Find the Missing Pieces to Your Freelance Writing Career Puzzle

by Suzanne Lieurance, the Working Writer's Coach

Creating a successful freelance writing career is a lot like putting together a puzzle. Unfortunately, many writers just never figure out all the pieces to that puzzle!

An appropriate business model is one of the BIGGEST pieces to any freelance writing career.

Have you included a specific business model in your career puzzle?

Or are you still trying to create your career by offering to write anything and everything for anyone and everyone?

Without a model to follow, you have no real focus for your business. Plus, you'll never establish yourself as a real expert in any one or two areas. You'll be known as a generalist instead of a specialist. And I don't know about you, but when I need help with something important, I don't look for a generalist. I search for a specialist! I'll bet most publishers and business owners who need writers do, too!

Choosing a Business Model

So how do you choose a business model that's right for you?

Well, first you list the types of writing you really LOVE to do.

Don't decide to follow a model for building a resume writing business, for example, if you just hate writing resumes!

Once you've made a list of the types of writing you love to do, then get some career training in the model that appeals to you.

If you like to blog, for example, find out how you can become a professional blogger!

If you want to use your writing skills to sell affiliate products, then learn how to do that.

If you want to become a children's writer, then take some courses in children's writing.

Include ALL the pieces needed for a successful freelance writing career if you hope to solve the entire puzzle.

Try it!

Suzanne Lieurance is an author, freelance writer, certified professional life coach and writing coach, speaker and workshop presenter. She has written over two dozen published books and hundreds of articles for newspapers, magazines, and other publications. She coaches people who love to write build freelance writing careers through her Quick Start Freelance Writing program.

May Blogging Prompts

Happy Mother's Day! Whether you are a Mom, Mom-like, or a Dad who plays both roles, kudos to everyone who takes an active role in guiding others.

Speaking of guidance ...

While you may tend toward sharing wisdom from Mothers in May and Fathers in June, advice roundups on your blog can be done anytime of year.  

Just reach out to your favorite people in a profession (writers, marketers, business owners) or category (foodies, sports enthusiasts, entertainment lovers), and ask for a few lines to put in a round-up as an answer to a question. The topic, of course, should relate to your expertise.

For example:

• What your favorite tip for writers block? 
• What's the most important marketing platform and why?
• What tool should all business owners use?
• What's your favorite food/restaurant/recipe?
• What's the best sport to watch? To play?
• What can you learn from a (book/film/tv) series that you can apply to real life?

Once you get the response, choose the best ones to edit and compile into a blog post, along with your intro and conclusion. Be sure to like back to the blogs of the people you quote and tag them when you share on social channels.

What to stick with seasonal content, here are few more things you can blog about in May.

Plus:

May Holidays: In addition to Mother's Day, May is Date Your Mate Month, National Bike Month and National Photograph Month. May 12 is Limerick Day, May 22 is Buy a Musical Instrument Day, May 25 is Tap Dance Day, May 27 is Sun Screen Day, and May 30 is Water a Flower Day.

May Food Holidays: May is National Barbecue Month, National Hamburger Month, and National Salad Month. May 11 is Eat What You Want Day, May 15 is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, May 19 is World Baking Day, May 25 is National Brown-Bag-It Day, and May 27 is National Grape Popsicle Day.

Bonus: Fiction writers, take your characters out on a picnic. Write a scene where your characters are enjoying a meal, in nature and away from technology, and see what they have to say. Extra points if you write this scene while you are sitting outside ... and having a picnic of your own.

***

Debra Eckerling is the author of Purple Pencil Adventures: Writing Prompts for Kids of All Ages. She's a writer, editor and project manager/goal coach, as well as founder of Guided Goals and Write On Online, a live and online writers’ support group. She is an editor at Social Media Examiner. Debra is also a speaker/moderator on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting and social media.

How Much Emphasis Should We Use?

Isn’t it frustrating, when you’re writing, to figure out how to emphasize a word or a phrase? When you were starting out, did you (like I did) put words in ALL CAPS or in bold or underlined, or maybe all of the above? Oh yes, and let’s not forget the exclamation point!!!! The more, the better, right?

All of these methods are red flags that point to an inexperienced writer. I’ve had editors tell me no more than four exclamation points in the entire manuscript. When you submit a manuscript, agents and publishers do not want to see all caps, bold, or excessive exclamation points.

Here is some sage advice from pros: 

“Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.”  F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind.” Terry Pratchett

“We only live once, but once is enough if we do it right. Live your life with class, dignity, and style so that an exclamation, rather than a question mark signifies it! “Gary Ryan Blair

When can you use an exclamation mark? 

“Fire!” Jane screamed. “Get out!” Fire is a good reason for emphasis, right? Well, maybe this is a little more than needed (two exclamation points plus "screamed.")

