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Welcome to Issue 6 of Write to be Published.

wtbp6Edwin Pijpe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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5 Self Publishing Mistakes That Stamped Loser on My Book and How You Can Avoid Them

By Earma Brown

 

Do you enjoy learning things the hard way? Of course you don’t; none of us enjoy that. But do you know that’s exactly what happens if we don’t learn from the mistakes of others. We can discover easier ways to do things from our peers, our friends, our competitors and even our enemies. On that note, in this article I reveal 5 mistakes in my first print publishing venture. Make it easy on yourself; avoid these self publishing mistakes and prosper:

 1.         Failed to write a plan

This is where your self publishing journey should begin. There’s no need to start with a 10-page document. But you need to at least create an outline of all the costs in the self-publishing process.

You should outline your costs before publication and after publication. Include everything from the beginning costs to the shipping price of mailing a book. Also, this is a great time to decide whether you plan to print a small amount of books for family, a business niche or set up a small publishing company by buying a block of ISBNs.

 2.         Failed to invest in book editor.

Don’t count pennies here. Invest in your book; get it professionally edited. Copy or line editing will bring your manuscript up to professional standard. Don’t settle for just having a family member look over your manuscript.

 3.         Failed to hire a proofreader

Proofreading is not the same as editing. It is only done after the book designer formats your book into pages. The proofreader looks for word breaks and sentence layout. Some small corrections missed in the first line edit may also be made.Like most beginner publishers, I decided to skip this step in preparing a book for publication. Mistake; professional publishers know not to skip this step. A book full of errors will cost you in sales later on, including loss of respect for your important message. I got a scathing review from one of my peers. Yes, I know; it’s not the end of the world. But my point is it cost me sales and it could have been avoided.

 4.         Failed to create bound galleys for reviews.

Invest in bound galleys and/or limited run book proofs. They are often unedited and used to get book reviews before the publication date of your book. Also, bound galleys do not have a laminated full color cover. Reviews will afford your book a level of professionalism not gained any other way. Not to mention extra sales gained because of your professional reviews.

 5.         Failed to hire a book designer for book layout

The book layout is what gives the content of your book structure and makes it look like a book. Again invest in your book project; this is not the time to settle for anything less than a professional look. If your book looks sloppy, it will limit its success in the market.        

Don’t limit your publishing success; avoid all of the above blunders by learning from my mistakes. Now, go make your publishing venture a successful one. Happy Publishing!

 Need help with your publishing project? Get free access to 1 of my FREE Reports [http://www.selfpublishinghouse.net/self-publishing-book-preparation.htm]Self Publishing Made Easier when you subscribe to iScribe, a free bi-monthly newsletter on book writing, publishing and marketing tips. You can get your instant access at http://www.selfpublishinghouse.net

 

From Earma Brown – The Book Writing & Publishing Coach, Write to Win Series Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Self-Publishing-Mistakes-That-Stamped-Loser-on-My-Book-and-How-You-Can-Avoid-Them&id=1415864] 5 Self Publishing Mistakes That Stamped Loser on My Book and How You Can Avoid Them

 

How to Develop Your Hook

By Shennandoah Diaz

 

Every author needs a hook, that clever one-liner that helps readers identify you and that your publicist can use to help you develop your platform. Why do you need it? So you can have a focal point, a clear and concise foundation from which to build all of your marketing efforts.  The hook, also referred to as a tagline is the heart of your message, the slogan for your author campaign, but coming up with one may take some trial and error. Before you can start developing your tagline, you first need to answer a few key questions:

       Who is your audience?

       What value do you bring them?

       Why should you be the one to bring them that value?

 The answers to those three questions establish the guts of your platform. For the sake of developing an example, lets say your audience is thirty-something divorcees and that your expertise is helping them jump back into the dating scene. You are the best person to give them this advice because you are a matchmaker with a ninety percent success rate and you have just published a book that outlines your top dating tips and advice. From there, you can create a list of possible taglines:

       “Getting you back in the game”

       “Divorced, but not dead”

       “Second time’s a charm”

 When developing your own tagline, you would want to make a list of more than three, and even mix and match parts of several to come up with a phrase that is both short and catchy.

 Also, you don’t want to rush the process. Take your time. Bounce ideas off several people whose opinion you trust.  Sleep on it a few nights to make sure it’s something you can live with. It’s much more difficult to switch paddles midstream than it is to start with the right equipment in the first place. So, once you commit to a tagline, stick with it and make sure your outreach efforts and all of your marketing stays consistent with your message.

 

Shennandoah Diaz is the Business Development Assistant for Greenleaf Book Group, a publisher and distributor for independent authors and small presses. Diaz is responsible for creating white papers, case studies, and other materials that educate authors on publishing and the Greenleaf Model. Learn more at [http://www.greenleafbookgroup.com]http://www.greenleafbookgroup.com. 

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Develop-Your-Hook&id=5040566] How to Develop Your Hook

 

Write a Book and Get Published Fast

By Angela Booth

 

Want to write a successful book? It all starts with planning your route to publication. You can become a published author once you create a realistic plan, based on which books are selling.

Writing a book is a process which can take months or years, and unfortunately once your book’s written, you have no guarantee of publication. However, with a little foresight and understanding of how book publishing works, you can shorten the odds.

