The WMF Archives

This past week, I spoke at a Society of Professional Journalists conference here in Seattle. It was sponsored by Patch, AOL's new hyper-local community news initiative. At lunch, I got a chance to chat up some of the folks from Patch and learn about what they're doing...and most importantly what they pay writers.

Writing Opportunity: AOL's Patch

By Carol Tice

After I posted my 7 Habits of Highly Paid Freelance Writers on my author site blog, the response from new writers was overwhelming. "Do you have a related, or similarly helpful list of suggestions for people trying to break into writing?" they wanted to know. "I'm totally new to this."

This got me thinking about the important habits for writers looking to break into earning and getting those first few clips...so here you are, new writers:

The 7 Habits of Highly Successful New Freelance Writers

1. They write regularly. Develop a writing routine and try to write every day. That's the only way you'll be ready when you get a paying assignment.

2. They believe in themselves. Rejection letters do no phase them. If they send 20 resumes and queries and get no responses, they don't take it personally. They don't dwell on it – they move right on to the next step in their plan to find paid writing.

3. They are willing to market their business. Their methods may vary – they may favor in-person networking, cold-calling, social networking or sending query letters. But successful new writers are always looking for a new, better-paying client. They have a plan to market their writing and stick with it.

4. They seek out mentors. Writers who want to earn a good living attend workshops, hire mentors or coaches, or ask editors for advice. They know mentors can help them develop and get better-paying assignments.

5. They are open to criticism. Successful writers are not prima donnas who moan over ever tiny change an editor wants to make to their story. They join writer's groups to seek feedback on their work. They are self-confident enough to listen with an open mind to suggestions for improving their work.

6. They keep learning. Whether it's reading the newspaper to study the style of it, or buying writing books, downloading e-books, taking college classes, e-courses, or a writer's group, successful writers look for opportunities to increase their knowledge.

7. They have goals. Vague dreams of earning a living from writing will not put money in the bank. Writers who want to move up in pay set long-term goals and break them down into shorter-range goals. They break those down into concrete to-do lists and focus on accomplishing their tasks, and track their progress. Periodically, they analyze their results and to adjust their goals based on what's working best for them.


Note from Angela: Our very own Carol Tice is featured over at Copyblogger this week offering 50 Can't-Fail Techniques for Finding Great Blog Topics! As one of our readers, you already know the value of  Carol's advice, so you won't want to miss this amazing post. And don't forget to re-tweet it to share the goodness with your fellow writers! :)

The 7 Habits of Highly Successful New Freelance Writers

By Angela Atkinson

Blogging is an increasingly popular form of self-expression among writers (and even "non" writers) these days. In March of 2010, there were reportedly more than 50 million blogs in the blogosphere, with more than 175 new ones being created every day. Clearly, the competition is stiff, so getting people to read your blog can be a bit of a challenge before you're well-established in the blogging community.

One major step to getting and keeping readers is to regularly publish high quality content. This can be easy when you first start a blog--you've got so much to say. But once you've been blogging awhile, you may find yourself running out of blog post ideas, especially if you're a niche blogger.

One way that you can keep yourself on track with your blog posts and generate new ideas at the same time is to use weekly SEO planning strategies to your advantage. The benefit is two-fold.

First, planning your SEO keywords for your posts ahead of time takes the pressure off. You won't have to come up with a blog post topic at the last second. Plus, using SEO keywords will help to optimize your blog's page ranking, thus increasing your traffic.

Planning SEO Keywords

Using free tools like Google Calendar and Wordtracker's free keyword suggestion tool, any blogger can plan her way to success. Plan your SEO keywords for a week (or month, depending on how often you post) ahead of time.

Create an event on your calendar for each blog post you plan to write during that time period. When you choose your keywords and key phrases for that day's post, enter them into the event's description field. If you use Google Calendar or a similar tool, you can create a recurring event, and then just edit the description of each event individually. This saves a lot of time.

Other tools, such as Microsoft Outlook's calendar, will also let you edit recurring events individually, but be sure to sync with your online calendar in case you're ever blogging on the run--or in case of a hard drive meltdown.

Using SEO Planning to Generate Blog Post Ideas

Using an SEO keyword suggestion tool, you can type in general terms that are related to your main blog topic to see what kinds of things are being searched on that topic. Then, scroll down the list and you'll see a wide variety of different key phrases--AKA new topic ideas. Even if you don't use the key phrases that are suggested, you'll often find a word or phrase that sparks an idea that turns into a new post topic.

