Michelle Goodman

Freelance journalist + author of "My So-Called Freelance Life" and "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide"
Seattle, Washington

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Blogging your way to a book deal

Want to parlay all your hard-won expertise into a book deal? A blog can be a great way to build a platform -- and impress editors and agents with your writing chops. Here's a step-by-step guide to getting started.

Written Feb 22, 2008, read 777 times since then.

Because I am a freelance writer with a couple of book deals on my bio, I get asked a lot of questions about publishing. Among the most popular: "How can I start a blog to get some buzz about the book I want to write?"

Herewith, my recommendations for starting a blog and learning a bit more about the wacky world of book publishing:

Sign up for a free blog account with Blogger, TypePad, or WordPress.
Pick a template for your blog. These are also free.
If I've already lost you, read a book on blogging. Or take a class. Or have a blog-savvy friend walk you through the setup.
Pick a topic for your blog, a niche you'll stick with. Don't be a generalist. Since you're trying to build a "platform" for your nonfiction book, your blog topic should be the same as that of your book: wrench-wielding women, mimes who love too much, recovering Republicans, etc.
Pick a relevant, catchy name for your blog.
If you need inspiration, check out some other blogs by authors to see how their blog complements their book topic, or at least showcases their writing. Some business blogs by authors I know: Generation Blend, Watercooler Wisdom, The Renegade Writer, One Person/Multiple Careers, Totally Wired, Boss Lady.
Also check out blogs by people who went from blogging to book deal: Escape from Cubicle Nation, I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Lifehacker, and Web Worker Daily are a few examples. Here are some more -- these "blookers" were even nominated for an award.
Read Galley Cat to learn more about who's getting book deals from blogs these days. Sign up for Publishers Lunch. Skim Publishers Weekly. Google "blog to book." And search the New York Times Business section for articles on blogs and book publishing. There are loads of 'em.
Make sure your About page gives your full name, your email address, and your writing/subject matter credentials. Be sure to include a photo of yourself, and make sure you brush your hair and teeth.
Start blogging! Preferably posts that are 300 to 600 words (give or take) in length.
Use photos whenever you can. And links. Especially to other blogs.
Proofread your posts and check your links.
Send out a blanket email to everyone you've ever met in your life telling them about your blog. Do this after you've made a few posts you're proud of. Only do this once.
Add your blog URL to the signature of your email address.
Join some writing listservs or online communities and contribute to the conversation, keeping that signature in all your posts. Ditto for online communities revolving around the topic of your book.
Post to your blog at least three times a week. Stay on topic, and don't be afraid to be opinionated, funny, and/or controversial.
Never post anything you wouldn't want your mother or your clients to read.
Never apologize for not posting for the past two weeks. No one cares. If you have a lot of readers, a better idea is to do a post like this in advance.
If you feel compelled to blog about your cat, try to find the tie-in to your overall blog's topic. Otherwise, maybe skip the cute pet posts.
Read and comment on other people's blogs. It's the best way to get new readers to come to your blog -- and to raise your Google rank.
Read articles on how to blog. Here's one that people seem to like, though I tend to shy away from all those Best/Richest/Smartest Blogger Ever types. Here's an even better tip list by travel writer Amanda Castleman; it includes some suggestions for books on blogging too.
Get a free tool to measure your site traffic so you can see what posts people like the best and how many readers you have. Here are a few: Site Meter, Google Analytics, MyBlogLog. This is not my forte, so I'm sure others will chime in with their suggestions.
Speaking of, know that blogging means putting yourself out there. Sometimes rude, nasty people with nothing better to do make obnoxious comments on your site, often anonymously. That's the way of the web unfortunately. You have the option to hit Delete. More often than not, though, the comments will be supportive, encouraging, helpful. You may even make a new friend or two. Maybe even a book agent friend. And wouldn't that be nice?
Above all, have fun. If blogging sounds like a chore, maybe you're better off publishing a couple of well-placed articles on your pet topic instead (think Huffington Post, Salon, Slate).

Learn more about the author, Michelle Goodman.

Comment on this article

Posted by Jeff Collins, Seattle, Washington | Feb 23, 2008

Is that it? Only 24 simple steps?

Oh my goodness. I don't think anyone will be giving me a book deal anytime soon. Perhaps someone will ask me to write a paragraph or two. ;-)

Thank you for the insight.
Posted by Michelle Goodman, Seattle, Washington | Feb 23, 2008

Hi Jeff,

I'm sure I could add more if you wanted. We didn't even get to the book proposal, agent/editor shopping, outlining, writing, editing, revising, promoting, tearing-your-hair-out parts yet. ;)

Any author will tell you, writing a book is often less glamorous than it sounds. It can even be grueling at times. It can also be the thrill of a lifetime for some writers. I'm torn between thrilling/grueling on my current manuscript...

I do think it's important to only do a book if you're in love with the topic -- and the idea of publishing. Because there are about 9000 better ways to make money out there.

