From blog to blook
By Jiaxin Yao
These days, artists can step into the public through many different platforms. Becoming a blogger has been a very popular way for individuals to share their work. As bloggers hone their craft and develop a large following, they tend to find ways to transition from blogs to larger formats, like books. To be able to do so, bloggers must position themselves as an expert or authority on their topic – then, through authoring and self-publishing a book on their niche topic (Engel, 2017). Once a blogger emerges as a leading voice in a given area, they stand apart from others in their field and attract an even wider reading audience.
Video. Taylor Swift makeup look from Pony
One of the most prominent bloggers that has published is Pony – a famous makeup blogger from South Korea. Pony started her makeup blog in 2008 (K. 2016). At the time, she was a graphic designer in environmental design, posting makeup tips as a hobby. The initial focus of her blog was to share her knowledge and craft, offering tutorials, tips, and trying on new makeup. Once her blogs found an audience, she quickly parlayed that success into a book deal, a line of makeup, and a career as a cosmetics expert. Known internationally as Pony, Hye-Min Park's story offers a fascinating backdrop for considering how a blogger can turn their knowledge and talent into a prolific.
By analyzing Pony’s blogs and books, I identified four elements that can contribute to the development of a career and transition to publishing. These elements can be enumerated as:
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A clear voice or blogging identity; is achieved not just through the aesthetic of the blog, but through a clear definition of blog’s goal. While much of this is done through a focused topic for a blog, the organization and structure of a blog is often integral to assuring this voice emerges in a blog space.
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A focused organizational structure that helps readers navigate the blog; not only does this make it easier for readers to follow a particular theme of interest, but it also helps save time (in the future) with the organization of their content.
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Technical skills that can be used to design an aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly blog space; Aesthetics are important to consider in the development of a blog space to ensure the clarity and focus of a blogger’s voice and identity. They should not just be informative, but engaging, pleasing to look at, and user-friendly. It is often helpful to have photographic skills or even drawing and designing skills.
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A large and loyal community of readers; All of this is useless without a large and loyal community of followers. These fans will move toward a particular blog because it speaks to their interest and is aesthetically pleasing for the user to engage with. The value of a solid fanbase cannot be understated, as their loyalty to a product is what helps that product succeed when it shifts into new markets (i.e., the book world).
There is no guarantee for success in blogging. But Pony’s story offers an example of how focused efforts to defining a blog space, developing a community and persistence to craft can be parlayed into a successful career.