Creative Writing

No, this post isn’t about something I’ve personally written and had published.  This post is about how to get your name out to the world, without having to spend thousands of dollars in advertising costs.  One of the biggest challenges that new writers come across, especially online, is how to get people to read their work.

For new writers and authors, you need to remember that no one will come read your work simply because you’ve written something.  You have to let them know that you’ve written something, and where they can find it.  I’ve found many younger and newer writers now have blogs where they post their stories and poetry.  But, they get frustrated because no one ever reads their work, or never leave comments.  Here’s a couple tricks that might help.

If you’re a regular visitor to any forums, be sure to leave a link to your site in your signature.  This will bring people who already know a little about you to your site.  Also, create a signature in your emails, so that anyone you communicate with can find your site.  You would be amazed at the amount of traffic this will bring in.

If you visit other blogs and leave comments, make sure to add a link to your blog there.  Most blog comment sections will ask you for your name and website, so you don’t have to worry about spamming the comments section with an unwanted link.  One thing to remember here, is that you should always leave a viable comment.  Don’t just blurt something out in order to post your site’s link.  Chances are that you’re comment will be deleted without being seen.

If you have several stories and poetry in different places, create a page on your blog or website that will lead your readers to all the different places where your writing can be found.  If you’ve written a book, or had a story published in an anthology, be sure to add a link to where that book can be purchased online.

When it comes to getting the word out about what you can do, you have to be your own best PR person.  Nobody can market your work as well as you can.  Don’t be afraid to showcase your own work, but don’t be conceited.  A brilliant editor once told me that the best writers are their own worst critics.  The writers who are sure they are the greatest writers alive are the ones who usually need the most work.  Be proud of your work, but don’t be over confident.  If you work hard, allow others to find your work, and continue to improve on all you do, it won’t take long to build a regular reader base.  And with regular readers, comes regular traffic.

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