This subject causes many heated debates. And that is just with myself. I see the pros and cons of both. Let's compare...
Traditional Publishing is very hard to break into, unless you already have a famous name. If you do, you can easily get anything you want published, including actual trash. If you have no fame at all as of yet, then you must fight as if your life depends on it. Putting up with total snobs most of the way. It is rather shocking to know the names of now famous authors that had to swim through tons of rejection letters before they finally had someone with a brain really read their manuscript. At first I didn't mind the rejection letters because they addressed me as; Dear Author. By the way, I've saved every one of them. For various reasons.
Going the traditional route can take a long time, 18 to 24 months. And if there is not a very good reason to promote you or your book, don't count on anyone doing it for you. However, they can distribute the book straight to the Big Bookstores. If someone in the publishing firm believes in you, you may get a nice advance so that you won't starve to death while you are trying to promote the first book and write your second one.
Self Publishing costs you money upfront. Roughly $1000.00, depending on whether or not you want all the bells and whistles. Post cards, business cards, book marks, posters for book signing events, etc,... and they come up with new ideas to charge you for on a daily basis. However - it's fast. You can have your book in about 90 days with some of them! And they make it available on all on-line book stores almost immediately. You still have to do a lot of work to promote your own book, but remember you usually do, either way. If you do choose to self publish, be sure to pay extra for return-ability. If a bookstore knows you are self published - and they will, many assume it would be to much of a risk to stock your books, or even let you do a book signing. You get a lot further with them, and a lot faster, if you bring something from the publisher with you to prove it is returnable.
Also, be sure to get a qualified person, or people to proof read your manuscript BEFORE you submit it. The self publishers charge quite a bit to do it for you, but if you don't know anyone to do it, it's worth paying for. Think how horribly embarrassing it would be for someone to buy your book and then complain about too many mistakes. Unfortunately, I know this from
experience. You may think you can proof it yourself. You can't. Your mind knows what is coming next, so it somehow reads the text as it should be. Really, I'm not the first person to say this.
So far, we are self published and the Rebel in me really likes it this way. However, things are going really well for us, we may even have a movie made based on the book. So, maybe once our name is famous, we may sell-out and let the big guys have it. Or - maybe not.
K.T. Banks is a pen name we use. We are a husband and wife writing team. We have just published our first mystery novel, 'Stand and Protect' and the second one is almost finished. Don't hate us, but we feel that we have the family thing figured out. Besides our good relationships with our children, we have a great marriage.
Despite many ups and downs financially, we are still madly in love. Once we came into a lot of money, and through mostly our own ignorance, we lost everything after a while.
Sometimes we have in-law problems. We've had to deal with death in the family. Our 18 year old lost one of his best friends in a car crash about 6 months ago. That was really hard to deal with. I have anxiety problems. And yet we are always there for each other. We're in this together and learning how to compromise is huge.
So, while we really enjoy writing novels together. We like this avenue to try to help others that may need it. A happy family life is one of the greatest blessings you can have. You can read about our novels at http://www.KT-Banks.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=K._T._Banks
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Five Things You Should Do to Get Your First Article Published
Michelle Buss
1. Buy a copy of whichever market guide is the most respected in your country.
In the UK this is the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook. It is packed with good advice and more importantly the names of loads different types of places that may be willing to publish your work and pay you for it. The magazine section for example lists magazines that accept freelance contributions. It usually gives you the name of the editor, and some sort of contact details. It may give you a more specific idea of the type of freelance material they are seeking, and what type of rates they pay. It is the first stop for any freelance.
Hot Tip: You don't have to stick to just the market guide for your country. There is no rule that says you can only write for magazines or publishers in your own country. Try finding the best example from a few countries. It will help broaden your market. Check out the Australian Marketplace Online for a start.
2. Make a list of the kinds of things you know about and also those that you are interested enough in to research thoroughly. You don't have to know everything about the subjects or topics you put on your list but it will make your life much more enjoyable if they are something you would like to learn more about. This is never stressed enough; you are likely to lead a miserable life if you choose to write about something you are not terribly interested in, as well as the fact you are unlikely to do it well.
3. Go through your market guide carefully and make a note of all of the magazines that may be interested in publishing something on your topics. A bit of organisation now is likely to save you lots of time in the future. Try dividing your subjects into categories and noting down contact details of the editor or whoever is responsible for freelance content.
Hot Tip: Something useful you can do at this stage is to mark up your market guide. Try assigning a different colour to each of your categories and marking pages with contacts that might be interested in that subject with a colour post it. It will save you lots of time later when you have a great idea and don't have to comb back through the book to work out where you should submit it.
4. Start thinking of article ideas for each of your categories (this is actually the hard bit but unfortunately there are not many tips for how to improve your imagination, just try to keep abreast of things happening in your subject areas.)
5. Pitch your ideas to the contacts you have found at the magazines that may be interested in your article. What no one really tells you is that there are, broadly speaking, two types of pitch. The first is a very brief outline that should be enough to hook your editor if he/she really likes the sound of your idea.
The advantages of this type of pitch are; most editors are busy and may not look at anything longer, it saves you time because if the editor is not interested you have not invested too much in the pitch.
The disadvantages are: it is sometimes hard to get across the essence of your article in such a short pitch, if you are relatively unknown you risk just being ignored because the editor can't see anything of substance.
The second type of pitch is much longer and outlines the shape or structure you see this article taking, includes the first paragraph to give an idea of your writing style and even a few coverline ideas, you might want to include a short blurb on why you think the article would fit into their magazine. The risk you take with this type of pitch is that the editor will see all the type and decide he/she can't fit reading it into their day and if this is the case you have wasted a substantial chunk of time. On the other hand it looks very professional and gives the editor more of an idea of who you are. The choice is yours.
1. Buy a copy of whichever market guide is the most respected in your country.
In the UK this is the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook. It is packed with good advice and more importantly the names of loads different types of places that may be willing to publish your work and pay you for it. The magazine section for example lists magazines that accept freelance contributions. It usually gives you the name of the editor, and some sort of contact details. It may give you a more specific idea of the type of freelance material they are seeking, and what type of rates they pay. It is the first stop for any freelance.
Hot Tip: You don't have to stick to just the market guide for your country. There is no rule that says you can only write for magazines or publishers in your own country. Try finding the best example from a few countries. It will help broaden your market. Check out the Australian Marketplace Online for a start.
2. Make a list of the kinds of things you know about and also those that you are interested enough in to research thoroughly. You don't have to know everything about the subjects or topics you put on your list but it will make your life much more enjoyable if they are something you would like to learn more about. This is never stressed enough; you are likely to lead a miserable life if you choose to write about something you are not terribly interested in, as well as the fact you are unlikely to do it well.
3. Go through your market guide carefully and make a note of all of the magazines that may be interested in publishing something on your topics. A bit of organisation now is likely to save you lots of time in the future. Try dividing your subjects into categories and noting down contact details of the editor or whoever is responsible for freelance content.
Hot Tip: Something useful you can do at this stage is to mark up your market guide. Try assigning a different colour to each of your categories and marking pages with contacts that might be interested in that subject with a colour post it. It will save you lots of time later when you have a great idea and don't have to comb back through the book to work out where you should submit it.
4. Start thinking of article ideas for each of your categories (this is actually the hard bit but unfortunately there are not many tips for how to improve your imagination, just try to keep abreast of things happening in your subject areas.)
5. Pitch your ideas to the contacts you have found at the magazines that may be interested in your article. What no one really tells you is that there are, broadly speaking, two types of pitch. The first is a very brief outline that should be enough to hook your editor if he/she really likes the sound of your idea.
The advantages of this type of pitch are; most editors are busy and may not look at anything longer, it saves you time because if the editor is not interested you have not invested too much in the pitch.
The disadvantages are: it is sometimes hard to get across the essence of your article in such a short pitch, if you are relatively unknown you risk just being ignored because the editor can't see anything of substance.
The second type of pitch is much longer and outlines the shape or structure you see this article taking, includes the first paragraph to give an idea of your writing style and even a few coverline ideas, you might want to include a short blurb on why you think the article would fit into their magazine. The risk you take with this type of pitch is that the editor will see all the type and decide he/she can't fit reading it into their day and if this is the case you have wasted a substantial chunk of time. On the other hand it looks very professional and gives the editor more of an idea of who you are. The choice is yours.
How to Get a Book Published - Bookstores Sell 50% of Books Published
50% of books meant for consumers are sold through bookstores. If you're wondering how to get a book published make sure your publisher's books is stocked in bookstores. The first bookstores in the United States were established at least as far back as 1640. At that time, quite a few booksellers were also book publishers. By 1700 there were 30 booksellers in Boston alone. However, these stores didn't restrict themselves to just books but sold other merchandise as well. Richard Hoe's invention of the rotary press, which spewed out pages at the rate of 8000 sheets an hour, opened up the mass market for books. The divergence between bookseller and book publisher began to widen.
Book publishing is a $37 billion dollar industry in the United States. It has been estimated that the five large publishing companies, Random House Inc., Penguin USA, Simon & Schuster, Time Warner and HarperCollins, account for nearly eighty percent of all book sales in the US. This has occurred for the same reasons any other industry goes through consolidation: by combining certain administrative or staff functions, costs can be reduced and profits increased. Publishing, relative to many other industries, has not enjoyed a high Return on Investment (ROI) for investors. Now publishers are much more focused on having every single book they publish be profitable. This means a more risk averse philosophy, with a preference for publishing authors with successful track records--a sound business strategy.
Currently there are about 2000 chain bookstore locations. An additional 2200 independent booksellers belong to the American Booksellers Association. There are some 50,000 locations that sell books. Around 50% of books meant for retail sales are sold in bookstores, only about 10 -15% of new books are sold online.
