Welcome to this first issue of Writing Success

Do you hate your job?
Ever thought of becoming a
full-time, self-employed,
professional writer?

If so, it's your lucky month!  I'll be giving a free teleseminar entitled
 "Do You Have What it Takes to Be
A Professional Writer?"
on Thursday, December 27, 2007 at
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.  The ever-fabulous  Caryn Day-Suarez from Promoting Outstanding Writers will be interviewing me during the session.  We'll cover:

  • How to determine if a writing career is right for you

  • Types of writing you can do for money

  • Six things you'll need to do to establish your writing business

  • How to get started on marketing your writing business and finding clients

Sound interesting?  Great!  Just click here to get signed up for the call.  Your only cost is the long-distance minutes, and with so many VOIP phone services available now that offer unlimited free long distance, that's not the issue it once was.  What's more, if you have any unused minutes on your cell phone, investing in your future dream career is a great way to use them!

So join us as we explore what's involved in being a professional writer and see if it's the career for you!

"Life is too short to keep
hitting the 'Snooze' button
on your dreams."

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Is it December already?  Where has the year gone?!

November just seemed to fly by this year.  That's when Americans traditionally give thanks for the many blessings we've received throughout the year.  It's always humbling to stop and think about the people who have helped us achieve our goals and the spiritual guidance that has brought us to where we are today.  All too often, we forget to say, "Thanks."

What are you thankful for?  That likely depends on your own vision of success and what it means to you.  For some it's financial wealth, for others it's a question of time or lifestyle.  Some people measure their success in the ways they can help others achieve their own successes.  And why limit our thankfulness to Thanksgiving?  We should continue to be thankful for our blessings throughout the year.

Whatever it is you're seeking, it's my sincere holiday wish that you are able to use all the resources you have to achieve it.  Hopefully, one of them will be the information you get in this e-newsletter.

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Where Will Your Next New Client Find You?

If you haven't been exploring how to market your business online, you're missing out on a lot of impressions you could be leaving with potential customers.  Which of these tools are you using to put your best foot forward to potential clients?

  • Website
  • Blogging
  • E-mail marketing
  • Business networking sites
  • Social networking sites
  • Podcasting
  • RSS or Atom Feeds
  • User-generated content
  • Viral marketing
  • Virtual communities

If you're not using at least some of these, you're missing out on a lot of business!  But which ones return the best results?  Having a website in today's marketplace is a given.  It's your first step into the global marketplace.  If you don't have one already, get one as soon as you can.

Book marketing coach Judy Cullen swears by article marketing, saying it's generated thousands of dollars per month in sales of her coaching services and books.  Many are finding that blogging is drawing additional visitors to their websites.  I must be on at least two dozen lists for e-newsletters like this one, and find a lot of useful information in them.  They've also sometimes spurred me to buy something from their originators.

Each method of online marketing has its fans, along with its pros and cons.  Start with a website, and try one of the other above methods along with it to drive traffic to your site.  You'll be amazed at the results!

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Mini Lesson:
When to Use Commas

The most frequent notes I make when editing manuscripts for authors seem to involve commas.  Often taken for granted, commas have also fallen out of favor with some editors who think they're just taking up space.  But they actually serve a very useful purpose.

Each comma represents a slight pause in the cadence of the narrative, like someone taking a little breath while speaking.  A comma's placement also helps make your meaning clear to your readers by showing them which words go together. 

Here are the four main situations in which you should use a comma when writing prose:

  • to separate the elements of a series of items or adjectives: 

    • Sally went shopping for shoes, scarves, hats, and handbags.

    • We gathered input from Marketing, Finance, and Engineering.

    • The woman was wearing a plain, worn-out, ragged dress.

  • to separate clauses of a compound sentence, usually before conjunctions like and, but, or, nor, yet, so, & for: 

    • I like you, but not in that way.

    • Everything seemed normal, yet she still felt ill at ease.

    • Let's pack tonight, so we don't have to do it in the morning.

  • after an introductory word or phrase: 

    • Afterward, we went home. 

    • When you have finished the test, put your pencil down.

    • Besides, he's the company president.

  • to separate a name or other type of "aside" phrase or qualifying remark from the rest of a sentence:

    • John and his sister, Elise, will be joining us on vacation this year.

    • Mike was sent to the principal's office, where he'd been sent many times before, after the fight in the playground.

    • Harold feels the need to report every incident of his day, however insignificant, during dinner.

  • to link an added-on phrase or afterthought:

    • It's too expensive, plain and simple.

    • She moved on to another job, having completed everything she'd set out to do here.

    • I want to go, too.

Commas are also used to separate clauses of long, complicated sentences, breaking them up into more easily digested sections for readers.  But be careful when using commas.  Too many of them, and you can start to suffer from "comma overload."  (Imagine the halting way Captain Kirk used to speak on Star Trek.)  And as British author Lynne Truss pointed out in her best seller, Eats, Shoots & Leaves, incorrect placement or omission of commas can convey to readers a completely different meaning than you intended.

