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Right Writing News, March 2, 2012 Issue #51 March 02, 2012 |
| Hello, Welcome to the 51st issue to subscribers of Right Writing News. If you are reading this issue forwarded from someone, be sure and use the link below to get your own free subscription. If you like what you see here, please forward this copy and use this link to subscribe. Table of Contents1) Will I See You This Weekend?By W. Terry Whalin 2) Be Looking for New Ideas By W. Terry Whalin 3) Jack Canfield Teleseminar 4) Become a Prolific Writer By W. Terry Whalin 5) Reach the Well-Known For Endorsements By W. Terry Whalin 6) 10 Tips to Sell Your Online Photos By W. Terry Whalin 7) Wear Out These Pages By W. Terry Whalin 8) Use Book Reviews to Help Others By W. Terry Whalin Will I See You This Weekend?By W. Terry WhalinImagine a gathering of some of world's most sought after marketing and publishing experts ready to give you the "keys to the kingdom" to:- Get your book published - Sell your book to a publisher - Promote yourself using low-cost means online to catapult your sales & exposure - Make your book a bestseller - Transform your business into a mega success It's not a dream. In fact, that's what you can expect at the upcoming Author101 University event coming to Los Angeles March 1 - 4, 2012. I will be there and hope to see you next weekend. There is still room at the event and you can get the details and register at: http://author101-university.com Open new doors for your writing with small reports. You receive step-by-step instructions in my risk-free 31-Day Guide: http://ht.ly/90KV5 Be Looking for New IdeasBy W. Terry WhalinAre you in a rut with your writing? I hope not.One of the freedom stirring aspects of writing is it can head in many different directions. You may be drawn to write fiction but when others read your storytelling, it doesn't connect with them. You've invested lots of energy into writing this novel and now you can't find a publisher. In my view, this experience is good because you learned something along the way. I've got files of material (electronic and in paper) which have never been published. If you find that you aren't getting success or traction in one area of writing, then I encourage you to try another area. In the first chapter of my Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, I include a list of the various types of writing. While my list isn't exhaustive it gives you a wide range of possible options. As a writer, I have a single major writing project in process. I'm excited about this project and focused on consistently moving forward to complete it. It is not something that can be accomplished in a single writing session but that's that sort of constant chipping away at it to complete it. Besides the longer project, I'm also writing for print magazines. I've recently sent a couple of articles off to an editor who acknowledged my submission and put them into her process to get them into print. In addition, I have several regular columns which I write for publications. I've not written my material which is due later this month but I am thinking about ideas for columns. Whenever I have an idea, I'm normally carrying a pencil or pen and a piece of paper to write it down before it disappears. Each of us are living busy schedules and we need to capture the ideas as they happen. This week while working out, I created another event that I will schedule either later this month or next month. The ideas came for the Ebook which I will give away (something new) and the other details of the event. I wrote it down and have worked this idea into my planning schedule. It is a constant process and each type of writing is different—whether an Ebook or a blog post. Also as I read new books, I'm determined to capture ideas which come from my reading. Plus when I complete a book, I will write a few words of review about the book then post that review on Amazon and other sites. Are you supporting good books (or any type of book) that you are reading? It does not take a lot of time and writing reviews is a great skill for every writer to develop. It does not matter if you write fiction or nonfiction. If you write customer reviews on Amazon, it is another way to give back to the community. Something I've never done before: If you have read Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, could you go over to the Amazon page (use this link) and write several sentences along with a Five Star review? The Five Stars are important because they are averaged so please make sure to do Five Stars. Or maybe you have read my Book Proposals That Sell. If so, I'm asking you to please go over to the Amazon page (use this link) and write a couple of sentences along with a Five Star review. Even if you read the book several years ago, I would appreciate your support with the review. I check these pages often but whenever I find a new review, I announce it to my Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn audiences. Thank you in advance for considering it and my sincere appreciation if you create your Amazon review. If you haven't done it (or even if you have), I want to encourage you to download a free 30–page chapter of my Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. Then print the chapter and read it noticing the different types of writing. Capture the ideas for your own writing. Also notice the creative details in this excerpt. I include two “Buy Now” buttons inside the sample. If you would like to get an autographed