jueves, 27 de octubre de 2011
miércoles, 12 de octubre de 2011
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sábado, 8 de octubre de 2011
Choose Great Research Topics
Choose Great Research Topics
Word Count:
422
Summary:
Doing research and writing research papers does not actually have to be as horrible as everyone makes it out to be. I have learned to enjoy the process of research from start to finish. Call me crazy if you will, but I guarentee that the future of your educational career can be much more enjoyable if you learn now to enjoy research. For me, enjoying it started with choosing the right research topics.
Whether you are in high school, college, gradudate school or are writing ...
Keywords:
research topics
Article Body:
Doing research and writing research papers does not actually have to be as horrible as everyone makes it out to be. I have learned to enjoy the process of research from start to finish. Call me crazy if you will, but I guarentee that the future of your educational career can be much more enjoyable if you learn now to enjoy research. For me, enjoying it started with choosing the right research topics.
Whether you are in high school, college, gradudate school or are writing for your doctorate degree, research is an inevitable part of education. For me, it wasn't until I was nearly finished with my undergraduate college degree that I had a revelation about research that changed my whole perspective. These are the simple and somewhat obvious things that came to me. First, I had to do research projects and papers to make it through school. There was no way around it. Second, I knew from experience that everything in life is harder when you do not enjoy what you're doing. I determined to find a way to make researching enjoyable for me. Third, I made researching enjoyable by deciding to only research about things that I really cared about. The transformation came when I decided that no matter what, I was only going to choose research topics that I really cared about, even if it made my projects harder or longer.
As soon as I started choosing great research topics I found that the entire process of creating a research project or writing a research paper was easier, more enjoyable, and less stressful for me. I no longer spent hours trying to learn about the ancient history of tribes I knew or cared nothing about. Instead, I began to choose research topics such as the history of soccer or the development of education in Africa. Of course, the things that excite me will likely be things that bore other people to death. But, you see, that is the beauty of it. If everyone destined to write research papers commits to choosing only research topics that they love, everyone will learn from each other and enjoy the process.
So, my advice to you, fellow student, is simple. Never let yourself start the long process of research with a research topic that you could care less about. Commit in advance to finding a research topic that excites you and begin from there. You will be so glad you did, and your projects and papers will probably be better off as well.
viernes, 7 de octubre de 2011
Checklist Before Starting a Home Based Business
Checklist Before Starting a Home Based Business
Word Count:
502
Summary:
There are a few items that you should have on your checklist before starting your home based business.
Keywords:
home based business, home business, business, business opportunity, home business, Internet Marketing, Entrepeneurs, network marketing,small business, online business, MLM, Business, money, wealth
Article Body:
When you are looking for a home business opportunity, it is important to make sure that you are aware of all that you will be required to bring to the equation. This can help save you a lot of confusion and money by avoiding opportunities that require too much from you to get started. Here is a checklist of thing that you should consider before selecting a home business opportunity.
1. Do you need to get a license to run the business? Many states require that businesses get a license before they are allowed to open. This includes home businesses in many locations. Check with your local government agencies to see what you will need to have in place to start your own home business.
2. Do you need a zoning permit? If you have a home business opportunity that requires doing actual business with the public, you are going to need to make sure that you will not be in violation of any zoning laws. Most cities have very strict residential zoning requirements and it is not hard to violate them. Make sure that the type of business you want to start will be acceptable to run at your current location.
3. How much equipment will you need to buy? You'll need to know exactly how much money you're going to have to spend to get your business operational. While some home business opportunities require just a computer, others may need a special printer, extra software, additional gadgets or even heavy equipment. This can add up in a short period of time. Make sure that you are aware of all the expenses that you will incur before you start up.
4. Do you have enough space in your home to devote to your business? Running an informational company is one thing, but if you are going to be stocking products in your home, you're going to need enough space. For tax purposes, you're also going to have to have a room that is completely devoted to your home business. This means no kid's toys, or anything from your normal family life can intrude on this room. If you don't have this kind of space you may need to add on to your home to accommodate your business.
5. Will you need to purchase any insurance? If you are doing business with the public at your home, you will need to get liability insurance. This will help protect you if anyone falls on your property or injures themselves in anyway. If you will be storing products, you will need to have them insured in case there is a flood or they get damaged in any way.
Lastly, you may want to consider business protection insurance that will help you in the event of any copyright infringement claims or other common complaints. Don't forget your own health insurance, or any insurance that you may need to provide for employees. This can add up quickly and increase your overall start up costs.
Cheap Ghost Writing Isn't Easy -- But It's Worthwhile!
Cheap Ghost Writing Isn't Easy -- But It's Worthwhile!
