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Hi guys, my book is finally available in beta. About 200 out of 250 pages have been completed, so the book is useful right now. It covers pretty much anything

Hi guys, my book is finally available in beta. About 200 out of 250 pages have been completed, so the book is useful right now. It covers pretty much anything you’d realistically need to know to run a successful technical blog, whether you are a developer or a business guy. It can even be useful to non-technical people, but I wrote it specifically with hacker and founder types in mind. Early reviewers have provided great feedback and some very encouraging praise. After reading an early draft, Derek Sivers had this to say about the book: "My career got a huge boost when I got serious about blogging, two years ago. So I'm in absolute awe at this amazing book, going above and beyond the best advice I've ever heard on the subject. I wish I would have read this two years ago, as I had to learn this the hard way. Honestly, this book has got me inspired to get back to writing more." I honestly believe that this book can help many fellow HNers achieve their goals, whether that goal is to further your career, promote your startup, or simply generate some side income (mine varies between $2,000-$6,000 per month). If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them.

jgrahamc 15y ago
That's quite a bit more than 'side income'. How many page views are you getting? What ad systems etc.?
- acangiano 15y ago
  I don't get a huge deal of pageviews (on average), but I squeeze every dollar out of those I do get. Combining my handful of major blogs, I'd say about 100,000-200,000 per month. In the book I explain in detail how I go about monetizing blogs and what exactly I do to maximize each revenue stream. However, in short: Amazon Associates, other affiliate offers, sponsorships, Ad Networks, AdSense. In that order.
  - jgrahamc 15y ago
    Thank you. That's very useful and I will be getting a copy of the book. My site (jgc.org) gets something like number of monthly page views, so it would be very interesting to understand how I might increase my personal income!
    - acangiano 15y ago
      Awesome. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
      - dhimes 15y ago
        I just bought it. A couple of notes on the process (I haven't received it yet): I paid with PayPal (yeah, I know, but I figured I would probably be the only one in this crowd who would do that for you) and it was weird because after I paid I was asked for "billing information" (notably email address, etc.). I was wondering if my payment had been registered. Secondly, in my "profile", I elected to take advantage of your delivery to my wi-fi Kindle. However, my email account for delivery is not @free.kindle.com, but just @kindle.com Will I get it? EDIT: The download link landed in my spam box. Still haven't received the wifi download. Not giving up on it just yet.
        acangiano 15y ago
        Sorry to hear about your trouble, and thanks for buying my book. For delivery issues, I would recommend you get in touch with PragProg's support here: http://pragprog.com/contact http://pragprog.com/contact Please let me know if the Kindle issue isn't resolved.
        dhimes 15y ago
        OK got it. You have to allow @pragprog.com to be one of your "allowed senders" on your Amazon Kindle management website. @free.kindle.com is set up automatically, so that wasn't the problem. EDIT: BTW, hadn't heard from support when I found the fix.
        acangiano 15y ago
        I'm glad it's sorted out.
        adestefan 15y ago
        Everyone has both an @kindle.com and @free.kindle.com account. With a wifi-only Kindle there's really no difference. If you have a 3G Kindle, then your Kindle will only receive things sent to the @free.kindle.com address when it's connected via wifi. When you do this you don't have to pay for the 3G delivery fee.
silverbax88 15y ago
I love how you are breaking this down and appreciate sharing the information.
tjr 15y ago
Any advice on deciding when to spin content off into its own separate blog (e.g., programmingzen.com) rather than putting that content on your personal blog? EDIT: bought a copy; looks like this is addressed in the first chapter. Thanks!
- acangiano 15y ago
  In the book, I address the issue right away when discussing domain names and niche vs general topic blogs. It really depends on what you're trying to achieve. Generally speaking, if you're being strategic about it, it's better not to mix professional and personal posts. This is because a person who's interested in your insight on, say, Kernel hacking, will probably not care too much about posts pertaining to your passion for bikes. So, in order not to betray your readers' expectations, I would advice starting a dedicated professional blog as soon as possible. Or vice versa, keep the existing blog for professional purposes, and then create a personal one. Regarding the domain name itself, the most logical choice in the example above would be something akin to kernelhacking.com, but once again it's a matter of what you are trying to accomplish. If your main goal is to promote yourself and your name in the industry, land consulting gigs, or attract prospective employers who might be interested in you... simply going with namelastname.com is not a bad idea. EDIT: Just saw your EDIT. :)

