15 | From Blog to Blook Jiaxin Yao, Department of Communications This chapter discusses the relationship between bloggers and publishing industries. Using a case study about K-beauty makeup blogger, named Pony, this chapter examines how one author found success with her blog, parlaying that success into a book publishing deal and line of beauty-products. Through an analysis of Pony’s blog and books, this chapter identifies key elements that have led to her success. Keywords: blogger, publishing, makeup tutorial, blook Introduction As a little girl growing up in South Korea, Hye-Min Park was fascinated by makeup. In her early twenties, while working as a graphic designer, she posted makeup tips online and decided in 2008 to start her own makeup blog on Cyworld (K. 2016). Her blogs found an immediate audience, and she quickly parlayed that success book publications, a line of makeup, and a career as a cosmetics expert. Known internationally as Pony, Hye-Min Park's story offers a fascinating backdrop for considering how this blogger turned her talent and technical into a prolific career in the beauty industry. By discussing Pony’s publishing experience as case study, this article provides few elements that should be considered when transferring from blog to “blook” writing. From Blogs to Books The concept of a “blook” is emerging in discourse about bloggers and book authors. A “blook”, which refers to a book written by a blogger. The “blook” is constantly evolving and has an ever- growing presence in the publishing business (Davidovich, n.d.). “As might be expected, the Copyright © 2018 Yao. From Blog to Blook 137 styles of writing diverge in blooks and books. Blook texts tend to have an informality and conversational intimacy, whereas books appear to be more thoroughly digested and structured. They come from different literary heritages” (Wallis, 2008). How does one parlay the success of a blog into the publication of a blook? What are the options for authors? How does one transition to from the freeform structure of a blog to the very structured format of a book? Starting and managing a blog is relatively easy. In a paper report written by Head, Van Hoeck & Hostetler (2017), blogs were defined as frequent, medium-length posts (longer tan a Facebook post but shorter than a magazine article), written in an informal style and reflecting an assumption of a community of regular readers who leave comments publicly on them. They summarize key studies and Investigate the writing as well as reading of the blog format into three sections: (1) writing for a community of readers; (2) writing as an exercise in social learning; and (3) reading as part of a shared community (Head, Van Hoeck & Hostetler, 2017). Bloggers today have a variety of (often free) platforms to choose from, and they can write (or speak) about any topic they wish. Indeed, many bloggers choose to share their personal experiences—even if they are not experts in the selected area. One study found that “Blogs shared a common purpose: to express the author’s subjective, often intimate perspective on matters of interest to him or her (in the case of most blogs, the matters of interest concern the authors and their daily lives)” (Trammel & Keshelashvili, 2005, p. 972). Like blogs, publishing is another popular endeavor for those interested in writing. Transitioning from blogs to a book deal might seem like a natural move for writers, but it does not guarantee success. Bloggers that have found success publishing book do so after developing an authoritative voice and strong following. Once a blogger emerges as a leading voice in a given area, they stand apart from others in their field and attract a wider reading audience. As Engel states, “Being seen as the expert in your niche can enable you to set higher prices for those product and services, and be more in demand” (Engel, 2017). It is perhaps only once a blogger can position him/herself as an expert that transitioning into books is a possibility, often achieved first through self-publishing. In so doing, a blogger is able to solidify his/her position as an expert in a niche topic (Engel, 2017). What makes bloggers attractive authors for a publisher is their ready-made audience (Kurlantzick, 2004). Mount (2006), a writer from the Wall Street Journal also speaks to this phenomenon, stating, “writers who turn their blogs into books have Moving through the Grey: Publishing in Action The Publishing Business: Transformations and Opportunities (ISI6314 – Winter 2018) From Blog to Blook 138 two advantages available to budding authors: an existing dedicated readership and a free platform to publicize their work.” Awareness to the identity of a fanbase is crucial here. Before launching the books, bloggers need to have a general cognization about their audiences, which will be their fanbase after publishing books. A good and honest communication and time