The Secret Blogging Ways of the Ninja Captain

The Man Who Needs No Hyperlink himself, Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. *I feel a squee coming on*

I’m here today to share some tips about blogging. But wait, do Ninjas share their secrets? Well, this one does, because they aren’t really secrets. They are just things I’ve learned in the past four years of blogging.

It’s taken me time to build up readership of my blog. Counting all sources, I have way over two thousand followers now. But I remember when I only had thirty, and that was after over four months of blogging. Fortunately, I figured out how to do it better.

Here are my Ninja blogging secrets:

I found my groove. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure what to blog about. Once I found my groove, it became easier and more enjoyable. As writers, we have to find our groove in the balance between what we enjoy and what will attract our audience. I’m a science fiction writer, so a lot of my posts feature genre movies, books, and even music.

I learned how to be a better follower and commenter. I don’t follow every single person back (as sometimes I can’t find a blog to follow) but I follow most. If someone comments on my blog, I visit and comment on his. It’s about being willing to make friends.

I focus more on others than I do on myself. I was always open to guest posts, but as my blog grew in size, I realized it could really benefit others. I started the Ninja News, featuring the accomplishments of my fellow bloggers. People have dubbed my blog the water cooler, gathering to get the latest news. How do I keep up with everything? When I come across someone’s cool news, I copy the web address and note what happened in a Word file for my next post. By the time I am ready to put that post together, I already have five or six items to include.

I post on a regular schedule and only when I am available. Except for the A to Z Challenge, I post Monday-Wednesday-Friday. It’s easier to keep up with someone when you know when he’s going to post. If I won’t be available one of those days, I just don’t post. (And I’ll announce that ahead of time.) I don’t expect others to visit me if I can’t visit them.

I’m involved in the community. I participate in blogfests and I’ve hosted a dozen of my own. (It’s much more fun to host!) I’m also an A to Z Challenge co-host, managing the massive Linky List and visiting others. Two years ago I started the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, now over three hundred members strong, and it’s been a total blessing to all involved.

I visit a lot of blogs. I average a hundred blogs a day, more on Mondays and way more on IWSG post day and during the A to Z Challenge. My circle of friends just keeps growing and I do my best to visit everyone. My secret is that I can blog from my job. (Which I do while working and watching a movie at the same time!) Since most people don’t have that luxury, I advise them to select a core group of twenty-thirty friends and set aside enough time throughout the day to visit them.

The most important thing is you have to really care about others and be willing to give of yourself. If you’re negative or blogging for the wrong reasons, it will be painfully obvious.

See? None of those things are really secrets nor are they that difficult. Everyone can do them – just start small and build.

One day you might have a Ninja Army as well!

CassaStorm

By Alex J Cavanaugh

From the Amazon Best Selling Series!

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

“CassaStorM is a touching and mesmerizing space opera full of action and emotion with strong characters and a cosmic mystery.”

– Edi’s Book Lighhouse

"Cavanaugh makes world building on the galactic scale look easy. The stakes affect the entire known universe and yet Cavanaugh makes it intensely personal for our hero. The final installment of this series will break your heart and put it back together."
- Charity Bradford, science fantasy author of The Magic Wakes

Available September 17, 2013

$16.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 268 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.

Science fiction/adventure and science fiction/space opera

Print ISBN 9781939844002 eBook ISBN 9781939844019

$4.99 EBook available in all formats

Find CassaStorm:

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17670532-cassastorm

Book trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Umm2l0XdHc&feature=youtu.be

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7Umm2l0XdHc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. The author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar and CassaFire, he lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

Website – http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

Twitter – http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh  

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4287922.Alex_J_Cavanaugh