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Click on the graphic above to watch a short interview with Lynn about her business and this series.

A Professional Writer's Ladder to Success^TM
 

Everybody wants to be a writer.  At least, that's what they say when I tell them what I do for a living.  "Oh, wow, I've always thought that would be a great life!"

Being a writer really is a great life, but the image most people have in their minds is one of a writer who's already successful:  a big, oceanfront house and a stylish pied à terre in Manhattan, a spiffy little roadster to drive between the two, a publisher eager to receive the manuscript for your next best-seller, lots of free time in between writing assignments to fall in love, solve mysteries, travel, etc.  Before you get to that point, there's a lot of hard work to be done in climbing the ladder to success.  What does it take to achieve success as a professional writer?

That's where my new series of lessons, A Professional Writer's Ladder to Success, will help you.  Each lesson covers another "rung" in the ladder to success as a professional writer.  Worksheets and exercises included with each rung will help you build your own Ladder to Success Action Plan.  For those who subscribe to the entire series, there are also occasional audio components and other free bonuses.

You won't find this level of detail for such a low price in any other writer's training package on the market!  Says one subscriber:  “You have really done your homework for these e-books.  They are simple, easy to read.  I particularly like that your e-books are not the end of the information you provide due to all of the websites you provide in each area.  Your e-book is just the tip of the iceberg.  You are very thorough.”  Courses focusing on one single aspect of a writing career often cost hundreds of dollars, and leave you with many unanswered questions about other aspects of the business.  This series covers it all.

You don't need any type of special e-book reader to view these e-books.  Each package consists of a Zip file that includes a PDF version of the book that can be read with the free downloadable Adobe Acrobat Reader, along with Excel spreadsheet files of the worksheets that go with that rung.  You can read each book on your computer monitor or print it on your own printer, using regular letter-size paper.  The Excel worksheets are designed to be completed on your computer, then printed to add to your Ladder to Success Action Plan notebook for later reference.  And here's another big plus for writers:  if numbers are involved, they'll perform any necessary calculations for you, automatically!

There are several ways you can get this valuable series:
The best value per rung is to subscribe to the entire series for a one-time fee of $398.  This lets you get started on the first two rungs of the series, and you'll automatically receive subsequent rungs on the 1st and the 15th of each month until the series is complete.  You'll also get Excel versions of the worksheets in each rung and a cover sheet for your Ladder to Success Action Plan notebook.  If additional rungs are added later, you won't pay anything extra for them!  Click here for details on ordering this option.

If you don't want to lay out that amount of money at one time (I know that many writers operate on a limited budget), you can also subscribe on the installment plan.  Your card will be charged when you order, then charged 19 additional automatic payments of $23.90 per month.  You'll download the first rung immediately, then receive subsequent rungs on the 1st and the 15th of each month until the series is complete.  Your total amount for this option is a little higher than for the one-time payment, coming in at $478.  Click here for details on ordering this option.

If you only need help on specific aspects of your writing business, you can also purchase individual rungs of the series for $19.95 each.  They are described below, with links to purchase each.  Those not already issued can be pre-ordered now, and will be delivered automatically to you when they're released.  There are also packages available containing only certain rungs of the series; you'll see the info on them below.

I hope you'll join me on A Professional Writer's Ladder to Success!

Rung 1: Planning for Self Employment: Building a writing business from the ground up
is now available!
In it, you'll learn:

You'll also receive worksheets to help you define your vision of success and plan for business and personal expenses during your first year of business.  This is specific, real-world information you can put to use immediately!  Now available!  Click here to order.  The exclusive distributor for this series is The POW! Store, so it's not available in any other bookstores, online or brick-and-mortar.

Rung 2: Learning the Writing Industry: Is it one you really want to join?
is now available.

In this rung, you'll learn about:

Interviews with industry experts and a list of book fairs and expos around the world add to this rung's value.  Don't miss it!

The Writing Business Exploration Package is now available.
Not sure if a writing career is right for you?  This package will help you find out.  It includes Rungs 1 and 2 of the series in one package for a lower per-rung price than buying each individually.  You'll be guided through defining your image of "success", determine your career and personality preferences, find out how much money it will take to start your writing business, and explore the writing industry to see if it's right for you.  This package even includes a discount coupon for a subscription to the rest of the series, if you decide to do so.  You can't lose!

Rung 3: Polishing Your Writing Skills: Your writer's toolkit
is now available.

In this rung, you'll get a review of basic grammar, a rundown of different styles of writing you'll need for different purposes, some direction on where you can go to improve your writing skills, recommendations on reference material for both grammar and research, suggestions on how you can get your feet wet while improving your skills, and over 200 exercises to help you brush up your skills!  There's also a chapter just for fun, showing examples of clever writing you'll find amusing.

Rung 4: Writing a Business Plan: Your blueprint for success
is now available.

This rung walks you through the process of writing a business plan. You'll learn:

You'll also get a Customer Recruitment Sheet to help you identify potential clients, Cost-Gathering Sheets for your office necessities, a sample plan for a hypothetical writing business, and a questionnaire to help you get started on your own business plan. This book is an essential tool for any writer who's serious about making a living at this!

Rung 5: Establishing Your Writing Business: Preparing to open your doors
is now available.

