How to Start a Blog as an Indie Romance Author
Are you an author who is publishing books independently? Have you considered starting a blog to expand your reach? This post will provide you with the exact directions needed to set up a blog that will help you reach your audience with ease.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no cost to you.
Building an audience as an indie author can be challenging in the beginning stages of your career. Many authors heavily utilize social media to market their books and gain a supportive audience. This can be challenging due to the algorithms of the best ranking platforms for bookish content. As an author, you don’t have any control over who sees your content and how far of a reach it reaches.
When you start a blog, you will have more control over reaching your ideal audience and building an online community with ideal readers. You can dive heavily into utilizing SEO to connect with readers and promote your books. Starting a blog is a long-term marketing strategy, not an instant sales method. You should expect to put in more work at the beginning to reap the benefits in the future.
Here are the 5 steps to follow when starting a blog:
- Define your blog’s purpose and goals
- Choose your blogging platform
- Pick your domain name & host
- Start your WordPress blog
- Set up your blog
- Plan your content strategy
Why should indie authors start a blog?
As a blogger who has been at it for years, I understand the benefits of starting a blog, especially as an indie author. Stepping into this arena, you probably never thought of your marketing strategy outside of social media platforms and publishing weekly newsletters.
Have you ever thought of the benefits your website could possess with the addition of a blog?
Well…no worries! I am here to share those benefits now. Starting a blog would allow you to increase your visibility, produce audience engagement, and gain book sales (at times passively). As a new indie author, I am starting a blog to help establish a dedicated fan base before even publishing my first book. I want to attract new prospects to my website to build trust and a relationship.
Reedsy conducted a survey in 2023 that discovered that 68% of successful indie authors actively maintained a blog or newsletter before publishing a book. Could you imagine the achievements you could have gained by starting with a marketing strategy independent of a social media platform?
Woah, woah…I am not downplaying the effects that a community on Instagram or TikTok can have on your career. I don’t know about you, but marketing on social media can feel anxiety-producing. You are always trying to maintain relevancy and thus are competing with other authors promoting their work, too.
Each time you publish on your blog, you are continuously improving your rankings in the search engine. Your ranking will make it easier for readers to find your work outside of social media or even Amazon.
“Businesses that blog average 55% more website visitors than those that don’t.” – Hubspot
How to Set Up a Blog
Your blog can be the driving force needed to increase your book sales and pre-orders organically. I know that this sounds like more work in your head, but showcasing who you are will help you to establish authority & trust with new prospects. Think of your audience…are you willing to purchase books from authors you don’t know?
Yep…I figured. Your ideal readers will be more likely to buy your books after they have gained your trust. Can you see yourself starting a blog? These next few steps are laid out to make it easy for you to get started today!
Define your blog’s purpose & goals
I mentioned before that I have previous experience with blogging. In the past, I have used Squarespace, Blogger, Bluehost, and now Big Scoots. When you choose your platform, you will want to select a self-hosted site. This will maintain the ownership of your platform, unlike Squarespace and Blogger.
It’s true that self-hosted platforms will require more effort and are a bit more expensive, but the customer service and support you will gain is out of this world.
Despite switching from Bluehost to Big Scoots, I recommend either one of these platforms to start.
Take some time to research and compare the platform that will work best for you. You will indeed come across some mixed reviews, but it is all up to what feels right for what you are trying to achieve.
On Bluehost, you will have three different options that you can choose from. When I started on the platform, I selected the Starter plan because it didn’t require as much as I required in the beginning stages of my blog. On Big Scoots, you will have three different options under the Managed Hosting option. It is important to know that the plans on Big Scoots are priced at a monthly rate. For myself, I selected the Starter plan option.
Pick a domain name
We’re getting closer to getting your blog ready for the world to see. The most important step…Well, the step that I deem important involves creating your domain. You may already have a name in mind, but make sure that your audience can remember it AND that your domain is not complicated. Your domain address can be your pen name. For example, mine is thebrittanyjayna.com (don’t worry about adding the .com when creating your domain).
Also, I want to help you avoid a simple mistake that I made in the beginning. Avoid using the same platform that hosts your blog with your domain.
Currently, I use Bluehost to maintain my domain, and I host my platform on Big Scoots. This allows me to maintain autonomy.
Set up your blog
After completing the onboarding process for the platform and setting up the domain, you can begin the fun part… designing your blog!!! I am a tech nerd, and I LOVE this part of the process. Hush…I know I am weird, and I embrace it. Haha.
Anyways…when you log into your account, you will be taken through the process to pick different themes available on WordPress. Some of the themes you may or may not love, while others will simply require your brand colors to be added. If you are seeking a more professional look, then I will encourage you to purchase a theme.
When you purchase a theme, you can upload it to your website, and it will take on the appearance of the theme. On my website, I use a theme from 17th Avenue Designs. The creator has the best themes, and they are so cute! Personally, I believe that they are extremely affordable for someone who is just starting. And the instructions for setting up the theme are very user-friendly! Setting up your blog wouldn’t require too much coding when you go this route.
If this is appealing to you, then you should head over to her website and check out her portfolio.
Plan your content calendar
Last, but not least, it’s time to create a content calendar for your blog! Your blog is set up, and it is ready for you to start writing to get your content out there so you can build the audience of your dreams!
