I’ve been blogging for many years, and looking over my blog archives I’ve often figured that there was enough content there for a book. I’m a freelance writer, so much of my writing time and energy is devoted to writing for my clients. I’m also a single mom with three kids and I run a business from my home, so I had lots of excuses for not finding time to write a book.

There are countless benefits of being a published author. Whenever I introduce myself as a writer, people almost always ask if I’ve published a book. I have grown weary of making excuses for why I haven’t published a book, so last year I decided to use my blog to help me come up with the content for a book. I gave myself a focused challenge and I write a post every day for a month. I then took those thirty blog posts and expanded them and added additional content. Now I have got an almost completed manuscript for a book based on the content of my blogging challenge.

This morning I came across this article, 7 Things You Must Do Before Writing Your Book, which is full of great tips for those who are thinking about writing a book. The author, Ofili, writes about the power of blogging to help you get your book written, ” I put myself on a strict and disciplined regimen of writing at least one 1500 article every month. I did this unfailingly starting January of 2011 and at the end of the year, I had 20+ quality articles chapters and over 25,000+ words in my book.” The secret is to commit to a focused writing schedule and be consistent.

There are a few benefits of blogging your book. One of those benefits, as Ofili mentions in his post, is the opportunity for instant feedback from your readers. Another benefit is that you are establishing a platform, building an audience for the book and getting your name and writing out there in the world. The best benefit, I believe, is the responsibility to your readers to blog consistently. Once you hook your readers in with what you are writing, they are going to want to stay in the loop and find out what happens.

Bloggers who want to become authors should go ahead and give it a whirl. Choose the topic of your book and focus your blog posts around that theme. Tell your readers what you are doing and get their support and encouragement. The positive comments I received when I did my blogging challenge really motivated me to stick with it no matter what.

Now that my manuscript is almost finished I am researching publishing options. It will launch first as an ebook, so you will be the first to hear about it when it drops. Keep on writing.

Bloggers might sometimes get the feeling that they are fighting an uphill battle because theirs is just one of millions of other blogs out there competing for the attention of their prospective audience. But if you develop a solid marketing plan for your blog and take consistent action toward the goals you set daily, weekly and monthly, before you know it, your Alexa rankings will be falling and your Google page rank will begin to rise which means you’ll be attracting more visitors.

Let’s dive right in to 11 tips for getting your blog seen more in 2011:

1. Post consistently

Having a consistent posting schedule gets both your readers and the search engines used to visiting your blog more often.

2. Know the basics of SEO and how to optimize your blog and your posts for the search engines.

If you are running a WordPress blog there are several free plugins that will help you to maximize your blog’s SEO from both a structural and a content perspective. Optimizing your blog helps you get more traffic and better search engine rankings.

3. Comment on other blogs in your topic

Visiting other blogs in your niche or topic, reading the posts and leaving relevant comments is an effective way to increase your visibility with both the blog’s author and your fellow commentators.

4. Guest post on popular blogs in your topic

Guest blogging gigs are a great way to create a win-win with other bloggers in your niche. You help them out by providing content that is suited to their blog and audience, your presence on their blog helps get you exposure with a whole new audience, and the readers get to experience a new perspective.

5. Send out press releases

Whenever you are planning a news-worthy event, send out a press release. Not only might you attract media attention, but you’ll get a ton of high page rank back links to your blog and a nice, if short-lived, flow of traffic to your blog.

6. Host a contest/giveaway

Who doesn’t want something for free? Host a contest or a giveaway where you offer up a valuable product or service in exchange for your readers helping to spread the word about your blog.

7. Join or host a blogging challenge

A blogging challenge can have many benefits including increased exposure for the host and the participants, you get motivated and inspired to blog more to keep up with your fellow challengers and you get a little traffic boost and more comments as other members of the challenge make the rounds to the various blogs.

8. Offer a free product

If you are building your opt-in email subscriber list, offer a free product for visitors to your blog who sign up. Invite subscribers to share your premium with their friends and make sure that it contains a link back to your blog.

