I’ll be picking a publisher this week. The two that have made serious offerings are both world class publishers, so this isn’t an easy task. The goal is for all the contracts, payments, etc to be settled by the end of the month so I can start serious writing March 1.

I just sent off a proposed intro to my reviewers. It’s just an idea, so I’ll post it here as well.

Here’s the email I sent them:

Hey all,

I was having a shower this morning, and an idea for the intro struck me. Seeing as how, in many ways, blogging is about conversation, I thought I’d open the book with just that, a conversation.

Let me know what you think. Feel free to say you think it completely blows, or that it’s totally pompous. It’s meant to capture the spirit of blogging, the spirit of the book, and to put a smile on people’s faces.

Please be honest J

And, here’s the intro:

Dear reader,

You have picked up a book full of questions. There are questions written in each chapter, in the case studies and between the lines of this work. These are questions that, were we standing face to face and looking into each other’s eyes I would ask you with conviction and they are questions I hope you are prepared to answer.

This may come as a surprise to you, as it is entirely likely you have come to this book with questions of your own. I hope to not disappoint, as I will do my best to answer your questions, as I hope you will do your best to answer mine.

For, you see, the book you have picked up is one that is all about a Conversation. It is a Conversation happening beyond the walls of your business, in fact it is a conversation beyond all walls. And it is one in which millions of your potential customers are talking. Perhaps you were not aware of this Conversation until I mentioned it. No matter, you are now aware, even if you are not yet aware of what this Conversation means for your business.

Were we sitting and talking together, we would undoubtedly have several hours of conversation about it means to you. We would talk about what your company is, what challenges it is facing, what your values are and who your customers and potential customers might be. We would explore ways in which we could connect with these customers through your values while playing on your strengths and reducing your weaknesses.

We would do this, because the book you have in your hands is all about a tool. A very good tool. And like any good tool, it can be put to use in a myriad of ways. Perhaps you have already heard of some of the ways that this tool has been put to use. We who use this tool call it a “Blog”, though you may end up calling it something else, depending on how you use it. You may call it a Content Management System, a Customer Relationship Management System, an Intranet. Because this tool is so multi-faceted, I have typically spent several hours to several days working with my clients to figure out what this tool means to them.

This book is the culmination of many such meetings, untold numbers of articles, a few book contributions, years of experience and a lot of passion. For lack of more elegant phraseology, this book is a braindump of what I know about business blogging. I am sure to forget some things, which is why we may cross paths in the future, and we may look into each others eyes and we may answer the questions you have, and the questions I have, in an open and honest way.

Until then, I encourage you to look to the book you have before you. Ask your questions, find your answers, and answer the questions that I have to ask. And when you are done, perhaps you will hold your hands apart like 2 pieces of a puzzle and ask yourself if this tool is a fit for your business. That is, after all, what I would do. My hope, of course, is that you will end up with your hands clasped together. That your business, and this tool we call Blogging, will be a good fit. And my hope is that if we do meet eye to eye we can smile knowing that our questions have been answered, and that we can move on to bigger and more important ones for the betterment of you and your business.

Good luck as you read, I hope that I do your questions justice, as I hope you do for mine.

Jeremy Wright
The Author

Does something like this work? Let me know your thoughts :)

ps: no, I won’t regularly be posting chapters from the book. Little teasers are always fun though.