Barnes and Noble is the largest chain with 796 stores. Annual revenues from those stores are $4.7 billion which translates into sales of almost 445 million books per year. A typical Barnes and Noble store offers 150,000 - 200,000 titles to shoppers.
Oddly enough Barnes and Noble is re-instituting the old fashioned idea that booksellers are also publishers. Its wholly owned company, Sterling Publishing, has the publishing or distribution rights to 10,000 titles and has actively published 5000. They own a chunk of IUniverse, a publish-on-demand company. The CEO of Barnes and Noble, Stephen Riggio, is the Chairman of the Board for IUniverse.
Borders Group owns about 1100 stores in the United States and has revenues of about $3.8 billion. It operates Borders Books and Music and Waldenbooks. The chain is the outgrowth of two independent bookstores. Walden Books was established by Lawrence Hoyt in 1962. Borders Books was established by Tom and Louis Borders in 1971. K-Mart Corporation purchased Walden Books, which in turn purchased Brentano's Books in 1984. In 1991 K-mart purchased Borders Books and formed Borders-Walden Group and renamed it Borders Group, Inc. Borders Group Inc. then went public in 1995.
BooksAMillion was founded in 1917 as a news stand and has grown to 205 stores, primarily in the Southeast. They own a book distribution company, American Wholesale Book Company. Revenues were just a bit over $.5 billion in 2008.
Books are sold in a myriad of other locations besides bookstores, such as grocery and drugstores, at the airport, and in the big box stores like the aforementioned K-Mart.
Getting your book into bookstores is a critical step in how to get a book published.
Complimentary report The Perils and Pitfalls of Publishing - Whom Can An Author Trust.
Dee Power is the author of several nonfiction books, including "The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors, and the Editors, Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them." Her latest "The Publishing Primer: A Blueprint for an Author's Success" is focused on how to get a book published and marketed successfully, whether self-published or commercially published.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dee_Power
Book publishing is a $37 billion dollar industry in the United States. It has been estimated that the five large publishing companies, Random House Inc., Penguin USA, Simon & Schuster, Time Warner and HarperCollins, account for nearly eighty percent of all book sales in the US. This has occurred for the same reasons any other industry goes through consolidation: by combining certain administrative or staff functions, costs can be reduced and profits increased. Publishing, relative to many other industries, has not enjoyed a high Return on Investment (ROI) for investors. Now publishers are much more focused on having every single book they publish be profitable. This means a more risk averse philosophy, with a preference for publishing authors with successful track records--a sound business strategy.
Currently there are about 2000 chain bookstore locations. An additional 2200 independent booksellers belong to the American Booksellers Association. There are some 50,000 locations that sell books. Around 50% of books meant for retail sales are sold in bookstores, only about 10 -15% of new books are sold online.
Barnes and Noble is the largest chain with 796 stores. Annual revenues from those stores are $4.7 billion which translates into sales of almost 445 million books per year. A typical Barnes and Noble store offers 150,000 - 200,000 titles to shoppers.
Oddly enough Barnes and Noble is re-instituting the old fashioned idea that booksellers are also publishers. Its wholly owned company, Sterling Publishing, has the publishing or distribution rights to 10,000 titles and has actively published 5000. They own a chunk of IUniverse, a publish-on-demand company. The CEO of Barnes and Noble, Stephen Riggio, is the Chairman of the Board for IUniverse.
Borders Group owns about 1100 stores in the United States and has revenues of about $3.8 billion. It operates Borders Books and Music and Waldenbooks. The chain is the outgrowth of two independent bookstores. Walden Books was established by Lawrence Hoyt in 1962. Borders Books was established by Tom and Louis Borders in 1971. K-Mart Corporation purchased Walden Books, which in turn purchased Brentano's Books in 1984. In 1991 K-mart purchased Borders Books and formed Borders-Walden Group and renamed it Borders Group, Inc. Borders Group Inc. then went public in 1995.
BooksAMillion was founded in 1917 as a news stand and has grown to 205 stores, primarily in the Southeast. They own a book distribution company, American Wholesale Book Company. Revenues were just a bit over $.5 billion in 2008.
Books are sold in a myriad of other locations besides bookstores, such as grocery and drugstores, at the airport, and in the big box stores like the aforementioned K-Mart.
Getting your book into bookstores is a critical step in how to get a book published.
Complimentary report The Perils and Pitfalls of Publishing - Whom Can An Author Trust.
Dee Power is the author of several nonfiction books, including "The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors, and the Editors, Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them." Her latest "The Publishing Primer: A Blueprint for an Author's Success" is focused on how to get a book published and marketed successfully, whether self-published or commercially published.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dee_Power
Awesome Tips on How to Write a Romance Story
Writing is something that many people love to do. Writing romance stories is a field that has seen numerous writers coming up. Romance is unique and it is the very life that we breathe. For this reason, the romance genre can be referred to as one the greatest. When you feel like you can create a good story of romance, you seek to write a romance novel or short story. You might find that you are not perfect but, if you really have a passion to write romance, all you need to do is learn how to write a romance story. In this modern age, a lot is possible. Information is so close to us and, you will find all the guides you need. Look for helpful information on how to write a romance story. The Internet is your one stop shop for all the information you need. This article will provide you with awesome tips that you will find helpful when you start your writing on romance.
The first lesson on how to write a romance novel is to know the message you want to communicate with your readers. You must have a clear story in mind and, you will be in a position to figure out how to communicate the message of love. Another vital tip on how to write a romance story is joining a writing club. This is a good place where you can get other writers to critic your work. Remember, the best way to learn is when you are told where you can improve. Make sure to take every criticism positively and perfect your style. Another thing that will help you a lot is writing, writing and more writing. As an aspiring romance writer, lots of practice will make perfect. Just like any other field, you need to ensure that you work hard.
On how to write a romance story that is good, you need to be familiar with the genre or sub genre you are planning to work on. You also need to know your target market. This will only come as a result of research. Know as many publishers as you can and have an idea of the kind of work they accept. Ignorance will only frustrate you and, besides having a great talent and skill, you need to match it up with intelligence on how the industry works. Make sure to read guides and books that are about romance. Spend most of your time thinking and acting on how you will succeed. Without a doubt, you will find yourself among the stars. Try the above tips and see how far you will go. One thing I'm sure of is that with consistency and dedication, you will succeed.
When it comes to creativity, you need to try out things that have not yet been done before. Being unique does not mean being complicated. Try to come up with stories that will leave an impact; those that readers will remember even after they are done reading. Drama is the key word when it comes to writing. Therefore, make your plots as dramatic as you see fit. Dare to venture into different territories, this way, you will be on the right track.
Francis K. Githinji Is An Online Dating Expert. His Latest Project Free Online Dating Service Shows How The Power Of Online Dating Can Be Harnessed Internationally and With Great Success, Or You Could Post Your Valued Comments On His Blog At Dating And Relationships Magazine
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Francis_K_Githinji
The first lesson on how to write a romance novel is to know the message you want to communicate with your readers. You must have a clear story in mind and, you will be in a position to figure out how to communicate the message of love. Another vital tip on how to write a romance story is joining a writing club. This is a good place where you can get other writers to critic your work. Remember, the best way to learn is when you are told where you can improve. Make sure to take every criticism positively and perfect your style. Another thing that will help you a lot is writing, writing and more writing. As an aspiring romance writer, lots of practice will make perfect. Just like any other field, you need to ensure that you work hard.
On how to write a romance story that is good, you need to be familiar with the genre or sub genre you are planning to work on. You also need to know your target market. This will only come as a result of research. Know as many publishers as you can and have an idea of the kind of work they accept. Ignorance will only frustrate you and, besides having a great talent and skill, you need to match it up with intelligence on how the industry works. Make sure to read guides and books that are about romance. Spend most of your time thinking and acting on how you will succeed. Without a doubt, you will find yourself among the stars. Try the above tips and see how far you will go. One thing I'm sure of is that with consistency and dedication, you will succeed.
When it comes to creativity, you need to try out things that have not yet been done before. Being unique does not mean being complicated. Try to come up with stories that will leave an impact; those that readers will remember even after they are done reading. Drama is the key word when it comes to writing. Therefore, make your plots as dramatic as you see fit. Dare to venture into different territories, this way, you will be on the right track.
Francis K. Githinji Is An Online Dating Expert. His Latest Project Free Online Dating Service Shows How The Power Of Online Dating Can Be Harnessed Internationally and With Great Success, Or You Could Post Your Valued Comments On His Blog At Dating And Relationships Magazine
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Francis_K_Githinji
Succeeding As a Writer - Confidence and Determination
When I've written something, and the words have just flowed, I sometimes feel like I'm looking down on the Seventh Day, basking in the warmth of my creation and proclaiming, It Is Good. I'll feel like I've captured the emotion and the angst; or the flavor, color, and texture of the world I envisioned. The characters will be as real as Real People to me. I'll feel that glow in my chest: Of course I'm a writer. This is something I was meant to do.
Now, as a psychologist, I believe it's not only okay, it's healthy to be able to say to yourself, "I did a good job on that." "I'm a good writer." You don't have to announce it to the world (in fact, you probably shouldn't!), but you're healthier if you have a secret little place inside with a nice big refrigerator to put up your accomplishments, and where you can nod and pat yourself on the back and think, I Did Good. I even have lots of professional terms to make that all sound more authoritative, like self-esteem, self-efficacy, and adequate mirroring on the Grandiose Pole. But I'm going to skip all that for right now.
If feeling good about what you'd written was as far as any of this went, all would be well. But so many of us have this urge, this drive, this need to get published. And what is that all about anyways? Few people make money publishing. It's cool, but unless you're Stephenie Meyer or JK Rowling or whoever this week's Hot Writer is, it's a passing cool that others soon forget. Getting published doesn't make you beautiful or thin or get you a Happily Ever After with whichever celebrity you drool over most.
