Our columnists the Author Enablers once fielded a question from a musical saw-playing New Yorker whose blog readers are hoping her online musings will turn into an ink-and-paper book.
It’s a fair proposition. Julie Powell’s Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen (reviewed here in BookPage) was born from a popular blog. The blog-turned-book will garner an even bigger audience next week, when the movie Julie & Julia hits theaters.
The distance Powell’s blog has traveled got me thinking . . . is it really possible to turn a daily blog into a full-fledged book?
Research says yes—although success like Powell’s is unlikely. In October, Hachette Book Group will publish Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy, by Mary Tomer. Tomer—or “Mrs. T,” as she is known online—is the author of “Mrs. O.”, a popular blog that chronicles the fashion of Michelle Obama. A few years ago, The Feminist Press published Baghdad Burning and Baghdad Burning II, both compilations based on Iraqi blogger Riverbend’s site. The first book went on to win third place for the Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage. (Disclosure: I once interned at The FP.) Lighter blogs like Stuff White People Like, This is why you’re fat, and Bike Snob NYC, have also landed book deals.
Anyone out there know of other successful blogs-to-books? How about ideas for clever blogs (or blog concepts) that might encourage Random House, Penguin, etc. to come knocking?
—Eliza Borné
Jen Lancaster/jennylvania — Bitter is the New Black, et al
Heather Armstrong/Dooce — It Sucked and then I Cried
I don’t know of other blogs, but I was inspired by the success of the cooking blog to think long and hard of something that would interest me and I started a year-long project about 6 weeks back. Each Sunday a new photograph by me is posted and then I’m asking for 6-word captions. I have developed a full-fledged concept and hope at the end of 52 weeks I can make something happen. My goal would be to be published, but, if nothing else, it is a year-long journey of creating interesting pictures and seeing where they lead.
M
What about BookPage’s own Ann Shayne? (She was the managing editor here years ago.) She’s now published two knitting books which were a direct result of her blog, Mason-Dixon Knitting, with Kay Gardiner.
where can i download this film ?
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