Word Count:
1108
Summary:
You might think that selling yourself short is a sure way to not be a success in the ghost writing field. And your eyes are probably dancing with the large sums of money that you've heard ghost writers pull down, in yearly figures such as $60,000 to $100,000, or amounts such as $15,000 to $60,000 per each book written. You're a writer, you love to write, and you believe that this is the way to go when it comes to writing.
This is especially so when you've started to break ...
Keywords:
ghost writer, ghost writers, ghost writing, good freelance writer, good ghost writer, copy editing
Article Body:
You might think that selling yourself short is a sure way to not be a success in the ghost writing field. And your eyes are probably dancing with the large sums of money that you've heard ghost writers pull down, in yearly figures such as $60,000 to $100,000, or amounts such as $15,000 to $60,000 per each book written. You're a writer, you love to write, and you believe that this is the way to go when it comes to writing.
This is especially so when you've started to break into the field and you're a ghost writer -- or ghostwriter -- who has never really ghosted a book for someone else before. You're probably thinking big bucks, major book contracts, large amounts of cash advances from publishers and huge percentages from the books you will be anonymously writing for big time authors.
But let's face some facts. First time authors are often people with no real money or skills to invest in writing a book. They may have fantastic stories to tell, but they don't have the enormous amount of financial capital available to hire any such expensive ghost writers. They're bound to enter some psychological difficulties when they see that the payments to you are the whopper figures such as those listed above, and that those are the only sorts of prices accessible to them. By laying out such enormous fees, you could be stuck losing a huge customer base of clients with fantastic stories to tell -- but without the major wherewithal to pay you to tell them. What if, say, your potential author, the person hiring you to write his or her story, has only $5000 or less to spend?
I know what I'm talking about, and I can create a decent, well-written work of cheap ghost writing in a month or so for around that amount of money. You do that, and there's your $60,000 per year! It really isn't all that hard. You don't even have to charge as high as $5000 per book.
Most other ghost writers I know are only as capable I am, but many of them do charge the higher amounts. The clients of the high end ghost writers tend to be people with enormous sales potential, not the typical first time authors who have a great story but often don't really go anywhere with it – the so called "sucker market."
It might be worthwhile to consider charging less, or negotiating a deal with such a "first timer." Over the years, I have drawn the conclusion that there are an awful lot of such people out there. I have been ghost writing books for people for as low an amount as $2000 per book, and as I have sources of income from other types of writing, I have been finding an immense amount of personal satisfaction from helping such would be authors actually obtain what they are looking for in a "cheap ghost writer" who charges a reasonable price for the quality and quantity of work done for them. I simply ask for installment payments, usually made in advance, and sometimes I also ask for a percentage of the net book sales.
This works out to be less "greedy" on my part and more of a service that I provide for authors who are simply yearning to get their books up high on the top of the New York Times Bestseller lists, and who know that such are their dreams, not necessarily their realities. These are often people who have reached the ends of their ropes when it comes to negotiating a lower price for their books. They usually have nowhere else to turn when it comes to putting out their own personal stories, and they need someone with a willing ear and pen to listen and help them set down their tales before it's too late for them to be told. And there is still hope for these people to even hit the big time, if they have the right types of stories to tell.
Also, some of these authors simply don't know what they're doing and need a guiding hand to help them. They need their letters of query written up for them, their brief biographies put together, and their book proposals prepared for them, as they are dipping their toes into the writing field and getting them wet for the first time. A lot of them think they are going to get their book written and then get some kind of major advance, straight from a publisher.
It just isn't like that 90% of the time. An advance comes after a deal has been negotiated with a reputable literary agent, bids by publishers for the book have been scrutinized, and contracts have been signed. It helps in a major way to have the book in hand, sometimes even having it self published first, to get anywhere near a commercial publisher. This can be a very expensive process for a first time, would be author.
People like that don't need to face down what looks like to them to be a million dollar price tag when they are looking for what's described as a cheap ghost writer. They want an actual inexpensive ghost writer who understands their needs, both budgetary and otherwise, who can sit down with them and negotiate a fairly low amount of money paid out by them so they can figure on at least getting some return from their books. These people are not Presidents of the United States or famous movie actors, whose books are guaranteed to sell, and many of them find themselves "stuck" with what used to be called vanity publishing, nowadays called self publishing. They won't necessarily find a commercial publisher who wants to take a chance on huge returns from their books in today's multifaceted but still challenging world of publishing.
These clients need literally cheap or inexpensive ghost writers. They don't need to spend a small fortune on their books to find out they all dead ended in a warehouse, didn't sell as widely as they thought they would, or they otherwise came out on the short end of the stick. They need to carefully invest their time and effort on a decent, expert ghost writer. And they could use some material publishing help to get their books "out there" -- properly displayed and promoted in today's modern Internet oriented book market.
