Here are the tools and techniques I find most useful on TheBookDesigner.com. Note that most of these links are affiliate links, so I have a vested interest should you choose to purchase any of these products or services. Since I use every item on this list, I recommend them from practical experience.
Blogging Training
I’ve used the training available from Yaro Starak in his terrific Blog Mastermind program, although many bloggers have influenced me and continue to do so. Clicking the link (affiliate) will get you a free copy of Yaro’s foundation document, the Blog Profits Blueprint. Take advantage of this unique and massive resource Yaro’s made available. It really does contain the entire blueprint to creating and marketing a professional-level blog.
Blogging Platform
This is a WordPress self-hosted blog.
Theme
This blog runs on the Thesis theme by Chris Pearson and DIYThemes.com. Here’s more information about Thesis. If you think my blog looks good, it’s because of Thesis. I’m no coder but with the support of the Thesis user forums, you can do just about anything.
The Thesis Theme for WordPress is a high-quality template system that you can use to improve your site immediately.
Thesis boasts the strongest SEO of any theme on the market today thanks to its expertly-coded HTML + CSS + PHP framework. Not only that, Thesis also contains additional options that will allow you to fine-tune each and every page of your site. The days of worrying about your in-site SEO are over—with Thesis, your strategy is “just add killer content.”
Not a coder? Not a problem. The Thesis option panels allow you to command your site with ease, while Thesis does all of the heavy lifting behind the scenes. You’ve never had this much control over your site before, and this is precisely what makes Thesis indispensable to critical webmasters all over the globe.
The difference is in the details. You may not know it, but typography and visual clarity are two of the most important aspects of your site. Properly setting type on the web is an exercise in mathematical precision, and this is not an area where you want to compromise. After all, typography is the primary vehicle for the most important thing on your site—your content!
What about customizations and design changes? Thesis contains a futureproof customization system that allows you to produce unique designs, all while keeping your changes isolated to just two key files! And thanks to a revolutionary layout generator (with 1, 2, and 3-column layout combinations) and pinpoint font controls, testing tons of different layout variants has never been easier!
Hosting
TheBookDesigner.com is hosted by Bluehost.com.