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I’ve kicked around the idea of writing a free ebook for quite some time.how to turn your blog into a book

My thought is to put some of my previous blog posts into book form for those who prefer not to dig through my archives. I’d like for the comments to be included since that is where most of the value lies and I’d also like to include links to the comment author’s sites.

I know I’ll turn some of my blog posts into a book sooner rather than later, however I’ve convinced myself there must be an easier way to do it rather than cutting, pasting, and re-editing before publishing.

My search to do so has taken me on an interesting journey.

Today’s Lesson

I first tried two different plugins for turning a blog into book form.

  1. Anthologize and
  2. Blog2Print

For reasons I can’t figure out, both plugins failed to work for me so my search continued.

Thanks to Rick of What’s On My PC? my first stop was

  1. BlogBooker
  2. I used my green blog, input the URL and a link to the XML file into their form. The process was quick and when complete, the ebook included photos, some of the links and comments. Unfortunately, only the CommentLuv links showed up. The blog which only has a handful of posts ended up being an ebook containing 23 pages including the cover and an index. Additional formatting would be required, however with this being a free service, I thought the results were quite impressive.

My search for more information lead me down an unexpected path. What I found were sites which let us self-publish, as well as sell our end product.

The links in Matt Cutt’s “Blog to Book” post led me to these sites.

  1. Fast Pencil
  2. On Fast Pencil I decided to turn my Observation Mountain blog into an ebook. Before “publishing” to draft, I deleted all spam comments, edited out approximately 30 of the 165 posts and ended up with a book which was 180 pages long.  The draft which was created was perfectly formatted with each post having it’s own page(s),  however no comments nor links were included.

  3. Lulu.com
  4. Lulu’s site includes a short video of the services they provide for self publishers, and although I’ve watched the video, I’m not sure this is the route I want to take.

  5. Blurb.com
  6. Blurb.com provides a free download of their “Blurb BookSmart” software. The software lets you create a book which can be sold on their site. After downloading and reviewing the software, it appears to be very comprehensive and helpful.

I also remembered George Angus of Tumblemoose used Smashwords to publish five ebooks.

Smashwords offers numerous possibilities and from reading the review of Smashwords on his blog, George is quite pleased with their service.

Knowing things aren’t always as they seem and wanting to be cautious, I also checked the website of watchdog Clark Howard. There I found these links:

  1. Absolute Write, a forum for writers and,
  2. Preditors & Editors

To repeat what is written in Clark Howard’s post:

Up until about 1998, the “vanity press” industry would charge people outrageous sums to publish a book. It wasn’t unusual for someone to pay $8,000 – $12,000 to these phony publishing houses.

The best advice Clark can offer is be skeptical. Use the collective wisdom of the Internet to help you steer clear of rip-off artists.

Although I haven’t found the perfect way to turn parts of my blog into an ebook, I feel I’m a few steps closer.

Today’s Assignment

Have you written a book or ebook? Or are you thinking of turning your blog into a book?

What platform did you use? Or will you use?

Care to share?

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P.S. For those of you who plan to either turn your blog into a book or write a book, having it proofread prior to publishing is essential. Davina is one of the best proofreaders in the field and can be found at  Shades of Crimson.

We can spend hours and hours searching for tools which will make blogging easier for us, or we can ask other bloggers what they use and like.

Today I’m sharing five of my favorite blogging tools.

Today’s Lessonwoopra homepage image

Although I continue to compare statistical programs, my favorite stats tracker is Woopra.

I’ve been using Woopra for over two years now and thoroughly enjoy all it offers. As the photos show, it’s colorful and has loads of options.

For blogs and websites woopra options My Fave Fivewith under 30,000 pages views per month, it’s free. After that, an upgrade is required (rates start at $4.95 per month).

Some of Woopra’s features are:

  1. Live, real time tracking
  2. Real-time analytics
  3. Ability to manage multiple blogs
  4. Deep analytic and search capabilities
  5. Live chat
  6. Rich user interface

Woopra also offers a plugin so you can easily review your Woopra stats from your dashboard, plus they also provide a desktop application for Windows, Mac & Linux, which I highly recommend.

A good spam blocker is essential to blogging.

I use Akismet which is preloaded in WordPress, in conjunction with Bad Behavior. If you look at the footer of this blog, you’ll see how Bad Behavior stopped over three thousand spam comments in the last week before they reached my spam filter. How cool is that?

CommentLuv is my all time favorite plugin.

I like how it rewards those who comment by adding a link to their latest post. With a catchy sounding title, chances are others will click through and this added exposure can possibly increase your readership, as well.

Gravatars, or avatars are another blogging favorite of mine. I like how just by using a small photo helps to brand us in blogosphere as well as on social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook. The power of avatars was proven when we played a guessing game in the “Who’s Who In Blogosphere” post.

