Whether you are an aspiring novelist, or an academic writer, you might be feeling the pangs of the ever-changing publishing industry these days. While some transitions have made publishing academic journals easier, still other changes in the publishing biz have made it extremely challenging to get your work published. If you can relate, then you’ve probably had your fair share of rejection notices. As a result, you might be looking for different ways to improve your writing career. Enter the helpful art of blogging.
How Can Blogging Help Your Writing Career?
Blogging is an often overlooked resource because most writers are more focused on getting published. To explain, many writers assume that blogs are for promoting works that have already been published, not a tool to help them improve their writing career.
In truth, blogging can be a multi-faceted strategy to help you write, publish or even land a writing job. What’s more, starting a blog these days is incredibly easy to do and requires very little startup investment. All you need is a content management system (CMS) such as WordPress and fast WordPress hosting service to get you rolling in the right direction.
That said, here are a few ways blogging can not only help you get published but might actually help you find a stable, writing job you might be dreaming about.
Use Your Blog as a Portfolio
Publishers and employers alike are more apt to take your writing skills more seriously if you have a portfolio. In the old days, a writer almost had to be a veteran in order to get a second publication. However, with the help of a blog and the internet, you can self-publish and showcase your own work.
When you are beseeching publishers or academic institutions to consider your work, include your blog URL address with your submission. This gives the “powers that be” a better understanding of your scope, style and capabilities, which can work towards your favor in getting published.
Include Your Credentials
While we’re talking about using your writing blog as a portfolio, don’t forget to upload your resume and credentials on your blog too. If you have a professional social media network such as LinkedIn, include a link to that as well. Including your accomplishments and past experience on your blog can go a long way towards landing a book deal or getting your academic paper published.
Use Your Blog to Land Freelance Gigs
Once you have a healthy amount of high-quality, well-written blog posts on your site, you can start marketing yourself as a freelance writer. There are many syndicates that are eager to hire ghostwriters, content writers, or advertising writers.
With the internet being the behemoth that it is, more indie publication sites online are looking for contributing writers to substantiate online authority as well as increase awareness to their websites. When you put a “hire me” CTA (call to action) button on your blog, you are essentially putting your shingle out and encouraging these publications to hire you for their writing needs.
Convert Your Blog Into an EBook
After writing on your blog for a while, you may find that all your accumulated posts can make a cohesive and even profitable book. In this case, you can convert your blog into an ebook. This is self-publishing at its finest.
Very often, blogging promotes writing in chunks which is far easier than sitting at the keyboard trying to hammer out an entire novel or a 300-page piece for an academic journal. You may even find that you appreciate the sporadic approach to writing on a blog because it’s less rigid and not as stress-inducing. Before you know it, you might find yourself with several hundred blog posts that could culminate into a sensational best-seller.
Promote Your Blog for a Book Deal (Or More)
If you promote your blog on social networks, you may get the attention of publishers such as Random House, which could result in turning your blog into a book deal. Sound far-fetched? Not really. Consider the unlikely, but hugely successful, I Can Haz Cheezburger, which started as a blog and became so wildly popular that the blog was picked up by Avery publishers and made into a book in 2008.
You never know, your blog could even become a movie. Look at the film Julie & Julia which started out as a blog about a Julia Childs fan who set out to post one of Childs’ recipes every day for a year. The blog became so popular, it landed a book deal and eventually was made into a movie starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep in 2009.
As you can see, there are many opportunities that blogging can offer when it comes to improving your writing career. Just remember to stick with it and keep adding high-quality, well-written posts. With dedication and commitment, you could have a better chance at getting published, landing a writing job, or maybe even a movie deal.