For example, if you were a mommy blogger and typed in the words "boys vs girls," you'd get such phrases as "boys vs girls in sports" and "boys vs girls in the classroom." Sounds like the beginning of a series of posts, don't you think?

Bottom Line

If you run out of blog post ideas, planning your SEO keywords in advance is an easy way to generate blog post ideas, stay on track with your posting schedule and actively use relevant SEO keywords and key phrases--all of which lend to improved page ranking and traffic. And, using free tools like Google Calendar and Wordtracker, you'll actually save time (and money) in the process.



Need help with your author website? Check out The Practical Freelance Writer's Guide to Author Websites!

SEO Planning: A New Way to Generate Blog Post Ideas

 By Angela Atkinson

Many of you may be aware that I recently released the Kindle version of my new book, The Practical Freelance Writer's Guide to Author Websites (other versions coming soon.) But what most of you probably don't know about me is that I am seriously a cheapskate--and a major "do it yourself-er" when it comes to promoting my work.

That's why I've been hunting down new marketing ideas like they're going out of style for the last couple of weeks--and since I'm the kind of writer who loves to share her secrets, here are three of my favorite finds.

Create a Dedicated Website for Your Book

As I was researching free and cheap ways to market my book, nearly every marketing pro and successful writer suggested making a dedicated website for each book I publish. Ideally, this site would be created prior to the book release, but it's not absolutely necessary. The logic is that a book added to your existing author site can be sort of swallowed up--while if you create a dedicated site, you'll increase visibility. You can choose to put a blog on the site if you want, and focus your posts around topics related to your book. For example, in my case, I set up a site dedicated to my book, and my posts will be part author website reviews and part author website advice. (If you'd like your site reviewed on the blog, click here for more information!)

Make a Trailer


While you might think that a book trailer is only appropriate for fictional books, trailers can be effective for nearly any kind of book. Putting together a 1 to 3 minute video about your book is a great way to increase visibility. And thanks to the technology of today, it's easier than ever to do it. I used Microsoft Movie Maker and uploaded my book trailer to YouTube. This way, I could easily embed the video on almost any site and nearly anyone can view it--plus, I now have a YouTube presence--an additional place for people to find me on the web. And, thanks again to modern technology, I was able to show the video to my husband on my phone through YouTube. (I love technology!) I know you're dying to know how it turned out, so here it is:



Contact Amazon's Top Reviewers

I haven't actually tried this one yet--it's on my "to do" list. But apparently, this group of top customer reviewers at Amazon.com can be a writer's best friend. You can offer a free copy of your book to one or more of the reviewers (who conveniently list their email addresses on the site) and ask them to review it for you.

Since I haven't personally tried the Top Reviewers route yet, I'll let children's book author and illustrator Kathleen Temean show you the ropes on this one.

So, now it's your turn. What are your favorite (and most unique) book and ebook marketing ideas?

3 More Free and Cheap Marketing Ideas for Books and eBooks

by N. Strauss

Marjorie Asturias is the founder and president of Blue Volcano Media, which provides content, marketing, and search engine optimization services to corporate clients. In this interview, Marjorie describes her experience of building a successful business and offers helpful advice for freelance writers who would like to do the same.

WM: Could you describe your business?

MA: Blue Volcano Media is a digital marketing, content and search engine optimization firm currently based in the Dallas/Fort Worth (Texas) area. We work with clients to manage their digital presence, from developing and managing social media campaigns to writing content (podcasts, blogs, etc.) for them. Basically, our mission is to help companies find and engage with their customers and fans online and drive traffic back to their websites.

I serve as the president and founder of Blue Volcano Media, and right now we have three folks on staff: a creative director/VP, social media strategist and a virtual assistant. For the first eight months, though, it was just me! Now I focus on business development, sales, follow-ups, and writing and editing most of the B2B content.

WM: How long did it take to build your business to the point where you were earning a living at it? Was there a turning point when your business started to take off?

MA: Gosh, I don’t really remember. Probably sometime in my last year in Colorado (where I lived from 2006-2009, and where I worked as a freelance writer as well as correspondent and weekly columnist for a local paper). I had built a portfolio of solid clips in both print and online magazines and newspapers, and that made it much easier for me to pitch new publications.

