Matt McAvoy Book Review

Social media.. social networking.. digital marketing.. blogging.. blah, blah.  Write if you want to sell, that's what they say nowadays, but their idea of "writing" is not my idea of writing.  When I write, it's on paper, with a pen, perhaps a little ambient light through the dark hours and endless tea from a Spurs mug, until my eyes give up on me.  When I finally settle down in front of the computer for months on end, it is with the intention of publishing - the writing is already long since done.  When they say write, they mean skip straight to the publishing part, and it usually shows (whoever they are).  

Publishing is marketing; marketing is not my bag - if it was, I'd work in marketing, and probably make a shit-load more cash than I do as a writer.  You see, writers primarily don't want to sell (of course they do) - their main priority is the act of writing itself.  But a few good reviews make you hungry - they make you greedy; no, more than that: you actually start to believe!  So spread the word: you're now a writer - you believe, and now you want everyone else to believe too!  You're actually hungry for it!  To do that you have to sell, and that's where blogging comes in.

This whole blogging thing is very alien to me - I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to write about!  Do I write about me and my work, or is that egotistical?  Do I write about something completely irrelevant with the intention of piggybacking the success of others, or is that unethical?  Do I shamelessly link-build or promote?  For all I know, I may have already broken numerous blogging protocols with this entry (if it even is a legitimate blog entry, or just a bunch of waffle), such as spamming, content manipulation and keyword stuffing.  I think perhaps blogging is one of those things that nobody really knows how to do properly, even the "experts"- maybe some just get lucky.  For all I know, my blog entry is so uninspiring, you haven't even made it to this point, so I'm simply typing into thin air. 

I've therefore decided not to sweat it, because I reckon there is no hard and fast rule of thumb or purpose to blogging.  I'm pretty much going to write about whatever I feel like - something in the news catches my eye (constantly), I think I'll write about it, I bring out a new book or launch a promotion, you'll read about it here, I fancy the work of another author, I'll tell you.  Fuck it - you may even get a good tip on the football if it takes my fancy to give you one.  It's my blog and my time spent, and I'll write about whatever I want - you'll either read it or you won't .  I'm sure nature will take its course and a theme will emerge over time, but that's where you come in; please feel free to comment, feedback and drag me into any topic you feel like - you'll see that I have very strong opinions on pretty much everything.

So there's something for you to lick your lips at - some obscure writer blogging about nothing in particular if and when he feels like it.  I can see you rubbing your hands in wild anticipation of the next entry!  Who knows what it will be entitled?  This one is called: "How not to create a successful blog" - a more appropriate name could not be dreamed up, I think.