News

Taking a blog vacation … and watch out for the forthcoming book

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I’m taking a blog vacation – In fact I’m taking a real vacation in late July/August, and following that we should be coping with a house move, so it could be a crazy time.

HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean the blog is gone for ever – I’ve lots of exciting plans, not least of all a little book featuring some of the key blog posts from Social Media for Writers as well as more, unpublished material.

All the best things morph and change!

Please keep in touch and sign up for my email updates if you haven’t already, as there’ll be more happening later in 2015 and I’d like you to be one of the first to know.

Thanks, and keep it social!

Should writers blog? Hear me being interviewed on The Author Biz

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Last month Stephen Campbell of The Author Biz podcast invited me onto his show to talk about authors and blogging. He grilled me about everything from ‘should authors blog?’ (I wish there were a straightforward answer to this!) and my thoughts on the various platforms available, hosting options, organising your time and so forth.

Listen to the podcast here.

The Author Biz podcast

I find being interviewed a little nerve-wracking and I admit I could only listen to a small amount of the recording! But If you’re new to blogging or on the fence about it, it’s definitely worth a listen.

Stephen publishes a new podcast every Monday on The Author Biz, a towering achievement, and his interviewees have included many top authors, publishers, agents and editors, all sharing their expertise, opinions and advice. I’m grateful to be included in such great company.

Do check it out, and you can subscribe in iTunes.

Guest blog posts & interviews

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As the ‘Blogging for Writers’ blog tour comes to a (kind of) end, I thought you may be interested in some of the guest blogs and interviews that have come out of it, in case you missed them…

Erynn Newman Just Write - guest blog by Robin Houghton

Over on US author Erynn Newman’s blog Just Write, I wrote a guest post on How to turn your Blog into a Community – it’s interesting how small details can make a big difference.

The Poetry Shed by Abegail Morley interview with Robin Houghton

Then at The Poetry Shed, Abegail Morley grilled me about various things, from how long it took to write the book to whether it’s worth paying for WordPress.com upgrades… you have to click through to find out!

Elizabeth Spann Craig - guest blog post by Robin Houghton

Popular mystery writer Elizabeth Spann Craig very kindly hosted my blog post ‘How’s your blog doing? 5 top things to measure and why’…

Trin in the Wind guest post by Robin Houghton

If blogging has become a bit of a drag and you need to get your mojo back, read my guest post at Trin in the Wind, the blog of Australian author Trinity Doyle.

Writers Digest blog post from Blogging for Writers Robin Houghton

And at Writers’ Digest, Rachel Scheller wrote a piece entitled Your 2015 Blogging Roadmap, based on sections of the book.

Huge thanks to all the writers who’ve hosted me during the tour, and there’s more to come. I’m delighted to be appearing soon at the mighty Writer Unboxed, and also on the legendary blog of Anne R Allen.

Guest blogging is a wonderful way to extend your blog community and reach. If you have an idea for a blog post which would be of interest to readers of another blog, why not approach the blog owner with your idea? They can only say no, but they might say yes!

PS – only 2 places left on my course this weekend in Brighton, ‘Set up your WordPress blog in a day’ – spread the word!

 

‘Blogging for Writers’ launch & blog tour

Blogging for Writers (UK edition) by Robin Houghton
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In the last few weeks I’ve been busy with the launch of my new book, ‘Blogging for Writers’ (Ilex Press) and organising a blog tour to help promote it. Some wonderful writers are taking part, and it’s continuing through till the end of January 2015 (and possibly beyond! Some blogs have editorial schedules arranged months in advance.)

So I thought I would point you to a couple of blog posts that have already appeared.

On Emily Benet’s blog I wrote a guest post about how to create an editorial calendar. We all let the blogging slip from time to time (when book launches get in the way, for example!) but a calendar at least gives you a framework and a bank of ideas that you can call on when you’re really hit by ‘bloggers’ block’.

London-based Emily Benet is a fine writer who started off blogging, before getting her first book deal. Since then her writing career has really taken off. She also runs blogging workshops for writers. Here’s the post – A blogger’s best friend – the editorial calendar.

Yesterday I was interviewed on Tara Tyler Talks, the busy blog of fantasy author and writer of techno-futuristic thrillers, Tara Tyler. Tara asked me all kinds of interesting questions about blogging, marketing, Twitter and more, and here are my answers – Sprucing up the blog.

Tomorrow the book is getting a mention on the Facebook Page of acclaimed Scottish author Sara Sheridan, and coming up are more guest posts, interviews and reviews. I’ll keep you posted.

Now I’ve just got to consult my editorial calendar and schedule some more posts …:)