by Stacey
One of my clients is mentioned in this recent LA Times article that I thought was worth sharing. It's interesting to see how the Internet continues to find new talent and how some of that talent translates to books, and other types of media, like film and television. The article notes that most bloggers become book authors before Hollywood takes interest. There are always going to be hits and misses: even bloggers with a big following don't always translate on the book side to big sales. Heather Armstrong of Dooce has lots of traffic, but her first book didn't make as big a splash as I'm guessing her publisher hoped. And Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman, had a huge hit with her first book, which her publisher didn't pay a huge advance for.
Enjoy the piece, and if there are any blogs you're reading that you love and haven't yet found a home as a book or film or tv show, let us know!
Posts
I have a friend with an amazing blog. She has Cystic Fibrosis and writes about her illness and the struggles she's going through... Even though it's a serious topic and the things going on in her life are often gut-wrenching, her writing is hilarious--she is amazingly upbeat. How would you go about taking a blog and making into a book...?
ReplyDeletehttp://adamandjennylivingston.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteI forgot to put the link :)
Thanks for the insight,
Emily
"There are always going to be hits and misses: even bloggers with a big following don't always translate on the book side to big sales."
ReplyDeleteOur website gets a lot of traffic, and how it translates into magazine sales is less clear; but, those who browse online may not be the type of people who will read hard copy. It may be the reason why bloggers who author books do not have sales which correlate to their website's popularity.
Similarly, I receive fiction submissions from bloggers who seem to have popular sites, and yet their writing is poor. That leaves me wondering who is visiting their blog and why.
One of the keys to blogging, especially for newbies and those not affiliated with large sites with their own, independent traffic sources, is to form relationships with other bloggers which becomes a symbiotic "I'll visit your blog if you visit mine" mentality. If a blogger is absent for a period of time with few posts and no visits to fellow bloggers, then visits to their blog fall sharply.
That is another reason why I place very little stock in an author with a popular blog (for the fiction side of our publication). I seek talent, a unique voice, and a story that is entertaining.
Blog fans, in my opinion tend to be fickle. Seeking work from bloggers because they are popular and hoping that they will bring along their fan base for sales is less reliable than merely seeking the best work which is submitted to me.
Thanks for the opportunity to respond to your post.
I'm starting a blog of mine. It's nothing yet, just a couple of posts, still working in the layout, and such and such. But I can see the need of it if you want to be something out there in the wild wild west...
ReplyDeleteI agree in some parts with the comment from Michael J. Kannengieser. Yes, the perspective of "if you read mine I read yours" is not reliable. But many people just write a blog because they can "vent" some of their life, feelings and else. I am one of them. I don't expect to get a book deal from my blog. I don't expect that an agent to take a look at it randomly when surfing in the web and bows before me in ecstasy. I know it wont happen.
I use it because I can test the waters. I can see if I have what it takes - discipline to write on a schedule, to gather interesting subjects to write about, among other things.
I just worry that people sometimes forget that when you put something out in the web, you put yourself in a position that may harm you later, if you are not conscious of what you're doing. It's really important to keep in mind that a blog can be an portfolio of your work - for the good and for the bad.
I can hardly stand the thought that this woman doesn't have a book:
ReplyDeletehttp://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/p/faq_10.html
oops, that was a link to her FAQ, here is her regular blog: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteUm, my blog? No, kidding. ? Oh, just checked out hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/ WOW! Great!!!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteBanned complain !! Complaining only causes life and mind become more severe. Enjoy the rhythm of the problems faced. No matter ga life, not a problem not learn, so enjoy it :)
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