Writing & Publishing Tips

Have you ever started writing a story only to find you are unable to bring it to a close?

While compiling pieces of my work for my first book, At the Starting Gate, I found myself in that situation with a narrative poem I had started. I struggled to no avail to finish it. I could not, for the life of me, bring it to a satisfactory end. It was too long-without a well defined middle and end. It was also filled with repetitious words and phrases, as I am inclined to do when I think I am strongly emphasizing a point.

I clicked on the auto-summarize function button out of frustration, to see just how much of what I had said seemed important to the computer program. Interestingly, my four page rant produced a one-page summary. I had stumbled upon a helpful technique for quickly creating a poem solely by chance.

I researched the Auto-Summarize function further and found it was set at a default setting which summarized 25% of my original content. There were also other percentages. This function summarizes in 10 or 20 sentences, 100 words or less or 500 words or less. It will also produce 10, 25, 50, or 75% summaries.

If you have not yet used this feature of your word processing program, try it. You might find as I did, that this is a uniquely helpful tool. Begin by writing your story or poem the way you normally write. Write as much as you can think of from beginning to end - quickly.

When you have put everything on paper that you could think of - stop. Use the auto-summarize function on your word processing program to summarize. You can now use the highlighted portion from your auto-summarization to create a story
or a poem.

© 2008 by Leona G. Shankle

As an internet marketer, it's very important that you write and distribute your very own newsletters. These are great communication tools and they can help boost your sales and revenue in no time.

Writing newsletters can be overwhelming at first. But with the following tips and techniques, this endeavor can be a piece of cake:

1. First, determine how often you want to publish your newsletters. Do you want to do it every week or every month? Knowing this will help you plan ahead and will help you limit the scope of each newsletter that your produce.

2. Plan ahead. If you intend to publish your newsletters every week, I suggest that you plan ahead. You need to know what you're going to discuss from week 1 to week 4.

3. Think of your readers. Consider these people and their needs when writing your newsletters. Choose topics that they find interesting and write your newsletters based on their preferences.

4. Find a problem. You'll most likely to boost your readership if you talk about the pressing issues of your audience. You see, these people simply love it when somebody understands the things that they're going through. So, talk about their problems in details. Discuss the possible causes and prevention. Then, end your newsletters by offering the most appropriate solutions. Your readers will surely appreciate you for doing so.

5. Keep it simple. Consider the level of comprehension of your audience when writing your newsletters. If you're serving those who did not even attend college, it's safe if you stick with common terms. This is to make sure that they'll be able to get the message that you're trying to get across.

6. Extensive research. You want your newsletters to come out as informative and as content-rich as possible, right? So, be wiling to research your chosen topics thoroughly. Aside from checking online and offline resources, it will also help if you interview other experts who can offer you with additional data.

7. Offer fresh information. As people in general simply love learning something new, it's best if you talk about hot topics on your newsletters. Just make sure that they're relevant to your chosen niche and that your readers will find them worthwhile.

8. Build personal connection with your readers. Keep in mind that your ultimate goal in writing your newsletters is to get your readers to like and trust you. It would help if you can make these people feel that you're someone that they can easily relate to. Make them feel that you do understand where they are coming from and show them that somehow you're alike. For example, you can tell them that you've faced the same problems before. By doing so, you'll make these people feel comfortable with you. This is the first step to earn their trust.

9. Ask for feedback. Before you publish your newsletters, I suggest that you show them to your colleagues or to a trusted friend first. Let these people critique your job so you can easily figure out the things that you need to improve on before you send these to your target readers.

10. Be an effective writer. An effective writer is someone who thinks of his audience all the time; someone who's willing to go to great lengths to make sure that his readers are extremely happy with the content that he's offering. You can be that person if you're genuinely interested in helping your audience.

11. Strive for excellence. Never settle for anything less. You want to offer your readers with something that will leave a lasting mark on their minds. Your articles must not only be explosive, 100% original, well-written and very informative but they must also be pleasurable to read as well. These types of articles are most likely to become popular in the online arena in no time.

12. Check your newsletters. Read them over and over again preferably after 24 hours that you wrote them. Look for all sorts of errors (grammar, spelling, punctuation, factual, and syntax error) and correct them right away.

About the Author
Sean Mize teaches coaches, consultants, and small business owners how to package their knowledge and sell it at a high price.

