In the previous post, we had a dose of reality about author blogging–where I basically told most of you to skip it entirely–and if I allowed comments on these posts I suspect we would have seen a predictable mix of responses. Half the messages might have thanked for saying what needed to be said. The other half probably would have written something like, “Okay, smart guy, but what about [insert successful author blogger here]? They built their entire career through blogging!”
Fair point. There are authors who’ve turned blogging into legitimate career fuel. The question is: what makes them different from the thousands who’ve burned through their writing energy maintaining blogs that nobody reads?
Today we’re diving into the specific conditions that separate blogging success stories from blogging cautionary tales. Because while most authors shouldn’t blog, some absolutely should–and the difference isn’t what you might think.
The Authors Who Actually Benefit from Blogging
Let me start with what successful author bloggers have in common, because it’s not what the marketing gurus usually emphasize.
First, they were experts in something before they became novelists. Take Hugh Howey, who spent years blogging about indie publishing while building his own catalog. Or Joanna Penn at The Creative Penn, who combined business expertise with publishing knowledge. These aren’t fiction writers who decided to blog about writing–they’re subject matter experts who happened to write fiction too.
Second, they treat blogging as a legitimate business function, not a creative outlet. The successful ones track metrics, test headlines, optimize for search engines, and yes, sometimes write posts that feel more like work than art. They understand that a blog is a marketing tool, not a diary.
Third, and this is crucial, they had patience measured in years, not months. The authors making real money from their blogs often started before they published their first novel. They built their platforms alongside their writing careers, not as an afterthought when their books weren’t selling.
Jane Friedman is probably the best example of this. She didn’t start blogging to market her fiction; she built expertise in publishing business, shared that knowledge consistently for years, and eventually monetized that expertise through books, courses, and speaking. Her blog works because it serves an audience beyond just her fiction readers.
The Three Types of Author Blogs That Actually Work
After researching dozens of successful author bloggers, I’ve identified three distinct models that consistently generate results. If your blog doesn’t fit one of these patterns, you’re probably wasting your time.
- The Expert Platform: These authors blog about their professional expertise outside of fiction writing. They might be therapists who write psychological thrillers, historians who write historical fiction, or former cops who write crime novels. Their blogs attract readers interested in their expertise, some of whom become fiction readers as a bonus. Chuck Wendig is a great example. He built his platform around writing advice and industry commentary, establishing himself as an authority before his fiction took off. His blog readers came for the writing insights and stayed for the novels.
- The Process Chronicler: Writers like me document their writing journey in detail, sharing what they’re learning about craft, business, and the industry. They succeed because they’re genuinely helping other writers, not just promoting their own work. The key difference: they’re teaching, not just talking about themselves. They analyze what works and what doesn’t, share specific strategies, and provide value that goes beyond “buy my book.”
- The Niche Authority: These authors become the go-to voice for specific genres, historical periods, or writing communities. They might blog exclusively about Viking history while writing Viking fiction, or become the authority on cozy mystery writing techniques. Kristen Lamb built a significant platform by focusing specifically on social media for writers. She wasn’t trying to appeal to all readers—she was serving a specific audience with specific needs.
The Uncomfortable Prerequisites Most Authors Don’t Have
Here’s where I’m going to lose some of you, because the prerequisites for successful author blogging are more demanding than most writers want to acknowledge.
You need genuine expertise beyond storytelling. If your only qualification is “I write books,” you’re competing with thousands of other authors saying the same thing. What can you teach that other people can’t? What problems can you solve that readers actually have?
You need to enjoy the business side of writing. Successful author bloggers spend significant time on keyword research, SEO optimization, email list building, and conversion tracking. If the phrase “sales funnel” makes you break out in hives, blogging probably isn’t your marketing channel.
You need consistent output for years. Not months, years. The authors who build substantial platforms typically publish 2-3 substantial blog posts per month for 3-5 years before seeing significant results. That’s 100+ blog posts before you break even.
You need to prioritize audience service over self-promotion. The ratio should be roughly 80% value, 20% promotion. Most author blogs flip this ratio and wonder why nobody reads them.
Most importantly, you need to be comfortable with the fact that blogging might cannibalize your fiction writing time without generating proportional income for years. That’s a trade-off many authors simply can’t afford to make.
When Blogging Definitely Doesn’t Work
Let me save you some time by identifying the situations where author blogging consistently fails, regardless of how much effort you put in.