Help them. Consider bargaining and bartering at a lower price sometimes, and not at a higher price. It might be worth your while. Try it and see!
jueves, 6 de octubre de 2011
Busting Publishing's Biggest Myths
Busting Publishing's Biggest Myths
Word Count:
1154
Summary:
Rejection is never easy. But some authors can't separate themselves from their work, and take rejection letters very personally. I get many emails from disgruntled writers who can't get past their anger to figure out why their work was turned down in the first place. So before you spend hours sticking pins in your editor voodoo doll, see if you recognize yourself below....
Keywords:
write writers writing authors books publishing publish children's
Article Body:
Rejection is never easy. But some authors can't separate themselves from their work, and take rejection letters very personally. I get many emails from disgruntled writers who can't get past their anger to figure out why their work was turned down in the first place. So before you spend hours sticking pins in your editor voodoo doll, see if you recognize yourself below:
The complaint: "Editors practice age discrimination. I'm over 50 and editors believe only young authors can write for children."
The truth: Editors are interested in finding good books, period. It doesn't matter how old the author is. Take a look at the lists of award winners (ask your librarian, or do an Internet search for Caldecott or Newbery Awards) and note the ages of the authors. Many didn't start writing until their kids were in school full time, or took up writing as a second career. Editors also know that the best stories come from years of life experience, and older writers have more to draw from. Yes, occasionally a book written by a teenager will make the news, but more often than not it's the novelty of the author's age that gets the publicity, not the quality of the writing. And why does the editor know your age in the first place? There's no reason to mention it in your cover or query letter, unless it has direct bearing on the story. If you're writing historical fiction and you actually lived through the events in the plot, or your nonfiction book is based on years of study in the subject, then your age is a plus.
The complaint: "I'm a man, and editors think only women can write children's books."
The truth: Sorry guys, but this one's a little ridiculous. Again, look at that list of award winners. Men are well-represented. Glance through the names of editors in Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market published by Writer's Digest Books. Lots of men there too. The only time your gender might be an issue is with the readers themselves. For example, teenage boys might not buy a science fiction/adventure story written by a woman, or middle grade girls may think a man can't possibly pen a series featuring four adolescent girls at summer camp. They're wrong, but you can always use your first initial instead of your name to fool your audience.
The complaint: "They're just wrong about my writing! All editors want these days are famous names, not quality books."
The truth: Yes, many editors (especially those at larger houses) have to be concerned with making money for the publisher, and so rely on a certain number of established authors each year to pay the bills. But they also know they need to find new writers, because those standbys aren't going to be writing forever.
Sometimes it's almost impossible to interpret a rejection letter, and one or two form rejections does not mean you're a failure. Editors are people too, with personal tastes and the need to balance each list by subject matter and age group. However, several rejections in a row deserve a closer look. Are you submitting to appropriate publishers, who actually publish the kind of book you've written? Have any of the houses on your list recently published a book very similar to yours? Is your manuscript riddled with typos or grammatical errors? Even though a copy editor will fix these before the book's published, sloppy presentation can give an editor reason to reject a manuscript when she's got 50 others sitting on her desk waiting for her attention.
In most cases, though, it's the writing that gets the manuscript rejected. And since it's the editor's job to recognize good writing and help those authors make their books even better, there is a chance (admit it!) that the rejection is deserved. How can you tell? First of all, if you get personal comments about your manuscript in the rejection letter, take those to heart. Play devil's advocate and assume the editor's right, and see if those changes improve the work. Secondly, get objective input. Join a writer's group, get a professional manuscript critique, or pay for a personal critique session at a writer's conference (most Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators workshops--www.scbwi.org--have optional one-on-one critiques). Take writing classes, read books on writing. Do whatever you can to learn how to judge your work and make it better.
The complaint: "Publishers aren't interested in publishing books that will help kids."
The truth: Whoa! If children's book publishers didn't produce books that benefit kids, they'd go out of business in a heartbeat. Of course, we can all walk into a book store and find books that aren't worth the paper they're printed on, but that's true of any product. (Have you ever bought a T-shirt that disintegrated in the first wash, or a DVD player that self-destructed in a week?) I'm not saying that's a good thing, but our society seems to tolerate a certain amount of drivel in the marketplace. However, all publishers prefer commercially-appealing books that also have substance. This complaint consistently comes from writers whose goal is to "help kids," or teach them how to grow into solid, caring citizens through their books. This is admirable and even desirable, but very often the message is heavy-handed and preachy. The message smothers the story, and the book ends up sounded like a lecture. It's simply not good writing. Try reading several popular books wit h a message embedded in the plot (ask a teacher or librarian for recommendations) and work on the writing-improvement suggestions above.
The complaint: "I'm disabled/poor/have had a hard life and want to share my story, but no one will listen."
