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Steve Weber
responded with more ideas, tested his analysis, and lead him in new
directions. The blog’s readership grew among a cross section of
publishing, retailing and technology enthusiasts, assembling a built-in
audience for the book.
Even as his 2006 book tour took him to Europe and back, Anderson
continued updating the blog, where the Long Tail conversation
continues today.
Humor
www.TheBestPageInTheUniverse.com. A great example of the
word-of-mouth power of blogs is Alphabet of Manliness, a satire book
by first-time author George Ouzounian.
Like most “overnight successes,” this one actually resulted from
years of steady craftsmanship. With no professional writing credentials
or audience, Ouzounian began posting a sexist, profane, politically
incorrect Web site using the pseudonym Maddox. By 2006, his daily
readership reached 150,000, and a specialty publisher persuaded him to
compile the blog material into a book.
When his book was ready, Ouzounian needed only to press a button
to create a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon: sending an e-mail to his
registered readers, telling them his book was for sale.
Maddox is one of several young amateur comedy writers who’ve
struck gold in book publishing after proving their material on a blog.
Other recent bestsellers include Real Ultimate Power: The Official Ninja
Book, by Robert Hamburger (a pseudonym), I Hope They Serve Beer in
Hell by Tucker Max, and The Modern Drunkard by Frank Kelly Rich.
Some of the humor bloggers try to appear as adolescent and rude as
possible. For example, Hamburger’s book description on Amazon begins
this way:
Dear Stupid Idiots,
A lot of you have been saying that I don’t know
anything about REAL ninjas. But that’s a bunch of bull
crap! You dummies don’t know anything. And maybe
YOU should get a life. I bet a lot of you have never even
seen a girl naked!
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