Yet the need remains. So you sweat blood over a query and open a vein to get the synopsis right and then, hoping, praying, believing you've got something others will love, you start sending your work out to others.
Some writers start with crit buddies, some jump straight to agents and publishers; some do both simultaneously. And most soon discover that not everyone else thinks their work is so good.
According to Robert Heinlein, that's where a lot of people quit. In fact, he believed that only half the writers who actually put pen to paper (or words to screen) and finish what they start have the guts to submit to agents and publishers:
Writers...are inordinately fond of their brainchildren. They would rather see their firstborn child ravaged by wolves than suffer the pain of having a manuscript rejected. So instead they [only] read their manuscripts aloud to spouses and long-suffering friends.
But you're not satisfied to believe the friends and family who swear your work is fantastic -- you have to send your work out to people outside that little circle. And as the crits roll in and the rejections pile up, you look at your work with fresh eyes, and you realize it's miserable. It's embarrassingly horrible. You're embarrassingly horrible, and stupid besides to ever have believed someone else might be interested in the ridiculous stories you make up in your head.
Lather, rinse, repeat. Crit after crit, rejection letter after rejection letter.
Some throw in the towel right away. "The world just isn't ready for my material," they sniff, or they decide that all agents are self-important jerks who wouldn't know a good story if it ran them over. There are even websites that exist for the purpose of ranting about your rejections and throwing mud back at the agents who sent them. (Who are, by the way, human beings who are just doing their jobs as best they can. But that's another blog post.)
Other writers are worn down over weeks, months, or years of querying. Or by disapproving relatives. Or by savage critique "buddies." The rejection hurts. A lot.
But some always manage to drag themselves out of the dirt, brush themselves off, and try again. Just like they need to write, they need to keep trying to get published.
"Writing is a calling," says editor Betsy Lerner. "If the call subsides, so be it. [But] when writers say they have no choice, what they mean is: Everything in the world conspired to make me quit, but I kept going." She goes on:
Many writers have gathered their marbles and gone home for far less cause. It takes a supreme talent and fierce self-belief to write in the face of such acrimony... If the high wire is for you, if the spotlight is for you, if you believe that everyone should pay attention to you and your work, then you must stay focused. Ambivalence will never get you anywhere.
What it comes down to, I've read over and over again, is determination in the face of all that feedback, all those rejections. A willingness to learn, of course, but also determination to overcome and succeed:
The degree of one's perseverance is the best predictor of success - Betsy Lerner
In all manner of pursuits there's a tendency to overesimate brilliance and underestimate persistence. Talent is common. Determination is rare. -Ralph Keyes
[The authors of the Chicken Soup books] instinctively understood that all those rejections were simply an uncomfortable part of the process that would eventually get them where they wanted to be. - literary agent Jeff Herman
[Author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Ken] Kesey was not even remotely the best writer in class [at the writing program at Stanford], but he was maniacally determined. - Classmate and writer Thomas McGuane
Talent is extremely common. What is rare is the willingness to endure the life of a writer - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
So where do you find the determination? According to Keyes, you have to hate the idea of being ignored, of never being read, more than you hate the pain of rejection. "It is some combination of ability and ego," adds Lerner, "desire and discipline, that produces good work." She continues:
A writer's success or faltering can usually be traced to some abundance or deficit of those elements. Some of the most gifted writers I've worked with were also the most self-sabotaging. Lack of discipline, desire for fame, and depression often thwart those whose talents appear most fertile, while those who struggle with every line persevere regardless.
In many ways, learning to deal with rejection from agents and publishers is just the first step. Because when you do manage to get published, you will have to deal with critics, the bloodthirsty pirahna in the sea of your success. People who have sudden, overwhelming success, are not prepared for it. And that may topple them and keep them from producing good work going forward. So keep running that gauntlet, and be proud of your calluses and scars, because they mean you believed in yourself enough to keep going.
Dr. Carolyn Kaufman is a clinical psychologist who teaches at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio. A published writer, she recently launched Archetype Writing: Psychology for Fiction Writers (http://www.archetypewriting.com). Visitors will find not only articles about psychology tailored to their needs, but they can ask Dr. K their writing/psychology questions. She also blogs on the QueryTracker.net Blog (http://querytracker.blogspot.com). She is often quoted by the media as an expert resource.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carolyn_Kaufman
Now, as a psychologist, I believe it's not only okay, it's healthy to be able to say to yourself, "I did a good job on that." "I'm a good writer." You don't have to announce it to the world (in fact, you probably shouldn't!), but you're healthier if you have a secret little place inside with a nice big refrigerator to put up your accomplishments, and where you can nod and pat yourself on the back and think, I Did Good. I even have lots of professional terms to make that all sound more authoritative, like self-esteem, self-efficacy, and adequate mirroring on the Grandiose Pole. But I'm going to skip all that for right now.
If feeling good about what you'd written was as far as any of this went, all would be well. But so many of us have this urge, this drive, this need to get published. And what is that all about anyways? Few people make money publishing. It's cool, but unless you're Stephenie Meyer or JK Rowling or whoever this week's Hot Writer is, it's a passing cool that others soon forget. Getting published doesn't make you beautiful or thin or get you a Happily Ever After with whichever celebrity you drool over most.
Yet the need remains. So you sweat blood over a query and open a vein to get the synopsis right and then, hoping, praying, believing you've got something others will love, you start sending your work out to others.
Some writers start with crit buddies, some jump straight to agents and publishers; some do both simultaneously. And most soon discover that not everyone else thinks their work is so good.
According to Robert Heinlein, that's where a lot of people quit. In fact, he believed that only half the writers who actually put pen to paper (or words to screen) and finish what they start have the guts to submit to agents and publishers:
Writers...are inordinately fond of their brainchildren. They would rather see their firstborn child ravaged by wolves than suffer the pain of having a manuscript rejected. So instead they [only] read their manuscripts aloud to spouses and long-suffering friends.
But you're not satisfied to believe the friends and family who swear your work is fantastic -- you have to send your work out to people outside that little circle. And as the crits roll in and the rejections pile up, you look at your work with fresh eyes, and you realize it's miserable. It's embarrassingly horrible. You're embarrassingly horrible, and stupid besides to ever have believed someone else might be interested in the ridiculous stories you make up in your head.
Lather, rinse, repeat. Crit after crit, rejection letter after rejection letter.
Some throw in the towel right away. "The world just isn't ready for my material," they sniff, or they decide that all agents are self-important jerks who wouldn't know a good story if it ran them over. There are even websites that exist for the purpose of ranting about your rejections and throwing mud back at the agents who sent them. (Who are, by the way, human beings who are just doing their jobs as best they can. But that's another blog post.)
Other writers are worn down over weeks, months, or years of querying. Or by disapproving relatives. Or by savage critique "buddies." The rejection hurts. A lot.
But some always manage to drag themselves out of the dirt, brush themselves off, and try again. Just like they need to write, they need to keep trying to get published.
"Writing is a calling," says editor Betsy Lerner. "If the call subsides, so be it. [But] when writers say they have no choice, what they mean is: Everything in the world conspired to make me quit, but I kept going." She goes on:
Many writers have gathered their marbles and gone home for far less cause. It takes a supreme talent and fierce self-belief to write in the face of such acrimony... If the high wire is for you, if the spotlight is for you, if you believe that everyone should pay attention to you and your work, then you must stay focused. Ambivalence will never get you anywhere.
What it comes down to, I've read over and over again, is determination in the face of all that feedback, all those rejections. A willingness to learn, of course, but also determination to overcome and succeed:
The degree of one's perseverance is the best predictor of success - Betsy Lerner
In all manner of pursuits there's a tendency to overesimate brilliance and underestimate persistence. Talent is common. Determination is rare. -Ralph Keyes
[The authors of the Chicken Soup books] instinctively understood that all those rejections were simply an uncomfortable part of the process that would eventually get them where they wanted to be. - literary agent Jeff Herman
[Author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Ken] Kesey was not even remotely the best writer in class [at the writing program at Stanford], but he was maniacally determined. - Classmate and writer Thomas McGuane
Talent is extremely common. What is rare is the willingness to endure the life of a writer - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
So where do you find the determination? According to Keyes, you have to hate the idea of being ignored, of never being read, more than you hate the pain of rejection. "It is some combination of ability and ego," adds Lerner, "desire and discipline, that produces good work." She continues:
A writer's success or faltering can usually be traced to some abundance or deficit of those elements. Some of the most gifted writers I've worked with were also the most self-sabotaging. Lack of discipline, desire for fame, and depression often thwart those whose talents appear most fertile, while those who struggle with every line persevere regardless.
In many ways, learning to deal with rejection from agents and publishers is just the first step. Because when you do manage to get published, you will have to deal with critics, the bloodthirsty pirahna in the sea of your success. People who have sudden, overwhelming success, are not prepared for it. And that may topple them and keep them from producing good work going forward. So keep running that gauntlet, and be proud of your calluses and scars, because they mean you believed in yourself enough to keep going.
Dr. Carolyn Kaufman is a clinical psychologist who teaches at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio. A published writer, she recently launched Archetype Writing: Psychology for Fiction Writers (http://www.archetypewriting.com). Visitors will find not only articles about psychology tailored to their needs, but they can ask Dr. K their writing/psychology questions. She also blogs on the QueryTracker.net Blog (http://querytracker.blogspot.com). She is often quoted by the media as an expert resource.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carolyn_Kaufman
How Do I Get Published As a Writer?
The process of writer publishing comprises of the following stages:
pitching potential publishers;
approval by editors, signing contract with a publisher and publishing itself;
marketing campaign (books only).
In self-publishing the pitching is excluded and these are cases where the writer either applies for publishing grants (applicable for scientific works), looks for potential sponsors / lenders that may be interested in the work's subject or uses his own money to publish.
