Name: Roymax Sebastian
Book: Staff Pick: Blogging for a Living
Author: Grace Tan
Publisher: Armour Publishing
Language: English
Year: 2013
Book Synopsis:
This book demystifies the road to success and takes you through creating your very own blog, attracting, and keeping readers and advertisers, and turning it into a source of income, satisfaction, and adventure.
Grace Tan shares her insights from professional blogging and gathers previously unpublished advice from other leading bloggers in Singapore.
Comment:
This book is a must-read if you’ve ever thought about blogging for a living. The global pandemic has proven that online businesses that can’t be shut down are very valuable. In this book, the author tells her story on how to become a successful full-time blogger, a profession that may have been doubted by many before. She also shared many tips for bloggers, starting from creating a blog and how to earn a living from writing and managing it.
In my opinion, blogging for a living isn’t for everyone. I think you must really enjoy and love writing to be a successful blogger. But if blogging for a living is your interest, this book offers tons of tips for would-be bloggers. If you run out of ideas for new blog posts or are too busy to blog due to a holiday, a new baby, household renovations, etc. the author provides some help and guidance.
Is Blogging still a thing in 2023? Yes! It’s estimated that there are currently over 600 million blogs. The demand for high-quality content is also growing, with many people turning to blog posts for reliable information and advice. According to talkbitz.com, in a recent survey, 77% of internet users prefer reading blogs. What’s more, 80% of bloggers report that blogging drives results. Of course, blogging in 2023 is different than in 2012. There are powerful A.I. writing tools to allow us to create more personalised and engaging content, while also being able to automatically generate images based on the text. So bloggers must think beyond traditional content. For example, it’s no longer enough to just write blog posts. Bloggers should also consider including infographics, audio, video, and interactive elements like quizzes in their content in order to keep their readers engaged and drive more leads.
This book is a light, but still helpful read for those who got left by the blogging bandwagon a decade ago, and yes, it can offer useful guidance and tips to help a new blogger.
Excerpt:
“So, anyone who can add some value to this world should blog. No matter what your fears or failures are, I know you have something of value to share with this world, if only you are willing to.” – Getting Started, Page 6
“The most important thing is to get started now – not tomorrow, not next year. If you do not start now, you almost never will! The point is, all of us improve along the way, and like any sport or craft, the way to improve your writing is by writing. If you wait till you are ‘perfect’ before you begin, you will probably never start.” – How to write well, Page 36
“You have to be in it for the right reasons, and then you have to be very patient. I cannot tell you how many people have come up to me saying they wanted to start a blog and become a full-time blogger, but then they got bored after a week because they didn’t see the results they wanted- event invited, free stuff, sponsorships. So, if you’re looking to start a blog because of that, I can assure you you’ll be wasting your time!.” – Offline success: Stepping out into the real world, Page 106
“If you have some measure of self-discipline, then being a full-time blogger should not be a problem for you. On the other hand, if you are often late for work, fake illness to get medical leave, or find yourself unable to commit to a particular project for a long period of time, then build discipline into your life before thinking about making blogging a key part of it.” – Embracing the blogging lifestyle, Page 162
“Learn to develop your own style and never be afraid to experiment. If you write well, take good photographs, and have a good story to tell, readers will come.” – Remaining true to yourself while monetising your blog, Page 138
(Mr Roymax Sebastian, 2023)
This book is available at the Perdana Library. If you are interested in reading or borrowing the book, please visit our Library in Putrajaya, or contact us at 03-8885 8961 (Library Counter).
