With people these days spending half of their lives online, it’s
no wonder that ‘normal’ has changed the world over. Even in book publishing, technology
has been slowly reaching its’ tentacles in. While the concept has been building
in popularity for a few years now, recently there has been an explosion of
blog-to-book concepts.
From mega-famous YouTuber’s getting in on the act, including
Pewdiepie, Miranda Sings, Shane Dawson, and Zoella’s bestselling effort (which
outsold Harry Potter and Fifty Shades of Grey in its' first week), it seems that
one of the best ways to get a book deal nowadays is to have a strong online following
(*cough, cough* hello?). With a ready community to sell to, it seems an
obvious way to re-start the currently struggling publishing industry.
The trend, however, started with the original digital over-sharers, the bloggers. Here are some of the best blog-to-book adaptions I have read.
Slaughterhouse 90210 is a book I stumbled on while checking
in items, and I was struck by the unusual title. If you’re the type of person
who loves keeping up with philosophy, but you also can’t turn down a good trashy
TV show, you. will. love. this. It mixes the high with the low-brow, printing
literary quotes alongside pop culture icons, and the results will surprise and
intrigue you. It is a philosophy nerd’s dream.
The insanely popular twitter account Sh*t my dad says is one
of the original examples of how online popularity has translated into other
mediums. This bought the eponymous dad’s son a TV sitcom deal, which starred William
Shatner (it was cancelled after one season), and several book deals. The first
book on the shelves was ‘Sh*t my Dad says’ (funnily enough). The author, Justin
Halpern has also recently published a book about his lack of talent with the opposite sex. The namesake book, however, is true to the original content, full
of his Dad’s’ blunt and hilarious sayings, and personal anecdotes from their
life. If you’re looking for a light read about a man who doesn’t know the
meaning of ‘passive-aggressive’, this will be your cup of tea.
If you have been on Facebook recently, (and let’s face it,
who hasn’t) you might have stumbled upon a striking photograph of a person,
followed by a caption telling an intriguing story of that person’s life. This
is the social media-famous ‘Humans of New York’ blog, which has gone on to
spawn many imitations. Renowned for their share-ability, the posts provide a
remarkable insight into the similarities and differences in humans across the
world. This is obvious in the books they have spawned, the beautiful tomes a
permanent record of the influence of the blog. As well as two separate volumes
of the posts, there is also a picture book for the smaller humans on our
planet, titled ‘Little Humans'.
Lastly, there’s Stuff White People Like. Yes, that’s the
name of the book. Based on the blog of the same name, it is captioned ‘A guide
to the unique taste of millions’. Taking aim at liberal, left-leaning white
North Americans, it satirises their ‘unique’ tastes. The book includes the full
list that first appeared on the website, including notable entries such as ‘#87
Outdoor Performance Clothes’, ‘#5 Farmer’s Markets’ and ‘#62 Knowing what’s
best for poor people’, with pretty hilarious explanations. As a self-identifying
Liberal White Person, it is scary how accurate it is. Read on if you would like
to find out how to befriend your local “cute girls with bangs and cool guys with beards”.
Have any more recommendations
of great books by bloggers? Comment below!
