Bloggers and Books: Think Before You Write
Here are two seemingly paradoxical statements: All bloggers who have a solid knowledge base in a specific subject, or who have a flair for writing, should consider writing a book. Most writers are incapable of writing a book and there are tons of books out there that should never have been published. If the first statement applies to you, come check out this panel. By the end of the session, you just might find out that the second statement applies to you.
Markos Moulitsas Zúniga is the founder of the Daily Kos political blog, which reaches more than a million unique visitors each month. One of People en Espaňol's "100 Most Influential Hispanics" in the world and a fixture in the online world, he is also a regular columnist for Newsweek and a weekly columnist for The Hill newspaper.
Rachel Klayman has worked in publishing for more than two decades. Her books include Carlos Eire’s "Waiting for Snow in Havana," winner of the 2003 National Book Award; Peter Bergen’s "Holy War, Inc." and Tony Horwitz’s "Baghdad without a Map." Her books at Crown have included the New York Times bestsellers "The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama, "Look Me in the Eye" by John Elder Robison and "The Billionaire's Vinegar" by Benjamin Wallace. She has also published books by several esteemed bloggers: David Sirota ("The Uprising"), Joe Bageant ("Deer Hunting with Jesus") and Scott Rosenberg ("Dreaming in Code").
Marcy Wheeler blogs as “emptywheel” at FireDogLake.com, and also for the Campaign for America’s Future. She is best known for her book, Anatomy of Deceit, which served as a primer of the CIA Leak case, and her live-blogging of the Scooter Libby trial. She has covered efforts to hold the Bush Administration accountable for its illegal warrantless wiretapping and torture programs. Wheeler has a PhD from the University of Michigan and has spoken on blogging and politics at Amherst College, Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities and Duke Law School. She was recently awarded the 2009 Hillman Prize for Blog Journalism.
Safir Ahmed is an independent book editor and edits books for various publishing companies. Among the books he has edited are "Crashing the Gate" by Markos Moulitsas and Jerome Armstrong, "How Would a Patriot Act?" by Glenn Greenwald, "Thinking Points" by George Lakoff, "Anatomy of Deceit" by Marcy Wheeler, and the soon-to-be-released "Taking on the System" by Markos Moulitsas. Safir lives in San Francisco and works for both writers and publishers.
