Writing a Statement
November 30, 2006
You have decided on a great idea and researched a publication, what’s next?
Before you write any part of your article you should write a statement. This will keep you focused and makes the writing process much easier and quicker.
A statement should be concise and have between one and three sentences. Here are a few examples:
How to buy a good second-hand motor vehicle Changing jobs and finding your ideal position Moving house with little or no stress Five secrets of a healthy mind and body
The next step is to write between three and six essentials you would like to cover in the article. For example:
“How to buy a good second-hand motor vehicle”
You can write them down in any order and then simply renumber them in the order you want each one to appear in the article.
Now you know exactly what you are going to write about. Research will be effective and less time consuming. Anything that slips into your article that is not one of the essentials or directly relates to the statement doesn’t belong and should be removed.
Platform Development Tip #1: Switch Writing Hats!
November 30, 2006
Around eighty percent of nonfiction books today are written by "experts," that is people who have a) earned credentials in the field they’re writing about, b) germinated information via articles, live presentations or other media, or c) had extraordinary, unique or memorably told life experiences relevant to their topic.
For an autobiographical work, such as a memoir, an author needn’t have any special expertise-she is the foremost authority on her own life. For a how-to or self-help book, however, the first thing mainstream publishers want to know is, "Does the author have a platform?"
Among the multiple definitions of "platform" in Merriam Webster’s 10th edition are 1) a place from which to speak, 2) a set of principles, and 3) a vehicle for carrying things. All these are important to an author’s platform. The good news is, in the six to eighteen months it will take most authors to write either their book proposal or their entire book, they can develop a platform.
Here are some things editors look for in a platform:
- publications in the field demonstrating your expertise
- a mailing list
- pamphlets, tapes or other media carrying messages related to those in your book
For Beginners: Ten Ways To Prepare To Get Published
November 30, 2006
(Skip directly to ten for the fastest shortcut!)
Like any field, excellent writing requires study, practice and mentorship. Very few successful authors ever published their first draft of their first work. Nearly all had to expend considerable effort to improve their craft. Here are some ways to prepare for that moment of publication. These tips also help keep you on your toes after publication for better and better writing results as your career develops.
1) Read, read, read in your field. You can never read too much when you’re trying to excel as a writer. Reading in your field helps you develop a discerning eye. You need this discerning eye for when you step back and look at your own work.
2) Cultivate role models. Know who the top-selling authors are in your field. Find out more about them. How did they get to where they are? Do searches in the Internet (available in most libraries-ask your librarian how to use a search engine) for information about particular authors whose careers you admire. Let your role models inspire rather than daunt you. There is no competition, only inspiration, potential teachers and opportunities for cooperation. That author you envy this year may be writing a blurb for your first novel next year.
Writing Suitable Copy for the Press
November 29, 2006
Summer is finally here and school is out, but learning for the rest of us continues. Whether you’re a seasoned PR professional working for a top agency, a novice just beginning a career, or a mid-level manager working in-house at a small business, the time comes when we all could use a refresher course in properly writing suitable copy for the press.
My lesson occurred recently upon reading an interesting interview with retired Wall Street Journal assistant managing editor, Paul R. Martin, Sr., in The Bulldog Reporter, a public relations trade newsletter. Reporters and public relations professionals alike greatly admire Mr. Martin’s experience, and they should because his advice for avoiding common writing mistakes is the best primer available for writing great press releases.
Allow me to share with you what I learned: ·
Keep your press release short and simple. Try to use one word instead of two, and ask yourself if what you’ve written is redundant. If in doubt, have a colleague or friend read your release. Reporters want to understand your key points immediately. They don’t want to call you multiple times for clarification. ·
Interview with Book and Marketing Coach-Judy Cullins - Part 2
November 29, 2006
To know what to do at the right time in book writing, publishing, or internet marketing, consult a coaching expert who has lived it all for 20 years–Judy Cullins. Part one of this article is available at http://www.bookcoaching.com/freearticles/article-127.shtml
Q 6? You seem to be geared toward self-publishing. Yet, from what I’m reading from subscribers, there are so many problems with printers, publishers and bookstores that I don’t have with a traditional publisher. Aside from keeping control and the money, what advantages do you see in self-publishing? Is it worth all the headaches?
A 6- Well, I guess everyone is not geared to self-publishing, but I do recommend it. Not a headache to me, because I did go the traditional published route many years ago, and found it daunting that even though my strong points to the agent were that I could market and promote well, his offer wouldn’t make it worth that route.
