279 Days to Overnight Success eBook Review
Posted by June 2nd 09
Chris Guilllebeau's story is truly inspiring. I remember first reading about him in a La Presse article from a few years' back. At the time, they were covering Chris' around-the-world on a budget adventure for the paper. I recall thinking how great it would be to live this sort of life and wondered how he managed to do that.
Well, my curiosity is now satisfied since Chris Guillebeau has bared it all in his great 279 Days to Overnight Success eBook! Indeed, this document is unusually practical, useful and inspiring to anyone wanting to start their own professional blog. The author managed to become successful in less than a year and shares his process with you. Here's what I liked:
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There are tons of details
If you've never written a blog before, but desire to make a living out of one, this eBook will tell you how to get started - right from the beginning (observing, monitoring, planning) up to monetizing your project. It covers technical aspects, posting schedules, finding inspiration and a voice, successes and mistakes, examples from other bloggers, etc. The author even shares his 2009 annual revenue! In short, here's what Guillebeau thinks you need to get your professional blog started:
- Create a Compelling Story and Be Remarkable
- Clearly Answer the “Reason Why”
- Prioritize Writing and Marketing Over Everything Else
- Be Bigger than I Really Am
- Build Long-Lasting Relationships
- Carefully Introduce Products and Services
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Chris talks about his own experience
Chris Guillebeau is using his personal story and experience to guide his readers on their journey. Though this is common practice on blogs, I've seen few eBooks written in this fashion. This style of writing is great to engage your readers and give them a sense of belonging. This is a fun, entertaining and enlightening document which I truly enjoyed reading.
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The design and layout is gorgeous
I truly believe that form and function go hand in hand. You won't notice much the layout of a well-designed document, but you will definitely notice one that isn't. The latter are difficult to read, bland and look unprofessional. If you want to go viral and be taken seriously, your work should reflect this, both inside and out.
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Blog monetization is covered
Even though monetization is definitely a hot topic, few documents tackle it clearly and with pragmatism. Do you want to go beyond Adsense? Do you wonder what your other options might be? 279 Days might give you the answers you're looking for. I especially like the portraits of bloggers he presents near the end of the eBook - each comes from a specific background and managed to become successful through social media efforts. Quite inspiring.
Kudos to Chris Guillebeau (which is not an unusual surname in my part of the world, Chris!) for putting together such a great eBook. Make sure you get your own copy here. You can also check out other articles he's written right here.
posted in Reviews
July 2010
