Examining published blooks to discover what makes for a blookable blog
and how you can turn your blog into a blook.

Writing Blog Transformation Publishing Blooks By Topic Series

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Is this a blook from the Academy?

Gypsy Teacher: A Yank in 'Brum is a blook by Kathleen Dixon Donnelly. It's described at Lulu (where she self-published) this way:

"After about 18 months of partial employment in Florida, chronicled in Gypsy Teacher: “Every Wednesday... ?!”, in June of 2004 I was offered a great full-time teaching job…in England. So in the middle of four hurricanes we packed up and moved suitcases, boxes, and eventually cats from coastal Florida to inland Britain. And I wrote about it every Wednesday."
You can read the blog entries at www.gypsyteacher.blogspot.com. In her last post there she wrote:
"I’ve been posting things on H2G2, a Wikipedia-type site started by The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy author Doug Adams that is linked to BBC. Anyone can join and post, but they are running some of my pieces in their monthly newsletter, The Post, as “Explaining the British Isles to Americans.” Some are re-cycled blogs, but some will be new. I’m now linked to a link to BBC! Ever closer to being published."

I've included that for you folks who think that self-publishing dooms you forever to the so-called inferior ranks of the self-published! I also want to mention that Donnelly's blook was entered in the 14th Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards. The link there survives as do all the links from blooks that competed for the Blooker Prize. And speaking of the Blooker ... I was surprised that Donnelly had not entered. Then I spotted this on Lulu's site ... it's a comment left by Donnelly:
"what about the 'blooker'?

"by Kathleen Dixon Donnelly on Sunday 06 of May, 2007 [17:04:04 UTC]

I'm seeing all kinds of publicity here in the UK about the upcoming Blooker prize, sponsored by Lulu (isn't this the second year?), but nothing on your site. I subscribe to the newsletter, but don't remember being asked to submit my Lulu books!

Maybe we should suggest that she become a regular reader here at Blooking Central ;-)