Blogging Dos and Don'ts - Advice for Writers

[varkat]

Remember your mother telling you “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”?  Well, I’m not suggesting that each and every blog should be all sweetness and light, but something publicists et. al. don’t mention when they suggest that you go forth and blog is that blogs can be as demotional as promotional.  If you turn people off or bore them or rant on and on about your editor/copyeditor/cover/sales/etc.  it can actually be damaging to your career.  If you come across as offensive, indiscreet or difficult to deal with, you might find that publishing houses are reluctant to deal with you.  Once something is out in the ether, it’s never truly gone, even if it’s later friend-locked or erased, it’s cached somewhere.  Plus, there’s no telling how many people have already buzzed about your blog, quoted you, saved the post, forwarded it to their friends and family.  Basically, publishing is the biggest small world there is (except maybe the film industry).  Everybody knows everybody else at maximum one remove.  Yes, in our business Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a very dull game.

Does this mean I’m suggesting you don’t tell it like it is?  Well, yes, if it’s an issue between you and your publishing house, it should stay that way.  You wouldn’t like your editor to blog all over the Internet about your inability to properly place your commas or the plot holes present in your first draft, patched only because of their eagle editorial eye.  Have the same courtesy in return.   Publishing is a business, which means professionalism should be more than just a buzzword.