Sometime in late 2006, though, I started dabbling in blogging and social media, mostly as a hobby. Within a few months, I had garnered some attention – including an interview for, and mention in, a New York Times article about beauty bloggers – and was starting to branch out by offering professional blogging and, later, social media consultation and services to small businesses. Shortly after I moved back to Dallas in early 2009, I worked briefly at a digital marketing agency but realized soon after that I really preferred working on my own. I then relaunched my freelance business, only this time I no longer referred to it as a “freelance” business but rather as a “company,” complete with a company name, Blue Volcano Media. Before, I had freelanced under my own name, but I soon realized that if I wanted to actively solicit business/corporate clients, I would be taken more seriously if I had a corporate “name.” And sure enough, shortly after I started attending a local Chamber of Commerce event, I landed my first big corporate client, with whom I still work on lots of online content and press releases.

WM: Could you share some tips on marketing and finding clients?

MA: Well, in Colorado, how I landed that weekly column gig was so easy, it’s almost embarrassing. I had read an article in the paper about a local woman who had gone overseas on a mission trip, and as someone who has lived and worked extensively in developing countries, I thought the article reinforced a lot of stereotypes about people living in poverty in these regions. I wrote a thoughtful letter to the editor and sent it via email. Within a few hours, I received a nice response, basically telling me that he really appreciated my feedback and that he liked my writing.

Well, what did I have to lose? I had lots of clips and was confident enough in my writing to believe that I could contribute something significant, so I wrote him right back and offered myself as a columnist. We met, he asked for some columns in advance, and within weeks I was a regular.

It sounds easy, but it’s really not. By then I had already been freelancing part-time for years, and had sent out more queries than you could possibly imagine. I probably landed assignments from about 10% or even fewer of the queries I sent out. But persistence really does pay in this business, and even more so now that the print industry has shrunk and more unemployed writers are chasing after fewer publications.

Another thing I would highly, highly recommend to writers who want to make a living with their writing and communication skills is to consider pursuing corporate/business clients. Not only is there a lot more demand for skilled writers in the corporate world, it also pays a lot better than magazine or newspaper writing (unless you land a coveted Vogue assignment, of course, which is probably .000001% of us). To do so, pay a few visits to your local Chamber of Commerce, and maybe even consider joining one. I paid $360 for my first year’s membership, and it paid itself within the first month. Forget about attending local writers’ groups or meetups. They’re great for commiserating with your fellow writers, but as a “mentor” once said, “Industry events are not about the client.” You have to go where the business is, and the business is not where your competitors are hanging out.

WM: What other advice can you give to others who would like to turn their writing skills into a business?

MA: Treat it like a business. That’s probably the most important piece of advice I can give, but a lot of writers (including myself in the early years!) forget that bit all the time. If you want to be taken seriously by your clients, make sure you take them seriously by adhering to deadlines, behaving like a professional in all aspects of your marketing and networking (no weird outgoing messages on your voicemail, no children yelling in the background as you engage in a phone meeting with a client, no swearing on your public Twitter feed, and no funny faces on your LinkedIn profile photo), and delivering the best content of which you’re capable.

If you can, write under a “corporate” name rather than your own, e.g., “Dan Smith Communications” instead of just “Dan Smith.” Especially if you plan on working with corporate clients, there’s just that comfort factor on their part, knowing that their working with another business as opposed to a freelancer. Like it or not, more than a few businesses don’t think too highly of freelancers, believing that they’re unreliable and unprofessional, or are just looking for gigs to fill in gaps between full-time jobs and will abandon them once they land a permanent position. Trust me – as someone who has hired freelancers herself, I see now where they’re coming from. I’ve hired my share of freelancers who disappeared within days after I paid them their first installment. Don’t be that freelancer.

WM: What is something you wish you had known when you were first starting out with your business?

MA: This is going to sound awfully simple, but I wish I had known about this awesome, free, online bookkeeping software program called Outright.com when I first started out in 2006. Until I stumbled upon it in 2007, I had been wrestling with Excel spreadsheets, trying to create decent-looking invoices with them, and then keeping track of my business expenses and income. It was such a mess that I’m sure my tax returns from that period didn’t quite reflect my actual business financials, but it wasn’t for lack of trying! Anyway, once I discovered Outright.com (again, it’s free and geared towards solo entrepreneurs such as writers) and its partner program, Freshbooks.com (an invoicing program that’s not free, but well worth its low monthly subscription fee), I never looked back. I actually enjoy doing my own bookkeeping now, and doing my taxes at the end of the year is sooo much easier than it used to be. I know that sounds terribly prosaic, but really, you have no idea how time-consuming business bookkeeping is until you have to do it yourself. If you find a system that makes it easy for you – like Outright and Freshbooks – you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

WM: Has your blog, My Inner French Girl, been helpful to your writing business in any way?

