12 Must-Follow Blogs For Authors
One key factor to our success as authors is what we have learned from others along the way. So today, we want to share 12 of our favorite blogs for authors. We encourage you to check them out as well as share which blogs are your favorite blogs are in the comments.
#1. The Future Of Ink
Shelley is a contributor of this site that revolves around digital publishing. The quality of posts this site offers can’t be beat. It was founded by Denise Wakeman and Ellen Britt with the hopes of becoming THE authority site for entrepreneurs looking for info on digital publishing. They have experts from all over who contribute posts regularly to their site: http://thefutureofink.com/
(Click here to see Shelley’s posts)
#2. Books and Such:
Books & Such is an agency that helps authors build careers. The blog on their website is written by literary agents and is full of great content for aspiring and seasoned authors alike. You can check it out at: http://www.booksandsuch.com/blog/
I was turned onto this website after following one of their agents (Rachelle Gardner pictured below) online for years. You can check out her blog for some awesome posts as well, however it does appear that all of her new stuff is coming out on Books & Such).
#3. Jeff Goins
Jeff started his blog in 2010 in search of answers, found a community of like-minded people, and became a huge success. He shares insights about writing, publishing, marketing and anything else he thinks of on his blog. Check out the most recent posts at: http://goinswriter.com/
#4. Write to Done:
Write to done is about learning to write better. They cover everything from copywriting to creative writing and everything both in between and beyond. If you’re a writer, chances are this blog has something for you: http://writetodone.com/
#5. The Book Designer
Joel Friedlander blogs about the publishing side of being a writer. He says that, “Writers change the world one reader at a time.
But you can’t change the world with a book that’s still on your hard drive or in a box under your bed.” He also puts together a blog carnival with blogs from around the web that relate to self-publishing, book marketing, writing, and more. It’s a great way to skim posts and find the ones you want to read. You can visit his site at: http://www.thebookdesigner.com/
#6. Marketing Tips
Paula Krapf has an outstanding blog where she shares book marketing and publishing tips: http://marketingtipsforauthors.com/blog
#7. Jody Hedlund
Jody shares what she is learning in her own journey of publishing and marketing on her blog. I have been following her for years and she shares amazing insights worth reading. Jody is a romance writer, but most of her posts are good for any genre. Topics you’ll find on her blog include: writing and marketing tips, publishing news, and everything in between. She has been a huge inspiration in my own book marketing. You can check out her most recent posts at: http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/
#8. Denise Wakeman
Denise is the founder of Future of Ink (#1 on our list) but she has an amazing blog herself that I highly recommend checking out at: http://denisewakeman.com/
#9. Jane Friedman
The subtitle of Jane’s blog is “Writing, reading, and publishing in the digital age,” and she covers exactly that. You can check it out here: http://janefriedman.com/blog/
#10. Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
Penny Sansevieri shares some awesome info on her blog: http://www.amarketingexpert.com/blog/
#11. Author Media
This blog focuses mainly on growing your online platform, but it is definitely worth following: http://www.authormedia.com/blog/
#12. Helping Writers Become Authors
If you write fiction, you won’t find a better blog than K.M. Weiland’s “Helping Writers Become Authors.” She shares quality posts that teach authors how to write great novels. I also encourage you to download her free eBook on character development – it’s amazing. The only reason I’ve listed this site last is because it’s really only helpful to fiction authors. If you are a non-fiction author, you’ll probably want to pass this one by.
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/
What’s your favorite blog for authors?
Share it in the comments below!
I’m honored! Thanks so much for including me amongst such great company.
Thank YOU for writing such an awesomely helpful blog! I ordered your book on outlining last week and have been watching the mailbox ever since! Can’t wait to dive in 🙂
I’m honored that you have included both my personal and The Future of Ink blog on your list. Thank you! You’ve also introduced me to a few blogs I’m not familiar with so I’ll be checking them out.
Thank YOU for providing authors with such amazing content!
Wow, thank you so much for including us! We really appreciate it!
We appreciate you, Penny! Thanks for taking the time to help other authors.
