Using The Right PDAWritten by Catherine Franz
When we think of writing it triggers many thoughts and visions depending on our framing. It could trigger a lone man with a full astray, unshaven, staring at an old plunking typewriter with white blank crisp paper waiting in anticipation for his words.If a mother or younger, it could conjure up an image of a 30-something woman typing away on a keyboard with an apron on, in between making formulas or getting ready for work, still dark outside. Pounding on keys because flow is there, just as light from window begins to change, trying to get as much onto page before kids need her attention. If you grew up in a Catholic school in 50s, writing could mean perfect penmanship and a rap on knuckles if you didn't. The times have changed, thank goodness, and now children grow up with memories of learning to cluster and freewrite. To allow whatever needs to flow appear onto page. There are more books than ever on creativity, and how to play and embrace craft new everyday. It is a freeing time for writers.
| | Seven Secrets to Writing a Book that SellsWritten by Penny C. Sansevieri
It's one thing to write a book, it's an entirely different thing to write one that's a saleable, viable, marketable product. Ensuring success of a book is something even biggest publishers have never been able to guarantee. Mitigating circumstances, flash trends, and world events will all affect buyer preferences. That said, there are still ways to leverage sales-factor in your favor and here's how you do it. 1. Know your readers. We're not just talking about whether your readers are male or female. You'll want to know myriad factors about your audience. How old are your readers (age range)? Are readers married, single, or divorced? Where do your readers reader live (generally)? What do your readers do for a living? What other books/publications do they read? Develop a profile that includes where they shop, what clubs do they belong to, etc. These elements will help you incorporate these aspects into your book *and* help you unearth salient marketing opportunities (i.e., publications and stores). 2. Know your market. What's market like for your book? Is there a trend out there you're positioning yourself towards. Are you reading all publications related to this topic rend? Are there any "holes" out there your book could fill? What's future for this market opic? For example, let's say you're a fiction writer looking to publish chick lit. Go to any bookstore and you can't help but spot cutsie, pink, cartoonish covers. Many thought this trend was dying out, but it has recently seen another surge. What do you know about trends related to your book opic/audience? 3. Similar books. What else has been published on your topic? Have you read all ten books in your category? If you haven't, you should. You'll want to know everything you can about what's out there and how it's being perceived in marketplace. It's never a problem having a similar topic. When I published No More Rejections - Get Published Today, I knew there were other books out there on marketing. I read them all--then angled my book differently. 4. Getting and staying current. What's going on in your industry today? What are some hot buttons? What are people looking for? What's next on horizon for this topic/audience? If you can't seem to gather this information through traditional channels, why not survey your target audience? There are a number of places to run free surveys, Survey Monkey is one of them: http://www.surveymonkey.com
|
