Taking your blog from a hobby or a new blog to a full fledged business that earns thousands of dollars a month is hard work. Hard, hard work that often takes people multiple years to accomplish.

It’s also very possible to do and many of us have done it. I’ve turned my little hobby blog into something that gives me money every month to use towards my bills. It’s been a major blessing in my life when I’ve been between jobs or had unexpected expenses.

If you are interested in learning how to take your blog to the next level and truly consider it a business, then check out the following books and resources that can guide you through the transition.

Blog To Business Books 

ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income

An update of one of the bestselling blogging books, written by two of the world’s most successful bloggers There’s a reason why the first two editions of this book have sold thousands of copies worldwide. Written by two of the world’s most successful bloggers, it’s one of the clearest books out there on how to earn an income from your blog. This new edition gets you up to date on the very latest changes that affect the blogging-for-business landscape. Featuring new material on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn; plus new ways and tools to grow your audience and expand your business beyond your blog, this professional blogger’s bible is better than ever.

• Helps novices choose a blog topic, analyze the market, set up a blog, promote it, and earn revenue
• Gives aspiring bloggers proven techniques and the tools they need to succeed in building a business from their blogs
• Reveals 20 key ingredients for a successful blog post
• Offers solid, step-by-step instruction on how bloggers actually make money, why niches matter, how to use essential blogging tools and take advantage of social media and content aggregators, how to optimize your advertising, and much more
• Includes techniques for attracting and growing an audience and how to mine new business opportunities beyond your blog

Written by two fulltime professional bloggers, this exciting, updated edition of ProBlogger tells you exactly how to launch and maintain a blog that makes money.

 

 

 

How To Make Money Blogging: How I Replaced My Day-Job With My Blog

Bob Lotich founded ChristianPF.com back in 2007 and after getting laid off in 2008 he took the leap into full-time blogging. Less than a year later he was earning more from his blog than his previous day-job. While his results are not typical, this book covers all the steps he took to make money from his blog over that two-year period. Who this book is written for:

• Those who want to get started blogging
• Those who are already blogging but aren’t making as much money as they’d like to.

Who this book is NOT written for:

• People looking for a get-rich-quick system that requires little effort.
• Experienced bloggers making over $1000/m (though the book will still probably be helpful, it isn’t written to this audience)

Some of the topics covered in the book:

• 4 Steps to Start Blogging in 10 minutes
• Blogging Basics
• How to setup a Self-Hosted Blog
• The importance of a Customizable WordPress theme
• 3 primary ways to earn from your blog
• How long does it take to make money from your blog?
• How to get traffic to your blog
• SEO Tips for bloggers
• How I increased Adsense earnings $1500/m in less than 3 months
• 10 helpful tools that made it all possible

 

 

 

 

The Suitcase Entrepreneur

Everybody has the right to build a business from anywhere and design a lifestyle they love. That’s what this book will teach you to do. If you’ve always thought that having the freedom to do what you want when you want was just a pipe dream, then think again. Right now there is more opportunity than ever to

• Package and sell your knowledge and skills to earn enough to work and live anywhere
• Build a profitable online business from just your laptop and smartphone
• Use online tools, social media and outsourcing to increase to give you more time, money and freedom
• Travel the world for less and experience the joys of minimalism
• Live life on your own terms and create your ideal lifestyle.

This book will teach you the nuts and bolts of setting up an online business you love and give you the blueprint to create your ideal lifestyle and create freedom in business and adventure in life. If you’ve always thought that running a profitable business from your laptop, and having the freedom to do what you want when you want was just a pipe dream, then think again. After 8 years of working in the bureaucracy of the corporate world, Natalie Sisson quit her high-paying job to fly to Canada, start a blog and cofound a technology company. In just 18 whirlwind months she learned how to build an online platform from scratch, and then left to start her own business, which involved flying to Argentina to eat empanadas, play Ultimate Frisbee and launch her first digital product. Strike forward to now and she runs a highly profitable business from her laptop, while living out of a suitcase, and making money teaching others how to build a business and lifestyle they love. If you’re just starting out, this book will show you how to package and sell your knowledge and skills, or those of others and build an online platform to earn enough to work and live anywhere. If you’re an entrepreneur, this book will show you how to establish your business online, reach a global audience and build a virtual team to give you more time, money and freedom. This is a practical guide to learn what it takes to be a digital nomad and develop the freedom-based mindset to truly live life on your own terms. If you’re prepared to put in the work, hustle and commitment it takes, then there is no better time than now to choose your own adventure and make it a reality.

 

 

Blog, Inc.: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community

With roughly 95,000 blogs launched worldwide every 24 hours (BlogPulse), making a fledgling site stand out isn’t easy. This authoritative handbook gives creative hopefuls a leg up. Joy Cho, of the award-winning Oh Joy!, offers expert advice on starting and growing a blog, from design and finance to overcoming blogger’s block, attracting readers, and more. With a foreword from Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge plus expert interviews, this book will fine-tune what the next generation of bloggers shares with the world.

