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How to Market Yourself Successfully as a WriterAbdallah Khamis Abdallah To ensure a steady flow of work and income, a writer should promote himself constantly. Not everyone knows you are a writer and the competition for work is very high. Not only do you compete with publications regular staffers and commissioned writers but with more learned and skilled freelancers. Marketing should be on top of your priorities after production of your writing. You need to adopt various strategies to get your name out there and display your prowess. Here are a few useful ways to promote yourself and achieve success: WEBSITE PROMOTION In this information age that we are in, it is necessary for every business person to have a web site to display his/her wares as well as communicate with potential customers. You should consider yourself in business and adopt appropriate business practice in order to succeed. You need a web-site where you explain what writing services you offer, your writing credentials and samples of your published work is essential not only to provide information to would-be clients but to show them your writing competence. Of course there are other add-ons such as auto-responders, ezines, etc to supplement your site. Your website should be optimized for better search engine ranking and its URL displayed in your business documents so that people are informed of its presence. ARTICLES SUBMISSIONS This is a good strategy for publicizing yourself and its effects may last for quite a long time. This strategy works best online. In this strategy you select subjects and topics in your area of specialization and post the complete articles to article submission websites for free publication. Each article will contain the writer’s byline at the beginning and a brief bio at the end. The bio will include your name, email address, website URL and what you do or who you are. If your article is good it may be accepted for publication on the website and read by hundreds, if not thousands of people on line. Among these people are editors and ezine publishers who will republish the complete article in their publications. The interest that your article generates and the information you provide in your bio will market you as a good writer and people will click on your website URL. The multiplier effect of this will be increased enquiries on what you offer, orders for your services or more visitors to your website. You will also have earned credits for publication of your article, which you can send to prospective publishers. Some of the websites that accept and publish articles submitted are: -
ADVERTISING “Advertising pays” is as true today as it was decades back. As we said earlier, nobody knows you are there or you offer writing services. Your website is online. You can advertise your services in the many free classified ads sites and safe lists. You can also put paid ads on high traffic sites, writer’s sites, job boards, ezine ad networks, etc. SIGNATURE FILE A one or two line reference of what you do together with your website URL can be added in a special section of your e-mail address so that all e-mail messages you send out will contain the “signature file” is another good way to promote yourself especially if you are sending out many e-mail messages to newsgroups and online communities. After reading your message, people would want to know who you are and what you do. When they click your website or auto-responder address they will be led to what you do or offer. Set up a signature file in your e-mail, participate in discussions by sending e-mail messages and watch enquiries grow. However, be careful not to advertise directly when you post to newsgroups as that may offend others and that is not the main purpose of newsgroups. SENDING OUT QUERIES Sometimes, even after using other means to promote yourself you have to use this one also. It may be considered the most common way of finding work for freelance writers. Querying is an art in itself and there are many do’s and don’ts. Some publications accept e-mail queries while others don’t. Some do and others do not accept work from freelancers. You need to read market guides such as the Writers Market or submission guidelines from publishers’ websites as well as practice writing query letters. The more queries you send the better as they increase you chances of acceptance. OTHER Word of mouth promotion/networking are also other ways to promote yourself within your locality. Attend seminars on writing or your area of specialization and inform others that you are a writer and you can assist them in their promoting their businesses in one way or another. Put your name, your occupation and contacts as a writer on business cards, calendars, and diaries and distribute freely locally. Ask your friends to recommend you to others. The possibilities are many and are only limited by your ability to explore them. Writers need to market themselves in order to keep the business coming in and ensure a steady flow of income throughout the throughout the year.