copy of my book, just note it in the special instructions of my shopping cart and I'd be happy to sign it for you. Ideas for writing are everywhere. Often they come at odd times. If you are open to them and take action, you will become more productive and prolific as a writer. Editors and literary agents do not read manuscripts (a surprise to authors). They read book proposals. Learn more at: http://bit.ly/wbkpro Jack Canfield Teleseminar* Free Teleseminar With Jack Canfield on How He Sold 500 Million BooksYou're invited to a free teleseminar on Thursday, March 8th in which you'll hear Steve Harrison interview bestselling author Jack Canfield on how to get where you want to be as an author/speaker. Jack was featured in the movie "The Secret" and is the co-creator of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series which has sold over 500 million copies. I'm a compensated affiliate. http://tinyurl.com/6oxfq9z Here's just some of what you'll discover on Thursday: * Jack's journey from inner city public school teacher to bestselling author and speaker. * How he and co-creator Mark Victor Hansen kept going when "Chicken Soup" was rejected by 144 publishers. * What to do if you find yourself reluctant to aggressively market your work. * Jack's advice if you need to make money within 30 to 60 days. * The two mindsets you need to create a bestselling book. * The "bypass marketing" strategy that made "Chicken Soup" a big hit. * How to systematically create word-of-mouth marketing for your book. * Jack's advice for getting started as a public speaker. and more! http://tinyurl.com/6oxfq9z Become a Prolific WriterBy W. Terry WhalinHow do you step up your productivity as a writer and become prolific?It's a question that many consider but few know the answer. I'd love to help you become a prolific writer with my insights and answers to this question and many others on March 8th. I'm holding a FREE 70–minute teleseminar answering your questions about to repurpose your content. For many years, I've been creating only original content--new articles, new blog posts, new books and any other type of new writing. As a journalist, it's how I've been trained to crank out new words. In recent years, I've learned that I was missing out on more exposure and income from not taking steps to repurpose my writing. When I use repurpose, I'm taking about reusing my writing from one type of writing into another medium. While I am still learning more information about this important concept, I'm going to share with you my insights through a free teleseminar on March 8th at 8 p.m. EST or 5 p.m. Pacific for 70–minutes. I will be answering your questions about how to repurpose your content. Whether you know about this concept or not, I encourage you to sign up and attend this unique event. If you have a conflict and can't attend the LIVE event, the event will be recorded and everyone who registers will receive the replay information. Also to help you know more about repurposing, I've created a new Ebook, Get More Mileage From Your Content. You will have immediate access to this 27–page Ebook. I look forward to speaking with you soon and answering your questions to help you become a more prolific writer. Free eBook: #Social #Media for #PR by @sarahskerik of @PRNewswire: http://bit.ly/qGk6Ag + access 2 special offers 4 @terrywhalin followers Reach the Well-Known For EndorsementsBy W. Terry WhalinIf you are writing a book or even a book proposal, a few glowing words from a recognized name can help you sell the project (to an agent or editor or to a reader).I've written in the past about the importance of these endorsements or testimonials in the book selling process. One of the keys is to ask for the endorsement in the right way—where you take a minimum amount of effort for the other person to say “yes.” I've written about this aspect in the past and if you haven't read it, I encourage you to use the search tool in the right-hand column of The Writing Life. Scroll down and search for these entries. Today I want to write about another one of the challenges in getting these endorsements and provide a resource to overcome that challenge. I suggest you prepare a list of possible people to endorse your book. Who would be on your perfect list? Let your imagination run wild and include bestselling authors, entertainers, business leaders or others. With this list, your next challenge is to reach them. Most of these potential endorsers don't have a website or some simple way for the public to reach them. One of the best resources around this challenge is Contact Any Celebrity. This site maintains thousands specific contact information. You can test drive their site for only $1. I encourage you to look around this site and read the resources—even if you don't join. For example, watch this short video about how the inside of their system works. Also this site contains a series of free articles which I recommend you read and it will stir ideas how to reach these well-known people for endorsements. When you get inside Contact Any Celebrity, there are bonus Ebooks and even more resources to help you learn the insider tips how to get endorsements. Many writers immediately discount the possibility of an endorsement. They don't make the effort to try and get them. If you take a different course of action and get the endorsement for your book or even your book proposal, it will make your project stand out from your competition. When I was an acquisitions editor, I have sold the room of jaded publishing executives on the basis of a series of endorsements or a well-known foreword in a book proposal. These authors stood out and received a book contract because they made this effort before they submitted their project. These endorsements will make a difference and now you have another resource: Contact Any Celebrity. 