Hey Reader,

This week, our blog post is about writing to market. That's the process of writing with specific markets in mind.

But here, I want to go over our process for writing a blog post. You might get some insights for your own blog.

Part 1: Planning

When I write blog posts for Siretona Creative, they tend to be in one of four categories. These are:

1) Concepts authors need to know, like the ideal reader or the difference between self-publishing and boutique publishing

2) Writing theory, like whether you'd be better off writing and where authors get inspiration

3) Marketing theory, like how authors become spotlights and why marketing books is hospitality

4) Special features, like Marcia's poetry and flash fiction picks

I pick topics based on current events, relevance to our authors, and relevance to other things Siretona is doing. For example, this week's post is about a concept I'd love to reference in the future.

You can divide your posts into similar categories. They can be:

• concepts your readers would like to know, like facts in your book
• your writing practices
• community events in your local area or genre
• unique work for your readers

Part 2: Outlining

Some people skip this step. I'm not one of them. An outline keeps my writing focused and clear.

My outline is usually a bullet point list of major points I need to make. If I have more details to add, I'll make more notes.

Part 3: Writing

This is the easiest to explain. My sentences connect the points in the outline like a connect-the-dots puzzle. Once I'm done writing, I give it a couple of editing passes. Colleen or another team member might check it too.

Part 4: Images and links

When I started writing posts, I included a picture from Wix's stock photo library. Now, I make my own header graphic using assets from Canva. A template keeps this process quick.

I include links to other relevant posts, authors I mention, and programs we're running. This is usually the last step before publishing.

If you have an idea for something we should talk about in a blog post or newsletter, let me know!

Have a great week,

Molly Layton-Simpson

Marketing Assistant