile that information into an article told in your own voice. Share the lessons you’ve learned so far.

Above all else, be AUTHENTICALLY YOU. That’s the most important part. “Fake it ’til you make it” will only get you so far. Build your authority, but do it genuinely by speaking from the heart.

4. Fandom Base

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A lot of fandoms are built on social media, but remember that you don’t own those websites, which means you have no control over what happens to them. Imagine if you built your fandom on Myspace and concentrated all of your content on that single platform. Who would be reading that content now? Anyone?

What happens if your chosen social media site crashes and all of your content is gone? Or you’re locked out of your account? Or someone buys the platform and changes everything?

Having a blog means that you have control over your own website and domain (if you purchase a domain). You have your own space to develop a fandom, communicate with readers, share updates, encourage conversations with fans, get feedback, find beta readers, and so much more.

5. Content & Engagement

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Writing, editing, and publishing a book takes time. Some people are rapid-release authors capable of publishing every two or three months, but most writers (myself included) need at least a year or two, sometimes even longer.

Don’t stay silent after your novel is published! You need to keep your audience engaged in between book releases. Having a blog is an excellent way to keep publishing content during your “down time” so your fans don’t forget about you.

Blog posts also open the door for behind-the-scenes content and exclusive updates that build hype around the next book as you get closer to its release. Pull back the curtain and let your fans have a glimpse into your creative process. Tell them what inspires you. Engaging with your audience on a personal, authentic level can turn casual readers into true fans.

I also recommend using your blog to post your event schedule and links to social media pages, book listings, editorial reviews, etc. so you can keep your fans updated and diversify your reach with outbound links to relevant articles and websites.

Conclusion

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There are many benefits to blogging if you’re a writer, regardless of whether your focus is on fiction or nonfiction. Not only does it build your online presence, demonstrate your skills, bolster your authority as an author, expand your reach with organic web traffic, serve as a key building block for your fandom, engage your audience, and provide filler content between book releases, but it also helps you hone your writing skills and develop your voice.

You can write for more than one audience on your blog. Just make sure that each post has a clearly defined target reader. In my experience, I’ve found that my articles for writers, authors, and creative solopreneurs attract a lot of organic traffic to my website but generally perform poorly on social media, whereas articles written about my book series for fans tend to have higher social media engagement.

Remember, it’s okay to experiment! Over time, analytical data can shed light on which posts are performing well and which ones landed flat so you can adapt your strategy.

Blog away, dear writer…