Internet Marketing
Teleseminar Basics

Introduction

Freelance writing is the best option to satisfy your inner self. Freelance writing positions demand that the writer's skills and credentials be updated and current. Freelance writing is business writing, web writing, newspaper writing, writing for marketing and writing for magazines.

Writing

There was a time when freelance writing jobs were locale-specific. After all, was it worth the expense of a magazine or newspaper ad to get help on that small writing project. This is also true for freelance writing opportunities, a closer inspection reveals that there many opportunities for freelancers via the Internet. Use it to find your opportunity and keep writing. In short, freelance writing is all about making more money while doing something you love.

Keep in mind that writing for online sources is very different from print writing. Showing a client a few samples of your work allows them to see your style and the level of quality they can expect. Writing and selling short stories and fiction creates both a little bit of upfront money as well as residual income.

Freelancing

Freelance writing has many benefits for both the writers and the company. The top benefit for freelancers is the additional income. Some benefits of freelance writing positions and freelance writing work are as follows:

1) Professional freelance writing is one of the most highly paid jobs.


2) The freelancers generally enjoy a variety of assignments.


3) Freelancers usually get more freedom to choose their work schedule and decide their schedule according to their preferences.Freelancers enjoy the added benefit of working at home.


4) Their experience leads to a broader portfolio of work and the establishment of a network of clients that ultimately leading to a permanent freelance writing position.


5) Sometimes the professional freelance writers and clients form a relationship based on mutual needs and the professionalism, and competence of both parties which proves highly beneficial for both of them.

In order to become competent in freelance writing you need to be fluent in language and have grasp of grammar. You must also possess excellent communication skills. You can even opt for online freelance writing where you will not be required to meet the client personally. If you want to take freelance writing work as your profession then you must take a first-class freelance writing course where you will be able to get helpful freelance writing tips.

Conclusion

Freelance writing jobs are designed to enable people with creative writing skills, who are employed elsewhere, to pursue their passion for writing while still working at a regular job. Freelancing is all about working independently and doing something you really like. It is the best choice for those who have a talent for writing and do not wish to bind themselves in hectic work schedules.

There are many freelance writing jobs out there waiting for you, but you need to be readily available to stay ahead of the competition.

Finding time to write is extremely hard for many writers. Personally, my brain is crowded with hundreds of creative ideas early in the morning but, instead of committing them to paper or the computer, I opt to do "just one little thing first" then I'll write. Before I know it, the ideas are forgotten and I am well into performing other tasks.

Finding time to write is a dilemma for published and non-published writers and is a problem regardless of whether you work outside the home or not. Finding time to write has to be a passion. If you're committed to writing a certain amount each day or week or to writing at specific times, you're much more likely to get work done.

Finding time to write is a huge problem for beginning writers, especially those with full-time jobs and families. The demands of raising children, car-pooling and, school conferences all have a claim on - our time for writing. Although finding time to write is difficult, you need to set aside a certain amount of time each day or week just for writing.

Here are a few tips that might help new writers find that all elusive - time to write.

1) Keep an erasable white board on the wall next to your desk to jot down ideas as they come to you.

2) Cut down on your time on the web. The Internet and email are great, but they can be huge time wasters for writers. Cutting down on your time on the web will help you find an unbelievable amount of time to write.

3) In some instances you may find that your only option for finding quality time to write is to write on the weekend.

4) Look for pockets of time and be disciplined in using them. This requires consciously looking at what you do with your time each day and finding things that can be eliminated or postponed.

5) Write two pages a day during the early morning hours before the rest of the household wakes up.

6) Let loved ones and friends know how they can help you.

7) Keep a notepad and pen beside your bed, in the bathroom, and on the kitchen counter for jotting down those ideas that ALWAYS seem to come when you're busy doing something else.

Ideally, we would all enjoy spending as much time as we want at a writers' retreat to guarantee uninterrupted writing time. Since that's not about to happen, use a few or all of the ideas above to gain more time for your writing.

Hello, we're back again with another Writing Tip! I hope you're feeling great and had a terrific week!

Well, I came across some super-hot deals online for you this time! Guess what I found!?

Writing Poetry from the Inside Out : Finding Your Voice Through the Craft of Poetry by Sandford Lyne

In Writing Poetry from the Inside Out, poet and national poetry workshop leader, Sandford Lyne, offers the writing exercises, guidance, and encouragement you need to find the poet inside you. Lyne's techniques, which he developed through twenty years of teaching poetry workshops, flow from an understanding that poetry is an art form open to everyone.

