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Writing Etc. – May 1, 2006

ISSN: 1545-5580

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

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Notes from Minnesota

Successful Freelancer Secret Revealed by Beth Ann Erickson

Paying Markets

You Speak Out: Q&A

~~~~~Highly Recommended~~~~~~~~~~

While many freelance writers struggle to earn a decent wage, Bob Bly has proven again and again, year after year, that it’s not only possible to earn far more, it’s possible to transform words into a $100,000 per year freelancing business.

And he shares all his secrets within these pages. Secrets like:

• The hidden market most freelancers overlook that can boost your income to unbelievable levels
• The “quiet” magazine market that’s easy to break into and often pays very well
• How to ask for (and get) the fees you deserve
• How to use Bob’s “positioning” techniques to set you apart from your competition
• How to write a “bullet proof” book proposal
• 22 rules for successful self promotion
• Insider secrets to effectively use the Internet to reach your income goals
• How to do more... in less time

Bly goes on to list resources... books, websites, organizations and magazines... that are designed to help you succeed as a freelance writer.

Bob Bly’s Guide to Freelance Writing Success is an indispensable resource for the serious freelancer. Bly’s track record is impeccable. And now he’s spilling his secrets.

Buy your copy today: http://filbertpublishing.com/bob.htm

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Greetings from Minnesota!

Lucy the Rat Terrier Wonder Dog and Cutie Rudie (the new Doxie Cross) continue their strained relationship.

One day sails smooth, the next erupts in a hail of shrieking and snapping.

But the shrieks have died down and every once in a while, I actually catch the two pups playing. It’s pretty cool to watch.

And Cutie Rudie? What a doll. It’s utterly impossible to not fall in love with such a pleasant creature.

Rudie’s an unusually friendly dog. Hard to believe considering her unpleasant past before she landed at the Humane Society.

This week, Lucy busies herself patrolling the front yard from her perch. Rudie lays sleeping on my lap watching me tap the keyboard. Considering she’s gained two pounds in two weeks, I figure she’ll have to stop growing or I’ll need to sprout a larger lap.

To your success,

Beth

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

Successful Freelancer Secret Revealed

By Beth Ann Erickson

Last weekend I worked on this quarter’s royalty statements for our authors.

Now, I rarely pull back the curtain and write about something as intimate as our author’s earning. However, rest assured, I won’t reveal any specifics. Nor will I name names.

But the information I unearthed while cutting those checks just may transform your writing career.

Here’s what I observed:

Calculating royalties is always interesting. Whenever we receive payment for a book, we instantly record the author’s royalty on a grid. As the quarter progresses, the numbers mount. Finally a few days before the end of a quarter, our computer tallies the totals, we print statements, then cut the checks.

Pretty easy system.

What’s interesting about this method is that we can actually track the effects of our author’s marketing efforts.

For example, I was speaking with one of our authors and he/she mentioned that they’d purchased a particular book marketing program.

“Do you think it’ll work?”

“Give it a try,” I replied. “I’ll e-mail if we see a spike in sales.”

Within a week, both Baker and Taylor and Amazon contacted us requesting more copies of their book. Plus we’d received sales directly from our site.

Was the marketing program a success?

It’s hard to say. I don’t know what he/she paid for it. But I can say that their book sales spiked, then leveled off far higher, selling more books per month than before they purchased the program.

In that respect, the program paid off in spades. Plus this author’s not only a great writer, they’re now a far savvier marketer.

On the other hand, the authors who don’t actively apply marketing skills to their writing career… well unfortunately they either received utterly puny checks or (horror or horrors) no check at all.

Nixie. Nada. Rien.

The chasm’s huge. A fat, hearty check or zip.

Acquiring a large readership or allowing your work to languish in obscurity.

Allowing your thoughts free flight versus laboring their release and watching them fall flat.

And that, my friend, vividly illustrates every successful writer’s secret weapon: Marketing savvy.

