This year’s most popular blog posts

What are people reading on your blog and why should you care?

Using Google Analytics to determine your most popular blog posts helps you:

• Identify trends
• Uncover surprises (“I expected the article about how to replace a kanooter valve to be more popular than it was.”)
• Guide what you write about in the following year

When I did this to find my top 10 articles from 2015 to list here, I was happy to see that one of the trends I’ve identified in the past continues: I do a good job of recruiting guest bloggers.

When I hear a good story from a colleague or author friend and can convince them to write about it for us here, the article usually resonates with readers.

Three of the articles on this list — including the most popular one! — are guest posts. I am grateful to our guest bloggers for sharing their wisdom and experiences with us.

Here they are, starting with number 10. Click on each article title to read more.

10. 3 steps to more social media followers

If you know how to play “follow the leader,” you’ll be able to boost the number of people who follow you on social media. (Be sure to scroll down to the “Tip of the Month,” too.)

9. Author email list lessons

This article was “ripped from the headlines” — the headlines in my email inbox, that is. Learn how one author reacted when people he added to his email list without permission unsubscribed when he invited them to do exactly that. (There are lots of comments on this one.)

8. The Amazon reviews brouhaha and you

Amazon is cracking down on authors and other product sellers who pay people to write reviews. Get the what, why, how, and who cares in this article. (The “Tip of the Month” at the bottom is pretty cool.)

7. 29 awesome gifts for authors

I had so much fun researching this one! It’s not too late to buy any of these goodies for a writer friend or for yourself — they’re timeless.

6. Avoid these four author bio mistakes

Self-published authors are often surprised to learn that there’s a right way and a wrong way to write an author bio. These tips will help make sure that yours is as good as it can be.

5. How to sell out at a book signing without being a celebrity

Jane Sutter Brandt sold every book she brought to her first book signing event — all 99 of them. In this article, she offers eight success tips plus a few more lessons learned.

4. Book promotion timing: Implement these 9 strategies as soon as you’ve finished the first draft

Don’t be that author who waits until the book is published to start thinking about marketing. There’s a lot you need to do long before your book is ready for its launch.

3. 10 terrible social media myths authors should avoid

Guest blogger Chris Syme, a social media specialist and author, takes on everything from hashtag stuffing to ageism in this post packed with excellent tips and advice.

2. 21 free resources for authors

There are some pretty cool resources on this list that won’t cost you a cent.

1.  Book sales skyrocket when author adds social media images

Novelist Randi Lee carefully documents how sales started climbing once she started adding teaser images to her social media posts. And she did it all without spending money.

Do you have a favorite from this site that’s not on this list? Please share the title or topic in a comment.

Tip of the Month

I always share a “Tip of the Month,” a free resource or tool for authors, on the last Wednesday of the month.

Get a free author marketing evaluation from Penny Sansevieri and team at book promotion firm Author Marketing Experts by calling the company or using the provided form on the company’s site. They do great work.