Writing Articles & News
Book Proposals 101.: What Publishers Want
Lots of writers like to talk about writing books. You hear very few talking about writing book proposals. Maybe that's why it's easy to forget that a strong book proposal is the first step to getting a great deal for your non-fiction book. It's where you make the big pitch and tell the editor everything that's going to make him or her want to buy. A book proposal is also a great time saver for you because you'll find in the course of researching your book proposal whether or ...
How To Get Your Book Reviewed In Magazines
In one of my past magazine jobs my office was next to that of the book editor. He would get boxes and boxes of books daily. There was a separate room devoted to storing these books, but that still didn't keep them from piling up in his office. Whenever he returned from vacation he practically had to use a bulldozer to get his door open! You see the problem, right? How do you get your book noticed, let alone reviewed, when it is just one among stacks of books in an editor's ...
Free Contests May Not Cost You Money, But They Can Still Cost You
If there’s no entry fee, why not enter? If I don’t win, I don’t lose anything. Many a new writer has been burned by thinking this way. Free competitions may not cost you any money to enter, but they can still cost you. The Big Beware: Are You Selling Your Rights by Entering? Beware of competitions that have no entry fee but a statement saying they have the right to print your work, regardless of whether or not you win. In some cases, these competitions also ...
Winning Freelance Work: Beat The Skeptic
I’ve spoken to hundreds of editors, employers, and project managers about how they choose a freelancer for a job. Whether they were reviewing job applications or considering project bids, they all had one thing in common. As every one of them started to look at the applications, they had their skeptic’s hat on. How a Project Manager Thinks Here are a few quotes from project managers and employers to show you exactly how they think. 1. Jaime, ...
It’s Good To Be A New Writer: Breaking The Myth That Experience Is Everything
There’s a rumor out there in the publishing world that an editor won’t even look at the work of a new writer. It might be true for certain types of writing, but after interviewing hundreds of editors, I’ve found that most are more open to new writers than you might think. And there are a few major benefits to being a new writer too. So before you spend too much time trying to work out how you can appear to be a published professional writer when you’re not, consider taking ...
How To Get Noticed By Editors And Publishers: Make Your Strengths Shine
To be a successful writer and get noticed, being good often isn’t good enough. You have to shine. You have to have something that puts you above all others. Of course though, nobody is perfect. Everyone has faults and flaws. But everyone has talents and abilities too. What’s your talent? Find your talent and focus on it. Develop it. Showcase it in your writing so it really shines through. Remember, one thing that stands out is far easier to notice than ten things that are ...
Simple Steps Lead To Successful Books
Like most first time authors, I figured that once the word was out that I'd written a book, the world would beat a path to my door wanting to buy it. I'll admit I gave little thought to marketing until the day my first printing of Handbook To A Happier Life was delivered. In a panic, I called a published author I knew and asked, "What do I do now?" She suggested several books about book marketing, which I bought immediately. I was on my way. Success in book selling is a three ...
Journaling Your Book To Completion
On any given day, how many people, events, problems, projects, family issues, things to remember and appointments are running through your mind? A LOT, right? If you're writing a book, you have to add on top of that a whole other world of characters, events, settings, plots, (if you're writing fiction) or stories, bullet points, theories and rhetoric (if you're writing non-fiction). How do you keep track of it all? Keeping a journal for your book can be a great tool. In it you ...
All You Need To Know About Agents--For Now
The agent issue is such an emotional one for writers. Having one is a huge validation. I was fortunate to sign with an agent while still writing my first novel and it was wonderful being able to work and know that someone was waiting for what I was writing. But the eagerness to have that feeling often pushes writers to make poor decisions when it comes to the hunt for an agent. With some thinking, solid preparation and research it is possible to hook up with an agent and have ...
How To Make Your Writing Meaningful
Writing a book is a huge endeavor. It means someone has decided to dedicate a certain amount of time to putting words on paper. But so many people don't finish what they start. Maybe they've run out of ideas. Maybe they lost interest. Maybe they got hopelessly stuck. However I believe the core of all these issues lies in one thing: the writer doesn't know why he or she is writing in the first place. All you have to do before you venture into the ever-tangled writing forest is ...
How To Write A Great Article
Are you intimidated by the thought of writing articles? When you think about writing an article, do you have flashbacks to high school writing classes, and feel paralyzed by the thought of putting words onto paper? Don't fret. There are some easy general guidelines that apply to writing articles for your web site or to distribute in article directories, to other web masters, or to post to your blogs. Follow these guidelines and you'll be writing great articles before you know it! ...
Promotional Pens: Writing Your Edge In Business
Pens are used by almost everybody, from students, professionals, housewives, company executives and virtually in any type of job. Therefore making a promotional pen that contains the company logo, a product name, a company design and any marketing idea that a company wants the public to see is definitely effective. It reminds your customer of your company each time the pen is used. Promotional pens could be used as low-cost promo at the point of sale or as a better-quality promo pen a consumer ...
How Can You Find Freelance Work As A Writer?
For those looking at the jobs listings for writers, they may find themselves feeling left out. There are simply not enough employment options available. When you are looking at the jobs listings, you may become frustrated and annoyed with the lack of the type of employment that you want. But, if you think differently, you may just find an excellent opportunity. It may help to open doors for you later on down the line as well. Isn’t that worth it? Here are some ...
