When I began my foray into blogging way back in 2014 I didn’t really know what I was doing. Other than giving my writing brand a home I had no clear cut idea where it would take me or how it would work out. This wordsmith journey extended into blogging as a way to build a bridge to others because writing for the most part is a solitary thing and I knew from the very start that anything creative is better shared with others.
In truth, my whole persona as a blogger and author would be nothing if it wasn’t for the support I have found on here. The day in day outers who like my posts, read them and comment on them – you are the people who keep me going and you are all over the world. Many of you share the same struggles as me, we might not have a lot in common but our bond no matter where we are is shared on here, together.
Writing to me is a person journey and by that I mean spending the journey convincing one person at a time to read what I have to say and take part. We have write the damn thing first but after that, I know there is an audience for me. I half jokingly named this blog Lee’s Hall of Information and now it stands as the central pillar to everything I do in writing and blogging, it is my home and I am joined by 900 followers – something I take very seriously because that’s an incredible amount of people to have in my corner.
This post could have been so many things, from elaborate celebrations tagging the various influences and supporters that hold this place together to something much more but sometimes in this busy world a simple thank you is enough. After all I’ve got blog posts to write, books to write and a career to build out of this, all of which started from scratch, all of which started with your loyal support. .
You know who you are, so thank you for being here. And whether you signed up yesterday or years ago, thank you. My advice for anyone who wants real success in writing and blogging, its kind of simple, just keep going.
Writing books and blogging go hand in hand to me. They have done for seven years now and just last month I was notified by WordPress for reaching that milestone. Time flies I guess… This Hall of Information blog is the central pillar to all of my content and this post is dedicated to everything I have learned in that time. Before I dive in, let me just thank all of you, for joining me here in this space on the internet I call home. You support is very much appreciated!
Last year I put out a similar type of post which then inspired me to write a little self-help book called Consistent Creative Content. Here’s what I’ve learned in seven years of blogging.
Time
The major factor in all of this is time. If I could have incorporated that word into the title of ‘CCC’ I would have.
Blogging takes time, good results take time, finding content takes time… you probably get the picture. If you dedicate time to blogging it will eventually get better.
For those not sure where to start with blogging my basic tip would be to consider your blog as your own personal space to talk uninterrupted about any subject you wish. This brings me to…
Diverse Content – to a certain degree…
Many blogs including mine will stick to a certain theme when it comes to content. You probably won’t see a book blog talking heavy politics often and sometimes it’s good to branch out a little but my advice is to stay in the same content neighbourhood. While my Hall of Information blog started as a journey towards publishing that was fairly limited in what I could blog about. Since then my content has diversified within the realms of publishing. From indie book reviews to interviewing authors on occasion all the way to book promotion results and even just ramble posts that capture what I’m currently feeling. They are all in the same neighbourhood as my original vision but stretch a little wider in appeal. So perhaps trying new things is a good thing but…
New Ventures can take time…
Blogging for me turned a huge corner when I decided to take the plunge into offering Indie Book Reviews back in 2018. What happened the moment I launched that service? Nothing because it takes time to get the word out and build up a trusted reputation. Eventually indie book reviews became what I was known for but it started slowly.
This year I started another new blogging venture of offering space on my blog for guest posts and articles. Again hardly anyone applied but last month 8 posts were from guest authors who shared excerpts, their stories and even the story behind their story. Some of this stuff makes for great reading.
New ventures in blogging can take time but they’ll work eventually. In these two cases both offered an incentive. Incentives are the key to selling and now this month I have started a Patreon.As of right now the amount of Patrons I have is zero, but with a little more work I imagine some supporters will eventually arrive. There will be some more content soon, even some fictional stuff.
Leverage your social media following…
Those who know me over on the Tweet machine will know my following has pretty much doubled in the space of a year. If you have a loyal engaged following on a platform you can turn their attention to your blog and drive them to it – this is part of the reason why my blog gets so many views these days. But how, well, this leads to…
Know your audience and write for them…
In July of 2020 this blog had 63 click through’s from Twitter, this year it has 394 and counting. This is because now I write partly for that Twitter audience of writers and bloggers who appreciate my guides and reviews. This already galvanised my existing blog audience which was bookish to begin with. For those with a small audience or none at all this is a fantastic opportunity to write about whatever you feel, if it captures your personality, eventually it will resonate with someone.
Blogging Tip: If you blog with WordPress the social element of connecting with others is already there as everyone with an account has access to a feed that shows you suggested blogs to follow – this is a great way to branch out at the start.
Guest content still takes work…
After nearly a year of pushing a lot of my own content out onto my blog I kind of hit a creative wall. While I still have hundreds of guides to come from my many experiences, I took the plunge in offering space for guest posts on my blog which has over 850 followers. Plenty of authors have since provided me with guest excerpts, stories and reviews but even that takes work. While I might have outsourced the creative element in guest posts, they still take time to check, put together and schedule. There is also a fine art to spacing out guest posts so my audience is not too overexposed to the same thing…
All content all the time may not necessarily work…
Simply, if you want to grow and grow quickly in blogging then produce more content but too much content might have an adverse effect as readers read in their own time so if you are posting daily they might not be able to keep up. Last year and even recently I would post up to 6 times a week which is great for views but the content ranged from reviews to rambles. If you do suddenly ramp up content, be aware of how your audience respond and they will…
Listen to your audience…
I don’t get a lot of comments on my blogs but most of them come from loyal long term followers. They are my bricks and mortar and I do my best to listen to their feedback and engage with them. In blogging most followers don’t unfollow so a follower earned is a follower for life most of the time.
