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Writing Etc. – February 1, 2005

ISSN: 1545-5580

Tips, Techniques, and Resources to Transform You From An Average Freelancer to A Highly Paid Professional.

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Welcome to the “Copywriting Extravaganza” issue of Writing Etc.!

Notes from Minnesota

Freelancing Like A Farmer by Beth Ann Erickson

Recommended Resource to Jumpstart Your Writing Career

2006 Action Plan to Jumpstart Your Writing Career

Paying Markets

You Speak Out: Q&A

We Recommend…

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This issue is sponsored by:

I cajoled, pestered, and basically begged John to tell you about this. He finally relented so I’m moving fast before he changes his mind.

So here’s the deal:

Last October I joined John Carlton’s Insider Club. Love it. Not only did I receive an arsenal of the best and deepest copywriting secrets (nope… the majority of this stuff isn’t included in any of the other copywriting courses I’ve taken) but I got full access to Mr. Carlton himself for critiques any time I wanted them.

Critiques! By John (Mr. Frosty) himself. Not some hired lackey. Not by some untested wanna-be writer. These critiques come from the big guy himself. The World Class Copywriter who demands a minimum of five figures for one letter.

You also get a collection of his personal swipe files and a bunch of other goodies.

Based on my personal experience with Carlton, I can unconditionally guarantee that you’ve never seen anything quite like this club. It’s an utter earthquake that’ll rattle your writing career to the bone.

Best part? (I’m speaking from personal experience here.) The price will astound you, results are practically instant, and next thing you know potential clients ferret you out. Forget endless self promotion.

So here’s where things get sticky.

He told me he only had a hand full of slots open in his Insider Club. Just a few. As you can imagine, the guy’s pretty busy and honestly doesn’t have the time to take on many more Insiders.

Nevertheless, he gave me permission to present this offer to the brightest and hardest writers I know. Of course, I immediately thought of the Writing Etc. bunch.

But you’ll need to act now. I honestly don’t know how long John’ll keep this door open. Could be for a day, week, month, hour. I honestly don’t know. Once his schedule is full, he’ll shut down this opportunity.

I really hope you’ll join me in John’s Insider’s Club. It would be so cool to “hang out” together.

Click this link to get more information:

http://bethannerickson.com/JohnC.html

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Greetings from Minnesota!

If you’ve read Jumpstart, you’re probably well aware that Lucy (my Rat Terrier Wonder Dog) and I walk. A lot.

Thing is, if I didn’t get that grand old girl out on a regular basis, she’d drive me mad. I don’t know if all Rat Terriers are like this, but Lu’s got a ton of energy. And if I don’t help her burn some of that excess spunk, she’s quite happy to burn it herself by digging, chewing, disrupting, pretty much anything she can sink her little teeth into.

But that’s all fine and good. I love getting outside as much as she does. Clears my head.

But now we’ve got something new to consider as we trek out each day…

Yesterday the Willmar Police Department caught a cougar wandering around Kennedy Elementary School.

A COUGAR!

What the HECK is a cougar doing in Kandiyohi County? (You may have heard about this phenomenon on your own news station. Seems the wire services picked up the story and it’s aired nationally.)

Sure. We share our county with fox. Deer. Timber wolves. Hawks. Owls (once a HUGE owl swooped down and tried to latch onto Lu, but I (actually it was probably my annoying shrieking) scared it away. 

Lotsa wild life out there. But this is the first time anyone has ever found a cougar wandering our fair prairie.

So. How do we approach our next walk. I wonder what’ll go through my mind as we circle the parameter of Kandiyohi and peek through the thick brush that surrounds the wetlands.

Dunno. Could be interesting, though.

To your success,

Beth

P.S. I’ve gotta blog filled with writing tips, recommended resources, commentary, and general silly stuff. PLUS, I just added a mighty cool writing contest. Here’s the link: http://writingetc.blogspot.com

P.S.S. Here’s our best seller list… be sure to pick up a copy of each of these titles. They’re awesome.

1. Jumpstart Your Writing Career and Snag Paying Assignments by Beth Erickson http://filbertpublishing.com/jumpstart.htm

2. Bob Bly’s Guide to Freelance Writing Success: How to Make $100,000 a Year as a Freelance Writer and Have The Time of Your Life Doing It. http://filbertpublishing.com/bob.htm

3. Weekly Writes: Exercises in Creative Writing by Shery Ma Belle Arrieta http://filbertpublishing.com/Weekly.htm(You’ll get a ton of free writing/freelancing tools direct from Shery at http://WeeklyWrites.com when you order this title!)

