WriterMarket

cans are reading less. That's the conclusion of a recent study by the National Endowment for the Arts. It's a follow up to an NEA survey that found an increasing number of adult Americans were not even reading one book a year. This information can be depressing, especially if you've been spending all your precious time writing a book. Are you creating something that no one will ever read? Not necessarily. If you have crafted your book and planned your marketing properly,these statistics will NOT apply to you! Here's why. The majority of the public doesn't read. But the majority of the public is not your audience! Think in terms of the 80/20 rule: 20 percent of a group will most likely provide 80...

When I was writing my first novel there came a moment when I found another idea for a book. It was in a story I'd read in The New York Times about a Japanese family. That was a big moment for me. I could see immediately how I could turn the story into a novel. I knew what themes I wanted to explore, and the message I wanted to express through the telling of the story. I got really excited because in that moment I knew I could work with more ideas, and that I wouldn't write just one book--I would write BOOKS! The bad part, though, is that moment start happening again and again with alarming frequency. And those ideas starting talking to me, wanting my attention! I know I'm not alone in this...

Americans are reading less. That's the conclusion of a recent study by the National Endowment for the Arts. It's a follow up to an NEA survey that found an increasing number of adult Americans were not even reading one book a year. This information can be depressing, especially if you've been spending all your precious time writing a book. Are you creating something that no one will ever read? Not necessarily. If you have crafted your book and planned your marketing properly,these statistics will NOT apply to you! Here's why. The majority of the public doesn't read. But the majority of the public is not your audience! Think in terms of the 80/20 rule: 20 percent of a group will most likely provide...

I have a confession to make - I am a slave. I have been slaving away this summer to complete a first novel and neglecting my body by not feeding and exercising it right. I have become a slave to writing; my back aches and muscles ache. I sit at my computer for more hours than it is accustomed, slaving over a word, a paragraph, sentence structure, plot, character, theme, scene. I am a slave, a lonely writer sitting at the computer with the intention of one thing - completing a 70,000 word manuscript. Shouldn't I be doing something else; something I enjoy? Well, I am doing what I enjoy - writing. No one ever told me in journalism class what it takes to write a novel. Journalism and creative writing...

Writer marketing services can lend a guiding hand to help you find a literary agent for your manuscript. Are you a storyteller who needs a little help to bring your story to life? Many writers do. Manuscript writing sometimes needs a little push from an outside source. And having a writer marketing service guide you and give you that little extra shove can be very helpful indeed. I am all in favor of a person following their dreams. But sometimes writers can get caught in a tangle of notes and ideas that may or may not be relevant to their actual story idea. As a writer, it can happen, that you get lost somewhere in between the first and last page of your manuscript. Somewhere along the way...

If you have ever authored an e-book, then you know when you are writing about a nonfiction subject which is your area of expertise, it's very easy to write it quickly. In fact, I never realized how easy it was to write a book, until I started writing e-books about subjects that I was intimately acquainted with. Writing an e-book in 72 hours is not difficult at all, especially if it is only 50 or so pages, with graphics and chapter headings; perhaps, only 36,000 to 45,000 words or so. Indeed, it often seems that the editing takes twice or three times as long as actually writing the thing. But what if you are writing a fictional work or a novel where you have to develop the characters, think about the...

Medical assistants are so important in today's society because we need as many as we can to keep the offices of physicians, chiropractors, and many other different types of health practitioners running smoothly. The jobs of medical assistants differ depending on the office, location, and size of the practice and its specialty. In a smaller office, they do many different types of tasks, such as handling clinical duties and reporting things directly to a physician or any other health practitioner. These tasks performed by these people are very important to keeping even a small office running well. In a larger office, medical assistants specialize in specific areas under supervision of department...

Exhausted from a six day business trip and facing a five hour flight on a packed, late departing evening plane, my desire was to block out noise from twenty-two high school students seated nearby. Favorites off my play list, and a just purchased mystery by a favorite author, seemed the perfect remedy to soothe my weariness. So, when the chime sounded to alert passengers we'd reached a cruising altitude where electronic devices could be used, I turned on my iPod. The pull to procrastinate flirted with my longing to relax, tempting me with its rewards. But that novel, tucked in the seat pocket, remain unopened as I reluctantly booted my computer to write the first draft of this column. In this case...

