I’m drawn to the format of blogs to books: seeking out great blogs with great writers, helping the blog expand its readers and then testing to see if a book would be a benefit to the readers.
Different bloggers are at different levels, and some might be really savvy at marketing already, in which case my job is to procure the book. I think my competitive difference will be what agreements I setup with the writer/blogger, and how the Wordful brand is perceived.
Which comes right back to niche. What do I want to be known for publishing? I’m thinking niche quirky stuff like RunnerBunny (running site for kids), RunnerMoms (running support group advice etc for moms who run), Alaska Salmon Recipes, Surfah (modern surfing culture in Hawaii).
But these are all my ideas and it still doesn’t specialize. Some random ideas:
- Lifestyle, improving, enriching lifestyle
- Family life, recreation
- Destination Hawaii, Alaska, Hawaii-Alaska
- not marketing but maybe. Unfortunately marketing is not my ultimate passion
Look and feel, brand equity emits offbeat, off the beaten path, funny, beautiful designs, etc.
The whole other component to this (and I’m still sketched out on this) is blog monetization. I don’t see the problem with an active blog being part of the publishing strategy.