I’ve written some great short stories and eventually I’d like to get published. What’s the best platform for me to get visibility without giving it all away for free? Is a website enough, or should I create a blog, too?

-Aspiring Writer, Philadelphia

Whether you’re a writer, artist, or musician, one of the biggest benefits of blogging is that it can help you engage and grow a larger following for whatever it is you create. Blogs have the advantage of being updated more frequently and in a way that lets reader interact with you on a personal level.

Where websites are a series of static pages that give visitors the basic information about who you are and what you create, a blog says, Here I am. Come talk with me. It’s an easy, informal way of keeping people informed about not only your latest work, but your internal creative process.

The other major advantage of having a blog is that you can use it as a platform for marketing your work. Although you can always post short excerpts of what you’re writing onto your blog, your blog should be a place to share your thoughts, ideas, opinions—not publish your actual stories.

And lastly, having a well frequented blog that boasts lots of followers definitely builds credibility in the eyes of publishers. If you’re interested in the blog-to-book deal phenomenon, you might want to get your hands on a copy of 279 Days to Overnight Success. The author, Chris Guillebeau, used his blog to grow a following and land a book deal in less than a year.

If you’re looking for ways to blog about your work without “giving it all away,” here are four links to great blogs by writers that may give you a few ideas:

Sage Cohen—The Path of Possibility