We all can-and should-write poetry. In this enchanting and inspiring volume, Lyne will introduce you to the pleasures and surprises of writing poetry, and his methods and insights will help you tap into your own unique voice and perspective to compose poems of your own in as little as a few minutes.

Whether you are an experienced writer looking for new techniques and sources of inspiration or a novice poet who has never written a poem in your life, Writing Poetry from the Inside Out will help you to craft the poems you've always longed to write.

I hope you find something interesting and helpful here.

Let us hear from you, I'd love to hear your ideas! Thanks for letting us into your life!

Until we write again,
Leona

It's good to see you, I'm happy you came by. I have a practical Writing & Publishing tip to share with you this week. Hope you're having a first rate week!

Did you know? A good way to increase your chances of getting your work published is to keep in mind who your target market is. You must also make sure that you reflect this in your writing.

Each type of publication not only has a different set of rules for the writers who submit to them, but their readership also has different sets of standards. Take time to look at past issues to get a feel for what the editors at a particular publication feel is acceptable.

That's our tip for today! As always, we'd love to hear your own tips and tricks. Take care, and we'll see you next time!

When you submit a story to a magazine, remember that you must get straight to the point and, you must be interesting. You must accomplish both in the first two lines of your query letter.

You should follow up with a phone call after they have had 2 days to review your story. Prepare yourself to have only a 30 second phone call. And, it is a good idea to have some suggestions ready just in case you meet with some opposition.

That's all for today, I'll see you again soon.

Thanks for joining us.

Until we write again,

Leona

Trying to "get started" writing is the hard part. The key is to take the plunge, just "get started". In the beginning, simply - WRITE. That might sound trite and simplistic when you're just starting out. The truth is - it is simple. Not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but simple. We will make corrections, edit, add to, change, or improve after we have some momentum going.

Don't try to write a 900 page novel

You might ask, "Why would I want to keep it simple and small if I want to write a novel or a big book?"

Those of us, who regularly think about writing a book or a novel, think in terms of the finished product - a 500 to 900 page finished product. The process of writing that number of pages alone is an overwhelming task for first-timers. Every time we think of writing our book, we think of writing from beginning to end. We start, we get overwhelmed, and we stop.

My biggest dilemma and one of my main hold-ups to getting my book finished was the thought of starting from my early childhood and writing through to the present day. Another thing that kept me "stuck" not getting to a finished product was trying to say too much.

For example, I often thought of writing a tribute to my teachers starting with first grade. This included everything from what I did before leaving home on the first day of school to how the teacher held her hands as she wrote assignments for us. Then I moved on to second grade. Same thing; I talked about how pretty the teacher was, what we did period by period during the day, and how the teacher chose which students would respond to a particular question, etc. Needless to say, I only got as far as the spring of second grade year. At that point, I went off on a tangent. I started an outline that included every teacher I ever had along with notes about them and the class.

It was not until I held someone else's 53 page 8 ½" X 5 ½" book in my hands that I realized, "I can do this, I can write a book this size!" I changed my thoughts. Instead of imagining 900 pages I began to see 50 to 80 pages - complete, printed and bound. 80 pages was a "do-able" thing without being overwhelming.

I re-thought and altered my planned tribute to teachers. Instead of a journey through 12 grades of school, I wrote a poem or a dedication to specific teachers - those who had directly inspired me to write.

Forget Chapters

Your book does not have to be a series of chapters in sequence, another misconception that hinders us first-timers. With no idea where to start or how to do it, we unintentionally bombard ourselves with too much too soon. Instead of the BIG book we could change our vision to a more attainable goal.

Your book could be a compilation of short stories like the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Another book without chapters in sequence is Chocolate for a Woman's Heart & Soul. Yours might even be a book of short inspirational stories or a cookbook filled with favorite recipes collected from family and friends. Those of us with hobbies or who are good at a particular craft might write a book about "how-to-do" what we do.

If you don't have a book like the ones mentioned above, consider buying one or getting one from your public library as your guide.

by Angela Booth

Want to write for money online? Writers are in huge demand, so just about anyone who can put together a sentence and paragraph can be paid for their writing.

Choose What You Want to Write

There are two primary ways to get paid - by writing for others, and by writing for yourself. Of course, you can combine the two, but when you first start out chances are that you will write for others so that you can get some cash.