jgrahamc 15y ago

That's quite a bit more than 'side income'. How many page views are you getting? What ad systems etc.?

acangiano 15y ago
I don't get a huge deal of pageviews (on average), but I squeeze every dollar out of those I do get. Combining my handful of major blogs, I'd say about 100,000-200,000 per month. In the book I explain in detail how I go about monetizing blogs and what exactly I do to maximize each revenue stream. However, in short: Amazon Associates, other affiliate offers, sponsorships, Ad Networks, AdSense. In that order.
- jgrahamc 15y ago
  Thank you. That's very useful and I will be getting a copy of the book. My site (jgc.org) gets something like number of monthly page views, so it would be very interesting to understand how I might increase my personal income!
  - acangiano 15y ago
    Awesome. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
    - dhimes 15y ago
      I just bought it. A couple of notes on the process (I haven't received it yet): I paid with PayPal (yeah, I know, but I figured I would probably be the only one in this crowd who would do that for you) and it was weird because after I paid I was asked for "billing information" (notably email address, etc.). I was wondering if my payment had been registered. Secondly, in my "profile", I elected to take advantage of your delivery to my wi-fi Kindle. However, my email account for delivery is not @free.kindle.com, but just @kindle.com Will I get it? EDIT: The download link landed in my spam box. Still haven't received the wifi download. Not giving up on it just yet.
      - acangiano 15y ago
        Sorry to hear about your trouble, and thanks for buying my book. For delivery issues, I would recommend you get in touch with PragProg's support here: http://pragprog.com/contact http://pragprog.com/contact Please let me know if the Kindle issue isn't resolved.
        dhimes 15y ago
        OK got it. You have to allow @pragprog.com to be one of your "allowed senders" on your Amazon Kindle management website. @free.kindle.com is set up automatically, so that wasn't the problem. EDIT: BTW, hadn't heard from support when I found the fix.
        acangiano 15y ago
        I'm glad it's sorted out.
      - adestefan 15y ago
        Everyone has both an @kindle.com and @free.kindle.com account. With a wifi-only Kindle there's really no difference. If you have a 3G Kindle, then your Kindle will only receive things sent to the @free.kindle.com address when it's connected via wifi. When you do this you don't have to pay for the 3G delivery fee.

silverbax88 15y ago

I love how you are breaking this down and appreciate sharing the information.

tjr 15y ago

Any advice on deciding when to spin content off into its own separate blog (e.g., programmingzen.com) rather than putting that content on your personal blog? EDIT: bought a copy; looks like this is addressed in the first chapter. Thanks!

acangiano 15y ago
In the book, I address the issue right away when discussing domain names and niche vs general topic blogs. It really depends on what you're trying to achieve. Generally speaking, if you're being strategic about it, it's better not to mix professional and personal posts. This is because a person who's interested in your insight on, say, Kernel hacking, will probably not care too much about posts pertaining to your passion for bikes. So, in order not to betray your readers' expectations, I would advice starting a dedicated professional blog as soon as possible. Or vice versa, keep the existing blog for professional purposes, and then create a personal one. Regarding the domain name itself, the most logical choice in the example above would be something akin to kernelhacking.com, but once again it's a matter of what you are trying to accomplish. If your main goal is to promote yourself and your name in the industry, land consulting gigs, or attract prospective employers who might be interested in you... simply going with namelastname.com is not a bad idea. EDIT: Just saw your EDIT. :)