So how can bloggers turn authors and how successful can this transition be? Let me begin by sharing two stories with you…
Sheece Baghdadi is a technical writer who started out with writing a blog to assuage her own creative urges. Her debut novel, “102 Days to Go” made a lot of people sit up and take notice and put her on the road to furiously penning her second one.
Sheece attributes her literary success to her experience as a blog writer which she believes gave her the confidence to write besides strengthening her writing skills and style.
Another case in point, software engineer turned web entrepreneur, Sandeep Gautam had written a small part of his novel “The Sculptor and the Sandman”, with a storyline built around psychosis before he began blogging.
Fueled by his curiosity with regard to cognitive psychology and neurosciences it was only natural for him to blog about the subject. It was only after his foray in to serious blogging that Sandeep was able to turn his idea about two friends with divergent views about life trying to find meaning within the travails of modern day existence in to a book.
The result? His debut novel was a huge success and this only inspired him to write a sequel!
How can you make the transition from a blogger to an author?
Here’s what you don’t need…A technical qualification and research background in the area that you blog about.
What you do need… a zest for life, the desire to connect with people and enjoying penning your experiences in life.
Going by what Preeti Shenoy discovered when her blog about her life and experiences was subscribed to by over 500 people I’m sure this is what you need.
Preeti’s book “34 Bubblegums and Candies” was adapted from her numerous blog posts, a compilation of some real life incidents hilarious, moving, thought provoking and more importantly so much like the lives of many readers.
Why you should blog (in the first place):
- To test the waters as a writer
- Its free with tools like Blogger and WordPress
- Up and running in a few minutes
- Flexibility in the subject matter of our blog posts
- Letting your creative juices flow
What you shouldn’t do… Don’t use your blog as a public relations vehicle to sell your literary ventures.
Ready to turn author?
I would recommend something like Blog2print and everything2print.com help you turn your blog posts in to books so you could realize your dreams of publishing a book quickly.
Also worth trying Pothi.com, an e-publishing venture that helps you create books for private use and public circulation as well as e-publishing solutions at Chillibreeze Solutions Pvt. Limited.
Image: graur codrin