You choose what you want to write. You can write: articles, reviews, advertising, news reports, blog posts, ebooks, complete Web sites... there's no limit to what you can write.

When You're Starting out: Get Paid to Write for Others

Every business of any size - and many small businesses too - needs words. Finding those businesses is easy. Just go to any of the out-sourcing sites, and bid on projects. Write the projects you win, and ask your buyers for testimonials.

Those testimonials are vital: once you've gained some testimonials, you can make more money than you ever could on the out-sourcing sites by creating your own Web site, and selling your services there, directly to buyers who approach you.

When You Have Some Experience: Get Paid to Write for Yourself

Once you have some experience in writing for others, you can write for yourself. You'll make money from your writing in similar ways to the people who hired you to write. You can write and sell articles, ebooks, entire Web sites... and much more.

One of the best ways to make money writing for yourself is to write ebooks. Ebooks on many topics are in demand, because people go online looking for information. If you can provide that information in an ebook you'll be paid for it; your ebooks will go on selling for years.

Writing for money online is largely a matter of experience. You will earn as you learn. Please don't be disappointed if you make just a little money when you start out. The more you know, the more you can earn. As you gain experience, your online writing income will increase. Many writers make six figure incomes online, and they started just as you're starting out, by writing word by word, and payment by payment.

Enjoy your writing - there's never been a better time to be a writer. You can write for money online - just get started.

About the Author

Discover how to make money online in your spare time with Angela Booth's Sell Your Writing Online NOW training. Not only will you discover how to write and sell articles, you'll get complete training in how the Web works, so you can take advantage of the unlimited opportunities.

Writing fiction is such a joy! You can lie all you want! And, maybe in lying, tell a different kind of truth. Writing fiction is how I could be making a living, but I prefer the absolute certainty of poverty that blogging gives me.

Writing fiction is a wonderful, creative form of writing. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time, but that does not mean to say that I am no longer interested in writing my non-fiction books and blogging well into the wee hours of the morning. Writing fiction is something I hope to do more of and will include links to my stories on this page.

When you started writing fiction, you probably did so at about the same time that you discovered that not only did your parents not have all the answers to the universe, but neither did anybody else.

There is a serendipitous journey to be taken when writing a novel, where things unfold in surprising and exciting ways the writer couldn't have foretold. Part of the joy of writing fiction is the excitement of sitting at a keyboard and watching words appear on the screen and a story take shape as if by magic.

Fiction gives us the greatest possible freedom to tell stories --- and I believe very much in the power of stories to influence the way people think. Writing fiction is a great escape from reality.

What do you think? Are fiction writers lying or imagining? Can you "lie" up a good story, book, or novel? Have you ever thought about doing it?

© 2009 by Leona G. Shankle

Creative writing is our passion. It is the reason this website and many other websites like it, exists. Creative writing is guided more by our need to express feelings and ideas than by restrictive demands of factual and logical progression of expository writing. It is a form of personal freedom.

Many writers strive to excel at creative writing, but the process can be a bit unnatural and challenging for some. Creative writing is an individual pursuit, and each writer must find her or his own method within the process.

Writing beautiful prose and captivating poetry is a talent. Writing effectively, however, is a skill that can be learned. Writing is composed of two main activities: creating and critiquing.

Writing excites me, and I delight in enchanting you with words which flow from my pen, more accurately, my keyboard. Writing is a rare tool that allows us to discover and to express what is within.

Writing brings us gratifying rewards whether we do it for our own satisfaction or have aspirations to achieve wealth and fame as the author of a best seller.

Creative writing is any writing where the purpose is to express thoughts, feelings and emotions rather than to simply convey information. It is the composition of text with the aid of the imaginative faculties. For those of us who write, creative writing is one of the most powerful tools available to explore our interior.

The past month has been an extremely busy one for me but, it has also been highly charged - creatively.

More Writing Tips

© 2009 by Leona G. Shankle

Short Stuff

First, choose an idea and start with the basics of a short story. A quick start is especially important in short stories because you don't have much room to tell your story. If you're having trouble brainstorming, try making a web or table; create about five main sentences for your short story. Novice writers are often given this advice on how to structure short stories: Put a man up a tree, Throw stones at him, Get him down.

There's no room for free-loaders in a short story. Around three main characters is all a short story can effectively deal with because too many will distract you from your theme. Use vivid imagery to draw the reader in.