Most of us question our life's purpose or direction from time to time. Sadly, many of us are so preoccupied with the daily routines of life or navigating one crisis after another that we don't give our life's purpose or direction serious consideration. Even for those of us that do contemplate our life's purpose or direction, often times a void still exists. This void is deep in our soul and lays at the heart of our subconscious, becoming conscious every time life's distractions give way to those brief moments of clarity. In these moments of clarity, all is quiet, it is just us and our thoughts, dreams, and desires. These are the times when our subconscious allows those questions of purpose and...

It used to be that in order to get a book, you had to go to the bookstore or library. There, you could browse the shelves and pick what you wanted. With the Internet, you no longer have to visit the bookstore or library to get your books. And as the publishing industry has developed, books that were once available only in book form, then cassette or CD, can now be downloaded from the computer to your iPod or other music player to take with you wherever you go. Downloadable ebooks can also be downloaded to your computer or digital reader. Now, downloadable books and downloadable ebooks are just as popular as their paper counterparts. The Importance of Downloadable Books and Ebooks Downloadable books...

Writing for print and online publication can generate new business leads, drive traffic to your site, build relationships with your clients and prospects, and attract an audience. If you need to grow your business, consider the following ways to get your byline out there. 1. Online Article Directories If you've never published an article before, article directories-like and EzineArticles.com-are a great place to start. Basically, you post articles to these directories and other web publishers can read them and republish them on their sites (don't worry; you get credit and a link back to your site in return). All you need to do is create a profile and start uploading articles. 2. Trade Magazines If...

Isn't it time to breakthrough barriers holding you back from achieving more income in your business? What it takes to is confidence you can do it, courage to take action, and a solid plan and system to transform your business into something special. Achieving extraordinary results in your business requires you to open up your mind, and do things differently than the way you've become accustomed in the past. To help you start the New Year in a powerful way, I am sharing with you seven powerful steps you can follow to make 2010 a spectacular year for you and your business. The seven steps to follow to achieve a business breakthrough in 2010 are: Step 1: Discover you authentic brand identity Step 2...

Whether you like or dislike the changes the MLM industry has gone through over the last decade, one thing's for sure. Technology is changing our business. With the invention and innovation of the internet, new possibilities are open to network marketers that have never been open before. Yet, the success rate doesn't seem to be going up. I attribute this largely to the fact that not all home based business owners understand the power they have at their fingertips and how to use it. That's the reason I wrote this article is to clarify and emphasize the importance of using the internet in your business to ensure you stay successful. "Why Technology?" Many experts such as Jonathan Budd, Ann Seig, and...

The answer is "YES". Imagine you are a recognized domain expert in your industry. You might be a trainer, facilitator, coach, teacher, etc., who constantly imparts your knowledge and experience to groups of people you work with. You know that you have something of value to share and the only way now is through your workshops and seminars. There is something nagging inside you to share your knowledge and experience with more people, but in a way that is not constrained by your physical presence. You are convinced that one of the ways is to write and publish a book but before you take the first step, you reminded yourself "It's an impossible dream. I can teach and share very well but I certainly can't...

Do you find that you have lots of ideas, but you never seem to get anywhere with them? Maybe you are good at starting things, but not so good at finishing them. How can you make sure that the great plans you have for the coming year actually come to fruition? First, choose one thing and work on it. It is possible to work on several projects at the same time. But if you are having trouble finishing anything you may be better off simply choosing one and working on it until it is done. If it isn't possible to work on one project exclusively, then set up times when you will work on that project. For example, spend the first hour of each day on it. Make this appointment a priority. Break the project into...

Each email is really a letter. Imagine a mailman popping his head through your door with a couple of letters for you - every five minutes! You can see from the envelopes that most of them are really uninteresting, but you quickly look through them as they are handed to you. It may only take you a few seconds or a few minutes, but would you put up with that? Is there any chance of success or productivity if you would allow this to continue?! Email is no different. If you want to be effective and productive, you need to be able to concentrate, to focus on those important activities in your life. These activities could be personal, for example spending time with your wife and children (how close can...

