A friend who reads my blog posts advised me recently that my scribblings would make a great memoir. She sent me an article from WritersDigest.com: “Seven Tips for Turning Your Blog into a Book.”
Frankly, I haven’t read “Writers’ Digest” in years because, at the time, much of the information struck me as vacuous — a little razzle-dazzle like the dancing girls outside the circus tent that contains the bearded lady.
(courtesy: art.com)
Articles promising to reveal vital information usually don’t. They generally tend to be teasers for a workshop, a book or a video that the reader must purchase to get the inside story. To be blunt, no one is giving away gold nuggets for the price of a magazine. The article my friend sent me is a classic example of a come-on, the information being as vital as last week’s horse racing sheet. Below are the seven secrets the author shared on how to turn blog posts into a book.
1. Pick a unique angle for your book. (Translation: Have an interesting topic or theme.)
2. Create a content plan for your book. (Translation. Have a beginning, middle and end.)
3. Mine your blog for posts that fit the content. (Translation: feel free to put your posts in your blog book.)
4. Blog your missing content. (Translation: I have no idea what this advises unless it means make something up to fill in any gaps.)
5. Edit you manuscript prior to going to print. (Translation: learn how to spell and punctuate.)
6. Entice publishers and readers with your unpublished work. (Translations: I haven’t a clue how to do this and the author isn’t telling.)
7. Blog your next book. (Translation: If you have any leftover posts, write another book.)
If reading the above advice proves useful, feel free to send me a check. But, please, please… please… don’t send me a subscription to Writer’s Digest.