In today's fast-moving world, the first sentence of your short story should catch your reader's attention with the unusual, the unexpected, an action, or a conflict. Keep your paragraphs and sentences short if you're telling a fast-moving action-filled story.

Grab your reader from the very first line and, begin your short story as close to the conclusion as possible. Your job as a writer of short fiction -- whatever your beliefs -- is to put complex personalities on stage and let them strut and fret their brief hour. For example, let's say you want to develop a college student persona for a short story that you are writing.

As a writer, you need to determine who is going to tell the story and how much information is available for the narrator to reveal in the short story.

Throw Some Stones: Add Some Conflict

Create a conflict for your protagonist. Then present the problems that can occur (throw some stones): misunderstandings / mistaken identity / lost opportunities, etc. Build the story's tension by having the protagonist make several failed attempts to solve or overcome the problem. Create a crisis that serves as the last chance for the protagonist to solve his or her problem. In general, make sure the story flows and the characters and their problems are introduced and resolved appropriately.

Get the Action Going

For a story to be believable, your characters have to be believable, and their actions should appear inevitable given who they are. The rest of your paragraph introduces an internal conflict as your protagonist debates a course of action and introduces an intriguing contrast of past and present setting. Show the reader what kind of person your character is, by describing actions rather than simply listing adjectives.

Solve the Problem: Get the man Down

Resolve the tension by having your protagonist succeed through his or her own intelligence, creativity, courage or other positive attributes. You have to do everything that happens in a novel; introduce characters, create conflict, develop characters, and resolve conflict in twenty or thirty pages - when the internal or external conflict is resolved. Sometimes the setting or some aspect of setting resolves the plot. This step is repeated until all the problems are solved.

It is here that love triumphs over hate, good conquers evil, honesty defeats deceit, or the underdog wins.

© 2009 by Leona G. Shankle

Everybody has a story to tell. Some desire to tell their stories more than others, and many people think about doing just that-someday. If you're reading this right now you can probably think of at least one time in your life when the thought crossed your mind that the situation you were in would make a good story. Some people think of writing their stories on a regular basis. I'm one of those people. No matter what the day or what the occasion happened to be, I found myself thinking, "this will make a good story".

Like me, you probably have written bits and pieces of poetry, fiction, short stories, and novels in an attempt to get that book done. Day after day and year after year, you write your pieces for that "one-day-I'll-write-that-book" file. Pages become piles, piles become filled folders or binders that inevitably end up stored away.

Eventually, if you're lucky, something or someone motivates you to the point of actually doing instead of thinking. In my case, it was my daughter who coaxed me to do it rather than simply talking about it.

Now it's your turn. I'm here to motivate you, to coax you into finally getting enough of your words on paper to make that book you've always dreamed of writing, a reality.

Before we begin, think of the book you always wanted to write. How big is it? How many pages do you contemplate? Will it be a novel, a short story, or will it be a collection of your poetry? Inspirational pieces? A cookbook? What is your answer?

THINK AGAIN! THINK SMALLER! Think about making your book only half that size.

Step 1: Find the Spark That Lights Your Fire
Pull yourself up to the table. Think about what you want to do; something you have always wanted to do but put it off. Now what you need to do is find the spark to light the fire within.

My "fire within" had fizzled to a smoldering simmer when my daughter gave me a book her friend, Tracie Jae, had written. It was a quick easy read so I finished the entire book in two sessions. After reading it, I gave it a thorough going-over, from cover to cover-several times. To my daughter I said, "This is great, I love her book!" Inside my head, I thought, and to my daughter I declared, "I can do this! I can write a book this size!" The fire was lit! The desire to write began to burn inside immediately, like it never had before.

Tracie's book, "Freedom's Verse", became my new best friend and constant companion as I moved about the house gathering my written work. I studied her book, re-read and used it to form a picture of my own book in my mind.

MORE HERE

© 2009 by Leona G. Shankle

Introduction

Writing of any sort is hard, but rewarding work - you'll gain a huge amount of satisfaction from a finished piece. Writing is a form of personal freedom. MORE HERE

Writing, for most people, is often a struggle. Writing also involves a deeper understanding of how ideas can be pieced together to convey broader meaning. For example, writing news features can be more demanding than writing straight news stories, because while a journalist must apply the same amount of effort to accurately gather and report the facts of the story, he or she must also find a creative and interesting way to write it. Ultimately, writing shouldn't be torture, it is a skill.