MA: Yes! When I first started pitching my blogging/social media services, My Inner French Girl came in so handy as a stellar example of how I had applied what I knew to an actual blog, and one that was popular in its niche. I originally created MIFG as a creative outlet and as a way to find like-minded Francophiles. I figured, There must be others out there like me, and sure enough, I found plenty within weeks! And then of course, once I started gaining more readers, I wanted more, so I began exploring other ways of promoting the blog. At the time Twitter was just beginning to be discovered by mainstream audiences, so I experimented with that along with other social media tools like Plurk and Ning.com. Playing around with these tools, using MIFG as a sort of “lab” for their utility, helped me tremendously in learning exactly how social media works and how businesses can use them to create communities around their brand and promote their services and products.

WM: What are your plans for the future of your business?

MA: World domination! Seriously, I would like to grow it into a truly unique boutique agency, perhaps with a global presence in Asia. I’d love to work with emerging companies on that continent in crafting digital marketing campaigns for them across all channels – social media, blogs, smartphone apps, location-based services, and other technologies that are just appearing on our radar – and across the ocean. Asia is where so much of what we consider “new” began. Cellphones were ubiquitous and mainstream there in the early 1990s, and texting has been the main form of communication there since the early 2000s. Rather than looking to Silicon Valley for what’s going to come down the pike in terms of tech innovations, we should be looking further east, to Singapore and Tokyo and even Manila. I would love to be able to work with companies there to bring some of those amazing new products and services to the U.S. Since I’m originally from there, travel there often, and am psychologically fluent in both cultures, I think I have a unique perspective that could come in very handy as Asian companies penetrate the U.S. consumer market.

You can hear more from Marjorie Asturias on her blog, My Inner French Girl.

Did you enjoy this interview? You might also enjoy recent interviews on the Creative-Writing-Now.com Creative Writing Ideas blog about a variety of creative writing topics.

Building a Content Writing Business - An Interview with Marjorie Asturias

By Pam Houghton

If you are like me, you might be relatively new to the idea of writing as a career. Oh sure, I dabbled and wrote on the side while working as a manufacturing engineer for a technology services corporation; and I even managed to finagle my way into some very interesting creative projects at work.


But once my job was eliminated and I decided it was time to jump into the writing world more completely, the more aware I became of my gaps in experience. It's tough to go from hobbyist to professional writer right off the bat.


If you are thinking of a career change, or already consider yourself a writer who needs to learn more, here are a few things that might help fill in the gaps.


1. Educate yourself on all types of writing out there. Yes, I knew there was technical writing and copy writing and news writing, but I didn't know what a content mill was until I started writing here. There's also blogging, which could be considered both an emerging art form and a commercial writing tool; as well as the friendly, immediate tone of social media writing. So there are far more opportunities than I'd imagined; the trick is to learn about each kind in more detail and what's required to be successful in each.


2. Know where you want to go. Trial and error works here. After I experimented with so-called content mill writing, I discovered I wasn't one for that type of structure or pay. And even though I've written and published essays and travel articles, there isn't much of a market for them. I like to go where there's opportunity, and for me, that's commercial writing - copy writing, social media, corporate communications. Knowing what my focus is makes it easier to spend time developing that skill set.


3. Learn what works in writing, even if they are little things. Ever notice how much more likely you are to click on a web article if it starts with a number? i.e. 7 Ways to Become a Millionaire. Maybe it simplifies the message in a medium where there's a lot of info vying for your attention. If you want to write for the web, there are ways to draw attention to your stories using this technique, or key phrases or words that are likely to draw readers via a search engine.  Whatever area of writing you decide to focus on, familiarize yourself with little tricks of the trade that more experienced writers already know, and start to incorporate them into your tool box.


4. Attend networking events. Even though the thought of schmoozing makes me want to hurl, it is good to become aware of networking events in your area. Here in Metro Detroit, we have a very nice chapter of Women-in-Communications that sponsors regular networking events. I will be attending The Movie Machine Comes to Michigan later this month; previous events have covered social media strategies, freelance writing, and author Q&As. Even if you aren't a pro at handing out your business card, you'll start to soak up knowledge of how the industry works, and some of those faces will become familiar. Once they do, ask questions!


