Why authors shouldn't blog their books
Blog Business Summit speaker and A-list business blogger Debbie Weil has an interesting article on her site today wherein she states that Blogging your Book is a Must. After thinking about her thesis, here's my response....
Debbie, I don't agree. First off, an important distinction: there's overt book blogging and there are blogs that are, shall we say, harmonious in topic with upcoming books. While I am certainly quite interested in the evolution of book writing and production, I'm also of the belief that having everything available online and digital can have an adverse impact on the eventual sales of the book.
In particular, if I've already read just about all of your book in the last six months on your weblog, why would I be incentivized to spend $20-$40 to get the same thing perfect-bound just so I can place it on my shelf?
On the other hand, blogging about your topic is an excellent way to establish and cement your expert status in your market segment: I read your blog, Debbie, because you are an expert on business blogging. In that sense, if you tell me...
Debbie, I don't agree. First off, an important distinction: there's overt book blogging and there are blogs that are, shall we say, harmonious in topic with upcoming books. While I am certainly quite interested in the evolution of book writing and production, I'm also of the belief that having everything available online and digital can have an adverse impact on the eventual sales of the book.
In particular, if I've already read just about all of your book in the last six months on your weblog, why would I be incentivized to spend $20-$40 to get the same thing perfect-bound just so I can place it on my shelf?
On the other hand, blogging about your topic is an excellent way to establish and cement your expert status in your market segment: I read your blog, Debbie, because you are an expert on business blogging. In that sense, if you tell me...
posted by Dave Taylor at
5:01 PM
