Developing and running a successful blog business can be a monumental challenge. It’s hard work, just like anything else, and you’ll likely stumble your way through more than a few mistakes along the way. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had something to guide your way?
Well, you do. Collis Ta’eed is the guy behind Envato and he’s sharing everything you need to know in his new book, How to Build a Successful Blog Business. Available now through Rockable Press, this 330-page book serves as the subject of today’s review.
Blogging for Profit
There is a distinct difference between hobby bloggers and those who want to develop their blogs into real businesses. This book is clearly targeted at the latter group.
It has already received considerably positive feedback from such big names in the industry as Yaro Starak and Darren Rowse. For example, Chris Garrett is saying that you “need to get this now” if you’re “serious about blogging as a real business.”
You also have to recognize that Collis Ta’eed comes from a place of significant authority. He has developed several blogs that not only generate considerable traffic, but impressive revenue too.
A Comprehensive Guide to Blogging Business
You may have already had the opportunity to read Make Money Online by me and John Chow, but that book focused mostly on how you would develop a blog where you are the main contributor.
With How to Build a Successful Blog Business, the material covers just about every aspect of running a blog as a business. This 330-page book includes sections on brand creation, staffing, business structure, content planning, monetization, and long term strategies.
Perhaps of even greater interest are the three case studies that close the book. In these chapters, Collis describes exactly how he built and developed FreelanceSwitch, Psdtuts+, and AppStorm.
Writing Style, Comprehension, and Accessibility
It’s going to take you some time to get through the over 300 pages of content, but the information is all presented in a clear, systematic, and easy-to-understand manner. Consider this snippet from the first chapter.
Opportunities in blogging also arise from the many niches and topics that are still wide open. If you walk into any bookstore and look through the myriad magazines that line the racks, you’ll find there are audiences interested in reading about everything from sewing to tattoos, boating to cooking, movies to shopping. Can you name the blog to read on tattoos? How about a great blog about boating? Think you can find one?
The style is not unlike the “blogging voice” that you find on many of Collin’s sites around the net. It’s casual, but informative. You will find, though, that many of the pages are very text-heavy.
As a freelance writer myself, I was particularly interested in the FreelanceSwitch case study. Most of it was text, but Collis did include several screenshots (e.g., Google Analytics) and charts (e.g., revenue over time) to help illustrate his points.
Blogging as a business can be daunting and intimidating for many, but How to Build a Successful Blog Business outlines everything you need to know in a way that is easy not only to digest, but also to implement in your own endeavors.
Buy the E-Book or the Paperback
Anyone who is seriously considering a career not “just” as a blogger, but as the owner and manager of a blog business should buy this book. You’ll learn about hiring freelancers, setting up your accounting, developing traffic, increasing your income and so much more.
If you want instant access to the material, you can buy the e-book version for $39. This comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. If you prefer the dead tree edition, the $47 paperback is printed and shipped through Lulu.com.
Did you enjoy this post? Get John Chow Dot Com updates via email...
Stay up to date with all of John Chow’s tips for making money online and blog posts by subscribing via email. Your email will be kept private and never shared with anyone.
One of the most common complaint (or excuse) I hear from potential new bloggers is they don’t know how to install WordPress. Terms like FTP and CPanel are like a foreign language and setting up a database might as well be setting up the space shuttle for a launch. Because of the technology barrier, many would-be bloggers never start their blogs...