A Blog Post and a Book

The ideal for every blogger is to one day turn their blog posts into a book. How about a blog post that has gone viral and sparks the idea for an entire book? Now that, my friends, is even better! I've wondered why anyone would pay to buy a book of all the blog posts freely attained on the web. In fact, recently I received an email from someone that pointed me to Seth Godwin and his upcoming book project. In fact this book project was so extreme and innovative, I read every word.

Here are some of the things Seth does:

1. He thinks outside of the box.
>>>Nothing ordinary about the man he stands out from the crowd.

2. He pushes the limit.
>>>If the minimum amount of words for a blog should be 450 for good search engine optimization he tends to write 100-150 and still gets fabulous SEO. I noted in one post he had 972 tweets and 252 shares on Facebook. I read it. It wasn't that noteworthy of sharing in my humble opinion.

3. He RE-defines...his blog, his writing, his following
>>>He makes you think, his people love him and he has frequent visitors and is an industry leader in all things social.

4. He makes you think YOU can do this too!
>>>After his headshot his byline is ... Go, Make Something Happen... Sounds a bit like Nike's "Just Do IT" ads, with a twist.

Back to his book idea. In a nutshell, he decided to have a book published via the traditional route but with a push to have his publishers print the book in less than six month. Can you say the work, "Impossible"? In the real world books take about two years from rough draft to the final-in-the-hands-of-the-consumer. But, need I remind you, we are talking about Seth. So, he uses "Kickstarter.com" and writes this ad copy that essentially tells people his story.

A. I want to send a message to the publisher.
B. Hi everyone, it's me and I'm different.
C. This is my topic, great isn't it?
D. Oh, and by the way the book hasn't been written yet.
E. If you pledge to my cause you too will share my vision and a piece of the action.

So, he urges his readers pay for it in advance (oops, I mean "pledge"). He titles his offers cute names like, "The No Brainer." Additionally, he offers a once-in-a-lifetime incentive to a personal interview from Seth! This is limited to the people who will pledge $1550.00 for a ONE paragraph synopsis that would reside in his new book. Here is the link. Sorry, if you are interested in that particular item has already sold out. It was limited to the first five people who saw his post.

What does he do right in the world of marketing?
1. Limits his offers.
2. Sets up some very inexpensive options, cheap-cheap is $4 to read his book online for 4 days before the link expires.
3. Offers incentives.
4. Makes it special.

As of this writing he has raised $233,847 for a book he hasn't written yet. Not bad since his goal was to raise $40,000 and there is still 21 days to go. As a bonus he is offering a copy of all his past blogs posts. And, that brings us back to the original point of the article. Creating blog posts into a book.

I believe and could be wrong, that what Seth is doing is creating a compilation of his previous blog posts not creating a "book" out of his posts. And that is the difference. What he is doing will work, in terms of sales... although I still don't understand why you'd pay for what you could get for free. Otherwise your book is doomed unless you have a cohesive and strong topic, blog posts that incorporate the elements of the topic and good transitions or chapter headings for each of the subsequent supporting material.

On the other hand, you could take one blog post, for example one that has gone viral (like my guest on the radio show for authors, here, Darlene Schacht, and write a book based upon the post that has generated a ton of interest. Darlene is the author of, The Good Wife's Guide.

While most of us don't tilt windmills we can definitely learn from those who do. Being creative and fun adds to the appeal of a celebrity figure, even one created online in Cyberspace. What is your most innovative way to sell your books? If you have a secret you are willing to share with all of us, I'm ready to listen!

Marketing Your Book Now

Are you tired of hearing me talk about marketing? Shouldn't an author write just for the sake of pleasure? What ever happened to purity in an art form? While I like the idea of writing well, writing to spread a message, teach an idea or rally the troops (whatever your cause). I much prefer the bottom line to be black!

As a publisher it is all about the bottom line. Much as I hate to admit it. If publishers don't make money, they don't pay the bills, and they don't publish any other books. In fact those of us who have published, unwisely (putting a book out before we lay the groundwork) have ended up with hundreds of books they can't move, sell or give away at rock-bottom prices.

I have held all types of sales and some are more successful than others. Yet, if I had marketed correctly in the first place I could have saved myself the aggravation of wracking my brain to decide how I was going to sell the book! I once read a blog in which the author was giving away 100 books to 400 readers. The first 100 read the book and passed it on to 3 other people so that there were 400 readers in all It was an honor system. What a brilliant concept and before the publication of his book, he had many, many sign ups to obtain a copy.

There are all types of innovative marketing techniques. And...I'm looking for some! If you know about a good book marketing technique share it with us. In fact, I'll make the offer a bit "sweeter".

For the month of March I will pick one person ... this month to receive your choice of a free book Information In a A Nutshell and DVD,  and/or a free 30 minute consultation. The consultation can be in the form of a chapter evaluation of your manuscript, talking over a book idea, or questions you may have about the writing and publishing process.

All you have to do to win is post a comment to one of the blog posts this month, and bring along a writing friend! (latter is not are requirement, but I'd love it if you did!)