The truth: I imagine it's difficult for an editor to reject a manuscript that comes from someone who has struggled with adversity and is still determined to follow their lifelong dream of becoming a published author. The tough circumstances themselves don't work against the writer (very often they contribute to powerful stories) but an author's unique situation cannot outweigh less-than-stellar writing. What's on the page is what matters the most. If your story is too personal (it's about your life as an adult, or you haven't extracted the universal feelings and crafted them into a story that will be relevant to a wide audience), the book simply won't sell in the children's market. Again, learn what makes a quality children's book and get objective feedback on your manuscript. Remember, no one owes you a publishing credit just because you took the time to write a book. Writing is hard work, and requires self-education, practice, and persistence. There's no shame in p utting aside a manuscript that simply won't sell and writing something new. Every published author has a drawer full of those, and enough rejection letters to wallpaper an office. So join the club– it's worth the price of membership.
Busted: 5 Writing Myths
Busted: 5 Writing Myths
Word Count:
715
Summary:
One common element whenever human beings gather is the need to talk and share experiences. Often that need turns into something a little more fun, a little more dangerous -- gossip. Gossip is often fun but it can also be dangerous because it spreads quickly (because it is fun) and often distorts or even completely avoids the truth. Gossip creates myths in many fields and professions, and the field of writing is especially prone.
The top five myths about writing are:
Myt...
Keywords:
write, writing, publish, edit, profit, market, advice, help, tip, article, improve, skill, book, ebo
Article Body:
One common element whenever human beings gather is the need to talk and share experiences. Often that need turns into something a little more fun, a little more dangerous -- gossip. Gossip is often fun but it can also be dangerous because it spreads quickly (because it is fun) and often distorts or even completely avoids the truth. Gossip creates myths in many fields and professions, and the field of writing is especially prone.
The top five myths about writing are:
Myth 1: Writing is easy for some people. Let me tell you that is just about the biggest myth going. I have been a professional writer for going on three decades now. I also know many other professional writers of various ages, experience, and income. I don't know a writer that will tell you that writing is easy. Writing is brutal, hard work and there are times when I think it would be easier to simply open a vein as Red Smith said. However experience and practice can make many writing tasks easier. There are some writing tasks that I can almost accomplish on autopilot because I have written that specific format and/or topic a lot.
Myth 2: Writing requires talent. I won't lie. Talent can certainly help and talent is what separates the great writers from the good writers. But the truth is that talent is not enough to make a writer great or even good and talent is not a necessary requirement to be a good writer. Writing is a skill that can be learned, developed and honed. If you practice your craft, if you read the writing of others to learn more about your craft, and if you seek and accept guidance and suggestions about your writing then you will improve and grow as a writer. Dedication harnessed with talent can create amazing results but if I had to pick just one then I would go with dedication. You can always increase your skill level through dedication.
Myth 3: Writing isn't a useful skill. I have made my living as a writer for my entire professional life but even if you don't intend to make your living with words you will need this crucial skill. There simply isn't a profession that does not involve writing. Perhaps the form will vary, but written communication is the cornerstone in every professional field. Your writing ability will often impact landing a job as well as advancing in your career. Today written communication is even more crucial in professional and personal relationships.
Myth 4: You can't make a living as a writer. I can remember when I told my father that I wanted to be an English major in college. He was very worried that I wouldn't be able to support myself. The truth is that I have never had trouble finding a job and today I own my own business because of this flexible and important skill. Not only can you make a living as a writer but writing is an essential tool for many other careers and professions.
Myth 5: Writers block is alive and torturing writers as you read this. I'm not dismissing the difficulties inherent in dealing with writers block but whenever I talk with writers purportedly suffering from it they fall within two general groups. The first group actually creates their own block by insisting on the perfect place, mood, or alignment of planets in order to write. This is beyond ridiculous. One of the many benefits I gained from years of newsroom experience is the ability to write in almost any condition or mood. Deadlines will teach anyone how to give writers block short shrift. The second group I have more sympathy for as their problem really is internal in nature. Usually the problem is that the particular story (whether fiction or nonfiction) they want to tell is not yet finished cooking in their brain. In this case, while the writing may be stalled I don't agree that it is blocked. The writer must listen to that inner voice and respond appropriately. Sometimes the idea needs more time to percolate and sometimes more research and/or planning is necessary. Once the proper adjustments are made the writing will begin to flow again.
Don't let your writing fall victim to these five myths about writing.
miércoles, 5 de octubre de 2011
Business Proposal Writing: Don't Fall Into The Trap!
Business Proposal Writing: Don't Fall Into The Trap!
Word Count:
456
Summary:
In business, there is a question that no sane person wants to hear: "Could you write me a proposal?"
Proposals are traps, ways to build up and break down dreams. Sound dramatic? It's not. In many cases, writing a proposal is a waste of your time and effort. According to Tom Ranseen, of NoSpin Marketing, there are three reasons why proposals are known as traps:
1. They waste precious time that could be used looking for other prospects or providing other productive work t...
Keywords:
business, marketing, business management, ethics, sales, small business, starting a small business
Article Body:
In business, there is a question that no sane person wants to hear: "Could you write me a proposal?"
