Let me start with something that might sting a little: most of you reading this shouldn’t be blogging.
I know, I know. That’s not what you expected to hear from a guy who’s about to spend three blog posts writing about author blogging. But here’s the thing–and this comes from someone who’s been at this long enough to watch countless writers burn themselves out chasing the wrong strategies–the conventional wisdom about author blogging is mostly wrong.
Jane Friedman, who knows more about the publishing business than most of us know about our own coffee preferences, put it bluntly: “The average author does not benefit much from blogging.” She went on to explain that blogging does work, but only “if certain conditions are met. The problem is that few authors meet those conditions.”
That’s what I want to write about today. Not the fantasy version of author blogging that gets peddled in marketing courses, but the messy, complicated reality of trying to build an audience through your own website in 2025.
The Algorithm Gods Have Gone Rogue
Remember when SEO felt like a game you could actually learn to play? Those days are about as dead as my first laptop. Google’s 2025 updates have been–and I’m using the technical term here–absolutely bananas.
The June 2025 core update alone was described as “one of the biggest shake-ups to search results we’ve seen in a while.” Sites that had been ranking well for years suddenly vanished into the digital equivalent of witness protection. Other sites that had been penalized for months suddenly shot back to the top like they’d been fired from a cannon.
Here’s what’s really messing with indie authors: Google’s new AI-powered search results are answering questions directly on the search page. Why click through to your thoughtful blog post about “How to Overcome Writer’s Block” when Google’s AI can summarize the answer right there in the search results? It’s like having a really efficient librarian who never sends you to the actual books.
The data backs this up in ways that should make any author pause. Multiple studies suggest that somewhere between 58-65% of searches are now “zero-click”–meaning people get their answers without ever leaving Google. While the exact numbers are disputed (these studies have methodological limitations), the trend is clear and concerning. The majority of searches now end right there on the search results page.
Think about what that means for your carefully crafted blog posts. You’re not just competing with other authors anymore. You’re competing with Google itself.
The Uncomfortable Mathematics of Author Blogging
Let’s talk numbers, because someone needs to.
Research from multiple sources shows that sites maintaining their search visibility need to publish at least one new post per month and make at least five updates to existing content. That’s the minimum just to stay in place–not to grow, just to avoid sliding backward.
Now, here’s where it gets uncomfortable. The same research shows that most successful indie authors don’t see meaningful results until they have 5-7 books published. If you’re spending 10-15 hours a week blogging (and that’s conservative if you’re doing it right), that’s time you’re not spending writing your next book.
I’m not saying this to discourage anyone. I’m saying it because I’ve watched too many talented writers tie themselves in knots trying to maintain a blog schedule while also trying to write the books that will actually build their careers. Hell, I’ve done it myself on far too many occasions, only to have Google change algorithms out of the blue. Results? Traffic diminishes or swirls around the bowl before getting flushed.
The math stinks: time spent blogging is time not spent writing fiction. And fiction is what most of us would like to have paying the bills.
The Conditions That Actually Matter
So what are these mysterious “conditions” that Jane Friedman mentioned? What separates the authors who benefit from blogging from those who just burn through their writing energy?
First, you need to genuinely enjoy the process of blogging itself. Not the idea of having a blog, not the fantasy of building a platform–the actual work of researching, writing, editing, and publishing blog posts week after week. If blogging feels like homework, you’re probably not going to stick with it long enough to see results.
Second, you need something unique to say that can’t be found elsewhere. Generic writing advice? There are thousands of sites covering that territory better than you probably can. Your specific expertise in underwater basket weaving as it relates to your fantasy novels? Now that’s interesting.
Third–the big one–you need to understand that you measure the long-term game of blogging in years, not months. The authors who succeed with blogging are often the ones who were blogging before they published their first book, who built their platform alongside their writing career rather than as an afterthought.
Most importantly, you need to accept that blogging might not work for you at all, and that’s perfectly fine. Many successful indie authors have never published a single blog post. They’ve built their careers through other means: social media, newsletter marketing, direct reader engagement, or simply by writing really good books.
The Real Question
Here’s what I think is the wrong question: “Should I blog to market my books?”
Here’s the right question: “What’s the best use of my limited time and energy to build a sustainable writing career?”
For some of you, the answer might involve blogging. For many of you, it won’t. And that’s not a failure, that’s wisdom.
In my next post, I’ll dig into when blogging actually does work for authors, what those success stories look like, and how to know if you might be one of the exceptions to the rule. Because yes, there are exceptions. Some authors have built thriving careers partly through consistent, strategic blogging.
But before we get to the success stories, I wanted you to understand the terrain we’re operating in. The search engine landscape has changed dramatically, the competition is fiercer than ever, and the old playbook doesn’t work anymore.
The Authors Who Thrive
The authors who thrive in this environment aren’t the ones who follow every piece of marketing advice they read. They’re the ones who think strategically about where to invest their energy, who understand their own strengths and limitations, and who aren’t afraid to say no to strategies that don’t fit their situation.
Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is not start that blog at all. And if that sounds like heresy coming from someone who obviously blogs regularly, well… that probably tells you something about how much the landscape has changed.
On Wednesday, we’ll explore when blogging actually works. Spoiler alert: it’s more specific than you might think.
Hey, I’m 77 and I’ve got stories…
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