The Author's Platform: Blogging with the Bird

Arlee Bird, creator and host of the A to Z Challenge, will speak to CBW-LA about the benefits of blogging and the blogging community. The A to Z Challenge is the brainchild of the influential blogger. When he began blogging four years ago, Lee was looking for a way to tie the community together, build sustaining relationships between writers and bloggers and populate his blog with useful posts. He decided to dedicate an entire month to challenge himself to blog through the alphabet, and invited others to join him. A to Z was born, and with the help of several co-hosts, Lee will kick off the fourth annual A to Z Challenge this April. Nearly 2,000 people signed up for the challenge last year, and for those who use it wisely, readership and fans soar.

Why is blogging important? Shouldn't an aspiring author focus on writing and revising their manuscript rather than focus on blogging and other social media?

The answer is yes and no. If an aspiring author spends all their time on a blog, Facebook and Twitter, a manuscript will not write itself.

However, in today's world where a writer is expected to engage in marketing and sales in addition to stellar writing, the author who finds the right balance between blogging, social media and writing will vastly improve their chances of getting an agent or a book deal. Ultimately, agents and publishers want something that will sell, and blogging enthusiasts and followers will buy a quality blogger's book.

The other upside is - the more you write, the better you become. It doesn't matter what you write about - the simple act of putting words on paper or on a computer screen will improve your ability to communicate and tell a compelling story.

Lee will talk about his blogging journey, and the networking opportunities afforded him through the A to Z Challenge. He will also talk about how to get started blogging, how to create a sense of online community, and how to use Facebook and Twitter to maximize the writer's platform.

There will be time for questions and answers, but any attendee may submit a question prior to the event by sending it to any CBW-LA board member or alana@cbw-la.org. Lee would be happy to incorporate advance questions in his talk.