Help for WordPress Newbie Bloggers

Maintaining a blog is one of the major ways to promote yourself and your writing.  The free services offered by Blogger and WordPress.com make it  simple.  Still, there’s a lot you can do to make a free WordPress blog work much harder for you.  Yet many find that task daunting.  Jason Annas aims to guide you by the hand with his intriguing broad-ranging e-book and tutorial video package WordPress Foundations — at a very reasonable price.

I use WordPress myself, though with a slight difference I’ll explain below.  I cannot count the days, weeks, months even I’ve spent learning just how WordPress really works and how to bend it to my purposes.  I have three guidebooks on WordPress that I turn to continually.  but it’s still been a task.  I wish this package had been available when I started out.

The new e-book and video package WordPress Foundations is very thorough, and the videos illustrate the steps with screenshots that walk you through the procedures one-by-one.  The package costs only $50.00, a little more than double the price of one of the paperback guides, but this package includes the invaluable videos.

Well, I have to admit that I haven’t myself seen the videos or even read the book.  But I’m convinced that they are top-notch just by the promotional copy that Jason has put up on the web.  It’s worth a look, especially if you are thinking about setting up a blog.

I myself use WordPress in its self-hosted version.  A bit more complex and certainly more costly than the free WordPress service, but I prefer it.  I have my very own domain name — and the system is even more powerful.  Jason addresses this version at the end of his e-book.  All of the steps he’s described also relate to the self-hosted version.

BONUS NOTES ABOUT TWITTER:

By the way, I learned about this package via Twitter, an invaluable source of information, once you begin to get it under your control.  I’m beginning to understand that users can approach Twitter from different directions, depending on one’s objective.

I principally use Twitter to gather information for this blog.  The trick is in choosing knowledgable people to follow.  I’m not after one million followers myself, at least not right now.  What I want is a rather limited range of authorities, a number small and targetted enough that that I myself can follow them fairly easily.

Another use of Twitter of course is to build one’s own audience of followers.  That’s a different ball game.  Earlier this month, the matter of collecting followers became front page news when Oprah and CNN appealed for followers with highly-promoted  on-air announcements.

Here’s an observation I’ve not seen before:  maybe one should consider having TWO TWITTER IDENTITIES, one via which one collects information, the other through which one builds a following and promotes something, such as a cause — or a series of books.

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Blog Book Tours: A New Twist on Book Promotion

Have you ever heard of organized Blog Book Tours?  I hadn’t — until Twitter pointed me to The Quickest Blog Book Tour Guide Ever.  Here you will find a 10-step guide to creating a tour.  One caution:  it’s a long-term process — you need to begin setting things up months in advance of your book’s publication.

The good news is that these ten steps should be taken by any writer serious about promoting him- or herself as a writer.

But there’s more.  The Blog Book Tours Yahoo Group takes the lessons from the guidebook and helps authors put them into practice.  This group is unusual in the way it does business.  It is essentially a repeating “class” for authors with books to promote.  Membership is limited to 100 for a specified period of time — and the group is renewed at each class cycle.  Group members learn together and support one another — but the Yahoo Group is not itself a platform for selling one’s book.

QUESTION:  Have any of you readers had first-hand experience with a Blog Book Tour?  Please share it.

IN RELATED NEWS…

I just picked up this info online:

BookTour, an online directory of author events, has raised $350,000 in seed capital from Amazon. The company’s chairman, Chris Anderson, is the editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and author of The Long Tail.

BookTour lets authors create pages that update their fans on relevant news and events, and include biographical and other information. Authors can update their profiles whenever they like and users can search the site’s database to find out when their favorite author will be at an event near them, contact authors with questions, or invite them to speak at events.

This new online directory, which is at www.booktour.com, is in beta stages and therefore not yet ready for prime time.  As I write this, it seems to be offline, though i was able to take a look at it yesterday.  Still authors may wish to keep an eye on it.

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Hands-On Blogging Tips for Writers

You’ve heard it a million times already:  writers must promote their own work and therefore need their own blog and/or website.  Setting up a blog or website has become truly easy.  Here are two more options for you to consider, one of which is especially easy to set up yet can be upgraded for more power; and another, which is a premium Word Press theme allowing extensive control over its design.

NOTE:  if you are already blogging, scroll down to the notice about the 31-Day Challenge for Bloggers.

