Many bloggers simply begin blogging about a topic that interests them. They also may just feel passionate about the subject they first choose to write about. That’s all well and good–if you are just blogging.
If you want to blog a book or build a business around a blog or a book, you have to choose your topic in a very different manner. In fact, you have to choose it in much the same way you choose the book you are going to write–at least if you want to write a book that sells (to readers or to a publisher).
A book, no matter if it is blogged, printed or produced digitally, has to have a market. A market ensures people exist to purchase the book. That’s why writers have to convince publishers there are market for their books; they do this when they write book proposals or pitch their ideas to a literary agents. Publishing professionals want to know the books will sell.
When you blog a book, you also want to know your blogged book will sell. At first, that means it will attract readers who read it for free on the blog. Later, that means those same readers and more will purchase it as a digital or printed book when you self-publish it or a publisher publishes it for you.
Therefore, you want to focus your blog or blogged book on a market–a big market or a niche market that needs or wants information on your topic. That means doing some market analysis–or at least getting familiar with the market (or finding out if one exists).
Know Your Target Market
To begin, you must know who you are writing or blogging for. That means you must answer the question: Who is my target market?
Most bloggers don’t think about their blogs like writer’s think about a book project when they begin blogging. You are both a blogger and a writer. And, hopefully, you are considering how you can build a business around both your blog and your book. So, you want to know your market.
Consider these things about your market:
- How big is my market?
- Who exactly are my readers (think demographics)?
- Are they advanced, intermediate, newbies level to my subject?
Then learn a bit about them to help you write specifically to them:
- Where do they hang out?
- What do they purchase?
- What do they like?
- What problems do they want solved?
- What questions do they want answered?
Also consider:
- Is there a niche in the market that would be easier or better to target with my blog–or to target in addition to the general market?
Where to Find Your Information
You can do your market research in the following places:
- Google–You can get statistics there pretty easily.
- The Census Bureau.
- Organizations affiliated with your subject matter.
- Surveys done by professional organizations.
- Wikipedia
When you have a good sense of your market, you’ll have a better sense of how to focus your blog and your blogged book so you achieve a higher degree of success. In this case, success means gaining readers and monetizing your blog.
Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com
Leave a Reply