11 Blogs Every Writer Should Subscribe To
- Depending on your niche and needs, you can subscribe to ProWritingAid — a tool for helping writers with grammar and style issues or Rachelle Gardner | Literary Agent if you're an advanced author.
- Marie Forleo's blog, although not specifically for writers, offers a lot of encouragement for those who need inspiration and a bit of motivation to pursue the entrepreneurial route in the writing industry.
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Are you a new writer trying to make sense of how to launch a career? Or are you a veteran writer with many years of experience invested in your portfolio and are looking for a fresh perspective on and information about the writing industry? The internet houses an abundance of blogs and sites targeting writers at every level of their careers. Here, we've rounded up 11 of the best blogs for writers.
Writers are as varied as the topics they write about. And to accommodate such a vast array of styles, there are plenty of resources covering different niches. If you're a freelance writer or intend to become one shortly, it's a good idea to start grasping marketing and productivity techniques as well as techniques to master your craft. The following blogs will help and inspire you on your journey.
1. Seth's Blog
Seth Godin is the marketing guru who coined the term "purple cow" to denote a remarkable idea worth sharing. He also taught millenials how to choose themselves in an environment full of opportunities for those willing to put in the time and effort to create and sell a product or service. Godin has written more than 17 books on marketing for entrepreneurs. His content is highly inspirational. You'll find plenty on creating and putting your work out into the world in his blog. Sometimes, as authors, we need to allow ourselves room to fail before we can succeed. Seth Godin's advice is to not aim for perfection but completion.
2. ProWritingAid Blog
ProWritingAid is a tool for helping writers with grammar and style issues. It is a robust browser application that you can use to edit your work. The first 500 words of your piece can be edited for free. For longer articles, you either need to purchase a license or edit your work piecemeal. In addition to all the potent editing bits and bobs, their website features a blog where you can learn about the writing process, grammar rules, different types of writing and more.
3. Dianne Jacob's Will Write for Food
Dianne Jacob wrote the book Will Write for Food to help food writers start their career freelancing as food writers. Jacob teaches potential food writers how to research food topics, write a proposal letter to food editors, find publications to submit their work to and craft engaging food descriptions for their audience. On her author's website, she also maintains a blog where she publishes her musings about food blogging along with advice for writers on different non-food topics.
4. Rachelle Gardner | Literary Agent
For authors in a more advanced stage (maybe they already completed their first manuscript or have published their work before), who are looking for potential representation, Gardner's blog is a great reference. Gardner is a literary agent who has worked with some of the biggest names in book publishing and also focuses on coaching new authors and helping them negotiate contracts. In her blog, she provides advice for authors hoping to publish their work with traditional publishers.
5. The Fantasy Author's Handbook
If your goal is to write the next fantasy novel to rival The Lord of the Rings, this blog is for you. Philip Athans is a New York Times bestselling author, and, through his blog, he has made available the contents of his book, The Fantasy Author's Handbook, for free. This is quite a generous gesture from Athans, and it's well worth your time and effort to read his content — it will set you on your path to developing your fantasy universe. Along with the book contents, he also provides tips and advice on publishing for fantasy authors.
6. Now Novel
Have you ever fantasized about writing a novel? If your answer is yes, then this blog is for the creative writer in you. Organizing your first novel is a daunting task. For first-time writers who are also learning the details of crafting fiction, the work is even more overwhelming. Now Novel is an amazing blog for those in the beginning stages of planning and writing their first novel. Anybody can benefit from the treasure trove of information about character development, plot, world-building and even editing and revising.
7. Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLI) Blog
According to the Alliance, self-publishing is quickly changing from an alternative method to get an author's work out in the world when conventional publishers were not accessible to a viable publishing platform for authors. They give advice on the seven processes of publishing: editorial, design, production, distribution, marketing, promotion and selective rights licensing.
8. Productive Writers
John Soares is the force behind Productive Writers, and his content targets freelance writers in general. The topics of interest Soares covers are quite broad, including negotiating freelance gigs, interviewing, networking, dealing with editors and productivity to adding donation buttons to your site. This blog is an excellent read for both seasoned writers and new ones alike.
9. Writers and Authors
Jo Linsdell is responsible for the Writers and Authors blog, and she states in the about section of the site that the aim of Writers and Authors is to provide a one-stop-shop for those looking for information about the writing industry. Linsdell also has a section listing valuable resources where authors can find a glossary of publishing terms and definitions to book marketing plans for download.
10. Association of Ghostwriters
Ghostwriting is one of the most profitable freelance writing niches, but it can be challenging to break into because you'll need to have a portfolio of past work. Your job as a ghostwriter is to write on someone else's voice anonymously. Often, you'll sign non-disclosure agreements. The Association of Ghostwriters helps you with navigating the tricky twists of the industry by providing information, how-tos, marketing advice, client-handling advice and much more.
11. Marie Forleo
Writing is hard. It requires a kind of commitment and faith in yourself as an author that many other occupations won't demand of you. Writing will pose unique challenges that only those with an entrepreneurial mindset can handle. Marie Forleo's blog, although not specifically for writers, offers a lot of encouragement for those who need inspiration and a bit of motivation to pursue the entrepreneurial route in the writing industry. Forleo's content ranges from personal development to strategies for growing your business empire.
How do you start an author blog?
As an author, your online presence is one of your greatest assets in the digital world today. Having an influential author blog establishes your brand and domain authority, and potential clients can read it to get a sense of your voice and style.
There are many ways you can go about setting up your blog. In due time, you'll realize that the value of maintaining and updating your blog frequently outweighs the learning curve and time commitment it takes to set it up and keep it running. And once it's set up, adding content is as easy as writing and hitting the "publish" button.
1. Choose a domain name.
Make it memorable and professional because this domain name will be your brand. You can use your name if you prefer, but it's not absolutely necessary. There's ample room for creativity here.
2. Decide whether you want to use a free platform or purchase a hosting platform.
If you're going to use cost-free platforms, you can use tools like Blogger and Wix. All you need is to create an account to start publishing. A paid blog will require you to choose a publishing platform like WordPress and learn how to use it. There are some features you'll be able to access via paid sites that aren't available on free ones.
3. Launch your blog.
It's good practice to produce about 10 pieces and schedule them to be released before you officially launch your site. A simple content calendar can help you manage how often to publish your content — it will allow you to organize your posts and keep track fo what you've already written since this could become challenging as your portfolio of blog posts grow.
For those of you looking to venture into the world of writing, regardless of the kind of content you are looking to produce, there are plenty of resources for you to take advantage of. If you want to make a living with your writing, it's a good idea to read blogs about writing techniques, like Productive Writers, along with those that teach you how to reach an audience and sell your services, like Seth's Blog. This list is a short snippet of what you can find online. Don't hesitate to make use of it as an excellent starting point for your development as a writer.
Good luck with your writing adventures!
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