If you've been thinking about writing a book for a long time, then you're definitely not alone. It's one of those projects that can easily be put off so more immediate things can get done. I know I tend to put things off (especially big things) unless I have a compelling reason to do it now. For example, we've been talking about adding a garage onto our house since we moved in (years ago!). We never had a compelling reason to take on such a big project until we found out we were having another child. Then we knew we needed the extra space, and the garage became a priority. Now we have a garage! A client of mine, another example, had put her book off for years until she found out one of her colleague...

p>If you have ever looked into publishing a book, you may have found that an abundance of the information makes it sound like writing and publishing a book is a very expensive endeavor. This does not have to be the case. You can write and publish a fantastic and well received professional book, without breaking the bank or taking out a second mortgage on your home. In fact, some people have even found a way to publish a book for free! Here's how to save money writing and publishing your book: Money saving secret #1 Get others to write the book for you. This may sound sneaky, however many successful authors have used this tactic quite successfully. We are not talking about paying a ghostwriter...

p>The key to making big profits in publishing is to become a publisher. Really. The writer is very rarely make enough money to make writing a full time job. However, if you publish your own book then you, as a writer and author, stand to make great profits. Here are the keys to making it big in self publishing. 1. Research your book topic's supply and demand before you put words on paper. In order to make money in any market you need two things. You need people to need your product and you need there to be relatively little competition. Some competition is good because if no one else is doing it, there is usually a reason why. But, you might be saying, what about the idea that is so...

Query letters are you first impression on the editor, your customer. That's why youneed to use all your creativity to write an effective query letter. Telling an editor youhave an idea isn't enough. Writer's Digest editor Thomas Clark hasidentified five essential aspects that should be in every query you write: 1. A working title 2. A projected length 3. Your idea's place within the publication's departments (where it will fit) 4. Reference to previous articles 5. Results of some initial research done for the project Remember, at this point you haven't actually written the article. You've come upwith a unique idea, researched publications until you found one that fit, and doneinitial research--both...

One of my all time favorite tools for creating reports, data lookup inquiry screens or custom file downloads for the AS/400 and iSeries platforms is IBMs very own Query/400. This is amazing tool is an additional licensed program but I find the cost worth it since it is a user friendly menu driven application and it makes creating custom reports a snap. The first step is to actually create a Query/400 query definition by issuing the command WRKQRY. And the first option is to specify the file selections you will use for the query. This is where you tell query which file or files you will be using to create your report, so you will specify each file, library and member if the file has multiple members...

What is one of people's greatest fears - the fear of dying? Of public speaking? Spiders? The I.R.S.? Sure, many people share these fears, but the one I'd like to explore today I believe is larger than all of these put together. It's the fear of REJECTION - the Big R. And while a lot of people in sales struggle to overcome this fear every day, no one is immune. Let's face it, one of our greatest desires is to be accepted and loved. And often times, being rejected feels like the exact opposite. So, how might we overcome this innate fear of rejection? How about a little 'purposeful play' to lighten the load. Here's a game I created over twenty years ago that served me well then and with a little...

You can find guidelines for writing query letters in many different places: online at sites like Charlotte Dillon's, in resource books like Writer's Market, or at your local writer's group or conference. However, I thought it might be helpful for me to post the query letter I used when I was seeking representation for One Night in Boston. Of the 42 agents/editors I sent it to, 36 requested either a partial or a full manuscript as a follow-up, which is a pretty good return. Ultimately, I secured publication with Samhain Publishing, and it will be a Summer 2007 release. In total, I've queried 4 novels over the last 6 years and received all kinds of feedback along the way. Now, I'm sharing with you the...

One magazine. Hundreds of writers. Thousands of queries. One editor. One desktop ... and a trashcan that appears to be incredibly, almost unimaginably deep. Where exactly will your submission go? It has all the makings of an editor's nightmare. Stacks and stacks of submissions, and some of them are dreadfully inappropriate and unprofessional. It's enough to give our poor editor a splitting headache at the very least. No wonder that some of these submissions have only a brief existence before being filed in the circular bin. How will you ever get through to an editor who is wading through scores of submissions being sent by your competitors? That's right, your competitors. It's important to think of...