It’s better to show emphasis with action and dialogue. “I’ve had just about enough of this.” Maryann narrowed her eyes and turned to leave. (You can tell she’s not happy with the situation without adding any emphasis.)

You can emphasize a word with italics. But, use this method sparingly. Just like with exclamation marks, you don’t want to overload your manuscript. 

It used to be that editors wanted words underlined that were to be type-set in italic, but nowadays with computers, most accept and prefer italicized words. If you are submitting a manuscript, check your agent/publisher guidelines to see if they specify what they want.

So, for emphasis, challenge yourself to “show” the emotion you want to portray and try not to rely on the easy way out.

Anyone have any other ideas for emphasis?

------------------

A native Montanan, Heidi M. Thomas now lives in North-central Arizona. Her first novel, Cowgirl Dreams, is based on her grandmother, the sequel, Follow the Dream,  won the national WILLA Award, and Dare to Dream rounds out the trilogy. In addition a non-fiction book, Cowgirl Up! A History of Rodeo Women has just been released. Heidi has a degree in journalism, a certificate in fiction writing, and is a member of the Independent Editors Guild. She teaches writing, edits, and blogs. 

The Nitty Gritty Hard Work of Selling your Book - 2 Steps Toward Success

By Deb Toor

                           "...The grass is greenest where it is watered.”

                                       -- Robert Fulghum


How do most successful authors generate book sales? Are they just lucky?  More talented?

Maybe.

But as Albert Einstein said “Genius is 1% talent and 99% Hard Work." Most successful authors toil and sweat to sell their books.

Ready to get some results? It's time to roll up your sleeves and plunge into the nitty gritty hard work of selling your book. This blog focuses on two actions that will help you connect with your potential customers: Collecting endorsements and participating in or staging a community event.

1. How to find endorsements for your book:

Featuring the expertise of Carolyn Howard-Johnson, promo guru and author of The Frugal Book Marketer,http://howtodoitfrugally.com/


Quality endorsements, testimonials and reviews will show your niche audience how your book can help them to reach their goals. Carolyn suggests the following steps:

First, identify the professionals who are connected with your book’s theme, such as teachers, people in your field of expertise, associations, and fellow authors you know.

Next, send letters requesting their testimonials. What to include:

      - why you are asking for their endorsements, why you value their testimonials

      - why they are a good fit, explain the connection

      - a synopsis about your book

      - how they will benefit (such as community recognition)

      - a sample of an endorsement with the assurance that they are welcome to use their own words

Be prepared to send a copy of your book to interested contacts.

Carolyn recommends that you include endorsements in the following:

       -  media kit, teasers in mini-biographies

       -  e-mail signature lines

       -  query letters or the footer of stationary

       -  promotional postcards, business cards, bookmarks

       -  above the book cover art

       -  signs, posters, banners for trade shows and book fairs


Be sure to keep track of your correspondence records.

For more of Carolyn’s tips on gathering endorsements and other promotional nuggets, check out her book How to Do it Frugally.

2. How to link your book to a Community Event:

Featuring the expertise of Deborah Riley-Magnus, Author & Success Coach,


Deborah advises authors to connect their book to an appropriate charity. For example, if your book is about a pet, or cancer, or drug abuse, just identify a charity to support.

   Plan to attend an event held by your selected charity or create your own. At the event, you can sign and sell your books. To make it more appealing, Deborah suggests holding a raffle and awarding the winners with fun prizes. Donate a portion of your sales to the charity.

My own suggestion: How about a fun trivia contest based on your book? If your book is nonfiction, trivia questions could focus on facts presented in your book. If your book is fiction, trivia questions could focus on a character, the plot, etc.

Make sure to keep your book separate from the charity. "The key is to create connections with an audience that relates to your book. THAT’S how to create book sales,” she says.

Find out how promote your connection to your selected charity:
https://rileymagnus.wordpress.com/category/author-marketing/


        ____________________________________


Additional resources:

http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.ca/
This blog offers a free service to authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like more exposure, and readers who want to praise books they've read.

http://www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.ca/
Named in "Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites," this blog provides a forum for readers and writers.

Deb Toor  is a nonfiction writer and freelance blogger.  She is the author of Survival Secrets of Turkey Vultures, a suspense-adventure story for grades 4 to 6 that is based on peer-reviewed science. She is also a ghostwriter for a health blog.

Check out Deb's book at: Survival Secrets of Turkey Vultures

What Online Marketing Terms Do You Want to Know About?

I'm writing a report on some of the basic online marketing terms and came up with 22 so far.

 I'd like to know if you have any terms that you're not quite sure about - that you'd like to know what they mean.

If you do, please put them in the comments below.

I'll reply to the comments with the explanations and if I don't already have a term in my report, I'll add it.