4. Writing Wide: Exercises in Creative Writing by Billie A. Williams http://filbertpublishing.com/WW.htm

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~~~~~~~~~~~~ Feature Article ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freelancing Like A Farmer

Beth Ann Erickson

I began my illustrious freelance career with visions of tweed coats, elbow patches, cigars, and pensive photos. My mind’s eye saw a cluttered office, checks strewn across my desk, and waking to one illuminating thought after another. I believed I’d tap at the keyboard, mail queries, read my articles on glossy paper, and assignments would flow like water.

Small problem with that scenario. Tweed coats don’t look good on me. I don’t smoke, never have. And I usually wind up looking goofy in photos, no matter how hard I try to strike a pensive pose.

Ah, but my desk is cluttered. I do occasionally find a stray check in amongst the mounds of papers. But illuminating thoughts? Bah.

There’s a fundamental problem with my original scenario: my freelancing model missed a crucial element necessary for financial success.

For example, the cash I expected to earn from writing articles just didn’t add up to the numbers I hoped they would. Seriously. Spending weeks writing, rewriting, and finally submitting an article, only to reap a whopping 25 bucks just didn’t pay the bills.

Then I decided to write books. Unfortunately the small royalties barely covered my promo expenses. It’s exciting to sell books, but we needed some large volume sales to make this endeavor financially worthwhile.

How ‘bout publishing? Again, after wholesaler discounts, distributor expenses, author royalties, and postage, we’re talking some pretty slim profits. And again, we’re talking volume sales to lower expenses and prop profits.

But then something magical happened. I discovered the wacky world of copywriting.

In case you’re unfamiliar with copywriting, a copywriter is a master persuader. They write ads, direct mail, sales letters, and such.

And (little did I know) proficient copywriters earn a lot. World Class Copywriters earn astronomical fees.

Copywriting isn’t difficult. But there are definite tricks to the trade. And you can cut your learning curve by years if you receive proper training.

But here’s where things really get cool.

Turns out these new persuasive skills made it far easier to write awesome queries. Boom. Article sales jumped.

Next, I revised the sales copy for my books. Boom. Another jump in sales.

I applied “copywriting language” to everything I wrote and kaboom… even more sales, more exposure, new readers found me.

And I haven’t even gotten into copywriting as a business: writing for clients turned out to be quite lucrative as well.

Now, I love to write. It’s my passion. There’s nothing like receiving a complementary e-mail outlining how something I’ve written has made someone else’s life easier, gave them hope, helped guide them through this wacky profession.

On the other hand, I hate marketing. It sucks. One rejection and I’m down for the count. At least for a while.

But by combining my writing skills with copywriting psychology, my self-promo time is automatically sliced in at least half because I’ve learned stealth persuasion to draw clients my way.

So now, clients (and publishers and editors) are attracted to me rather than my gunning after their very fractured attention.

So… where does the “farming” come in?

Simple. Rather than concentrate on one aspect of your writing career, think like a farmer. Plant many seeds and watch them grow at different rates.

Instead of becoming an article writer extraordinaire, write articles when the spirit moves you. Submit them when they’re polished. Start writing the novel that’s burning your heart. Eventually publish it. Research a nonfiction title. Write ad copy.

You can even take this further. I speak to the local high school. Elementary schools, too. How ‘bout local organizations and the Chamber of Commerce? Once a businessperson sees you in action, they’ll be hooked.

Just keep planting seeds (remember, you’re a “farmer”) and before you know it, you’ve got more paying clients than you know what to do with.

But copywriting’s the linchpin that binds all these endeavors.

That’s because effective persuaders control their destiny… and their income.

So here’s to effective “farming” and inevitable success.

