Sometimes one blog posts is all it takes to get you noticed by readers, other bloggers, radio show hosts, agents and, ultimately, a publisher. That’s how it worked for award-winning author Patricia V. Davis anyway—and it can work the same way for you.
She wrote one blog post that went viral, grabbing the attention of agents and publishers and now she has a brand new book deal.
Davis, the author of Harlot’s Sauce: A Memoir of Food, Family, Love, Loss and Greece, wrote a blog post called “From an Older Woman to a Younger One” to support and encourage a 21-year-old reader of hers. That post (also titled on some sites, “Ten Things I’d Tell My Younger Self”) struck a chord with many people. Within weeks, hundreds of other blogs picked it up, and eventually the producers of the nationally syndicated radio program Your Time with Kim Iverson asked Davis to appear on the show to read her post. The day after the program aired, dozens of listeners befriended Davis on Facebook and retweeted the post.
Not surprisingly, this attracted the attention of a literary agent, who asked Davis if she’d be interested in expanding the post into a book. That book, The Diva Doctrine, was picked up by Cedar Fort, and will be published in 2011.
So, while I encourage writers to blog a whole book in the hope of getting discovered, here’s an example of how one really great post can accomplish that feat. So, at least blog if you don’t blog a book!
Hi, Nina,
So glad to see you found my story inspiring enough to write about here! I will be anxious to see if anyone else writes a comment about similar events!
Best wishes,
Patricia
I was wondering if you would find this post! You are so savvy, I felt sure you would. It was a pleasure meeting you at my SBW meeting. Best wishes to you in your new endeavor.