Writers should be Lifelong Learners

Why should writers be lifelong learners?

First, writing is an ever-changing business. Yes, writing is a business just like any other business that requires flexibility in the businessperson to adapt to changes.

Many changes have occurred in publishing, and publishing changes almost daily. This requires you to keep up with these changes, even if you plan to self publish your book.

Publishing has changed so much that even household named authors are opting for self-publishing. Do think they do their homework with regard to the publishing business? More than likely, the answer is yes.

After working hard on your story, the last thing you need is, not having an author platform plus a marketing and promo plan. Guess what; even traditional publishing houses require a marketing and promo plan plus what you’re willing to do in marketing your book.

As part of your writing business, the time to begin marketing your book is before it’s completed. Companies offer preorders for upcoming products as part of their marketing. Your book is a coming attraction that needs marketing and promotion just like all upcoming items to build interest. If potential purchasers aren’t aware of your book, will they know you’re writing it, or when to begin looking for it online or bookstore shelves?

Second, without building a following, how will readers know about you? The Internet is today’s Yellow Pages. More people search online to find what they’re looking for.

Without a platform, how are readers to know you exist? You have to learn how to build and maintain your platform. For people to find your platform it must be dynamic, not static to achieve search engine ranking.

Writers, it’s up to you to learn what’s necessary to engage your readers, and build a following.

 Followers are your readers, and readers properly engaged are book buyers.

Continue to learn about your craft, publishing, and your business. 

About the author:

Robert Medak is a retired Communications Technician turned freelance writer, blogger, editor, proofreader, and reviewer learning marketing.

He was born in southern California, and lived in Kansas until moving to southern West Virginia with his wife and their cats and dogs. While in California, he and his wife Connie ran an animal rescue where Robert wrote job descriptions, flyers, and was treasurer.

Why Authors Need a Platform

Like it or not, let’s start with the fact that writing is a business for better or worse. Authors are entrepreneurs with a product. Whether self-published or traditionally published a book is a product or commodity in search of customers. That is what business is about, finding customers.

Authors need readers and they need a platform for readers to find them and their books.

Does building a platform take time away from writing?

Anything that authors do other than writing is time away from creating the story. Unfortunately, platform building comes with the territory of the author. Either the author builds the platform or they must outsource the platform building to someone else.

When building an author’s platform it would be nice if one platform were enough, but never rely on just one to work for you. Authors just like businesses need more than one platform to inform potential customers what you have to offer by online platforms.

What are the platforms?

Platforms come in many varieties. One is a Web site; others are social media (Facebook, Blog, Twitter…), newsletters, video trailers (YouTube or posted on a blog...), any way for readers to find out about an author’s book.

Platforms are a way for authors to promote and advertise their books as well as a way to sell books. A blog is a good way for others to build interest in their book as they blog about the creation of the book by writing about the book on their blog and keeping potential readers up to date on how the book is advancing.

Platforms are free advertising for authors; and create interest in potential readers making them customers.  

Platforms like blogs and Web sites are a great place to post chapter excerpts and receive feedback from the people who visit our blog or wherever you post an excerpt from your book building interest and creating a list of potential purchasers and readers waiting for publishing of author’s book.

Finally, there is no question that authors need more than one platform; the question is whom is the one building it. Either the author must take on the job or outsource it.

Robert Medak

Freelance writer, blogger, editor, proofreader, reviewer, marketer

http://www.authorsden.com/robertmedak

http://rjmedak.wordpress.com/

http://twitter.com/RJ_Medak

Do you have a marketing plan?

Once you’ve written your book, how do you plan on marketing it? Today’s publishers will be asking about your following, various platforms that you use for promotion and sales. This is part of the process that will be part of your advance from publishers. The better your marketing plan the more money, it’s that simple.
An author must wear several hats in today’s publishing environment. The author is marketer, PR person, promoter, and book seller. It is up to the author to do all of this today. The publishing houses won’t. In fact, they may not work with you at all if you don’t have some platform in place.

You will also have to begin establishing a following before your book is completed. The time to begin promotion and marketing is before you begin writing your book. There are social media sites where you can begin, but consider creating a website for the book and promote the website everywhere you can. Network with people; establish relationships, and market, market, market without being pushy of salesy.
Welcome to the publishing world. Bet you didn’t know that you need to be a salesperson as well as an author, did you?

You must also ask yourself if you want to go the route of a publishing house of self-publish. This is the author’s decision. There are numerous places to self-publish or POD to get your book on the market.