9. Be active in social media

Work your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles to send traffic back and forth. Use a Facebook Fan Page to share valuable tips and info with your audience, host events and invite your followers and be a trusted resource that people want to follow.

10. Video marketing

Video marketing is an incredibly powerful way to gain some valuable exposure online. Create a series of videos containing useful how-to tips, recipes, instructions, or advice. Include a link back to your blog in the description box and a compelling call to action in the video. Share your videos on all of the top video sharing sites for lots of traffic and visibility.

11. Article marketing

This tried and true strategy is still effective today, but you’ve got to be committed to creating a high volume of quality articles with links back to your blog. Write articles for some of the top websites in your industry to establish yourself as an expert and draw attention to your blog.

As you focus on increasing your online visibility remember those qualities that make you unique and set you apart. There really is no competition because you are one of a kind. The goal then is to get yourself out there in the marketplace of ideas so that you can shine your brilliance for the world to see. Being modest and shy will not serve you, so if you don’t have the gumption to get out there and share what sets you apart then you may as well fold up your tent and go home.

If you have a vision and a mission to accomplish, then it is your responsibility to share the message that you have been given with a world that is waiting to hear what you have to say. Make 2011 your year to break through. Those who succeed are those who never give up working towards their goals.

Related articles

• How to Be an Awesome Blog Commenter (hubspot.com)
• How Guest Blogging Can Increase your Blog Brand Recognition (shoutmeloud.com)
• Boost Your Blog Traffic: A Guide For Bloggers Who Want More Traffic in 2011 (problogger.net)

Regular readers of my blog know I’m not one to back down from a challenge, so when I heard that Julie Isaacs of the Writing Spirit Blog (I just *love* that name) is throwing down a blogging challenge to kick 2011 off as, “The year of the blog.”

Julie says that the goal of this challenge is to get bloggers in the habit of blogging consistently and meaningfully. Strategies for blogging consistently is one of the topics that I enjoy writing about, but honestly the one I most often feel challenged by. But, we tend to teach that which we most need to learn, and so I will continue to write on that topic in hopes that it inspires me and encourages my readers.

So what is the whole SHINE thing about? Well, your blog is the most effective way for you to increase your online visibility, establish yourself as an expert, and share your message with the world. Julie uses the word SHINE to illustrate this point:

Stand out
Help
Inspire
Navigate
Engage

During this blogging challenge, I’ll be blogging about my favorite topics, which include:

• Online marketing for writers, authors, speakers and coaches
• Using your blog to attract your ideal clients
• Growing YOU as you grow your business

It’s pretty simple to join us. Just visit Julie’s blog and follow the steps Julie has outlined:

1.  Decide how many times per week you want to blog–preferably twice a week or more

2.  Add a comment on this post with your blog address, and how many posts per week you’re committing to

3.  Use the hashtag #SHINEonline to communicate with other bloggers who are participating in this challenge

4.  Sign-up below if you would like to get blog tips and articles sent to you, along with blog challenge updates, and information on free teleconferences.

5. Start blogging! & SHINE on with your bad self.

http://blog.writingspirit.com/2011/01/2011-shine-online-blogging-challenge.html

Related articles

• 4 Oaths Of Blogging To Become a Better Blogger (shoutmeloud.com)
• 18 Blogging Tips to Create and Maintain a Successful Blog (jmorganmarketing.com)
• Blogging Tips on What You Should Do or Not Do (marketersdaily.com)

2010 was a great year full o f lots of information packed blog posts on the Productive Pen blog. I decided to do a little roundup of ten of my favorite posts for the year and share them with you again, or for the first time for my new visitors.

Now that I have finally installed a WordPress blog on my personal domain, www.evelynbourne.com , I will be moving the personal development posts to that blog and focusing the content on this blog around online writing, blogging and marketing.

