{The giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your enthusiastic response. Results announced midday on Friday, November 30 here.}
After blogging quietly for myself and my family for five years, I started Message in a Mason Jar last November with the intention of interacting more in blogging world (where I was already an avid reader) and to grow a readership in order to give myself incentive to write more consistently. The more I do this, the less shy I get about hitting the publish button or sharing my links on social media.
When I share, I partake in this big interconnected community. And sometimes I’m blessed to see those connections materialize in real life. I’d followed Hayley Morgan at The Tiny Twig for several months by the time I found myself sitting next to her at the (in)RL meet-up last spring. In person, Hayley showed up as the same cheerful “more passion, less fuss” lady I’d come to know from her blog. She’s an idea person and a make things happen person…a rare, refreshing mix.
Since re-launching her blog two years ago, she has grown her readership to reach tens of thousands of women each month, dreamed up and rolled out the Influence Conference and the Influence Network, and is even slated as one of Tsh Oxenreider’s regular hosts on the popular Simple Mom podcast. As Hayley releases her second eBook, The No Brainer Blog, I’ve asked her to share in our Preserve Your Story series about how her blog led her to do an eBook and how the eBook in turn affects the success of her blog. Meet Hayley….
Writing The No Brainer Wardrobe was a turning point for my online life. It took Tiny Twig from a fun hobby to a very viable business. It was the best strategic decision I’ve made so far. Prior to writing for 31 days about having a No Brainer Wardrobe, I hadn’t ever thought about directly monetizing any written content. But, when I saw the immense growth and incredible traffic Tiny Twig experienced during the month of writing about the No Brainer Wardrobe–I knew it could be a highly sellable product.
I had two things that were important to me when writing the eBook. First, I didn’t want to pull content down from my blog–the comments were invaluable and I felt kind of sleazy removing the content people had already engaged with to repackage it for profit. Second, I wanted to explore the subject more thoroughly than I could in scattered and fragmented 300-600 word posts. So, instead of just repackaging content, I used the posts I had written as jumping off points and more deeply explored the information.
When speaking to my writerly/author friends, we’ve discussed the books that do better in the digital format and what books are great as traditionally published projects. After a lot of these conversations and my other observations, I’ve come to the conclusion that an eBook would do best to solve a tangible problem the reader might have. I’m saving my “manifesto” type words for a possible-someday-maybe traditionally published book. If I pour my heart out, I want to smell the pages and see the book on the shelf. If a book I’m consuming wrecks my heart, I want to dog ear the pages and slide it onto my bedside table as my eyes sag shut.
Here are some great reasons I see to write an eBook:
- To make passive income. You write the book once, do a lot of marketing on the front end, and then hopefully the book continues to perform well with little effort.
- To give away as a perk for joining your mailing list. Your email list is highly valuable and an eBook is a great incentive to get people to give your newsletter a try.
- To explore an idea further than the blogging format allows.
I’m still experimenting a lot with what works and what doesn’t work so well as far as eBooks are concerned. I’m not sure anyone has a definite handle on how to make it work perfectly just yet, but the digital format is certainly changing the face of publishing. I’d love to speak with you further about eBooks, either through a class on the upcoming Influence Network or through a personal consulting session (email me through my site to set something up…or enter to win the giveaway below!).
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Hayley Morgan wrote newly released eBook The No Brainer Blog. The eBook helps women cast a vision, define their voice, and refine their blog space to ultimately propel their blog to be successful on their terms.
Hayley also writes at The Tiny Twig, a lifestyle blog inspiring women to create lives of more passion and less fuss. She recently hosted The Influence Conference and is launching The Influence Network in January 2013. You can follow her on Twitter, “like” her Facebook page, or follow her days on Instagram for the latest updates, resources she loves, and a peek into her life with 3 (almost 4!) boys.
The Giveaway:
Here’s the exciting part! In celebration of Hayley’s ebook release and my 1-year blog anniversary, Hayley and I are teaming up with an exclusive opportunity for Message in a Mason Jar readers….
~Our FIRST WINNER will receive a copy of the brand new No Brainer Blog ebook.
~As if that weren’t enough, our SECOND WINNER will receive:
- a copy of the eBook
- a personalized 45-minute strategy session on Google Chat with Hayley and me
- follow-up contact in which I’ll collaborate with you based on the strategy session to either workshop the writing in one of your posts (or even brainstorm your own ebook outline) OR design a blog header to get you going with a fresh look that communicates who you are as a blogger.
I hope you’re as excited as I am about the one-of-a-kind opportunity to connect and collaborate through this giveaway. Happy Black Friday to you!
Five Ways to Win (enter by 12 midnight on Thursday, November 29, using separate comments for each entry):
- Required Entry: Follow Message in a Mason Jar via email or RSS feed (see homepage sidebar) and say so in a comment below.
