Do you dream of a book with your name on it as author? You’re not alone, if you do. Researchers say 81% of us have a book dream hidden in our heart. Yet many never accomplish this lofty goal, leaving only a select portion that go on to write a saleable book.

If you’re anything like I was, you sincerely want to write your book but lack the focus and know-how to bring it to fruition. For years, I stumbled around this secret (I’m about to share with you) with little results. I used the stop and start system that didn’t work. You know the system of getting excited, starting your book, telling everyone you know that you’re writing it and then life happens. You lose focus and stop writing the book.

The manuscript goes into a drawer along with your high hopes and dreams of becoming an author. It’s probably no news to you but that system never helped me reach my goal of a completed manuscript. Then one magical day, I discovered how to write a book in 100 days or less. I set a goal (not the 100 day goal that came later.) The point is I set a goal, accomplished it and never looked back. It could be a 30 day, 48 day or 90 day goal. Whatever works for you will do.

Now, you can join that elite group of aspiring authors that write their book to completion in a few short weeks. Here’s a few tips that will help you feel the magic, get started and reach your goal of a completed successful, saleable book manuscript in 100 days or less.

Develop a plan

Remember, rarely anyone reaches a goal without a plan. This statement is trite but true; failure to plan is equivalent to planning to fail. Develop a plan for how you are going to complete your book in the following weeks. If you’ve never written a book before, get a plan from someone who’s been where you want to go. Sign up for a book writing course or hire a book coach. Your plan is your roadmap to success and profits.

Make a commitment

Prepare your mindset. Do a reality check. Don’t believe those who say you can write a book with little or no effort. If that were true, everyone would be accomplishing it, right. It’s a doable goal but it’s going to take some work, maybe even hard work and commitment on your part. Write your commitment down on paper. I’ve found nothing crystallizes your intentions better than writing them down. Make a written commitment and watch the will and determination to finish follow your action.

Prioritize your book project

Take it off the back burner. Move your book’s completion into your top 3 priorities. Set up a regular time schedule to write. Keep your commitment and allow the cumulative effect (doing a little bit at a time) to build. Even so, unless you want it to take years to write, you must schedule 15-20 hours writing time each week. For example, you could write 2 pages in an hour a day and have a short book in weeks.

Avoid over checking progress

An important key to achieving your book within the 100 day goal is to not focus on the results while you are working. It’s kind of like when one is trying to lose weight and always checking the scales. It works against your momentum. Just keep writing each day of your schedule until the 100 days is up or you finish. This way there is less chance for a break in your momentum as you see how close or how far you are from your goal.

Stop taking breaks too early

Don’t be so easy on yourself. As soon as one sees progress there is a natural tendency to relax. We want to put our feet up and take a break. No, don’t do that. Your goal is not achieved yet. After the 100 days is up and your book manuscript is complete, treat yourself. Take a few days off; celebrate. Then you can start your next 100 day project.

Don’t put it off any more. Take your dream off the shelf. If you wait, you can be this time next year without making your dream of writing a successful book come true. You have the plan, the knowledge and the solution. Now write it all down. Your audience is waiting. Use the magic of a 100 day goal and write a successful book. Make it different. Make it count. Make it yours.

About the author: Are you ready to get started writing your book in next 100 days or less? Go get my free 7 lesson mini-course Jumpstart Writing Your Book! You can get instant access to this ecourse and other How to Write a Book tips at the http://www.bookwritinghelp.com web site From Earma Brown, 14 year author and book writing coach

Courtesy: Bluegrass Solutions

What are the odds that a new screenwriter or filmmaker could get a star to appear in his or her film? Small to none, you say? Actually, the odds may be much better than you think.

One young filmmaker who succeeded is director Aaron Schneider. His movie project was “Get Low,” written by Chuck Provenza and based on the true story of a hermit back in the 1930s who staged his own funeral in order to find out what people would say about him.

It’s not the most obviously commercial concept, and Schneider has said that raising the money to make it was an uphill battle. However, he ended up with a great cast: Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, and Bill Murray.

When he and producer Dean Zanuck approached Murray’s representative they were told to forget it. But Schneider decided to take a more personal route. He took three days to compose a letter and emphasized how much he admired Murray and why he wanted him in his film. He got the letter to Murray, who agreed to be in the movie.

It’s easy to assume that a star wouldn’t possibly be interested in being in a low-budget film, but remember that even stars are not busy all the time. If the project is interesting enough they’d rather do it, even for a low salary, rather than sitting around doing nothing.

Of course this tends to work best with actors who are not currently making $20 million a picture. It typically also works better with older actors who may be rich enough to choose roles based on how challenging they would be or how enjoyable to play. Also, the big studio offers are less common for actors once they’re no longer in the first bloom of youth, so these actors have more time on their hands.

If you want to approach a well-known actor regarding reading your script or appearing in your film, here are some guidelines:

• You can go through their agent or manager first, but don’t be surprised if they turn it down without even showing it to their client. These people get 15% to 25% of what their clients make, so it’s not in their interest to have their clients work for a small amount.
• Try to find a personal “in” to the actor. Sometimes you can find their email addresses or their office addresses if they maintain a production company. For mail, try writing “Personal” on the envelope.
• Best of all is speaking to them in person. If they’re appearing at a film festival or other public event, approach them respectfully, have a 30-second speech ready, and just ask whether you can leave a script for them at their hotel or even give it to them then and there. Some of them will say no, you have to have an agent send the script. However, then you can contact an agent and say that you met the star who asked to see your script via an agent. Most agents will agree to handle the script on that basis–even if only for that one transaction. Alternately, the star may say you need to sign a release. Again, if you then contact his or her office, you can say you’re doing so at the star’s request and go ahead and sign the release.

• In any contact with the star, be sincere. Flattery is fine, but don’t come across like a stalker. You’re hoping they will enter a professional agreement with them, so keep your fandom under control. (However, it’s hard to over-flatter an actor).
• If you’ve tried everything with your first choice of star and it doesn’t work out, go on to your second choice–but of course tell them they’re your first choice!

Your Writing Coach: From Concept to Character, From Pitch to Publication

The fact is that actors are just people and most of them love to take on a challenging role. If you catch them at the right time, they can be won over and add star power to your low-budget project.

About the author: Jurgen Wolff has been a script doctor on movies starring Eddie Murphy, Kim Cattrall, and Michael Caine, and written a miniseries starring Rob Lowe (“Midnight Man”) and TV movies for the Olsen Twins, as well as more than 100 produced episodes of television (including 9 episodes of “Relic Hunter”). He teaches screenwriting internationally and his books include “Your Writing Coach” (Nicholas Brealey Publishing). His screenwriting site is www.ScreenWritingSuccess.com.

Source: www.articlesnatch.com

“I’m not in a good mood today,” I told my husband. “After all the hours and hours I spent on this book I don’t know what I will do if it is rejected.”

“You’re experiencing anticipatory grief,” he relied. Thank goodness I married a brilliant man! Though I have written dozens of articles about anticipatory grief and co-authored a book about it, I did not connect the feeling to writing. Maybe you have just submitted a manuscript to a publisher. How can you prepare for rejection?

The Writers Conference Guidelines website has posted an article about reasons behind rejection, “Dealing with Rejection and Moving On.” The first reason — your manuscript is not a good fit for the publisher. Before you submit a manuscript you should learn more about the company and its speciality, if one exists.

Your timing may be off. The publisher may have already published a similar book and yours would be a duplicate. Then too, your topic may be too narrow or too broad. There may be spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors in your manuscript. All are red flags for an acquisitions editor.

“The takeaway value may be weak,” the article points out. In other words, a potential customer may not be willing to spend money on your book. “Do not use a rejection letter as a reason to whine, complain, or not to write,” the article advises. Instead, use it as motivation to improve your work.

