If You Build it, They Will Come: On Blogging, Service and Platform-Building

I started my blog almost two years ago after attending a writers’ workshop on publishing in the digital age. There wasn’t much talk of e-books or self-publishing from the presenters. Instead, they hammered a single message into us all day: you, as writers, need an electronic presence . . . preferably a blog. It’s how you control the message of who you are and what you do. Your site is Google’s gateway to you and your work.

Like many writers, I long resisted self-promotion, finding the very idea distasteful and embarrassing. But I’d learned from the experience of publishing my first (mostly overlooked) book, Silence is Death (oh! the irony of that title in this context…), that if you don’t advocate for your own work, no one will.

I knew that this time around, I had to swallow pride and do things differently. So, in preparation for the publication of my second book, Epistolophilia, I decided to take the workshop’s advice. I bought a domain name (my own name as well as my books’ titles), and started a blog.

Despite my initial reticence, blogging quickly brought unexpected rewards. From the very beginning, I enjoyed the discipline regular posting required, and the way the site grew slowly, like a garden or a manuscript. I'm obsessed with archives, so I love the way blogs are keepers of their own histories. Finally, I have been delighted by the community-building opportunities that a blog creates.

A long time ago, I sat on an academic board that organized a biannual conference whose participants' median age was going up and up. Board members worried constantly about the organization's impending death and wondered how to attract younger attendees. "Offer them something," I suggested. "An opportunity to win a book prize or a shot at a fellowship. Offer them something, and they will come." So, that's what we did. Once the association started a modest fellowship program and book prize, youthful scholars began returning to the association (and the financial investment quickly paid for itself).

The same principle works for a blog: offer something, and readers will come.

Blogs need not be navel-gazing, self-aggrandizing, or mean-spirited. When setting up the parameters of my blog, I asked myself how I could serve fellow writers. I decided on a ratio of 1:2. For every post about myself or my work, I featured at least 2 items about someone or something else: a review of a book or essay; a funding announcement or call for submissions; an author interview with a fellow writer of creative nonfiction.

By shining the spotlight (small as mine may be) on another writer, or by giving her a platform to talk about her work, I not only gain traffic on the blog (for every other writer brings friends and fans with her), I also gain insight, contacts, friends, knowledge and the occasional free book.

The more I extend myself to other writers, the more they reach back.

Writers are also readers. We are each other's colleagues, but also each other's audiences. Serving writers means reaching readers.

Be brave, be bold, and build. Then open yourself up to others and share.

[Originally posted at http://julijasukys.com]

[Photo: Shoeless Joe Jackson, by John McNab]

Tags: Blogging, Countdown, Electronic, Friendship, Marketing, Networking, Platform-Building, Pubication, Publicity, Publishing, More…to

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Comment by Julija Sukys on December 18, 2011 at 12:38am: Marybeth, Liberty, and Amanda,

I'm so glad that you found the post useful. It's such a basic idea that's been around forever: give and you shall receive! Do connect back to my site in the future. The more intricate the network, the stronger the community! Good luck with the new blog, Marybeth. I'm looking forward to reading it!

Comment by Marybeth Holleman on December 17, 2011 at 6:46pm: Great post. I'm preparing to upgrade my website with an integrated blog, and have been wondering just how to create a blog that can be of use. The 1:2 ratio is an excellent idea that I will use - and will connect to yours in the near future - watch for it!

Comment by Liberty Montano on December 17, 2011 at 4:16pm: I love your 1:2 ratio! I think that's the direction most marketing is going. The more love we give, the more there is to spread around. Similar practices have worked well in the craft industry. It's about building links and growing your niche! I would love to see this applied more to tweets. To many still only tweet promotions for their work and forget to connect with readers. Thanks again. Great article!

Comment by Amanda Miller on December 17, 2011 at 5:42am: This is really great. Thanks for posting.

Comment by Julija Sukys on December 17, 2011 at 5:35am: Mindy, I understand completely! It's hard to be bold. But, as I wrote in this post, one way around that feeling of dread is to make a significant proportion of your posts about something other than you and your personal (or even professional) life. Figure out what you have to offer and where your expertise lies, and go with that.

Comment by mindy trotta on December 16, 2011 at 1:28pm: Thanks for the great advice. I've recently started writing a blog and I truly enjoy posting, but I can't help feeling a little bit like a narcissist when I do. The thought of advertising new posts makes me feel even moreso. I realize that I have to just get out there and promote my stuff. I am hoping that sooner or later people other than my family and friends will find some value in what I write and start reading regularly.

Comment by Kate Deeks on December 15, 2011 at 11:41am: Like your 1:2 formula. Seems like it would alleviate the pain you mentioned of self-aggrandizing.

Comment by Julija Sukys on December 15, 2011 at 9:17am: Hi Judith,

yes, the book is based on a collection of literally thousands of letters both to and from my subject, Ona Simaite. The letters span 1932-1970, and were scattered to archives in the US, Israel and Lithuania. I also had access to a collection of 28 journals spanning twenty years or so. They've recently been moved from Kent State University to Vilnius University. Finally, I had access to notebooks that recorded finances, collections of clippings, drafts of literary works. It was a labour of love.

Comment by Judith van Praag on December 15, 2011 at 9:09am: Good for you Julija! Best of luck with promotion and sales of Epistolophilia. I understand you based your book on existing or should I say, surviving journals of your subject?

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