Ebook Income

If you’re an ebook author or publisher, or if you’re thinking of becoming either, a blog might seem like an obvious communication medium. So why would I suggest that “not to blog” is an option?

Let’s say you’re a writer and you’ve self-published your own ebook. A blog is a great way of communicating to your potential readers. Actually, let’s call them customers, after all we would like their money as well as their critical acclaim!

If you’re an ebook author then adding articles to a blog is hardly ‘work’ is it? Should be a walk in the park by comparison to putting together several hundred pages for your manuscript.

Well it had better be, because if you have even a little success with your blog you need to keep at it on a regular basis, your public demands it of you!

OK, that comment may be a little tongue in cheek, but it’s done to emphasise a point. A blog, if it’s to be of any use, needs to be updated on a regular basis. People will subscribe to it and expect new items every few days - at minimum once a week. If they don’t get their ‘fix’ they’ll be off, and no amount of coaxing will get them back.

So you think that’s not a hardship. If you can think up a relevant and entertaining blog post every week then that’s great, go for it, but believe me, it’s not as easy as you think.

At first you can promote your blog and promote your ebook. That’ll take a few articles. If you’re working on a new ebook you can drop in hints about content. Then what?

You can’t keep just giving people progress reports, especially if deadlines slip. You certainly can’t make excuses about why deadlines have slipped. An extract or two maybe? OK, that’s another couple of weeks, then what?

As an ebook author and publisher (I use ‘and’ because you’re almost certainly both) the effectiveness of your blog will depend on your subject. Making money online is a popular genre for ebooks and you can expand your blog to cover other material. If you’re a craft author or you’ve written some kind of instructional or educational ebook then again, there are associated subjects you can use.

If you’re a fiction author it becomes a bit more difficult.

So before you decide, consider the commitment because doing otherwise would be unprofessional and no matter what your subject if you’re unprofessional your sales will suffer.

If you are going to do it, then in my opinion there is one golden rule. Get a blog on your own domain, not a free one from Blogger or Wordpress. Although I use Wordpress software (and thoroughly recommend it) I nevertheless have it installed on my own domain because that way I control it.

If your ebook author blog is at “mywonderfulebook.blogspot.com” then someone else has control. Imagine if suddenly they decide your ebook is controversial and they ban your blog? Maybe it could never happen. Maybe. Personally I’m not taking the risk.