Conferences Conferences and more Conferences, that’s what blogging is all about. Ok. Not really but conferences do make it even cooler. Here is my Blogging While Brown recap.
When I first started this blog I was not happy and I was bored. While happiness and joy is something I have to decide on and chase/embrace daily the boredom has completely gone away. When I have down time I am all about Chasing Joy, writing blog post, hosting twitter chats, and connecting with people on twitter and Facebook, so, no time to be bored. Actually no time to get to the pile of laundry eternally on my floor but that is for another post.
Conferences. The conferences are what bring it all together for me. I love getting to meet people who actually understand how awesome it is to be a blogger. It is amazing to meet someone in person who you have only tweeted and or Facebooked with. It is wonderful to sit in a room with like-minded people and have them share all the secrets to their blogging success while I scribble it illegibly in my notebook and take pictures of their power point slides.
Conferences make it real! Conferences remind you that there is indeed another person on the receiving end of your blog post, tweet, pin, or status update. Conferences make blogging cool. I highly recommend if you have a blog to Google blog conferences right now and find one to go to. But for those of you who cannot do that you have me. So book mark this post and my other posts about blog conferences because right now I’m about to break down all the awesome info I absorbed at Blogging While Brown 2012. Here is my Blogging While Brown recap.
This was my first year (won’t be my last) attending this conference. It was a blessing that this was also the first year where there was a full day devoted to the business side of blogging. This 1st day included a segment on going form blog to book. Tips included:
- Consider your book a part of your overall brand.
- Decide what you want people to get out of your book and focus on that.
- If you are pulling from blog posts for your book find your common theme that fits the book and pull from only those posts.
- Show publishers that you have a sizable Facebook and twitter following. While there is no rule of thumb regarding the number (1,000) is a good one.
- Show that you have a plan for marketing your book. The publisher will not do much of that for you. Be ready to hustle!
- Be able to explain to a publisher why people will pay for content they can get for free online via your blog.
- A detailed book proposal with as much info as possible is better than just a pitch. Include
- Info on competitive tittles of similar books that have done well to show there is an audience for your topic.
- Your marketing plan.
- Your bio.
- Sample Chapters
- You do not have to have an agent to connect to publishers and editors. Use the Internet.
- Linked In
- An Agent can help you make connections with some publishing companies
- An Agent or a Contract Lawyer (well versed in the book world) should be involved when it is time to negotiate your deal
- A resource mentioned that I plan to check out is “How to write a Book Proposal” by Mike Larsen
- Most importantly don’t get discouraged if you are initially rejected
- Even more important than not getting discouraged is JUST START. If you have a book inside, let it out. Make time to write. (this is a note to self)
I’ll stop here as this post is starting to get long. I will continue with my Blogging While Brown recap in a few days.
In the mean time, tell me have you written or desired to write a book? If not a book have you or do you desire to produce some other form of expression like music, art work, or photography? If so is there more Joy in the creation or the finished product?
Wow, it would be really cool if you wrote a book!
Maybe one day I will, but right now I'm focused on learning piano and just trying to get some more recipes out there.
I have wanted to write a book, but I haven't felt ready. I would love to go to a conference. I need to focus.
I never thought about turning my blog into a book!!! OOOHHH the possibilities
I've been waiting impatiently for your Blogging While Brown Recap!!! I've always wanted to write a book. Always. But I stopped writing for so long and I'm just not getting back into it with blogging. But I always wanted to write fiction! But who knows where this blogging path may lead?!