Jason here, and I think I'm finally recovered from my amazing weekend at BlogHer 2006 in cool, breezy, non-humid San Jose, CA. Lulu.com was one of the event sponsors and an exhibitor, and we were there not only to promote Lulu but the Blooker as well. We were a bit overwhelmed by amount of positive response we got from the convention attendees, but I suppose it really shouldn't be that surprising that Lulu appeals to bloggers. After all, they are people who are proactive, tech-savvy, and, most importantly, they have something to say. They embrace alternative media and happily subvert the long-held traditions of publishing and journalism. Plus, many already have a built in audience for their blook, which makes marketing (which is one of the biggest challenges of self-publishing) significantly easier.
One of the most frequently asked questions at the Lulu booth (seen here with Charlotte and Katie, the other 2/3 of Team BlogHer) was "How can I turn my blog into a book?"
Well, there is, of course, no single answer. As Karen Rani recently pointed out in the BlogHer blog, there are quite a few options out there. Admittedly, I'm a little biased toward the hands-off Lulu model, but the complete control over blook format and design that Lulu allows does mean that the author has to do most of the work. In upcoming posts, I will examine the features of many of the alternate blog-to-book services to help you make an informed decision of how best to blookify your blog.
So, where was I? Ah yes, BlogHer. We met a lot of really cool people--too many to list them all. We hung out with the incomparable Susie Bright and our friends (and fellow North Carolinians) from Blog ads. I got to interview Heather Powazek Champ, community director at Flickr and co-editor of
JPG Magazine, for Lulu Radio, the official podcast of Lulu.com. (I'll post that here once I get a chance to edit it.)
Blooker judge Arianna Huffington was there to give one of the keynote addresses. Unfortunately, since I was in the booth all day, I didn't get a chance to meet her. In fact, this is about a close to her as I was able to get!(She's sitting at the far end of the hall to the left of the screen.)
All in all, it was awesome to be around such a dynamic and creative group of people, and I hope that each and everyone one of them enters the Blooker!
(Special thanks to Maria Benet of the Alembic blog for permission to post this photo!)
Comments