Time to Write

Can You Make Money by Blogging?

A study by the University of Texas and Chitika reveals some interesting statistics about blogs and the money some of them earn. Our old friend, the 80/20 principle (Pareto’s Principle) is alive and well (approximately): the top 15% of blogs account for about 90% of the total revenue.

The top one percent account for about 20% of the total revenue.

The moral: yes, there is money to be made in blogs (an estimated $500 million in 2006—mostly from ads placed on popular sites), but it’s concentrated in a relatively few blogs. Generally, the money goes to the blogs that attract the most readers, but if you have a blog that attracts a reasonable number of highly-targeted readers you may have a chance as well.

So how do you attract those readers? Stay tuned, I’m about to embark on a campaign to get more eyeballs here and I’ll let you know what works and what doesn’t!

What Judd Apatow Says About Creativity (& the strike)

Judd Apatow, a writer-producer who had worked in television and made “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” told the New York Times (here) that the business model that is driving the studios’ hard line is a little backward. Digital or not, well-written content can be a lucrative business.

He said, “One of the problems is a lack of creativity. The studios spend enormous amounts of money making these massive spectacles when they could be making much better written, lower cost movies. A few less of those and they could fund a settlement for years. There would be no reason for this strike.”