Why more authors should be blogging | Books | guardian.co.uk

예전 학창 시절에 지금 무엇을 "하고 있는 중"이란 뜻으로만 영문법책에서 배웠던 현재진행형과는 달리, 화자가 행위 그 자체의 중요성을 강조하기 위해 쓰는 "be+V-ing"의 용례들을 찾아보다가 아래와 같은 어느 영국 작가의 블로그 글을 만났다. 작가들은 자신의 글을 꼭 책으로만 전달해야 한다는 고정관념에서 벗어나라는 취지의 글이다. 상당히 공감이 가는 글로 보인다. 더불어서 해외 작가들이 블로그를 어떻게 쓰고 있나 알 수 있도록 링크도 달려 있다. 지적 재산권에 연연하지 말고 개방적 네트워크에 과감히 공개하면 독자들과의 공감 네트워크가 오히려 새로운 가치 를 만드는 길이 될 것이라는 메시지로 읽힌다. 웹 2.0이 담고 있을 개방주의와 네트워 증폭의 여러 가지 모습에 대해 알고 싶다는 생각도 하게 됐다.

Why more authors should be blogging

Writers needn't be wary of giving words away for free - a blog merely raises interest in your published work
July 10, 2008 10:00 AM


As an author, I've always seen my blog as much more than an online diary. It's about keeping in regular contact with your readers and giving them something extra. Ultimately, it's a brilliant and beneficial marketing tool."

I'd go as far as saying that in today's marketplace, a blog is a necessity for any writer, and the very nature of being published means you're already one step ahead of the game. In order to get published in the first place there's a requirement for your book to be a little bit different from the rest, and if you can capture some of this uniqueness in the blog, it can only help to raise awareness of you and your work.
I'm disheartened, though, that there's only a handful of British authors really making the most of blogging. Of course, we can't all have the clout of Neil Gaiman, but you can definitely find your niche and create a following. In this instance, American authors seem to be one step ahead of us, and doing it much more creatively too. There are the straightforward personal blogs, such as that of Holly Black, joint creator of the Spiderwick Chronicles. Then there are those blogs created solely to promote the launch of a book, like this one by Dennis Cass (check out his fabulous viral marketing video on how to launch a book in the world of Web 2.0.). But more importantly, there are the American authors being creative in order to stand out from the masses.

One of my favourites is Shrinking Violet Promotions - a prime example of how to write a blog about a specific subject to widen your audience. Coming from two writers' experiences in publishing, its main aim is to provide marketing advice for new writers. (계속. 출처: Why more authors should be blogging Books guardian.co.uk)