Exotic Hunting In Texas
Texas Exotic Hunting is a popular sport in this state. Hog hunting in Texas and dove hunting in Texas are both considered exotic.
A Passage To Read
A passage to read A day to remember this opinion from one taking many steps. Invisible I’m not. Can you see? Can you smell? Neither can you remember. Action taken, walking a journey like birds flying many miles. Forgiven or not, faith do travels. My heart is joyful; not a negative spot in it. Reality! Pain and suffering involve in it. Seek to find a new place. Many become skeptical, stress, even commit suicide. Why can advised be taken gradually? Perfect is not on this earth. Yes! ...
Writing: Getting Started
Writing for web content is one of the easiest ways for writers to get their work published. If you have yet to submit articles for syndication, you are missing out on a wonderful opportunity to share your knowledge as well as to promote your name. Getting started is not that difficult...you probably already have done so and you do not even know it!
How To Get Your Book Reviewed
How to Get Your Book Reviewed Imagine your book at the top of the Best Sellers List of the New York Times. Most authors do. The question is, "How do I get it there and sell millions of copies?" When planing your book, there is one critical thing that most authors forget - marketing. In the case of book reviewers this means pre-marketing. Most reviewers require a copy of your book at least three months before publication. This is because most book reviewers need time to ...
Ovecoming Writer's Block
What is writer's block? Well, I just can't think of a single darn thing to say. Oh well, I'm outta here! Sound familiar? No! Oh, get real! We've all experienced this phenomenon when we absolutely have to write something, particularly on deadline. I'm talking about. . . . .uh, I can't think of what the word is . . . oh, yes, it's on the tip of my tongue . . . it's: WRITER'S BLOCK!!!! Whew! I feel better just getting that out of my head and onto the page! ...
How To Become A Freelance Grant Writer
What is a freelance grant writer? These individuals have a lot of power in their hands. When they work for companies, they are essentially trying to help gain free money for that company to help the company expand, do research, or to stay in business. These individuals will use a detailed knowledge of the environment to create the best piece of work they can. Freelance grant writers hold a lot of people’s jobs within their hands. For those looking to become a grant writer, there are a wide ...
Ten Tips Articles
“Ten Tips” articles are the easiest piece to write because they are made up of only an introductory paragraph, your Ten Tips, and a conclusion. Print editors love these because they can easily be shortened if there is a lack of available space.
Creating And Distributing E-courses
E-courses are excellent sales tools and a great way to get your knowledge out there. It is very simple to create your course and either sell, or give it away as a “give-before-you-get” sales technique. If your course is designed to be a freebie, you’ll want to give a portion of good information; but don’t tell them everything or they’ll have no reason to make a purchase. If you are selling your course, make sure to jam pack it with everything you know, that way your customer will feel like they ...
Top 10 Common English Goofs By Web Authors
In reviewing and browsing web sites over the years, I have compiled a list of the most common misuses of English by web authors. Here they are in Letterman (reverse) order.
What Is A Ghostwriter And How Can I Find One To Hire?
A ghostwriter, as one may think is not a writer from another dimension, but rather a well established writer who researches and writes an article on an assigned topic under someone else's name. Not everybody has the luxury of time and space to write their own content these days, thus giving the term ghostwriter a whole brand new kick. Ghostwriters are no doubt the best alternative to go with if you want to spend more of your time promoting your products and trying to close the sales rather ...
Why You Should Write Articles Or At Least Get A Ghostwriter To Write For You
Overture reports over 1 million queries for article keyword related searches for the month of July 2005 itself. What this could actually mean is that a whole new level of exposure for your name and your services are awaiting you out there to grab. To get into the list of benefits of using articles as your marketing medium will require a list of pages to all of them listed down. I'll try to get a few of the most important ones explained in detail for you.
Texas Exotic Hunting
Texas Exotic Hunting is a popular sport in this state. Hog hunting in Texas and dove hunting in Texas are both considered exotic.
Business Writing Secrets Vol. 1
One of the most important aspects in the business world is writing. It is the critical process of communication inside a corporation and of course in the B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumer) trade.
Top Ten Writing Mistakes Made By New Children's Writers
Okay. So I’m not David Letterman. But I doubt if he’d know much about the top 10 mistakes made by new children’s writers anyway. I, on the other hand, read from 10 to 20 manuscripts for children every week (I'm not bragging - I’m just an instructor with the Institute of Children’s Literature). While many of the stories I read are destined for publication, I find that 10 common mistakes crop up again and again in the other manuscripts I edit each week.
How To Say More Than Words
The study of vocalics or paralanguage deals with the non-verbal qualities of speech. These qualities include pitch, amplitude, rate, and voice quality. Linguists argue that the way in which a person says something often means more than the actual words being spoken. Paralanguage instantaneously conveys information such as gender, education, origin, mood, and our relationship with the person being spoken to. In our spoken language, only 7% of the total message is relayed through the ...
Story Structure Final Conflict
Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero’s Journey. The Hero’s Journey is the most usable story structure consisting of at least 106 stages and the template for successful contemporary stories, from Star Wars to Al Pacino Scarface to The Incredibles to War of the Worlds to The Dirty Dozen to Midnight Cowboy. The Hero’s Journey is a valuable template because: a) It attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the ...
7 Ways to Turn Readers Into Friends
Back in my school days, if the teacher demanded a term paper I knew just what to do. I quickly researched the report, and wrote it as fast as I could.