So, please browse through some of these ‘oldies but goodies,’ and see if you find something useful for you. I also welcome you to subscribe to my email update list. I share tips and information there that does not get shared here on the blog.
1. Finding Your Passion and Purpose: What is YOUR Super Power?
2. Marketing Tips: Applying the Spiritual Principals of Seedtime and Harvest to Your Business Success
3. Content Creation Workshop: How Many Ways Can You Re-Purpose Your Blog Content for More Traffic, Links and Sales?
4. Blogging Tips: 7 Strategies for Keeping Up with Posting Consistently
5. Mindmapping: An Effective Idea Generation Tool for Writers
6. Marketing Phobia: Don’t Get Spooked! How to Sell Yourself with Confidence
7. Social Media Optimization: Strategies for Maximizing Your Social Media Presence
8. Blogging Tips: Professional Development for Bloggers and Online Marketers
9. Facebook Trounces Google Ads–Are You Ready to Go Where Your Customers Are?
10. Be Grateful for Everything

With the tag line, “The Ultimate Online Resource for Black Bloggers, Writers and Journalists,” the Black Blogger Network is the place where Black bloggers can network, promote their blog and learn new tips and strategies for growing and improving their blog. They feature articles from popular Black bloggers and writers every week, and they have a, “Black Blog of the Day,” feature where today,  this blog, ”A Productive Pen,’  is the featured blog.

I found the Black Blogger Network on the Black Business Women Online (BBWO) forum, which is one of my favorite places to hang out.  It’s a great place to network, make connections and see what other smart women are doing to grow their online and offline businesses.

So, I just wanted to send a quick ‘shout-out’ to Jessica Ann at the BNN to thank her for featuring my blog, and I thank everyone who is stopping by my blog from the BNN to check it out.

Here are a few fabulous blogs that I found on the BNN blog:

Motivated Sista
Motivating you to reach your dreams
http://www.motivatedsista.com/

Everything She Writes
http://www.everythingshewrites.com/

Strength, Courage & Wisdom
http://kitty-strengthcouragewisdom.blogspot.com/

Go check it out, submit an article or submit your blog to be the featured blog of the day, and while you are there check out some of the other fabulous blogs featured there.

This morning I received an email from LaShanda Henry, of BBWO and a host of other blogs for women of color in business, and she mentioned that Deanna @dedej, founder of Clutch Magazine,  who was a panelist on the first Black Blogging Rockstars panel at SXSW 2010, is pitching a new panel for SXSW 2011 called: The Elevation of Black Women in New Media. This panel will discuss issues related to black women entrepreneurs and black women bloggers online.

So, if you are a black woman blogger, if you know one, or if you would just like to give your support to the idea of listening paying more attention to the voices of black women in new media, pop on over to the SXSW website and vote for: The Elevation of Black Women in New Media.

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Blogging provides an effective platform for writers and authors who want to get the word out about their newest book, their latest insight, or commentary on events going on in the world around us.

Writers share an abiding affection for the written word. They seek to give expression to their deepest fears, desires, and passions using their writing to make sense of the world. Most writers realize that most of what they write will never be published in book form, but having your own blog gives you an instant publishing platform where you can share your uncensored ideas with the world without the hassle of trying to get a book deal.

In this post, I’m going to share some links to other blogs on the topic of blogging for authors. This speed linking mashup will bring together several resources on the effectiveness of blogging for authors, and you’ll see in some of these articles the possible negative impact blogging can have.

• Create a platform for current and future authors

As yet unpublished writers can seize the opportunity to start building an audience of readers who like their work.  As your blog readership grows it can become a valuable asset when you are looking to get a book deal. These articles speak to the utility of blogs to help establish authors and develop a platform.

Using Your Blog to Build a Platform

http://www.bloggingauthors.com/blogging_authors/2010/8/3/using-your-blog-to-build-a-platform.html

The Author’s Dilemma: To Blog or Not to Blog,  By Claire E. White

http://www.internetwritingjournal.com/nov05/cew4.htm

9 Good Reasons to Start a Blog, by Diane Eble

http://www.publishingcoachweekly.com/Start-a-Blog-9-Good-Reasons.html

• Could eventually be turned into a book

The blog itself could morph into a book. This has happened many times recently, and Brenna Ehrlich chronicles six such cases in her article.