Proposals are traps, ways to build up and break down dreams. Sound dramatic? It's not. In many cases, writing a proposal is a waste of your time and effort. According to Tom Ranseen, of NoSpin Marketing, there are three reasons why proposals are known as traps:
1. They waste precious time that could be used looking for other prospects or providing other productive work to current clients.
2. They give pricing/packaging information to mere tire-kickers and then to the competition. You just become a number standing in line without a dance partner.
3. They give you a false sense of security that you're doing something positive and productive in your sales process-that you're busy and making progress-and maybe that's worst of all.
Does this mean that all proposal requests are useless? No—what it does mean is that you have to be able to choose which are worth your time and which aren't. Below are tips to help you make that choice:
1. If a potential client wants a proposal but has not given you a clear idea of what they want/need and do not seem able to make up their minds, the best advice is to pass.
2. Is the potential client shopping around, or looking into other prospects? A part of you will want to create proposal just to solidify your abilities ; however , be careful: a client who is unable to choose companies may not be worth the effort it takes.
3. Did your potential client demand a proposal right away? In most cases, the quicker a proposal is demanded, the more likely the client is to back away. Watch for impulsiveness.
4. Is the client unwilling to talk to your directly to review the project and /or proposal? This typically boils down to indecision or wavering interest. It is best to pull out while you can and not waste time.
5. Ask the important questions before accepting the offer to write a proposal. Make sure that the client is qualified to carry through with their plans. Are they committed? Are they financially secured? The worst thing you can do is have a client who loves your ideas but simply can't afford them or commit to them.
6. Use common sense. Take all things into consideration before writing a proposal; it will save you time and allow you to devote your abilities to other projects.
The proposal trap is a common one in business; many hours have been wasted and many dreams shattered after falling into it. Take the time to review these suggestions and learn when to write a proposal and when to walk away.
Bringing Your Business Online With Article Marketing
Bringing Your Business Online With Article Marketing
Word Count:
838
Summary:
In order to get the people to transact in your business online, you have to properly and creatively write articles to draw these potential online customers in. This can be termed as article marketing. Article marketing involves the appropriate construction of articles to help online businesses, products, or services. It is somehow similar to online advertising, although the article used does not pose as an advertisement. Instead the article focuses on descriptions and other relevant information of the business, product, or service.
Keywords:
article marketing, submit articles
Article Body:
Planning to set up a business? You can start by spending on the rent for office space or a commercial building. You have to physically set up your business. Then you have to start advertising for your products or services - but this will only reach the people in the local vicinity, unless word of mouth of your business reaches other places or if you advertise nationwide through television or radio commercials. However, these options may be too expensive for a starting business. Either way, you can only reach a limited amount of consumers.
Bringing your business online may reap rewards you cannot even begin to imagine! There are a lot of advantages to bringing your business endeavors online. One of these is avoiding the costs of setting up a physical office or store. You don't have to spend on rent for office space. Or pay monthly dues for the maintenance of your office like electricity and staff wages. There is also the hassle of traveling from your home to the office location, dealing heavy traffic and having to pay for transportation costs. With online opportunities for your business, you can be free from all of these. With the internet business industry growing, there will surely be a lot of progress in setting up your very own online business.
With having your own business online, you can reach even the farthest person on the planet. Physical distance is not a factor in dealing with clients online. Your clientele will not be limited to your locality compared to setting up a traditional offline business. Rather, your business will be accessible to clients all over the world as long as they can be connected in the internet.
One downside in setting up an online business is that people generally have a preference to look, feel, or test the product physically to check for their quality. They don't easily trust the product's description or pictures. People also have the liking to take strolls in malls. For them it is a leisurely activity for the whole family. Walking in malls is also a healthy form of exercise that people have come to enjoy over the years. This is an experience not felt when doing business online.
In order to get the people to transact in your business online, you have to properly and creatively write articles to draw these potential online customers in. This can be termed as article marketing. Article marketing involves the appropriate construction of articles to help online businesses, products, or services. It is somehow similar to online advertising, although the article used does not pose as an advertisement. Instead the article focuses on descriptions and other relevant information of the business, product, or service.
Articles should be written in such a way that online consumers will be drawn to your business. There are numerous guidelines for the creation of articles. This will be discussed by other topics or articles.
It is also important to develop the trust of the customers. Customers almost always seek assurances that their product of choice is of excellent quality. Plainly describing the products can just lead to doubts to some people, thinking that these are just sales talk. You should come up with articles that can help build the trust of the people. It's up to your creativity to do that. Sometimes it takes more than words to build a trusting relationship.
