How I'm Going to Book My Blog---And You Can Too!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brad Poulson on March 24, 2011 at 12:51pm

Joel,
You’ve given our members an incredibly valuable idea (and plan!) – thank you!

If publishers are using social media to market their work, no mater if they are publishing nonfiction or any fiction genre, they should read your plan to “Book Your Blog.” 


The investment in social media marketing can be hard to measure, but if you can publish the content and use it to generate a revenue stream, you turn an expense into income – brilliant! 

Here are a list of possible uses of this strategy that come right to my mind: content to build product extensions, generate premiums or newsletters, or develop characters and plot (serialization). 

I look forward to following your project (Let’s see…you said 7 weeks, the blog post is early February, have you published?) and thank you for sharing this terrific idea!

 

Brad Poulson

SPAN Executive Director

Permalink Reply by Joel Friedlander on March 30, 2011 at 1:03pm

Brad, I made it in 10 weeks, which seems very fast to me. The book is officially published as of this week, and I'm writing guest posts throughout the week to spread the word. This is where networking with other bloggers really pays off. I announced the book and provided links to all the posts I wrote about the process here, if readers are interested:

 

A Self-Publisher's Companion Now Available in Print and e-Book Formats

 

Partly I've done this as a way of showing the process from start to finish, so I hope it's helpful to others considering how to use their blogs to help them with creating a book.

Permalink Reply by Nina Amir on March 30, 2011 at 9:37am

Joel,

 

As you you know, I've been watching your progress and have been approaching this topic both from the book-a-blog and blog-a-book sides. I encourage people to repurpose their material into books, just as you are doing, but, more than that, I encourage people to blog their books. This provides them with a phenomenal way to build readership as they develop content. It's the fastest way I know to write a book--and the most fun because you actually have readers while you write.

 

I blogged a book about how to blog a book in just 5 months. You can find it at How to Blog a Book. My agent has been peddling it for me, but I'm editing the manuscript now and plan to self-publish if I don't hear something very soon. (If there are any hard-core bloggers out there with lots of skills, I'm looking for readers for the technical chapters!)

 

I stress going through what I call the "proposal process" with a blogged book and actually analyzing what you will write from a business standpoint. Approach the blogged book like a "real" book--which it will be. Look at the market and competition in Cyberspace and in the e-book and physical book stores. Figure out how you will promote and how your book is unique, etc. Blog with purpose and passion. Do it right from the start.

 

By the way, Joel, it was lovely to meet you at the SFWC, and I haven't forgotten that I promised you a guest blog post. I'm still waiting for another from you for Write Nonfiction NOW!

 

I'll be waiting to see your finished booked blog. (And can I use that term -- with attribution -- in my book?)

 

Nina

Permalink Reply by Joel Friedlander on March 30, 2011 at 1:00pm

Thanks, Nina. Sure, use it in your book. Your suggestions take the idea of blogging your book to another level. And yes, I'm looking forward to that guest post!

Permalink Reply by Nina Amir on March 30, 2011 at 4:49pm

I hope you'll send a post along to me so I can run it in both my blogs. Good exposure for you and good info for my readers!

Permalink Reply by Joel Friedlander on March 30, 2011 at 6:00pm

Thanks, Nina, I'll email you later today.