There are so many other things you can do, I could write another post. What are your ideas?

photo by gundolf/stock.xchng

4 Ways to Bridge Gaps in Your Writer Resume

Technology and Not-So-Virtual Burnout

By Carol Tice

Make More Money Writing With This Foolproof Strategy

By Lindsay Woolman

I was not one of the popular kids in high school. I think that even if given the opportunity to fit in, I would have still preferred going my own way. I remember for a period of time really wanting to be in the popular crowd, but I just didn’t fit in.

It is hard for me to imagine being in high school right now with all the usual pressures—plus the added pressure of social media where your photos and thoughts are online for all to see. I can only imagine the confusion of having this profile for all to see, but not really knowing who you are.

Imagine that something you post goes viral and you’re not prepared for the ramifications. Or you say something you later regret…

The same thing can happen with business owners or anyone in the public eye who has a social media presence. This online personality is part of you and part of your brand. The more you can target where you are and where you want to go, the better.

So, I say do what anyone who wants to be class president does – make a strategic plan.

And don’t just make any plan, set up a social media plan that could be duplicatable for a client. Many people are out there searching for social media strategies and freelance writers have the greatest ingredient—knowing how to write for the web.

It’s the equivalent of being the queen bee in school. We have the power to cause our clients to become really popular.

A social media plan should include the following:

1. Write out objectives: This is simple. Just write out some bullet points of what you want your social media plan to do. For example, “Show the fun side of my business,” Or “Craft a relationship with clients before they contact me.”

2. List out all the social media sites you want to use: Go with the main four: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn, plus having a blog. Don’t worry how you’re going to use them just yet, just list out the possibilities.

3. Create a vision: Take each site and write the outcome you want. For example, “Attracting people who are both entertained and want to do business with me,” or “Sharing information that my clients want to know,” or “Creating a group that people are excited to join.”

4. List out 20 possible places you can get material: This is your list of reliable websites that offer interesting news stories that relate to your business. These are the places where time after time you can return and in a matter of minutes, have a new post or blog idea. You can look at the Top 100 Blogs on Technorati for examples.

5. Create a strategy: This might be posting updates three times a week or writing out a list of Tweets at the start of each month. It might also just mean spending 30 minutes a day becoming familiar with the site and how you can use it.

6. Write out end goals: Maybe your goal is to post one video, or get to 100 followers (or, of course, generate more sales). Start with small, possible, measureable goals and update the results as you move along.

7. Give it 2-3 months: It takes a certain amount of time to know if your social media efforts are paying off or to know if you might want to change direction. So, stick with it until you have some results in place.

The beauty of creating your own social media plan is that you can then create plans for other people. Get started and see where it takes you!

Photo via Flickr user ozfan22

7 Steps for a Social Media Plan that Would Make the Homecoming Queen Proud

Quote courtesy of "Dynamic URL's vs. Static URL's" webconfs.com (SEO Tools & Webmaster Utilities)

Static vs Dynamic URL's Part 1: What's the Difference?

by N. Strauss

This is the final post in the How to Sell a Business Book series. If you haven't read the first three posts in the series, you might want to have a look at them now.

Today, I'll talk about marketing plans since you will probably have to provide one with your book proposal.

Increasingly, publishers expect authors to participate in the marketing of their own books. If you can convince publishers that you are in a good position to help with book sales, they are likely to be more interested in your project.

Your author platform

In their submission requirements, many publishers ask about the author's "platform." One publisher sent us a specific form to fill out on the subject.

When publishers ask about an author's platform, what they want to know about is lines of communication with prospective book-buyers. For example, let's say you have your own national television program. You need only mention that you have a book out, and millions of loyal viewers will rush the stores.

This is the publisher's dream. But back to reality. You don't have a national TV show, or else you wouldn't be reading this blog series (unless... you're here to scout new talent. I'm available!) So how can you answer questions about your platform?

Recently, there has been a lot of debate in the writing community about how much time authors should spend building up platforms to sell their current and future books. The rise of social media such as Facebook and Twitter means that platform-building doesn't have to cost money. But it does take time -- time that writers could be spending on other activities, such as actually writing.

I may write more about this debate in a future post. But right now, you're not going to put your book proposal on hold for six months while you build up your contact list. So what you should do is take an inventory of the platform you already have. It may be bigger than you think.

• Have you graduated from a college? From a high school? Alumni associations can be part of your platform.
  
  
• Do you belong to any clubs or organizations, especially ones related to the subject matter of your book? What about online forums and discussion groups? Could you start one?
  
