WebProNews

Tag: make money blogging

  • Turning Your Blog Into a Book

    Turning Your Blog Into a Book

    WebProNews recently spoke with Ellen Gerstein, the Director of Marketing at John Wiley & Sons, the publishing firm behind the "For Dummies" books among many others. She discussed the impact blogs and social media have had on the publishing industry and gave some advice for bloggers looking to get books published.  

    "I think there’s a general impression that people aren’t buying books anymore, and while there may be good content out there, it’s really hard to find the readers who are going to pay money for a book," she says. "There are still books being written that have great content and are selling well, and are finding their readers…"

    "I think there will always be a place for books…As long as we work to keep our books relevant, that we deliver them on the platforms that people are looking for…yes, the rise of the Kindle and the iPad and the iBookstore have really done wonders for publishing," she adds. "It’s giving us a new medium to reach people, and having that platform for our content has been a good thing."

    While there may still be plenty of people buying books, whether that’s in the form of print or digital publications, there is no question that there is a lot of free content out there available to be consumed.

    "I think Twitter and blogging is helping us find new authors, but in some senses, it is making us focus more on what the customer is really looking for," Gerstein tells WebProNews. "I think there’s less leeway, because there are so many avenues for putting you content out there, that we have to be more choosey about what goes into a book."

    Many bloggers out there have no doubt considered turning some of their best posts into books. After all, you’ve done all of that writing about a particular subejct. Why not? 

    "It is a very different process between what works in kind of nuggets of content on the web and what works on the printed page, and it is more formal," says Gerstein. "One of our authors, C.C. Chapman, was on our panel [at BlogWorld], and he made the point of saying, ‘when I write a blog post, I can go back and change any of it. Once I put something into print, it’s done.’"

    That’s the magic of the web, but when you’re talking about digital formats for books, the possibilities are opened up there as well. 

    Gerstein offered the following advice for bloggers looking to get published. "I would say, really concentrate on your platform. Figure out what your message is and what community you want to connect with."

    "It’s the people who have the platforms, who are out there creating good content and bringing quality information to a community that we’re looking for, and I think if you work on serving that niche…then take it to talking to a publisher, talking to an agent, considering writing a book. Make sure you’re sure who you’re speaking to and why you’re speaking to them before you take that next step."

    Of course there are self-publishing options on there. In fact I actually spoke with BookBrewer.com at BlogWorld. This is a service that will let you turn your blog into an eBook and get it on eReading devices like the Kindle, Nook, iPad, iPhone, Android, Kobo, etc. and in online stores like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders. There are also other options, such as Lulu, InstantPublisher, etc. 

  • Did You Think Making Money Blogging Would Be Easy?

    Ever since blogging became popular, people have been trying to make a living at it. A few have been successful, but many eventually give up, or if they actually do continue to blog, they aren’t making anything. In a session I attended about blogging at SXSW last month, one of the panelists asked the question, "how many of you have a blog?" Nearly everyone in the room raised their hands. Next, they asked, "how many of you are earning with your blog?" Very few people raised their hands.

    That does not mean it can’t be done. It’s just going to take some work. We talked to Darren Rowse, one of the most famous people in the Blogosphere for making blogging profitable (he runs ProBlogger), who shared some tips on how to do it.

    Have you been able to make your blog profitable? Tell us about it.

    It’s Going to Take a While

    As Rowse notes, a lot of people jump into blogging thinking they’re going to start earning quickly. That is very likely not the case. He says it’s about finding a good niche – something you’re passionate about. Ask yourself what your interests are, and if your topics are things you can see yourself writing about regularly for years.

    When looking for a niche to take on, Rowse suggests doing  some  research on how many people are searching for that type of content. Use tools like Google Trends. Look at how many people are advertising on this type of content. Is there enough content to write about on the topic or will you eventually run out of things to say?

    Frequency

    As Rowse says, there’s no rule for how often you should blog. People have been successful writing a post a week or less. Still, your chances of growing success are increased along with your frequency. Think about it.

    "Every post you write is a doorway into your site," says Rowse. "If you’re only writing 52 posts a year, that’s 52 places people can connect with you through Google or through Twitter. If you’re writing 365 (one a day), then you’ve exponentially increased the amount of places that people can find you."

    Despite the beliefs of some, blogging is not dead, and it’s not dying by the hands of social media. Social media can be the blogger’s best friend for sharing content, and attracting more readers.

    Guy Gonzalez of F+W Media made a pretty good point in that session at SXSW: "Anyone who thinks Twitter is a substitute for a blog probably wasn’t a good blogger to begin with."

    Last year, we looked at some polls that Rowse conducted, finding that more people preferred to have more blog readers, as opposed to more Twitter followers. Granted, Twitter use has grown significantly since then, but I don’t know that the outcome would be much different now. A lot of bloggers are using Twitter simply to drive traffic to their blog posts.

    Either way, when it comes to content, it shouldn’t be about the format (blogging vs. Twitter). It should be about what you have to say, and whether you can convey that to the right audience. More on that here.

    Share your own tips for an effective blogging strategy.