spent nurturing online relationships are best way to grow a loyal fanbase. The reason why having a fanbase is so important is because they are the best team of sales people because they will then share with their network of friends (Halliwell, 2016). It is imprortant to consider how those working outside of the traditional publishing stream can write books – or blooks. Self-publishing has emerged as a viable and often success alternative to working with traditional publishers. While authoring books used to require an agent and publisher, today anyone can become an author thanks to a variety of self-publishing services. As Fenton has observed, “Web-to-print technology has clearly revolutionized the production aspects of self-publishing, while the Impact of Self-Publishing on Digital Book Printing growing acceptance of search technology offers alternatives to costly marketing. Today, anyone with a computer and a desire to publish a book can use a template-based publishing strategy from companies such as Lulu.com” (2007). Lulu.com, for example, allows authors to choose different layout, binding style and cover art from its site. They offer services for layout and copyediting as well, and set the price of paper version or online version (Fenton, 2007). Furthermore, services like Kindle Direct Publishing, ResearchGate are also potential choices for bloggers to self-publish their works. Kindle Direct Publishing is an e-book self-publishing service offers services including editing, designing, book packaging and pricing. ResearchGate’s community extends to 2.7 million academics mostly in the area of medicine and the biological sciences. Tens of millions of papers have been uploaded to the site, which serves as a blend of publishing company and social network, nurturing collaboration between researchers worldwide (OEDB, 2018). In order to consider more fully the elements at play in such a transition, examining a successful case study, like that of makeup-blogger Pony, offers a fruitful example. The following case study will briefly talks about Pony’s successful story and analyze the key elements enlighten from her story that may need to be considered from blog to publishing. Moving through the Grey: Publishing in Action The Publishing Business: Transformations and Opportunities (ISI6314 – Winter 2018) From Blog to Blook 139 Case Study: Pony Pony started her makeup blog in 2008 on Cyworld, a South Korean social networking service. At the time, she was a graphic designer in environmental design, posting makeup tips as a side hobby. The initial focus of her blog was to share makeup experiences, offering tutorials, tips, and trying on new makeup. Her blog posts received an almost instant following and overwhelmingly positive feedback, and has thousands of readers who enjoyed and learned from her makeup tutorials (Ho, 2017). After establishing a strong fan following, Pony was discovered by a publishing company asking if she wants to publish her own makeup tutorial books. She quickly accepted their proposition. In an interview with a beauty website CLEO, Pony was asked about how she was approached to write her first book. She answered: Managing a personal homepage is very hard. From my daily photos to taking charge of my own makeup, hair and outfits, and taking the photographs and art direction. I started taking photos as a hobby and for my portfolio, but they started to become popular, and so a publisher approached me and I published my first book (Idris, 2016). Her first book, The Secret of Seasons Makeup, published in 2011, focused on different makeup techniques to find the right look for each season. Since this book, she has written three more makeup tutorial books with Login publishing company (K., 2016; Pony’s Special Makeup, Pony Hotdataset Beauty Makeup Sweet Talk & Pony's 4d Make up). The books also come with CDs for more makeup tutorials. Perhaps most remarkably, “Her books have been published in Taiwan, Thailand, China, Indonesia and Japan. One of the series, Pony’s Special Makeup (2011), was translated into Japanese, a rare case of a Korean makeup book being released in Japan, where makeup skills are considered to be much more advanced than in any other Asian country” (K., 2016). That her books have been so successful and been translated into Japanese suggests that she has really cornered the market and developed a strong fan/reader following. Moving through the Grey: Publishing in Action The Publishing Business: Transformations and Opportunities (ISI6314 – Winter 2018) From Blog to Blook 140 Developing a Voice Success occurred relatively quickly for Pony: her blog began in 2008, just two years before her first book publication. That said, this early success does not mean that it was an easy process. Pony worked hard and invested a lot of time in setting up her blog, cultivating an audience, honing her skills, and developing her artistic practice.