To blog or write a book is the question. Online domination is great, but something in hardcopy is great too…
As a Marketer and a Seasoned Blogger I get asked all the time, “Edward should I write a book to promote myself?”
I am pro-book writing and pro-blogging and it comes down really to context and what suits a given person.
I have seen people get both nowhere in blogging and equally so – have a bedroom full of books that they cannot sell or move.
Personally I am a Blogger and have never been that interested in writing a book, so I do have a bias towards the “Blogging” stream in being upfront with you. Having said that, I have suggested to many to go hard with writing a book and love to share my pro’s and con’s with you on both techniques to help you decide what should be your next move.
The Book Club:
Pro’s:
Writing a book does give you tons of credibility that is hard to get anywhere else. They look good, you can pass them to people and in some arenas you just have to ‘be an author’ of a book to get anywhere. I have known some people to do really well out of this in terms of getting lots of clients and speaking gigs.
Con’s:
The book has to be really well written otherwise people won’t read it. They can take ages to write and be incredibly costly and I have seen tons of people fail with the whole ‘get it written overseas thing’. It can also be a tough sell when you are starting out.
The Blogging Club:
Pro’s:
Fast and almost instant. You can start blogging today and get your thoughts out to people. It gives you credibility as a blogger too in that you are a ‘proven expert’ and you get people following you. It’s also great for Google SEO and giving you content on Facebook.
Con’s:
It can take a while (a good 6 months) to get a measurable result and you have to really have good technical skills and understand Social Media to get it out. Also coming up with content all the time can be tricky.
Overall Take:
As stating my bias at the start (and the fact you are reading this blog), I am more pro-blogging for a lot of reasons. It’s personally done really well for me and what some people have done well is say blogged for a while and then had someone turn it into a book. I have toyed with that idea (as that could have some great traction).
My thinking is and what I suggest to most is start out with blogging. That gets you going and if the business really justifies it, then dip into a book.
Love your work, hope it helps your consideration and of course – stay awesome!
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