One of the most frequent questions I get asked is, “How can I use my book content on my blog?” In fact, you don’t have to blog your book to use the content or subject matter in posts. And many people don’t want to blog a book. They do, however, want to promote and build an avid readership for their book.
That’s when a solid blogging strategy comes in handy—specifically, one that helps make your book writing and promotion more effective. These five ways to use your book content on your blog should spark numerous ideas and an overall strategy to help your books and blog succeed.
1. Blog Snippets of Your Book’s Content
If you are wary of blogging your book, use snippets. These are short excerpts from your manuscript.
To use this method, select about 500 words (give or take) of your manuscript. Then write a few paragraphs of introduction and conclusion. Finally, tie all of this together by focusing your non-book content on the topic of the snippet. Said another way, the snippet becomes a way to illustrate the point of your book.
You can direct blog readers to the book’s sales page with a simple hyperlink. Then you don’t have to say anything about buying the book. Instead, let the excerpt convince readers to click through and purchase.
2. Blog about foundational information.
While your book will likely cover the basics your readers require to understand the book, you can provide a stronger foundation on your blog. So, make a list of all the essential topics you plan to cover in your book, and then take each one deeper on the blog.
For example, if you are writing a book about massage, your reader needs to understand basic anatomy. Your book may only discuss this briefly (assuming readers already understand anatomy), but your blog can cover this topic in more depth. The book can send readers to the blog for this information, and the blog can refer to relevant areas of the book.
Later, you might want to compile the blog posts into a basic spinoff of your book.
3. Blog about advanced information.
Your book may be focused on basic concepts. Therefore, writing blog posts that cover advanced topics makes sense to help readers take the subject to a higher level.
For instance, if you are writing about basic equine health care, your blog might offer posts about specific horse health issues and how to address them. While the book is meant for a new horse owner, the blog can engage readers with more sophisticated topics while referring to the book for basic information.
Eventually, you might want to compile the blog posts into an advanced spinoff of your book.
4. Blog about deleted content.
Perhaps you are verbose like me. As a result, you’ve written too much content for just one book. While you could put all this information into a second book on the same topic, you can set the deleted content to use in blog posts.
Since this content was intended for the book, it’s easy to use it for posts directly related to it. And such posts naturally lend themselves to hyperlinks that lead to your book. As such, they are superb book promotion posts.
5. Blog about the broader (or narrower) picture.
Your book may take a broad look at a topic. If so, your blog posts can offer a narrow view.
On the other hand, write blog posts that offer a broader picture if your book takes a narrow view of a subject.
In both cases, you can easily direct readers to purchase your book. Plus, you will keep them interested in the topic. This type of approach also sets you up to increase your level of authority with your readers.
6. Expand on your story.
If you are writing a memoir, your blog is a fabulous place to expand on the story told in your book. After all, a memoir is a slice of life—a period of time—not your entire life.
Consider writing about:
- Events leading up to the period you cover in your book.
- The bits and pieces or stories you left out of the book but that took place in the same period.
- More detailed aspects of events.
- Themes in your story.
- Adjacent stories (This strategy is like Diana Gabaldon’s John Grey series of novellas; Grey is a character in her longer Outlander series).
Your Book and Blog Go Hand in Hand
Always keep in mind that your blog and book go hand in hand. Both should cover similar topics or themes, and each post can organically lead readers to your book.
You can also send book readers to your blog for additional information. This is especially effective when in an ebook.
Plus, the more books you write and blog posts you publish, the greater becomes your influence in your target market. As a result, your platform will grow, making it easier to sell your book to potential readers.
How have you tied your blog posts to your book? Tell me in a comment below, and please share this post with another blogger or writer.
Photo courtesy of mitay20.
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