5 REASONS PUBLISHERS LOVE BLOGGERS
#Publishers #Bloggers
If you have ever known a
clean-shaven man who quickly grew a beard, you have a clue about changes in the
publishing industry over the past five to ten years. Publishing today looks
very different from how it looked a few years ago, and the transition can catch
you off guard.
Whether it’s the decline of bricks-and-mortar retail, the advent
of ebooks, the audiobook boom, the democratization of media channels, or any of
innumerable other changes, the shifts have been rapid and dramatic. Even the
nimblest publishing professional can have trouble keeping up.
But
among authors one group in particular has been able to capitalize on upheaval
in the publishing world: bloggers.
Even authors who have been successful for a long time see the
opportunity. Steven Pressfield, for example, whose 2002 book The War of Art is a
classic, has an active blog. So does
recent New York Times bestselling author Wednesday Martin. Anne
Lamott does not have a blog, but she uses her Facebook page like one!
And the list of bloggers-turned-bestsellers is only getting
longer. Authors like Ree Drummond, Jon Acuff, Lysa TerKeurst, Jeff Goins, Seth Godin, Glennon Doyle Melton,
and of course Michael Hyatt come to mind.
You may have heard recently about several major bloggers calling it quits. But
that doesn’t change what we’re talking about here in the slightest. In this
constantly changing environment publishers have many reasons to love bloggers.
I’d like to offer five of the most significant.
1.Bloggers
have a platform.
Based on informal polling among industry peers, I can say the No. 1 reason
publishers turn books down is too small or lack of a platform. Conversely,
the fastest way to snap our heads in your direction is to reference a
sizeable following.
No longer are
traditional media channels like radio, print advertising, and television the
primary way we bring exposure to books we publish. We still use these channels
when we can, of course, but today our most effective marketing strategies often
have more to do with an author’s own tribe, which is why we love bloggers.
2.Bloggers
are always testing their ideas.
Bloggers can’t help but notice when their content
resonates and when it doesn’t. This immediate feedback loop sets them up
to have a strong grasp of the kind of content a given market segment
desires. To some extent every blogger has a market analysis firm that
kicks into high gear whenever a blog post goes live.
An additional
way this benefits publishers is when a blogging author tests her titles and
covers with her audience, like Michael and Daniel did with Living Forward.
This not only gives the publisher important feedback, it also builds a bridge
between the blog audience and the book audience even as it builds anticipation
for the book’s release.
3.Bloggers
enjoy social credibility.
Credibility comes in multiple forms. Academic degrees
signal a formal kind of credibility. Job seekers use their resume
to boast of experiential credibility. But of increasing importance
is social credibility, which develops when over time a group of
people look to a particular person as an authority on a given topic.
This is the
kind of credibility bloggers enjoy. People look to bloggers as authorities on
parenting, business, home decorating, fitness, leadership, food—just about any
topic you can imagine.
4.Bloggers
have an innate understanding of the publishing process.
While the differences
between blog publishing and book publishing are significant, the basic
steps of the process are the same: conception, development, refinement,
design, publication, promotion, and sales.
To some
extent bloggers go through these steps every time they post. Working with
authors who have an understanding of this process is invaluable.
5.Bloggers
are constantly refining their writing skills.
Skill is the
corollary of practice. The more you write, the better your writing will
be. Bloggers, if they are regular about posting, can’t help becoming
better communicators, which makes for better, more compelling books. They
also know their voice. They know what readers want from them
This is a guest post from Chad R. Allen, a blogger and
entrepreneur who serves as an editorial director for Baker Publishing Group.
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