WEBS.COM

Webs.com offers a powerful array of tools to create a distinctive online presence.  Its most unusual feature allows one to create a “static” home page, with a blog available in a tab — OR a more traditional blog, with most recent posts presented on the home page.  There are very good reasons for either approach, but I think the static front page will appeal to many writers who do not want to undertake the obligation to write new blog posts at least once a week.  [For those of you who don't know, here's a video explanation of a static home page, which can also be created within a Word Press blog.  You can also see another tutorial in our VIDEO FOR WRITERS collection.]

One of the best ways to understand this facility is to look at the various sample websites/blogs that use the system.  The variety is quite astonishing.  I was particularly struck by the sample website Book Mania, which uses the service’s entirely free platform.  The free service requires that the site name appears as a “sub-domain.”  The URL follows this structure:  http://sub-domain.webs.com.  This is perfectly acceptable, but many visitors will catch on that it’s a free site.  And sub-domains usually do not rank high in search engines such as Google.  Webs.com customers, however, can easily upgrade in order to obtain one’s own unique hosted domain name, which is preferable for the more serious writer.

I’m impressed with this solution for writer’s seeking internet exposure who do not wish to spend a lot of time setting up and maintaining a website.

THESIS THEME FOR WORD PRESS

Of course, a writer can go to the far other extreme and set up a fully custom-designed website, but that can be a fairly expensive option.  There’s another, very appealing option.  Utilize a premium Word Press theme that allows a lot of control over a blog’s appearance through simple option boxes.   Premium themes cost less than $100, but can provide a writer with a “one-of-a-kind” appearance.

One of the best of such themes is named Thesis.  Some of the most highly regarded bloggers have built their blogs using this premium theme.  I suggest that you visit the astonishing showcase of websites/blogs customized under the Thesis platform.

A Thesis-based blog, hosted by Hostgator, would be easily managable by any writer who has developed basic computer skills.

There’s a full review of this theme at Yaro Starak’s blog Entrepreneurs-Journey.  Even if you are not considering a premium theme, a read through this review will be none-the-less very informative in pointing out many of the options available in blog design.

FREE WORD PRESS THEMES

I personally considered the Thesis theme when looking into redesign of this blog.  But I thought before making that decision that I should  look through some of the free themes available.  I guess I looked at about 200 of them, finding about 10 that I thought would work for Becoming A Writer Seriously.

I finally came across a free theme that met all of my criteria, and that’s the one you see here now.  It’s free — and yes you may come across this theme on other blogs.  But it answers my needs.  The only cost of this theme is the time it has taken to customize it the way I wish with Word Press plug-ins.

31-DAY CHALLENGE FOR NEW BLOGGERS

Darren Rowse runs the highly-regarded ProBlogger blog, which has a huge following.  His blog, by the way, utilizes the Thesis premium theme.  Rouse also authored the book pictured above, considered a blogger’s bible by many.

Starting next Monday, April 6, Darren will begin his 31-Day Challenger for bloggers.  Each day he will send an email to everyone who signs up for the challenge with a nugget of information about successful blogging, often accompanied by a ‘home-work” assignment.  As one of the most knowledgeable people on the planet about the task of blogging, Darren will undoubtedly have a lot of valuable information to share.  He’s run similar challenges in 2007 and 2005.  This year he expects about 8000 participants.  It’s free — so why not join in.  While aimed at newer bloggers, he promised to include information for the more experienced as well.

This time around Dan is also setting up a forum  for participants.  In fact, if you do intend to participate, leave a note in the comments below.  If there are enough of us, I may be able to set up a special section of the forum just for us.  That would be turly useful, as we will all share the perspective of being working and aspiring writers.

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Social Media: Where to Start?

Okay, so you’ve decided that, yes, maybe you should get started with the social media in order to build your writing career.  But where does one start?  Just go to The Social Media Starter Kit.  Amber Naslund will lead you by the hand through the major social media websites, explaining what each does and how to get started on each one.  Now you have no more excuses:  just do it.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Are the online social media helpful for writers?  Are you participating?  Or is it all overblown?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Newsweek: A Sobering Take on Blogging

Daniel Lyons wrote an article for Newsweek and its website titled Time to Hang Up the Pajamas, a sobering look at blogging through the eyes of a writer who hoped to earn a decent income from his own two-year-old blog.  He points to the fatigue many bloggers are feeling, especially those who spend hours every day laboring at their blogs without very much return.  He provides insight into the blogging community and the paltry financial figures even for some high-profile blogs.

