Table of Contents
3 Reasons to Turn Your Blog into a Book – Guest Post By Rose Atkinson-Carter
As a blogger, you probably already write on a daily or weekly basis. You probably also know your topics and readers quite well, otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to write so much about it. This combo of writing abilities and insight into your niche is exactly what’s needed to turn your blog into an intriguing nonfiction book without much trouble.
But are the payoffs worth the extra work? There are many good reasons to turn your blog into a book, but if you’re not completely sold on the idea yet, I’ve listed the three most important ones below.
1. Give existing content new purpose
Creating content is hard work — if you want to have an actual readership, you can’t write whatever you want, whenever you want. Any successful blogger knows that to grow their audience, they have to write intentionally and consistently about topics that people are interested in, with SEO in mind.
All this is often done on top of your main job, and sometimes the workload just gets overwhelming. So, as the old saying goes — it’s time to work smarter, not harder.
One way of doing so is to go back through your archive to find material that you can repurpose into a book. You’re already sitting on a treasure trove of content, all that’s needed is some selection and fine-tuning and you’ll have a good chunk of a book manuscript. After that, you might need to write up some bits to fill information gaps, work with an editor and designer to polish the book, and voila — you’re an author.
By compiling popular pieces from the past and seeing if a theme or topic stands out, you also give them another chance to shine. You might also find chances to present less popular pieces that you personally liked in a new light, so that your audience can appreciate them from a different angle.
And who knows, other than saving you from having to churn out new ideas and giving your old content a new life, you might even find inspiration for new pieces while working on this book project. For example, your publishing journey makes for brand new material, while looking at past pieces can inspire new reflections and insights.
2. Boost your credibility
Public speakers and entrepreneurs write books — or they hire ghostwriters to write them — all the time. Why do they go to such trouble, spending money on a professional writer to pen a book in their name? It’s because they know what a book can do for one’s reputation.
Being the author of a book is a great way for you to strengthen your image as an expert in your field. After all, it’s not easy to write thousands of words on a topic if you don’t know it well.
If you’re able to get a legitimate book publisher (especially one with a specialty in your field) to print your book, then you’ll earn even more trust from your audience. Legitimate publishers get a lot of submissions and have to be picky about what they publish — being accepted by them is testament to your knowledge and capabilities.
But even if you’ve self-published your blog-turned-book, which is a much faster and more surefire way to get published, having a book in your name really shows that you care about your topic and that you want to share your knowledge with others. Any client will want to work with someone who has that level of professionalism and enthusiasm.
3. Reach a new audience
At the end of the day, whether you share your writing in a blog or a book, your aim is to reach readers with the same interests as you. If you own a plant shop, you want your blog to reach the kind of people who are googling how to save their dying Monstera, and who may want to visit your shop.
But not every plant-lover hangs around on the Internet. A book can help you reach those belonging to your target audience who haven’t heard of your blog yet! This long-term benefit is the reason why many authors even give away their books for free. Their goal isn’t to profit from the book’s sales — there are many other ways to make money from a blog anyway — but they want to tap into a new audience. If you also want to extend your reach, turning your blog into a book is an excellent option.
All kinds of people wander into bookstores searching for titles that match their interests — and if they’re looking to read up on it, they must be quite invested. If your book can answer their questions and show that you’re the expert on the topic, they’ll likely become your devoted readers.
Turn Your Blog into a Book
So let’s recap: as a blogger, you have the material, the knowledge, and the dedication to your topic to create a great book. A book can uphold your reputation as an expert, help you reach new readers, and you get more out of the work you’ve already done. All I’m saying is, why not give it a try?
Rose Atkinson-Carter is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects editors, designers, and ghostwriters in need of book publishing jobs with authors in need of professional services. She lives in London.