Freelancer Moira K. Wiley’s article, “Dealing with Rejection,” which is on the Writers Research Groups website, contains more tips. Rejection is the hardest part of writing, according to Wiley, but it does not mean your career has ended. If you receive a printed letter with handwritten comments, she thinks you have received a “good rejection.” The editor has read your manuscript and taken the time to give you tips on improving it.

Vickie Britton shares her “Tips for Writers on Coping with Rejection Slips from Publishers,” on the Writing Novels blog. Many famous authors, including J. K. Rowling, have been rejected over and over again. So you have to hang in there. “If the editor recommends a rewrite,” Britton says, “this is a calling card to try again.”

Ellen Jackson, an award-winning children’s author, tells how to survive rejection in “Dealing with Rejection,” posted on her personal website. “You have to find a way to believe in yourself,” she advises, “even if others don’t.” During my 30+ years in the writing business I have been rejected many times and learned to prepare for them.

What do I do? First, I let myself grieve, but only for a short time. I put the manuscript away for several months and revisit it later. Research is the backbone of a non-fiction writer’s life and, in order not to waste this research, I use it in articles. Of course, I am always brainstorming on my next book. I just started a new self-help book and am excited about it. Rejections are less painful when you are prepared for them.

Copyright 2010 by Harriet Hodgson

About the author: Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for decades. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of Health Care Journlaists, and Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, “Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief,” written with Lois Krahn, MD is available from Amazon.

Centering Corporation has published her 26th book, “Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life” and a companion journal with 100 writing jump-starts. Hodgson is a monthly columnist for the new “Caregiving in America” magazine, which resumes publication in August. She is also a contributing writer for the Open to Hope Foundation website. Please visit Harriet’s website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.

www.harriethodgson.com

Courtesy: www.ezinearticles.com

by Marsha Friedman

Many new authors think the answer is either “when the book is done” or “doesn’t the publisher take care of that?”

But unless you are a Glenn Beck or Dan Brown, both of those responses are dead wrong.

The right answer is before you start to write your book! Before you type the first word, it is critical that you think about the project in its entirety – including a plan for marketing and promotion and a budget as well. Here are a few questions you want to ask yourself in this process:

What do I want to accomplish with my book?

Is it a marketing vehicle to build your credibility and grow your business? Or perhaps it’s a novel you’re hoping will turn into a series, with fans begging for the next installment. Your answers to this fundamental question affect not only what you write, and how you write it, but what kind of promotional effort makes sense for your book.

Who do I want to reach with my message?

Know your audience. Are they teens, men, women, baby boomers or seniors? If you’ve identified who you are writing to, it will help hone your writing style and your message. But, it will also affect to a very large degree how you go about promoting your book and the marketing opportunities available for reaching your audience. For example, an effective digital promotional strategy that reaches busy young people will not necessarily hit the mark with seniors who are less likely to get their information from the Internet or mobile phones.

What title and cover design will get book buyers interested in what I have to say?

The title of your book can play a key role in the promotion and sales of your book. And, with limited space available for the precise words that will effectively communicate how dynamic and interesting your book is, you can see how important that title can be. There’s also the actual design of the book cover to consider which can either forward your key message, or make it seem as dull as dishwater. My point is that an impactful title with a very creative cover plays an important role in the marketing of your book, but this is an expense you must calculate into your marketing and promotional budget. Speaking of budget – this leads me to the last point which is without a doubt, one of the most important points.

What kind of a budget do I need for the entire project?

Regardless of whether your book will be self-published, or you’ve attracted the interest of a major publisher, a budget for marketing and promotion is an absolute must. And an effective book marketing campaign isn’t necessarily cheap, particularly if you’re going to hire a professional firm to execute a solid campaign. But, if you choose to do the promotion yourself, there are still expenses involved that you need to factor into your budget, not the least of which may be hiring someone in-house to assist you, either with your book promotion or your normal everyday work that will pile up because of the book promotion!

There is a reason I am hitting this point so hard. It’s because of the countless emails and calls I get from authors who didn’t really understand this would be necessary, and who are now sitting with great books in a warehouse or boxed up in their garage. I feel bad, but there’s nothing to compare with how frustrated or disappointed they feel after all the hard work, time and passion they’ve invested in the whole process.

I’m reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote, “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.” It may be catchy, but it’s simply not true. Here’s the truth: the only way the world will beat a path to your door – or to bookstores, your website or listing on Amazon.com – is if consumers even know your book exists…and that means a great deal of marketing and promotion.

Instead of explaining about the books in the garage to the grandkids, wouldn’t it make a much better story to tell them how you became a successful writer?

About the author: For 20 years Marsha Friedman has been a leading authority on public relations as CEO of EMSI, a national public relations firm. Her firm represents corporations and experts in a wide array of fields such as business, health, food, lifestyle, politics, finance, law, sports and entertainment. Some of the more prominent names on her client roster are Teamster’s President Jimmy Hoffa Jr., Sergeant’s Pet Care Products, Former National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane and the famous Motown Group, the Temptations.

She consults individuals and businesses on a daily basis and is frequently asked to speak at conferences about how to harness the power of publicity. Go to www.emsincorporated.com to signup for Marsha Friedman’s free weekly PR Tips today! More resources for authors can also be found at www.publicitythatworks.com. Or call 727-443-7115, ext. 202, or email her at info@marshafriedman.com.

Courtesy: www.ezinearticles.com

by Harriet Hodgson

One thing I have learned in my 30+ years as a writer is to be professional. An unprofessional author-publisher relationship can sabotage your career and a professional one can make it surge. Being professional includes how you act with executives, administrative assistants, marketing folks, editors, and even shipping staff.

A nonfiction writer, I try to help editors as much as possible by including headings, leaving wide margins for notes, indexing the book, being careful about attributions, and not complaining about revisions. These actions have helped me to develop good working relationship with a variety of publishers and editors.

“You want to create relationships that will last the duration of our career,” explains the Professional Resumes website, and I have tried to do this. When I look back at my career I think I have been professional 99 percent of the time. But I must admit that sometimes I am hard on myself, and wonder if I have offended someone. Thankfully, this lasts only a few minutes.

How would you describe your author-publisher relationship? You may pick up on conversational nuances, for example, or miss them. Even better, you may be an author who really listens. Like me, you may try to help your publisher as much as possible. Professionalism usually gets good results, but not always.

Years ago I lost a book sale because I was professional. It was a sticky situation, one that I prefer not to go into now, but suffice to say I was forced to hire a lawyer. Though the case was resolved and I lost the same, I am still enthusiastic about the book and hope to sell it some day.

Kevin Eikenberry describes the elements of a professional relationship on his website. In the article, “Seven Ways to Nurture Professional Relationships,” he says all work is relationship business. “Having stronger relationships creates less stress, promotes high productivity, improves speed and efficiency and helps our work in almost every measurable way,” he notes.

What are the puzzle pieces of this relationship? According to Eikenberry, a professional relationship is your top priority, shows caring, helps you make connections, develops trust, sets standards, aids listening, and fosters leadership. Indeed, the time you spend on your professional relationship “will create lasting benefits for everyone.”

These last few weeks I have been evaluating my professional author-publisher relationship. Since I had already discussed my idea with the company I did not submit a book proposal. Instead, I sent the executive director email updates and suggestions for saving on printing costs based on my art degree. I included suggestions for bulk sales as well. The publisher has not made a decision yet, but seems enthusiastic.

Newbie or experienced writer, it is a good idea to evaluate your professionalism from time to time. As you do this, remember the people who have helped you along the way and those you are about to meet. According to the Professional Resumes website, “The most important adage when it comes to relationships is ‘As you give, so shall you receive.”‘

Copyright 2010 by Harriet Hodgson

About the author: Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for decades. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of Health Care Journlaists, and Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, “Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief,” written with Lois Krahn, MD is available from Amazon.