Think I’m wrong?

Consider the top selling fiction today. Is the writing perfect? Fantastic, original plots?

Sometimes, perhaps. But on the whole, most top selling fiction is pure bologna.

But successful authors are effective marketers right down to the bone.

And that’s when your job gets interesting.

You see, as you read this, you probably have at least as much talent as some of the most successful writers today. And if your checks aren’t as healthy as you’d like them to be, what you probably lack is marketing expertise.

The actual act of writing is a learned skill. It’s developed through study and taking time to voraciously read whatever it is you want to write.

For example, if you want to write novels, you must read novels. If your goal is to write direct mail, you've gotta read a ton of it. Love nonfiction? You guessed it, you've got to read nonfiction until it's oozing from your pores if you hope to become the best in your genre.

But if you desire to become the kind of writer who touches the heart of multitudes, you need to add a few marketing skills to your writing arsenal.

It’s a sad truth that even the best writing won’t get read without effective marketing backing it up.

While driving to St. Cloud last weekend in my son’s new car, the radio blared a goldie oldie.

“Ugh,” my son grunted, “Who’s that awful singer. She’s gonna pop my ear drums.”

I chuckled at his comment and answered, “That’s Madonna.”

Now, please realize that this particular song certainly wasn’t this artist’s best work. It was kinda old… didn’t translate well into this particular 17 year old’s mind. But seriously, this song was mucho nasal.

“No way,” Peder (my dear son) gushed. “Madonna? You’ve gotta be kidding. I’ve never heard her sing before, but boy does she suck. I can’t believe people listen to her music.”

“Yeah, she’s still popular,” I replied. “Marketing’s a big reason for her success.”

Peder rolled his eyes, “Well she didn’t make it on singing talent alone….”

Now, you may or may not agree with Peder’s assessment of Madonna’s vocal talents. But I think we can all agree that the woman’s one of the most skilled marketers today.

Which leads me to my next point.

Now’s a perfect time to harness this incredible force yourself and really launch your writing career.

We’ll talk more about this later.…

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Beth Ann Erickson is the “Queen Bee” of Filbert Publishing. She’s also the author of Jumpstart Your Writing Career (http://filbertpublishing.com/jumpstart.htm) and the upcoming 101 No Cost and Low Cost Techniques To Promote Your Writing Biz. Keep your eye out for it in early 2006. She’s also a busy copywriter, speaker, and publisher of Writing Etc., the free e-mag for writers. 

P.S. You can use this article free of charge on your own website or zine. Just don’t make any changes and be sure to include the entire byline. Enjoy!

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Paying Markets – check ‘em out!

Dark Energy

http://www.darkenergysf.com/guidelines.htm

Chiaroscuro

http://chizine.com/submissions.htm

AlienQ

http://www.alienq.com/writers.asp

Albedo One

http://homepage.eircom.net/~albedo1/html/writers_guidelines.html

Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/aboutus/guidelines.html

Family Tree

http://www.familytreemagazine.com/gls.html

Tickled by Thunder

http://www.tickledbythunder.com/TbT/Magazine/01_Guidelines.html

New Tribal Dawn

http://www.grailmedia.com/wz1/info/guidelines.html

Ancient Path

http://www.literatureclassics.com/ancientpaths/magazine/submission.html

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You Speak Out: Q&A

Back next time! I’m up to my ears in juicy writing assignments.

Got questions? Send ‘em here:  http://www.filbertpublishing.com/tinc?key=TTjJjZfx&formname=question

We answer each and every question in the order they come in. Submit your freelance question today. You get your answer in an upcoming issue of Writing Etc.

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We Recommend:

Writing For Dollars! The FREE ezine for writers featuring tips, tricks and ideas for selling what you write. Receive the FREE ebook, 83 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY WRITING when you subscribe. Email to subscribe@writingfordollars.com -*- http://www.WritingForDollars.com

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Are your book sales in a slump? http://BethAnnErickson.com

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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Writing Etc.

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