A writer normally looks at self-publishing as a last resort option, with the most important (apart from marketing) part of the writer publishing to be successful pitching with tips on which available on 'Writer's Publish', 'Yudkin' and 'Writer's Market' and others. There is also no harm visiting writers' forums and blogs such as 'Writer's Digest' where useful information, tips and advice can be found.
As a starting point 'Writer's Publish' recommends two main things to be done giving also some guidelines:
- finding a right approach in contacting publishers and - hiring a literary agent.
On 'Yudkin', Marcia Yudkin, author of 11 books (including "6 steps to free publicity" and "Persuading on paper") and 1,000 magazine articles shares secrets for successful writer publishing and pitching publishers. Marcia advocates DIY approach with energetic problem-solution attitude showing her entrepreneurial spirit in goal achievement process including successful publishing and marketing campaigns.
Pitching to publishers
Pitching potential publishers is a competitive process. There is a guide about preparing right query letters for writer publishing with sample letters provided - "The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters" by freelance writer and editor Wendy Burt Thomas.
The site of Andrea Shavick (author and poet) also provides a helpful guide for pitching publishers.
First of all, make sure you are contacting a publisher who may be potentially interested in the kind of work you are promoting. Then, in a pitch normally a work description is expected, explanation why it was written and what purposes it serves, describing the target auditorium. For books also - competitors and marketing strategy should be outlined; it is also desirable to have influential referees from your field who could recommend your work to the public.
Marcia Yudkin gives recommendations about how to make your work look more attractive, prove that people need this kind of work with examples of existing demand, doing research in relevant internet-resources. She avoids obvious steps, trying to find original solutions. Thus, for scientific articles she suggests to use the style "catching a reader's eye" and metaphors. With magazine articles she advises to think about cover-worthy titles, which may significantly increase the chances of success, to be original and not to try writing about something already covered.
With contacting publishers maintaining accurate record of your submissions is highly recommended. With some publishers it is said that no submissions are accepted without literary agent, therefore finding one may happen to be necessary. Also, agents may have much experience with presentation of work to the publishers with chances of desired outcome to be achieved better with them (provided that you chose a right person to represent you).
Literary Agents
'Writer's Publish' suggests to search for them at the relevant literary events such as writers conferences, write them directly or some contacts of yours may recommend you someone appropriate.
Try: Literary Agents, Book Publishing Agent, Fiction Addiction, as a starting point. The internet resource 'Guide to Literary Agents' is also good, with lists of agents and practical advice for dealing with them.
On 'Writer Publish' it is advised to check carefully the list of works that the agent arranged to be published, not to sign contract until checked by your solicitor and to be careful with agents charging upfront fees for reading your work. Also, the estimate fee of literary agents is said there to be at the level of 10-15% with any expenses to be charged separately. Ideally the agent should be a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives, but Scott Hoffmann in his article "Is your agent legit?"on 'Writer's Digest' considers this factor as non-decisive so far as quality of services is concerned, provided that good references are in place.
Marketing (for books)
Once the book is published the publishers normally expect that the writer participates actively in his work's marketing strategy. Writers having their web-sites also actively advertise it together with their new books.
The author Jennifer Wiss (F.ILEX) recommends Academic Knowledge. Are you a great writer? Apply online to Academic Knowledge for well paid writer jobs in your area of expertise today.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Wiss
pitching potential publishers;
approval by editors, signing contract with a publisher and publishing itself;
marketing campaign (books only).
In self-publishing the pitching is excluded and these are cases where the writer either applies for publishing grants (applicable for scientific works), looks for potential sponsors / lenders that may be interested in the work's subject or uses his own money to publish.
A writer normally looks at self-publishing as a last resort option, with the most important (apart from marketing) part of the writer publishing to be successful pitching with tips on which available on 'Writer's Publish', 'Yudkin' and 'Writer's Market' and others. There is also no harm visiting writers' forums and blogs such as 'Writer's Digest' where useful information, tips and advice can be found.
As a starting point 'Writer's Publish' recommends two main things to be done giving also some guidelines:
- finding a right approach in contacting publishers and - hiring a literary agent.
On 'Yudkin', Marcia Yudkin, author of 11 books (including "6 steps to free publicity" and "Persuading on paper") and 1,000 magazine articles shares secrets for successful writer publishing and pitching publishers. Marcia advocates DIY approach with energetic problem-solution attitude showing her entrepreneurial spirit in goal achievement process including successful publishing and marketing campaigns.
Pitching to publishers
Pitching potential publishers is a competitive process. There is a guide about preparing right query letters for writer publishing with sample letters provided - "The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters" by freelance writer and editor Wendy Burt Thomas.
The site of Andrea Shavick (author and poet) also provides a helpful guide for pitching publishers.
First of all, make sure you are contacting a publisher who may be potentially interested in the kind of work you are promoting. Then, in a pitch normally a work description is expected, explanation why it was written and what purposes it serves, describing the target auditorium. For books also - competitors and marketing strategy should be outlined; it is also desirable to have influential referees from your field who could recommend your work to the public.
Marcia Yudkin gives recommendations about how to make your work look more attractive, prove that people need this kind of work with examples of existing demand, doing research in relevant internet-resources. She avoids obvious steps, trying to find original solutions. Thus, for scientific articles she suggests to use the style "catching a reader's eye" and metaphors. With magazine articles she advises to think about cover-worthy titles, which may significantly increase the chances of success, to be original and not to try writing about something already covered.
With contacting publishers maintaining accurate record of your submissions is highly recommended. With some publishers it is said that no submissions are accepted without literary agent, therefore finding one may happen to be necessary. Also, agents may have much experience with presentation of work to the publishers with chances of desired outcome to be achieved better with them (provided that you chose a right person to represent you).
Literary Agents
'Writer's Publish' suggests to search for them at the relevant literary events such as writers conferences, write them directly or some contacts of yours may recommend you someone appropriate.
Try: Literary Agents, Book Publishing Agent, Fiction Addiction, as a starting point. The internet resource 'Guide to Literary Agents' is also good, with lists of agents and practical advice for dealing with them.
On 'Writer Publish' it is advised to check carefully the list of works that the agent arranged to be published, not to sign contract until checked by your solicitor and to be careful with agents charging upfront fees for reading your work. Also, the estimate fee of literary agents is said there to be at the level of 10-15% with any expenses to be charged separately. Ideally the agent should be a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives, but Scott Hoffmann in his article "Is your agent legit?"on 'Writer's Digest' considers this factor as non-decisive so far as quality of services is concerned, provided that good references are in place.
Marketing (for books)
Once the book is published the publishers normally expect that the writer participates actively in his work's marketing strategy. Writers having their web-sites also actively advertise it together with their new books.
The author Jennifer Wiss (F.ILEX) recommends Academic Knowledge. Are you a great writer? Apply online to Academic Knowledge for well paid writer jobs in your area of expertise today.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Wiss
Technical Writing - Why Qualified Translators Are a Must in Product Localization and Translation?
Money paid to qualified technical writers and translators in a localization project is money spent very well indeed.
Why? Because the worst thing for a project is to have the customers or end users switch to another product since they either cannot understand the instructions and the interface, or the localized copy contains embarrassing mistakes which destroy the brand name.
The very expensive "localization" mistake that General Motors committed years ago immediately comes to mind when the Chevrolet managers could not figure out why a certain brand was not selling at all in Latin American countries. The reason was actually obvious to any native Spanish speaker. The brand's model name "Nova" translated as "does not go" into Spanish.
Here are some other localization mishaps that could've been avoided by more care either on the part of the localization managers or the technical writers and translators involved:
A handbook for traffic cops was translated into Hebrew which was supposed to include the standard question "Are you carrying a weapon?" "Weapon" means "neshek" in Hebrew. When it was mistranslated as "neshika", the same question became "Can I give you a kiss?" since "neshika" means "a kiss."
An "instruction" posted inside an elevator in Belgrade: "To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor. Driving is then going alphabetically by national order."
A product label from China: "CUI MEI SI - BURNEDMEAT Flavor Biscuits"
From a Chinese real-estate brochure singing the praises of a new high-rise housing development: "Every Heart Will Be Attacked!"
A company name painted prominently on a truck in Fukuoka, Japan: "DUCK!"
The name of a restaurant in Niigata, Japan: "Gross Diner"
A product label from China: "MAN'S LIP BALM - This product adopts and mends water to fill a prescription uniquely, suck many kinds of natural nutrition protect wet composition, permeate lip crack in an all-round way, give play to moist to take good care of function, relieve the crack of lip caused by the wind is wounded or severe cold weather rapidly. Resist the climate ro the harmful effects that the lips cause effectively, make the lips keep the moist feeling."
Why? Because the worst thing for a project is to have the customers or end users switch to another product since they either cannot understand the instructions and the interface, or the localized copy contains embarrassing mistakes which destroy the brand name.
The very expensive "localization" mistake that General Motors committed years ago immediately comes to mind when the Chevrolet managers could not figure out why a certain brand was not selling at all in Latin American countries. The reason was actually obvious to any native Spanish speaker. The brand's model name "Nova" translated as "does not go" into Spanish.
Here are some other localization mishaps that could've been avoided by more care either on the part of the localization managers or the technical writers and translators involved:
A handbook for traffic cops was translated into Hebrew which was supposed to include the standard question "Are you carrying a weapon?" "Weapon" means "neshek" in Hebrew. When it was mistranslated as "neshika", the same question became "Can I give you a kiss?" since "neshika" means "a kiss."
An "instruction" posted inside an elevator in Belgrade: "To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor. Driving is then going alphabetically by national order."
A product label from China: "CUI MEI SI - BURNEDMEAT Flavor Biscuits"
From a Chinese real-estate brochure singing the praises of a new high-rise housing development: "Every Heart Will Be Attacked!"