Centering Corporation has published her 26th book, “Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life” and a companion journal with 100 writing jump-starts. Hodgson is a monthly columnist for the new “Caregiving in America” magazine, which resumes publication in August. She is also a contributing writer for the Open to Hope Foundation website. Please visit Harriet’s website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Courtesy: www.ezinearticles.com

If any of the above applies to you, there’s good news! You don’t have to become a hermit or trade in your life anymore to write a saleable book. You can use the cumulative effect and still get your book written in record time. Here are some easy tips from a fellow weekend writer to help you in your journey. Discover how to take the short way home to your successful book.

Write a book in an organized way. Leading experts say we waste over 150 hours a year looking for misplaced information. Get organized in a way that fits you. For example, to get started you can create a master folder with your book’s title. Inside, keep a separate file for each chapter. Assign each chapter a short title that will make sense later. If you don’t have a title yet then assign chapter names by topic.

Assign research notes or resources to each chapter named folder. Make a how-to folder as well, such as short-key notes, style or formatting notes. With this system you can manage multiple projects easily. Don’t waste anymore time being disorganized. Remember you only have weekends and small blocks of time to complete. You can do it; just get organized.

The Nighttime Novelist: Finish Your Novel in Your Spare Time

Write a book with a clear thesis

Did you cringe at the word thesis? For some, it brought back memories of English class and writing essays. No worries, a thesis simply reflects the main central thought of the book. Make sure the main central thought includes the greatest benefit of your book and you’re done.

Writing your book’s thesis before you begin will help crystallize your message. With your book’s thesis in mind, you can stay on the path of focused, compelling yet easy to read book. You could end up with a top selling book written on the weekends all because your message was tightly focused.

Write your book with extreme focus

Throw away your plans to go away for a week, a month or a year to write your book. Weekend warriors don’t have the time to dedicate solely to their book. So, it’s a good thing you don’t have to become a hermit to write and complete a successful book these days. You can commit to the tracking approach. Do a set amount; even if it’s only 30 minutes to an hour each day builds a cumulative effect. You could write 1 chapter per week and have a short book in 7-12 weeks.

Write a book overcoming writers block

Writers block can be a serious hindrance, especially when you only have a small window to work on your book. Here are a couple of tips to get rid of writers block anytime you face it. Know you don’t have to write chapters in order. You can jump around and fill in the blanks to gain momentum. Maintain your momentum. Don’t give in to writers block. Move on to work on the chapter you feel passion bubbling for at that moment.

Write a short book

Because your book is shorter and easier to write fast, you can expect to go to market sooner. To accommodate your weekend writing, write your book in chunks, chapters, sections and parts. Writing this way will allow you to easily refine, repeat and repackage your information. You’ll be able to synch your book with a website and pull out a stream of articles, reports, follow-up products and even services to build your book, your brand and your business.

Write a book using the Q & A format

Make a list of 7-10 burning questions or problems that you have collected from your clients. Write an introductory or overview chapter. Then take each question and answer it in an individual chapter. Pad your chapters with a case study, a real story or an illustration to explain the answer. Write a closing chapter, review everything and congratulate your reader for finishing your book.

Write a book with a chapter template

You need a shell to just slip your book content into. Using a chapter template as a shell is similar to building your best crispy taco. You bake (form) the shell and start putting your meat in; then add lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, etc. until you have built your best taco. After creating a book chapter template, you can easily see where your introduction, 7 supporting points, stories and summaries fit into each chapter.

If you don’t use the principles above to write your book in the small blocks of time available to you, you may never finish. My vote as a fellow weekend writer says you can do it! You don’t have to say I can’t because I don’t have time anymore. You have the knowledge; you can now say I CAN. Go make us all proud; write your book in the midst of your busy life with the time YOU have.

About the author: Are you ready to become a weekend warrior in book writing? Go get my free 7 lesson mini-course Jumpstart Writing Your Book! You can get instant access to this ecourse and other Book Writing Coach tips at the http://www.writetowin.org web site From Earma Brown, 14 year author and book writing coach

Courtesy: Article Directory

By Christian Blake

Writing a screenplay is a lengthy process that requires an organized mind. It’s not just about writing a great story, it’s about pacing, characterization, and (most importantly) intertwining the scenes in a logical, story-telling format. And even if you do manage to get a script completed, the odds of getting it produced are slim to none.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to discourage anyone from writing their first screenplay, but you must realize it’s a tough endeavor no matter how you look at it. You must be realistic with your goals. Only a handful of writers ever get their screenplay produced. But if you do things right, you could be one of those writers.

Your basic story idea is where everything begins. What’s your story about? Is it a western? Or perhaps a modern day love story? Whatever it is, you must have a central character and a goal for him or her to achieve (or avoid). The more obstacles you can toss into the storyline, the better!

The Writer's Guide to Writing Your Screenplay: How to Write Great Screenplays for Movies & TV

Let’s say your story is about a small town girl who falls for a married man traveling through her Midwest town. He visits her mother’s cafe where the young girl serves him banana cream pie and listens to him talk about his job, his life in Los Angeles, and his wife. He is thirty-something and she’s just an innocent girl of nineteen. She becomes instantly infatuated with him and the possibility of a new life for herself outside of her little town.

That storyline would be a good start. She already has two things to overcome: he’s married and he’s obviously going to leave her town in a relatively short period of time. She must work fast to accomplish her goals.

What does she want from him? Maybe she just wants to have some fun for a few days? Perhaps she wants to establish a lengthy relationship with him and be his mistress? Maybe she wants to marry him herself? Or maybe her desires are a little more selfish and she only wants him to take her away from this small town of hers. Whatever her motives are, they are the driving force of your story.

We’ve already discussed a few good ideas for the story line. Let’s pick one: she’s a small town girl who falls in love with a traveling salesman. He’s going to leave her town in three days and return to his wife in Los Angeles. No, not Los Angeles. Let’s make it Beverly Hills. That should make it a little more interesting.

She doesn’t want to be his mistress; she wants him all to herself and she wants to move to Beverly Hills with him. After all, life is boring in a small town. His lifestyle seems very exciting to her. She’s tired of serving pie to strangers and listening to their wonderful stories about their exciting lives outside of her little town. It’s time for her to change her life and head west to California, to Beverly Hills.

Now that we have a basic storyline, the rest of the story can be pieced together rather easily. The next step is to organize a series of obstacles that she must overcome. Given the storyline, I’m sure you can dream up an endless supply of problems that she must conquer in order to win her chosen man.

About the author: To learn more about screenwriting, please visit: How To Write A Screenplay. To learn more about Christian Blake, please visit: Los Angeles Writer. You may also like to review this book: How To Be Happy.

Courtesy: Bluegrass Solutions

By Harriet Hodgson

Last week I received an email from someone who had read an article of mine. She writes poetry and her goal is to be a published author. In preparation for the meeting, I printed out an article from the Internet and compiled this list. Our meeting went well and she identified the tips she was going to work on first.

1. Write ezine articles

This is one of the best ways to get published and garner publicty. Authors write the articles for free and anyone may publish them for free (electronic and print) as long as they follow the publishing guidelines.

2. Write for online support groups

Many groups and foundations offer reliable support. Find one that matches your interests and write for it. You may choose to write for several groups.

3. Submit work to magazines

Many journals and magazines do not pay for submissions and your “pay” is the publicity you receve. This writing helps you garner name recognition and often leads to additional work.

The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual

This will help you to sharpen your skills and garner more name recognition. If you are adventurous, you may offer to edit the newsletter.

5. Join a writing group

Learn about the group before you join. Log onto the website and talk with some of the members. Make sure your writing is a match for the group.

