Hello to Visitors From Michael Hyatt’s Blog!

Michael Hyatt interview

Today, Michael Hyatt is featuring a 12-minute interview with me on his blog. We talk about the following:

  • How important is an author’s “platform” to their success in the publishing world?
  • Do you think there is still a role for traditional publishers in the future?
  • What are the best practices of really successful writers?
  • What is the role of consistency in writing and publishing?
  • What do writers sometimes do to sabotage their careers?

Click here to go watch.

For those of you new to my site, who came here from the Michael Hyatt interview, welcome! Here are a few things you might enjoy:

If you like the advice you find, you might also like my monthly (or so) e-newsletter.
Thanks for visiting!


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11 Comments
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Harleena Singh

Congrats Jane, this sure is great, just heard all of it! Thanks for sharing!

Jane Friedman

🙂

Snalbor

Jane Friedman’s active blog is now at  https://janefriedman.com/ Her Writer’s Digest blog is no longer active. It’s a great blog for all writers and aspiring writers! You can see from this interview she knows her stuff. 

Snalbor

Jane Friedman’s active blog is now at  https://janefriedman.com/ Her Writer’s Digest blog is no longer active. It’s a great blog for all writers and aspiring writers! You can see from this interview she knows her stuff. 

Irving Podolsky

Hello again Jane,

Watching your interview was encouraging, even consoling. I’ve read everywhere that it  takes time to build an audience for an internet voice, but it was especially reassuring to hear it from you.

I’m seven weeks into my blog, and beyond Google Analytics data, it’s difficult to determine just what my readers are thinking if they don’t leave comments. I ask for feedback but not much comes back. Still, I’m getting hits, and from people I don’t know! THAT was the happy surprise. However, the open forum I hoped to build is reluctant to blossom. Yes, I know, it’s really early in the game. But maybe my concept isn’t practical. I’d like to know that.

So my question is this: In the first few months of your blog, when your traffic was low and comments were few, how were you able to analyze your content and style success in order to improve it?

Irv

Jane Friedman

Indeed, it is still quite early!

I think the best way to analyze your success (in the earliest stages) is to simply see what content gets the most in-depth engagement. Engagement = time spent reading the post, number of shares across social networks, number of comments.

That helps you see what content is the “stickiest.”

Assuming this is your blog – http://www.irvingsjourney.com/ – then I’d offer these tips as well:

1. As a general rule, it’s difficult for people to read for very long when it’s white text on black background. Consider modifying for a better reading experience.

2. Bold text, all-caps, or italics can also be difficult to read for more than a few lines at a time.

3. You might have more of an uphill climb than other bloggers  since your posts build off each other. Most people, if they feel behind before they even get started, may not continue.

Irving Podolsky

Thanks for these tips, Jane.  The white on black would be an easy change but I asked eight people who are following the blog and they said they didn’t have a problem reading it. (I may change it anyway.)

I think you’re right about the bold type, and probably the italics as well. I think I’ll change that to a color difference.

And I also think you’re right about your third comment. I’m the same way when it comes to TV series. If I lose the thread I stop watching the show. This is why I’m starting the posts with recaps.

I appreciate your visit to my site.

Irv

Diana Dart

Excellent interview with genuinely helpful info. Thanks for your time, Jane. And your wisdom 🙂

Jane Friedman

A pleasure! Thanks for visiting my site.

Joey O'Connor

This was a great interview Jane (a great name…my mom is a ‘Jane’). I appreciate your comments and insights. Especially about consistency…okay, now off to writing!

Thank you!

Jane Friedman

Thanks for taking the time to comment!