Now here’s where writers begin to appreciate the sheer power of a blog. Create a Google “alert” for your name. You can have alerts sent to you daily via email.
Within a month or so of starting, you’ll find that your name is popping up all over online.
5. See who’s reading your blog
Create a Google Analytics account, to see who’s reading your blog. Not only can you see who’s reading, you can see the terms they entered into a search engine to find a particular blog post.
Analyzing your readers is huge fun: you’ll be amazed when you see who’s reading your words – editors, publishers, and other potential clients you could attract in no other way.
6. Want to attract someone’s attention? Blog about them
Let’s say you’re writing a novel. You think Publisher X would be a good fit for the novel.
Start blogging about Publisher X. Just like you, Publisher X monitors the online world to see who’s talking about them… and so someone from Publisher X’s publicity and/ or marketing department will check out your blog. You may just get a request for a partial (chapters and outline) of your novel.
Many bloggers have gained publishing contracts via their blog. Others gain commissions and clients.