The Best Way to Support a Blogger

The best way to ensure that talented bloggers continue to blog is to help create a system in which they can support themselves through their writing. And there's no better way to do that than buying a blogger's book. Glenn Greenwald is one of the better bloggers out there, and one of the few I make time to read every day. He has a new book out, his second. I haven't read it yet, but I've ordered it. And if you enjoy reading Glenn's blog too, I'd encourage you to do the same.

Not only is it pretty much guaranteed to be a good read, but the better it sells, the more likely it is that mainstream media organizations will take Glenn seriously and give him and his work some much-deserved recognition and publicity. In a sane world, we'd see Glenn on cable news far more often than lunatic hatemongers like Ann Coulter. Buying this book isn't going to magically create that sane world, but it's a small step in the right direction.

Moreover, the better Glenn's book does, the more likely publishers will be to provide similar opportunities to other talented bloggers. When Glenn's first book came out of nowhere to become a New York Times bestseller--based solely on word of mouth among bloggers--major publishing houses took notice. If his second book is similarly successful, it will not only help raise Glenn's profile, but it will demonstrate that there is a real market out there for this kind of writing and pave the way for others to follow in his footsteps and make a living through blogging and writing books.

There are a lot of people out there (myself included) who daydream about quitting their jobs and trying to make a living as a writer. But in order for that to happen, there has to be a demonstrated market for the kind of stuff we write (and publishers willing to pay us).

But this isn't about me (I swear). Glenn works tirelessly and produces top quality work almost every day, stuff that you just won't find elsewhere. But he doesn't have to be doing that. He's an accomplished lawyer and could be making a lot more money doing other things. There's no better way to show that you appreciate what he does than to spend a few bucks and buy his book.

That is all.