Writers

Sometimes, we writers can end up feeling that our writing is a chore, something that "must" be done, or something to procrastinate over for as long as possible. As writers, we understand that we do not simply produce a finished draft in one writing. We realize it is a process of writing and editing from pre-writing through final draft. Serious writers constantly make choices and evaluate the effect of those choices.

All writers have to revise and edit their work - it's rare that a story, scene or even a sentence comes out perfectly the first time. Writers must not only preview what they want to convey as they put their ideas on paper, but also continually self-monitor to stay on track.

Writers sometimes search out others to evaluate or critique their work. If you know there are problems with your story but can't pinpoint them ask a fellow writer to read through it and give feedback.

Writing Tips

The internet is full of writing tips and tricks for beginners. To get started, do some short exercises to stretch your writing muscles - if you're short of ideas, read the Daily Writing Tips article on "Writing Bursts". Be sure that your writing is well organized. Poorly organized writing may not read well and may even confuse your readers. Celebrate your writing by publishing your own customized online eZine.

A Thriller Ending

The conclusion provides a thoughtful end to a piece of writing; unfortunately, many conclusions are little more than summaries of what has already been said. To make your work stand out, write a riveting conclusion, one that not only summarizes the work but gives it that final zing. Leave your readers satisfied with what they have read up to this point but, anxiously waiting for and wanting more.

© 2009 by Leona G. Shankle

Sometimes, as writers, we cannot control what happens to our words and the ideas that they represent. Yet, we put a tremendous amount of effort into creating books, essays, articles, web pages, poetry, plays, screen plays, and other works so that we and others can learn from them. We have access to books and websites full of writing tips that provide useful ideas, inspiration, and guidelines to help us be better at our craft.

Many writers traditionally get stuck in a couple places in their writing: in the beginning when we are trying to discover or develop our lead, in the end when we are searching for just the right conclusion and at transition points throughout the article when we are tasked with introducing a new idea.

Writing Tips:

1) Put off editing

2) Use a structure. For some writers, having a structure in place first makes the writing easier.

Introduction

Branding is a mindset, not a 60 second spot. It is often product-centric instead of consumer-centric. It is about giving people a reason to have a conversation in the first place, by being important in their lives. Branding is simply those qualities transposed to companies and products.

Branding is a very important part of any business. It is about building a positive impression and a strong preference for your company or product. The challenge is finding a way to make it relevant in the context of technology marketing. It is what people think of when they hear, see, touch, or smell. It is about starting, keeping, and capitalizing on, word of mouth.

Branding

Branding can also create good word of mouth and it asks the question "What is it?" Branding is the business, service or product you think of first. It is who you are and what makes you distinctly different from the rest of your competitors. It should be about the ego of the consumer, not the ego of the brand. It is more than giving your business a catchy name.

The foundation of great marketing is branding and only works if you can promise your customer consistency. It isn't supposed to sell anything more than an idea, essentially burning your company or web site name or slogan into the minds of potential customers.

Business

Business owners need to be very careful and focus on marketing the brand and the organization rather than themselves. Business websites need to deliver very clear messages: trustworthiness, know-how, consistency, and customer support and respect. In a tough economy like today where everyone is offering big discounts to secure business, simply being a little bit different can help keep your products and services selling at full price.

"Branding" is, by far, the single most over-used and over-hyped business-related concept. When you build a great reputation, your customers will refer new business to you because they genuinely think highly of you. Connotation is the message you or your business is actively trying to present to others: it is the story you're telling to the world. That's why you make a logo and give your business a solid name.

Personal

Personal branding can single an individual out as an expert in their field, but are there are downfalls to personal branding. It is not about you, it is about everyone else. It is what you do every day of your life. It is about identifying and then communicating what makes you unique and relevant and differentiated for your target audience, so that you can reach your career and/or business goals.

Conclusion

Branding is hard work and it may mean anything from exploring cultural phenomena and its affects on your business to your key marketing messages and value to the market place. Branding is a process you use to create a feeling for you and your company. Branding is more about your customers than it is about your business.

© 2009 by Leona G. Shankle

Introduction

A vital part of being an author is book marketing, it is not sufficient to just be a talented writer. Book Marketing is the job of the author. Authors face one common challenge: how to differentiate themselves from other writers in general and other authors in particular who are targeting their content to the same specific audience.