Your Publisher Wants a Book Which Sells, So Write One

Your route to publication starts with research. You must know what sells.

A tip: if you’re shocked at this crass focus on money, consider your prospective publishing house. They’re totally focused on money – they need to be, or they’ll go broke. If you understand the need to know what sells, you’re already far ahead of most writers.

Write a 25-word summary of what your book’s about, and visit a bookstore. Your aim is to discover not only who publishes books of a similar type, but also who the published authors are, and how well the books sell (this is shown by how much space is allocated to those books in the bookstore.)

Here’s an example. Let’s say you want to write a book on dog care. Dog books sell well, as you’ll see in the store. This is an indication that you’ve got a viable idea which will interest publishers.

Here’s an example if you’re writing fiction. You’re writing a mystery novel with a photographer as the detective. This is potentially a “cosy” mystery, and these also sell well, again it’s a viable idea.

But what if your book idea is completely unique?

This is unlikely, but if that’s the case, drop the idea. Your book needs to fit into a known type for publishers to be interested. Of course you can still write your book, and go the self-publication route, but traditional publishers want what sells.

Continue Your Research While You’re Writing Your Book

Nonfiction books are sold via a proposal, so you don’t need to complete your book before you try to sell it. On the other hand, even though your novel will attract publisher interest on the basis of a partial (three chapters and an outline) you must complete the novel to get a publishing contact.

While you’re writing, keep researching. Your publisher will want to know how you intend marketing your book, so the more you know, the more effective a marketing plan you can create.

When you know what sells, you’ll write a salable book, and you’ll get published fast – enjoy the writing, and before you know it, the next time you visit a bookstore your own book will be on the shelves.

 Want to become a successful and published author? Angela Booth’s writing class, “Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process” at http://www.angelaswritingclasses.com/Class/writemore.html is based on lessons she developed for her private coaching students to help them to write more, improve their writing, and to sell their writing. The course trains you to become an expert writer and author.Her ebook “Top 70 Writing Tips To Help You To Write More” at http://www.abmagic.com/Write-More/write-more.html shows you how to end procrastination for good.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angela_Booth

 

 

Freelance Writing For Beginners – Master Blogging For Success

By Angela Booth

 
Author of many books, including Making the Internet Work for Your Business, top copywriter Angela Booth also writes copy for businesses large and small, and … Want to kick off your freelance writing career with guaranteed success? You can, when you master blogging. Since blogging is instant publishing, you have the potential to get your words in front of millions of people, no matter how new you are at writing.

1. Set a Focus for Your Blog: What Are You Selling?

Before you create your first blog (or your next blog) spend a little time thinking, and making notes.

Answer these questions:

* what do I want this blog to do for me?
* what’s the audience for this blog?
* am I enthusiastic about this blog?

Why is enthusiasm important?

It’s vital because your blog will become more valuable over time. I create many blogs. Once I’ve added some initial posts to a blog over a three-month period, I generally let the blog lie fallow. It will find its own level in the search engines.

When I get back to the blog, usually some months later, it’s built up an audience and I can set new goals for that particular blog. So your initial enthusiasm about a particular blog ensures that you’re creating a long-term web property which will bring you benefits for years to come.

2. Build an Audience With Your Enthusiasm

Now you know who your audience is, spend a little time thinking about them. What do they most want to know? What will make them come back to your blog after the first visit?

I know that thinking about what you’re doing in this way is a little difficult. Even if you feel you’re not doing it “right”, just write down your impressions. You can’t be right or wrong, and you can change your mind at any time. But thinking about your blog in this way builds very productive habits which will stand you in good stead for the length of your freelance writing career.

Thinking about you audience also helps you to build your enthusiasm. Although hundreds of thousands of blogs are created every day, most of those blogs die on the vine. This is because they were started in haste, without any thought, so they don’t have any real foundation. Once the initial excitement over trying something new wears off these blogs are forgotten as quickly as they were started.

3. Set Goals and Blog Every Day

As with all writing, blogging is a voyage of discovery. You will learn new things about yourself and your writing with every blog post you create. Don’t spend too much time thinking about blogging, just write a post, and publish it. Once you become used to writing every day, you’re building a freelance writing habit which will be the envy of many professional writers.

It usually takes professional writers many years before they realize that their career is in their own hands, no one else’s, because it’s the writing they do that’s important. Your writing is something that YOU absolutely control, and as long as you keep writing, your career will rapidly develop.

As a new freelance writer, your blog is both your calling card and your guide. You will be amazed at what your blog will do for your career and the things you will learn about writing, and about life, from blogging.

 

Want to make money writing? Discover how easy it is to make money as a Web writer with Angela Booth’s “Sell Your Writing Online NOW” Training Program at http://sellwritingnow.com/Home/training.html The program is fun and profitable too. There’s a full year of lessons and assignments: “Sell Your Writing Online NOW” helps you to earn while you learn, even as a brand new writer.For free weekly writing information, subscribe to Angela’s Fab Freelance Writing Ezine at http://www.freelancewritingezine.com/ and receive a free 33-page report , “Freelance Writing for Beginners: Great Opportunities to Make Money Today”, immediately.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angela_Booth   

 

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