Bloggers and Books: Think Before You Write
Here are two seemingly paradoxical statements: All bloggers who have a solid knowledge base in a specific subject, or who have a flair for writing, should consider writing a book. Most writers are incapable of writing a book and there are tons of books out there that should never have been published. If the first statement applies to you, come check out this panel. By the end of the session, you just might find out that the second statement applies to you.
Markos Moulitsas Zúniga is founder and publisher of Daily Kos, the largest progressive community blog in the United States. Named "the single most successful entrepreneur of the progressive movement" by NY Times magazine writer and author Matt Bai, Moulitsas is also co-author of the critically acclaimed book Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics, author of Taking on the System: Rules for Radical Change in a Digital Era, a contributing columnist to Newsweek Magazine and a weekly columnist at The Hill newspaper. He was named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the world by People en Español,
clocked in at third in Forbe's Web Celeb 25 rankings, and was listed 26th in PC World's list of the "Most Important People on the Web".
Rachel Klayman has worked in publishing for more than two decades. Her books include Carlos Eire’s "Waiting for Snow in Havana," winner of the 2003 National Book Award; Peter Bergen’s "Holy War, Inc." and Tony Horwitz’s "Baghdad without a Map." Her books at Crown have included the New York Times bestsellers "The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama, "Look Me in the Eye" by John Elder Robison and "The Billionaire's Vinegar" by Benjamin Wallace. She has also published books by several esteemed bloggers: David Sirota ("The Uprising"), Joe Bageant ("Deer Hunting with Jesus") and Scott Rosenberg ("Dreaming in Code").
Safir Ahmed spent 20 years as a journalist in both the traditional and alternative media, then spent a couple of years as Communications Director for state and national Democrats, followed by five years as an independent book editor (editing some of the leading Netroots bloggers), and currently serves as Editorial Director at CREDO Mobile, the nation's only progressive phone company.
Safir was a writer and Metro Editor at the Pulitzer-family paper, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the Editor of The Riverfront Times, the alternative weekly in St. Louis. He then served as Communications Director for the state Senate Democratic Caucus in Missouri and for the U.S. Senate campaign of Nancy Farmer of Missouri in 2004. Safir was also the Editor at AlterNet and then became an Editorial Consultant and Independent Book Editor.
Among the books Safir edited are three written by Markos Moulitsas: Crashing the Gate (co-authored with Jerome Armstrong), Taking On the System, and American Taliban. Safir also edited How Would a Patriot Act? by Glenn Greenwald, Thinking Points by George Lakoff, Anatomy of Deceit by Marcy Wheeler, and Mission Rejected by Peter Laufer. He has also served as editor for Hamza Yusuf, a leading Islamic scholar and cofounder of Zaytuna College in Berkeley.