A company name painted prominently on a truck in Fukuoka, Japan: "DUCK!"
The name of a restaurant in Niigata, Japan: "Gross Diner"
A product label from China: "MAN'S LIP BALM - This product adopts and mends water to fill a prescription uniquely, suck many kinds of natural nutrition protect wet composition, permeate lip crack in an all-round way, give play to moist to take good care of function, relieve the crack of lip caused by the wind is wounded or severe cold weather rapidly. Resist the climate ro the harmful effects that the lips cause effectively, make the lips keep the moist feeling."
Technical Writing - Anatomy of a Technical Communication Job That Pays $82,961 to $107,854 a Year
It's important from time to time just to remind ourselves the kind of opportunities still exist out there for qualified technical writers and communicators despite the recent economic downturn. Here is one such full-time writing position, offered by a U.S. Federal Agency to U.S. citizen writers.
It pays a salary of $82,961 to $107,854 a year (depending on your qualifications) - the kind of money that 90% of all full-time poets, novelists, and screenwriters will never see.
I'll highlight some features of this position in order to give a better idea about all these wonderful opportunities that exist in technical writing for all those who are perhaps debating themselves whether to become a technical writer or not.
The person chosen for this position will serve as the Technical Writer and Editor of this Agency.
However, since the Agency is also running a nationwide "Health Campaign" (not its real name), this writer will also end up serving as the Project Officer of the campaign.
The responsibilities of this technical writer will include the following:
1) To develop and disseminate messages on new research findings.
2) To create different information products for health care professionals, researchers, the press, and the public which includes publications, e-newsletters, multimedia training, videos, public service announcements, and exhibits.
3) To write and issue news releases and to hold news teleconferences and media briefings.
4) To develop and execute promotion and dissemination plans.
5) To respond to inquiries from the public, the press, clinicians, and Researchers.
6) To maintain and build relationships with constituent groups and stakeholders and coordinates special events.
7 ) To update and maintain the Agency's clinical trails database.
8) To update and manage the content of the Agency's website and develop new web pages as needed.
So, that's what some technical writers do for $82K to $107K a year.
What do you think?
Do you agree with me that it's a pretty dynamic position that would require interpersonal and journalistic skills as well as straight forward information design and technical writing experience?
There are many such jobs out there for technical writers since the demand for good information and communication professionals will never disappear, regardless of the economy.
Society for Technical Communication (STC)'s membership web site is an excellent place to hunt for those jobs. I highly recommend it.
If you are ready to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?" You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit us now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
It pays a salary of $82,961 to $107,854 a year (depending on your qualifications) - the kind of money that 90% of all full-time poets, novelists, and screenwriters will never see.
I'll highlight some features of this position in order to give a better idea about all these wonderful opportunities that exist in technical writing for all those who are perhaps debating themselves whether to become a technical writer or not.
The person chosen for this position will serve as the Technical Writer and Editor of this Agency.
However, since the Agency is also running a nationwide "Health Campaign" (not its real name), this writer will also end up serving as the Project Officer of the campaign.
The responsibilities of this technical writer will include the following:
1) To develop and disseminate messages on new research findings.
2) To create different information products for health care professionals, researchers, the press, and the public which includes publications, e-newsletters, multimedia training, videos, public service announcements, and exhibits.
3) To write and issue news releases and to hold news teleconferences and media briefings.
4) To develop and execute promotion and dissemination plans.
5) To respond to inquiries from the public, the press, clinicians, and Researchers.
6) To maintain and build relationships with constituent groups and stakeholders and coordinates special events.
7 ) To update and maintain the Agency's clinical trails database.
8) To update and manage the content of the Agency's website and develop new web pages as needed.
So, that's what some technical writers do for $82K to $107K a year.
What do you think?
Do you agree with me that it's a pretty dynamic position that would require interpersonal and journalistic skills as well as straight forward information design and technical writing experience?
There are many such jobs out there for technical writers since the demand for good information and communication professionals will never disappear, regardless of the economy.
Society for Technical Communication (STC)'s membership web site is an excellent place to hunt for those jobs. I highly recommend it.
If you are ready to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?" You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit us now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Technical Writing - When Should You Use the Passive Voice in a Technical Document?
Here is a rule pounded into every writer's head by all writing instructors: avoid the passive voice like the plague and use active voice whenever possible. That's good advice indeed but not the best within the context of technical writing.
Here are some situations in which it is perfectly all right to use passive voice.
Use passive voice in these 6 situations when you:
1) Want to ignore the agent of action because it does not matter.
Example: "The cover of the Annual Report has been torn." "That street has been renamed."
2) Want to hide the identity of the agent since that knowledge may give rise to an awkward situation or an uncomfortable accusation. Such use softens the severity of the situation by masking the identity of the culprit.
Example: "The wrong wire was connected to the power outlet." "All security cameras have been removed from the most sensitive areas of the nuclear plant."
3) Want to maintain the thematic unity between two consecutive sentences.
Example: "The server is not stable. It can be brought down by a single spike in the system load."
4) Want to emphasize the agent by mentioning it at the end of the sentence:
Example: "The circuit was overheated due to the failure of the 10K resistor."
5) Are not sure who the agent is:
Example: "This project has to be finished by March 5th." "The Documentation Plan has to be approved before we can design the templates."
6) Want to stress an action or an outcome:
Example: "Our research budget has been decimated." "They've been had!" "These reports have been altered."
If you are ready to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?" You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit us now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Here are some situations in which it is perfectly all right to use passive voice.
Use passive voice in these 6 situations when you:
1) Want to ignore the agent of action because it does not matter.
Example: "The cover of the Annual Report has been torn." "That street has been renamed."
2) Want to hide the identity of the agent since that knowledge may give rise to an awkward situation or an uncomfortable accusation. Such use softens the severity of the situation by masking the identity of the culprit.
Example: "The wrong wire was connected to the power outlet." "All security cameras have been removed from the most sensitive areas of the nuclear plant."
3) Want to maintain the thematic unity between two consecutive sentences.
Example: "The server is not stable. It can be brought down by a single spike in the system load."
4) Want to emphasize the agent by mentioning it at the end of the sentence:
Example: "The circuit was overheated due to the failure of the 10K resistor."
5) Are not sure who the agent is:
Example: "This project has to be finished by March 5th." "The Documentation Plan has to be approved before we can design the templates."
6) Want to stress an action or an outcome:
Example: "Our research budget has been decimated." "They've been had!" "These reports have been altered."
If you are ready to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?" You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit us now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Are You a Screenwriter? - How About a New Career in Technical Writing to Make Ends Meet?
Screenwriting is a passion. I'm well aware of it since I myself have written six feature scripts within the last ten years and a seventh one is brewing somewhere in the back of my head.
But I also have a confession to make: I think my chances of ever selling a script and moving on to a professional level of screenwriting is just about zero. Or, more precisely, about 500,000 to 1, at best.
How did I come up with that number? Easy.
Every year about 50,000 feature scripts get registered with WGA (Writer's Guild of America),which acts as the main repository of feature scripts in America. The average "float time" of a script is about 10 years. A script (if good enough) is circulated, considered, talked about, optioned, "packaged," kicked around, "attached to" this director or that talent, for about 10 years.
This means, at any given time, about 500,000 feature scripts are floating around. That's how I came up with that 500,000-to-1 number.
And don't forget - this calculation assumes that all movies are shot from feature scripts registered with WGA - not! There are a lot of books and stage plays that are made into blockbuster movies every year. Plus, there are those unregistered scripts that find their way into the pipeline. When you count those options too, your chances of selling a single script will really drop down to something like one in a million!
And even when you take your chances and send in your latest and best script it'll be treated only as a "business card." Instead of getting a check, you'll get the question: "What else you've got?" Script writer William Martell (who has 19 scripts made into movies) says you need to have at least 9 movies circulating around at any one time to expect to make a single sale.
So is it a wonder that most screen writers do it as a second job and as a work of love while they try to pay their bills by doing something else?
And that's precisely what I want to ask - if as a screen writer you're going to do something else anyways to pay your bills, why not try technical writing? There is a great demand for technical writers especially in large metropolitan areas with industry and commerce, and moreover, anybody can do it!
Just look at me - I did not even speak a single word of English until I was 13. But I earned a solid living for the last 10 years as a technical writer in the software industry. If I can do it, don't you think you can do it too?
Check out the facts:
According to the latest Society of Technical Communication salary survey, technical writers in the United States made an average of $60,850 in 2006.
The average salary went all the way up to $88,630 in San Jose, CA.
In Nevada, top 10% of technical writers made $114,950 in 2006. In New Hampshire, the top 10% earned $98,120.
Give it a thought. It might the best thing you'll ever do as a professional writer to support your self and your family while continuing to write your screenplays in the evenings and weekends. That way your astronomically low chances of making it to Hollywood won't hurt as much because you'd still be taking care of yourself and your family.
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
But I also have a confession to make: I think my chances of ever selling a script and moving on to a professional level of screenwriting is just about zero. Or, more precisely, about 500,000 to 1, at best.
How did I come up with that number? Easy.
Every year about 50,000 feature scripts get registered with WGA (Writer's Guild of America),which acts as the main repository of feature scripts in America. The average "float time" of a script is about 10 years. A script (if good enough) is circulated, considered, talked about, optioned, "packaged," kicked around, "attached to" this director or that talent, for about 10 years.
This means, at any given time, about 500,000 feature scripts are floating around. That's how I came up with that 500,000-to-1 number.
And don't forget - this calculation assumes that all movies are shot from feature scripts registered with WGA - not! There are a lot of books and stage plays that are made into blockbuster movies every year. Plus, there are those unregistered scripts that find their way into the pipeline. When you count those options too, your chances of selling a single script will really drop down to something like one in a million!
