Blog Warning

The PR Web carries this story From Blog to Book in 90 Days or Less. In the website for the project, the marketers say "This is not a teleclass. Our lessons will be delivered via a private blog", but Wakeman says in her own blog "During the Project, participants will have access ... through the weekly TeleSeries ... ." The bait: "You will participate in beta testing new software for online book formatting and publication". The switch: it costs from $299 to $799. Don't fall for it. You can be pretty sure most of the bugs have been worked out of a process when someone turns it into a marketing opportunity. That means you can do it yourself, as I've mentioned here. You can also simply add all your entries to one file, convert it to the .PDF format (for free) and use Cafe Press, Lulu, or any other printing service.

Blogging itself is being perverted by hucksters who directly take advantage of writers eager for bylines or just to see their work in print. Beware of "opportunities" to "participate" in blogs with your "contributions" when the blogs also carry advertising from which you don't benefit. This is the electronic version of a new magazine that pays in copies, or the anthology of "voices" that offers you a "discount" on purchases. [Tectags: books blogs writers warning ]

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