I’ve also been blogging for two years.  So far, I’ve earned less than $10 from my Amazon bookstore for writers.  But it’s not the money that I’ve been after.  It’s a motivational device to push me forward to learn even more about the technical and business side of writing.  I’m part, I guess, of the Attention Economy that I pointed to in an earlier post this week — the payback comes not in dollars, but in the attention the blog receives.

It would be difficult for me to stop blogging at this point, even though I think about that quite often.  Yes, there’s a lot of fatigue — BUT I’ve got enough info-gathering mechanisms in place that I uncover several obscure pieces of information every week that might be valuable to writers.  I feel compelled to pass them on.

That said, I am still looking for ways to add some fresh energy to this blog.  Hopefully, I will soon be announcing a blogging partner who will bring to this space a new perspective that nicely complements my own.  I’m in discussion with one writer with long-time experience in helping other writers.  And several others have indicated interest in contributing to this blog on a regular basis in the poll that’s been running in the sidebar.

Now’s the time for any potential contributors to contact me directly at baws at phmx.otherinbox.com.

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Best of the Web: Timelines, Self-Publishing

The latest…

Top 100 Creative Writing Blogs:  Christina Laun has just published this awesome annotated list at Best Colleges Online.  It’s a great reference.  And, yes, we made the list — thanks, Christina.

Bee Docs Timeline for Writers:  Those of us who write novels, memoirs or history using a MAC may find Bee Docs Timeline [$40] useful.

New York Times on Self-Publishing:  Once considered a “kiss of death” for aspiring authors, the New York Times recently carried a major article asserting that self-publishing is emerging as a legitimate strategy to achieve a major book deal.

Writer’s Digest 2009 Directory of Self-Publishing Companies:  Posted at the Writer’s Digest website is a comprehensive list of sixty-one self-publishing companies, each with contact details and summary of its approach.

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Best of the Web for Writers: January 23, 2009

Here are some sites I’ve found valuable over the past few days.

Up-to-Date Backup Strategies:  I’ve written several times about back up strategies, but the available hardware and software keeps getting better.  For the most up-to-date review of back up strategies, read PC World’s brief how-to article.

The Wealthy Freelancer:  This is a fairly new blog, but already it has carried several posts about the importance of time management to one’s productivity.  This link takes you to those posts.

Author Leo Babauta’s promo strategy:  Babauta offers a free 27-page downloadable e-book in advance of publication of his real book.  Interesting idea to build interest and buzz.

Place a Word Count Button on the Word toolbar:  Dp you like to follow at a glance your accumulating word count?   You can do that relatively easy in Microsoft Word, though it takes a few clicks to do so.  PC World offers instructions on a simple step that will put a word count button right on your Word toolbar, making the check even easier.

Build a Tumblr Website:  I learned about the website platform Tumblr from Kyle Bunch who describes it this way:

Tumblr is the ultimate case of a “so easy, I just can’t NOT use it” apps.  Sure, I’d much rather host my own sites if at all possible…but when Tumblr lets me get a good-looking site with a so-easy-my-dead-aunt-can-use-it CMS from idea to live in a few minutes, I just can’t stop doing it.

If you’ve got a minute, click on the links to get these out.

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SiteSpinner Pro: One-Day Discount

There are so many approaches to building one’s own website or blog these days.  You can go with free websites or blogs, appearing as a “sub-domain” and utilizing a limited range of templates for your design.  You can get your own domain name, but host it under a multi-user account.  You can opt for a self-hosted blog software such as WordPress, which gives you lots of flexibility.  Or you can also go independent, designing your own site to be hosted on your own chosen webhost.  SiteSpinner Pro helps you with this last option.

Site Spinner Pro is not cheap.  Normally selling for $99.00, it is available today only for a 60-percent discount at Bits du Jour.  You can explore out the software and this discount at Bit du Jour’s discount page.  As the day goes on, you can review the accumulating comments, which will provide more insight into this product.

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Website Redux: WSJ Points You Toward Personal Website

You’ve made your New Year’s Resolution, haven’t you:  this year you will set up your own writer’s website.  There’s no longer an excuse not to do so.

Following up my post of earlier this month about free websites, I’ve come across a detailed article from the Wall Street Journal about how to create a successful website for free.  This article points to several facilities that I have never mentioned on this blog before, pointing out that there is a proliferation of such sites over the past year.  If you as a writer don’t yet have a website, this is a must-read article.

