Mission Possible: Get Published with Goals, Guidance and Persistance

Written by Stephen Earley Jordan, II


You send me an e-mail. You tell me you’ve written over three hundred poems since you were 16 (in your teenage angst stage). You mentionrepparttar novel you’ve completed and it’s really good (it really is!!!), andrepparttar 129061 novel-in-progress. You mention howrepparttar 129062 International Library of Poetry has published one of your poems. (But, whom haven’t they published?)

However, all your work is stored away, hidden fromrepparttar 129063 public eye on a black little disk.

You have one mission: Getting published.

“How do I get published?” you finally question atrepparttar 129064 end ofrepparttar 129065 e-mail.

At times, I ask myselfrepparttar 129066 same question.

Is this mission impossible? To many, it seems that way. If you stick with me, I’ll makerepparttar 129067 publishing process slightly simpler.

On this mission, you’ll need three things: Goals, Guidance, and Persistence.

An unmentioned New York City college (as well as other schools, I’m sure) offered a course on “How to Get Published”. Various bigwigs from major publishing houses in New York City were guest speakers on many occasions.

A writer-friend of mine felt it would be a great opportunity to network and finally understand how to get her works published in magazines, and various books. I was hesitant, and suspicious ofrepparttar 129068 course’s objectives, so I didn’t followrepparttar 129069 friend’s lead. I was far from disappointed about my decision. You’ll soon discover why.

Getting published isn’t as hard as you think. But, when you’re a beginning writer getting published seems as difficult as James Bond jet-skiing alongrepparttar 129070 River Thames with five barges heading his way.

As a beginning writer, I feel,repparttar 129071 main priority should be getting your name out there inrepparttar 129072 public’s eye. Understand that, at times, you’ll have to acceptrepparttar 129073 free issues instead of cash payment. Before you consider publishing though, you should reassure yourself a rejection slip won’t lower your self-esteem and cause you to never pick up a pen, or stroke another key at your keyboard. Hey, trust me, rejections happen to everyone! Here are a few suggestions to better your chances of getting published:

Write, Write, Write. This isrepparttar 129074 obvious one. You need to write allrepparttar 129075 time. Too many writers say, “I have a novel about . . .” Andrepparttar 129076 novel sounds spectacular. But, when I ask if I can read it, offer suggestions,repparttar 129077 writers finally admit, “Oh . . . I haven’t started on it . . . Butrepparttar 129078 title of it is . . .” I despise working with an enthusiastic, talented writer who simply won’t write. Don’t waste your breath! Whatever you do—write your work first, and then speak about it so you won’t look/feel like a fool.

Edit, Edit, Edit. If you feel your work is perfect (or as good as you can make it), keep in mind—nothing is perfect! That’s what editors are for! If you are a college student, ask a professor to read it at his/her leisure. If you’re already inrepparttar 129079 workforce, ask a well-read co-worker to edit it. Or, since you’ve some extra cash to spare, hire an editor. Many places, like OutStretch Publications, for instance, offer extremely reasonable prices for editing/proofing services.

The Three Cs of Writing an Excellent all Purpose Headline

Written by Steven Boaze


Sincerepparttar headline isrepparttar 129058 first contact your readers have with your message, it must reach out to them. Promise them a benefit. Tell them how they will be better off if they readrepparttar 129059 rest ofrepparttar 129060 ad. Use action verbs. Save ten dollars is a stronger heading than Savings of ten dollars because ofrepparttar 129061 verb.

Headlines can be classified intorepparttar 129062 following five basic types; effective headlines frequently combine two or more of these kinds.

News Headlines

This form tellsrepparttar 129063 reader something he or she did not know before. Usingrepparttar 129064 word news does not make it a news headline. "Now - a copy machine that copies in color" is an example of this type headline.

Advice and Promise Headline

Here you are promising something ifrepparttar 129065 reader followsrepparttar 129066 advice in your ad. "Switch to Amoco premium, no-lead gasoline, and your car will stop pinging."

Selective Headline

This headline limitsrepparttar 129067 audience to a specific group. For example: "To all gray-haired men over forty." Caution! Be absolutely sure you do not eliminate potential customers with this type of headline.

Curiosity Headline

The intent here is to arouserepparttar 129068 reader's interest enough to make him or her readrepparttar 129069 ad. The danger is that this headline often appears "cute" or "clever" and fails in its mission. An example: "Do you have trouble going to sleep at night?"

Command or Demand Headline

Watch out for this one as most people resist pushiness, especially in advertising. "Do it now!" or "Buy this today!" This headline generally can be improved by changing to less obtrusive wording such as: "Call for your key to success!"

One common misconception about headlines is that they must be short and easy to understand. This is not always true. Here is a headline that was used extensively in print ads by Ogilvy and Mather for one of their clients: At 60 miles an hour,repparttar 129070 loudest noise in this Rolls-Royce comes fromrepparttar 129071 electric clock.

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