And even when you take your chances and send in your latest and best script it'll be treated only as a "business card." Instead of getting a check, you'll get the question: "What else you've got?" Script writer William Martell (who has 19 scripts made into movies) says you need to have at least 9 movies circulating around at any one time to expect to make a single sale.
So is it a wonder that most screen writers do it as a second job and as a work of love while they try to pay their bills by doing something else?
And that's precisely what I want to ask - if as a screen writer you're going to do something else anyways to pay your bills, why not try technical writing? There is a great demand for technical writers especially in large metropolitan areas with industry and commerce, and moreover, anybody can do it!
Just look at me - I did not even speak a single word of English until I was 13. But I earned a solid living for the last 10 years as a technical writer in the software industry. If I can do it, don't you think you can do it too?
Check out the facts:
According to the latest Society of Technical Communication salary survey, technical writers in the United States made an average of $60,850 in 2006.
The average salary went all the way up to $88,630 in San Jose, CA.
In Nevada, top 10% of technical writers made $114,950 in 2006. In New Hampshire, the top 10% earned $98,120.
Give it a thought. It might the best thing you'll ever do as a professional writer to support your self and your family while continuing to write your screenplays in the evenings and weekends. That way your astronomically low chances of making it to Hollywood won't hurt as much because you'd still be taking care of yourself and your family.
If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Are You a Journalist? - How About a New Career in Technical Writing to Make Ends Meet?
Journalism is exciting but tough. I should know. I've been a journalist for 4 years in mid-90s. I loved every minute of it but had a hard time making ends meet. I was an NPC (National Press Club) member reporter accredited both with the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Congress. That was all fine and dandy but money-wise the picture always looked bleak. So I had to throw in the towel in 1998 to feed my family. I shifted to technical writing and never looked back since then.
I believe the situation got even worse since I left journalism. Back then the daily papers and periodicals were not in the trouble that they are in these days. Even industry leaders like the New York Times and Washington Post are suffering these days from declining advertisement revenues. The budgets are shrinking and it's becoming harder and harder to find a lucrative position in print journalism.
There are some opportunities in TV and radio but the Internet has really fragmented what was once a solid block of viewers and it's not going to get any better any time soon. There are many new channels through which consumers are getting their news these days and they are not limited to traditional TV or radio. Who would have thought ten years ago that Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show," a satire program, would end up as one of the highest rated "news programs" in the United States? There are many people who just watch the YouTube both for news and entertainment. Under such conditions to make a living as a traditional reporter and journalist is of course becoming a harder task than ever.
That's why perhaps you should consider technical writing like I did back in 1998. Consider the advantages of technical writing as compared to journalism:
Technical writers have a much easier time finding a job since documentation is a constant feature of globalization. Technical writers own their cars and homes; put food on the table every day; enjoy paid annual vacations, personal days, and sick days; have full medical (and usually dental and vision as well) coverage both for themselves and their loved ones; help their kids through college; enjoy all-expenses paid training opportunities; reap the benefits of a rewarding, challenging, professional career; feel the satisfaction of helping others live better and more organized lives; and retire with 401(k) plans, IRAs, and sometimes even Pension Plans (depending on the company).
So perhaps it's time to ask yourself - why not try technical writing? There is a great demand for technical writers especially in large metropolitan areas with industry and commerce, and moreover, anybody can do it!
Just look at me - I did not even speak a single word of English until I was 13. But I earned a solid living for the last 10 years as a technical writer in the software industry. If I can do it, don't you think you can do it too?
Give it a thought.
There is no reason why you shouldn't learn more about technical writing, even if you've never thought about it before. If you are ready to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?" You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit us now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
I believe the situation got even worse since I left journalism. Back then the daily papers and periodicals were not in the trouble that they are in these days. Even industry leaders like the New York Times and Washington Post are suffering these days from declining advertisement revenues. The budgets are shrinking and it's becoming harder and harder to find a lucrative position in print journalism.
There are some opportunities in TV and radio but the Internet has really fragmented what was once a solid block of viewers and it's not going to get any better any time soon. There are many new channels through which consumers are getting their news these days and they are not limited to traditional TV or radio. Who would have thought ten years ago that Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show," a satire program, would end up as one of the highest rated "news programs" in the United States? There are many people who just watch the YouTube both for news and entertainment. Under such conditions to make a living as a traditional reporter and journalist is of course becoming a harder task than ever.
That's why perhaps you should consider technical writing like I did back in 1998. Consider the advantages of technical writing as compared to journalism:
Technical writers have a much easier time finding a job since documentation is a constant feature of globalization. Technical writers own their cars and homes; put food on the table every day; enjoy paid annual vacations, personal days, and sick days; have full medical (and usually dental and vision as well) coverage both for themselves and their loved ones; help their kids through college; enjoy all-expenses paid training opportunities; reap the benefits of a rewarding, challenging, professional career; feel the satisfaction of helping others live better and more organized lives; and retire with 401(k) plans, IRAs, and sometimes even Pension Plans (depending on the company).
So perhaps it's time to ask yourself - why not try technical writing? There is a great demand for technical writers especially in large metropolitan areas with industry and commerce, and moreover, anybody can do it!
Just look at me - I did not even speak a single word of English until I was 13. But I earned a solid living for the last 10 years as a technical writer in the software industry. If I can do it, don't you think you can do it too?
Give it a thought.
There is no reason why you shouldn't learn more about technical writing, even if you've never thought about it before. If you are ready to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?" You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit us now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci
Friday, January 2, 2009
Writing Tips- How to Create Powerful Headlines For Your Online Business Opportunity Article
By Juhani Tontti
So the job of the headline is to be a short ad of the article, to draw the readers attraction and to be search engine friendly, i.e. keyword optimized. This means that the writer must plan it before writing.
My opinion is that the headline for your legitimate online business article should be teasing, i.e. it should tell something, a little bit, from the content and to make your imagination to work. Additionally it should be according to your online business opportunity strategy building the brand.
When you plan your article about online home based business opportunity, you should actually plan all elements of the process at the same time, title, teaser, body, Bio Box and the job of the landing page. So the idea is not that the reader just reads the article but very obviously that he will click the link in the Bio Box.
The article and the landing page form a process, where every element has a specific job. In a way your online business opportunity article draws enthusiastic visitors to your landing page in a good state of mind, waiting for more useful things for them. In this process the article headline is the starting point, like a hook, which has a very special job to do.
If you think the headline of your online business opportunity standing alone in the long list of some article directory, you can easily imagine how demanding job it has. It has to separate itself, to be able to stand out from the crowd, or otherwise it does not work.
There are some small things, which work and are important for your online home business title. Numbers work well, especially odd numbers like 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11.
They give an impression that the article has a very researched content. I think this comes from the fact that people like to count and that they also like that the content is structured.
There are also some words and terms, which are proven successes in the title. Words like amazing, system, method, tested, excellent, for instance, work well. On the other hand, certain terms and words push the readers away, they are somehow threatening.
As you know, the online business opportunity marketing is driven by the keywords. Keywords are the terms with which people search information from the search engines and along which the search engines put the information into a certain order on their result pages.
So these keywords should be the writers’ friends too, because they will help both the readers and the search engines. Now the writer must pick one keyword, rather long tail one, for his article and for the title too.
This keyword, or search term, should be very describing, i.e. to tell the topic of the article. We can say that the more you use long tail search terms, which match your article topics, the better results you will get.
Your main keyword should be in the title, teaser, body and the Bio Box in a hyperlink. This Bio Box is very important, I would say second most important place in your article, because it works as an short text ad, which has to draw the reader to the landing page.
As said earlier, what the headline has started must go on the landing page, where you have to call the reader into action. But the headline must not promise anything the landing page cannot fulfill; otherwise you will get depressed visitors.
As a summary, if you think your headline like it would be a TV ad, a short 15 second TV spot and it has to promise something useful to the watcher, you understand the requirements of the title. However to create these titles is fun and very rewarding. And they will build your brand better than anything else.
So the job of the headline is to be a short ad of the article, to draw the readers attraction and to be search engine friendly, i.e. keyword optimized. This means that the writer must plan it before writing.
My opinion is that the headline for your legitimate online business article should be teasing, i.e. it should tell something, a little bit, from the content and to make your imagination to work. Additionally it should be according to your online business opportunity strategy building the brand.
When you plan your article about online home based business opportunity, you should actually plan all elements of the process at the same time, title, teaser, body, Bio Box and the job of the landing page. So the idea is not that the reader just reads the article but very obviously that he will click the link in the Bio Box.
The article and the landing page form a process, where every element has a specific job. In a way your online business opportunity article draws enthusiastic visitors to your landing page in a good state of mind, waiting for more useful things for them. In this process the article headline is the starting point, like a hook, which has a very special job to do.
If you think the headline of your online business opportunity standing alone in the long list of some article directory, you can easily imagine how demanding job it has. It has to separate itself, to be able to stand out from the crowd, or otherwise it does not work.
There are some small things, which work and are important for your online home business title. Numbers work well, especially odd numbers like 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11.
They give an impression that the article has a very researched content. I think this comes from the fact that people like to count and that they also like that the content is structured.
There are also some words and terms, which are proven successes in the title. Words like amazing, system, method, tested, excellent, for instance, work well. On the other hand, certain terms and words push the readers away, they are somehow threatening.
As you know, the online business opportunity marketing is driven by the keywords. Keywords are the terms with which people search information from the search engines and along which the search engines put the information into a certain order on their result pages.
So these keywords should be the writers’ friends too, because they will help both the readers and the search engines. Now the writer must pick one keyword, rather long tail one, for his article and for the title too.
This keyword, or search term, should be very describing, i.e. to tell the topic of the article. We can say that the more you use long tail search terms, which match your article topics, the better results you will get.
