Blog = Book = Money?

Blog = Book = Money? You would think if it was that simple everyone would do it, so why aren't they? Do you have a blog? I bet most who read this do. Well are you are sitting on something that has an income waiting to be tapped. All the work has been done, all you have to do is turn it into a book and sell it.

Sounds simple doesn't it? But will it work? Will it sell? What's more, how much will it cost?

Turning a blog into a book is easy, but who will want to buy that book that is the big problem with doing this. If you have a type of blog that has a theme and your blogs have a thread that runs through, the book may well work. On the other hand if your blogs are just a series of one off 'stand alone' articles, it won't work as a book.

Each day I see many books and associated ebooks that had originally been blogs. My impression of these in the main was not good. There are only a few that I would consider buying, so why is that? Why do some work and most don't?

Books need to have an identifiable theme and need to be written in a more formal book style of language. It needs to be laid out so that the reader can travel through the book in one continuous journey. Blogs aren't always like; they jump about, loose track and get diverted on a day-to-day basis. The one area that may well work for a few is a diary format, that has a sequence, but it will have to be quite special as there are millions of diary in book format, only a few actually sell well. You have to be a celebrity or have something totally unique about your life to capture a share of the market. Most of us don't.

Most diaries will work, but won't sell. I has seen just a couple who write on a diary format, they don't have celebrity status and write about everyday life. The reason these would be successful is because they are very talented writers and no matter how boring the subject, their style and talent for writing turns the subject matter into something special.

Other matter alongside is the amount of work that is involved in publishing a hardcopy book. You will need a few thousand pounds to invest if you want to go full hog with buying in professional services and then there is no guarantee. Or you can go self publishing, which can cost you nothing, but then who will know about the book without a massive marketing campaign.

I have said that if I find something that is wasting your time, I will say so. This is something in which for most of us bloggers is indeed a waste of time. Unless your writing stands out from the crowd, has something special that can be converted and you market it professionally, which means working at it full time, don't bother. You will have put a lot of time effort and sometimes money in place for which you will get very little back.