Michelle
Posted by Dan McComb, Seattle, Washington | Feb 24, 2008

What's the current book you're working on, Michelle (or would you have to kill me if you told me?)

Biznik Business Networking
Posted by Michael Foster, Seattle, Washington | Feb 24, 2008

I have a book written. A children's book, I know they are hard to 'sell'. I wrote it accidentally for my family and friends, and that's enough for me. How to go about finding a publisher without letting it take over my life? What's a good first step? Should I post it on a blog? That seems kind of random.
Posted by Michelle Goodman, Seattle, Washington | Feb 24, 2008

Dan, it's My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire, which Seal Press is publishing at the end of 2008. And now, I will have to kill you. ;) Kidding. I think I mention it on my Biznik page too.

Michael, whew, that's a huge topic. I would not suggest posting your entire book on a blog, unless you're happy with that medium of publication as your final outcome. It doesn't sound like you are, so scratch that idea. If you just want to make a pretty book for friends and family and don't care about finding a traditional publisher who will handle sales/publicity/promotion/etc. for you, see Lulu.com for self-publishing options.

However, if you do want to try to find a traditional publisher, I'd pick up a how-to book on the topic. Try to find one specific to publishing kids' books; there are literally hundreds of how-to-publish books out there. Or check out a class called "You're Writing the Manuscript, Now What?" at Richard Hugo House in Seattle:

http://www.hugohouse.org/classes/listings/

Hope that helps, Michelle
Posted by Judy Dunn, Seattle & Renton, Washington | Feb 24, 2008

Thanks, Michelle. This is a fascinating topic. I can see taking selective posts from one's blog and expanding them into a book. I've only had my own blog for a month but I can see that working over time.

Great suggestions to Dan on publishing. I would add that Gotham Writers Workshops has an excellent online class called "How to Get Published." (I'm working on a memoir now and that class was immensely helpful.) Also, on the craft side, the University of Washington Writing for Children Certificate Program (one-year long) is excellent.

Michele, great advice. Very useful.

Seattle Copywriter
Posted by Michelle Goodman, Seattle, Washington | Feb 24, 2008

Hi Judy. I agree; those are great resources. There are tons out there -- books, classes, blogs -- for anyone who wants to learn more about book publishing. mediabistro.com is another great resource.
Posted by Rachel Whalley, Seattle, Washington | Feb 26, 2008

Howard Howell has done at least one Biznik event on the topic of publishing (http://biznik.com/events/2008/2/21/authorpublisher-round-table). If anyone is interested in the idea, I'm sure he'd like hearing that he should do another.

Your body and spirit have something to tell you...
Posted by David Losh, Seattle, Washington | Feb 26, 2008

My blog at www.fixerfixer.com was started with this very idea. I have a lot of useless knowledge about Real Estate construction with an emphasis on preparing properties for sale. Now that it's started it would be great to see if there is a community to engage in the blog. For me the comments are many times more interesting than the post. There again if someone comments can I use those in a book to call my own?
Posted by Michelle Goodman, Seattle, Washington | Feb 26, 2008

David, as a journalist, I would ask the commenter if you have their permission to use their quote in the book. Most will say yes. If the issue is controversial, you can give them the option to be anonymous or use a pseudonym.

Another thing you can do (sparingly, because book readers will grow tired of too many anonymous sources) is to say, "One commenter on my web forum lamented blah blah blah..." If you use this approach, make sure you don't identify the commenter at all; in other words, don't say that they're from Boise, work as a teacher, etc.
Posted by Chris Auman, North Canton, Ohio | Feb 28, 2008

Excellent information. I'd like to recommend a site if you haven't heard about it yet. It's called zenhabits.net and I've been a fan of this guy from the start. This is relevant because he started his blog from nothing a year ago and he now has a book deal with a major publisher and was voted the best blog on the internet in 2007. His story is amazing and it's the perfect example of how you can turn hard work and talent into something big from nothing. Check out the site, you'll enjoy it. Also study his model if becoming a publishing star from nothing is your goal.

http://zenhabits.net/2008/01/dream-come-true-ive-got-a-book-deal/
Posted by Betsy Talbot, Seattle, Washington | Feb 28, 2008

Michelle, I love this article! Blogging has been the single best thing I ever did for business - just in the past week I've gotten requests for input on a local article about women and business and a NY Times piece about time management for entrepreneurs - and each of them came about through my blog.

Since I'm in the process of writing a book, this is all great PR for me, and it hasn't hurt my business either!
Posted by Michelle Goodman, Seattle, Washington | Feb 28, 2008

Chris, thanks for the site rec. Inspiring story!

And Betsy, way to go! Is the NYT article live? I'd love to see it when it goes up. Congrats!
Posted by Betsy Talbot, Seattle, Washington | Feb 28, 2008

NYT article not live yet - I will let you know when it is. Thanks for your encouragement!
Posted by Michelle Goodman, Seattle, Washington | Feb 28, 2008

Welcome. Rock on! ;)
Posted by Terra Vita, Seattle, Washington | Aug 26, 2008

Great article-practical steps well laid out!