When used properly, the humble comma can be a writer's friend.  Misused, it's like an unwelcome speed bump on the highway of your prose.

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Marketing Misc.

Everything in the marketing arena seems to be moving online.  TV networks are no exception.  The four major TV networks - ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox - will reportedly make an estimated $120 million from advertising on free web streams of their programming.  Advertisers are buying online because of higher recall rates than with the broadcast versions of programming.  The industry overall will likely make $1.3 billion from online ad sales on its content in 2007.  Is it any wonder the writers who created that content want a piece of the profits being made on their work?

If you love your Wall Street Journal, but hate paying a fee to subscribe to its online version, your worries may soon be over!  New owner Rupert Murdoch has announced that, in a move to expand the number of subscribers, he's exploring making the online version of the WSJ free!  No decision had been made as of this writing, but at least it's a possibility.  The New York Times has already made such a move, and has made its archives free, as well.  How are these online versions of the old print standards making a profit?  Just like the TV networks, through advertising sales -- and a larger audience makes ads more valuable.

Also migrating ever more to its virtual edition is venerable industry publication Advertising Age.  Instead of publishing 49 print issues in 2008, it will cut back to only 36.  The publication's website, Adweek.com, is also expanding to include Nielsen data, which will not be offered in the print version.  With both ad revenues and subscriptions declining and more of its audience surfing the web, the move makes sense, both economically and from a marketing perspective.

Have you heard those ads that play while you're at the gas pump?  Research indicates that most people buy gas around once a week, spending 4-6 minutes doing so each time.  That's a captive audience that's ideal for some types of marketers.  The most obvious ones are the convenience stores attached to the gas stations, but one Connecticut company is now marketing ads to other businesses that want to reach fuel buyers.  For $200 a month per station, advertisers get a one- minute ad per hour to entice people to visit their nearby business.  What will these innovative marketers come up with next in the way of new media?

 

This Month in
A Professional Writer's
Ladder to Success:

If you've been working through the series, you'll already be working with your first clients!  The most recently released rungs will help you grow in the right direction. If you haven't yet become a subscriber, you can still get all the previously-released rungs and start climbing that ladder now!

Perhaps you have an aspiring writer on your gift list this Christmas...what better gift than the tools needed to make those dreams come true?  Give a subscription, a package, or an individual rung to all your beloved creative types.

Now's also the time to lock in the unbelievably low subscription price, as it's going up on January 1!  Never again will you be able to get this valuable series for such a rock-bottom price.


 Rung 8: 
Virtual Partnerships: Forging alliances with other creative professionals

This rung is a sure stress-reliever!  If you're running yourself ragged trying to get everything done in your writing business, this e-book will help you find support.  It covers:

  • how you can benefit from virtual partnerships
  • ideas for potential partners
  • pricing, billing & workflow in virtual teams
  • co-marketing your services
  • legal considerations

You'll hear first-hand stories from writers who have successfully formed virtual partnerships and get the tools you need to start building your own virtual team.  It'll become a valuable reference for you as your business grows beyond the amount of work you can handle on your own.  This rung will be released in mid-December.

Special Grouping: 
Writing Business Exploration Package

Are you unsure whether the writing life is for you?  Find out in this package, which includes rungs 1 and 2 of A Professional Writer's Ladder to Success!  "Planning for Self Employment" will help you see if you're suited to being a solo entrepreneur, while "Learning the Writing Industry" lets you explore the various opportunities available to you as a professional writer.  If you decide to subscribe to the remainder of the series, there's even a special discount coupon included so you can get a discount on the subscription price!

Coming Up Next -
Rung 9: Financial Issues for Writers
Rung 10: Legal Issues for Writers and
Rung 11:  Branding Your Writing Business

At any price, this series contains some of the most valuable information you can get for operating your writing business.  Comparable training packages sell for hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars!

Many, many more exciting titles are coming throughout this year and next, guiding you up that ladder to success as a professional writer. To get every rung delivered to you twice a month, as they're released, subscribe to the series.  If you only need help in a specific area, you can also purchase individual rungs.  Rates are listed below.

Climb aboard
A Professional Writer's
Ladder to Success
today!

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A few years ago, there was a commercial that poked fun at today's political correctness by wishing people a "Happy Chrismahanukwanzaakkah!" 
It made me laugh every time I saw it!  In everyone's fervor to avoid offending anyone, they too often water down their messages or create meaningless fluff...like made-up words for holidays that don't exist.

As we move through the frenzy of the Hanukkah, Advent and Christmas holiday seasons, I want to thank you for your interest in language, in constantly seeking success, and in Thompson Writing & Editing.  And, yes, to wish you a Merry Christmas.  For those of other faiths, I hope you'll accept that greeting in the loving spirit in which it was intended.

We'll talk again next month...if not before!
 

Lynn Maria Thompson
Thompson Writing & Editing, Inc.

Click here to visit the Thompson Writing & Editing website.

Click here to read past issues of Writing Success!

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