Your main keyword should be in the title, teaser, body and the Bio Box in a hyperlink. This Bio Box is very important, I would say second most important place in your article, because it works as an short text ad, which has to draw the reader to the landing page.
As said earlier, what the headline has started must go on the landing page, where you have to call the reader into action. But the headline must not promise anything the landing page cannot fulfill; otherwise you will get depressed visitors.
As a summary, if you think your headline like it would be a TV ad, a short 15 second TV spot and it has to promise something useful to the watcher, you understand the requirements of the title. However to create these titles is fun and very rewarding. And they will build your brand better than anything else.
Writing Tips-Improve Your Online Article Editing Skills For 2009
By Lance Winslow
One area I have to admit and hate to say that I have a weakness in when it comes to the written word is proof reading and editing. I often hear other writers say that, they should spend more time writing, but if they did they wouldn't be able to write as much. True enough and I myself use to say this all the time, it was the way I viewed things, thinking that 80% was good enough, let's start the next article; wrong answer.
Careful editing will make you a better writer as you train yourself not to make mistakes during the process and production of your articles. If you rush your editing you'll be sorry and you will miss mistakes too. In fact, any decent writer will tell you that it is best to look over what you've written twice and then allow someone else to read it also, it's amazing how easy it is to read over your own work and miss blatant errors.
I'd say about 80-90% of the online article authors rely on spell check as their proof reader, but believe me, that's not good enough, not if you are shooting for 99% quality and less than 1% mistake free. If you plan on making it in the online article business be sure to think Six Sigma when writing and editing.
Why isn't Spell Check any good you ask? Well, I did not say it isn't any good, it is plenty good, but it's not good enough, it's just one tool. You can easily use the wrong word in sentence, but the right spelling of the wrong word, spell check will not catch it and even the grammar check misses many things.
So, my weakness is editing, proof reading and perhaps to some degree spelling, which I am constantly improving, but I also know just because I am strong in volume and quantity, does not mean I cannot become more efficient. Remember inefficiency is evil, whether it is in government, business, water usage, energy or in my writing, business or personal life or yours for that matter. One should never stop improving.
Luckily, there are big rewards for the writer who constantly improves, the better you get the more you are needed and the better following you will have. Please consider this, it's pretty serious stuff.
One area I have to admit and hate to say that I have a weakness in when it comes to the written word is proof reading and editing. I often hear other writers say that, they should spend more time writing, but if they did they wouldn't be able to write as much. True enough and I myself use to say this all the time, it was the way I viewed things, thinking that 80% was good enough, let's start the next article; wrong answer.
Careful editing will make you a better writer as you train yourself not to make mistakes during the process and production of your articles. If you rush your editing you'll be sorry and you will miss mistakes too. In fact, any decent writer will tell you that it is best to look over what you've written twice and then allow someone else to read it also, it's amazing how easy it is to read over your own work and miss blatant errors.
I'd say about 80-90% of the online article authors rely on spell check as their proof reader, but believe me, that's not good enough, not if you are shooting for 99% quality and less than 1% mistake free. If you plan on making it in the online article business be sure to think Six Sigma when writing and editing.
Why isn't Spell Check any good you ask? Well, I did not say it isn't any good, it is plenty good, but it's not good enough, it's just one tool. You can easily use the wrong word in sentence, but the right spelling of the wrong word, spell check will not catch it and even the grammar check misses many things.
So, my weakness is editing, proof reading and perhaps to some degree spelling, which I am constantly improving, but I also know just because I am strong in volume and quantity, does not mean I cannot become more efficient. Remember inefficiency is evil, whether it is in government, business, water usage, energy or in my writing, business or personal life or yours for that matter. One should never stop improving.
Luckily, there are big rewards for the writer who constantly improves, the better you get the more you are needed and the better following you will have. Please consider this, it's pretty serious stuff.
Writing Print Articles VS Writing Online Articles - What Has More Readership?
By Lance Winslow
Many writers realize that when they write an article for the newspaper that more folks real read it right away, especially in larger markets. Of course, the shelf life is about one-day, as opposed to an online article being 24/7 for perhaps years. Still, newspapers get read a lot and even if the reader skips over your article, newspapers have large subscription numbers.
But, let's analyze this for a moment; print VS. online. For instance, I know the circulation of my articles in the Trade Journals ranges from 20,000 to 180,000 and not everyone is going to read every article, but I'd say 85% of the folks scan thru the magazines and read a good portion of the articles, it's my job to make a good article, so they come back and read the next one, and I hope to heaven that the person who writes the title, picks a good one, they do not always follow my suggestions in my submissions. Now with regards to readership.
At one of the top online article submission sites I have 7 million article views and 15,000 articles, and that is only 466 average article views per article. I'd say out of those 65% actually read the article, the rest click out, do not finish it, but hopefully some click to my website.
But, we cannot stop the stats there, because I also have 250,000 article pick-ups and that means I might have 200-400 articles views at each of those too, so, we have to figure in that as well. Plus the link-backs, I have lots of those as well (est. 500,000 plus).
So, if we take your 2,000 article views here and multiply that times 20 re-prints of that article and say 200 articles views on each on 100 articles, all of a sudden the number is no longer 2,000 it is 400,000 you see. We must not forget about that either. If you are a writer with a very good writing style, and can write articles with numbered lists and good information as well, then you can do both online and print and do well at both.
I have witnessed where article authors are bothered by quality issues and time constraints VS other types of writing gigs, I cannot blame them. I think this online article venue is a good bit about attaining targeted traffic. Then it's up to you the writer to turn the traffic or viewer into a customer of some type? Please think on this.
Article Writing Tips - Make Them Feel Something Or You're Doomed
By Steven Wagenheim
Probably one of the worst mistakes any article writer can make is to write in a way where the reader feels absolutely nothing after they are done reading. This is like the kiss of death to any writer. There are many ways to make your reader feel something. This article is going to cover a few of those ways.
One way to make your reader feel something is to take a very strong stance on something. Let's face it, opinionated people usually bring out the emotions in others, especially if those opinions are very strong. Writing about topics that are very controversial, such as abortion, drugs and anything related to sex, usually bring out the emotions in people...especially if you take a stance that isn't very popular. This is almost a sure fire way to light a fire under your readers.
Another way to make your reader feel something is through the compelling and heart warming story. People love to be moved and touched. There are many people out there who love a good cry. The key is knowing who your audience is. For example, if you're writing articles for the Nascar racing crowd, I seriously doubt that these people are in the mood for a good cry. On the other hand, if you're writing articles for cancer survivors, this is a great way to get their attention. You just have to know who your audience is.
Finally, there is humor. Who doesn't like to laugh? Now again, you have to know who your audience is. The cancer survivors might not find much humor in telling jokes related to cancer patients. They might find it in poor taste. On the other hand, the Nascar crowd might be more receptive to humor. And if you're writing for writers, humor could be extremely effective in making them feel something.
Whatever you do, don't be bland. If you write like a wallflower, people might notice you, but they're not going to give you a second glance and it's the last article they're ever going to read that you've written. That translates into a stillborn writing career.
Now if THAT thought doesn't make you feel something...nothing will.
Now go out there and make them feel something...anything.
Writing Tips- 7 Common Mistakes in Article Writing
Charles Gregory
The most important thing to remember about article marketing is building trust between you and your potential customers. Your primary concern is to establish yourself as an expert in your niche so every word, sentence and paragraph of your articles should subtly communicate this to your readers through quality writing.
Unfortunately, too many authors think it's all right to bang out article after article hoping that quantity will override quality. The opposite is true. If you cannot avoid the following 7 mistakes in your article writing, you will sabotage your own efforts at article marketing.
Article Writing Mistake #1: Poor title
This is your headline and it needs to catch your reader's attention as well as potential publishers. Try to work in keywords but don't overdo it. Of all places, don't misspell or have a grammatical error here as it only makes you look as if you don't care. If that's true, why should readers care to read any more of the article. Make sure the title accurately reflects what the article is about.
Article Writing Mistake #2: Badly written summary
Most article directories allow for a summary of your article but this is not the place to stuff your keywords or repeat a keyword phrase ten times. You would be surprised how many authors think this will help when all it does is get their article immediately rejected. Create a summary that expands upon the title and draws in the reader with a little more information and a possible tease that makes them think, "Yes, I need to read more about this." One to three sentences is all it takes. I tend to write my entire article first before coming back to the summary to make sure it's the best it can be.
Article Writing Mistake #3: Failure to edit
The following was the opening of an article submitted to my site:
"Instantly, let's start at the very starting out, what's the first thing you have to do before starting a..."
The author obviously wants to stress the importance of what is to come but failing to correct this rhetorical abuse through editing defeats the purpose entirely. Remember: First drafts never make good reading. Editing is what makes good writing.
Article Writing Mistake #4: If you hire a ghost writer, check their work
I see way too many articles where a ghost writer is hired and English is not their native language. There's nothing wrong with hiring someone to write articles for you but if you don't review and approve the results, then I have no sympathy for you. Turning over the entire process of writing and submitting articles on your behalf is a sure way to make your company look stupid.
Article Writing Mistake #5: Use the preview button
Article directories don't have any time to format your articles for you. If you can't take the time to properly format your article into paragraphs with spacing, don't count on getting your articles published very much. After pasting your article into the submission form, use the preview button to see if its properly formatted. If not, go back and make the corrections.
Article Writing Mistake #6: Writing in the passive voice
What separates great writing from the rest is writing in the active voice.
Passive: The boy was bitten by the dog.
Active: The dog bit the boy.
Eliminate words such as was, were, been, have, has, and had. Replace them with an active verb or direct voice. Your articles will stand out head and shoulders above the rest if you edit with this in mind.
