Blogging Resources
This section of the Resources area covers all things blogging. We provide a list of useful books, links to blogging services and platforms, as well as the URLs of tools you can use to measure your blog’s traffic and other analytics.
Books
Below are some useful books on blogging.
- Blogging Quick & Easy: A Planned Approach to Blogging Succes
- Blogging for Dummies
- Blogging for Business
- The Rough Guide to Blogging
- What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting
- Secrets of Successful Blogging
- Clear Blogging
- Naked Conversations
- Publish and Prosper
- The Corporate Blogging Book
- Blogging and RSS
- Classroom Blogging
- Blogging, Citizenship and the Future of Media
- The Everything Blogging Book
- The New Influencers
- Teach Yourself Blogging
Blog Platforms
Below are lists of popular hosted blogging services and standalone blogging platforms. A hosted blogging service does all the set up for you, provides you with blog templates and can have you up and blogging in minutes. Standalone blogging platforms require some technical knowledge, but give you a high degree of flexibility in your blog’s design and capabilities.
| HOSTED BLOGGING SERVICES | STANDALONE BLOGGING PLATFORMS |
| TypePad | b2Evolution |
| WordPress | Text Pattern |
| LiveJournal | Serendipity |
| MySpace | Blossom |
| Blogger | Nucleus |
| BlogCMS | |
| Blojsom | |
| Expression Engine | |
| Pivot | |
| bBlog | |
| MovableType | |
| WordPress.org |
Analytics
Below is a list of online services you can use to help you track the traffic on your blog.
Keyword Research
Below is a list of keyword discovery tools you can use to help optimize and generate traffic to your blog.
The most popular paid keyword research services include:
- Keyword Discovery
- Wordtracker
- Overture
- Digital Point keyword suggestion tool
- Google keyword research tool
- Niche Bot
If you are blogging on a tight budget, there are a number of free keyword research tools that you can use, including:
Independent Publishing Resources
Companies that Provide Self Publishing Services
- Lulu - Publish and sell books, images, and other digital content online free of charge. Users can upload content, set a price, and retain control of their work. (www.lulu.com)
- iUniverse.com - Services include cover and book design, an author’s web page, and book sales. (www.iuniverse.com)
- AuthorHouse - Providing premier self-publishing and marketing services. (www.authorhouse.com)
- Xlibris - Writers’ resources, self-publishing, and publishing-on-demand technologies and services from this Random House Ventures strategic partner. (www.xlibris.com)
- Yahoo! Publisher Network - Offering unique products and services to publishers of all sizes, the Yahoo! Publisher Network can help publishers generate additional revenue to their site. (publisher.yahoo.com)
- Trafford Publishing - Retail outlet for organizations and authors using on-demand publishing services. (www.trafford.com)
- Blurb - Offers the Booksmart software program which allows for the creation and publishing of books through a step-by-step interface. (www.blurb.com)
- Buybooksontheweb.com - Stores manuscripts electronically to be published on demand. (www.buybooksontheweb.com)
- InstantPublisher.com - Offering books, printed materials, and services to help writers self publish manuscripts online, straight from the computer to the bookshelf. (www.instantpublisher.com)
- Infinity Publishing - Services include fulfillment and monthly royalties. (www.infinitypublishing.com
- Outskirts Press
Offering premium publishing and distribution services, using digital publishing-on-demand technology.
(www.outskirtspress.com) - Recollections, Inc. - Offers MyPublisher services to publish hardcover books or calendars using your photos and text.
(www.myPublisher.com) - Hayden-McNeil Publishing, Inc. - Custom publishing for the higher education market, including customized lab manuals, chemistry lab notebooks, etc. (www.hmpublishing.com)
- Vantage Press - Offers a specialized publishing plan. (www.vantagepress.com)
- Dissertation.com - Publish your thesis or dissertation. All submissions become available in paperbound and digital format. (www.dissertation.com)
- Wheat Mark - Self-publishing services which offers authors of new and out-of-print books flexible on-demand publishing services. (www.wheatmark.com)
- Llumina Press - Publisher of print-on-demand and ebooks. Provides ghostwriting, editing, publishing, marketing, and other services writers need to self-publish their books. (www.llumina.com)
- Word Association Publishers - www.wordassociation.com
- Griffith Publishing - Self-publishing and marketing services. (www.hodi.com)
- Fultus Corporation - Provides self publishing, print-on-demand, e-books, and documentation publishing for companies and authors. (www.fultus.com)
Self Publishing Service Comparison Chart
Podcasting Resources
Podcasts featuring Book Reviews
- New York Times Book Review Podcast archives - Every week, Book Review Editor Sam Tanenhaus talks to authors, editors, critics and senior editor and best-seller columnist Dwight Garner about new books.
- Odfeed - This is a directory of podcasts which features a category for books.
- iTunes - Download the iTunes player, then click the Podcasts button. In the search box enter “book review podcast” and you will get a list of over 100 podcasts devoted to author interviews and book reviews.
Podcast Directories
- Podcast Directory is the largest user-built directory of podcasts.
- Podcast Alley, one of the most popular podcasting sites, has a large podcast directory.
- Odeo.com - directory and podcast service
- iPodder.org - is an established, very large podcast directory.
- PodcastPickle - the only podcast directory with a pickle mascot! The site features a content rating system based on the familiar movie system, G, PG, R, etc.
- Digital Podcast
- PodcastDirectory.com - from Penguin Radio
- Podcast.net
- iPodderX
- iTunes - Apple’s proprietary (non-web) directory drives a huge amount of traffic to many podcasts
- Yahoo - has a podcast search and tag-based index
Book Trailer Resources
Companies that Specialize in Producing Book Trailers
Vitrual Book Tour Resources
Related Books
Tools for a Successful Blog Tour
Plan a Powerful Blog Tour - article by Steve Weber, The PMA Independent, April 2007
Blog Tour Worksheet
