I met Nina Amir at the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City this past January. She had asked me to write a foreword for her forthcoming Writer’s Digest Book, How To Blog A Book over e-mail, so it was nice to have the opportunity to meet her in person before turning in my thoughts to introduce the book.
If you know my work, you know I am not necessarily a proponent of blogging your book as the primary road to publishing success. However I am a proponent of growing your platform in whatever ways make the most sense to you, your topic, your strengths, and your audience. So, if you choose to blog your book in whole or in part and that’s what feels right and makes sense for your readers and works for you, then so be it.
No matter how you choose to pursue your writing and publishing goals, there is no substitute for professional skills. Blogging in and of itself is unlikely to propel a person from anonymity to writing and publishing success without the steady accumulation of many additional professional skills. Most writers succeed after the accumulation of many years of hard work and professional development, not just a few weeks of blogging. Nina knows this, and her book does not propose otherwise.
If you want to be an author today, you pretty much accept that blogging goes part and parcel with the process of championing your work and ideas out into the world. If you are headed for a book deal, ultimately, you are going to need to think beyond the book. And blogging is a good tool for using your book as a springboard to expanded opportunities, rather than seeing a book as the end of the road.
Indeed, there is no end to the publishing road. And book publication is not usually the crescendo many authors anticipate it will be. It’s more like the starting gun at the beginning of a race. There’s always more for authors to do before the book, during the book, and after the book than we would like to imagine. And if blogging makes your process easier, more enjoyable and more successful–great! You’ll likely be doing tons of blogging eventually.
So, if you feel the call to blog, or you already blog and have wondered if it might be leading to a book, thanks for helping me welcome Nina!
About Nina Amir
Nina Amir, Inspiration-to-Creation Coach, inspires people to combine their purpose and passion so they Achieve More Inspired Results. She motivates writers and non-writers to create publishable and published products and careers as authors as well as to achieve their goals, fulfill their purpose and live inspired lives.
The author of How to Blog a Book: How to Write, Publish and Promote Your Work One Post at a Time (Writer’s Digest Books) and 10 other books, Amir is a nonfiction consultant, blog-to-book coach and author and writing coach with more than 33 years of experience in the publishing field. She also is the founder of Write Nonfiction in November. She writes four blogs and two national Examiner.com columns. Additionally, she speaks weekly about writing and publishing on the popular radio show “Dresser After Dark,” hosted by Michael Ray Dresser.
In addition to her work in the field of writing and publishing, Amir also speaks and writes about self-improvement, human potential, practical spirituality, and Judaism. In all she does, she focuses on helping people live their lives fully and manifest their desires—whether those desires look like written products or something entirely different. Learn more at ninaamir.com.
About How To Blog A Book
How to Blog a Book teaches you how to create a blogged book with a well-honed and uniquely angled subject and targeted posts–and how to build the audience necessary to convince agents and publishers to make your blog into a book.
Inside you’ll find:
- Basic information on how to set up your blog and the essential plug-ins and other options necessary to get the most out of each post
- Steps for writing a book easily from scratch using blog posts
- Advice on how to write blog posts
- Tips on gaining visibility and promoting your work both online and off
- Tools for driving traffic to your blog
- Information on how to monetize an existing blog into a book or other types of products
- Profiles with authors who received blog-to-book deals
Author Nina Amir explains how writing a book in cyberspace allows you to get your book written easily, while promoting it and building an author’s platform. It’s a fun, effective way to start writing, publishing, and promoting a book, one post at a time.
The Very Short Interview
When did you know for sure that you were a writer and that writing would be a major energy focus in your life?
I started writing fiction as a young child, and in high school I began focusing on creative writing more seriously. When my mother discouraged me from a career as a novelist, I looked into journalism and took a journalism class. . That class, which had a very charismatic teacher, set me on my path to writing for publication as a profession. I revived the school newspaper and began writing a school news column for the local newspaper every other week my senior year. It also helped me realize I wanted to write the kind of articles and books that would help others.
Who has always been behind your writing career and who helped pull you up the ladder of success?
My mother always encouraged me to write. My early high school teachers encouraged me, but my college professor, who has since died, John Keats, was a huge inspiration, as was Jake Hubbard. That said, Prof. Hubbard was hard on me to the max. That actually helped me the most because he taught me to be self-reliant, persistent, determined, and to creatively make things work even when meeting deadlines or reaching goals seemed impossible. That’s the attitude you need to succeed.
Agent Mike Larsen has often mentored me, and my involvement over the last nine years—going from attendee to volunteer to speaker—with the San Francisco Writer’s Conference, which he and Elizabeth Pomada founded, has played a huge role in my success.
Of course, my husband, who has been the primary breadwinner in our family, makes it possibly for me to pursue my writing dreams. (Jeez. That sounds a bit like the acknowledgements section in my book!)
What is the most frequent comment you hear about your book (or books) from readers? Tell us a little story about the response to your work.
