Review - Blogging for Writers

Is ironic the correct term for me writing a review on my blog about a book called 'Blogging for Writers'? I don't know. It kind of seems that way. Especially when I am returning to blogging after a long hiatus. Hmmm... Maybe it's just a coincidence.

Blogging for Writers by Robin Houghton is exactly as the title would have you believe, a book on blogging, aimed at writers. The subtitle catagorises it even further - how authors & writers build successful blogs. However, I would argue that this book provides useful information within its pages for a far broader readership. It is filled with basic 'how-to' information for creating your first blog on two of the most well known blogging platforms, Blogger and WordPress. 

The scope of instruction provided ranges from a simple thing like naming your blog, to promoting it via other forms of social media, to monetising it and even selling it. I can't think of any reason a writer would sell their personal blog, after all, it is part of their online identity, their brand. This further supports my earlier idea that this book is useful for anyone wanting to start a blog, any kind of blog.

The chapters are sequential. (No, I don't mean by numbers.) Each builds on the last. There is no jumping forward into information that you haven't understood to that point. Everything makes sense. The information is set out in a visually pleasing way, and there are real blogs given as examples for the reader to check out. 

Screen shots of the blog platforms are included, with detailed information about the various tools used in creating, customising and posting to your blog. Houghton has given the reader over 170 pages of information and inspiration, including a glossary and resorces section. Even a novice could create a dynamic blog by using the information packed into these pages. 

You will learn the difference between a hosted and self-hosted blog. You will be shown how to use and modify a template, how to add images and video, plugins and widgets. Then there are the things that help people find your blog, like catagories, tags, metadata and search engines.

If some of those terms didn't make sense, and/or you really want to create your own blog, then this is the book for you. Check it out!