Book marketing is all about creating relationships. It is not an easy task but with good designers and creative people, it is not impossible either. Book marketing is more successful when there is one large primary audience.

Marketing

Learning how to sell your own self-published books is central to book marketing. Your success is directly linked to your ability or inability to market your book. Marketing objectives: 1) Establish a web presence and make your book available via a website. 2) Generate other products from your book and build a marketing plan around those products.

Blog

Authors and publicists put up blogs, sharing their ideas on book marketing. Authors should also use their personal blogs to promote their book. Blog touring, a virtual book tour, is beginning to catch on for authors who want to market their works online. Twitter may be the best website/tool for you to build an online community FAST.

Remember, you should be blogging on your own site or URL to link to from Twitter and other social networks. Keep blogging and you will always get customers and traffic. Update your professional blog or social network at least once a week.

Sell

Selling your book to the public takes just as much time and effort, and sometimes much more, than it took to write it. Many authors make the mistake of thinking that once their book is written, it will somehow sell itself.

There are many things you can do next week to promote and to sell your book(s); sell boxes of books at a discounted price to companies, organizations and associations that may be linked with your book's topic.
Online bookstores are a great way to generate profits. Pull your book apart and sell it as a series of reports, record it and sell it as an audio. Market to bookstores and libraries, sell to book clubs, associations and non-book retailers. Market your book on the Internet.

Conclusion

Book marketing is all about calling attention to your book, in the hopes that prospective readers will buy it. Book marketing is a series of good steps and missteps. If you have a book to promote and need your book marketing efforts to really take off without spending a fortune, the ideas above will get you started in the right direction.

The much bigger problem for book marketing is that there are so many books out there. The key to successful book marketing is to use your imagination and to identify your market and where they are located. A great example of how the new book marketing works is Glenda Watson Hyatt, author of "I'll Do It Myself."

© 2009 by Leona G. Shankle

Introduction

Print on Demand or POD is changing the way we publish, it is a fantastic new method of printing which is opening publishing up to previously unknown authors. POD is precisely what it sounds like, the ability to print one or a hundred books. Print what you need, when you need it.

In every industry there are those who produce and those who pay for production. Print-On-Demand is a very simple change, which is a step in the right direction. It is one method of self-publishing a book.

Print

Print-on-demand or POD is a printing technology and business process in which new copies of a book or other document also allows for books to be printed in a variety of formats. This technology enables publishers to print both paperback and hardcover books "on demand".

Print-On-Demand is fast, cost effective printing, with short runs included (25-500 copies). It is simply printing from a digital file, a book, or magazine only when it is needed and in the quantity needed making low volume, low risk, low cost publishing feasible.

POD is a great option for family historians looking to print a few books for their family, or to set up an option for relatives to order their own copies. Another plus is the speed with which your book gets from digital manuscript to printed book.

On demand book printing methods require no up-front printing costs. Print-on-demand is not conducive to allowing returns.

Demand

"Print-On-Demand" is the Smart way to launch a book. You can save A LOT OF MONEY with smaller print runs and ordering books as demand increases. Once your book is set up in most systems, it will be printed, quite literally, on demand. The use of demand printing eliminates wasted printings of books that do not sell, and avoids overstock sitting in stores or a warehouse.

The basis behind Print-on-Demand is that a computer is used instead of the traditional offset printing process. The ultimate in print-on-demand is the production of one copy at a time. The newer model, self-publishing and print-on-demand is perfect for writers and info-preneurs that want a solution to make money fast, increase exposure or grow a business.

One misconception about print-on-demand is that it always means printing one at a time. A print-on-demand service might produce one publication at a time for one client but print sets of 100 for another.

Conclusion

Print-On-Demand is good for writers as it is a process that offers many advantages over offset printing. POD is the best solution for customers who require small volumes of printed material or targeted direct mail campaigns while minimizing stock holding and benefiting from a quick turnaround.

Here is a listing of several Print-On-Demand Publishers:
http://www.writers-publish.com/print-on-demand-publishers.html

A word of caution: Print-On-Demand companies don't edit or copyedit the material they're given. Take the responsibility of getting your book copyedited or the result can be a poor product.

