Fiction writers appear to be despised members of internet writing community. Our product doesn't promise reader financial success or prospect of an early retirement. We don't claim to know one true secret of how to make a million or how to drive thousands of people to your website each day. Other people aren't likely to use our books in a marketing campaign or pay to give them away as freebies.

Imagine emails you could receive: 'Easy Assonance in Eight Easy Steps', 'Build your own sonnet in less than 14 Days' or 'Sign Up Now: This Short Story deal terminates tonight!!!'

It would be great, wouldn't it?

Alas, this is not our lot in life - I sometimes wish it was or I wouldn't be driving around in a small Fiat Punto.

To write fiction is to suck marrow from life, to engage our minds in pursuit of literary excellence, to lay ourselves open before our readers.

Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery. Henry Miller

This sounds far from hard-hitting world of internet commerce. And it is. The marketing gurus have used internet to their advantage. It is time that we fiction writers do same.

I've written this article to encourage everyone who writes fiction to fully utilise resources that we have available to us on World Wide Web.

1. REPLACE GENERALITIES WITH SPECIFICS

Look for general statements in your web pages and sales letters. Replace them with specific statements.

For example, a general statement like, "Our clients get more sales", is dull. Replace it with "Most new clients enjoy at least a 23 percent increase in sales within 60 days" to create excitement. This motivates prospects to sign up now so they can start enjoying that 23 percent sales increase.

IMPORTANT: Make sure your specific statements are accurate and believable or your credibility will be challenged.

TIP: If something sounds too good to be true your prospects will assume it's not true and they won't buy. Understate any specific claim that sounds exaggerated ...even if it is true.

2. SHORTEN PARAGRAPHS, SENTENCES AND WORDS

Long paragraphs and sentences bore your prospects. It causes them to lose interest before getting to end of your message. Short paragraphs and sentences are easier to read. They hold your prospect's interest.

Divide long paragraphs into shorter paragraphs of 7 lines or less. Break up sentences longer than 18 words into 2 sentences. And look for long or uncommon words you can replace with commonly used words. For example, replace words like "originate" with "start" or "receive" with "get".

3. CONVERT PASSIVE WORDS AND PHRASES INTO ACTIVE ONES