Writing Publishing Self Publishing Website Promotion Blogging Internet Marketing

Writen by John Colanzi

Are You Ready For The Publishing Revolution?

Writing has traditionally been considered a solitary craft. You wrote you article or book in seclusion. You submitted it to an editor or publisher and prayed it would be published.

Along comes the Internet and the monsters out of the cage. You now have the ability to self publish your work. You can throw up a Blog, hook up to an RSS feed and syndicate your writing.

You can form online communities with other writers. Readers can give immediate feedback on your work. You can promote your work in the virtual book stores such as Amazon.

The Internet has become a writer's paradise.

With the advent of the Internet, you no longer are limited as a writer,. With a little research you can become a writer/publisher. Think of the possibilities.

Every word you write can travel the globe in the blink of an eye.

Why would you want to be a publisher?

* You can make money before your book is even written.

Before the Internet, writers had to find ways to support themselves while working on their novels or stories. Now if you've got a book that will take any length of time to complete, you can still make money by joining affiliate programs for books by other authors.

* You can start an online newsletter.

What an advantage you have over writers of the past. With your newsletter, your readers get to know you and your work. You have a waiting audience for the day your book is released.

* You can start your own Blog.

You can plug your Blog into an RSS feed and your work can be accessed on the entire network.

* You can start your own affiliate program.

Sites such as Clickbank take the hassle out of having an affiliate program. They process the orders and pay commissions to your affiliates. It's a turnkey system for under $50. Your affiliates are an army of salesmen ready to promote your work around the globe. They can reach more markets than you could on your own. It's leverage in action.

* You can build a theme oriented site drawing readers and writers from around the world. It's like having your own Disneyland for writers.

* You can set up your own autoresponder course geared to your market. Educating and selling on autopilot.

* You can create free ebooks. Take a few of your chapters and create the book as a preview. You're giving readers enough information to decide whether they want to buy your book.

You can also add links to your website, Blog and other books in the free book. .

* You can write for the online newsletters in your target market.

As an ezine writer there are times I've had an article circulated to millions of readers in a single week.

* You can allow webmasters to host your articles on their site.

Imagine thousands of websites promoting your work.

Think it can't happen. Think again.

Without even realizing it was happening, my articles are published on 4000 websites at any given time. Most of those articles are there for the duration.

Imagine what you could accomplish if you put some effort into self promotion.

I've just scratched the surface of the possibilities.

The difference between being a writer or a writer/publisher is just a shift in mindset. If you're willing to get out of your comfort zone, the skies the limit.

There's a cartoon that illustrates the mindset of a winner.

There's a little boy throwing the football with his father. His father looks at him and says, "Son, with a little practice, you can be making the big money they're paying professional football players."

The little boy smiles and looks at his father and says, "Dad, I don't want to be a football player. I want to be the man who can afford to pay all those salaries."

From the mouth of babes.

It's in your hands. Do you want to stay in your comfort zone and limit your possibilities, or do you want to expand your thinking and build a publishing empire?

In the immortal words of Shakespeare,

"Why, then the world's mine oyster, Which I with sword will open."

Is the world your oyster? If not maybe it's time you expanded your thinking.

Wishing You Success,
John Colanzi

Copyright (c) John Colanzi. John has been writing on the Internet for 5 years and has a special gift for you. Sign up for your complementary e-Course "How To Build Your Business With Free Advertising." Visit: http://www.thesimplesystem.net/cashflow.html

Ezines Get From Adequate To Fabulous

Writen by Robin Neidorf

If my in-box is any indication, most of the business world is hot on e-newsletters. I receive half a dozen every day. Some are thinly masked advertisements; most, however, provide some degree of valuable information.

E-newsletters provide a relatively easy and low-cost way to accomplish a number of business goals, including:
• Maintaining connections with current and past clients
• Demonstrating expertise in a particular field
• Sharing resources and building an active network
• Educating clients and prospects about products, services and how best to access them

As a communication professional, though, I review the newsletters I receive with a critical eye; many of them leave much to be desired in their planning and execution. Luckily, it isn't difficult to make the leap from adequate to fabulous, if a newsletter publisher is willing to take a close look at the purpose, audience, content and execution of the project.

What's the Point?
E-newsletter publishers often confuse the tool with the purpose. An e-newsletter is a tool used to achieve some greater business purpose, yet novice publishers often forget the greater purpose in the effort to put out the newsletter on something resembling a regular basis.

Knowing the point of the newsletter within your business context, though, helps you make better decisions on everything from content to frequency. It's critical to your success – and your sanity – to understand up front what the purpose of the newsletter really is.

Newsletters always address one or more of the following three purposes:
1. Serve the needs of current and past clients
2. Position in front of prospective clients
3. Build a base of repeat business

In other words, e-newsletters, like all business communications, have the core intention of creating, sustaining or deepening a business relationship. As a newsletter publisher, you have to know what kind of relationship you are asking your readers for; what do you want from them? Loyalty? New business? Referrals? Increased business? Believe it or not, most of your readers are perfectly willing to give you what you want, as long as your wants are clearly communicated. Most publishers don't communicate clearly enough.

Which of the three purposes is most important to you? Are you helping current and past clients improve some aspect of their work on an ongoing basis? Are you demonstrating your skills to prospective clients? Do you offer a wide range of services that could lead to repeat business if your clients only knew about them all?