Blogging is a craft to me…
Like writing I can show you to the door and even set you up afterwards for marketing but I cannot physically teach you to blog. That is something you have to find within and working hard to get better will pay off eventually. Your audience may start small but they followed you for a reason, give them something to come back to every week or day. Its going to feel like you don’t know what you’re doing for some time but give it time and good things will happen.
My favourite saying in all of this is simple; If I can do this, then you certainly can. Here’s to many more years of blogging and thank you all for being here day in day out to support my efforts. It really does mean a lot. I have some more quick fire tips for blogging over on my Patreon which is FREE to readat the moment and can be found here.
Peace out, rock and roll and to many more years of blogging!
Okay, this actually choked me up a little but here goes…
If it wasn’t for the efforts and support of fellow bloggers, this Hall of Information Blog wouldn’t have seen anywhere near the amount of success it has had in the past few years.
Those past few years have been a journey and even through these incredibly difficult times somehow the Hall of Information is celebrating the 500 follower milestone!
I didn’t achieve the figures below on my own, people helped, some are bloggers whom I share this journey with and so this post is a dedication to those supporters! Whoever you are, from regular reader and liker to casual; my salute is aimed to you!
My sole philosophy in life is to give as good as you get, so this post is dedicated to those who have helped this blog become what it is today.
I sincerely believe without these folks, things would be pretty shitty… so without anymore introduction let me share with you the people who deserve recognition for their blogging efforts and for their support of this blog!
Jaycee Lynch – Thinking Moon Blog
You can pretty much pin point the moment the Hall of information started actually getting views and engagement like it has never seen before. You can blame Jaycee for that and I mean that in the most sincere of senses. I don’t think my stuff would have got anywhere near the amount of exposure it has if it wasn’t for this awesome blogger who started following the Hall of information a while ago now – time flies huh…
The Thinking Moon blog is a plethora of blogging greatness – it really is the benchmark of content and something every blogger needs in their life. The sheer amount of subjects Jaycee talks about is incredible; from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which I have been a fan of since the age of 13) to philosophy, interviews, book reviews and sustainability (a very important and relevant subject in this day and age).
Last year she even nominated this very blog for two separate awards and has even reviewed my books the Teleporter and Darke Blood. Ultimately J.C has been there for this blog and so in return I do my best to be there for her efforts. She is not only a big time blogger but is also active across social media platforms such as the tweet machine, you tube and the gram… I urge you to connect with her via the links below! J.C’s journey is full of inspiration and colour; something which social media needs!
Megan from A Geeky Gal is one of the most important bloggers I know. Her contribution to blogging and the sheer amount of subject content she covers seals the fact that Megan is a fully fledged blog-star!
I’m not exaggerating when I say she creates so much content and I use the word important because Megan also blogs about mental health and self care – these are subjects which in the world of geeky things and the wider world of social media that I regard as important and very much needed. Megan regularly completes various challenges and over last summer she did a 30 Day Geek out Challenge which not only shows how dedicated she is to blogging but also how similar our tastes are in so many different things!
Megan nominated the Hall of information for the sunshine blogger award last year; the third blogging award nomination and coming from such a prolific blogger it was a pretty big deal for me. I urge you to check out A Geeky Gal!
My next nod goes to most probably the busiest book blogger in all the land of WordPress because Blair of Feed the Crime is always reading and reviewing stuff!
Originally specialising in crime book reviews Blair has branched out to many other genres quite recently and in doing so she has helped get my books seen via some wonderful reviews of ‘The Ghost Beside Me’ , ‘Darke Blood’ , ‘Open Evening’ and ‘The Teleporter’. It seems Blair is a convert of my stuff as it’s pretty ‘out there’ and her views on my work are very much appreciated!
Anyone looking for book rec’s I highly advise you follow and check out Blair’s efforts!
Another awesome blogger who has helped with my book promo efforts is Mullen Crafts who has read and reviewed Open Evening and even took on a pre-released version of the Ghost Beside Me which was a great help! Not only does she review books but blogs about all things craft. I urge you to check out her site which is full of awesome craft tutorials, how to posts and book reviews!
Stoner on a Rollercoaster is another wonderful and unique blogger who isn’t afraid to express herself via many blogging subjects that range from mental health, rambles of the various and recently the trials of publishing (and I know that pain). Not only does she bring words to masses of followers but has also supported and liked many of the entries the blog has, so for that the Hall of information is thankful!
I recently reviewed her awesome and emotional poetry collection which you can read here.
The truth is there are 500 people who made this post possible and it would be difficult to credit everyone as some are just starting their following but there are still some awesome bloggers who deserve an Honorable mention and more importantly your follow! Check out the awesome people mentioned below! Give them a follow and read their stuff. Many of them have liked and connected with this blog for some time with their fantastic support, thanks to all! Some of them even created some go-to content which has inspired this blog!
Not all followers are bloggers, and I appreciate every single follow, even those who don’t blog – from readers, work colleagues, friends and family to everyone else – Thank you!
And while I finish with these mentions the Hall of information will be looking to what’s next?
Now that the following is over 500 very soon I shall be reaching out to people via social media to begin getting to know them a bit better with Hall of Information Interviews! Watch this space and thank you for joining me…
Lee's Hall of information 
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