turning your blog into a book

Turn your Blog into a Book with Jennifer Lancaster

Great blog - I’d love to see it in printMany busy folk would love to catch up with your blog writing, but they don’t want to go there every week or they have no RSS reader.

Some would prefer a printed copy or a compiled eBook. They might pay $2.99 - 9.99 for an eBook (ePub), or $14.95 - $29.95 for print book (depending on size/quality).

Who’s Done This?

“In 2008 I was approached by the publisher Wiley who asked me to write a book version of this blog. I joined with fellow blogger Chris Garrett and together we authored ProBlogger the Book. In short – it’s a condensed, updated and logically ordered version of this blog” - Darren Rowse.

Book: Amazon $16.78 eBook: $29.95 (with affiliates)

Who’s Done This?Bernadette Jiwa, The Story of Telling was winner of Best Australian (Business) Blog 2012. She used many of her early posts for the bones of “Make Your Idea Matter”. She blogs every two days. She has 3 books thru CreateSpace (indie publishing) on Amazon.

Making an eBook• Your first step is to turn your blog posts into an

eBook. This process is easier and less expensive, and you can edit for awhile without paying for many print proofs.

• Look at your categories and post titles carefully. Do you see any recurring theme?

• Have you got a valid concept?

ePubs? Do I need a Design degree?

Just kidding! Try Lulu ePubePubs are better than PDFs. Try :

LuLu options: DIY

Ebook Distribution

Your Website ebook page. Order straight to Lulu – more profit kept!

Do I Have Enough Articles?You will have to write bits to tie it together.52 posts x 400 words = 20,800 words (100-page A5 book or so)

75 posts x 400 words = 30,000 words (200-page A5/160-page 6x9” book) IDEAL

Step 1: Identify a ThemeScan the categories, tags, titles. What do you most passionately write about?

Try to spot a Theme that speaks to one audience.

Look at Analytics to verify the most viewed posts (with time over 30sec).

Example of Categories

Ideas from Tags

Elements in a Print Book?• Fly page - title as on outer cover.

• Copyright page - incl. ISBN & Cataloguing in Publication (from National Library), permissions notice, and Publisher address.

• Acknowledgements, Authors Note (optional).

• Contents - automatic numbering.

• Right hand pages as new chapters.

• Tables or clear 300dpi images.

• References/Bibliography, Index optional.

Tips for print booksUse print-on-demand through Lulu, Createspace or LightningSource (indie department is “Ingram Spark”).POD is when books are printed and shipped to the customer when ordered. “Printing thousands of books upfront is one of the top mistakes of indie authors.”“Go eBook first, then wait till your brand and book has settled down.” - Joanna Penn

Important tips for print booksEnsure all quotes / paraphrases have a noted reference. If the text is copyright protected, you will need to ask for copyright permission.The Copyright Clearance Center can help with requests for reuse of globally published works.

Blog to Book - An Example

Put Post in WordOne post: 1000 words - 4 pages at 6 x 9” size.- Only needs a light edit, referencing, and move up quote to top.

Fantastic writing style. Many women coming to Bev’s courses would love to read it.

Now it’s your turn!Step 2: You’ve looked at your theme and hot topics. Now discern what your audience NEEDS to know.

Step 3: Check the marketplace for similar subjects (Amazon). Does yours have the length, depth of coverage and tone of other books in your genre? Can yours stand out?

Step 4: Write an Outline - chapter headings that will build. Think about the Introduction where you explain your POV and a little background on the subject.

Step 5: Book EditingYou’ve edited your posts right?When you piece together your book, esp. if going straight to print, you’ll need to edit it again and also get an external editor.

Try this editing tool at first draft:Hemingway (app or desktop)http://www.hemingwayapp.com/

More StepsStep 6. Write copyright page, acknowledgement, (author) preface, blurb, references, any bonus material page, ‘about the author’.

Step 7. Typeset the book (outsource or DIY):http://www.bookdesigntemplates.com/Step 8. Get a book cover designer.

Step 9 & 10 9. Begin the marketing process of your book pre-launch. Set a launch date.

10. If you’ve done the eBook first, get a lot of the feedback and integrate it into the print version. Upload final interior & cover template on Ingram Spark or Lulu or CS. Send for proof – read carefully!

Costs of Print Publishing

P.O.D. $4 - 6 per book, black&white interior. (-quantity discounts, +shipping)

+ (IngramSpark only) $49 upload fee + proof fee.+ editing fees (from $470 to $1500)+ cover design ($240-390) and book layout fee(DIYers use Word book template for $39 and work out page numbering).

Platforms & UtilitiesIngram Spark:https://www1.ingramspark.com/Portal/HowItWorksLulu http://www.lulu.com/Amazon CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/(need US tax number & PO box address)Thorpe-Bowker (ISBNs): http://www.myidentifiers.com.au/Scrivener (writing/structuring software) US $45: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/