 

How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul)

Whether you’ve been blogging for years or just weeks, How to Blog For Profit offers solid guidance for writing great content, creating compelling images, capturing viral growth, and maximizing revenue. It is an invaluable tool for experienced and novice bloggers alike, explaining not only what it takes to create an authentic, successful, and profitable blog, but how to get there. Change the Way You Blog:

• Empower yourself to stop comparing your blog to others
• Understand what makes awesome content and how to create it
• Discover the critical importance of compelling presentation
• Increase your blog traffic through proven techniques
• Develop a solid Pinterest strategy for capturing viral growth
• Boost your revenue through diversified income streams
• Learn how to work smarter not harder

 

 

 

Start Your Own Blogging Business (StartUp Series)

Blog’s are still one of the internet’s fastest-growing phenomena – and one of the best and easiest ways to make money online. Packed with the latest blog tools, tricks, and up-and-coming trends, this fully revised edition teaches you the ins and outs of creating an eye-catching blog that captures millions of eyeballs and reaps huge financial rewards—all within hours and with little to no financial investment! We’ll reveal:

• The latest forms of blogging including Twitter/micro-blogging, mobile blogging, and video blogging.
• How you can make money as a YouTube partner and develop a YouTube Channel
• 10 proven ways to promote your blog
• How to avoid the most common blogging mistakes
• Priceless advice from successful bloggers for maximizing profits.
• How to create new and original content to attract new followers

Now you can create your own incredible platform to showcase your thoughts, knowledge, expertise and opinions to millions of web surfers and make money doing it!

 

Born to Blog: Building Your Blog for Personal and Business Success One Post at a Time

Launch a business and ignite a movement with a powerhouse blog! Born to Blog is filled with practical, street-smart techniques and ideas to help you create and manage a winning business blog. Learn how to attract a loyal following, promote your blog, and write powerful content that generates new business. “If your dream is to launch a business or publish a book, then read Born to Blog! You’ll realize the blogger way is your fastest path to success.” — MICHAEL STELZNER, founder of Social Media Examiner and author of Launch “Born to Blog makes blogging accessible and fun for anyone. Read it, use it, and watch your business grow.” — JAY BAER, founder of Convince and Convert and coauthor of The Now Revolution “Blogging beginners and seasoned pros alike will find valuable advice they can put to use immediately.” — LEO WIDRICH, cofounder, Buffer

31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo

Hone your blogging voice, find your true audience, and develop the strong community of readers you’ve always hoped for. Each day’s chapter of 31 Days to Mojo gives you insight into the strategies and mindset that humorist Bryan Allain has used to develop a strong following for his own blog and provides you with an action item to work on for quick wins and long-term growth. Topics covered in the book include:

• Focusing one or all of the 3 Core Elements of your blog
• How anyone can add more humor to their writing. The secret to getting a ‘YES’ to your guest post request.
• How Cheater Posts can keep you from burning out as a blogger.
• Why people aren’t commenting on your blog posts and how to compel them to do so.
• The trick to using your older content to help generate new ideas.
• How blogging for 30 minutes a day can get you 6-pack abs, whiter teeth, and healthier hair. (I’m kidding…please don’t sue me for false advertising.)

…and many more. In addition to the blogging knowledge, you’ll also get a steady dose of the humor and nonsense that has made Bryan’s blog a favorite among people who like to spit out mouthfuls of coffee while laughing, at no extra cost to you! This will be the funniest book on blogging you’ll ever read. At least until Jerry Seinfeld and Louis CK co-write one of their own. If you’re frustrated because it feels like you’re no closer to achieving your blogging goals than you were 3 months ago, the principles and strategies in 31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo will help you make progress like never before from Day 1. It’s time to focus your content and your voice on the things that move you. It’s time to extend the reach of your blog. It’s time to build a strong community with readers who resonate with you and your message.

The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

In The $100 Startup, Chris Guillebeau shows you how to lead of life of adventure, meaning and purpose – and earn a good living.

There are many others like Chris – those who’ve found ways to opt out of traditional employment and create the time and income to pursue what they find meaningful. Sometimes, achieving that perfect blend of passion and income doesn’t depend on shelving what you currently do. You can start small with your venture, committing little time or money, and wait to take the real plunge when you’re sure it’s successful. In preparing to write this book, Chris identified 1,500 individuals who have built businesses earning $50,000 or more from a modest investment (in many cases, $100 or less), and from that group he’s chosen to focus on the 50 most intriguing case studies. In nearly all cases, people with no special skills discovered aspects of their personal passions that could be monetized, and were able to restructure their lives in ways that gave them greater freedom and fulfillment. Here, finally, distilled into one easy-to-use guide, are the most valuable lessons from those who’ve learned how to turn what they do into a gateway to self-fulfillment. It’s all about finding the intersection between your “expertise” – even if you don’t consider it such — and what other people will pay for.

You don’t need an MBA, a business plan or even employees. All you need is a product or service that springs from what you love to do anyway, people willing to pay, and a way to get paid.

Enjoy your reading!

Those are a few of the books that I’ve personally enjoyed reading about blogging and transitioning to view it more as a business. There are countless blog posts on the web on this topic as well, so if there is anything you’d like to learn it is now possible. The wealth of information available today makes it a lot easier to take a blog from a hobby to a business!