I’m particularly impressed with SynthaSite, which is new to me.  One feature I’ve never seen before:  if you buy a domain name through SynthaSite [cost approximately $10], it will host it for you for free!  Gosh!  I’m paying $180 for the hosting of one of my own personal sites with its own unique web address.

The major disadvantage of these free sites is the limited access to design templates.  But even that gets better and better, with more offerings and with more options to customize the look within a template.

If you have already set up your own writer’s website, tell us about it so that we can come visit.  One of the best ways to learn about websites and blogging is to visit other sites for inspiration and ideas.  Just leave a comment by linking on the link below.

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Bkiosk: Perfect WebHost for Writers?

Jeff Stone, the creator of the newly launched [I hope!] webhost Bkiosk, was good enough to give us forewarning about this exciting new facility by posting a comment to my post earlier this month No More Excuses: Set Up Your Website which offered suggestions about free otpions for writers seeking to establish a blog.  I visited the site immediately and learned just enough to know that it was worth looking forward to.  At that visit, most of the site’s capabilities and features were still under wraps, but what I did see was very enticing.  I marked my calendar for Jeff’s anticipated launch day, 22 December [or thereabouts]  And, now, that day is finally here!  Let’s see if Jeff met his deadline.

Being the curious sort, I tracked down an article by Jeff atarticle directory ArticlesBase about marketing strategies.  In it, he gives broad hints about the capabilities of the upcoming Bkiosk site.  In it, he underscores that Bkiosk can be used for dissemination of downloadable PDF ebooks [and maybe even audiobooks].  The downloads can be offered for free — or one can charge a fee, with the website automating the process.  Hey, writers, this sounds ideal for us!

While I’m mentioning this article, let me say a word about Jeff’s own marketing.  First, by posting an article at ArticlesBase, he’s getting word out about his project and building additional identity on the internet.  Writers, of course, can do the same  I was myself skeptical at first about writing for such article directories.  I’ve even posted about this avenue of promotion and income.  But in recent months, I’m becoming more aware of the importance of this marketing strategy for driving traffic to your own site.  Writers should consider exploring it.

Along with Bkiosk, Jeff is setting up the Small Business Internet Cooperative, with its own website and blog.

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• FOUR CORNERSTONES of PRODUCTIVITY 4 WRITERS

  After more than two years of blogging, I've come to realize that there are four areas writers must address to improve their productivity: Thinking, Organizing, Writing, Promoting. Below are some of the best books to help you master these challenges.

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• 4 - PROMOTING

  

  
• ..... VIDEO FOR WRITERS here offers only four out of a large collection of video useful to writers. To see an annotated list of all of them, just click on the title of the box below. .....

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  Select Category 1-GENERAL  (3)    1-Introduction  (1)    2-Quick Start Advice  (18)    3-Miscellaneous Topics  (83) 2-FIRST STEPS  (2)    1-Finding Time  (32)    2-Organizing Your Workspace  (25)    3-Collecting Ideas  (19)    4-Joining the Community  (31) 3-PUTTING WORDS ON PAPER  (7)    1-For General Writers  (15)    2-For Novelists  (18)    3-For Scriptwriters  (7)    4-Alternatives to Word  (22)    5-Writing Online  (32)    6-Alternative Office Suites  (20)    7-Word & WordPerfect Tricks  (7)    8-Specialized Writing Tools  (49)    9-For Mac  (17) 4-CREATING CONTENT  (4)    1-Story Development  (3)    2-Research  (6)    3-Saving Your Work  (14)    4-The Craft of Writing  (4) 5-THE BUSINESS OF WRITING  (1)    01-Agents  (3)    02.Markets  (11)    03-Other Sources of Income  (20)    04-Submissions, Pricing & Billing  (9)    05-Print on Demand  (30)    06-eBooks and AudioBooks  (50)    07-Marketing and Promoting  (47)    08-Blogs & Websites  (38)    09-Podcasts & Teleconferencing  (15)    10-Equipment for Writers  (15)    11-Keeping Up with Software  (10) 6-OTHER RESOURCES  (0)    Book Stores  (7)    Learning Opportunities  (4)    Magazines  (1)    Miscellaneous  (4)    Newsletters  (2)    Other Website & Blogs  (15) Uncategorized  (227)

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