| | | | RELATED ARTICLES 6 Power Packed Tips For Article Writers 1. Offer an email course, multipart report or a free subscription to your ezine in your resource box. Is Now the Time for a Play about the War in Iraq Everone knows that comedy is mostly about timing. If you hit upon the right nerve is a funny bone a nerve at the right time then, usually, you dont even have to be original or even marginally funny to win laughs. The audience laughs just at the reference i.e. "How about Michael Jackson" and may fall into hysterics at a gifted comics pause. Writing for Teen Magazines I would look at the magazines my teenage neighbor and her friends stashed away in their cupboards and think, “Heck, I could do that!” So one day, while she was away at school, I broke into her room and “borrowed” the magazines. 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. What Ive Learned From My Subscribers As editor/publisher of Book Promotion Newsletter, I am fortunate in having an eclectic group of subscribers who number in the thousands. The ezine is interactive and subscribers are encouraged to share their innovative marketing techniques. Writing as a Gift What am I supposed to give Anthony as a wedding gift I asked Kristin,my bridesmaid and person-who-was-married.I mean, what kinds of thingsdo brides give their groomsI was thinking of hiring someone to cleanthe house before we left for the honeymoon so wed come back to aspotless house.Is that a good wedding gift How To Use Punctuation The most common mistake people tend to make while writing is in the use of Punctuation. Wrong punctuation can damage the flow of ideas and change meaning, but properly used punctuation not only helps readers understand your meaning but also makes them engrossed in your writing. The following discussion is about some of the frequently misused punctuation marks and what actually their correct application should be. The Top 10 Secrets of Successful Authors If you are not a successful author yet, incorporate the following ten secrets: How to Write Words Worth a Thousand Pictures Our Image-Driven Society Hooks, Lines & Sinkers Hands up if the title to this article made you think that youd strayed into a fishing feature Hooked On Books Write A Book Review For Your Target Audience If you are burned out with writing how-to articles to promote your business then consider writing a book review. I recommend you write a review about a book you enjoyed that is related to your products or services. Your review, of course, will be capped off with your 5-6 line byline that includes your contact information and web site URL. Many of the article directories, e-zines and web sites that normally accept articles will accept book reviews too. In addition, you can find and submit to the many sites featuring book reviews. The Recipe for Getting Published Got talent but no clips Heres the recipe for getting published... Incredibly Bad Articles Will Kill Your Credibility Ive noticed a disturbing trend recently of articles suggesting that people write articles to send traffic to their websites, and enhance their credibility. In theory, the more articles you write, the more traffic youll receive, the more credibility youll have, the more sales youll make. Writing for Local Veterinary Hospitals Freelance writer STANLEY BURKHARDT has a passion for animals. He loves animals so much, he crafted himself a new career. For the last eight years, Stanley has made a career out of writing for local veterinary hospitals -- and getting paid for it. How To Write for the Web The Scanning Reader Learning to Question your Elephant Child: Who, What, Where, When and Why Having problems writing I dont know why. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll writes up to five columns a week. After all, if he can write five columns, you should be able to write a five-lined poem-but that does not seem to be the case. Quick Proof Reading Can Lead to a Costly Mistake If you know of anyone writing that likes to hear others experiences from authors, please share this and include the byline. Absurdity of Absurd: Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot What does ‘Absurd’ mean When I searched the glossaries ,I found the word to be ‘out of harmony’1.But yet the definitions trying hard to explain the term , just to end in total ‘Absurdity’ assuming for a while that we know the meaning of the word,as they talk in total sense, the nonsense about it and of course that means they failin their attempt .But considering the term to be linked with literature and other forms of art too!,when I searched for more I came across the lines that states that no ‘literary criticism’ [in which I include the attempts to explain the literary terms] can take the literary work itself ,or to be more specific ‘…it [literary criticism]is not substitute for reading the work itself’2,as it [the piece of work]is the most exactly and precisely ,the thought conveyed or explained.So,I reached the idea that to understand ‘absurd’ .I must view an absurd work by an artist, rather than poring over the talks about it. Hence as a literary student what first came to my mind at this instant is none, but WAITING FOR GODOT by Samuel Beckett,the so called absurd play structured around ‘Godot’,the axis all absurdity[as till the date none could declare with confidence ‘who’ or ‘what’ Godot is !] Need a Book Coach, Ghost Writer, or Editor Part 1 If you either want to write a book to help others create a better life and boost business or you already have your book nearly finished, you may need book coaching to answer all of your questions "What step to take next"Many writers think that all they need is a good editor and their book will be ready for publishing and promoting. Writing For The Web: Where To Get Article Ideas |
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