LinkWithin is a new favorite of mine. The thumbnails it produces and displays at the end of each post adds a little bit of pizazz, plus may inspire our readers to dig deeper into our blogs. Since adding it to this site and The Blog Boutique, I’ve seen an increase in my page views.

So there you have it. My fave five.

How about you?

Today’s Assignment

What blogging tools, plugins, or widgets can’t you live without?

Care to Share?

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As I was working behind the scenes on the blogs, adding and deleting plugins, I ran across an interesting one. It’s named Greg’s Comment Length Limiter.

The premise behind this plugin is to limit the amount of characters a person who comments can enter. As they type their comment, the counter shows how many characters they have left remaining.
limit the number of characters in a comment

On the plugin page it states, in part,

Readers may be discouraged from commenting themselves (or reading comments at all) when they see very long entries left by others, and during times of high load, the significant performance overheads associated with retrieving and displaying long comments can slow even the speediest dedicated servers.

From the perspective of SEO (search engine optimization), very long comments also dilute the impact of the author’s original post by relegating it to a small proportion of the overall content available on the page.

Interestingly the plugin has been downloaded over 4000 times.

Today’s Lesson

Since we have been talking about post length, I thought it was ironic I landed on a comment length limiter.

Who knew?

With all of us enjoying comments from fellow bloggers, I would think the length of their comment(s) is the least of our concern.

The way I see it, if someone wants to leave a long comment on this blog, I have no problem with that. As I’ve said in the past and show in my welcome message, it’s in the comment section where most of this blog’s value lies.

I throw an idea out there and all of you contribute your thoughts. For myself and those reading the comments, there’s much to be gained.

I thought of how a person who is commenting might feel knowing their words have to be limited. As each character is entered, the counter is decreasing and possibly putting undue pressure on the commenter. I know for me, I’d be less likely to comment even though I normally don’t leave long comments.

Or, I might just say, “Great post” to keep it short.

What say you?

Today’s Assignment

Would you consider using a plugin which limits the number of characters a visitor can contribute?

How would you feel if a favorite blog of yours used this type of plugin?

Care to share?

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In the comments of One Blog Title – 52 Ways”, Raul of Alien Ghost suggested I write a post and have the readers pick the title. I LOVE his idea, so here it is:titles for blog posts

*****Beginning of post*****

When I’m writing a blog post, I often ramble on and before I know it, the post draft is pushing 1000 words.

That’s a lot of words for this blog considering my aim is to keep the posts short – 400 words +/-.

Although all of the writing does help me to get to the final message, those excess words may only sound like babbling to you.

Yawn, Yawn.

Hence, when I edit, I’m brutal.

Today’s Lesson

Most people think what happens in their life is pretty important. After all, it’s what they’re living.

For some, it’s baby steps toward a brighter future. For others, they may have slayed a demon. And yet for a few, their blog may be the only place where they feel they’re being heard. Word counts may not even be a consideration.

People want to share. People want to be heard.

Their story matters. At least to them.

And their hope may be it matters to others as well.

But…do others really care?

Or will they see it as a blogger rambling on?

I’ve read comments from both camps. Some will say, “get to the point”, “brevity rules”, whereas others thoroughly enjoy the story from beginning to end.

Both opinions have merit.

What say you?

Today’s Assignment

1) What title would you pick for this post?

2) Do you think bloggers are writing too much?

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We all know the importance of  blog titles.Blog Titles Post One Blog Title   52 Ways

If we optimize them with keywords or keyword phrases, we could possibly attract more search engine traffic. If we make them catchy sounding, others may click to read more.

When I published the Lose Weight While Blogging?” post, I later said on Facebook, “maybe I should have named it, “Can’t Stand Blogging?”

Today’s Lesson

The above mentioned post links to an article which states how sitting more than six hours a day can possibly cause health problems plus lead to an earlier death. As a solution, I shared how I decided to build myself a work walk station for my treadmill even though there are prefab ones available.

My comment on Facebook made me wonder, “If that same topic had been written by other bloggers, what would they have named it?”

Here’s what I’ve come up with based on what fellow bloggers blog about, and how they could formulate their titles.

I know my outspoken blogging friend Cath Lawson would chose:

“Get Your Rear In Gear”

And she would include the acclaimed photo of  Betsy Wuebker’s derriere (which can be found on Cath’s homepage)

Friar, who is also an artist and cartoonist would include sketches of Vikings and name his post:

“Don’t Say the Vikings Didn’t Warn You”

Patty of “Why Not Start Now? might  name it:

“Why Not Start Now?”

Public Speaking Expert and blogger Keith Davis,

“Step Up To The Podium”

Chase March, teacher and hip hop blogger,

“Hip Hop Your Way to Health”

Proofreader and writing coach Davina,

“Treadmill Walk Stations – Rendering The Right Impact”

Vered, professional blogger would use keywords:

“Use A Work Walk Treadmill To Extend Your Life”

Patricia of Patricia’s Wisdom would keep it simple.