Through article marketing you should be able to reach out to customers. The principle is not to wait for customers to come to your business, but rather bringing your business to them. The articles that you have for your business should contain all the necessary information these online consumers need to know. The articles should also be convincing enough to lure the online consumers to your business. Do not heavily focus on luring online consumers though. They might end up disappointed with your business to the point that they give bad reviews towards you. Try to keep your articles.
Article marketing involves the utilization of article directories where you deposit your articles. These article directories categorize your articles fittingly to their corresponding categories. Popular search engines also browse through article directories when an online user searches for relevant keywords. Your article should have the appropriate keyword for is to be located by the online user. And the better the article in terms of quality and popularity, the higher its priority and ranking in search engines and article directories. Articles are always vying for priority to get better exposure to the online community. It helps to know that your articles should be good enough to make online users read them and patronize them.
Always remember that the very core of your online business is through article marketing. Keep your potential customers well informed by writing articles. Both the buyer and seller will benefit form these articles. The buyer gets all the needed information regarding the desired product and the seller is able to sell the product and gains money.
martes, 4 de octubre de 2011
Break In With Fillers: The Best Market For New Writers
Break In With Fillers: The Best Market For New Writers
Word Count:
739
Summary:
Interested in breaking into writing or breaking into a new area? You can't go past writing fillers. Fillers are one of the most overlooked opportunities in the freelance writing world and offer one of the best opportunities for new writers.
Fillers Are In Demand
I've spoken to hundreds of editors and been told over and over again that fillers are the one thing they never get enough of. Most publications tend to publish more freelance fillers than they do freelance artic...
Keywords:
writing,freelancing,fillers,getting started writing,getting published,freelance writing
Article Body:
Interested in breaking into writing or breaking into a new area? You can't go past writing fillers. Fillers are one of the most overlooked opportunities in the freelance writing world and offer one of the best opportunities for new writers.
Fillers Are In Demand
I've spoken to hundreds of editors and been told over and over again that fillers are the one thing they never get enough of. Most publications tend to publish more freelance fillers than they do freelance articles. Yet, they often receive 100 times more articles than fillers.
This is a gap in the freelance market that you can take advantage of.
Fillers are a Great Place to Get Started
Many publications are careful about publishing feature articles from writers they don't know. Even if your article is good, an editor might decide not to publish you because they don't know you as a writer. This is especially true if you don't have a lot of experience or any clips.
But even without experience or clips, most editors will consider a filler. In fact, many editors treat writing fillers as the testing ground to see if a writer can be relied on to write feature articles.
Here's what one editor had to say about fillers:
"One of the best ways to break in is to write fillers. It gives me a chance to start to build a relationship with a writer and see that I can trust them. Of all the freelancers I work with, over half started out writing fillers." - Margaret, Magazine Editor
So not only can writing fillers get you some clips, it also has the potential to turn into a long-term writing opportunity. Consider fillers a stepping stone to much bigger things.
The Smart Way to Write on Spec
Fillers are almost always submitted on spec. This means that you avoid the problem of having to query the publication and sell yourself as a writer, because your filler is doing the work for you and showing the editor your writing skill.
The big argument against writing on spec is that you spend your time writing pieces that might never sell. Fillers reduce this problem because they are short and take less time to write. So even if your filler doesn't sell, you haven't wasted as much time as you would have on a longer feature article. Fillers are also more flexible, with few publications having set guidelines for fillers. This means that a filler will often be suitable for more than market. So if it gets rejected once, it's not a waste of time. You can just send it to a new market, often without having to make any changes.
Fillers Rely on Information, Not Writer Qualifications
Fillers usually rely on information, not on the writer's qualifications.
This means that you don't have to sell yourself when you submit fillers. Instead, the information you put in the filler sells it for you.
This makes fillers a perfect option for writers lacking the experience or clips to sell themselves to an editor.
You Can Write a Lot of Them
Since fillers are short, you can write a lot of them and submit a lot of them. You could literally have hundreds of pieces out in the market for consideration in a short time. And if you write them well, you could have a lot of them published in a very short time. That means you can build a list of clips fast.
And one other benefit is that magazines don't have as limited a space for fillers as they do for feature articles. So if your filler gets accepted, it's likely to get published fast. The same isn't true for feature articles, where an accepted article will often be scheduled for an issue a year or two away.
That's one more good reason why fillers are a great way to build clips fast. Once you've got the clips, then you have a few more options. Until then, fillers are a great place to start.
And one final tip. Once you have the clips and start moving into feature articles, don't forget about fillers. As you're researching a feature, take note of interesting facts, trivia, or anecdotes you come across. These can make fillers and be an added bonus, bringing in some extra cash and some extra clips.
