2006-10-06

i probably woudn't read one

A story from Yahoo News reports on the blog-book craze. Publishers are snatching up blogs in a mad frenzy. Apparently these bloggers are being contacted by publishers, not the other way around.

Hey guys, I'm right here!

Some observers are saying the trend can't last.

"It's like the dot-com boom all over again," added Paul Carr, Friday Project's editor in chief.

"In the same way that publishers knew they needed a Web site even if they didn't know what that was, they're just buying up blogs because they're hot."


I'm inclinded to agree. Maybe I'm not an average reader, but I do read a lot and a blog is not a book. It's a fundamentally different medium and I wonder about the transition. Eric at The Fire Ant Gazette reported on this trend earlier this year. He also wrote of his decidedly lukewarm reaction to a book of hypothetical blog posts. I have my doubts as to whether the real thing would work any better. What's entertaining, informative, and just plain good about blog writing will not necessarily work in a book. Maybe these new authors will invest whatever time it takes to write, but if not, I can see this bubble bursting pretty quickly.

On the other hand, publishers with any sense should be jumping on this project.



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