6. Join a specialized group

Specialized groups understand your work, provide customized tips, resources, and conferences. Think of the dues as an investment in yourself.

7. Invest in writing resources

I have found the “Associated Press Style Book and Libel Manual” to be extremely helpful. “Writer’s Digest” books have helped me as well. Over the years, I have put together a small library of writing resources and use them all the time.

8. Learn how to write a query letter

Many books offer tips on this skill. Good query letters take lots of time and practice. Personally, I do not think a query letter should be longer than one page.

9. Learn how to write a book proposal

This skill also takes time and practice. Your proposal should be concise, neat, and meet the submission guidelines.

10. Beef up your resume

If you have not written a resume before, find out how to do it. Stick to the facts and leave out the hype. Revise your resume regularly to see the progress you have made.

11. Learn about potential publishers

Before you send anything to a potential publisher, learn about the books they publish, best sellers, and any awards they have received. Keep a file folder on all of your submissions, when you made them, and the responses you received.

12. Challenge yourself

Keep a running list of article and book ideas. Pick a promising idea and start working on it.

Breaking into the publishing business is not easy, especially in this economy. A logical, organized approach may tilt the publishing odds in your favor.

Copyright 2010 by Harriet Hodgson

www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for decades. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of Health Care Journalists, and Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, “Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief,” written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from Amazon.

Centering Corporation has published her 26th book, “Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life” and a companion journal with 100 writing prompts. Hodgson is a monthly columnist for “Caregiving in America” magazine. Please visit her website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.

Courtesy: www.ezinearticles.com

“What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens” — Benjamin Disraeli

Within weeks of submitting our proposal to business book publishers, we had a contract for our business book, an advance check, and brimming confidence that the worst was past. After all, we had a great idea, a finished manuscript, and a great publisher!

We soon learned that publishers are often very tactful while wooing authors. Their reservations are shared after you cash the advance check.

Our book needed work: It needed a different title, a different structure, and better writing Other than that, we were all done.

And, by the way, we had insisted that the book come out on a fast schedule, which meant that we had little time to respond; that part was our fault.

We were happy to comply. While Carol Coles and I were off doing other things, Robert Metz began proposing titles and sending over revised chapters. Robert’s ideas for a title went over well; he came up with the idea that was accepted. My own contribution was far more modest: adding the word “exponential” to the subtitle.

But our draft chapters kept coming back with clear encouragement to rewrite the whole thing. We were also falling behind the publication schedule.

Robert, Carol, and I had a meeting with our development editor, and I began to see what she wanted. I started writing the drafts while Robert and Carol improved them But the process was slow. We fell further behind.

Publishers are often very tactful while wooing authors. Their reservations are shared after you cash the advance check.

Finally, it became clear that we had two weeks to pull the project out. Robert came to live in a hotel near our offices while the two of us settled in to write night and day.

A difficulty of distance had slowed our earlier progress. Robert had a Mac and we had PCs. The different types of machines didn’t exchange files very well over the Internet in those days.

In our offices, we kept PCs humming. At first, Robert would rewrite what I wrote, then I would rewrite what he wrote, while Carol improved both of our work. But time grew short, and the last 30,000 words were written by me in a period of about a day and a half with no time for anyone to edit or rewrite them.

Exhausted, we turned the manuscript in and crossed our fingers. Our publisher kindly agreed to accept the manuscript if we didn’t mind a heavy editing. We welcomed a heavy editing!

The book went into production. Carol and I headed off for a much needed vacation. As a last minute thought, we shipped off a copy to Peter Drucker for his comments.

It would take several books to describe all of the mistakes we authors made that are contained in that history. Let me list a few steps you can take that will help you avoid our mistakes:

1. Have someone who is a savvy business editor edit your material before you send it to any publisher.

2. If you don’t know how to write in the style that your publisher seeks, keep rewriting a brief selection until the publisher smiles with joy.

3. Write and rewrite material ahead of whatever schedule you have.

4. Negotiate for the longest possible schedule to prepare the manuscript.

5. Tell your publisher that you would like to have all of the development help and editing that the company would like to provide.

6. Have experts (especially best selling business book authors like Peter Drucker) look over the manuscript before you turn it in to your publisher.

Good luck!

About the author: Donald Mitchell is an author of seven books including Adventures of an Optimist, The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution Workbook, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage. Read about creating  breakthroughs through and receive tips by e-mail through registering for free at www.fastforward400.com
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By Dana Lynn Smith

A written book marketing plan is an essential tool in effectively promoting your book. One of the first priorities in developing a marketing plan is to define your target audiences. Your audience may be wider than you think. Your marketing plan should include strategies for reaching several different target audiences, including:

1. Readers

These are people who buy the book to read. This is the most obvious category and it includes your primary audience (the “ideal customer” that the book was specifically written for) as well as secondary audiences who have an interest in your topic.

2. Purchasers

Many book buyers purchase books for other people. For example, people buy books as gifts, parents and grandparents purchase books for children, and women buy men’s health books. Companies and organizations buy books to give away to their customers, members and prospects. Who would be likely to purchase your book for someone else, and how can you reach those folks?

3. Influencers

Don’t overlook the importance of people who communicate with your target customers and can let them know about your book. This includes bloggers, other writers in your genre, journalists, book reviewers, and other experts in your field.

In online marketing, the “influencers” may be the most important category of all. Think about how much you can multiply your book promotion efforts when other people spread the word to their own readers and customers.

Other people who cater to your target customers can promote you and your book in several ways, including blog posts, links to your website or blog, Twittering, newsletter articles, and media sharing tools like Digg and StumbleUpon. It’s important to develop relationships with these influencers, as part of your book marketing plan.

Traditional and online media are also important influencers. You can reach them through traditional publicity efforts as well as online press releases and article distribution. Be sure your book marketing plan includes strategies for promoting your book to all of these important target audiences.

Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of The Savvy Book Marketer’s Guide series, www.SavvyBookMarketer.com. For more book marketing tips, follow @BookMarketer on Twitter and get your free Top Book Marketing Tips ebook at www.BookMarketingMaven.com.

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By Donald E. McCauley

Depending on the source you believe, somewhere around 500,000 new books hit the shelves this year.

What does this mean?

If each book was but an inch thick, and all the books were placed on a single shelf, that shelf would be over 7.8 MILES long. Your book is but one of them. This does not take into consideration all the books out there already. That’s just this past year.

Walk outside tonight. Count every star you can see in the sky. Write down the total number of stars you can see, then take that number times a factor of 200,000. The resulting number is the number of sites competing for your potential buyer’s attention. This number varies widely depending on the source and nobody knows for certain, but it’s somewhere around 400,000,000 sites. That’s 400 million. (Again there is a lot of argument on this point)

We must remember that many of the competing books out there have big money and big marketing and publicity machines backing them up, while many of the competing sites have SEO experts at the helm with huge budgets and years of education, knowledge and experience. Such is your competition.

The mar­ket is not a thing – the mar­ket is an event and it is an event that changes and morphs and moves and be­comes some­thing dif­fer­ent ev­ery sin­gle day. You must not on­ly keep up with these changes, you must stay ahead of them or be left in the dust.

Sadly, authors who initially hoped they would become more famous are more likely simply becoming more invisible.

This year, if you are serious about your book, you should perhaps get really serious about marketing.

Putting up a nice website, writing a blog, twittering and facebooking, doing a book trailer or a press release and the like, while commendable, are not really going to set you apart, as nearly every single one of those 500,000 authors and companies and 400 million owners of those sites are doing this also. Everybody is doing this. So, what will work?

Developing a laser sharp marketing strategy and marketing plan that will set you apart and create real awareness for you and your book will work. If you are but playing at marketing, you must begin to really work at marketing your book. It is perhaps not necessary to work harder. It is always advisable to work smarter.

