Bloggers and book deals

As I've learned through the reading for this class, the first bloggers were often cyber-celebrities. They were hard-code connoisseurs of the Internet, and attracted large followings, media attention, and geek cred through their efforts.

The second wave of blogging, facilitated by content management systems (such as blogspot and livejournal) opened up the digital journal to noncoders, essentially flooding the internet with personal diaries and all sorts of niche stuff. Of course, it also opened the doors for plenty of people with a voice, vision, and point of view, but the sheer size of the blogging population made it difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Not that there's anything wrong with using your blog as a personal diary. I mean, the motivation to even blog at all had been deeply personal, right? It's not like bloggers were getting paid or anything...

Except, now, they are. Publishing companies have turned on to the blogosphere. They're finding smart, funny writers immmersed in the daily grind of life that already have a following, and they're offering book deals.

Waiter Rant is one of the most prominent of these blue collar workers cum authors. The Waiter simply wrote a blog about the ups and downs (mostly downs) of serving food in a New York City restaurant, and now he's finishing a book, advance in hand. Granted he's a fantastic writer with the brains to wait until he has something to say before flagellating his keyboard, but his subject matter touched a nerve, and the man has huge readership. What a fantastic way to show a potential publisher ROI: just track the visit stats.

Club Life, an angry blog by a nightclub bouncer, also exemplifies this phenomenon. Between bouts of rage at nightclub customers, pontification on world events, and advice on writing and fitness training, The Bouncer expresses bewilderment that a little nobody like himself could find his calling and a success he'd never imagined just by working on the craft of writing and having an interesting point of view.

My prediction: The handful of blog-driven book deals will touch off a wave of hopefuls trying to have the next wry, unique perspective and catchy turn of phrase. A lot of this is going to be crap, but the good stuff will be really good. Bloggers, ride that wave. I'll certainly be reading.