- Extra Entry: Follow both Message in a Mason Jar and The Tiny Twig on Facebook and re-comment here.
- Extra Entry: Tweet about this post using my Twitter handle, @darcywileywords, then re-comment here.
- Extra Entry: Pin this post on Pinterest and re-comment here.
- Extra Entry: Share this post on Facebook and re-comment here.
Or buy the The No Brainer Blog eBook now and get started on helping your blog to blossom!
This is Day 24 of my series 31 Days ~ Preserve Your Story, linking up with The Nester’s annual 31 Days of Change. (This post contains affiliate links.)
You’ve come a long way in a year, Darcy! I’m excited to see how you’re networking with other bloggers and developing ways for us all to remain connected. Thanks!
So sweet you are Darcy! Would love to win wisdom from Haley!
Happy Anniversary, Darcy! What a great giveaway! I’m a follower of your blog! 🙂
Kelly
Thanks so much for this chance Darcy! I am so grateful to have met you at Influence. Hope you are having a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. I signed up for an email for your blog – yay for following! 🙂
Congrats on your 1st anniversary! I am so happy that I’ve met you and I love your blog. And I’m so hoping I win that consultation. 🙂
I already follow you both. 🙂
Shared it on facebook.
Tweeted about it too.
I follow your rss feed via google reader (although your button didn’t link to the feed, I had to paste in your URL)
I follow both blogs on facebook
I shared on twitter
I shared this on facebook, but I don’t know how to link to the post.
Pinned to my blogging board http://pinterest.com/pin/49539664622967794/
I follow you through RSS feed.
Hi, Darcy! What a great giveaway! Just subscribed via RSS feed! Blessings to you!
Followed you both on Facebook!
Just tweeted about it, too! 🙂
I follow both of your blogs on Facebook!
I just sent a tweet out, too! Via my twitter, @waitingwithjoy.
Subscribed to the email feed. 🙂
I also shared it on my personal Facebook page.
Pinned it to Pinterest, too!
Thanks for tagging me in your facebook post. So glad to find your blog! I signed up to follow you via email. Happy Belated Thanksgiving!
I have “liked” / “followed” both Message in a Mason Jar and The Tiny Twig on facebook.
Tweeted 🙂
Shared about this post on facebook.
Pinned to my Pinterest and my daughter’s! She was signed in on my computer but didn’t sign out. Second time I’ve done that in two days. One of these days I’ll make an “old lady” post/pin that makes her shudder and she’ll never forget to sign out again!
I was so excited to find your blog, I totally forgot to tell you how amazing this giveaway is! I’m in the process of getting a writer/editor site up and going and I have an idea for an ebook that focuses on my editing niche. So the gifts would be perfect timing, but I’m already a winner having found your blog 🙂
Followed ya via email 🙂
Hailey’s new book looks very interesting. Already follow your blog via RSS.
Liked both pages on FB
Tweeted 😉
Already follow you via email. Great idea for a give away.
I’m following you both on FB too.
Thanks for the FB tag, and congrats on turning one! (TIC is almost there. Woo-hoo!) 🙂
shared the link on FB.
I like you both on facebook!
Just subscribed, I’d love to win this! 🙂
PS: Congrats on one whole year here in this space!
Follow you both on fb.
I think I pinned this. I’m just giving in to Pinterest. I’ve avoided it because I don’t want another reason to be at the computer. I think I’ll continue to resist twitter for now.
I just followed via email! Thanks for the opportunity!
Heyo!
I subscribed by email.
I subscribed to this blog. Thanks for the opportunity!
I follow you both on facebook! God bless you!
Subscribed via email!
Follow you both on Facebook!
Pinned on Pinterest!
I tweeted about this giveaway… Blessings…
I tweeted with my twitter name @elishakemp!
Follow you both on facebook!
Tweeted about the giveaway! (@cselkins)
Followed! This is awesome. Thanks so much!
Just subscribed via feed.
Tweeted about the giveaway… @kalynbr00ke
Following you via RSS (and Bloglovin)
I follow you both on facebook too.
subscribed snd like both on fb
Happy anniversary! I follow via RSS!
I liked both on Facebook!
I subscribed via email!
I pinned this! http://pinterest.com/pin/83175924339713683/
I tweeted about it!
Following you via email! Thank you for this opportunity and for your blog!
I signed up to follow you via email. Thanks for sharing your story. Would love to win the consulation and launch this next journey in my life. Thanks for the chance.
I follow both of Message in a Mason Jar and The Tiny Twig on FB.
Sharing this via FB.
I subscribed via RSS.
I follow both Message in a Mason Jar and The Tiny Twig on Facebook.
I tweeted!
I pinned this post on Pinterest.
I’ve subscribed to Message in a Mason Jar by RSS.
I subscribed to RSS feed.