What does developing a real book marketing strategic plan involve?

* Developing tightly focused buyer profiles
* Formulating laser sharp branding strategies
* Developing traditional and non-traditional publicity strategies
* Writing keyword optimized, profile specific marketing copy
* Developing an effective media strategy
* Developing a keyword strategy specific to your niche profiles
* Implementing a website optimization strategy for the visitor
* Search engine optimization for the search engines
* Developing effective targeted optimized blogging strategies
* Developing effective social media marketing strategies
* Learning to develop inbound marketing strategies with outbound strategies

Many of these are Internet strategies. Over 70% of your potential buyers now consider the Internet to be not just A choice, but THE FIRST choice when making purchasing decisions. And the points above are but starting points. The strategy must be implemented and you must work that strategy every day. You will need to adjust that strategy as market conditions change, new opportunities are presented and ideas once good become not so good.

Nobody writes a book to become a marketer. People write books because they want to be an author.

However, the term “author” now encompasses the term “marketer.’” If you do not get serious about marketing, you will be an unknown author.

It is the year 2010. The marketing methods used in the past decade will not work well in this environment.

The market is not a thing – the market is an event and it is an event that changes and morphs and moves and becomes something different every single day. You must not only keep up with these changes, you must stay ahead of them or be left in the dust.

Are you ready to go for it? If so, make a resolution in 2010 to get really serious about marketing.

About the author: Don McCauley is a marketing strategist with over 30 years of experience. He helps individuals, small businesses and professionals create low cost publicity and marketing campaigns to increase sales. He demonstrates how anyone can develop a massive marketing and publicity campaign for little or no money by utilizing cutting edge strategic marketing and publicity resources. The goal is always to produce bottom line results. More information is available at www.freepublicitygroup.com. He can be reached by email at
don@freepublicitygroup.com

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This article is based on the assumption that you are using a word processing program of some kind in a Windows environment. If you are not using a word processor, the principles will still apply, but they must be implemented manually.

Writing and editing are two totally different tasks. Writing is a creative process, whether the work is fiction or non-fiction. Editing is a critical process. If writers attempt to edit as they write, their creative ability is inhibited. Because each task demands a very specific focus each must be handled separately. Editing should not start until the writing task is completed.

When editing your own work, your eye and mind tend to either fill in, or correct, many errors and, as a result, they are left uncorrected in the manuscript. In order to avoid this, it helps to break any patterns used in creating the original work. If at all possible, the work to be edited should be allowed to “cool off” in a file or desk drawer for a while. The purpose of this is to break the connection between the work and the writers’ remembrance of the exact words and phrasing used. An additional technique used for breaking this connection is to reformat the work. This can be done by changing the margins, font face and font size, line spacing, etc. This should be an easy task for any word processor.

When saving your work as you edit, the product of each editing session should be saved with a different name. If your original work was called “manuscript.doc,” your first save should be called “manuscript1.doc.” This means you will always be able to go back and check your original page setup.

If the task of editing is broken down into four (4) steps it becomes less of an onerous task and the result is a much more thorough job.

Step 1: Run your spell checker without the grammar checker.

This seems like the most obvious step however the spell checker can only do part of the job. It will check every word against an internal dictionary and highlight or underline in red, those words that it doesn’t find in its dictionary. That means that if you spelled the word “too” and meant to use the world “to” your spell checker will accept either because they are both correct as far as it is concerned.

Spell checkers are normally set to NOT CHECK capitalized words or names, or words with numbers. Ignore these names on your first pass and just correct any misspelled words brought up by the spell checker.

On a second pass with the spell checker, not only verify the spelling of the proper nouns, but also make a note of the correct spelling on a separate piece of paper or in another program. The easiest way to do this is to boot up a text program and multi-task – switching between your manuscript and the text program. This will enable you to quickly verify the spelling of a proper noun throughout your work.

Step 2: Run the grammar checker.

Almost every word processing program has the ability to check grammar and will allow the user to establish both the type of work to be checked along with the specific grammar rules that are to be used during the check. You can set these parameters to fit your need, but remember that your writing style is most important. Don’t let the grammar-check program dictate what your style should be. As you go through your manuscript, make those changes, which are obvious problems, such as punctuation, run-on sentences, subject and verb agreement, etc. Don’t change your writing style to fit the grammar-checker.

Step 3: If your manuscript includes dialog, it should be checked for problems with syntax and general usage.

The best way to do this is to have someone else read the dialog, out loud, with no voice inflection. Your ear will uncover problems with dialog better than your eye. If you don’t have someone else to work with, you will do almost as well by reading the dialog out loud and recording it on some kind of recording device. When you play the dialog back, you will discover problems that your eyes overlooked.

In reviewing writing where there is no dialog, check each paragraph for focus. Is it lean and direct, or are there words that can be removed that will provide a clearer structure? Since this type of problem involves a broader discourse on writing techniques, we can only refer you to the vast number of books on writing that are available for almost every writing project.

Step 4: Check the overall appearance of your work for uniformity.

Have you used the same font face and point size throughout? Is the first line of each paragraph indented the same number of spaces? Is your line spacing consistent? Are your margins consistent? On of the beauties of a good word processor is that once you establish the rules for “page setup” and a “normal” paragraph, and use them throughout your work, you can change the appearance of your entire manuscript by simply changing the settings of either or both rules. This can be extremely helpful if you are submitting the manuscript to several organizations, each of which has different formatting requirements.

Conclusion

If you follow the 4 steps listed above, editing your own writing will be much less difficult and the result will be greatly improved.

About the author: In addition to an interest in Writing, Ryan Round is a leading expert in revealing how to do amazing mentalism and magic tricks even if you have no experience in magic.

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Any professional writer will tell you the foundation of success begins with putting your behind in the chair and writing. It’s that old adage: a writer writes.

And it’s true … once you see yourself as a writer.

At first thought, this may sound rather ridiculous. However, as with most roles we play in life (parent, driver, spouse, homeowner), the success we achieve is directly related to how we perceive ourselves in that role. If you struggle to see yourself living the writer’s life (with all the self-discipline, rejection, and uncertainty that comes with it), you’re going to have a far more difficult road to travel than if you have complete confidence as a writer.

So how does a beginning writer get there?

Here are some tips to keep in mind …

1. The Process

Every writer approaches his or her craft differently. In fact, while some aspects of a writing routine may be consistent, others may not. You may set aside a certain time of day for writing, but prefer to write on a computer some days or by longhand on other days. You may prefer to write in your office some days, or at the local coffee shop on others.

The point is this: you need to find your writing routine. It doesn’t matter when it is, where it is, or how it’s accomplished. It just needs to happen. And it needs to be comfortable enough that you look forward to doing it. So if writing in longhand on a park bench is distracting and difficult, find another approach.

2. It’s True – A Writer Writes

It doesn’t matter what form of writing you chose … novels, short stories, essays, blogs, articles … do the work. Don’t talk about writing. Don’t fantasize about being a great writer. Write. That’s all that matters … getting words on paper. The more you do it, the more comfortable it will become and the better you’ll get at it.

3. Submit What You Write

The sole purpose of writing is to communicate. If you hide your work in the bottom drawer of your desk and never send it out, you’ve effectively cut the lines of communication. It’s scary to submit your work. It’s much safer to share it with Aunt Trudy, who loves everything you do. But if you’re truly ready to call yourself a writer, then it’s time to send your work to someone who doesn’t know you, to someone who cares only if the story or the article will stand on its own.

Send your work out into the world to be discovered.

4. Learn From Rejection

You’re going to be rejected. Every writer faces rejection. Even a powerful, page-turning novel of intrigue can face rejection if it’s not in line with the goals of a publisher. So if you’re going to be rejected, take advantage and learn from the experience. If the editor offers nothing more than a standard rejection form, send your work to the next editor.