  
• Do you teach a class anywhere? Or could you volunteer to teach one, and then sell books to the students?
  
  
• Are you a freelancer with a client list? Do you work for a company that would agree to promote you on their website or blog or in their newsletter? Do you have friends whose companies would promote you?
  
  
• Do you know another expert in the general subject area of your book? Would this person help you promote the book, maybe even write a jacket blurb?
  
  
• Are you friends with a blogger or someone with a platform you could get permission to use?
  
  
• Could you line up some guest post spots on popular blogs?
  
  
• Do you have your own website, blog, or e-mail list?
  
  
• Are you already deep into social networking? If you have thousands of Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections, or Twitter followers, don't forget them when sizing up your platform.

Your marketing plan

Not only do publishers hope that you'll come with a ready-made audience; they want you to be willing to participate actively in promoting your book. Below are just some of the ways that you might offer to do this.

Virtual book tour:

• Create a website or blog for the book.
  
  
• Form an online discussion group about the book.
  
  
• Guest post on related blogs.
  
  
• Post on Yahoo groups and other online forums related to your book's subject area.
  
  
• Contribute to article directory sites such as Ezine Articles.
  
  
• Give live phone or online seminars on topics related to your book; record them, then offer the recordings for free download (maybe in exchange for an e-mail newsletter sign-up).
  
  
• Create other free downloads to give away in return for newsletter sign-ups; for example, e-books, PowerPoint presentations, worksheets, and other resources of relevance to your book's readers.
  
  
• Record podcasts. Publish promotional videos on YouTube.
  
  
• Set up a CafePress store with promotional t-shirts or other merchandise

Offline marketing:

• Arrange book-signings at local bookstores.
  
  
• Attend book fairs and networking events where potential book buyers will be.
  
  
• Volunteer to teach classes or give presentations through your local community college.
  
  
• Put together a press kit and get local media coverage.

Congratulations

If you've followed the process outlined in this post series, you are ready now to go out and sell your book with a solid proposal. Wasn't that easy?

Now all you have left to do is write the book...

If you find that selling a book is not enough to satisfy your (perhaps insatiable) need for fame and glory, then check for open creative writing contests on Creative-Writing-Now.com. You can use the library of creative writing topics to get inspired.

How to Sell a Business Book - Part 4: Write the Marketing Plan

By Pam Houghton


Since working from home as a writer after a big, bad corporate downsizing eliminated my job (sad tale of…oh, forget it), I like to think I’m too full of myself…er, busy…to watch daytime TV. Unless the ‘Ellen Show’ is on. Which I watch ONLY when I take a treadmill break.


I think Ellen gets a lot of things right on her show. If you’ve never watched it, do! It’s great fun and she always inspires me to re-think the way I approach my writing.


Without further ado, here are a few lessons I think freelance writers can learn from Ellen DeGeneres and her talk show.


1. She understands her audience (women between the ages of 25 and 54). There’s an almost altruistic quality to her giveaways. The way she helps moms-in-need with big lumps of cash and new cars taps into her audience’s do-gooder nature without seeming gooey. We need to understand our audience too or our writing won’t connect with readers.


2. She adds a lot of variety. Though there is usually a pattern – stand-up bit, aisle dancing, banter with the audience, guest star, game, You Tube video, musical performance – she really mixes it up so you don’t get bored. If we don’t add a little spice and variety to our writing, readers may not stick around as long as we’d like.


3. She follows and incorporates trends well, especially social media. If not for Ellen, I don’t think I’d know what Twitter was or pay attention to You Tube videos. We need to stay on top of trends if we are going to survive the always-evolving world of social media and its impact on writing.


4. She jump-starts careers, particularly for unknowns. One day you’re a 20-something singer/songwriter whose only claim to fame is a You Tube video. The next, you’re singing on Ellen. Ellen’s generosity in sharing the spotlight shows that it doesn’t have to be All-About-Me to be successful.


5. She uses product placement well. I’ve never been a fan of product placement or giveaways – they seem gimmicky. But when Ellen went to Universal Studios last spring in Orlando and rode some crazy roller coaster, I wasn’t thinking of it as a big huge advertisement for the amusement park. Instead, I had fun watching this 50-ish woman scale (and plunge) large heights at un-Godly speeds which would make me hurl bucketfuls. Puts a fresh spin on an old trick.


6. She’s nice. You see this when she banters with the audience, engages the general public in video bits, and talks with celebrities (who must LOVE being on her show). I just think it’s easier to work with nice people in the writing biz than high maintenance diva types.


