Bloggers are turning their online audiences into publishing deals, relying on user-generated content to form the basis of a new class of books, reports The New York Times. As an example, The Times points to I Can Has Cheezburger's Ben Huh who has sold more than 100,000 copies of a new book based on the quirky Web site featuring cat photos with misspelled captions.
The story notes that I Can Has Cheezburger is on track to record $500,000 in revenue from the book deals this year, with the publisher behind the first book signing on for two more.
Earlier this year, I asked Huh about the irony of an Internet company making money from traditional books. Here's what he said.
"It gives you a little bit of sense of how hard it is to make money online using advertising. And one of the difficulties is clearly the industry... When you are competing against millions of other sites trying to earn ad dollars, it does get difficult."
In addition to books, Huh's company has begun selling plush stuffed animal toys based on characters from the Web site.
The Times story -- which features a photo of Huh -- points out that bloggers have received book deals in the past. But it also notes a difference in this new class of "authors." From the Times:
"...The latest frenzy is over books that take the lazy, Tom Sawyer approach to authorship. The creators come up with a goofy or witty idea, put it up on a simple platform like Twitter and Tumblr, and wait for contributors to provide all of the content. The authors put their energy into publicizing the sites and compiling the best material."
Editor's note: Just a reminder, Huh will be the featured speaker at the TechFlash Live event April 29 at the Palace Ballroom in Seattle. Tickets are nearly sold out, so sign up today.
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