From Blog to Book Deal: How 6 Authors Did It, by Brenna Ehrlich

http://mashable.com/2009/12/17/blog-to-book/

• Develop and expand your personal brand

There’s been a lot of buzz for the past few years about this concept of the ‘personal brand.’ Personal branding speaks to how you show up in the world, and purposefully crafting an image, a message and establishing you as a brand.

Personal Branding

http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/

5 Personal Branding Tips to Help You Gate Jump

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/183073

Seven Branding Gurus on How to Build a Personal Brand

http://www.bnet.com/blog/career-advice/seven-branding-gurus-on-how-to-build-a-personal-brand/101

If writing is your passion and you want to get your ideas out there and interact with your audience, blogging is an effective way to get you started. It will give you the opportunity to hone your craft, get into the habit of writing daily, and as your blog grows you will develop a relationship with your readers that can be very rewarding to writers whose work tends to be a solitary endeavor.  If done properly, a blog truly can transform your writing career.

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Creating Killer Blog Content

It’s Day #7 of the #31DBBB challenge, and today’s assignment s to write a linked post. The topic I will be covering with my speed linking post today is a bit of a mashup of blog posts about a topic that is close to my heart–creating killer blog content.

As a tip of my hat to the developer of the #31DBBB, this first link is to Darren Rowse, who shares a great blog post about creating great blog content.
http://www.problogger.net/how-to-write-great-blog-content/

In this vintage, oldie-but-goodie post, seomoz shares some online tools that you can use to find ideas for blog psots:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/10-web-tools-to-help-generate-blog-content-ideas

Chris Brogan shares 40 tips for delivering killer blog content. You’ll find lots of inspiration and ideas that will help you to crank out copy that reflects your passion and your expertise.
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/40-ways-to-deliver-killer-blog-content/

Dosh dosh shares even more creative ways to surmount the daily challenge of delivering compelling content that appeals to your readers:
http://www.doshdosh.com/how-to-effectively-create-content-for-your-niche-blogs-a-brief-introduction-and-guide/

Karan Singhal provides lots f practical tips in this post about creating blog content that will interest your readers:
http://www.famousbloggers.net/create-bolg-content-interests-readers.html

So, enjoy these blogs and feel free to share a link in the comments for your favorite posts that have ideas for creating great blog content.

Blogging is a personal publishing format that allows you to be able to have your own platform for sharing your ideas with the world. Reading feedback from visitors is quite rewarding and makes it worth all of the work and effort that goes into producing a quality blog.

But sometimes there are those days that your Mamma warned you about. There are days when life gets to be overwhelming, you’re exhausted and beaten down and the baby needs a new pair of shoes.  Sometimes you wonder what the heck you were thinking when you started that blog. What made you think you’d have time to post every day or least every week?

Well, gentle reader, I’ve got some fabulous news for you. I find myself in the same boat as you. I’m a blogger, a mom, and I’m running a business from home. My days are full to the brim, so if I am not strategic with my time, my blogs can slip off the radar and languish for days while I’m scrambling around after my girls, or knee-deep in a client project.

Since we all face the challenge of how to fit our blogging tasks into an already gloriously full day, I’ve come up with some tricks and strategies that you can use to develop productive habits, which will allow you to make the most of those little snippets of time in your day to get your blogging done.

I’ve heard it said that we teach what we most need to learn, and that is indeed the case with me because one of my biggest challenges has been keeping fresh posts on my blog. So, here are some tips and for writing and blog posting that I try to follow:

1. Keep a notebook handy

Here’s a perfect example of this tip. As I write this, I am sitting in the laundry room doing laundry. Because right now I live in an apartment that does not have a washer and dryer, I have to schlep my clothes to the local laundry. But, while I sit here waiting for the wash cycle to finish, I’m getting this blog post written because I brought my little mini-Netbook with me.

Get a small notebook, use the notes feature on your phone, or like me, keep your mini-laptop handy and jot down ideas as they come to you.

2. Stay in ‘Idea seeking’ mode

Keep your eyes and ears open for what is going on around you. How can you incorporate the events of your life into your blog posts? Just this week I got my first complaint on my email subscriber list. It threw me for a minute, but I got back on track quickly and turned it into a blog post.

