How do personal style blogs make money? What do bloggers really do for a living? I spill the beans to Independent Fashion Bloggers, a wonderful community for sartorial scribes.

The take-home message: with some ingenuity and flexibility, you can make your own way in any niche. My IFB interview is here and below. I hope my answers are helpful; leave me a comment if you have questions!

There are so many paths for fashion bloggers who go pro, this week we’re featuring a blogger who not only caters to a specific niche but has also leveraged her blog to work in television and write books. What’s even more exciting is her niche is distinctly Japanese-Goth-Punk-Fetish. La Carmina has been a long-time IFB member, her blog is a delight to read with her adventures in travel and with her darling Scottish Fold.

Tell us a little bit about La Carmina.
Pirate. Harajuku girl. Absinthe addict. La Carmina Blog chronicles my flamboyant adventures in… Japanese Goth Punk fashion, young Visual Kei boys, cosplay and fetish balls, maid and robot cafes, scandal, drama, and the cutest Scottish Fold cat in the world.

Blogging has blown open doors to design, writing and TV work. I’ve written three books about Japanese pop culture and food, and am one of the main journalists for CNNGo and Lip Service. My “First Mate” Naomi and I started a coolhunting / TV production / promotion company — La Carmina & The Pirates. I’m fortunate to travel to various cities for appearances, book tours and on-camera work. My TV hosting credits include The Today Show, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, No Reservations, NHK, Pepsi, Sony, Canal + France, Norway TV and CNN.

How did you monetize La Carmina?
The short answer: my income sources vary constantly, and come both directly from the blog and from related projects.

La Carmina blog has a fair amount of traffic, so I sell direct ads, use Google Adsense, take part in affiliate programs, and have sponsors. My RSS, search and YouTube are monetized too.

When I receive promotional items, I disclose them as per FTC regulations. I am very choosy about the companies I work with; I only recommend products that I personally like and that fit my subcultural / Goth / Japan audience. Because of this, I’ve never received a complaint about sponsored content.

La Carmina blog is not only about fashion. I also report on alt concerts, nightlife, films, travel. Since I’m a journalist, access and accommodations tend to be compensated (press passes, advance screenings, hotels etc) — and all this is disclosed.

Various collaborations stem from my blogging activities. I partnered with a Gothic t-shirt company, make appearances (book tours, conventions), and write (I’m a main contributor to CNNGo and Lip Service, and have three books published).

Finally, producers have found La Carmina blog and hired me to be on TV shows. I worked on eight programs this year, in various roles: on-camera host, production coordinator, consultant, casting director, promoter. I started a company La Carmina & The Pirates, that provides “fixing” services to broadcasters worldwide.

How has blogging affected your career?
Beyond belief. When I began my blog in September 2007, I was Yale Law student at crossroads — I needed to be in a more creative field. Blogging was the perfect way to share my love of Harajuku fashion and alt subcultures. Upon graduation, I had books and other projects in the works, so I decided to pursue this road instead. And never turned back. I grew up in Vancouver with no media/entertainment connections whatsoever, so my blog let me break into tight-knit industries such as TV hosting. Every day, I’m amazed at the opportunities that arrive in my inbox; my adventures keep getting weirder, and I love it!

What are you working on now?
All of the above. I love finding new ways to partner with inspiring people in fashion, music, film, etc. I think cross-media collaboration is the way to keep pushing forward. Right now, the TV hosting work is going very well, and I’ve been speaking to various production companies about development. We’ll see how it goes.

What is the most important piece advice would you give aspiring bloggers?
From a technical standpoint: use WordPress on a self-hosted domain, pay attention to design and SEO, write high-quality posts regularly, and build up your social networks.

There’s no need to emulate the path of mainstream personal fashion bloggers to be successful. Be your quirky self, and concentrate on a niche or lifestyle that you love. Since I blog about Japanese/alternative subcultures, I partner with brands like h.NAOTO and Lip Service (which I much prefer to JC Penney and Forever 21)!

But what’s the magical formula? Create a world that your readers want to be in.

La Carmina & The Pirates by lacarmina featuring chain jewelry

I also participated in a fashion blogger interview for Polyvore, the nifty site that lets you arrange outfits and make mood boards. Do you like the Japanese Pirate Lolita coordinate I created above? My interview is below and on Polyvore’s blog. We have a collaboration coming up — excited!

Interview with a Fashion Blogger: La Carmina
Today we’re interviewing Carmina, the Japanese Goth/alternative fashion blogger behind La Carmina Blog. In addition to style blogging, Carmina is now a fashion designer, author of 3 books about pop culture and has co-hosted TV shows on CNN and Travel Channel.

Tell us more about La Carmina Blog.
La Carmina Blog is a peek into “Spookyville,” my Tim Burton universe. Readers get to know me and my “pirate friends” through our colorful photos and ridiculous videos. My crew has a well-defined aesthetic and lifestyle — Japan Visual Gothic. Regular readers know our lingo and obsessions, like “nightcrawling” and infomercials and pumpkin pizza. And who can forget my earless cat, Basil Farrow?

Our haunted world’s addictive; many people have flown to Tokyo for a taste. Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods) and Antoine de Caunes (Eurotrash) even brought along their TV crews to see how we party. And I invite you to join the fun. Don’t worry: we may look scary, but we don’t bite. Maybe…

How did you discover Polyvore? And what do you like most about it?
A few years ago, I noticed Polyvore sets on websites. I assumed they were painstakingly made using Photoshop. But then I created a Polyvore account, and realized how easy and intuitive the program is to use. Polyvore gets my creativity flowing. I love how one can assemble dream outfits and create inspirational mood boards. All without taking out a credit card or scissors!

What are your favorite brands/designers?
I love Japanese Gothic Lolita and Punk underground brands; I have a long list of favorites on my blog. In a recent set, I included an h.NAOTO Sixh parasol, Moi-meme-Moitie blue/black Gothic bell skirt, and silver crucifix jewelry.

Japanese Goth Mana Sama by lacarmina featuring black waistcoats

What’s your trend forecast for the coming season?
All I know is my own spooky world. My friends and I are currently fond of dramatic doll eyelashes, Visual Kei hair, and anything Pirate.

How would you like to impact the fashion world and can Polyvore help you?
I think the essence of underground fashion is freedom and DIY creativity — and I try to express this in my La Carmina Blog. Polyvore is brilliant because it encourages personal experimentation. Be as wild as you want. You can even make fashion combinations that aren’t possible in real life!

Got any feature requests for the Polyvore team?
I’m big on backgrounds and decorative flourishes — I think they add mood and narrative to the outfits. Perhaps there could be an easier way to search for backgrounds, or a collection filed by category (Halloween, Rococo, etc). I can’t wait to continue collaborating with Polyvore!

Got any questions about professional blogging and income? Leave me a comment. I try to be as transparent as possible about my work…

Japanese Word of the Day: Tomorokoshi = Corn
Song of the Day: Jay Tholen – Mangosteen Tageur. (First Mate Naomi Rubin made this mesmerizing music video with the drawing program Alchemy. She live-drew while listening to the song, then added the impressive intro and outro titles. Bravo!)