10 Tips to Sell Your Online PhotosBy W. Terry WhalinFor a moment, stop and think about the photos you've snapped on your digital camera or on your computer’s hard drive right.Now consider your answers to these questions: • Are there are any photos of dogs, cats, birds or other pets? • Are there any photos of other animals, like wildlife? • Are there any photos of people, like cute babies? • Are there any photos of nature, such as forests, mountains, and beaches? • Are there any photos of landmarks? • Are there any other interesting photos, like bridges, rainbows, sunrises, waterfalls, buildings, etc? If so, you could be sitting on an absolute fortune! That’s because people love buying photos online, especially through stock photo sites and photo product sites. And you can get your share of the money by following these 10 tips for selling your photos online… 1. Find out what people want. The easiest way to sell your photos online is by focusing on the photos that people really want to buy. Example: Go to istockphoto.com to see what’s popular. Then create something similar. 2. Focus on one subject. People who buy photos on products (like t-shirts) or those who buy photos to upload to their websites don’t want cluttered photos. So when you take a picture, be sure to focus on one primary subject. 3. Edit the photos. Of course sometimes clutter is unavoidable – and that’s ok, as long as you crop and edit the photo using software like Gimp.org. 4. Create transparent or white backgrounds. This is particularly important if you’re selling your photos on stock photo sites. Example: If a person wants a photo of a laptop, they want JUST the laptop – they don’t want to see the table it was sitting on when you took the photo. 5. Upload photos to stock photo sites. Want a quick and easy way to start selling photos TODAY? Then upload your photos to sites like istockphoto.com. 6. Put your photos on photo products. This one takes a little more time to get set up, as you’ll want to proof the products before you start selling them. But you can charge more for these products, which makes photos products (like t-shirts and coffee mugs) very profitable. 7. Create themed packages. Example: Create a package of 25 photos of poodles. Or create a package of famous landmarks. Point is, photo packages will sell better if the photos are related. 8. Offer exclusive licenses. Sometimes you may sell the same photo to hundreds of different people. At other times, you may consider selling exclusive licenses so that just one person has the rights to this photo. You may charge hundreds of dollars or more! 9. Market your photos. Sure, you’ll make some money by uploading your photos to stock photo sites and photo product sites. But you’ll make even more money if you cast a wider net by advertising your photos. Example: You can start a Fan Page on Facebook.com or post an ad on CraigsList.org. 10. Create an email list. Finally, be sure to keep in contact with your prospects or customers by starting an email list. If you don't have a list, then take my free 21 lesson course (follow this link) or get my inexpensive Ebook The List Building Tycoon to learn this important skill. Then with your own email list, you can turn buyer s into repeat buyers! Whether you’re new to selling photos online or you’re a seasoned pro, you can make more money by using the above tips. But to make even more money, then you need to get your hands on The 31 Day Guide to Selling Photos Online. You can get your copy right here: http://www.moneywithphotos.com/ Wear Out These PagesBy W. Terry WhalinPatricia Fry knows the truth in this famous quote from one of the greatest promoters, P.T. Barnum. He said, "Without promotion, something terrible happens--nothing!" Too many book authors fail to take complete responsibility for promoting their books.Throughout Promote Your Book, Fry validates her claim in the subtitle, "over 250 proven, low-cost tips and techniques for the enterprising author." This book is loaded with a gold mine of ideas and resources. Pointed personal stories are combined with practical tips and website references for even more action steps for the savvy author. If you want to sell books, you need to study every page of this book then apply it to your book promotion. While this book is packed with insight, I loved this idea: Design A Hotfile. She writes, "Life has a way of racing past us while we're busy trying to keep up. And if you are promoting a book along with everything else that you do, it can become overwhelming. Think about it, how may good promotional ideas have escaped your grasp and been tossed aside simply because you are too busy or too preoccupied? That's why I suggest you grab each promotional idea you stumble across, without judging it, and file it in your hotfile. When things calm down, your speaking circuit has slowed down, you've sent out your quota of press releases for the month, you've made several cold calls, open up the hotfile and see what's in there." (page 166-167) This concept alone is brilliant and an example of what you will find in Promote Your Book If you have a book to promote, get Promote Your Book today and begin taking action on the ideas. It is never too late. Use Book Reviews