Blogger Interview
Jane Simon Ammeson joins us today to share an insider's view into how she manages 2 different blogs, and juggles this with being the author of 16 books. Among her most recent books are Lincoln Road Trip: The Back-Roads Guide to America's Favorite President (a bronze winner in the travel book category for the 2019-20 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition). Her latest true crime is America’s Femme Fatale: The Story of Serial Killer Belle Gunness. Jane lives in a small town of Lake Michigan but she is always willing to travel. Visit Jane @: https://janeammeson.com -&- https://shelflife.blog
Q: When did you get the idea to launch your own blog?
It was years ago, when Blogger first came out, (or I became aware of Blogger anyway) and I became addicted to trying the templates and posting stories I’d written that had already run in newspapers and magazines. Now I use WordPress after taking an online course.
Q: Why does this blog matter to you?
I love the whole creative process, laying out photos, running articles, posting guess bloggers, sharing my thoughts/adventures/travels.
Q: What is your favorite task involved with your blogs?
Writing and choosing/editing photos.
Q: What kind of theme do you use on your blogs?
I used to choose my themes/templates but last time WordPress did it automatically for me because my old one expired and I really like the clean look of it. I do choose my own colors and I choose what I think will be a good background but give it some pizzazz.
Q: Did you have someone help you design the blogs?
No, I used the design template and color templates available through WordPress.
Q: How much time do you dedicate to your blogs?
Not nearly enough. I have two blogs and a lot of material but I also have my weekly columns and writing assignments plus a book contract with History Press. I try to post on each three times a week.
Q: What do you do to promote your blogs?
I have the name of my travel/food blog in the signature section of my email. Also, I have my blog set up so that it posts on my social media sites: Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, and I also use some tools available through Word Press like Jetpack and SEO to hopefully get it out to the world. But to tell the truth, I feel like I’m always running behind. There’s so much to do, writing, posting, marketing.
Just keep writing, posting, and blogging. No matter what. You have to keep going. Think of it like a shark, if it stops moving, it’s dead.
Q: What do you look for when it comes to guest queries or networking opportunities?
I think people really should read a blog before sending submissions that they want me to publish. Someone once sent me one on decorating a patio; it was wonderfully written with great photos, but I’m in another category. My one blog focuses on food and travel, while the other blog publishes topics relating to books and writers.
~~~
Discover Our Books on Amazon: https://amazon.com/author/lillianbrummet
Find us online via these landing pages:
~~~
Thank you Jane for dropping by to share your experiences !
ReplyDelete