Brain Freeze? Hire A Ghost Writer
Brain Freeze? Hire A Ghost Writer
Word Count:
789
Summary:
Does this sound familiar? You have a newsletter that needs to go out in a few days, but you just can't come up with a good article to write. You have a serious case of writer's block. Or, you know you should be adding more content to your site on a regular basis to keep the search engines (and of course your visitors) happy, but you just can't find the time to sit down and write articles every week. There's an easy solution to both problems. Hire a ghostwriter to write the ar...
Keywords:
Article Body:
Does this sound familiar? You have a newsletter that needs to go out in a few days, but you just can't come up with a good article to write. You have a serious case of writer's block. Or, you know you should be adding more content to your site on a regular basis to keep the search engines (and of course your visitors) happy, but you just can't find the time to sit down and write articles every week. There's an easy solution to both problems. Hire a ghostwriter to write the articles for you.
Basically, a ghostwriter is someone that writes articles for you that you get to claim as your own and publish under your own name. No one other than yourself and the ghostwriter has to know that you didn't write the article yourself. Once you pay for the article, you hold all rights to it and can publish it wherever and however you see fit.
Now let's talk about the hard part. How do you find a good ghostwriter? You can start by posting a small project on elance or guru.com. Anyone interested in writing for you can bid on the project and you will get to choose your writer from the bidders. I mentioned posting a small project because you just don't know exactly what you are going to get until you receive the finished articles. A small project in elance or guru terms would be about 15 to 20 short articles on a subject that's either common knowledge, or easily researched. You want to make it worth the bidders (to attract good writers) without having to spend too much per article.
Other great ways to find a ghostwriter is to network with others in your field, ask friends and post on message boards related to the topic you want the articles written about. Just ask if there is someone interested in writing for you. There are also quite a few freelance writers that offer ghostwriting as well. Search for ghost writing in your favorite search engine to find sites like momva.com .
Pricing for ghostwritten articles can range anywhere from $2.00 to $65 per article. Most writers will charge about $5.00 to $12.00. Keep in mind that you will pay less for shorter articles than long ones. The average article size is from 300 – 1200 words. Shop around, but don't shop by price along. Like anywhere else you will get what you pay for. Articles in the $2 to $6 range tend to be pretty simple and to be honest quite boring. To get any decent hourly rate, the writer has to crank out 4 – 5 articles per hour and it will show in the quality of the article. You can however find some great articles in the $8 to $12 price range.
When choosing a writer, start by asking for sample articles. Find a few writers who's style you like and ask them to write a few articles each. You should be able to tell who will work out and who doesn't. If you have done a good bit of writing yourself, you may want to provide the writers with some of your own articles before they start, so they can get a feel for your style and personality. Pick one or two writers to write for you on a regular basis. It may also be worth staying in touch with the runner-ups in case a writer doesn't work out, or doesn't have time for additional projects down the road.
So, will it be worth paying someone to write your articles? It sure does for me. Submitting article and adding them to your own site is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to get traffic to your site. When you add the articles written by your ghostwriter to your site, optimize them by a particular keyword, or key phrase to get more search engine traffic. Then submit the un-optimized version to the various article directories. As your article is used on other sites and in newsletter the traffic will start coming in.
How much are you paying right now to advertise on various websites and in newsletters? $25 per ad or more? For $25 you can easily get 2 to 5 quality articles from a ghostwriter. These articles can then appear in countless publications and websites over and over again. Don't forget, your resource box, with a link to your site will be included each time the article is published. Your articles may appear in larger newsletters or even print papers and magazines that you could never afford to place an ad in. If you ask me, hiring a ghostwriter and getting more articles with my resource box out there is a great investment.
lunes, 3 de octubre de 2011
Book Report Basics
Book Report Basics
Word Count:
436
Summary:
A book report is defined as a short summary of a book, the reader's interpretation of it and their reaction. While every book report does include details, it is most often customized to it's audience with an emphasis on related aspects studied in a classroom or educational group.
From an educators viewpoint, the goal of a book report is to test the student's reading comprehension, their ability to relay their thoughts in a clear manner and their writing ability. Educators ...
Keywords:
book report
Article Body:
A book report is defined as a short summary of a book, the reader's interpretation of it and their reaction. While every book report does include details, it is most often customized to it's audience with an emphasis on related aspects studied in a classroom or educational group.
From an educators viewpoint, the goal of a book report is to test the student's reading comprehension, their ability to relay their thoughts in a clear manner and their writing ability. Educators commonly assign book reports to students in order to help them to build or acquire additional knowledge about a particular subject and to help them better understand how to interpret a book and it's meaning.
From a writer's standpoint, book reports are often used to entice readers to buy a specific book that has recently been released. This is commonly called a book review, which usually includes the columnist's viewpoint, opinion and criticism (if any) of the book. Much similar to the structure of a movie review, a journalist is often employed to critique book's and their storyline. This provides potential readers with insight and often persuades or deters another from buying a particular book.
