This week’s post is a response to a Monday Muse subscriber’s question I received this past week about fees and payment structure for ghostwriting a nonfiction corporate book. Although I’ve addressed ghostwriting fees briefly in a previous post (http://www.writerprofits.com/three-ways-to-find-a-book-ghostwriting-gig/#more-379), the question led me to believe others may also like additional information and prompted this week’s post, so here goes… Read the rest of this entry

I recently picked up a project to write content for a website. While the company is new, the two partners have worked in their industry for a combined 30 years. These are brilliant people and they know the niche they want to fill. After our initial meeting, I did my research and prepared an outline for the content development. The outline included a few ideas that might make great ancillary content for the website—items that might not fit into the initial development, but that could be value-added material for the future.

When my new clients reviewed my ideas for the ancillary content, they decided they wanted to move forward with many of the items—and they wanted to do it in the initial phase instead of waiting to do it in future updates. This meant added value for their company’s website and a more profitable project for me. All I did to get the expanded assignment was keep a “parking lot” document during my research. Here’s how easy it is to do: Read the rest of this entry

Last week, I strongly encouraged you to put up a website to showcase your writing talent and services and outlined steps focused on do-it-yourself development. I cannot overstress the importance of having an online presence. This week, I want to look at different types of writer’s websites so you can decide which one is right for you. Here is a quick list of the five most typical writer websites:

1.  Author-centered.

The author-centered website puts you front and center. Your books or other writing are secondary. If you have an established fan base that aches to know more about you, your life, your writing process, your upcoming books and book signings, the author-centered website is for you.

2.  Book-centered.

A book-centered website has a single goal: to sell your book. You need to convince visitors that they want to read your book by using teaser content, unanswered questions, or a free sample chapter that hooks the reader. Book-centered websites work well for authors who understand and use marketing efforts to identify an audience, figure out how to reach them, and send them to the site to learn more about the book.

3.  Topic-centered.

If you specialize in writing for a specific topic or industry, this type of website will show-and-tell others about your expertise. Make sure the home page clearly identifies your topic, and include links to a bank of articles or set up a blog to show off your knowledge. At the end of each article or post, make sure you tell readers what you want from them, i.e., “contact me to write your next brochure copy,” or “hire me to speak at your next industry function.”

4.  Service-centered.

For writers who rely on paying clients to help get the rent paid, a service-center site is your online brochure and a “must have” in your marketing arsenal. If you set up a service-centered website, avoid using too many “I” statements that focus on what you can do. Use “you” statements that focus on what you can do for your potential clients and customers.

5.  Multi-purposed.

Many writers have multiple talents they want to showcase. You might be both an author promoting a book and a copywriter looking for work. You might want to sell your books directly from the site as well as offer topic-specific speaking services. Multi-purposed websites can quickly get messy when you don’t have a clear message to place on your home page. However, one way to diminish the confusion is to place distinct ‘gateway’ buttons on the home page. By clicking one button, the visitor is directed to the page about your copywriting services. By clicking another button, the visitor is directed to the page touting your new book.

Whatever type of website is a good fit for you, take action to define it, build it, and publish it—as soon as possible.

In last week’s post, I was adamant that all writers—who want to be taken seriously—should have a website. I’m not talking about free author listing sites or blogs that come with goofy (and lengthy) URLs and are riddled with pop-up ads and other page items you cannot control. These will lose you a potential client or editor faster than a flashing sign on your forehead that says, “Amateur.”  I am talking about having a REAL site with your own domain and hosting service that will cost you, gee, about $10.00US to buy a domain name for a year, and $6.00-$10.00US for ongoing hosting services. If that’s too much money to invest in your writing career, then you are simply not very serious about becoming a professional. Are there exceptions to that rule? I suppose there are, but I can’t think of any at the moment.

If you are an author and have a book to promote, you need a website to showcase both your book and you. If you are a freelance writer, you need to show-and-tell your talents for prospective clients. If you are a poet, a fiction writer, a ghostwriter, a proofreader, a script writer… whatever kind of writer you are… you need to have a website to show off your talents to buyers, editors, publishers, producers, and whomever else might be in a position to buy your products or hire your services. Since I am the one insisting that you have a website, and several of you emailed me this past week asking for additional information, I have broken down the process for creating a writer’s website into 5 easy steps: Read the rest of this entry

It is the third day of a new year… how many resolutions have you made—and broken?

I have to admit that I gave up making resolutions years ago, but I do spend some time reflecting on the year that just ended and thinking about how I can make the coming year better than the last. In last week’s post, I talked about the writer’s Law of Attraction for finding new writing profits. But the Law of Attraction is useless without the Law of Action.

You can think your way to a successful mindset, but you cannot think yourself to success.

Here is a five-step writer’s plan for a prosperous New Year: Read the rest of this entry