I passed by Borders which is one of the biggest bookstore here in Singapore and that is beside coffeebean but then again i thought i might find a few more new arrivals as they have a wide range of books and the section i normally browse through would be under "business management"and "self-improvements".
These were the two categories that i want to improve in terms of self learning. As i was glancing along the shelf, i came across a book on "Blogging for Dummies" and i thought to myself for a second, "how on earth will anyone purchase such a book that could be easily Googled for online." I flipped the book around and the price tag on this book printed $26.99 bucks after i do a conversion in currency, i mean you could get this book at if you love to keep a full collection on dummies, there is no need to purchase it here and why are there so many on this shelf, i can't understand, will they sell?What happened next changed my perception entirely and got me pondering why that happens, A lady walked past and grabbed the book which i have just described as basic stuff which i am sure it will be left on this shelf forever and there she started browsing through the contents and told a glance on the front cover "Blogging for Dummies" and left with a smile to the counter and purchasing the book at $26.99, i guess i was wrong after i rewinded the process and analysis what could have triggered the lady to purchase the book?
The book did not attracted my attention and it is clear why it did not. The fact that i am a blogger myself, do i need such a basic book to teach myself how i can blog better? Does it teach me advanced SEO methods, blogging tips and even analysis on how you can addon great firefox applications which can help you work better daily? I don't think so but one thing i missed out why this book was there on the shelves selling like pancakes in Singapore is because Asians are getting more and more curious on how online marketing and blogging could create a reach and passive income into their lives.
This book "blogging for dummies" is meant to target on a certain niche of people and they are people who might not be tech savvy and wants a proper guide instead of Googling for tutorial on "how to blog" which might be misleading at times when they do not understand your advanced abbreviations and how it can apply on their basic blogging techniques.
That is the reason why people who wants to learn how to blog goes for the basic needs and this is how the book "blogging for dummies" makes large amount of profits by selling this book which covers facts and tutorials on how to get a blog setup and going which might be worthless and pointless stuff but it means alot to the readers who are looking for a comprehensive tutorial in one book.
Does Publishing a book earn you more profit than blogging?
I am sure everyone have to agree that writing and publishing a book takes a period of time to compile a structured format which you can frame it together to create a book, with all the time spent on creating the book, there is also a risk which you take by publishing and not make a profit but if you do become successful like Timothy Ferris who is the author of Fourhourworkweek and the best seller in New york, then publishing a book would mean more than blogging.
On the other hand, if you own a very successful blog that brings in passive income of $30k monthly, what will be your initial thoughts about publishing a book? Are you comfortable with this income you are constantly making monthly or are you out to make more? Will you go through the trouble of releasing a book? Do you have a choice of choice of both, I believe you do have but none of these income comes easy without brain storming how a blog or book can help impact a reader mind in the end.
Both scenarios shown here are not done overnight, it requires time, passion and also the opportunity to allow that income to start flowing in. You might disagree with me because recently you could have landed on a page which mentioned "how Lazy people like that dude could make $2500/day why can't you?" Don't be conned and fall into such traps, these are fast and efficient phrase that captures your attention which brings you into your fantasy world of making it rich but after paying $100, you get nothing but just a 50 page ebook covering nothing but where you can find these resources and that which are widely spreaded on the internet.
Where do i find Time?
Time is control by each individual, firstly you need to create capacity for yourself and then look into planning a schedule so that you can spare yourself 1-2 hours to start your blog or write your book. Like i said all income do not fall from the sky overnight, just continue with your passion and honesty in the virtual work is what many social marketers look for and on that note you can do your collaboration projects which you have in mind that you could share to receive more feedbacks.
Passion is not created but is within your Soul
You are unable to create passion, you need to have interest in the thing you want to do, if you love blogging so be it start your blogging career and niche out a topic which you cover that is unique. If you love to write and have a keen interest in establishing a path towards becoming the next successful author, go for it! Use your self-driven passion to move closer to your dreams.
Opportunity That Comes and Go
I have been through many ups and downs, and each time i missed out something i want to do, i will always say it's a waste i did not do or attend. Something you got to catch the right timing to board the train so does success, timing and putting everything into action comes swiftly in one move, like how the samurai uses their katana sword to slicing through the bamboo with perfection.
This lesson was a personal experience but i thought it would be good that i share this little thoughts and incident that triggered me to think twice on how i can work on targeting a specific group of people on the blogs i own and the upcoming projects i have.
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Each targeted niche have their own share in profits and i am sure why there are so many niches that yo can move into to make profits from different targeted groups.
March 21, 2008 5:57 AM
hey etienne,
thanks for writing about the blogging for dummies book (i'm one of the authors). you are right that the book might not be necessary for an experienced blogger, but that there are lots of people who are just starting out who will find it useful. i've also talked to experienced bloggers who are successful who have found the book useful because it talks about some aspect of blogging they haven't yet explored. we sure tried to make it work for lots of people!
thanks again for your feedback.
susie.
i thought you have analysis it well enough and it was a good lesson learnt. cheers.
March 22, 2008 11:13 PM
For dummies books are generally a very good way to be introduced to a topic, or to learn about some aspect you may not have explored. And the advantage of being at a bookstore is you can flip through it and see if there's something you like for free. :-)
The disadvantage of course is that they are more expensive. But that doesn't mean it's not still a good deal!
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