If you’re writing in competitive fiction genres with no unique angle. Romance, fantasy, and thriller authors face massive competition in the blogging space. Unless you have a truly unique perspective or expertise, you’re probably better off focusing on direct reader engagement through social media or newsletters.
If you’re impatient for results. I cannot stress this enough: author blogging is a 3-5 year strategy. If you need marketing results in the next 12 months to keep your writing career viable, blogging isn’t going to save you.
If you’re already struggling to maintain a fiction writing schedule. Adding regular blogging to an already packed schedule is a recipe for burnout. Master your fiction writing routine first, then consider whether you have bandwidth for blogging.
If you hate the business aspects of writing. Blogging amplifies all the business elements of a writing career—market research, audience analysis, metrics tracking, content optimization. If you got into writing to escape business thinking, blogging will make you miserable.
If your only blog topics are “my writing process” or generic writing advice. The market for this content is saturated. Unless you’re bringing genuinely fresh insights or substantial expertise, you’re just adding to the noise.
The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About
Even when author blogging works, it comes with opportunity costs that most writers underestimate.
Time is the obvious one. A quality blog post takes hours when you factor in research, writing, editing, optimization, and promotion. Those are hours you’re not writing books, and books pay most authors’ bills. Well, in truth, that’s not so because most authors don’t make a living with their writing. You don’t believe me? Including self-published and commercially published, over 4 million new books were published in 2022. And most of us are indie writers self-publishing in 2025, so the odds for success are miniscule.
But there’s also creative energy depletion. Many authors find that blogging drains their creative well, leaving them with less energy for the imaginative work their novels require. You might maintain your word count, but the quality suffers.
Then there’s the pressure to have opinions about everything happening in the publishing industry. Successful author bloggers often become reluctant industry commentators, weighing in on controversies and trends whether they want to or not. That can be exhausting and sometimes damaging to your reputation.
Finally, there’s the platform maintenance burden. A successful blog becomes a business that requires feeding. You can’t just disappear for six months to write your novel–your audience expects consistency.
The Alternative That Might Work Better
Before you decide whether to start that author blog, consider this: many of the benefits that author blogging supposedly provides can be achieved more efficiently through other channels.
- Want to build an email list? A simple author website with a compelling reader magnet often converts better than a blog with scattered traffic.
- Want to establish expertise? Guest posting on established platforms, podcast interviews, and strategic social media engagement can build authority faster than starting from zero with your own blog.
- Want to connect with readers? Newsletter marketing and social media provide more direct, controllable communication channels.
- Want to improve your writing? The time you’d spend blogging might be better invested in fiction writing, where every word directly serves your primary career goal.
The question isn’t whether blogging can work for authors–it’s whether it’s the best use of your limited time and energy compared to alternative strategies.
Making the Decision
So how do you decide if you’re one of the exceptions who should blog?
Ask yourself these questions honestly:
Do I have genuine expertise beyond fiction writing that people actively seek out?
Am I genuinely excited about teaching and helping other people, or do I just want to promote my books?
Can I commit to 3-5 years of consistent posting before expecting significant results?
Do I enjoy the business aspects of writing enough to add SEO, analytics, and conversion optimization to my routine?
Can I maintain my fiction writing schedule while adding regular blogging commitments?
If you answered “yes” to all five questions, you might be a candidate for successful author blogging. If you hesitated on any of them, you’re probably better off focusing your marketing energy elsewhere.
The Bottom Line
Author blogging works for a specific type of writer in specific circumstances. It requires substantial expertise, business thinking, long-term commitment, and the right personality fit. Most importantly, it requires treating blogging as a serious business function, not a creative hobby.
The authors who succeed with blogging don’t do it because it’s easy or because someone told them they should. They do it because they have something unique to teach, they enjoy the process of teaching it, and they’re willing to invest years building an audience that values their expertise.
If that doesn’t describe you, that’s perfectly fine. Some of the most successful indie authors I know have never published a single blog post. They’ve built their careers through compelling fiction, strategic marketing, and direct reader engagement.
The goal isn’t to blog because other authors do it. The goal is to find the marketing strategies that fit your strengths, your schedule, and your long-term career objectives.
Next week, in our final post of this series, we’ll explore the non-SEO benefits of author blogging—the hidden value that has nothing to do with search rankings but might still make blogging worthwhile for certain authors. Because even if blogging doesn’t drive traffic, it might serve other important functions in your writing career.
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