Usually I have written my books on a Word document prior to publishing or sharing on WordPress, but sometimes I have written a story from scratch on my blog. I did this for both Sally and The Broken & The Foolish and it was cool seeing people’s thoughts on each chapter. I find writing chapters incrementally can be helpful with staying on track.
My most recent book, West Coast Girl, has been blogged here as well. I started writing about half of it then deleted the whole thing, having to start all over again when I regained the courage to write it. I was nervous since it’s a memoir covering some personal experiences that could shock or even disappoint some people. However, knowing I had a lot of solid people following me on WordPress, I knew it would be supported. And it has been! Thank you so much for all your support on my memoir writing journey.
Here’s Some Great Reasons To Blog A Book:
#1 It Helps You Stay On Track
If you run a blog, you might have a certain posting frequency. This can help you write a chapter (or three) per week which helps you stick with finishing your book.
#2 You Can Get Feedback As You Write
We don’t usually get instant feedback on each chapter when we write a book. When we write a story on our computers then publish it, we usually get a review of the overall work. However, when you blog a book, readers get to see each individual chapter, so you can hear their thoughts on certain parts and gain more insight on how your writing is impacting people in a particular chapter. This type of feedback can be golden – plus it allows readers to take in one chapter at a time.
#3 You Can Get A Lot Done
I couldn’t believe West Coast Girl has made it to nearly 50K words in under a month. I didn’t sign up for a writing challenge and I wasn’t intending for it to be a certain length. Blogging a book helps you stick to a schedule and write more regularly. You’d be surprised how much you can really write within a month.
#4 You Can Increase Your Blogging Traffic
Writing an engaging story can have people coming back to your blog to see what happens next in your story. It can also draw new readers to your blog. It’s a great way to attract new and regular readers alike and show your creative writing skills.
So there we have it! Blogging a book can be a great experience for many reasons. Have you ever blogged a book, or will you?
Sara Flower Kjeldsen Writes 
I’m in St. Louis and some local women recently self-published a book that is a collection of stories they gathered about the locals and shared on social media posts. So blogging/social media is definitely a way to build an audience and get ideas.
I’ve just started blogging again (like, literally this morning) after more than ten years. My blog is dedicated to tips and the writing craft rather than using it to publish works. The only pitfall to blogging a book is that it would limit my opportunities for traditional publishing, entering story contests, etc. While I might talk about the novel I’m writing, and the process, I’m skittish about releasing it via a blog.
Ah yes if you’re looking at traditional publishing, then these tips aren’t really applicable then. Good luck on your blogging journey. 🙂
I think Andy Weir did that with The Martian.
That’s so cool! I didn’t realize. Thanks for sharing that is good to know!
I have posted snippets from my Leonberger book on my blog (after the book was almost done or done) but I’ve never blogged a book. One thing that concerns me about that is, if you post the entire book your followers have already read it before you publish. Couldn’t that effect sales?
Not really. I mean, I make 3 sales tops per month either way so it doesn’t seem to affect much. I’m not really thinking about sales at this point.
Many people prefer to read a book in full form rather than chapter by chapter. For example, i sold alot of The Broken & The Foolish & I posted that one online. Sally has sold pretty well too & that one was also written on my blog.
Yes I guess you are right. Just looking at myself I don’t mind buying a book I’ve already read slowly day by day online, in full form so I can get the full benefit.
You are awesome. You were kind enough to read my book through the blog so there’s no pressure at all for you to buy my memoir. I’ll just post about it once. I appreciated all your comments on all the chapters. 😊
Thank you so much Sara. It is a great reading experience.
😊
A new way of publishing a book, perhaps I could look into my old writing, and see what a chapter a day would bring.
That is a good idea. 😊
Yeh it’s a really great way to build up a following – there’s a lot of books that came out like this via places like Royal Road that had so much success they’ve been picked up by trad (The House Witch) or gone on to have the biggest audiobook sales in their genre (The Wandering Inn) – it’s a great way to do things.
That’s amazing. I had no idea! Thank you so much for letting me know, Karen. 🙂 I’m glad to hear of their successes.