Thanks for these great sites! I’m currently follow a few of them. One I’d recommend is The Write Life. They share great tips on writing and writing related topics. Here’s think link.
http://thewritelife.com/
That’s a good one, too, Elke! Thanks for sharing the link.
Please note that bookpleasures.com has been around since 2002 and we have posted over 7500 book reviews and over 800 author interviews. We are always on the lookout for authors to interview. We are also on the ylookout for new reviewers. This is a great way to network and publicize your own work.
Thanks for taking the time to put together this very help group of sites. Some I knew, others are new to me. I’d like to pass on one that has been helpful to me in understanding Amazon and some of the other digital sites and how to market better. The site is David Gaughran’s Let’s Get Digital. Here is the link:
https://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/
That’s another great one, Mark. I’ve read several of their posts over the years.
You definitely have to add C.S. Lakin’s site, Live Write Thrive, to this list. She’s got some awesome advice about writing and posts on a variety of topics, including a regular grammar brush up post so that we can keep those finer details straight. Please add her to your list!
Hey Ekta. I’ve read her blog, too. Thanks for sharing!
Several sites I was unfamiliar with – thanks.
A couple I like:
Molly Green – on writing and blogging
http://www.molly-greene.com/
Anne R. Allen
http://annerallen.blogspot.ca/
(note the Writers Digest Top 101 Sites logo)
Thanks for sharing those, David!
So many great sites! Thanks so much for sharing!
Some of my favorites are Randy Ingermanson’s Advanced Fiction Writing, Edie Melson’s The Write Conversation, and Susan May Warren’s group at My Book Therapy. Tons of information at all of those blogs!
Those were all new to me, Marji – thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for the great list! (Of course, I’m partial to #2). 🙂
I am too, Cynthia – I’ve been following Rachelle for longer than I can remember. Though, I do admit that I found her through Jody’s blog (#7).
Thanks for the list! I love Anne R. Allen’s blog, and have checked into several others you mention. I also really like Fiction U – it has given me inspiration and answers many times.
Thanks for sharing. I hadn’t seen Fiction University before (though I just seriously started writing fiction again after focusing on non-fiction for years, so that’s not too surprising). I’m adding it to my watch list.
Rachelle Gardner often contributes to the Books & Such blog, which is wonderful … but Rachelle’s blog itself is amazing. In my mind, it’s the #1 go-to for authors at all levels.
I agree, Sandie. The only reason her blog didn’t officially make the list is because she hasn’t been regularly posting any new content that doesn’t link to Books & Such. However, I still reference her old posts because they are that awesome and memorable 🙂
I was going to mention David Gaughran’s Let’s Get Digital but someone else mentioned it.
Also I’m surprised you left out J.A. Konraths, A Newbies Guide to Publishing http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/ since it gets about thirty thousand hits a day.
Also there’s Hugh Howey’s blog http://www.hughhowey.com/
Both are very topical and thought provoking.
Thanks for sharing those links, Mark. I’ll admit, keeping our list to 12 was a bit difficult, however we know that if all you ever do is follow blogs on writing, publishing, and marketing, you’ll never have time to do any of that yourself. Thus, I promised no more than 12.
Kudos for the helpful post. Some familiar names & some new ones. I read Michael Hyatt’s blog regularly for updates in the writing field and for leadership boosts. http://michaelhyatt.com/
A second vote for http://www.michaelhyatt.com. I read his at least once a week, follow on twitter & FB as well. Great content for Platform building and I love his GetNoticed! WP theme, now available to authors (I’ve been using it since beta).
I’ve followed him on and off for awhile. He is definitely another great resource for authors.
Jeff Goins has been my favourite out of these so far. Great personal touch, thoroughly informative and down to earth.
Yes – Jeff’s blog is awesome. 🙂
Amazing Blog. Thanks for sharing about the top 12 blogs for authors that really helpful for us. Really appreciate your work & highly recommended to all my connections as well. Keep posting!
You’re welcome!
Thank you for the amazing list of authors. I already follow some of them.
You’re welcome!
I was impressed by your post, very informative and educational, especially for a new writers like myself. I thank you.
You’re welcome!