Beth Ann Erickson is the queen bee of Filbert Publishing. She’s also the author of four (soon to be five) full-length books including Jumpstart Your Writing Career. She currently has provisional consent to offer John Carlton’s “Kick Ass Secrets of a Marketing Rebel” to you. She doesn’t know how long he’ll grant permission to offer this astounding copywriting program. Click this link now: http://bethannerickson.com/JohnC.html

~~~~~~ Recommended Resource to Jumpstart Your Writing Career ~~~~~~~

Back next time. I imagine you have a pretty good hunch what I’m recommending this time…

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New Review!

John Carlton’s Kick Ass Secrets of a Marketing Rebel. Check it out here.

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2006 Action Plan to Jumpstart Your Writing Career

If you haven’t done it already, add copywriting to your freelance arsenal. Not only will you get paid the big bucks, but you’ll unearth invaluable skills you can use to sell your own books, articles, tapes, CDs, booklets… the sky’s the limit.

You can read a ton of books, some of them great, some of them OK, others downright awful. Or you can cut your learning curve and apprentice with the best of the best.

Time’s running out. Check out Carlton’s Insider’s Club this minute.

http://bethannerickson.com/JohnC.html

‘Till next time!

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Paying Markets – check ‘em out!

Back next time with some great paying markets.

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You Speak Out: Q&A

Dear Mrs. Erickson:

I've been staring at the stupid blinking cursor for 1/2 an hour so I guess nothing ventured nothing gained. Here it goes.

After reading almost everything in the 'Vault' to your personal copywriting website I feel the need to do this. You give such hope & inspiration to fledgling writers like myself. You make readers of your editorials feel like we know you & can talk to you. Can you or someone on your staff answers a few questions for me.

I'm a sixty year old male sort of in the middle of nowhere (Dover, NH) trying to learn as much as I can about writing. That's why I signed on to your newsletter & six or seven others. But now I'm getting confused.

I've written 15 non fic. and 4 fic. stories & articles. 3 of the non fic

were published in a local biz newspaper (my 1st bylines). And one attempt at a novel which is to long for a short story but to short for a novel.

Here are my questions.

1. Most of my stuff runs from 1000+ words up to 6000 wds. Lots of listing I see for sm mkts ask for 500 to 1000 wrds. Should I try to cut them down to fit their wd counts or is there a way to find outlets that will accept them in my range?

2. I seem to be all over the place with my writings. 3 childhood memoirs, 3 business type articles, 4 inspirational style shorts, and a couple of humorous 1st person essays. Plus, trying to follow your advice about freelance copywriting I picked up 2 local biz's who want me to help them market their biz. I have to keep my day job to pay child support, rent etc.

So my? Is will my dabbling in all these directions be my downfall? Or should I pick just one area of writing & put all my focus on it?

As you can see I'm worried about just spinning my wheels & not getting anywhere. I read how incredibly busy you are so if you are unable to respond I do understand. I will keep educating myself & growing my knowledge thru your writing site. THANK YOU! for doing what you do to help us to become better writers.

        Successfully yours,

        w. b. Giorgio 

Hi w.b,

Thanks for your e-mail. Wow... tough question. :)

But I think I can shed a little light...

Your situation is very typical for beginning freelancers. I think the trick is to write what's in your heart, not what you think the market wants. (I know that sounds cliche but in this instance, the cliche works.)

For example, suppose you found out that nuclear physics is the current hot topic in a particular magazine. Rather than twist your talents so you can write an engaging piece about a subject you don't feel qualified to write, I'd suggest you skip the topic and search out markets that are complementary to your skills.

Every writer has a ton of hobbies. In fact, I find the most fascinating writers have a gazillion topics they write about. Take copywriting genius Bob Bly as an example. He's written dozens of books about copywriting. BUT he's also a Star Trek buff and has written a Star Trek trivia book. (He even corresponded with Rodenbury's (probably spelled that wrong) widow in the process.) He also wrote the "I Hate Kathy Lee" book. He's even written “What’s Your Frasier IQ” along with the “Ultimate Unauthorized Stephen King Trivia Challenge.”

So no. Rather than rein in your imagination, keep writing and start hitting markets that are interested in your subject.

But never twist your talents. Write the words your heart dictates and you'll not only enjoy a successful freelance career, you'll also enjoy it a whole lot more.

Oh, and if your article’s too long, just shorten it. Or cut it in half and turn it into two articles. You might even get paid twice for it.

Hope I've answered your question.

Enjoy your day!

Beth

Got a snarly freelance question? E-mail if to Filbertpublishing(@)filbertpublishing.com with the words “Q&A” in the subject line. You just may get your question in an upcoming issue of Writing Etc.

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E-Mag And Web Site Owners! Did you know that Filbert Publishing has an entire cache of articles you can use FREE. Just click the “Freebie” link to your left.

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