Write, Get Published, and Promote

• Write, Get Published, and Promote: An Easy e-Guide for New and Aspiring Writers ─ By Joyce Shafer
  
  Do you dream of becoming a published writer of articles or books? Are you ready to make it your reality now? Then please keep reading to discover how you can get the information you need to go for it.
  
  Have you asked yourself or others these questions:
  How do I get started?
  I’ve written “it,” now what?
  What about getting published?
  How do I market and promote?
  Can I make money as a writer?
  
  Get a solid start from writing the first word to promoting anything from articles to books in Write, Get Published, and Promote (includes life coaching aspects to move you forward, as well as lots of active links to help you succeed). Available at http://www.lulu.com/content/2805803; see Reviews and take a look inside the e-book at Preview This Book on that page. For more details, visit http://www.freewebs.com/writegetpubishedandpromote .
  
  
  I’m a published author; article writer; life coach; and offer freelance critiquing, proofreading, editing, and rewriting services to fellow writers. Learn more at http://www.freewebs.com/editmybookandmore.
  
  This e-guide came about from critique and writing clients asking me the same questions . . . and the questions they didn’t ask, but should have. As a new or aspiring writer, you can enjoy the process more if you understand what’s involved. Not only is writing the first word to promoting yourself covered, but this e-guide has lots of active links to help you expand your experience and success potential.
  
  The e-book is 55 pages long, but that’s because I didn’t include a lot of space as other e-books do just to make it longer. If I’d done that, it would be well over 100 pages long and I didn’t think you’d want to use that much paper to print it out.
  
  
  Whether you write articles, short stories, e-books, novels, non-fiction . . . anything you want to publish, you’ll find Write, Get Published, and Promote offers valuable information such as …
  
  …Never let these beliefs hold you back from writing.
  …Do this to sharpen your writing skills. It’s also one of the best and simplest, free ways to promote yourself as a writer (for pay and/or exposure) and reach potential readers by the thousands, hundreds of thousands, or more─immediately.
  …Use these techniques to help you proofread and edit your writing.
  …Discover why you want time to be on your side and what you can do if you need to speed it up to get into the marketplace.
  …Do this to have multiple free retail pages.
  …Learn when “mistakes” can be deliberate.
  …Know how to protect yourself when you write for pay.
  …Inform yourself with these important facts (and mistaken beliefs) about the publishing industry.
  …If you’re not aware of it, learn about the event that shocked the self-published world─and how you can aim to succeed (and do so) in spite of it.
  …”Technical” facts you may not be aware of but need to be.
  …Get your book into print and available to buyers around the world in an hour or less.
  …See easy ways to boost your sales income and promote yourself, including big-earner techniques.
  …Use these simple tips to keep everything organized.
  …Click onto active links for exceptional resources that put you into the water and swimming.
  
  This and more is included in Write, Get Published, and Promote: An Easy e-Guide for New and Aspiring Writers.
  
  Go now to www.lulu.com/content/2805803 and move from new-writer status to published, today.

Article:

Write, Get Published, and Promote


The title of this article is the reality of writers culled down to five words. You want to see your article available online or in print or hold a copy of your book in your hands. The next desired reality is to see a response to all the energy, time, creativity, and passion you put into what you’ve written.

As a new or aspiring writer, you can feel delightfully excited about writing or feel stalled about how to start. Once you get going, fingers fly as thoughts and ideas flow through you. Maybe you know the technical side of writing that involves punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, formatting (including dialogue in a novel), plot or theme development … and maybe you don’t. One of the easiest ways you can familiarize yourself with these aspects is to read what someone else published.

You get through the writing stage and feel proud of what you’ve done, and you should. What many new writers don’t realize is there’s another, more critical stage that comes next: editing and rewriting. This is the “brutal” part. It’s brutal because you have to be honest with yourself or engage an editor who is honest with you on your behalf. James Michener said it well, “I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” Rewriting is the most creatively challenging part of writing. It’s where you get to make everything smooth, flowing, and effective for readers. At some point, your focus must shift from satisfying your desire to write to making it a quality experience for readers. An important step in this process is to walk away from what you’ve written for a period of time so you return to it with a fresh perspective.

If you’re an article writer, your next step is to look for venues to publish and distribute what you’ve written to as many readers as possible. Book writers seek to get published. The number of free article sites on the Internet is huge. A search will lead article writers to more venues than they might imagine. Book writers face the choice of whether to find a major publisher willing to take a chance on a new writer, to invest in vanity publishing, or find the right self-publishing option. This is the stage that needs research; but once you’ve moved through it, you’ll know what to expect the next time you aim to publish.

Now in print, it’s time to promote. Every writer is different. Perhaps you’re ready to hit the road to do book signings, willing to set up speaking engagements or seminars, send out press releases, or explore the myriad ways you can promote yourself. One thing writers discover is if they want to see real income from their writing, it takes more than just having a book or article in print.

Then there’s the matter of promotion. You can’t start planning to promote too soon. Many book writers wait until the book is in print and anticipate that once this happens, sales will start rolling in without their having to do anything else. This isn’t realistic. There are many options to plan and strategize how you will promote and when to get started. As a writer, if you haven’t looked online for the numerous free e-zines and Websites for writers, this is something you should do, even if for a couple of hours each week as you’re in the writing stage. These freebies offer a wealth of information for writers from writing tips to publicity and promotion.

Everything described above are all important threads in a writer’s tapestry; however, the single most important thread is attitude. As a writer, you’ll have a better experience if you embrace the creative process in all its facets. The more positive, intentional, and inspired you are the better tapestry you’ll weave.

If you’re a new or aspiring writer, welcome to an incredible world where you can discover more aspects of yourself, resources, and people than you ever imagined. It can be a wild ride, but an awesome one, as well.

How Do I Get Published?

This is a question my clients who are new and aspiring writers always ask me.

We write for different reasons: Enjoyment, challenge, and to share information or our creative effort. If you’re going to share what you’ve written, you’ll need a means or venue to get published. But you knew that, of course.

But do you know enough about how to do this?

If you’re an article writer, you can find venues that publish what you write (such as this one). One of the best options to find such a venue or venues is in “Writer’s Market,” a couple-inch thick book that strives to provide users with as much current information about markets as possible; and you can find lots of good e-zines for writers you can subscribe to online at no cost that offer other markets. You can also search online for sites that allow you to publish for free. You can create your own blog or use one of the social networking sites.

Perhaps a fiction or non-fiction book is your creative focus. Many people have dreams of landing a major publishing house contract. They imagine what this is like and what it will do for them, but they don’t do the research to learn how feasible it is. Some believe printing their own copies with a vanity press is the answer; yet they don’t give thought to how they’re going to market themselves or sell copies nor other important matters such as obtaining an ISBN. Others know about print-on-demand services, but they aren’t sure which service is right for them. Two things you can do to learn more is visit the site(s) and contact some of the writers who published with the print-on-demand service(s) you’re researching and ask them to share their experiences.

These days, it’s quite easy for you to get your name and message out to the world. Just be sure to learn enough about what’s involved so you maximize your efforts. Then watch your dream become your reality.

Learn more tips in “Write, Get Published, and Promote: An Easy e-Guide for New and Aspiring Writers (available end of June 2008 at www.lulu.com). Read more about it at http://www.freewebs.com/editmybookandmore. Joyce Shafer is an author; weekly columnist; and a freelance proofreader, editor, and rewriter, who also provides writing critique services.