Are you facing a challenge in your life? Find a way to share what you are learning without sharing too many of the personal, gory details. When there are big stories in the news either in your local area or nationally find a way to weave larger story into your blog posts if it’s appropriate.

Use your notebook and capture those ideas. You may not use all of them right away, but at some point you’ll be stumped for something to write about, and you can consult your notebook for some new ideas to write about.

3. Schedule specific blogging tasks

As a blogger you’ve got to do the following tasks over the course of a week:

• Write blog posts

• Share blog posts

• Market your blog

-social media marketing

-blog directories/communities

• Research

• Blog maintenance

- install, update plugins

-stats reports

-comment moderation

-database backups

• Network/build community with other bloggers

I’m certain that there are more tasks, but this is all that came to my mind. All of these things need to be done in order for your blog to run smoothly, so plug each of the tasks into your calendar and designate how many minutes you will set aside to complete it.

4. Write titles and outline posts in batches

In your research time, come up with some working titles of blog posts that you plan to write over the course of the coming week. Now, when you sit down to write, you will not be facing the dreaded blank page or screen. If you don’t have a hot topic to write about at the moment, look at your batch of working titles and start from there.

5. Write posts in batches

Take your list of titles and post outlines and write up a few posts in advance. Set them aside and come back and edit, proofread and format them in batches and, if you are running WordPress, you can publish them all at once scheduling the exact days and times you want each one to go live.

6. Utilize guest bloggers

Do you ever need a break from blogging, say for a vacation? Wouldn’t it be cool if someone else would write a blog post for you every now and then? Well, in exchange for a link back to their blog, guest bloggers will write a unique blog post for your blog. Is there a particular fan of your blog who always writes thoughtful, cogent comments, and who has a blog on a related topic to yours? You might send them a quick email and see if they might be interested in a guest blogging gig.

There are also several forums where bloggers seeking guest bloggers, and bloggers seeking blogs to guest post with hang out and help each other out. Here are two that I use:

http://BloggerLinkUp.com/

http://myblogguest.com/

7. Find ways to make it fun

Do you remember why you started blogging in the first place? Try to stay in touch with that initial excitement and use that energy to make your blogging tasks something you get to do rather than so much drudgery. Challenge yourself to a solid week of daily posting. Join a 30 day blogging challenge or start your own. Set specific goals for how often you will publish posts, and then create little rewards for yourself when you meet those goals. You know what motivates you, so use that to your advantage.

I’m in the 31DBBB challenge right now, and one of our tasks for the challenge is to find a blogging buddy. Develop a collaborative relationship with another blogger and challenge, encourage and support each other to make your blogs the best that they can be.

I recommend being patient with yourself as you develop these new habits. See which ones work for you and go with those for awhile and see if your blogging productivity improves. Number seven is the most important here because if you view your blogging responsibilities as chores or another “must do” task it will feel like drudgery.

When you come to view blogging as something fun and exciting that you get to do, you will be more likely to put all of your positive energy and enthusiasm into the task. Your passion for your topic will be apparent to your visitors and attract more visitors to your blog.

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I’m participating in the #31DBBB Blogging Challenge, and this post part of the Day #2 assignment. I want to welcome all of my fellow SITS Bloggers and thanks for all of the linky love

The first post of this blog was published originally in January of 2007, but a catastrophic crash in October of 2008 (before I knew about the importance of backing up my database) caused me to lose all of those early posts.

Prior to this blog for my consulting business I had a personal blog that I began in the fall of 1998 (before they were actually even called ‘blogs’). So with 12 years of blogging experience under my belt, I thought I’d write a post about what being a blogger has taught me about life.

1. Don’t write anything you wouldn’t want your parents or your children to see.
In the early days, I didn’t tell my parents that I kept a blog. I felt far more free to write whatever I felt like writing when I was pretty sure that they weren’t reading it. Well, the day eventually came when my dad, bless his heart, discovered my blog one day when he googled me. Thank goodness he didn’t find anything embarrassing, but it might have been a more awkward conversation had I been writing about something that they would not have approved of, or would be embarrassing.

Aside from your parents and off-spring, be mindful that your employer or colleagues might also discover your blog, so be mindful of what you write and publish online.

2. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind.
Your blog provides you with the opportunity to stand up for what you believe in, to take a stand for your beliefs and defend the ideals that you hold dear. There will be people who will agree and there will be people who will disagree with what you have to say, but don’t let that dissuade you from writing from your heart.

3. Be authentic.
One of my favorite quotes on this topic is by Dr. Suess, and he said, “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter won’t mind.” Authenticity totally shines through in everything you write. Don’t try too hard to sound witty, or take on a fake persona. Your individuality is the gift that you offer to the world. Let it shine through.

4. Always publish your best work.
Don’t fall into the trap of waiting until you “get discovered” before you start coming up with fabulous content because it’s the fabulous content that will get you discovered. Write your posts like everyone’s watching. Edit ruthlessly. Find a writing partner to edit and/or proofread for you. Ask for feedback from your readers, and strive to always improve your writing.

5. Having a platform is powerful.
As your blog readership grows you will discover that you are creating a platform for yourself. Your blog is your own media outlet. Don’t squander your chance to put forth your message. Take your blog seriously and others will do the same.

6. Avoid negative posts and bashing or flaming.
Avoid writing scathing posts and railing with negativity about a person or a group. If something has gotten you angry and upset, you might want to take some time and process it and choose the most intelligent course of action rather than firing off a vitriolic post that you may regret sooner than later.

7. It takes a village.
The blogoshpere is a community, so reach out to other bloggers and create relationships. Offer to guest post on your favorite blogs. Link to your blogging buddies from your blog. Be as supportive as you can of other bloggers  within your community.

8. Encourage other bloggers.
Be sure to leave positive comments on other blogs. Find something encouraging to say that goes beyond, “great post.” Show that you read the post and write a comment that adds value and builds up the blogger.

9. It takes commitment.
Maintaining a blog is not easy. With all of the other responsibilities in your life, it can be a challenge to commit to writing three to five blog posts each week and managing all of the other tasks inherent with the job. Determine at the outset if you think you can be committed to maintaining the publishing schedule before you begin.

10. Persistence pays off.
In the end persistence definitely pays off. When you have a blog that is getting decent traffic, a steady flow of comments and good reviews you’ve really got something to be proud of. Don’t give up when things get challenging because the only way to fail is to give up.

If you’re a blogger, please feel free to leave a comment that shares a life lesson you’ve learned from blogging.

Now, if you’re on vacation, by all means chill out, relax and enjoy your down time. But if you are still working towards completing your goals for this quarter or this year, then don’t get sucked down and lose your focus. Snap out of it! (Do I have your attention now?)

A great way to snap out of an unmotivated rut is to start a challenge. Take one of your goals and turn it into a challenge to make it fun to complete it. Recruit some partners or supporters to either join you in taking up the challenge, or to cheer you on and encourage you and hold you accountable to your goals.

Post your goal up on a bulletin board in your workspace where you can see it, and depending on how you are counting progress, make a chart where you can tick off  ‘to-do’ items and see your progress.

One of my goals for this year is to improve this blog’s performance. In my business I have been doing quite a few blog setups lately, so  lot of my energy has been going towards setting up new blogs for my clients.

I decided it was time to kick this goal into high gear, so I’ve joined the “Secret to Success is Support” womens blogging community as they are taking on Darren Rowse’s ’31 Days to Build a Better Blog’ challenge. Of course I’ll be blogging about my progress here, but if you’d like to join me and the rest of these power blogging women, feel free to do so.

My challenge to you is to create a challenge for yourself.  Make it a realistic goal so that you are more likely to accomplish it, but not so easy that it doesn’t get your juices flowing. Where attention goes energy flows, so give your project your consistent attention each day and you will get there.

Keep on coming back here for motivation and encouragement, and feel free to contact me if you’re feeling stuck and need some inspiration or advice.

One of my favorite personal development authors, Anthony Robbins, says that you should never leave the scene of having set a goal without taking an initial step in making it become a reality. Yes writing the goal down is a first step, but what can you do to kick your goal-achievement into high gear despite the ‘lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer?’