If the editor offers some advice about improving your work, honestly evaluate the comments. He didn’t have to say anything. The fact that he took the time to offer suggestions is a huge compliment. That doesn’t mean the suggestions are right, but it does mean they are worth paying attention to. If you keep encountering the same suggestions over and over, then you need to take heed and make some changes.

5. Be Persistent

Finished up a story or an article? Submitted it? What now?

Start the next project.

Don’t wait to hear from your editor, get busy. You want to be a writer … write. Never stop writing. Treat it as a business … the next product should already be in production.

Conclusion

These are the things writers do.

If you’re just starting out and you want to become a writer … do as a writer does.

It’s that easy.

And that hard.

About the author: Ready to get started on that novel you’ve been meaning to write? Take a short cut. Read reviews of our top recommended courses: Novel Writing Courses. Or discover more here: articles on writing.

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By Earma Brown

Are you only able to work on your book part time or on weekends? Most of us have to squeeze writing a book into small blocks of time. Perhaps you have a full-time job or a business to tend to and can’t take off three months or more to write a book. Or maybe you have children or aging parents to look after. Yet, you still dream of writing a book one day.

If any of the above applies to you, there’s good news! You don’t have to become a hermit or trade in your life anymore to write a saleable book. You can use the cumulative effect and still get your book written in record time. Here are some easy tips from a fellow weekend writer to help you in your journey. Discover how to take the short way home to your successful book.

Write a book in an organized way

Leading experts say we waste over 150 hours a year looking for misplaced information. Get organized in a way that fits you. For example, to get started you can create a master folder with your book’s title. Inside, keep a separate file for each chapter. Assign each chapter a short title that will make sense later. If you don’t have a title yet then assign chapter names by topic.

Assign research notes or resources to each chapter named folder. Make a how-to folder as well, such as short-key notes, style or formatting notes. With this system you can manage multiple projects easily. Don’t waste anymore time being disorganized. Remember you only have weekends and small blocks of time to complete. You can do it; just get organized.

Write a book with a clear thesis

Did you cringe at the word thesis? For some, it brought back memories of English class and writing essays. No worries, a thesis simply reflects the main central thought of the book. Make sure the main central thought includes the greatest benefit of your book and you’re done.

Writing your book’s thesis before you begin will help crystallize your message. With your book’s thesis in mind, you can stay on the path of focused, compelling yet easy to read book. You could end up with a top selling book written on the weekends all because your message was tightly focused.

Write your book with extreme focus

Throw away your plans to go away for a week, a month or a year to write your book. Weekend warriors don’t have the time to dedicate solely to their book. So, it’s a good thing you don’t have to become a hermit to write and complete a successful book these days. You can commit to the tracking approach. Do a set amount; even if it’s only 30 minutes to an hour each day builds a cumulative effect. You could write 1 chapter per week and have a short book in 7-12 weeks.

Write a book overcoming writer’s block

Writers block can be a serious hindrance, especially when you only have a small window to work on your book. Here are a couple of tips to get rid of writers block anytime you face it. Know you don’t have to write chapters in order. You can jump around and fill in the blanks to gain momentum. Maintain your momentum. Don’t give in to writers block. Move on to work on the chapter you feel passion bubbling for at that moment.

Write a short book

Because your book is shorter and easier to write fast, you can expect to go to market sooner. To accommodate your weekend writing, write your book in chunks, chapters, sections and parts. Writing this way will allow you to easily refine, repeat and repackage your information. You’ll be able to synch your book with a website and pull out a stream of articles, reports, follow-up products and even services to build your book, your brand and your business.

Write a book using the Q&A format

Make a list of 7-10 burning questions or problems that you have collected from your clients. Write an introductory or overview chapter. Then take each question and answer it in an individual chapter. Pad your chapters with a case study, a real story or an illustration to explain the answer. Write a closing chapter, review everything and congratulate your reader for finishing your book.

Write a book with a chapter template

You need a shell to just slip your book content into. Using a chapter template as a shell is similar to building your best crispy taco. You bake (form) the shell and start putting your meat in; then add lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, etc. until you have built your best taco. After creating a book chapter template, you can easily see where your introduction, 7 supporting points, stories and summaries fit into each chapter.

If you don’t use the principles above to write your book in the small blocks of time available to you, you may never finish. My vote as a fellow weekend writer says you can do it! You don’t have to say I can’t because I don’t have time anymore. You have the knowledge; you can now say I CAN. Go make us all proud; write your book in the midst of your busy life with the time YOU have.

About the author : Are you ready to become a weekend warrior in book writing? Go get my free 7 lesson mini-course Jumpstart Writing Your Book! You can get instant access to this ecourse and other Book Writing Coach tips at the www.writetowin.org web site. From Earma Brown, 14 year author and book writing coach

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By Lynne Klippel

Several years ago, a New York Times study revealed that 80% of all adults want to write a book someday. Small business owners, consultants, coaches, and professional speakers have been bombarded by experts promoting writing a book as a marketing tool.

Naysayers assert that no one reads books any more. However, our society believes that answers can be found in a book or a website. When we have a problem or need information, we turn to the internet or the nearest bookstore or library.

According to the Association of American Publishers, book sales increased by 9.9 percent from 2004-2005. People in the United States bought 25.1 billion dollars worth of books in 2005.

Writing a non-fiction book can be an excellent business strategy. It can establish the author as an expert, generate attention from the media, and introduce the author to wide range of potential new business opportunities. Additionally, the feeling of satisfaction from completing a professionally done book gives the author a great sense of confidence and empowerment.

Are you ready to write your book this year?

Do you want it to be successful?

If so, consider these questions before you start writing:

What is your goal for this book project?

Do you want to write a best seller, create a passive revenue stream, go on the speaking circuit, or attract new customers? When you have a clear goal for your book, you can create a successful strategy to reach that goal. Your goal will determine the style of your book, the contents, the design, and the marketing plan. If you don’t have a clear goal, it will be impossible to measure the success of your book.

Who are you writing for?

This question is important because you are writing a book for a specific audience, not just to share your wisdom with the masses. The most successful non-fiction books are tightly targeted to solve a specific problem for a specific audience.

How will you tell people about your book?

Successful books have a marketing strategy. In fact, the most successful authors begin to market their new books before the books are fully written.

What can you offer readers after they complete your book?

The most successful non-fiction authors have a list of other products and services related to their books. Some common offerings include audio programs, workbooks, seminars, retreats, or coaching programs. If a reader loves your book, he or she will want more from you. It pays to create those opportunities before your book is published and find ways to follow up with interested readers.

When will you work on your book?

Writing a book takes a commitment of time and resources. Before your calendar gets too full, schedule time each week to work on your book for at least the next six months. If it doesn’t get on your calendar, you probably won’t find time to write.

Who will help you?

You can write your book more quickly and with a greater degree of success if you have some help. Consider taking a how-to class, joining a writer’s group, or working with a book coach. Getting expert assistance will help you avoid newbie mistakes that cost time and money.

How will you celebrate?

Plan your victory celebration before you write your first word. Writing a book is a huge accomplishment. Celebrate the completion of each chapter along the way to keep your motivation high.

Are you ready to begin?

Now that you’ve answered these questions, you should have a clearer vision for your book. By this time next year, you could be holding your first book signing.

Happy writing!

About the author: Need a book to build your business? Lynne Klippel is an author and publisher who specializes in helping entrepreneurs and aspiring authors write non-fiction books. For a free audio filled with publishing information, “How to Write Your Book the RIGHT Way,” visit www.LoveYourLifePublishing.com

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Many new authors are mystified about how in the world to get their books into a bookstore.