The Heart of the Delay: Harnessing The Wisdom of Procrastination (AKA Writers Block)
November 29, 2006
I am sure that at in some era, at some desk, with some kind of paper (and perhaps some very special ink), some writer has breezed through a lengthy and challenging project from beginning to end with no delays. No one in her household has suffered, she’s felt pleased at each step of the process, and her shoulders have never cried out for massage. I’m sure of this.
I am equally certain that for most people, writing projects have at least some period of delay. Sometimes, it takes the form of distraction, and a bit of discipline works just fine to bring us back. Other times, our life’s work or inspiration of the moment sits there, waiting for us to get back to it, and every incomplete we’ve ever taken in school, every shaming message we’ve ever heard, or self-doubt we’ve ever felt encrusts the project like so many barnacles.
Worse still, "procrastination" and "writer’s block" pop up in writer’s tracts like names of diseases that need "cures," the right sledgehammer, or perhaps simply to be ignored. While some writers may find it helpful to have a name for what gets in the way of what they’re trying to achieve, "writer’s block" or "procrastination" can falsely universalize very different phenomena. My obstacles, yours, and hers may be different animals, different species or even perhaps silicon-based non-organic entities. Framing them as negative blocks the opportunity to learn something about ourselves or our writing.
Simultaneous Article Submission
November 28, 2006
Do you know the difference between simultaneous article submissions and multiple submissions?
This is something that trips up new writers, and some more seasoned individuals.
A travel writer I knew sent the same feature length article to two leading newspapers without letting the editors know. Unfortunately, both publications printed the article on the same day. What do you think this does to your reputation?
Immediately the writer’s name was put on the list of unreliable contributors and she received a “do not send articles to us again” letter.
Simultaneous
Simultaneous submissions relates to sending the same article to more than one publication. The word means at the same time; synchronised, concurrent, coinciding.
Please read this next paragraph carefully, because it will make a big difference to your success.
It is impossible to send the same article or exactly the same idea to more than one magazine because each article or idea should be specifically targeted to a particular publication. The same article will not perfectly fit into both Magazine X and Magazine Y, as each publication has its own style and readership.
Multiple
Become an Instant Author by Playing Well with Others
November 28, 2006
You wrote a tips booklet. Maybe more than one. Oh wait, are you one of the people who still hasn’t done one yet? Not to worry. This is not leading up to any kind of guilt trip for you. This article is going in a completely different direction. Stay with me on this.
Look around you. You probably have colleagues, a circle of professional friends, people you utilize as a sounding board, as a mastermind, as a respite from your daily process. And you each like doing the work you’ve prepared yourself to do, whether it’s being a business coach, a hypnotist, a retailer, an artist, a realtor, or endless other possibilities. Yet you also love the idea of being a published author?someday, when you get around to it, when the stars and planets are aligned just perfectly. Or the idea of expanding an existing product line appeals to you, and a booklet seems to be the perfect answer for that. After all, these are some of the things that drove you to subscribe to this newsletter to begin with, right?
Baby Boomers and Booklets ? Share and Share Alike
November 28, 2006
As one of those fabulous Baby Boomers, you now own a lifetime of valuable experiences, experiences that are useful to other people. You’ve given so much to your family all these years. It’s dawning on you there may be a larger audience who would benefit from your knowledge. You’re just beginning to hit your stride. Writing a book is too daunting. The speaking circuit isn’t quite right, either. What else can you do?
One easy answer is a tips booklet. Create a tips booklet from those discoveries you’ve made — with your family, your work, your personal interests, your trials, and your victories. You can make a huge contribution to someone else’s life by passing along your first-hand wisdom, in bite-sized pieces. It will definitely take you less time, money, and stress to write a booklet than an entire book. Plus you’ll become an instant author.
Your everyday solutions may have seemed like common sense at the time. And for you, it was. With some distance and further evaluation, you now see what was common sense to you isn’t necessarily common sense to someone else.
? Look at the answers you found for creating balance between home and work.
Self Publishing At The Speed Of Thought
November 27, 2006
Publishing, both electronic and hard copy, from articles to books, has come a long way in recent years. I used to be fascinated by anyone who had become a “real” author of a book. For that matter, anyone who had been published in a magazine or newspaper!
The whole thing seemed so validating for authors, yet getting published, so cryptic. How do you become “published?” How did you get someone to take your subject so seriously that they gave you a retainer to finish your project and then published and sold your books for you?
These and many other questions always flew around my head in the years that it took me to figure out how publishing, the traditional kind, worked. Then came the internet. Then everything changed.
And the changes today are more radical than ever before. You can completely publish your own work from the first sentence you write to the first time you flip through the pages of your book, all through the internet.
In fact, self publishing your own book is verging on common place these days. And publishing your work entirely on the web, with blogs or through a regular website is almost old hat to many people.
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