I love a good David versus Goliath story and this one about a young author’s journey to publication both warms my heart and makes me a bit jealous. More importantly for this post, however, is that the story is filled with solid how-to information for anyone who dares to dream the writer’s dream of making a living by doing what you love—writing. The sensational aspect of this story is that a 26-year old girl from Austin, Minnesota, who could not attract the attention of a traditional publisher for her novels, recently sold more than 900,000 copies of her books on Amazon and is now a multi-millionaire. Even more amazing is that she did it without spending a dime on advertising or spending time on the talk circuit. How did she do it? Read the rest of this entry

If you’ve ever written a book proposal, you know that publishers base their decision to publish on whether or not there is an audience for your book. And, guess who is responsible to determine if there is or if there isn’t a market?

You. Not the publisher. Not the editor. You.

Your book proposal research cannot be based on a hunch. You need to add some data to back it up. While the old school process of hunting down organizations, clubs, television programs and publications that support your audience is still a good idea, here is a two-step online method that will boost your confidence and help fill your data gap. 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

Today is my birthday and I am celebrating by writing a very short post so I can take the day off… BUT, I have a gift for you that will likely be far more valuable than a quick post from me. Admittedly, it isn’t something I paid for or created, but it is packed with some eye opening, not-so-secret secret lessons about marketing for nearly every type of writer. It is called Authority Rules and was written about a year ago by master blogger Brian Clark, founder and publisher of copyblogger.com.

If you want to be a better copywriter, read Authority Rules. If you want to build a successful website for your services, read Authority Rules. If you want to become a professional blogger or social media expert for yourself or your clients, read Authority Rules. And if you want to learn how to better influence others with your writing, sell stuff, or build a following, read Authority Rules. It’s free. You don’t have to swap an email address to get it, and you can be reading it ten seconds from now by clicking here immediately!

Enjoy!