What are the Top 50 Blogs for Authors?

On By Patrick RossIn Blogging, MFA, Publishing, Social media, Writing

The Artist’s Road turns two years old next month, and I’ve received some pretty fishy emails during this run, such as people wanting to pay me to run their blog posts. I always decline; my readers aren’t for sale. Yesterday I was told I was named a Top 50 Blog for Authors. I was immediately skeptical. Perhaps they tell this to every blogger, then, when the would-be victim is buttered up, they go in for the hard sell.

But when I checked out the site and saw the other bloggers that were listed, I realized that, whatever the motivation of Tribal Messenger Daily, the award-giving site, I was in pretty good company. Some of my favorite bloggers are there, like Elizabeth Craig, Kristen Lamb, Jane Friedman, Anne R. Allen, Rachelle Gardner, and Write to Done (which last December named me a Top Ten Blog for Writers).

I’m flattered to be listed in this company. I am more flattered because, while I know many of my readers are published authors, I am a published writer who does not yet have a book contract to his name. I hold out hope that the travel memoir I am writing in my MFA program will, when complete, draw the attention of a publisher. But for now, when it comes to that elusive title of “author,” I still place “aspiring” in front of it.

Of course, as I explain in my “What is This?” section, “The Artist’s Road is, put simply, an ongoing conversation among the blog’s author and its readers regarding the challenges and rewards of pursuing an art-committed life.” So the value of this blog comes as much from the comments of its readers as it does for me.

Let’s make that true today. Tribal Messenger Daily assembled their Top 50 Blogs for Authors list to promote its upcoming World Authors Conference 2012. I’d like to use winning this award to promote other great blogs for authors or aspiring authors that may or may not have made their Top 50 list.

What is a blog you keep going back to, time and again? Give them a shout-out below!

30 thoughts on “What are the Top 50 Blogs for Authors?”

  1. Congratulations, Patrick! I’m not surprised, though. I return to your blog again and again (to answer your question above).

    As for ‘aspiring author’, I’m pretty sure your travel memoir will find a home when it’s ready. You are a fantastic writer with great insight – AND you have the platform (dreaded word?) What I love is that you’ve built this following so organically. It feels genuine and authentic which is totally why it works!

    Congrats again. So happy for you.

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  3. Congratulations and well deserved.
    I began to blog 2 months and 2 week ago and yours was the second blog I followed.
    I found you on the top blogs and read some of your pieces and decided that I would like a piece of that!
    So you have been there from my beginning and I thank you for it.
    Any tips you can give us to get us half as good as you then we will take them and try to use them.
    May you go from strength to strength!

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  5. Congrats on the award, that is awesome! I would have to say that I love so many blogs it’s nearly impossible for me to pick just one, so I’ll name a few. I love Zen Scribbles, Michelle Proulx, Candace Knoebel and the living notebook to name a few. There are so many great ones out there!

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  9. Congratulations, Patrick. It’s well deserved. Yours was one of the blogs I was directed to when I (re) began blogging. I wouldn’t place “aspiring” before your author title, as you’ve been published in at least one lit journal (maybe more that I’ve not yet read). In my experience, some journals demand quite a bit from their writers in time, rewriting/clarifying portions, etc. Hmmmm. Trying to think of an informative blog. So many out there that I’ll pick a good friend, Lynn McClain. She’s relatively new to the blogging world — a woman with a fresh voice, integrity, humility, and dedication to the craft. http://scribbling.linguisticacrobatics.com/

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    1. Hi Terri! Thanks for those kind words. Your blog reads like one written by a blogging veteran, so the “re-began” is no surprise to me. As far as the “author” label, I’m persnickety in keeping that to published book; yes, I have a few lit journal credits to my name, and of course a career in journalism. I ran a guest blog here awhile back by Annie Neugebauer called “What the Heck Should I Call Myself, Anyway?” and she was more liberal with the use of the word “author.” https://artistsroad.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/what-the-heck-should-i-call-myself-anyway/

      Thanks for the link to the Scribbling site! I don’t do well with “assignment” blogs, but I think they, like craft books of the same ilk, are great resources for writers.

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