While is it fairly easy to list your book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online, getting your book into a physical bookstore is very difficult for a new, self-published author.

According to Eric Kampmann, principal of MidPoint Trade Books, large bookstore chains are not interested in dealing with self-publishers or even small independent publishers. They are reluctant because they are not sure that the books will be of high quality with a professional cover and great editing, and it is too time consuming for them to deal with small orders.

That’s when a book distributor comes in.

A book distributor is the intermediary between the publisher and store buyers. Distributors put books in catalogs and send sales staff to pitch books to buyers. They are experts in wholesale book marketing and moving books into stores from warehouses. They also negotiate contacts with stores for special sales, front of store displays, and any type of special promotion for books.

There are different kinds of distributors. If you print your book with Lightning Source, as I do, Ingram Distribution will automatically distribute your book. This is good. However, Ingram has a very large catalog so your book will probably not get too much attention from their sales staff unless you are appearing on Oprah.

Other distributors are smaller and take a more personal approach. MidPoint Trade Books, for example, only agrees to distribute a book after a very rigorous screening process. If a book passes muster, the sales staff will enthusiastically represent it.

Most distributors start working with a publisher 6-12 months before the book is printed. However, distributors will also evaluate books that have been launched if they have sold 300-400 copies on Amazon in the first three months after release. Those Amazon sales figures show that the book can generate sales so a distributor would be interested in pitching it to bookstores.

If you want to sell your books in bookstores, take these steps:

• Make sure you invest in a very professional cover, great editing, and professional layout. Your book has to look first rate and be first rate.
• Start to research distributors before you publish your book. The dates of publication are very important to bookstores sales and you will need a distributor to help you time the launch of your book in the most advantageous way.
• Be willing to pay. Book distributors do a lot of work on your behalf and deserve to be compensated well. Anticipate paying a distribution fee of at least 30% and maybe more.
• Listen and learn. You hire a book distributor for expertise in selling books. They are your partners in the success of your book so if your distributor makes a suggestion for a revised cover, additional editing, or other changes, you would be wise to accept those suggestions.

If this whole idea scares you, give up on the idea of having your book in bookstores and concentrate your efforts on selling it on your own website and on Amazon/Barnes and Nobles.

Putting books in bookstores is not for everyone. However, if it is your dream, you now have some additional knowledge that will help you make that dream come true.

About the author: Lynne Klippel is a publisher, author and book shepherd who specializes in helping authors write business building books. Want to create a successful book? Discover 8 book marketing blunders that you can avoid. Grab your free ecourse at www.BookMarketingBlitz.com

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By Lynne Klippel

Many authors struggle when pricing their books. On one hand, you are providing extremely valuable information to your readers. On the other hand, books have a perceived value that is less than a coaching session or a live event.

For many of you, pricing will not be an issue. You will work with a publisher who will determine the price of your book for you. However, if you decide to self-publish your book, or work with a publisher who allows you to set your price, you may find yourself in a quandary over the pricing of your book.

Proceed cautiously. There are many important factors to consider when pricing your book. I know an author who wanted to make her book very attractive to buyers. She set her price so low that she lost money on each book sale. Other authors repel sales by pricing their book too high. Pricing requires a delicate balance.

Consider these things before you set your price:

1. How much does it cost to produce your book?

There are many hard costs associated with producing a book. You should know the price of the printing as well as how much you’ve spent for editing, cover design, and marketing. Then estimate how many books you will sell in the first six months after your book launch. Divide all the production costs by the number of books you plan to sell. That will give you a rough breakdown of the hard costs for each book.

2. Remember that bookstores and other wholesale outlets will buy your book at 50-60% of the cover price.

Set your cover price high enough that your hard costs are covered at the 50% wholesale price with a bit of profit built in.

3. Determine the pricing of similar books.

Amazon.com will give you excellent information. Look for the high and low prices on similar books on Amazon. Note the retail price, not the discounted price on Amazon. The Amazon discount may change daily as Amazon adjusts prices to sell the maximum number of books.

Depending on your genre, you will find that most non-fiction book sell from $14.95 to $29.95. Notice that most book prices end in five not a seven.

Self-help and spiritual books sell at the lower end of that range. Business books are generally on the higher end of the range.

4. Be aware that book sales depend on volume.

It is better to strive to sell many books at a small profit per book than to sell fewer books and make more per sale. Remember that your book is a marketing tool for your business so you want to sell as many copies of your book as possible.

5. Once you have a price range for your book from Amazon, set your price in the middle to upper end of the range.

If your book is too cheap, buyers will assume that it is not worthwhile.

6. Check your numbers.

Will you cover your hard costs at this price?

7. Then, practice saying, “My book sells for $xx.xx.”

Can you say that figure with confidence? If not, determine why. Adjust the price until you can say it with confidence and sincerity.

8. Finally, ask your heart.

Do you feel that this price is a fair exchange, one in which the reader gets great value in return for their money? When in doubt, err on the side of a slightly lower price. Aim for a fair price that feels like a great deal for the reader and a good deal for you.

Setting the price of your book is an art and a science. Combining the facts of hard costs and profit margins with the more heart centered feeling approach will give you the ideal price for your book.

About the author:  Lynne Klippel is a publisher, author and book shepherd who specializes in helping authors write business building books. Want to create a successful book? Discover 8 book marketing blunders that you can avoid. Grab your free e-course at www.BookMarketingBlitz.com.

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by Shane Kendrick

You’ve spent a lot of time working on your new book, long periods of research and writing as well as completing heaps of rewrites and editing of your manuscript and it’s now finally finished. You’re now ready to sell your book except for one final thing and a really important thing – the title.

I know it’s extremely frustrating. You need a title that leaps up off the front cover and will leave a lasting impression on your readers. It has to be something extraordinary that will entice your audience to buy and read your new book. Well don’t worry too much about it because I have a few tips that will help you find that elusive title, something that will compliment your fabulous new book.

Start by spending some time at your local bookshop browsing the titles of all kinds of books. The major booksellers have millions of books on millions of topics. Your local library or even your local newsagencies also carry heaps of books and magazines on all types of imaginable topics.

Next, get your family and friends involved in choosing something appropriate with you. Write down every title you and your friends can think of and initially don’t discard any suggestions. Brainstorming or free thought can be the greatest inspiration you can get. Write them all down and consider all variations of those titles.

Once you get all the titles written down start culling them by asking yourself “so what?” If you come up with a nothing answer to that question then discard that title. Move on to the next one. Try not to get too carried away with being really snappy with the title. It has to be something that everyone immediately understands and it must include the main benefits of why your audience needs your book.

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When you’ve got a short list of say four or five titles, it’s time to test them in the market place. Do some market research on which title sells best. Test them by sending out some samples to prospective customers. Even send them out to your family and friends who helped you in the first instance. A sample can include the first chapter or even a synopsis of the book.

The great thing about market research is that it can save you a lot of heartache later when you go live with your new book. Don’t be afraid to change the title to suit what the market wants.

Finally, your title must also include the keywords you are using for search engine optimization and rankings. This is essential so prospective customers can find your fabulous new book among the plethora of new titles coming out every day. If you haven’t already done so consider using a suitable search engine word generator for some excellent keywords. There’s heaps out there so just search on the internet for a few different ones.

Once you settle on a title you will see the title as being an integral part of the book and it will take on a life of its own. If I could offer you one final tip – never give up or quit in frustration. That elusive title is there and you just need to find it.

Just remember, keep the title short, sharp and to the point. It needs to leap off the page and stick in people’s minds. Good writing and enjoy yourself.

About the author: Shane Kendrick is an Internet Marketing Consultant and Advertising Copywriter who specializes in web content and social media. Shane is also an exert author with ezine articles and has written several articles that are receiving great coverage on the Internet. Shane also provides training and webinars for enterprises looking to enhance their online presence.

