Publishing

You put a lot of work into publishing a new article, both before and after hitting the publish button. But do you follow a rigid process or routine every time? If you publish regularly on your website or blog, you want each new article to have the best chance of finding readers. With all the…

Most major search engines now have an AI search mode. But until recently, it was pretty much impossible to find out whether these AI search modes were using your writing for their answers. That has changed now with Google providing Generative AI reports and Bing giving AI performance data. Don’t get too excited, though, as…

If an article you publish on one platform brings 1,000 views, it might seem logical that publishing the same article on ten platforms could bring 10,000 views. It would be nice if it worked that way, but it doesn’t. Publishing an article in more places might seem like an obvious way to reach more readers,…

The process of publishing has changed very little. Discoverability is what has changed. Thirty-five years ago, readers discovered books and articles through bookstores, libraries, magazines, newspapers, and word of mouth. Twenty-five years ago, websites, blogs, and search engines transformed how people found information online. Today, search engines, AI assistants, social media, and online recommendations all…

For twenty-five years, or even longer, publishing online has been the most popular way for writers to connect with readers. I belong in the “even longer“ group, and publishing my writing online has become a way of life for me. Today, however, writers face new headwinds from AI-generated answers, unpredictable social platforms, and diminishing organic…

Many authors choose a pen name to protect their privacy, build a more memorable author identity, or separate different areas of their writing career. But there are many other practical reasons for adopting a different author name. A pen name can be easier to spell, remember, and market than a real name. This can be…

If you are a new writer, you’ve probably read advice that you should get some feedback before publishing. While that is not entirely wrong, it can be misleading or misunderstood. It depends on many factors, including what you’re intending to publish. The major flaw is in thinking that the more feedback you can get, the…

Once you’ve finished writing, the next step is deciding where to publish your work and which platform best matches your goals as a writer. Today, there are many different ways to publish, whether you write articles and essays, short stories, poetry, or novels. If you’re new to online publishing or exploring alternatives, you’ll quickly find…

Should I keep my blog despite AI and Google decimating my organic traffic and income? Would I let over one million of my words bite the dust? Could I use a third-party platform to reduce or even eliminate my costs? These are just a few of the questions that have been racing through my mind…

How do I know AI steals every new word I write and publish? My proof isn’t circumstantial or abstract. It’s sitting right in front of me in my site’s server logs. Every day, I see thousands of hits from AI crawlers, such as Googlebot, BingBot, ChatGPT-User, Meta-ExternalAgent, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, and many others you’ve probably never…