Amazon has be playing hardball with printing houses as far as having a buy button for your book if the particular house doesn’t want to follow Amazon’s rules; Amazon also has their own publishing brand.

One of the problems with self-publishing is how much the author is willing to spend for an editing package. Also, some of the publishing houses for self-publishing create books that are sub-par in design, illustration, formatting, and printing. The books are easily recognizable as self-published and that will make them hard to sell in bookstores.

Whoever you chose to publish your book, make sure you have a marketing plan and followers to entice the publishing house if you choose to traditional route to publication, and if you choose to self-publish be wary of who owns the ISBN when publishing via this route. The person that owns the ISBN technically owns the printing and how/when the book is published.

Good luck with your book.

What Writers Should be Doing Today

You can't worry over what may or may not happen, the important thing to do right now is write and market. Even though you may be unpublished or published with few sales you have to share your work with readers. It is very important to write articles, blogs, or anything that will allow readers to read your work. Building an audience via social media specifically and the worldwide web in general is the best and least expensive way to market your writing.

If you are worried about piracy, as I've told many that attend my presentations, the bigger concern should be obscurity. You do not need to copyright everything and you certainly do not need to concern yourself with someone stealing something you have written. Like myself, I'm the author of this piece and have stated that "all written material is Copyright 2010 Jerry D. Simmons." If you add the universal copyright symbol "©" with your name and year you should be protected, as far as this protection allows. No one is completely protected from piracy even with a certified copyright from the US government.

Once the gates of acquisition again swing wide open, publishers will be searching for more quality content than ever before. However, the key will be how much content and how well written and edited. As the industry reinvents itself the single most important thing for writers is to create content. Work with a professional editor to refine, revise and rewrite your work making it the best it can possibly be. Then market yourself and your writing to as many web sites as possible. Place yourself in a position when the call finally comes that you are ready and have a lot of material to be published.

We will see a transformation and those that prepare will benefit the most.

By Jerry D. Simmons
www.WritersReaders.com
Your Source for Information About Book Publishing

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher

By Peter Bowerman

Given the state of today’s publishing industry, and the number of books being published yearly, have you considered self-publishing as an alternative to the mainstream publishers? While there are many self-published books in today’s market, the problem with many is the poor quality of the writing (lack of editing) and physical design (especially book covers). In this comprehensive book, Peter explains about what it takes to be a successful self-publisher. Incidentally, he doesn’t consider POD self-publishing, but offers up several scenarios where POD makes sense for certain books/authors.

In TWFSP, you will find information on why self-publishing might make sense, getting comfortable with the sales and marketing process, building a book, targeting buyers and building demand, building a book website, distribution, Amazon, maximizing mainstream media, article writing, radio shows, the ins and outs of live appearances, creating multiple stream of income from your book, and much more. The appendices contain self-publishing resources, info on a valuable companion marketing e-kit, a self-publishing time line, and a section of foreign rights.

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher is a complete manual for a business as a self-publisher. In today’s publishing environment, finding an agent, then waiting and hoping that your book will get published, can be a dead end. This book shows you how to do it yourself and still get your book on bookstore shelves.

Items discussed in TWFSP are the cover, how to make your self-published book compete with the mainstream publishers’ books in look, feel, and quality (books that don’t compare to those coming out of publishing houses will be hard to promote to reviewers, wholesalers, distributors, and bookstores). Especially useful is a chapter explain and demystifying the concepts of “Sales & Marketing” that terrify many authors today, but which they’ll have to learn and use to get their book into the hands of readers.

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher is a roadmap to self-publishing and getting your book into the hands of readers. This book, filled with information about the publishing industry and what authors need to accomplish in order to become a published author, is delivered in a conversational tone from someone who’s successfully self-published his books (over 50,000 copies of his first two books are in print). Check out The Well-Fed Self-Publisher “Biz-in-a-Box” Teaser in the back of the book.

This reviewer gives this book a five-star rating. If you are considering self-publishing, read this book and find out what self-publishing is about.

My interview of Ocotber 8, 2009 on Blogtalk Radio

Linda Leon was kind enough to offer me a half hour spot on her Blogtalk Radio show where we discussed editing.

I believe the show was informative and also allowed me to offer some insights to listeners about some of the common errors seen in manuscripts.

The recording is posted on the right-hand side of this blog so that you may listen to the show. I hope you enjoy the recording as much as I did being the guest on Linda's show.

I am considering creating a station of my own to discuss writing, freelance writing, and editing on Blogtalk Radio. I just don not know how well it will do.

I found the experience on Linda's show to be time well spent and hope that there are many listeners, and they got something out of the program.