to Help OthersBy W. Terry WhalinOne of the ways that I broke into publishing on a consistent basis was writing book reviews. As more books are being published, there is an ever-increasing demand for book reviews. If you read books, then you can tap into this important area of publishing. You will help others and also gain visibility in the marketplace.For a number of different publications, I wrote individual book reviews. Then one of these publications asked me to be their book review columnist. For this assignment, I wrote a series of book reviews for each issue of their magazine. I selected the books, received review of books from various publishers, then I wrote my reviews and sent them into the magazine on deadline to be published. Over several years, I held this role with this magazine until it came to an end. Then I became the book review columnist for another publication for another season. Neither one of these magazines where I was a columnist are in print today. I learned a tremendous amount from my experience of writing those book review columns. While I've gone on and written many other things including a number of books, I continue to write for magazines and continue to publish book reviews. One of the places where I write book reviews is in the customer review section of Amazon. If you have purchased a book on Amazon, then you can write a customer review on any book. It does not matter whether you have purchased that book through Amazon or not because you can still write a review. For example, I read a number of books from my local public library. After reading the book, I write my review and post it on Amazon. It is a way you can support books through writing these customer reviews. They are not lengthy but at times, you may be among the few people who have reviewed a particular book. When the Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, wrote Scorpions for Breakfast: My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media, and Cynical Politicos to Secure America's Border, I read the book and wrote a Five Star review because I enjoyed the book and learned a great deal from it. When the President of the United States and Governor Brewer had a moment together at the Phoenix Airport, the story received a great deal of media attention. Many of the one star reviews on the page are people who don't like Governor Brewer—and it is fairly obvious to me that they did not read the book. The book continues to have a fairly good sales number on Amazon because of the controversy. Consistently when I read books, I will write an Amazon review. I've written over 350 of these reviews. Here's some pointers for writing reviews: 1. Read the book. It seems like this aspect should be a given but people try to write reviews without reading the book. 2. Craft a good headline for your review. I suggest you create several words that draw the reader into reading your review. 3. Write a short summary of what the book is about. It doesn't have to be lengthy but needs to show you absorbed the contents of the book. 4. Pull a little quotation from the book and note the specific page where the quote appears in the book. 5. End with your recommendation about why someone should read this book. As an example, I'm going to show you a review I wrote about journalist Todd Starnes' book, Dispatches from Bitter America, a Gun Toting, Chicken Eating Son of a Baptist's Culture War Stories. My review is located here. I began with a simple statement as the headline to show the reader what they would gain from this book: This Book Is Certain To Stir Conversation at the Dinner Table In my opening paragraph, I tried to summarize the contents of the book: From the red, white and blue cover along with the overalls, Bible and gun, award-winning journalist Todd Starnes makes a clear statement of his conservative perspective. Get ready for an insider's glimpse at the current state of America in DISPATCHES FROM BITTER AMERICA. With the next paragraph, I pulled a quotation that I found in the introduction about what motivated Starnes to write this book: I found the stories engaging and fascinating---yet carefully researched and documented (the final pages of end notes show the detailed research. In the introduction, Starnes gives this background as he sits in the Red Arrow Diner, "As I sipped on a cup of coffee, I was reminded of the lyrics from that great lee Greenwood song, "I'm Proud to Be an American."...And that's how I came up with the idea for this book. It's a collection of stories from my travels across this country--conversations I've had with regular folks who have deep concerns about the direction we are going as a nation." (Page 9) Also when I use a quotation it is a subtle way of validating that I'm not just throwing some review on Amazon. I read this book. In the final paragraph, I summarize why the reader wants to read this book: The well-told stories are organized into sections: Dispatches from DC, Dispatches from the Fly-over States, Dispatches from the Schoolhouse and Dispatches from the Pew. Get this book and absorb every story. You can't help to be educated and entertained through DISPATCHES FROM BITTER AMERICA. Whether you write books or magazine articles, whether you have been published a great deal or never, I encourage you to write book reviews. You will be a help to the authors and others who are looking for good books. Book reviews are another proactive way you can be involved in the publishing community. |
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