Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer
By Kristen Lamb (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)
Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer is the result of Kristen Lamb’s journey down the blogging path, from a struggling novice to successful blogger – with the following to prove it. And she specifically focuses on writers. Kristen avows that as a beginning blogger she made every conceivable mistake, many of which she shares with us so that we can avoid repeating them.
Are You There Blog? It is divided into three sections. The first is a social media primer, specifically as it relates to writers. Although it is seemingly a long introduction to the book’s main theme of blogging, it’s also most valuable, worth the price of the book by itself. Most of the commonly advocated social media practices, while great for businesses and corporations, don’t help writers and authors and in many cases are actually counterproductive.
The second section, the meat of the book, is entitled “Eighteen Lessons to Blogging Awesomeness,” which Kristen Lamb shares with both humor and authority. Implementing her recommendations will help writers construct a successful blog and aid in establishing their platform, doing so with a minimum of distraction and anxiety. Throughout this Kristen frequently references her own blog, not as annoying self-promotion, but as an actual example and to show that she really does follow her own advice.
The final section, the shortest of the three, offers a trio of testimonies from others who followed and affirm Kristin’s recommendations. This is a fitting conclusion to Are You There Blog? and a confirmation she’s not laying out a theoretical treatise but instead sharing a practical, workable, and proven plan to help writers blog.
Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer is a stand-alone book. However, readers may benefit by first reading Kristen’s previous book, We Are Not Alone: The Writer’s Guide to Social Media, which she frequently references by the acronym WANA.
Regardless, Are You There Blog? is a good beginning resource for any writer who blogs or wants to blog.
[Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer, by Kristen Lamb. Published by Who Dares Wins Publishing, 2011; ISBN: 978-1-935712-48-0; 187 pages.]
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Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.
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