Blogging in Action is the package that gets us the most excited. It’s rare you find a book that’s ‘not too hot, not too cold, but juuuust right.’ The author, Shaun Taylor, has certainly outdone himself — but what you really care about is how the book and resource can help you, so let’s get to it!

The first thing you notice when you open the ebook for the first time is that it comes in at a whopping 258 pages! That is absolutely unheard of in the ebook publishing world. The organization of the material will eliminate the concern some may have that there is too much information in such a small space.

Shaun starts out by outlining his goals for the book. He wants it to be current and up to date, covering different topics appealing to those of different levels of experience. He breaks down theory into action steps that create a roadmap for individuals who want to become a successful blogger. Two words — he succeeds.

As much as we try to give unbiased and impartial reviews and tell you both the good and the bad, it is really difficult to do in this case. Even with the most critical of eyes, there is nothing that screams out to be changed here. There are times we thought, “wait a sec, he should have…oh, he did!”

For those who are concerned about having to dig through a pile of information they already know or aren’t interested in, Shaun takes a unique approach to solving that problem. He not only wrote a standard table of contents, he also included ‘tags’ that mark when you should read a topic. For example, if he includes information that isn’t essential he marks it with the tag! For those who haven’t a lot of time to read this is a welcome addition.

Everything that is covered in this ebook is explained so that anyone can grasp the concepts. The different sections in Blogging in Action generally start out with an overview of that particular section, but then they quickly move into action steps. This is great, because you can’t become a successful blogger by reading the material, you need to do something with it. If this book does not convince you to do that, nothing that you read will!

The table of contents for things you’ll learn is too large to list, but here are some of our favorites:

• Choosing a platform
• What is a blog?
• Configuring your blog for readers and search engines
• Backing up your blog
• What is a niche?
• How to do keyword research (comes with a tool!)
• Building your brand
• Creating compelling content
• Mistakes to avoid (this goes against what is taught in our least favorite blogging book)
• Which directories to submit to
• Article marketing
• Finding .edu and .gov links!
• Using social networking sites and strategy
• Monetization strategies
• Quick start videos for every step of the way

Clearly, Blogging in Action is the definitive guide for anyone who wants to get started with blogging. The book itself is professionally designed, well edited, and created for the reader (at any level) in mind. If you want to make sure you get the right book on how to make money blogging the first time, this is the one to get.