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Clearly, one of the main tools for building WordPress niche stores is WordPress itself. Its great strength being that is is usable right from the start - just install/activate it on your server, log in and click write and you are ready to begin publishing. If you had no other need than speaking your mind then that would be all you would ever have to do. That is what thousands have done, and you will find their work all across the web under the basic blue header that is the default WordPress Theme.

It is going beyond that where WordPress begins to shine. With it's tremendous flexibility and open framework countless designers & coders have modified and added functionality through plug-ins and themes and if your in the mood to tinker, so can you.

In the course of beginning to build niche stores with WordPress I have learned a lot and continue to everyday. Most of that learning has come from online resources and through trial and error. I suspect that will continue to be my path but I did recently pick up a copy of WordPress for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson and think it is worth the recommendation. There is some great info in here and it compliments well what can be found on the net. For those just beginning with WordPress there are chapters on the basics of blogging and getting started, self-hosting or WordPress hosting, writing & management. I skipped over most of that and found what I was interested in sections about templates, plug-ins, design & using WordPress as a content management system (CMS).

With more recent editions of WordPress (notably 2.5), having been released since the first printing of the book some of the content does not directly address these changes but it seems mostly to be the user interface is described differently and with common sense that should not be any problem. Also the author stated recently in an interview at The Blog Herald that there will be a 2nd edition addressing some of those changes as well as more info on themes and theme development, so it should be good. Lisa also says on her website that updates will be available in downloadable PDF.

So check it out, you don't have to be a dummy to appreciate this book and it is a good resource to help you continue to grow your sites.

• WordPress For Dummies - Amazon Link
• Lisa Sabin-Wilson's Website - justagirlintheworld.com