In the past few months, the publishing world has seen an increase in the number of books hit the market that began on the internet as blogs. Yes, bloggers have turned into authors.
With the recent flurry of blogs turned into books, aspiring writers might want to consider blogging their books into existence. Lots of good reasons exist for choosing this way of getting your book into print—only one of which involves being discovered by an agent or publisher and landing a big advance.
Not sure if blogging a book would work for you? Consider the following 10 reason for doing so:
- You can publish as you write.
- You get exposure and build “platform.”
- It can give you expert status.
- Your writing gets read.
- You can test market your idea.
- It’s a daily writing commitment.
- You get feedback on your writing.
- It provides a method to make sure you complete your manuscript.
- To show what you’ve got…but not all you’ve got
- You and your blog might get discovered!
I created a blog, called How to Blog a Book, as a way to demonstrate the ease with which a writer can blog a nonfiction book. Fiction writers can use many of the same principles to blog novels as well; however, my expertise lies in writing, editing and publishing nonfiction books.
The “first draft” of just about 24,000 words—enough for a 100-page book—will be complete just five months later. I have a “secret” element I have left out and plan to add to the print version. I might self-publish this book, turn it into an e-book or choose to first produce a book proposal and see if I can find a traditional publisher to take it on—if it isn’t discovered in the meantime.
The posts in the blog offer readers information on how they can write their own book via a blog. By reading the blog, they can follow me along as I blog my own book–a book about how to blog a book. The posts offer information based on my knowledge as a freelance nonfiction book editor, writing coach and publishing mentor who often works with aspiring writers on their nonfiction book proposals. In How to Blog a Book, I recommend that nonfiction writers who choose to blog a book go through what I call the proposal process to evaluate their blogged book idea. The steps for doing so are outlined in the blog, as are a variety of other necessary tools and tips for blogging.
Basically, though, to blog a book, you need just start publishing 200-300-word posts in your blog 3-5 times per week. In no time flat, you’ll have a book written. Programs exists that will turn your blog into a book, but most of them end up looking just like your blog. If you plan on self-publishing your blog later, I suggest writing your posts in Microsoft Word, and then cutting and pasting them into your blog. In this way, you’ll create a complete manuscript. Later you can drop this into a program like Adobe InDesign to layout your book for publication. If you plan on traditionally publishing, you just need to break you manuscript into chapters, create a book proposal and you can begin submitting to agents and publishers.
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i use a combo of shea butter and aloe vera moisturizer. Works great. I use shea butter on my lips, around my eyes and nose (dry areas), My father swears by vasoline.
p.s. I dropped your name on Gina's post, Barb. ;)
Are you saying only non-fiction books can be published through blogs? I have a novel I would love to publish – somehow. Is this impossible via the blog route.
Fiction can also be published this way. It’s a bit more difficult since most posts are only about 300 words in length.
Check with an IP attorney or an agent before blogging your novel, you may be compromising your first edition publication rights by exposing your work to the public. Some authors get around this by creating a private blog requiring membership and a password, but get professional advice on how to proceed.
Happy writing.
That’s good advice.
Hi Nina
I am not fifty yet. I have 6 years to go but since finding this site I am addicted. I love blogs on spirituality and writing so your blog is my favourite.
Looking forward to reading much more.
All the best to you
http://www.fortysomethingfirsttimemum.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the compliment! Happy reading.
This is wonderful information and so practical. I have submitted a book and have also been advised by two published authors to start a blog. I am trying to do just that but am very confused by the process, being a bit challenged by computer skills in that area. I have managed to open a google account and an making progress with some of the opportunities there, but when I view some of the other sites, they are so involved with what they office, it seems overwhelming. What type of professional would I ask for help with this? (I do not even know how to put “links” into blogs. (sad, but true)
Gyspy Lee
According to my publisher, you should start blogging well before the publication date. The blog should not include portions of your book, (that’s for your web site) or involve overtly selling your book, but should make people awre of you, so that whenthe book comes out, you can mention it in your blog.
Check my blog, and my web site: http://www.aileengbaron.com, and Aileen Baron’s blog.
Blogging sounds like a form of horrible indigestion.
You can contact my friend Linda Lee at Askmepc.com. Tell her I sent you. Or you can contact me for simple things. My blog, howtoblogabook.com, has some basic advice as well.
Yes, publishers do want you to blog. It’s very important for buliding platform. You can include short excerpts of your book as well as all sorts of other information, like how you write, why you write, why you chose to write about our topic, etc. I suggest you read my other blog, writenonfictionnow.com and writenonfictioninnovember.com, for lots of information on blogging and platform building.
Blogging a book is very different than blogging to promote an existing book, however.