The things I took away from this guest appearance on Linda Leon's show about writing is a wonderful way to disseminate information about the subject of editing that was discussed with Linda, depending on the listeners at the time. The show was recorded and archived for those that could not make the show time. This also allowed me to promote my editing services, and my website.

I would like to make my show more of a Q&A then just me talking. I would also like to find the right guests to talk about writing.

Five Writing Tips for All Levels of Writers

First, is the fact that if the story is not believable to you, it will not be to the reader. It is fine to come up with plot, setting, characters, and such, but if it does not ring true, your audience will call you on it. If you are a new writer, you will most likely be rejected if you try to submit your manuscript.

Make sure you check your spelling, punctuation, and grammar. It cannot be stressed enough, DO NOT rely on spell check and grammar check in word processing programs. If you are weak in this area, find a class and learn how to punctuate and learn your grammar.

Second is dialogue. If your characters are of a certain age and they use language that does not fit the age, your characters are not believable and the reader will put down the story and most likely not pick up anything else you might right. If you are writing for yourself and never want to be published, wrong dialogue is probably ok, NOT! If you are going to write something, make it the best you can every time you put words on paper.

Third is, make sure you use the right word. As Mark Twain said, “The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” I could not agree more. Spend the money and get a good dictionary and thesaurus. Do not let them sit on the shelf collecting dust; USE THEM!

Ray Bradbury mentioned in a lecture before Southwest Manuscriptors the fourth and possibly the most important tip is; “READ!” Read the classics, read everything you can get your hands on; read, read, read. Only by reading published books, can you get some idea of what works and what does not. Especially if you have say, Mysteries in mind, read various authors in the genre.

Fifth, if you decide to edit your own work, set it aside for a minimum of a week. When you come back to it, come with a blue pencil. Take that blue pencil and take out the irrelevant junk. Make sure the meaning of what you want to say is clear. Does what you read while editing move the story along? Are your characters believable? Are they fully fleshed out? There is more, but you get the idea.

About Site Editors

Not all editors edit the same. This is not big news. Each editor brings their own experience to their editing. The main problem is when someone edits a How-To article on a subject they know nothing about. An example would be someone editing a How-To on electronics when they do not even know what a "schematic" is. To all editors, this is Electronics 101. If you have no idea what one is, how can you edit a How-To article?

Just in case you wish to know what a schematic is, it is.
The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary definition is:
Main Entry: 1sche·mat·ic Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: ()sk|mad.]ik, skim-, -at], ]k
Function: adjective
Etymology: New Latin schematicus, from Latin schemat-, schema shape, figure, manner (from Greek schmat-, schma) + -icus -ic
: of, relating to, or constituting a scheme or schema : as a : corresponding to an established or formalized conception b : showing part for part in a model or diagram c : employing or constituting a scheme of conventional symbols

If an editor doesn't know this, the writer should try to at least inform the editor, or request another editor. Hopefully, someone at the site where you submit your How-To has some knowledge about electronics. If they don't, they should not be excepting articles on the subject.

As a freelance writer, editor, and book reviewer, this is just common sense, but not to some sites that request How-To articles from freelance writers. The same could be applied to freelance writers, it is always a good thing to try and expand your knowledge base,but make sure you do the proper research to know at least the rudimentary aspects of the subject you plan on writing about.

Is it easy? NO. Should it be done? A resounding YES. This is what being a freelance writer or editor is all about.

A must read - Jumpstart You Publishing Dreams by W. Terry Whalin

Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams is not just for book authors, it is a manual that gives the reader information and resources about the publishing industry, editors and wring for the freelance writer. In this book, you will find information and resources about writing for magazines, information on how to approach magazine editors with queries, and what you need to do to enhance your chances of becoming a published author.

Mr. Whalin has more than twenty years of experience writing magazine articles, books, and editing in the publishing industry. He has written 60 books, and published in more the 50 magazines. Having read some other book by Mr. Whalin, this book is the nuts-and-bolts of what every writer, storyteller, and freelance writer needs to know and take to heart.

Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams is loaded with information, resources, and links for more information. After visiting many of the links, this is a book that you will revisit often, also the websites, articles, and book to peruse when more time is available. There are some special offers that Mr. Whalin has for the writer. Do yourself a favor, take advantage of these special offers, you will not regret it.

If you aspire to publication, Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams is one book that should be in your writer’s library. It is a book with a high recommendation by this reviewer.

Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams:
ISBN-10: 1935085506
ISBN-13: 978-1935085508

Available at:
http://jumpstartdreams.com/Buy-Paperback.html
Amazon
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