You’ve done your research and planning, and now it’s time to actually establish your business entity! Rung 5 walks you through the decisions you need to make now and the steps you should take to properly set up your writing business. You’ll learn about:

There are also more worksheets in this rung to add to your Ladder to Success Action Plan. It’s an exciting time, and this e-book will hold your hand through it all!

The Writing Business Startup Package is now available.
If you'd like to buy only the first five rungs of the ladder series to help you get started, they're also available in a package of one e-book!  The complete text and worksheets for books 1-5 are all in this one package for a lower per-rung price than buying them each individually.  Subscribing to the entire series is still the best per-rung value of all, so if you buy this package and decide after completing it that you'd like to subscribe to the rest of the series, you'll get a special discount coupon for doing so.

Rung 6: A Writer's Professional Ethics: Keeping your integrity intact
is now available.

Operating by a code of ethics has numerous benefits for professional writers.  This brief-but-powerful book pulls information from many sources, adds to it and puts the whole thing into one convenient reference guide.  It covers:

You’ll even get worksheets to help you make tough decisions and a list of online sources of additional ethics information.  This is a rung you won’t want to miss!  It's a valuable reference guide for any writer, new or established.

  Rung 7: Finding Your Niche: How specialization can improve your bottom line
is now available!

Did you ever think that you could make more money by actually excluding some types of clients from your potential market?  You may be surprised how well some writers have done, by doing just that!  This rung will teach you how.  It covers:

You’ll also get valuable tools like market segmentation and customer interview worksheets.

Rung 8: Virtual Partnerships: Forging alliances with other creative professionals
is now available!
You're probably figuring out by now that you're not going to be able to build a successful writing business all by yourself.  This rung will teach you how to form virtual partnerships with other writers, graphic designers, photographers, printers, and others that can help you all get business you couldn't otherwise handle on your own.  You'll also learn about building a virtual support staff to help take pressure off you and free your time for revenue-producing activities!  Worksheets are included to help you assess potential team members, along with an expense voucher worksheet that will come in handy in many ways.

If you're serious about pursuing a career as a full-time professional writer, this series is for you!  You can subscribe to the entire series to receive each lesson automatically twice a month, or purchase individual lessons that address subjects of particular interest to you.  Click here to let me know what you'd like to learn, or to share a success story that might help other writers.  If your story is included in the series, I'll give you full credit for your contribution and provide a link to your company's website.  Yep, that's free publicity, just for sharing your ideas and stories!

If you're not certain about your plans to actually become a professional writer, or you're just interested in the latest news about grammar, the writing business, and using writing to market your products or services, you may be more interested in subscribing to my free e-newsletter, Writing Success.  It debuted in summer, 2007, filled with tips, industry news, and humorous looks at grammatical errors that have made it into print.  Special contests and offers are also extended to e-newsletter subscribers from time to time.

Here's a complete list of other upcoming rungs in A Professional Writer's Ladder to Success:

Coming in 2008:

Rung 9:  Financial Issues for Writers: Staying out of the red

Rung 10:  Legal Issues for Writers: Protecting your livelihood 

Rung 11:  Branding Your Writing Business: Establishing your professional identity 

Rung 12:  The Marketing Plan: Your roadmap to success 

Rung 13:  Personal Selling for Writers: Turning your contacts into clients 

Rung 14:  Book Publishing Options: My, how the industry has changed!

Rung 15:  Polishing Your Image: Putting your best foot forward 

Rung 16:  Publicity for Writers: How not to be a shrinking violet 

Rung 17:  Polishing Your Speaking Skills: Overcoming America's #1 fear

Rung 18:  Networking for Writers: Socializing for fun and profit 

Rung 19:  Giving Back to the Community: The many rewards of volunteerism 

Rung 20:  They're Out There!: Mistakes and lessons on dealing with the unscrupulous

Rung 21:  Crafting an Immortal First Novel: THE guide for fiction writers 

Rung 22:  Government Contracting for Writers: Navigating the bureaucracy of this potentially lucrative market 

Rung 23:  Article Writing: What's in it for you? 

Rung 24:  Copywriting: What's in it for you?

Rung 25:  Communications Writing: What's in it for you?

Rung 26:  Technical Writing: What's in it for you?

Rung 27:  Ghostwriting: What's in it for you?

Rung 28:  Book Writing: What's in it for you?

Rung 29:  Editing: Another revenue stream for writers

Rung 30:  Awards: Improving your credentials

Rung 31:  Expanding Your Writing Business: Is it time to take the next step?

Coming in 2009:

Rung 32:  Finding Balance: A writer's guide to juggling work and everything else in life

Rung 33:  Naming Your Characters: An author's guide to names by meaning 

Rung 34:  Screenwriting & Playwriting: Bringing your words to life

Rung 35:  Grantwriting: What's in it for you?

Rung 36:  Managing Success: Investing in your future 

Rung 37:  Poetry and Songwriting: What's in it for you? 

Rung 38:  Planning for the Unforeseen: Continuing your writing business in the face of disaster

Rung 39: Information Technology for Writers: What you need to know about computers

Rung 40:  Index, Resources and Q&A: Your guide to the entire series

Make sure you get every one by subscribing today!