I guess this is a blog post survey.

Some of the ones I already have are:

• SEO
• SERP
• Anchor text
• Deep linking
• Backlinks
• Landing pages
  
• Lead generation
• Conversion
• Search engine ranking

I'd sure appreciate your input!


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The Submission Grinder--a useful resource

Submitting short stories to magazines takes a lot of time and effort.  I’ve found a resource that’s helped.  It’s the (Submission) Grinder website, a listing of magazines, e-zines, anthologies and contests you can send your fiction to.

I like it because the magazines are searchable by length, payment, genre, whether they accept reprints, and even style of writing.  It also has a good layout for each magazine's main page, clearly showing the most important information and giving fairly reliable links to their website and specific guidelines.    

You can also sign up for an account and track your submissions, helping keep you organized and giving valuable information back to the community about rejection rates and response times.

They plan to add non-fiction and poetry listings in the future (though some of the magazines here accept non-fiction and poetry too, so it can be useful if you have a portfolio of various genres).

Head on over to the Submission Grinder and submit some of your work!  

Melinda Brasher currently teaches English as a second language in the beautiful Czech Republic.  She loves the sound of glaciers calving and the smell of old books.  Her travel articles and short fiction appear in Go Nomad, International Living, Electric Spec, Intergalactic Medicine Show, and others.  For an e-book collection of some of her favorite pieces, check out Leaving Home.  Visit her online at http://www.melindabrasher.com.

Goal Setting: It’s Not About Ideas – It’s About Making Ideas Happen

“It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.” —Scott Belsky

We’re into the second quarter of this year. It’s time to think about where you’ve been and where you’re heading. It’s time for ideas.

According to Business Dictionary, an idea is “a thought or collection of thoughts that generate in the mind.”

They’re usually derived from intent, but they can also be unintentional.

Ideas are the foundation of all advancements. And, they’re at the foundation and growth of your business.

While ideas may be the initiating force behind success, they’re powerless without action.

Action is the implementation of an idea. Action is taking deliberate steps toward an end. Action is what makes dreams a reality.

So, how do you turn an idea into an actionable plan?

Four basic steps you will need to take to get started.

1. Create a plan.

First: Take that idea and actually write it down, don’t just type in your laptop or computer, actually write down what you’re idea or goal is. Then you can put it in your computer.

This idea should be considered your long term objective.

Second: Divide your long term goal into short term goals with actionable steps you can take to reach your objective.

Suppose your objective is to boost your social media marketing in order to build a large and loyal following with conversion potential. Divide that into sub-categories. They may be:

• Two to three social media channels to devote more time and effort into
• Who will handle this strategy (if you’re a solopreneur, it’ll be you)
• Time to be allotted to this new strategy
• Budget for this new strategy
• Create user engagement and connections
• Actionable steps needed to accomplish this new goal

Why write your goals and action steps down?

According to an article in Entrepreneur.com, “Warren Buffett has described writing as a key way of refining his thoughts.” And, “Richard Branson once said, ‘my most essential possession is a standard-sized school notebook,’ which he uses for regular writing.” (1)

Along with this, another article, 5 Reasons Why You Should Commit Your Goals to Writing, explains, “Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, did a study on goal-setting with 267 participants. She found that you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down.” (2)

Writing goals down takes more thought than typing away. This makes you more conscious of what your goals are. It adds, if you will, emphasis to what you want.

So, it’s easy to understand that writing your ideas / goals down is a key to fulfilling your goals.

Finally, keep your goals and action steps front and center. You need to see them daily (throughout the day) as a reminder of your intent.

TIP: Make sure your action steps are realistic and doable. Nothing will squash your motivation and efforts more than not being able to fulfill your action steps.

2. Implement your plan.

Your goal and actionable steps are on paper and in your computer. Now it’s time to actually take action. Follow through and post more to the social media channels. Engage with other users by Retweeting, Following, Liking, Sharing, and so on. Take all the actions you’ve listed in your plan.

3. Keep it up – persevere.

Whatever action steps you do, do them wholeheartedly and regularly. Don’t give up because you don’t quickly see results. Give it time to determine if the steps you’re taking are the right ones for you and your business.

4. Analysis and Revise.

While you do need to give your actions time to generate positive results, you also need to test what you’re doing.

Determine what’s working and what’s not. Then revise your plan accordingly.

Don’t waste time on efforts that aren’t working. Try a different approach or marketing strategy.

Your time and effort will be much more productive if you regularly test your results.

There you have it, four basic steps to creating and implementing a business plan. Take the time to write your ideas / goals down and create and implement actionable steps to help you achieve them.

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References:

(1) http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234712
(2) http://michaelhyatt.com/5-reasons-why-you-should-commit-your-goals-to-writing.html

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