Blog Bazaar

Jai Arjun Singh writes one more Blogging related article in Business Standard, this time on how publishers and filmmakers are using blogs as a promotion tool.

Popular bloggers tend to have dedicated bands of readers, most of whom have similar interests as well as faith in the blogger’s judgement and integrity. And if a blogger genuinely wants to write about something, he will go ahead and do it — there are none of the complications (editorial policies, space constraints) inherent in getting a write-up in a mainstream newspaper or magazine. This makes the medium very attractive to those who are willing to explore alternate channels. One industry that has been blog-savvy for some time is publishing, partly because some of the most intense specialised blogging is of the literary variety. A couple of months ago, Simon & Schuster got in touch with a few bloggers offering to send them books and asking if they would be willing to write about them. Among those who responded was Patrix, a US-based Indian blogger.

One stumbling block is that it’s difficult to collect tangible data about the extent to which bloggers affect offline developments. It’s true that there are reliable site counters to track the number of unique hits each blog gets.

It’s also true that the blogging community can be very effective when the stakes are high — many of the leading Indian bloggers (especially journalist-bloggers, an ever-increasing tribe) are well-connected enough in the offline world to make a big noise, and even a difference, when the cause is one they feel strongly about. But determining the precise effect of a blogger’s post is another matter.

In India, it’s no secret (at least not in the literary community) that publishers blog-trawl in search of promising new talent, and even send out feelers to bloggers asking if they have ideas for short fiction or a novel.