|
|
A competitive and cutthroat look at writing
Let me start by saying, humor that is hurtful or at the expense of other writers has no place in the writing industry. Board fights and flame wars do not belong in the writing community. This should be about writing. Online writing communities have...
Copywriting Successes and Failures: A Comparison Of the Good and Bad
by Karon Thackston © 2002 http://www.copywritingcourse.com It’s about 7:00am and time to start my day. While my exact routine varies, one of the first things I always do is check email. As the flood rolls in, I have my finger poised on the delete...
Freelance Writing Markets, Poetry Markets - Highly Paid -v- Unpaid
Amazing as it may sound, there is a real shortage of good writers and poets. Try telling that to the thousands of writers and poets who get daily rejection slips.
As far as they are concerned, writing is virtually impossible to break into no...
Quick Strategies For Writing Your Essay Under Pressure
Most writing is done under time pressure. Yet, while the majority of students have to write in haste - with limited time, limited space and an instructor to please - few approach to this task systematically. Though, writing under increasing time...
Writing in exchange for bread on the table
Some people say that I have it all - I disagree. I constantly
have to struggle with this love-hate relationship I have with
writing. I love reading, that's for sure. And I love to
write....about myself as and when I want to. But when I...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Platform Development Tip #1: Switch Writing Hats!
Platform-Building Tip #1: Switch Writing Hats!
Around eighty percent of nonfiction books today are written by “experts,” that is people who have a) earned credentials in the field they’re writing about, b) germinated information via articles, live presentations or other media, or c) had extraordinary, unique or memorably told life experiences relevant to their topic.
For an autobiographical work, such as a memoir, an author needn’t have any special expertise—she is the foremost authority on her own life. For a how-to or self-help book, however, the first thing mainstream publishers want to know is, “Does the author have a platform?”
Among the multiple definitions of “platform” in Merriam Webster’s 10th edition are 1) a place from which to speak, 2) a set of principles, and 3) a vehicle for carrying things. All these are important to an author’s platform. The good news is, in the six to eighteen months it will take most authors to write either their book proposal or their entire book, they can develop a platform.
Here are some things editors look for in a platform:
- publications in the field demonstrating your expertise - a mailing list - pamphlets, tapes or other media carrying messages related to those in your book - teaching or leading experience on the topic of your book - a column - a unique point of view with demonstrable appeal - regular speaking engagements - courses taught at a local venue - a well-designed website
The section of the nonfiction proposal entitled Author’s Bio or Author’s Credentials details the information about the author’s platform. Many aspiring authors I work with, at least initially, grossly underrepresent themselves in this section.
SOLUTION 1: WORK WITH WHAT YOU HAVE—THEN SWITCH HATS! Assume that you probably already have more of a platform than you know. Instead of beginning by writing your bio in paragraph form, put on your Scribe hat and make a list—yes, that’s right, a long, tedious, unsexy list—of everything you’ve done that seems even remotely related to your book.
Once you’ve made your boring list, switch hats. You’re now a Publishing Consultant looking over your client’s resume. How are you going to make her shine? Simple—you’re going to take everything even remotely relevant to the book and change into a language that will make publishers perk up their ears. How do you know what will make publishers perk up their ears?
Switch hats again. You’re an Acquisitions Editor at a major
publishing house sitting behind a desk, asking yourself, which of these 163 proposals that arrived this week is worth risking my reputation, bank account and job to publish? Then put your Publishing Consultant hat back on, and do your translation—but don’t forget about that anxious editor.
Here’s an example:
Bob Jones, who’s writing a book on personal accounting and finance for the masses, picks a phrase from his Scribe list, “Instructor at Coleridge Community College for twelve years.” With his Publishing Consultant hat on, he rewrites this phrase to read “translated high-level accounting concepts into laypeople’s language to over 3,000 adults of various backgrounds over twelve years.”
Moving right along, Bob changes “facilitated students home accounting practices, enabling them to pay bills and prepare taxes with greater efficiency” to “Over these twelve years, the author developed a series of steps, called the Number Crunch Shuffle. Students consistently report that the Number Crunch Shuffle helps them overcome their fear of numbers, streamlines their home accounting process and cuts their bill and tax preparation time in half.
guerilla tip: Bob didn’t really call these steps the “Number Crunch Shuffle” at the time he taught them at Coleridge Community College. He got help developing this tag for the technique around which his book is built. However, he did develop the method itself while teaching those 3,000 students.
guerilla insight: There’s plenty of reality to work with. Take what’s there and describe it in new and exciting ways. Find a gem that makes your book special and give it an attention-grabbing name.
You are welcome to reprint this article any time, anywhere with no further permission, and no payment, provided the following is included at the end or beginning:
Author Jill Nagle is founder and principal of GetPublished, http://www.GetPublished.com, which provides coaching, consulting, ghostwriting, classes and do-it-yourself products to emerging and published authors. Her most recent book is How to Find An Agent Who Can Sell Your Book for Top Dollar http://www.FindTheRightAgent.com.
