New ideas for a new year #1: Ever thought of publicising your blog via the Kindle?

A new year deserves some new ideas, so here’s the first in an occasional series of ideas – things you might not yet have tried which could be worth exploring.

At least 3 people I know (none of them major techies) were given Kindles for Christmas. Which in my book now makes the Kindle a mainstream possession.

Thousands of bloggers are blogging via Kindle, though not too many charities yet (looking through the current blog list, I notice that Friends of the Earth are already up there but very few other well known names).

Why bother?

"Having my blog on the Kindle opened many doors of opportunity for me when it became a surprise hit!" Lorie Marrero, The Clutter Diet

That’s the quote on the Kindle Publishing for Blogs homepage. Your blog may not become a runaway success but publicity is really the main reason for using the Kindle in this way. It’s true that you can make money – but to be honest the amounts are negligible. Amazon only gives you 30% of the revenue, as well as setting the price in the first place (and it’s likely to be low), so this really isn’t about the money.

How does it work?

Kindle Blogs are delivered (downloaded so you can read them even when you’re not connected) wirelessly and automatically to the Kindle and are updated throughout the day. And they contain full content and most images, unlike RSS readers which often provide only headlines.

How to do it

1. Create a Kindle Publishing account (at https://kindlepublishing.amazon.com/gp/vendor/setup-sign-in/create-account?ie=UTF8&successUrl=%2Fgp%2Fvendor%2Fregistration). This is the bit that will take the longest, as it involves setting up a vendor account, so they need some financial information about you and you then have to go through an approvals process.
2. Once your account is live, add & preview your blog using a simple, one-page form.
3. Publish your blog and it’ll become available on the Kindle Store.

Read more

• Early advice from mashable: http://mashable.com/2009/05/13/blogs-amazon-kindle/
• Get started as a Kindle publisher: https://kindlepublishing.amazon.com/gp/vendor/sign-in?signInError=4&temp=/186-3082288-4633803
• See what kinds of blogs are already available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=amb_link_157524647_5?ie=UTF8&node=341688031&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=01ZNFD2ANXESRMAYBWRA&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=215183627&pf_rd_i=341688031