Article Writing Mistake #7: Failure to deliver
Perhaps the most common, this mistake is surely the deadliest of all. Each part of a submitted article is designed to pull the reader further along a path of information that eventually leads to your website. The title grabs, the summary teases and the article body delivers. But if it doesn't, what makes you think the reader will click for more information? They won't if you fail to deliver on what was promised.
If you ignore the advice given in this article, I can guarantee mediocre results from your article marketing efforts. Will you take this article to heart and eliminate these mistakes from your article submissions? If so, you can be sure that your article marketing will achieve maximum results.
Article Writing Tips - What Successful Article Marketers Know AND Do!
Fabian Tan
Mark A. AbrahamsLevel: PlatinumMark Abrahams is a full time internet marketer who has helped others to earn a living online....
Most newbies to the world of the article marketing make the cardinal mistake of thinking that anyone who has a website can write articles on their own without the need for any help. While admittedly you do not have to be a literary genius to write articles, reading up on a few article writing tips could make the difference between writing an article that's sizzling hot and an article that's lukewarm to icy cold.
One of the most important article writing tips that you should know is that article writing is not just about telling others what you know. It's about conveying what you know in a manner that's so interesting and entertaining that it has the reader rooted to the spot. It's about piquing the interest of the readers so that they cannot resist the temptation to visit your website to get some more of you. To do this, your articles need to be brimming with character, humor and energy. Lackluster articles that are written in a monotone are a sure recipe for failure even if they provide a wealth of information.
Whether you choose to write your articles keeping in mind article writing tips or whether you decide to write articles with your own rules in mind, it is important to recognize the success or failure of your efforts. If your articles are not driving traffic to your site, you are obviously missing something important and it may be time to hire some outside help.
For a fraction of the amount you stand you make, you can get a talented writer to put your ideas across in a way that will fulfill the objective of the article. If you browse the internet you are sure to come across several freelancing sites where you can hire a freelance writer to ghost write fantastic articles for your website.
Clarity and Conciseness - The Keys to Article Writing
Mark A. Abrahams
Writing for the Internet is different from writing a story. The people who are going to be reading your article are going to want an article that is concise and tells them what they want to know. When you are writing for the Internet, there are a few rules of thumb that you should remember in order to keep your articles in giving the readers what they want to read.
One of the things that you should do when you are writing articles for the Internet is to avoid using words that are considered to be 'wimpy'. These words have a wishy-washy sound to them and are ones that make a reader wonder if you really know what you are talking about.
Some of the more common words and phrases that are going to turn people off are the following:
-Kind of or Sort of -Basically -Virtually -Practically
Another mistake that writers make is they include the phrase 'It is my opinion that'. You are the one that is writing the article, so they know that it's your opinion.
When you are writing an article, you want to make sure that your point is clear and that you believe what you are writing. When you show that you know what you are talking about and that you believe in it, your readers are going to be more likely to believe in it and trust you. Making your readers believe what you are saying is the first step in affective article marketing.
Writing Articles For Traffic Tips- But What to Write
Mark A. Abrahams
Writing articles as informative pieces, as a form of marketing is ineffective way to bring visitors to a web site. When done correctly web owners can see drastic changes in the amount of visitors, sales and general revenue.
While article writing can be done by just about anyone who can type, there are a few things to keep in mind before putting pen to paper. Read on for more information about selecting keywords, usage and how to get the articles to work for a company.
One of the first important steps in the article writing process is to ensure that the writer has the appropriate keywords. Since the keywords are what visitors or potential visitors are keying into the search engine, they must be accurate. There are a number of keywords and key phrases that will lead visitors to a particular products or sites, and the use of them in the article is imperative.
Professionals also tell those writing articles for traffic, to change the key word, its tense and spelling for those that may have entered it into the search engine incorrectly.
How many times the key word is used in the article is also very important. A good example and rule of thumb is between five and twelve keywords for a 400 to 500 word article.
There are many variations and opportunity's for those that use article writing as a marketing method. Creativity, good writing and submitting the articles to databases will also help others find the advertised site.
The use of ad words or advertisements on search engines is also an effective way to build a profitable web site.
Writing articles as informative pieces, as a form of marketing is ineffective way to bring visitors to a web site. When done correctly web owners can see drastic changes in the amount of visitors, sales and general revenue.
While article writing can be done by just about anyone who can type, there are a few things to keep in mind before putting pen to paper. Read on for more information about selecting keywords, usage and how to get the articles to work for a company.
One of the first important steps in the article writing process is to ensure that the writer has the appropriate keywords. Since the keywords are what visitors or potential visitors are keying into the search engine, they must be accurate. There are a number of keywords and key phrases that will lead visitors to a particular products or sites, and the use of them in the article is imperative.
Professionals also tell those writing articles for traffic, to change the key word, its tense and spelling for those that may have entered it into the search engine incorrectly.
How many times the key word is used in the article is also very important. A good example and rule of thumb is between five and twelve keywords for a 400 to 500 word article.
There are many variations and opportunity's for those that use article writing as a marketing method. Creativity, good writing and submitting the articles to databases will also help others find the advertised site.
The use of ad words or advertisements on search engines is also an effective way to build a profitable web site.
Technical Writing Programs- Sacramento State Technical Writing Certificate Program
By Ugur Akinci
You do not necessarily need a certificate to find a job as a technical writer. However such a certificate of course never hurts; it only helps, especially if you're new to the business.
There are dozens of colleges across the United States that offer such a certificate. Sacramento State College of Continuing Education in California is one of them.
Did you know that "technical writing and communication is one of the ten fastest growing fields both in the Sacramento area and the nation," and that the "salary estimates for the Sacramento region range from entry-level positions at $40,000-$45,000 to $75,000+ for publication managers"?
The students enrolled in the Sacramento certificate program are required to take seven online courses, plus a Final Project:
1. Introduction to the Technical Writing Certificate Program 2. Principles of Usability 3. Project Communication 4. Project Planning and Research 5. Technical Concepts and Tools 6. Technical Writing and Editing 7. Writing for the Web 8. Final Project
The course are prepared with the participation of the Sacramento chapter of the Society of Technical Communication (STC). The STC-member students get 10% discount.
An up-close look at some of the courses tells me that this program indeed teaches skills that are immediately applicable in real-world technical communication situations.
For example, let's take the course "Technical Concepts and Tools" and look at it's course description:
"Learn about network protocol, database interface, programming languages and program logic constraints. Gain experience with desktop publishing applications and evaluating graphical user interface tools."
This is a two-for-one kind of class. You not only learn the basic terminology of a hi-tech software and networking environment but also learn about DTP applications and related tools. There's lots of practical hands-on value built in right there.
If you live close to Sacramento this is one qualified program you might want to inquire for more information.
You do not necessarily need a certificate to find a job as a technical writer. However such a certificate of course never hurts; it only helps, especially if you're new to the business.
There are dozens of colleges across the United States that offer such a certificate. Sacramento State College of Continuing Education in California is one of them.
Did you know that "technical writing and communication is one of the ten fastest growing fields both in the Sacramento area and the nation," and that the "salary estimates for the Sacramento region range from entry-level positions at $40,000-$45,000 to $75,000+ for publication managers"?
The students enrolled in the Sacramento certificate program are required to take seven online courses, plus a Final Project:
1. Introduction to the Technical Writing Certificate Program 2. Principles of Usability 3. Project Communication 4. Project Planning and Research 5. Technical Concepts and Tools 6. Technical Writing and Editing 7. Writing for the Web 8. Final Project
The course are prepared with the participation of the Sacramento chapter of the Society of Technical Communication (STC). The STC-member students get 10% discount.
An up-close look at some of the courses tells me that this program indeed teaches skills that are immediately applicable in real-world technical communication situations.
For example, let's take the course "Technical Concepts and Tools" and look at it's course description:
"Learn about network protocol, database interface, programming languages and program logic constraints. Gain experience with desktop publishing applications and evaluating graphical user interface tools."
This is a two-for-one kind of class. You not only learn the basic terminology of a hi-tech software and networking environment but also learn about DTP applications and related tools. There's lots of practical hands-on value built in right there.
If you live close to Sacramento this is one qualified program you might want to inquire for more information.
Technical Writing Tips- Separation of "Content" From "Format" With XML in Technical Communication
By Ugur Akinci
Until very recently content of information was always a part of the format in which it was delivered. For over 500 years, for example, a book's content and the way a book looked were one and the same phenomenon. You could not think about a novel without remembering its cover, the fonts used on the page, whether it had pictures and photographs, etc.
That's why, some of the books I used to own as a young man sometimes still creates a wave of nostalgia when I see them on the shelf of a used-book store because the book, its content, its size and binding and dimensions, its front and back covers, the way it looked, and even (yes!) the way it smelled, are all somehow tied together in my mind to the life I had years ago. That's never going to happen with an XML file since its content can be poured into a dozen different formats, each equally valid and appropriate for its own purpose.
Popular word processing programs continued the illusion that content and format were one and the same by hiding the immense formatting that went on behind the scenes. One widely-used office text editor, for example, is so format-heavy that even if you save a totally blank file it still has a file size of over 20K.
Why does that happen? Why a totally blank text file would not measure zero kilobytes in size? Because even a blank document of that famous text editor comes with a lot of "default template" information about what the default page size and orientation should be, which and what size default fonts should be used for default body text and headings, etc.
Distributing content firmly attached to a single format became not only too expensive for mass production and distribution but it ceased being necessary as well. Today with XML (Extended Markup Language) we can separate content from format totally and reassemble it on platforms as different as web sites, mobile phones, PDF documents, e-book readers, catalogs, TTY devices, etc.
Managers love that separation because once a content is written and tagged on a topic-by-topic basis, then it can be reassembled at any permutation by applying different style sheets for different audiences. That drops the cost of production since it eliminates the cost of rewriting while makes the same content available in shapes and forms that could not be made available before.
Technical Writing Programs- Sacramento State Technical Writing Certificate Program
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