About the Author
Author Jill Nagle is founder and principal of GetPublished, http://www.GetPublished.com, which provides coaching, consulting, ghostwriting, classes and do-it-yourself products to emerging and published authors. Her most recent book is How to Find An Agent Who Can Sell Your Book for Top Dollar http://www.FindTheRightAgent.com.
|
|
|
|
|
Guide to Academic Writing Article - Management - University of ... |
University of Canterbury-- Te Whare Wananga o Waitaha. UC Home | Courses | Departments | Library | Teaching | Research | Students | Contacts | Search ... |
www.mang.canterbury.ac.nz |
  |
Writing the Empirical Journal Article |
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML |
Your browser may not have a PDF reader available. Google recommends visiting our text version of this document. |
  |
Writing article about audio systems and need enthusiasts to ... |
Yahoo! Autos Custom Forums - Writing article about audio systems and need enthusiasts to interview - I'm looking for enthusiasts willing to be interv. |
forums.custom.autos.yahoo.com |
  |
Writing article about audio systems and need enthusiasts to ... |
Yahoo! Autos Custom Forums - Writing article about audio systems and need enthusiasts to interview - hey buddy i got a premmie system in my car i have a. |
forums.custom.autos.yahoo.com |
  |
Writing Article About G2 - Seeking Input | Gallery |
Writing Article About G2 - Seeking Input. steveohm. Joined: 2005-10-28 Posts: 2. Posted: Mon, 2006-01-16 08:16. Hey there,. I'm writing a how-to article for ... |
gallery.menalto.com |
  |
(5.30) Not a directory writing article file -- throttling |
(5.30) Not a directory writing article file -- throttling. This typically means that in the spool there is a directory in the spool that thinks it is a file ... |
www.faqs.org |
  |
(7.25) Server throttled No space left on device writing article file |
(7.25) Server throttled No space left on device writing article file. If df still shows you plenty of space then look if you have enough inodes free. ... |
www.faqs.org |
  |
10 Ideas for Writing Article/Blog Online - lifehack.org |
10 Ideas for Writing Article/Blog Online. Ever wrote some articles online and they have hundreds of people bookmarking and linking, on the other hand others ... |
www.lifehack.org |
  |
Writing article reviews |
Writing article reviews. What is an article review? Reading and noting; Writing the first draft; Revising and redrafting; Using feedback ... |
www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au |
  |
"The 'Mane' Event" (Shotgun Writing - Article #3) by Barbra L ... |
try your own tag:. "The 'Mane' Event" (Shotgun Writing - Article #3) ... Shotgun Writing (Article #3) (11.22-28.06). Palominos. . . golden-colored horses ... |
www.gather.com |
  |
Muslim Man Kicked Out Of Mosque For Writing Article Criticizing Al ... |
Muslim Man Kicked Out Of Mosque For Writing Article Criticizing Al Qaeda ... Muslim Man Kicked Out Of Mosque For Writing Article Criticizing Al Qaeda ... |
tailrank.com |
  |
Muslim Man Kicked Out Of Mosque For Writing Article Criticizing Al ... |
Hat tip to Atlas Shrugs . Yes, you read that correctly. He criticized Al Qaeda, so he got kicked out of his Mosque. And, this is no small Mosque. |
tailrank.com |
  |
Articles About Freelance Writing Index |
Freelance Writing Article Index. Getting Started · How To, Tips & Samples · Getting the Writing Done · Rewriting & Editing · Your Writing as a Business ... |
www.aboutfreelancewriting.com |
  |
Todays-Woman - Short Story Writing: Article 1 - Introduction |
Short Story Writing: Article 1 - Introduction Date: Tuesday, September 26 @ 22:01:33 CDT Topic: Writing Advice. Author:Ian Mackean ... |
www.todays-woman.net |
  |
SEL: Presentation + Writing Article for SMS |
Presentation + Writing Article for SMS. I have a presentation to prepare for, plus I'm writing an article for the Search Marketing Standard. ... |
www.searchenginelowdown.com |
  |
Writing article introductions HOWTO (English) - ArchWiki |
Writing article overviews HOWTO (English). Writing article introductions HOWTO (English). Effective use of headers HOWTO (English). Related articles ... |
wiki.archlinux.org |
  |
Writing article overviews HOWTO (English) - ArchWiki |
Writing article overviews HOWTO (English). From ArchWiki. This article discusses article overview writing techniques. Article overviews are short textual ... |
wiki.archlinux.org |
  |
Seeking a guide to the quality of web writing : Article : Nature |
Nature is the international weekly journal of science: a magazine style journal that publishes full-length research papers in all disciplines of science, ... |
www.nature.com |
  |
Resume Writing Article - Resume Falsification |
Resume Writing Article - Resume falsification: Would you lie on your resume? |
www.resume-resource.com |
  |
Resume Writing Article - Now What? How to Ensure Your Resume ... |
Resume writing article: How to ensure you resume produces top results. |
www.resume-resource.com |
  |
|