Naturally, some overlap exists between the three essential purposes, but one may emerge as the primary purpose. Know what it is, and plan your content to satisfy the requirements of that purpose.

Make Your Point
Once you have a clear idea of what your purpose in publishing your e-newsletter is, you will find it easier to make decisions that help you maximise the benefits of publishing in a digital medium, while overcoming some of the obstacles.

Chief among the obstacles is the notoriously short attention span of online readers. A writing style that engages readers emotionally as well as logically is a must. When your e-newsletter arrives in their inbox, the very subject line must capture their attention. Then, in the body of the newsletter, use compelling headlines, short sentences, action verbs and a story-telling approach to draw readers in.

Headlines are of particular import because readers make nanosecond decisions on whether to delete or keep reading based on headlines. Try these suggestions to come up with effective headlines for your e-newsletter:

• Solve a problem. Examples:

o Spend More Time Providing Value than Hunting for Information.

o Don't Make Your Business Vulnerable to the Taxing Authority

• Use a statistic. Examples:

o Most Companies Lose 30 Percent of Their Mailing Lists Each Year

o Office Workers Waste 6 Weeks per Year Searching for Lost Information

• State a quote or adage. Example:

o Whoever Said "Ignorance is Bliss" Didn't Know a Librarian

• Ask a question. Examples:

o Is It Possible to Get Through Divorce with Dignity?

o What Do Your Clients Really Think of You?

• Create a mystery. Example:

o What Is the Real Agenda of Google?

Interact!
Unlike print media, e-newsletters offer the opportunity for two-way communication with your readers. This capability can be one of the biggest benefits of publishing an e-newsletter, so make creative and strategic use of it. Build the expectation of interaction into your newsletter, and you create the opportunity for meaningful engagement with audiences of all kinds.

For example, you can incorporate links in your text inviting readers to send immediate feedback or questions on your content. Live links embedded in the text are more effective than relying on the "reply" function of e-mail, for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that readers often need to be reminded that you really do want them to respond in some way. By including the link (which handily shows up in an eye-catching blue amidst a plain-text message), you reinforce the suggestion that you are inviting discussion and response.

Where do these links lead the reader? If you have a web site, the links can bring readers right into your site to fill out a form, join a discussion forum, or complete a registration for a program. Be sure to create a back-end automated tracking system that will capture information about how many visitors arrived by clicking a newsletter link, what they did when they arrived, and other data points that will help you deepen your relationship with them individually and en masse.

Realistic Outcomes
Quality e-newsletters take time to create and manage. Expect to devote time each issue for planning, writing, editing, layout and production, distribution, and database management. A monthly e-newsletter will require human and financial resources; I usually counsel clients to start with a quarterly or bimonthly newsletter, as it is preferable to increase frequency than to create the expectation of more than you can consistently deliver.

As you create and distribute your newsletter, think carefully about what specific result you want for each issue. What do you want a reader to say, think or do as a result of receiving the newsletter? Your desired outcome might be for readers to:

• Visit your web site
• Request additional information
• Sign up for a class or seminar
• Use a particular tool/resource
• Refer you to others
• Give you feedback
• Feel they can't live without you

All but the last of these desired outcomes are measurable and relatively easy to communicate to readers. When reviewing your newsletter content, ask yourself if what you want is clear. Put your "call to action" in no uncertain terms, and make it easy for readers to fulfil their side of the bargain by placing live links, contact information and other next steps right in their path.

Within the context of your e-newsletter, your words can shape opinions, behaviours, business decisions and profitable relationships. Make your efforts pay off by understanding your purpose and how to work toward it in every single issue.

Robin Neidorf is the author business books, articles and reports and the founder of Electric Muse, a research and communications consultancy. Go beyond ezine basics with Robin's full-length report: E-Newsletters: A Guide for Publishers (http://www.freepint.com/shop/report/enews/), published by Free Pint.

Three Breathing Techniques For Any Ezine Article

Writen by Radhika Venkata

I subscribed myself to many ezines. I'd love to read articles in them. First thing I will do is going to article section of the ezine.

I am telling you honestly... I have learned so many things from these ezine articles. Three aspects of the articles made me think and to write this article.

When ever you write article just follow these THREE simple rules:

***Focus on ONLY one point:

Some articles goes pages and pages. Remember Article is a short and brief information on any of the topic.

Better not to write long essay type documents. Simply focus on one point. For example if you want to write on search engine optimization, take specific point from this vast subject. Like-

• one article on Keywords

• one article on title

• one article on 'how content is good'

• one article on images and 'alt' tags etc.

By this we can discuss each single topic in depth.

***Make it point by point:

Instead of big paragraphs, slice up big lines and paragraphs in to short paragraphs and side headings.

This is to make few points stand out clearly from others. If the reader is in hurry, he can grab main points from these highlighted sections.

People scan the articles and ads. The highlighted lines and subheadings should make hem pull in to the body of the article. If not atleast they should get the idea of the whole article.

***Tell them straight:

What do you want to tell through your article? Tell it in simple and clear way. Some articles start with a story end with a story. Readers don't know what to grab from that article.

Yes...People interested in others stories. But not in those that are no useful to them.

If you want to start your article with a story, then keep one or two lines at the end of the story as a summary.

About The Author

Radhika Venkata - Subscribe to 'EbookBiz Magazine' which is completely focused on ebook business and Internet Marketing. Receive FREE Ebooks with Resale rights every month!

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