“My Review: The TrekDesk Work Walk Station”

Debbie, mommy blogger and author of Three Weddings:

“Who needs a treadmill when you have three kids?”

Silly Girl,  a reporter in real life,

“Reporting Live From The Office of the Future”

Tom Volkar, author of Delightful Work and life coach might use:

“How A Treadmill Could Improve Your Life”.

Barb Hartsook likes to serve imaginary coffee on her blog.

“Sip, Standing”

Singer, songwriter Jannie could write a poem or song titled:

“The Wedgie Work Walk Station Blues”

Hilary, our resident historian,

“How the treadmill was invented.  How it’s helping people to stay fit. And its Place in the Office”

Colleen, blogger and Realtor from Washington State,

“Kennewick Realtors Stand Behind Their Listings”

Julie Walraven who provides a resume writing service:

“Stand Up For What You Believe”

Heather Villa, business coach and blogger,

“Don’t Take It Sitting Down”

The Bold Life author Tess, being true to her blog name might choose:

“Be Bold – Take A Stand”

George Angus, writer and author of Tumblemoose.com could title the post,

“We’ve Got A Standing Date”

Lori Hoeck, martial arts expert and author of Think Like a Blackbelt,

“Kick it Up A Notch! “

Sara Healy of Sharing Connection would include a photo and a challenge.

Story Photo. What Does This Look Like To You?

Tracy would tie in a link to her post which went viral.

What Does A Chicken in a Can Have To Do With a Treadmill?

Raul of Alien Ghost might title his,

“Don’t Just Sit There”

J.D. Meier of Sources of Insight would go all out.

“2000 Lessons Learned While Using The TrekDesk Treadmill Desk*”

Tony Single  of Trottersville would  include a cartoon in his post,

“How I Killed My Treadmill”

Evelyn Lin’s blog concentrates on abundance, awareness and self alignment:

“Forge Your Own Path With A Walk Work Station”

Mike Goad blogs remotely as they travel.

“Put Some Miles Behind You”

Linda, our resident  “green blogger”,

“Environmentally Friendly Desk Option Could Save Millions in Health Care Costs”

Joy over at Unfolding Your Path To Joy,

“Find  Joy, Stay Fit While Blogging”

Joella helps new bloggers on her blog,  Blog with Wings,

“Stand Up For Your Writes”

Zeenat of Positive Provocations always has encouraging words for her readers,

“Positively The Easiest Way To Take A Stand”

Lisa does intuitive readings and blogs at Practically Intuitive,

I See You Standing”

Mandy Allen likes to ask questions on her blog.

“Is Your Job Killing You?”

John Hoff, author the fabulous blog security book and video series WordPress Defender*,

Stand Up To The Bullies

Junk Drawer Kathy would come up with something funny.

“What I’ve Gained From Blogging Besides Thirty Pounds”

Kelvin Kao, is a puppeteer who also likes to make videos, He might make a video of a puppet on a work walk station and title it,

“It’s So Easy, Even A Puppet Can Do It”

Jay Schryer of Porsidan is in a wheelchair, and since a treadmill work walk station wouldn’t be conducive for his life style, he might teach others with disabilities how to stay fit.

“Alternative Ways To Incorporate Exercise Into Your Day”

Patricia Singleton of Spirtual Journey Of A Lightworker would share more of her knowledge,

“How To Stay Fit As You Journey Through Life”

Jodith of Administrative Arts could teach office managers,

“How To Improve Productivity In The Office”

Walter of Lionslinger shares life lessons on his blog,

“Another Lesson In Life. Don’t Sit. Get Fit”

Chania Girl shares happy thoughts at Living Happiness,

Don’t Worry! Be Happy! Work Standing!

Julie is always so cheerful as shares her thoughts from Italy. She might title hers,

“Hello Gorgeous, Wanna Go For A Walk?”

Miguel de Luis could do a post in Spanish.

“Si Si” (Sorry Miguel, that’s all the Spanish I know :) )

Lance might turn this into a “Sunday Thought For The Day”,

“Embrace Life, One Step At A Time”

Lori at Jane Be Nimble shares wonderful stories on her blog,

“Be Nimble. Be Quick. Blog Your Way To Fitness”

Wendi Kelly at Life’s Little Inspirations blogs to inspire others,

“Latest Innovation Sparks Creativity”

From Roses to Rainbows author Linda might title hers:

“From Flab To Fab – Stand Up And Blog”

Julie, author of Random Meanderings enjoys hiking.

“Take A Hike”

Evita at Evolving Wellness would share her wisdom on health.

“Easily Fit Fitness Into Your Day”

Eliza of Silver and Grace who writes for women over forty, might title her post:

“Stand and Stop That Middle Age Spread”

Angela Sims at Living, Loving, Laughing… might say,

“Don’t Laugh, It Works”

So, there you have it. How one blog title could be written fifty-two ways.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Today’s Assignment

How do your choose your blog titles?

Do you try to use catchy ones? Or do you prefer using keywords?

Care to share?

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