There are few occasions when you buy a book and then read it from cover to cover in one sitting. But that’s just what’s happened to me..! Yesterday, I bought “ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income“. It’s written by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett – two leading authorities on professional blogging. Indeed, I have even been a “guest writer” on Darren’s leading blog, ProBlogger. Their 220-page paperback is a masterclass in blogging and I devoured every word – it even kept me up half the night..! It is essential reading for anyone who runs a blog and who is hoping to earn money from it. But don’t expect to turn your blog into an overnight Internet profit centre; the book explains this is a long-term strategy – the authors are not promising instant cash. And that’s one the key aspects of this book. Unlike so many other books on making money from blogging, this one is realistic.

See also: My article at ProBlogger

Both of the authors are successful bloggers who make serious money from their own blogs. However, they know from their own experience that success comes with planning, determination, and a strategic approach. So why should you read this book?

1. Clarity of explanation
This book is written clearly and shows easily how you can achieve your goals of making money from blogs. It is non-technical in its approach and I ran a quick “reading age” test on it and it averages 14 years, which makes it the same level as the Reader’s Digest. Most of the books on blogging I’ve tested come out at 19 years, which means you need to be on a technical degree course to understand them.

2. Step by step approach
All you need to do is follow the chapters, one step at a time, and by the end of the book you’ll have a profitable blog. Miss out any steps and you reduce your chances of income from your blog.

3. Covers all aspects of blogging
One of the key reasons why blogs fail to make money is because they are so badly written and therefore don’t attract enough readers. This book emphasises the importance of writing, but also looks at things like the niche you should blog about or which software you ought to use. As a result, there are no important areas of blogging for profit which the book ignores.

4. Full of tips, hints and links
ProBlogger is full of hints, tips and web site links all handily shown in lists or in small, shaded boxes. Consequently, even if you don’t have time to read the whole book, just following the boxed out items and lists will get you a long way.

5. Comprehensive index
Few books these days seem to have an index, making them of little practical value. This book has a solid, accurate and detailed index – well done Jack Lewis, who did it.

And if you are wondering, am I going to change my blog as a result of reading this book? Well, I’m glad to know I’m doing many of the right things in making money using “indirect monetization” (as the book calls it). However, there are several ideas the book has given me to further increase the profits I gain from this blog. Thanks Darren and Chris..!

So who should NOT buy this book. If you are a corporate blogger, it’s not for you. Neither is it for you if you are happy blogging without making money from it. And you shouldn’t buy the book if you are looking to make money overnight. But if you run your own business and you want to use blogging as an additional profit centre, or if you want to become a professional blogger, this book is definitely for you.