Levine Fixes His Broken Window

Last November I blogged about Michael Levine’s BROKEN WINDOWS BROKEN BUSINESS book and I subsequently mentioned how his abandoned website/blog was a broken window that needed to fixed.

Well ... it may have taken him a few months to do it but the Broken Windows Broken Business website is no longer broken. Levine recently updated his book companion website and this time around, he doesn’t try to accomplish too much by having links to a blog and discussion board. Instead, Levine sticks with the basics and doesn’t make implied promises he might not be able to deliver upon.

Not overpromising and under-delivering ... good move Michael.

Question … do you expect authors of business books to maintain a companion blog? I’ve come to expect authors to either maintain a companion blog to support the book or a catch-all blog with wide-ranging ruminations. To me, having and maintaining a blog has become a cost of doing business be it as an author or as a markerting medic with Brand Autopsy.

Comments

[Servant of Chaos]

A blog is more than a cost of doing business, it is a proof of message. If you are writing a business book and you expect to be taken seriously, then you also must have a blog ... especially if you are a marketer. Plus, we all love the behind the scenes story of a book, additional information or updates that may be available online as well as direct feedback from the readers.

[HELLO, my name is Scott]

Over 50% of bloggers start a blog then never do it again, according to Naked Conversations.

It's a bummer. Too many people don't follow up with their blogs. And for authors, my thought is: if you can write a book, you can write a blog. And your readers (fans) expect to see it.

[Mack Collier]

"To me, having and maintaining a blog has become a cost of doing business"

Seems more like an opportunity to GROW your business/readership.

[Laura]

Hmmm, I'm not so sure. I do NOT expect authors to maintain a blog. Although I also think blogs are great, sometimes I think we bloggers get a little wrapped up in our own hype and forget that non-bloggers still make up the majority of the population. Don't get me wrong, I think that it's a great idea for business book authors to maintain a blog. I just don't think it's expected.

Blogs are not for everyone. They are suitable for many small business but they are NOT a cost of doing business, they are a TOOL to help you do business. There are many tools out there to help you create and manage relationships with customers, such as CRM software, Maximizer, Blackberries, podcasts, discussion boards, etc. We pick and choose which ones to use. Blogs are just a tool, and you use them if they work for you.

Just my two cents...

[johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)]

Laura ... my thinking on authors needing to have a blog is to simply continue the conversation they began with their published book. It's like when movies are released on DVD they usually contain extra stuff like behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, and the director's commentary. To me, an author blog serves that same roll of giving readers a little something extra ... some online lagniappe. (Okay, I admit it. I've been waiting to play the lagniappe card--glad I got to play it now.)

[BrandCowboy]

I guess the assumption here is that every author wants to have a conversation? Honestly, I think a lot of non-fiction writers want to teach, not talk. The form is inherently didactic. I reckon that there are lots of writer/reader relationships that are quite complete and satisfying conducted on a one-way basis, and that might sometimes be best for all. The greatest thinkers, like the greatest brands, are benevolent dictators.

[Mike H.]

Although some would say "It's not a business book.", I would contend that a great example is Tom Barnett's "The Pentagon's New Map" and the blog he kept to continue the conversation. It allows his ideas to see how long they stand the test of time and build a community of like-minded people to help him, yep, you guessed it, write the next book!

Teach or talk, what most non-fiction writers want to do is write that next bestseller.