© 2009 by Leona G. Shankle

Introduction

Self-publishing is printing a book or other type of work yourself instead of going through a publishing company. It is different from regular publishing in that there is no traditional publisher. It simply means that you take control entirely of your book - you retain 100% copyright to your book, you keep all the royalties, you decide which book store you'd like to target - YOU KEEP CONTROL OF YOUR BOOK.

Self-publishing is not a last resort for authors. In today's tough economy, self-publishing your own book could help increase your cash flow.

Publishing

Today's world of publishing is dominated by larger commercial houses that ignore works which don't have mass appeal. Large book publishing companies have such high overhead costs they must sell at least 10,000 copies of a book to break even.

The first step in the book publishing process is to educate your self. Step two is to prepare your files for print. Step three is the actual printing of your book. The fourth step, distribution, is almost as important as the first three steps combined.

Self-publishing is now more practical and affordable than ever before. It is now possible for self-publishing authors to produce their books in low volumes, allowing them to see if the market takes to the author's book. Self-publishing might be a bit of a challenge, but you will reap the rewards and benefits it offers.

Book

Do you want to make money and have control over your book at the same time? Bookstores will usually not deal with smaller publishing companies because of the hassle. Further, larger houses take 12 to 18 months to produce a book, and control all aspects including whether it will ever be reprinted.

Self-Publishing is perfectly suited to any genre of writing, whether it's a novel, poetry, memoirs, academic, travelogue, or other nonfiction. The author of a good book must give adequate attention to its theme, style and structure. The physical appearance of your book must reflect its thematic uniqueness--its set of ideas that makes it different from any other title.

Publicity generated through these efforts can help stimulate interest in your book. Your audience will be aware of your book, so you will certainly have a fair shot at being distributed nationally in addition to making the expected sales to your narrowly defined target market.

Conclusion

Self-publishing and low volume book printing are an ideal combination. There is no need for self- publishing authors to print large quantities of books, to get a great price. Books may be printed per order.

Self-publishing can be done well by anyone - you just need the determination and the will to go through with it. It is only a good idea to self-publish if the writer has a balanced and level head which is driven by a desire to produce well-crafted work, and is not driven by the desire to just publish or to gain stardom.

© 2009 by Leona G. Shankle

Introduction

Getting published is a lot like graduating, it is not just an achievement - it is a credential. Although it is an enormous challenge, getting your work published is a great way to increase your visibility. The willpower to follow through and determination are your greatest resources.

The Author's Toolbox has everything the aspiring writer needs to be published at a fraction of the market cost. According to Author and Success Coach Karen Robertson, "Anyone who follows through can get published."

Published

Getting published is all about finding the right market for your work. You can educate yourself by searching the Internet, visiting your public library, and joining groups or associations with similar objectives. The first step in getting published is researching the market. A little research will make your efforts to get published more successful.

Your poems, short stories, or articles may not necessarily be suitable for every publication. You must search to find a good fit. If you don't want to waste your own and the editors' time, read what has already been published before you submit your work.

Having never published before, you might well choose to write an article to begin with, instead of launching into a full-blown book, for several reasons. Once published, you will be much better situated to decide whether and how to go about writing your book. Even without a published book, you could possibly offer a successful creative writing workshop through a local venue. A good place to start with this would be your YMCA, community civic clubs, after school groups, or your local library.

Establish your goal, is it to: get started as a writer, get my work published, hone my writing skills, sell my novel or short stories, make extra money with writing, learn advanced writing techniques, write for magazines, or fuel my creativity.

Work your plan: educate yourself, research the market, and submit to appropriate venues. Repeat the process. Educate, research, and submit until you find the perfect home for your work.

Publishing

With self-publishing, YOU commission a company to publish your books, typically "on-demand". Best of all, you get to keep as much as 100% of the publishing profits. But the self-publishing world has opened opportunities to everyone - and allows fantastic writers, like you, to get noticed - QUICKLY.

Explore the options of self-publishing and acquiring a distributor. Research the roles of publishers and literary agents in the book publishing industry.

Unfortunately, too many aspiring authors are under the impression that getting a book published is as simple as coming up with a great idea, writing a manuscript, and submitting to a publishing company.

Conclusion

Getting published is the dream of every unpublished writer. Getting published is all about finding the right match. The trick to getting published is to make sure the work is of value to your customers, and not just an advertisement for your business.

Careful planning and thorough research will increase the possibility of getting your work noticed, and help get you published.

© 2009 by Leona G. Shankle