Since my book only was released last month, I don’t have a lot of stories yet from people who have read it. However, just today I received an email from a man whose business is focused on marketing and websites. He he had purchased How to Blog a Book even though he had read a good bit of it on the blog. He couldn’t wait to read it and start blogging his book and to tell his clients about the concept at his next workshop. He plans on suggesting they purchase the book and start blogging books to support their businesses. “I hope they’ll get inspired to blog books, too,” he said.
At a workshop I taught right after the book was released, a woman purchased a copy. Her full-time job leaves her little time to write or to build author’s platform. The idea of writing just 250-500 words a few times a week and publishing her work on her blog—and actually getting read—appealed to her. She emailed me a week later; she’d set up a free WordPress blog and had, indeed started blogging her book. “Thanks so much for inspiring me to get started on my book and on my platform…finally,” she wrote.
“Inspiring” is the reaction I hear most to my work. People get inspired to create something new or to do something differently.
And Now, Your Turn
Now it’s your turn. You remember how this works right?
I ask you a question. You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.
Please just respond once, even if you make a typo. 
Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books). Please read the complete rules at least once!
Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway! I hope to see you here every day this month. Bring your friends!
When is the last time you tried something totally new in your writing career? What happened as a result? If you haven’t tried anything new lately, what could you try that’s new in order to jumpstart or refresh your career?
Ready, set, comment!
Comments on this entry are closed.
The last time I tried something totally new was after a trip to an isolated village in Castile-Leon, Spain. The trip was stressful to me, as I was visiting my husband’s family in a tiny place where everyone knew everyone, and most of the locals (only about 10 people) were on some level related. The beautiful but eery surroundings and closed, provincially-minded people gave me an idea for a story. A dark story, but a very real one. At first I hesitated to get started, because as a general rule, I don’t like that to delve into that type of fiction (dark stuff +overactive imagination=nightmares). When I described the idea to my husband, he told me I was sick. But the story just wouldn’t leave me alone, and here I am weeks later, still working on it.
I recently started writing for a web-site, a first f0r me as until now I’ve been writing mostly magazie articles . I try to incorporate all the important differences that I’ve read so much about regarding web writing v. magazine writing and so far ….so good.
Really?? How about last week??? Because I’ve been taking your Discover Your Specialty-Launch Your Platform class, I feel as though the past 5 weeks have been all about pushing past my comfort zone and trying completely new things. It has been difficult, but TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!
Recently, I have expanded my writing to include work for non-profit clients. I’m amazed at how interesting the research has been, and how much I’ve learned (in just a short time) about all of these organizations. There are so many groups out there, doing really great things in the community and across the country. It’s made me want to become more involved!
Last month I joined a writers group. We meet twice a month at a coffee shop for one hour. In just the three meetings I’ve attended, I’ve come away with more encouragement, support, and ideas than I’ve received in years of freelancing (except when I took your classes, of course). This is different than having my online writing buddies. These women I meet with live near me. It’s flesh and blood…people I can hug. And even though we all write in different genres–non-fiction, copy writing, fiction, and local history are all represented–we still manage to spark ideas and uplift one another.
Believe me sharing my thoughts in the Book- A-Day give away is totally new for me. I have shared very little about my writing or my progress. I try to answer the questions early morning – great because Christina’s email usually arrives around 4 AM EST. I love the fact that it forces me to put my thoughts down quickly. The result is my gut response which is the most honest one; I write it down and have a feeling of accomplishment before I start the day. New- I am ramping up to blog my book, creating a detailed business plan to post every other day with the goal of also creating a platform that works. I love today’s author. I listened to her free webinar last week. Putting it together with Christina’s Get Known Before the Book Deal provides me with the guidance to move on to the next step. I have to give credit to the Book Club for inspiring me to take the next step. Thanks to all of you.
My day to day writing tends to focus on academic, researched pieces, which I love, but what has been new in the past few months is my focus on writing memoir. Also, I have been writing memoir without the pressure of getting published, which is very refreshing. I have no idea what I will do with this writing and that is a liberating feeling, when the rest of my writing swirls around deadlines.
I finally started writing. I had been on a 20-year writer’s block, with a few breaks in between. After all that life has thrown at me, I realized that I was using a lack of time as an excuse for not writing, when what really was holding me back was fear. Fear that I wouldn’t be good enough. I have started blogging several times but never made it past a few posts. I am now writing for Examiner, Hubpages, and Squidoo, and that is helping me to get into the habit of writing on a regular basis, and the feedback I get helps me to improve my writing and builds my confidence. Writing is a muscle that needs exercising, and I’m trying to get mine into shape!
I tried something new a year ago. I love to tell stories and I’ve always had my little stepping stones that I step on, hang out for a while, and then after overstaying my limit, I step to the next stone.
Well, I got a wild hair and decided to leap to the bigger stone and write a book. I love writing, I love sharing stories, and well, why not just get to it. So I did. I now have two books, both in the first draft (seriously, very first draft) stage. Now I’m biting my nails and wondering what the heck I’ve done. My stone is sinking and it’s about time I jump to the next stone and figure out how to make the books coherent.