After nine months of writing and five more months of editing, I was ready to search for an agent. It began with Jeff Herman's Guide Book to Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents recommended by people on every side of the publishing world. When it arrived from Amazon, and I noted the overwhelming number of agents to read about, I let it sit on my desk, and keep me company. Finally, I attacked the project and narrowed down the agencies within driving distance, so if they were interested, I could eventually meet with them. If they were going to become part of my life, I wanted to be sure we would make a great team. Then I read for hours to match the agent's criteria to my book. As a record keeping...

1. Strong On-site SEO Search engine optimization (SEO) is free once you learn the basics. There are many ways to do this, many tutorials available online are free and you should take advantage of these opportunities. SEO basically means formatting your website to make it conform to the search engines' idea of a quality site. You can focus your entire site, or pages of your site on specific keywords that you hope to show up for in the search engine results pages. Once you learn SEO and apply it to your site, it is like free marketing. The more you show up in Google and the other major search engines - the less you have to pay out to market your business website to bring visitors. Time spent learning...

-link"> To ensure a steady flow of work and income, a writer should promote himself constantly. Not everyone knows you are a writer and the competition for work is very high. Not only do you compete with publications regular staffers and commissioned writers but with more learned and skilled freelancers. Marketing should be on top of your priorities after production of your writing. You need to adopt various strategies to get your name out there and display your prowess. Here are a few useful ways to promote yourself and achieve success: Website Promotion In this information age that we are in, it is necessary for every business person to have a web site to display his/her wares as well as...

You can win funders and grant reviewers over by winning over their hearts and minds with powerful and passionate prose that will have them stamping "approved" on your grant proposals. But, what do you do if you have never written a grant before?  This article will help give you the confidence of exactly what you need to do to get started and keep your focus so you can send your grant proposal straight to your funders heart. Most new grant writers, or non-profit professionals, are excited about writing their first non-profit proposal, but scared they will not do it correctly, or that it is too complicated.  The following grant writing examples can really help assure new grant writers that they are...

Did you ever hear of the "golden rule?" The golden rule states to "treat others as you would want to be treated." This is great advice for anyone who is about to travel, especially if you're visiting a foreign country. Most travel writers are probably unaware of the "golden rules of travel writing." Whether you're an aspiring or experienced travel writer, it's good to know and review the golden rules of travel writing. These rules can help you stay on track with your writing. Refer to them at anytime if you're stuck or need inspiration. Golden Rules 1. Travel as much as you can. It's not necessary for you to travel around the world. Travel within your own backyard and discover something new and...

There are as many reasons to write as there are writers. Each of us has our own reasons why we sit in front of a keyboard or scribble our thoughts on a pad. Even so, there are some key reasons why you should regularly write. Whether its articles, essays, poems, compositions, papers, books, e-books, ad copy, literature or any other of the myriad of writing forms, it's a vocation that serves almost everyone in good stead. Here are seven good reasons why YOU should join the great legacy of writers. To Express Your Ideas Every one of us gets ideas. We get ideas for new products or services, new ways of doing things, ideas for changing the old or introducing the new. We write down our ideas first to...

Serious freelance writers know their income may come from other sources, not just writing articles for magazines or clients. Ultimately, their freelance writing leads to writing books or e-books for themselves or as ghostwrites. If you decide to ghostwrite e-books and trade paperbacks for clients, consider the following: If a client hires you as a "work-for-hire" ghostwriter, then the client pays you for your work, and he owns all rights. Make sure: 1) You receive a 50% retainer before you begin the work; and 2) You receive the balance at or right before delivery. That's it. If the book turns out to be a great success, great! That's wonderful! You should be extremely proud -- but from a distance! To...

(1) First off, you have to have actually been through a war. It may sound inane to even mention this qualification, however, several journalist have been writing books and passing them off as war memoirs. Those books are not war memoirs; they are journalistic interpretations of the war. A real war memoir can only be written by someone who was there and part of the fighting (on either side). This means that journalists and politicians do not count, and neither do Generals who stayed in the homeland. Accurate and full rounded depictions of war can only be gotten from those on the ground. (2) Start writing immediately. Too often veterans don't start writing until years and years after their wars. By...