7. She doesn’t take herself too seriously. We DON'T want to take ourselves too seriously. Too much rejection (or else you never hear back) in this biz. You gotta shake it off, start all over again. Helps to have a sense of humor.


Now, don't get me started on those ladies from The View!


Who inspires you?

7 Ways Freelance Writers Can Get Inspiration from the 'Ellen Show'

Building an online presence one sentence at a time

Marketing Your Writing: My Winning 2010 Strategies

By Lindsay Woolman


A couple years ago I had a job with the forest service and I had to spend the night in the wood alone with a guy known as “crazy Steve.” He got his nickname because he had almost driven off a cliff, had rumors of harassing one of the girls, and used a few illegal substances in his spare time.

When we drove into the woods alone that night, I made an important decision. I decided that if crazy Steve said something to me that signaled a red flag or made me even the slightest bit uncomfortable, I would tell EVERYONE I know.


I was firm in my decision. I believe it was part of the reason that crazy Steve and I had a nice night in the woods together. He was a total gentleman and very kind to me. I’m also fortunate that nothing bad happened.


I have to bring this story up, because I have the same deep ingrained passion about getting paid. In my opinion, it is not acceptable to do work with the promise of getting paid and then having a client disappear on you. I think you have to decide in advance that there are consequences. We live in a world where it is easy to share information about companies and our opinions of them. Even though you don’t have the power to “fire” a client in the same the way I could have gotten crazy Steve fired, you can hold back that thing your client wants most from you: your writing!


So if you’re working for someone and it has been a reasonable amount of time and you haven’t been paid yet, I say stop writing. And stop before you give anything away that might be valuable. Go ahead and make your client a little nervous. If you are valued in return, you will be reimbursed. Period.


Here are a couple pointers for making sure you get paid for your work:


1. Send invoices right away: I know everyone has their own policy for getting paid, but I think that if you’re not sending invoices right after completing the work, you’re asking for trouble. Waiting two months to send an invoice to a client is unacceptable in my opinion. I know that if I had a service done two months ago and then got a late bill, I probably wouldn’t be motivated to pay quickly either. It’s like having the lawn boy send you a bill in December… By then it’s harder to remember how green and lovely he made your yard.


3. Ask for a deposit on bigger projects: If a project is more than say, $300, I think it’s a good idea to ask for some kind of deposit. Otherwise, you might end up working hard and not getting reimbursed until much later. If a client is eager to get started, but can’t give you a little money down or insists that you “go ahead and begin,” I think this is a red flag. This is the case especially if it’s a last minute project and you’re feeling kind of stressed out about it, which is not helping to serve you. Simply have a price that you must be paid to start a job and let your client know you need a deposit via Paypal or personal check to begin.


3. Don’t believe the promise that “we’ll pay you more when we have the money:” Okay, so I fell into this one and cut my rate in half to work on a project that seemed promising. Somewhere along the way, I started to realize that this method was like teasing a dog with treats. I’d get a little dangle of “as soon as the money comes in we’ll pay you more…” and “a couple months from now we’ll have it…” but really I never got my full rate and I won’t do that again. I will say that I really enjoyed working with this client and I learned so many great things from him. But in the end, I was on the losing side with my time.

What do you do to make sure you get paid?

Photo via Flickr user Margit7

3 Tips to Make Sure You Get Paid for Your Writing

Staying Positive after Receiving Rejections

By Angela Atkinson

Once you've written and published a book or ebook, you might think the work is done--but it's only just beginning. In fact, promotion of a book can be a full-time job. Social media marketing and social networking are always good places to start--but where do you go from there?

Well, you could always hire a publicist. But what if you're a cheapskate? Or if you just don't have the extra cash laying around?

Use What Google Gave Ya

Google Books is a free service offered by...well, Google. (I freaking LOVE Google, in case you didn't know--so many free and useful tools for those of us who do business online!) But I digress...

Sign up with Google Books and upload or send in your manuscript, and Google will add your book to their index. Then, your book will appear in related user searches. But that's not all. Google will offer a mini-preview of your book (just enough to get a reader hooked!) and then provide links to your books' sales sites. And, if you sell the book from your own website as well--it'll be listed first.

Plus, Google Books takes precautions to protect your book--users only get a "taste" of the book, and it's highly protected, so people can't even copy/paste the sample. Two more benefits: you can use Google technology to provide a preview of your book on your own site, and you'll get access to a free results tracker.

Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now

It may sound counter-intuitive, giving away books in order to sell them--but in fact, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were on target--it's a proven tactic for boosting your sales. You don't have to give away the farm either--just give one to three books away (for each giveaway promotion.)

You can host the giveaway yourself and/or offer the opportunity to other bloggers and websites. (FYI: The WM Network hosts giveaways!) You could run a contest or you could simply ask people to comment for a chance to win the book. Just be aware that if you're giving away hard copy books, you'll have to pay for the shipping. Ebooks, on the other hand, can be given away for free.

And, if you don't want to give away your book to the masses, you can always offer discounts instead. Contact reviewers and/or other bloggers and offer to give their readers a ten or fifteen percent in exchange for some publicity--maybe even offer a review copy.

And Speaking of Reviews...

Ask friends, relatives, blog readers--anyone who has (or will) read your book to write reviews for Amazon.com and any other sites that sell your book. People are more likely to buy a book that has been read and reviewed.

One thing to remember: be sure that the reviews are genuine. Ask your readers to be honest. It's ok if your mother thinks your book hung the moon--really it is. But if someone puts up a less than savory review? Don't let it bother you, and don't pull it down. The fact is that not everyone likes every book--and if all your reviews say your book is THE BEST BOOK EVER--someone is going to smell a rat. By keeping it real, your readers will know that YOU are real--and they're more likely to buy that book.

Click here for more ideas on marketing yourself!
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Marketing Yourself: 3 Free and Cheap Ways to Promote Your Books and eBooks

by N. Strauss

This series is aimed at showing you the steps my co-author and I used to sell a business book to New Riders / Peachpit.

The first two posts in this series talk about how to research your market, define your target reader, and plan your content. Once you've done that preparatory work, writing the actual book proposal is easy.

Find the right publisher

The good news is that you don't need an agent to sell a business how-to book. There are exceptions -- for example, Wiley requires that "For Dummies" series book proposals be submitted through an agent. But most business publishers will accept proposals directly from authors.

You may have already identified some publishers you want to target. If not, no problem. Go to your bookshelves; go to Amazon. Look for books that are similar to the one you're writing, on related topics. Who published those books? That might be a good publisher for you too.

Now, look up the publisher's website and see what else they're publishing. Ideally, your proposal will not appear to duplicate a book that's already on the publisher's list, but will fill a gap among related offerings.

If a publisher has a variety of imprints or series, identify the one that's the best fit for your book so that you can specify that in your proposal.

Write the proposal

How should you format your book proposal? What should you include?

There's no mystery here. The publisher's website will tell you exactly what the publisher wants.

Look for a link on the website that says "For authors," "Write for us," or something similar. Then look for the submission guidelines. Sometimes, there will be an actual submission form you can download.

Different publishers have different requirements, so be prepared to spend some time adapting your proposal for each one. It's important to tailor your proposal as closely as possible to the specific publisher's needs.

Our publisher, Peachpit, requires the submission of a table of contents and suggests the submission of a sample chapter or section. Peachpit's website also lists a series of questions for authors to answer in their proposals, including:

• "Briefly describe your book"
• "Briefly list three main selling points"
• "Describe the intended audience for this book"
• "How does your book differ from existing books?"

Another publisher, Wiley, asks authors to explain why their book is needed by the marketplace, to specify "intended primary market and secondary markets" and the "typical user profile," and to provide a review of competing books, in addition to basic information about the planned book itself.

In general, publishers want to know for whom the book is written and how it fits into the marketplace. They want to know what unfulfilled need it will address. They also want to know about your professional qualifications and how you, the author, can help with book marketing and sales.

Many publishers ask authors to submit a marketing plan with the initial proposal. They ask about your "platform" -- in other words, your blog, your newsletter subscriber list, your ten thousand Facebook friends. What they are really hoping is that authors will come to them with a ready-made fan club of eager book-buyers. I'll talk more about marketing plans and author platforms in next week's post.

By now, you've already researched your market. You've thought about your target readers and know the unique value your book has to offer them. You've drafted your table of contents and written a couple of sample chapters. All that's left is to draft a persuasive marketing plan, and then your book proposal will be ready to go out.

Interested in writing something for which marketing plans are irrelevant... because it's so unlikely anyone will ever want to pay money for it? Try poetry! Check out tips on How to Write a Poem and hundreds of poem ideas on Creative-Writing-Now.com.

How to Sell a Business Book - Part 3: Write the Proposal