There is much debate as to whether an author blog can help increase book sales. What the author blog does do is increase web traffic to their author website which in turn can direct viewers to where they can buy the book. So the real question we have to ask is, should you have a blog as an author and if so what should it contain?

Is it really beneficial to write a blog? The answer is yes, it will most certainly increase web traffic and hopefully therefore sales.

When you write very much depends upon time demands but even if you only write once a week you will still gain interest. The main thing is to be consistent, even if you only blog once a week. Blogging is also a fantastic way to create new book ideas and home your writing skills; there is nothing to lose by creating one.

The main question though is what to blog about? This very much depends upon the type of book that you write. Blogging is a very different world for the fiction and nonfiction writer. Blogging for the author is in a way easier for the nonfiction writer as the genre is already there; the obvious choices are those interests related to your genre of book. So if you write nonfiction books about cookery then your blog can be about cooking. You could write about your latest culinary creations, the latest restaurant you have visited or any cooking disasters. The choice is endless and if you only blog once a week you will never run out of ideas.

For the fiction writer, the way to approach blogging is slightly different. For example, if you are a writer of horror then you could focus your blog upon the horror genre. You may decide to write reviews of books you have recently read, give critiques of the latest horror film, what you wish would be included in the horror novel and general ramblings about your day. Again the choice of material is limitless. For both the fiction and nonfiction writer the key is to be personal, the reader needs to feel as if they are getting to know you and this is crucial if you want them to become interested in finding out more about you and where they can purchase your books.

It is a good idea to include on your blog a list of author blog sites who write in a similar style or genre to your own. You will find that many will repay the favour and pop your blog onto their site.

Don’t under any circumstances start to plug your book and tell readers how wonderful it is; even it is true, they don’t want to hear about it. You need to be subtle and write about what interests you. If what you write is engaging then the reader will be engaged too and will want to find out more about the author behind the blog.