As an online article author over the past 16 months I have been putting out an average of 5600 words per day seven days a week 365 days a year. One month I put out nearly 40 articles plus per day, which was about 12,000 words per day. Recently I have been talking with other writers because I plan on writing some books that I have been putting off for a while. I asked them if my new skills in writing could be transferred into writing books. They told me that writing 5600 words per day would mean I would have to write 700 words per hour for eight hours straight without fail. I had to laugh because I am well aware of what it takes because I have been doing it for a whole year and eight months...

If you want to sell kindle books, then this article is specially written for you. You must be looking for different ways to make money online. In case you are a writer and can write well, you have some really hot opportunities to make money. Writing is one of the most creative forms of art and one of the good paying professions. Writing for web is nowadays getting more and more. Therefore, the number of writers as well as readers is increasing day by day. More and more people are getting dependent on internet for reading and writing books. Furthermore, it is a great way to earn money just by sitting at home. One of the most profitable ways to earn from writing is to sell kindle books. Kindle is one...

Writing books is not everyone's forte, and that is why ghost-writers have a definite place in the world of literature. You may ask what a ghostwriter is, and what purpose one serves, so here is s brief look at the world of the ghostwriter, and how you can become one and make some useful money along the way. Put simply, a ghostwriter is someone who writes a book or article, but who allows the credit to be taken by another in exchange for payment. Take a look at the best-seller lists at any time during the year and you will find the non-fiction charts full of celebrity autobiographies; in truth, most of these will not have been written by the celebrity themselves, but by a ghostwriter working with the...

As they say, "Everyone has got a story to tell" and in today's interactive world, it's very easy to get your story out there for others to enjoy. The desire to tell our stories is a very human one that has been passed down from our ancestors. But you have it way better than them. Instead of sitting around by the campfire and talking to a few people, you can now have a ghost writing service enhance your story and create a whole book on whatever topic you like. I need someone to write my book for me. If you secretly desire to become a published author, but know deep down that you could never write a book on your own, then you're in good company. There are countless people who have great stories inside...

Book writing using mindmapping makes chapters easy to read, compelling, and consistent for readers. If you want to learn how to write a book outline, mindmapping is better than linear outlining because authors can use flexible thinking and relativity in writing their book. One can add and subtract a thought or phrase from a mindmap easily. This is an excellent way to start, organize, and finish your book. What is Mindmapping? Mindmapping is a color-coded outline of main ideas, sub topics and details, printed on different colored branches connected to the center. In the center in a circle, you will list your main idea, such as your book or chapter title. For "The One-Minute Sales Person", Spencer's...

In the publishing industry, different titles are given to different positions, each having a different set of responsibilities. Some of the most common positions are ghostwriters, editors, and developmental editors. Each plays an important role to the author who needs their services. Let's take a look at each of them and define their contribution to the book writing and publishing process. • Ghostwriter: A ghostwriter is responsible for writing a book. In exchange for a fee, the ghostwriter completes the manuscript based on the client's message, material, and ideas. They are usually experienced writers who have knowledge of the publishing industry and help their clients convey a compelling...

p>Have you given up on getting your book finished? Don't give up; there's still time. Here's a tip that will jumpstart your writing and help you finish. Make a commitment that this is the year; now is the time to get your book written. You might ask, "What's the big deal about making a commitment to write a book?" It's kind of like boyfriend and girlfriend relationships. The girl is usually all about getting and hearing a commitment from the guy. Unless the guy makes a commitment and deems her (his girlfriend,) she doesn't really know if he's serious or not. In a similar way, unless you make a commitment to write your book, the universe doesn't know if you are serious about getting your book done...

We all know that in marketing it isn't enough just to present the facts. You have to create a story around the facts. One that appeals to the "heart" of what you are asking a prospect to do. And, in marketing, we are, of course asking the prospect to do something... to buy... whatever it is we are selling. There needs to be a certain flow to the story. It must keep the reader interested. Once you have their interest, it's important to "immerse" them in the story...the story that gets them to say "Yes, that's what I think" ..or "that's exactly how I feel". Then of course, answering the questions before they're asked [in your visitor's mind] is the next phase, followed by leading to an action step...

p>Are you writing your first book yet? No worries, you might have the same problem a friend of mine had with getting started. She told me I could save my procrastination speech. She was not procrastinating. She agreed with the principle that now is better than later. She was more than ready to write it this year. But she lacked the know how and simple steps to get from (a) getting started to (z) completed book. Years later, I found out she took my advice. Her book is now finished, published and selling well in the marketplace. She explained the single tip that helped her the most was this: Write a short book first. When she first mentioned it to me, I thought I must share this principle. I know...