I’ve been writing parenting articles ranging from your child’s first visit to the dentist to helpful tips for your teenager who wants to become a vegetarian. This month I’m blogging for the entire month of May of 31 Days of Fearless Entertaining because I love the idea of having people over but am scared to. So the process has helped me face my fear and seems to have connected with others fears. Blogging about my various fears also lessens the grip they have on me.
The last time I tried something new in my writing career I applied for and landed a poetry translation job. I’m enjoying this project immensely, and it’s going quite well. I’m so glad I had the guts to apply for it!
Alexandra Palmer (aka The Happy Amateur)
I usually write service-oriented health and parenting pieces, but last spring I tried my hand at a funny essay–and sold it, several times over! I haven’t been able to get another essay finished since then, but I’m planning on it. Writing in a different format is a great way to break out of a writing rut.
I do a
lot of work in developing other people as writers, artists, and speakers, but lately
I have been recognizing my own need—and calling—to write. So I decided not to
teach Public Speaking next year and am picking up my journal more often to
record ideas. I am playing the piano more, reading poetry along with other
inspiration and content, generally priming the pump to do some serious writing
this summer: songs, poems, articles, blog posts.
Even so, I
do find it life giving to hone other people’s gifts through editing and project
management. I’m helping my friend publish a series of children’s books. Recently
she got to present in the Dragons’ Den, so we’ve been furiously planning to
launch her next title for November 1. A key component to this launch will be a
blog to establish her as an expert in her niche of early childhood education.
My editing work requires a strong writerly orientation and, I find, it often satisfies
that writerly desire.
Good luck! Stick with it.
Map It- Writers Digest Jan 2012 edition.
I made a collage for my novel. Then the dog ate it.
Very inspiring intro, Christina. I haven’t tried writing anything new lately because I’m too busy keeping up with the old bread-winning writing. But today I added strengthening my platform by researching my historical novel to my projects list, so I guess I can say that’s new and a concrete step in the right direction.
Actually, blogging could be considered a new writing area. We used to pitch publishers. Now we ARE publishers. Nina’s blogging approach sounds interesting. I estimated it would take several years to build up my reputation in that area, but perhaps I may be able to reduce that time with a personal blog devoted to this subject. I already write c3PR’s “Think Around Corners” blog and several client blogs, so it would simply mean adding one more to the weekly list. Since Nina’s a Bay Area local, I may even bump into her someday.
I think the last time I tried something totally new in my
writing was this past August. I attended a very small writer’s workshop on a
beautiful farm in North Carolina. A local professor led us in a morning of
reading and writing poetry (something I hadn’t done in quite awhile). It was
such a warm, inviting space (filled with fresh meals prepared with food from the
farm) that I found myself furiously scribbling poems and volunteering to read
them out loud, along with the other participants. I also sold a story about the
place in one of the local magazines I write for and look forward to attending a
publishing workshop there in the next few months.
I wrote a book proposal last month, to get an idea down on paper and get practice at writing one. I’ll be attending a writer’s conference at the end of this month and was able to have the proposal critiqued as part of my registration. It was a good exercise in seeing the holes in my platform and the lack of connection between my idea and platform. It also felt good to work on something like that without the pressure of it having to be ready to sell because I’m not yet invested the actual project. And the good thing that happened as a result is I came up with a much more fitting (and more interesting) book idea for my next book proposal further down the road.
Like Nina, I began my blog with the idea that my nightly posts of diary entries that I wrote 50 years ago to the night just might have book potential. But, Christina, first I need to finish your “The Writer’s Workout,” purchase and read your “Get Known Before the Book Deal,” and purchase and read Nina’s “How to Blog a Book.”
My philosophy for my writing life
mirrors my philosophy of life in general. I believe change is the essential
ingredient in life, no matter how uncomfortable that thought sometimes feels.
To grow as a writer (and indeed, as a person), it is necessary to regularly put
oneself outside one’s comfort zone and explore new ways of doing things. It’s
too easy to lapse into mediocrity when one only sticks with “tried and true” techniques;
the “safe” path is often not much fun. In my own writing life, I apply this
philosophy by continually re-examining whether what I’m doing is working for me,
and if not, making changes. I started off as a writer of personal essays. I then
began to explore poetry. Lately, I’ve switched more of my focus to haiku and
related forms, but still like to keep a hand in writing personal essays. I also
used to focus almost exclusively on print publications, but now I’m equally open
to online journals, because I really like their immediacy, and the opportunity
for feedback. And I’ve posted daily on my blog since January 1st of
this year. Where will all this lead me? Stay tuned!
I tried once this past April to change myself from a “pantser”
to a “planner” while writing. Everything I read about writing and the writer’s
life tell you that you MUST plan things out before writing. I gave it a good ol’
college try for about two weeks. Failed miserably! I am not a planner in
anything! The only thing I ever successfully planned was my weddings (married
thrice, divorced twice — makes for lots of writing material LOL). As a result,
I have embraced my pantser-self and make significant progress by not
planning. I simply write and add in notes in the margins. The margins notes are
what resulted from my attempt to become a planner. I never did margin notes
before my planner attempt last month, but I find that this is the one planning
tip that stuck. The only one…