For more details on the range of services provided by Shane and his team, visit their website at www.letsgetloudmarketing.com/blog or email to enquiries@letsgetloudmarketing.com.

Shane can also be contacted to discuss various topics including those associated with interactive learning methodologies on Skype at “ShaneKendrick” or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/shanekendrick

Courtesy: EzineArticles

By Dana Lynn Smith

Amazon book sales are very important to most authors and publishers, and there are several ways to boost your book’s visibility on Amazon.com. Customers on Amazon typically search for books by author, title, or keyword. Like search engines, Amazon uses several criteria in deciding which products to display on the search results page and in what order to display them. Popularity (the number of Amazon book sales already made) and how well the book matches the keywords are major factors in determining the results of keyword searches.

The more Amazon book sales you generate, the more books you will sell in the future, because your book will appear higher in the search results when customers search by your keywords. In addition, many customers assume that the best-selling book must be the best one on the topic.

One way to increase your Amazon book sales, and therefore your search results placement, is to direct all of your online book orders to Amazon, rather than offering several options on your website.

It’s also important to make sure your book matches popular search terms entered by customers. If your book is not yet published, you can add important keywords to the book’s title and subtitle. Some publishers use long subtitles in order to pack in as many keywords as possible.

To capitalize on searches for keywords not contained in the title, enter important keywords into Amazon’s Search Tag feature. On your book’s product page on Amazon, scroll down to the section titled “Tags Customers Associate with This Product.” Enter your keyword tag in the small box provided and click the “Add” button.

You can’t use keywords that already appear in Amazon’s search function, such as the book title or author name. Word order matters, so create different search tags with variations on your most important keywords.

You can personally submit up to ten search terms for your book. If you have additional search terms to enter, ask a colleague to enter some for you. You can also ask colleagues to “vote” for the existing tags on the page by clicking the check box next to the tags.

Another way to increase your “popularity” on Amazon is do a virtual book tour or an “Amazon best-seller campaign,” designed to push up your Amazon sales rank by generating a large number of orders on a single day.

There are a number of other ways to promote your book on Amazon, including getting lots of good Amazon reviews, writing reviews of other related books, participating in the Look Inside program, enhancing your book description, participating in Amazon forums for your book’s topic, and creating Listmania lists and So You’d Like To guides.

About the author: Dana Lynn Smith, author of the Savvy Book Marketer Guide series at www.SavvyBookMarketer.com, has a degree in marketing and 15 years of publishing experience. Her Book Marketing Maven blog www.BookMarketingMaven.com is packed with marketing tips for authors, and you’ll get a copy of her Top Book Marketing Tips ebook when you sign up for her free ezine.

Courtesy: www.ezineArticles.com

By Sally Shields

In order to leverage your authorship into a ton of free publicity, here are a few tips and tricks that can help you succeed faster, smarter and won’t break your bank. Remember, you are in it for the long haul, and your book should mainly be thought of as a tool to enhance and further your business, and to help give you more credibility as an expert in your chosen field. Okay, here we go:

1. Get a Business Card with Your Book Cover on It

You can get these made up very inexpensively, such as through Vistaprint. Use them as book marks. Give them out to friends, colleagues, potential contacts. Leave them at the bagel store, and post them on the bulletin board at your local library. Be sure to have your website/contact info on the back as well. You never know who’s going to check it out!

2. Get a website with your book’s URL

Hopefully most of you will have done this. But here’s the difference between successful authors and those that just sell a few books: get a contact form and offer your visitors an ethical bribe such as, “Sign up for Sally’s weekly newsletter, and instantly have access to download the first chapter of her book, for FREE!” Or offer them a top 10 list, or eReport. You get the idea. The main thing is to start capturing the email addresses of your adoring fans whom you can then keep in touch with and market to as you grow as an author.

3. Work on an “Elevator Pitch”

The media is busy, and they will know within 10-15 seconds weather they want to hear more or not. Having an elevator pitch that is short, succinct and to the point is an invaluable tool for pitching the media. Here are the three steps in a nutshell:

a) Your name, the name of your book, and if you can, make up a cute little name for yourself like so:

Hi, I’m Sally Shields, “The In-Law Expert” and I’ve written a book called, “The Daughter-in-Law Rules!”

b) then, tell them what your vision is, like so:

My vision is to create more harmony among mothers and daughters in law by teaching brides and wives the art of making friends with their husband’s mother.

c) Finally, tell them what problem you can solve for them, or what information you can reveal, like this:

I will reveal the top 3 things that every wife can do to create a lifetime of peace with their husband, and the OTHER woman in his life-his MOM!

4. Make sure to be signed up for HARO and look for opportunities to provide your expertise

There is nothing more powerful out there today for us authors and experts than joining HARO. National media outlets such as Fox News and Woman’s Day are all searching for that perfect expert to quote in their next segment or byline. Go there and get a free account today!

5. Prepare short 300-500 word articles, and submit them to EzineArticles.

This is a fantastic way to get your name out there on the web. An account is free. Using keywords is invaluable, but most important is the title of the article itself. Media outlets all over the web will be sending out spiders looking for content and you never know where your article might be re-posted. Make sure to sign all your articles with your name, website and contact info. www.ezinearticles.com

6. Go to Google and sign up for a Google Alert

Make sure to put in all the keywords that pertain to your book and expertise. You will get daily alerts on stories that are being written and talked about. Then, you can be prepared to pitch the media and let them know you are the go-to person and perhaps they will use you as a source. Begin to develop a media contact database.

7. Get a BLOG for FREE!

It doesn’t have to be pretty, but go to blogger.com and set up an account, for free. Folks, if I can do it you can too! But if it seems complicated, grab your 10 year old kid and they can help you. The great thing about blogs is that the keywords that you use at the bottom of each post act like an internet magnet. Anyone that googles a certain word or idea or concept that you indicate in your keyword search bar, has a very good chance of having your blog come up in the search engine. Blog a lot. Blog often.

Writers 4 Christ.org note: We also suggest authors look at similar free blog hosting sites such as Blog Spot and WordPress.com

8. Set up a Facebook FanPage and make sure to have a Twitter Account

Many of you are already doing this. If you haven’t, it’s a good time to start. Twitter is great because you can share information that you think is cool. It’s not about tooting your own horn, but rather about sharing information and being a valuable source. The more you give and share, the more followers and the more traffic you’ll attract to your website. Make sure you have a good catchy profile and pic and if you can get an application for twitter on your cell phone, you’ll have a lot of fun.

9. Prepare letters/emails and shoot to get at least 5-10 testimonials

… from either celebrities, or other authors that you respect and admire. If you do want to go for a celebrity endorsement, you can get a 7 day trial for $1 at WhoRepresents.com where you will find contact info for almost any celebrity you can think of. The secrets is to prepare 3-5 quotes in advance, and send them either the book or a chapter. Make it very easy for them to put their name to something you’ve already written. One trick is, if you are supporting a charity for example, try to find a celeb who also endorses the same non-profit by aligning yourself with their cause.

10. Create a media-ready release with a goal of getting on 5 radio shows in the next 60 days

You’ll need a great hook (a timely topic is the quickest way to get publicity), some statistics, and 3-5 message points that you can talk about on the air that will help the listeners solve a problem, and keep the audience entertained. This would also be a great time to consider getting media trained, which is an invaluable investment in yourself and well-worth the money.

About the author: Please visit Sally Shields, speaker, radio personality, free publicity specialist and author of the #1 Amazon.com bestseller, The Daughter-in-Law Rules on the web at: www.thedilrules.com for contest giveaways, free bonus gifts, Sally’s newsletter, free music, … and more!

Source: www.ezinearticles.com