I do offer consulting services on blogging for authors, though…feel free to email me or call me via my website.
I use dotmac (I use a Mac) for my blog which makes it very easy to do links, etc. It costs $99 per year, but I pay that because it also lets me use their storage computer (somewhere far away from here) to store a copy of my manuscript chapters as I write them. That way if we have an earthquake or fire and both my computers get trashed, I still have my book. I still cringe thinking about Maxine Hong Kingston losing an unpublished book to the Oakland hills fire.
Oh…I know. That is one of my biggest fears in the summer. I am away again in NYC this summer with my computer. That makes me breath a little easier…except for all my files at home. I school my husband in what to take from my office in an emergency and hope he remembers and has time.
Excellent and helpful post. Tom Masters wrote a book on this, Blog to Book and Beyond, and was generous with his time when I started Catching Courage. Your Web site confirms his advice but also goes well beyond. If anyone has the slightest interest in this approach to publishing, do go to Nina’s Web site. You’ll be blown away by the generosity and intelligence of her advice.
I was on a ship coming back from Australia when Madisen Harper asked a question in an e-publishing workshop: What was it we wanted most? To hold out for a book contract (knowing the odds) or get our message out? If it was the latter, go for it.
I took her advice.
Thanks for you kind words, and I’m glad you went for it.
Cathryn,
I was just rereading all the comments here and reread yours. I just went and bought that book! If I had done that back when you wrote that comment, I wonder if I would have had the guts to move forward with my project…knowing someone else had already written and published a book (at the supposed height of the blog-to-book trend) on the exact same topic. Interestingly, his book never came up in my research on competing books.
To LilTigg: Danielle Leafty published her Catspell book as a blog. She posted a teaser twice a week, but to get the whole chapter, you had to be a member and pay a small fee–the price of an ebook. When the book was complete, she sent the members copies in Kindle and Nook formats, and had a PDF available as well. If the member paid a higher premium, ($15) she mailed a hardcopy book as well.
I’m finding that having a blog that is related to some of the issues of my book, and having that linked to my book’s fan page seems to be creating awareness. It remains to be seen about sales, since my book was released only a week ago.
I’m still working on the second in the series, because I want two standalone books rather than a sagging middle between covers.
I will have to look for Danielle Leafty. That’s an interesting way to go about blogging a book. I’m in the process of putting together a series of posts on my blog from people who have blogged a book. I’d like to include her.
Please see my comment below for an update on my blogged book.
Great article and discussion. The blog is a great way, along with other social media, to build your platform. What you offer in your blog is what you offer as a writer, although the content might be different or it may be of fiction/non-fiction genre. As a writer, I have several blogs. As a publisher, I recommend that writers have a blog to build their following. Good advice from Jackie Brown – if you publish your work in a blog – it’s published and some publishers will not look at the work, having lost first rights. BUT that depends. I have a client I am working with who blogged and is now turning that content into a book. Am I worried as a publisher? No. She built a following and has a great start on selling her book that everyone loved as a blog. My first advice to her – get that content safely stored elsewhere!
Thanks for great post – keep on writing and blogging!
You are right on target. The point is to complete a successful test market of your book and to keep some new (unpublished) material for a publisher and for readers. My first draft of How to Blog a Book was only 26,000 words. The revised manuscript more than doubled in size and had two additional chapters.
Only one or two publishers were turned off by the previously published aspect of my book. And that seems to be the case in general for blogged books and booked blogs (repurposed posts into a book). Most publishers are happy to find a blogger with an audience–a test marketed idea and successful content.
See my comment below for a status update on my project.
This is a very old post of mine, but I was thrilled VN highlighted it in their newsletter when they did. Why? Because I am gearing up for the release of my book, How to Blog a Book: Write, Publish and Promote Your Work One Post at at Time, which is based on my blog, How to Blog a Book. Actually, I blogged the book initially.
Here are the updated details; My blog, How to Blog a Book, was picked up by Writer’s Digest Books in July 2011 to become a printed book. It begins shipping from Amazon and some of the other on-line stores on April 23 and will be in the book stores by May 21. I was not discovered; my agent peddled a book proposal with two finished chapters to WDB, and they jumped on it. The manuscript was edited and revised.
You can read about the process on my blog, plus you can read the first draft. However, the printed book has ore than double the word count and five success stories in it plus one other additional chapter, as I mentioned.
I’ve got special offers related to pre-orders running on the blog. And this month the challenge on the blog is to blog a short book in 30 days — National Book Blogging Month — so join in the fun!
There are more blogged books being picked up by traditional publishing houses now than ever before. It’s a great time to blog a book!