The structure of a book report will depend solely on the age group that it is being tailored for. An example would be that of an elementary class and how their book report would greatly differ from that written by a college student. In general, however, every book report will be similar in it's layout. Commonly consisting of a title, brief introduction, the main body of the report including a plot or summary and several concluding paragraphs at the end. The final paragraphs would offer the individual's personal viewpoint or interpretation of the book and a conclusion as to how that particular book is relative to the subject area being studied.
The actual length of a book report will again vary depending on the age group for which it is intended. Most book report assignments will range from one to three pages. Higher learning students are often asked to further examine details of the book and offer a more in-depth interpretation of the book's characters, the plot, etc.
Writing a book report can require extensive reading, planning and finally writing. The actual length of time that it may take to complete a book report will depend on the length of the book and the requested length of the book report itself. Generally, a book report assignment is requested within one or two weeks. In certain circumstances, additional time may be granted.
Book Proposals 101.: What Publishers Want
Book Proposals 101.: What Publishers Want
Word Count:
915
Summary:
Lots of writers like to talk about writing books. You hear very few talking about writing book proposals. Maybe that's why it's easy to forget that a strong book proposal is the first step to getting a great deal for your non-fiction book. It's where you make the big pitch and tell the editor everything that's going to make him or her want to buy.
A book proposal is also a great time saver for you because you'll find in the course of researching your book proposal whether ...
Keywords:
book publishing, book proposal, writing tips, editing advice
Article Body:
Lots of writers like to talk about writing books. You hear very few talking about writing book proposals. Maybe that's why it's easy to forget that a strong book proposal is the first step to getting a great deal for your non-fiction book. It's where you make the big pitch and tell the editor everything that's going to make him or her want to buy.
A book proposal is also a great time saver for you because you'll find in the course of researching your book proposal whether or not your idea is viable, or whether your category is already crowded with similar books. Here are the parts that make up a book proposal, and a few tips on how to make it really stand out to a potential publisher.
Title Page
This is the first page of the book proposal. Your title should be centered and printed about two-thirds of the way down the page. In the bottom left hand corner you'll type in your name, address, phone number, email address and the name and contact information for your agent.
Overview
You'll want to have two to three pages explaining the overall premise of your book. You'll also want to include a Table of Contents that shows what points will be covered in each chapter.
Bio/Credentials
This isn't just your usual resume stuff, this is a big opportunity to sell yourself as THE person to write the book. Write it in the third person starting with your education and credentials. You'll want to point out any experience that specifically relates to the subject matter of the book. Have you written articles or previous books on the topic? Note those as well. List any public speaking that you have done and will do in the future, including television and radio interviews. Include a really nice photo. It doesn't have to be a glamour shot, but you do want to look interesting and engaging. A 5"x7" is fine.
Competition
The publisher will want to know if there are books similar to yours already out there. It will help them to see that there is a market for such books. At the same time, you'll want to point out how your book will be different, or better, than what's already out there. Do not trash someone else's work. It's bad form. It's enough to say a competitor's book left something out, or doesn't cover a certain aspect. If you don't know what competing books exist, you can look them up in Books in Print. Most libraries have it in the reference section.
Outline
This will be your chapter-by-chapter outline showing what you will cover, point-by-point, in each chapter. You can plan on allotting about half a page per chapter.
Sample Chapters
This is where you get to show that you really can write! You should submit at least three chapters of content. It doesn't have to be the first three chapters, but if you haven't written anything yet those may be the easiest to do. Then again, some writers like to start in the middle of a book! The main key here is to be good--no typos, no misspellings and no factual errors.
Marketing
The marketing section of your book proposal is so important that many publishers will often read it first. So make sure you spend the time to make this the best it can be. Lay out your whole marketing plan here. Explain who your target audience is, how big it is and why they will buy this book. How do you plan on reaching them? Are you buying your own advertising? If so, in what publications and what is their combined circulation? Will you be reaching out to book clubs, corporations or college classes where you book could be taught? How can you make your book stand out against the ones that are already out there? You want to make the case that there is a ready made audience out there and all the publisher has to do is reach out and grab them by signing you.
Promotion
Remember, a publisher wants to acquire you and your connections, so this is another important section of the proposal. How will you put yourself out there for your book? You'll want to explain if you'll be doing public speaking, or maybe you have a huge list you communicate with via newsletter every month. How many are on your list? If you plan to hire your own publicist, put that fact in as well. Do you have famous connections that will help you get great blurbs? Do you have a budget? If so, how much? Yes, they do want to know if you plan on spending some of your own money!
Publishing Details
Here you'll detail the length you propose for the book (in words) and whether the book will have any illustrations or photos. You'll also want to give an estimate for the time you'll need to turn in the finished manuscript.
And that's it. When your proposal is done you might want to hire an editor or a book consultant to go over it and give you some strong feedback. That way you'll know you have it in the best shape possible and you can feel confident when you're sending it out.
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