You want to be happy and love life. Loving your life is a high state of satisfaction and in it you receive more opportunities, are healthier and have a greater sense of connection to all those around you and to your Creator. You may also have times where you are discouraged or unhappy. It's a natural cycle of life. However, by paying attention to your values and what you value, you can love your life all the time, no matter what the circumstances. I'm going to present a shift from a traditional view of values such as honesty, integrity and responsibility to a view of values that can dramatically increase your happiness and your attitude to loving your life. First let's look at traditional values...

If you've seen the movie "The Secret", you probably are interested in stories about people who used the law of attraction. In fact, the law of attraction is a powerful tool because all the power you need to live the life you want is already in you. The basic idea behind the law of attraction is that people's thoughts shape the reality of their lives. It sounds too easy to be true. But actually, it's not that simple to transform your life. Let's face the truth: if you want to apply the law of attraction successfully, you need to make some changes in your life. But most people don't like or even are afraid of changes. That's why they never get behind a certain point. But there are also countless...

Have you always felt like there was more that you were put on this earth to do? Maybe you had dreams and ambition but somehow, life got in the way and you had to let those go for a time, but you don't have to let them go for all time. Take a while and think about what you want to do and then take steps to make it happen. First, you need to really decide what you want to do. This can't be a spur of the moment decision; you have to make a real commitment and dedicate yourself to making it happen, so take some time on this step. Get into a quiet space with a pencil and paper, or a laptop of whatever, maybe at a library if your living space is rife with distraction. Take the time to record the things...

If you do a lot of day to day writing for office, school, or perhaps you frequently write articles, you may be too occupied with the thought of finishing up what you are writing that you do not have the liberty of time to check your spelling or worse enough your grammar. The word processing program that you are currently using to write may spot out errors in your spelling. But does it have the capability to check your grammar? If you think so, then we doubt on that. Introducing the ultimate Grammar program! An innovative high performance program that does the checking for you. Its functionality was designed to assist people like you with demanding schedules. It does far more than that Jurassic word...

Writing a screenplay is very rewarding. Even if nothing comes about from it you should still be proud of yourself. Getting one of your scripts made into a film can be one of the greatest feelings any writer can have. Most writers that are writing for film and television have a screenwriting agent. Without one things can still happen, but you would need to have the right connections yourself and a lot of luck. Getting a screenwriting agent is easier than you think, you just need to learn how to present yourself and your script the right way. 1. Sending A Script To An Agent A lot of agents will accept work in the post. Before you send out any script it is a very good idea to get it proof read by a...

As an instructor of writing classes for freshman university students, I have found that when we write about topics that interest us, we are less prone to procrastinate and to experience writers block. Teaching a class that is a degree requirement rather than a chosen elective sometimes results in a situation where student are--shall we say--a little less than enthusiastic. So, I try to create assignments that students might find interesting. One such assignment is a "Then and Now" compare/contrast essay where students divide their lives in half and compare key issues, such as spirituality, sexuality, identity, education, siblings, friends, career goals, music, art, politics, etc. How did they feel...

It is a well-known fact that life is not fair. If it were, we would not need laws and courts, or government agencies and promises of rewards in the hereafter. There will be times when you are going to face rejection; whether it is from a company, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a spouse etc. So, you have to look at ways of overcoming the depression that follows rejection. Staying motivated starts with yourself: your own positive mental attitude. After that, a little self-examination is called for. Look for ways in which to improve yourself. If you were trying to catch the eye of that certain lady (or gentleman), what might you do to make yourself more appealing to them? Do you need to change something...

For many of us, writing copy is designed not to just impart information. In many situations, we design our writing to impress. Whether you're churning out reports for work, essays for class or articles for publications, impressing the readers can lead to better results. For the student, memorable essays can mean higher marks. For an employee, impressive reports can mean greater chances for promotion. For a professional writer, gaining people's admiration can mean more work opportunities. There are very real benefits that come with being esteemed for your command of the written word, so why not work for great results every chance you get? Common Mistakes When trying to impress, most people commit the...