From the daily archives: Friday, January 15, 2010
Can Quick Grammar Guide & Checker solve our grammar writing problems once and for all? English writing is one of the most important forms of communication today, it is necessary to maintain it correct and professional. Let’s take a look and see how recent technological improvements can help us on improving our writing skills.
Quick introduction
What is Quick Grammar Guide & Checker all about? Well, it is one of these innovative solutions that technology keeps bringing in order to make our life easier – in our case it is about fixing our English writing. By simulating the human mind, this technology analyzes your writing by comparing it to a dynamic large database that contains proper variations of your text. Sophisticated language processing solutions usually offer the following: editing and proofreading, checking on spelling and typos, and most importantly – analyzing our grammar writing.
Important benefits
We can easily find several important advantages while using this technology:
* Significantly enhancing the capabilities of our existing text editors.
* Improving our self confidence with our writing.
* Improving the image we want to project through our writing.
Extra research on this solution would probably bring up additional benefits that aren’t mentioned here, as this important webmarketing technique keeps changing, bringing us fresh solutions that help us on improving our English writing and editing skills.
Quick summary
If we summarize the main benefit provided by this powerful Quick Grammar Guide & Checker – it is helping us on identifying possible writing errors before we deliver or publish our writing assignments. Everyone agrees that it cannot completely eliminate our writing problems; however, it can significantly help us on improving our writing skills. Undoubtedly we can expect this exciting technology to further develop itself, for one simple reason: writing is one of the most important tools that help us achieving many of our goals.
Author: Gil Lavitov
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rates
It seems many people have some sort of an online project they are working on in some line of expertise. Then they need content which most likely they want for free and do not wish to pay for. Cheap bastards indeed, yet they get writers to sign up and help them out; but why would someone do this? Well because they use psychological recruitment techniques and you have to watch out for these. What are they you ask?
Well, they try things like this; We are looking for a few Charter Members for this very important project and we picked you due to your writing ability. Well this is poppycock if I ever heard it as there are so many authors why do they need you? The truth is that they dont, they sent the same email letter of BS to many authors in fact. In fact this is not their only special project, as they might have ten or more involved. Such utter crap I tell you, it sure makes me angry when they try to pull a fast one over on me. And it has happened so many times that it so obvious. Someone should shoot these scam artist whores (opinion).
Another technique they use is to promise you links, exposure and all sorts of other incentives; so what? Are you such a hard up writer that you need a better way to promote yourself by signing up with every Tom, Dick or Harry who offers you exposure in trade for working for free? No wonder you are broke and you deserve to stay that way too. Additionally if you are so depressed that you need someone to tell you that you are great so bad that you are willing to let them manipulate you into working for free then you are hopeless and I do not even know why you bothered to read this little bit of wisdom. Consider all this in 2006.
Author: Lance Winslow
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: US Dollar credit card
If youve read any of my work before, you probably know that I’ve been in publishing since 1987, have been a freelancer since 1993 and ran an editorial staffing agency in New York City from 1996 through 2004.
Some lessons Ive learned from this crazy journey are as follows:
1. Staying abreast of technology is crucial: Back in 1998, I was pushed to get a website for my company because clients and candidates were asking questions like, Can I apply online? Can I download the contract from your site? Can I post a job to your website?
Well, as we didnt even have a website, I would embarrassingly say no. The loud silence, especially from clients, on the other end of the phone line got to be too much.
Going through the process of getting a website taught me the value of staying on top of technology. I learned that while I dont need to be a hard-nosed techie, to stay competitive, I had to know enough to be able to stay competitive. This meant not only getting a site, but learning how to update it myself.
One of the wonderful things about technology is that new tools are constantly being developed for those of us who are NOT tech-savvy, eg, FrontPage software for building websites, autoresponder software, listserv software for building mailing lists, etc.
2. Writing is a skill: Obviously, you mutter. However, many writers dont treat their craft like it. I single out writers because, in my experience, proofreaders, copy editors, indexers, editors, graphic designers, illustrators, etc. all seem to see intrinsic value and take pride in their work.
Many writers take their craft for granted. Maybe its because society views writing as just words on paper. After all, once you know your ABCs, you can write, right? Well, editorial professionals know better than anyone that this is not so.
One thing I advise all professional writers to do to combat this lackadaisical attitude is to treat their writing like a business skill. Just like being a professional coder, artist or web designer when you put yourself out there, market and treat your skill like the highly valued commodity it is.
Let it be reflected in your perfectly prepared marketing materials eg, your website, brochure, postcard, etc. Also, when you speak with potential clients, be sure to use a professional tone. No one is going to believe that you write professionally if you dont talk like it as well.
3. Freelancing full-time is not hard: Its not easy, to be sure. But, building a successful, full-time freelance career is not terribly difficult, if:
a. You have experience within your discipline. Most successful freelancers Ive encountered have worked full-time within their discipline at some point.
b. You are willing to work fulltime and freelance on the side for a period of time. Many freelancers leave their jobs once they got too burned out doing both, or secure a big project that allows them to make the leap.
c. You plan for it. Some freelancers (the most successful ones I might add) are more calculating about their careers.
What I mean by this is that they plan a year or two out knowing that they are going to leave their jobs. So, they save 6 months or a years expenses, pay off credit card bills, buy equipment while working full-time, etc.; then, they make the leap.
The ones I know who followed this path are, not surprisingly, the most successful meaning, they have gone on to hire employees. A few even opened offices and became official businesses because their client load demanded it.
Can you build a freelance business if you dont have these three things? Absolutely! However, it is even more critical that you devise a plan of how youre going to go about it. Having experience and industry contacts makes it easier, but the web makes it easier than ever today to start a freelance business.
4. Marketing is a skill that must be developed: When most freelancers start out, they may have two or three clients who keep them pretty busy. BUT, the day comes when the projects dry up (it always happens) and you have to scrounge for business.
Its at this point that many panic and start looking for a full-time job again. When I was recruiting, I received more than a few panicked calls, eg, I have to find something — quick!
Invariably, I was unable to help them (see Point #5 below). It usually was a moot point though because within a month or so, some project would come along and they would no longer be interested or available for a full-time job.
It was during this time that I got interested in the whole topic of freelancing as a business. Most freelancers focus on their craft and not the business of freelancing. However, as I preach ad nauseam on InkwellEditorial.com, to be successful as a freelancer, you must, must, must learn how to market if you want a full-time, sustainable career as a freelancer.
5. Employers dont like to hire freelancers for full-time jobs: It was my experience when I was recruiting that if you freelanced full-time for a year or more, employers were very hesitant to hire you as a full-time employee. Why?
Because most think that you are only seeking full-time work because you have hit a rough patch financially. Logically, it just makes sense. I mean, who gives up a successful freelance career to go back to the 9-5 grindstone? Most employers figured that as soon as the next big project came along, their new hire would be out the door.
I have seen it happen on many occasions so much so that when I was recruiting, I would screen out those with a significant freelance history because the chances that they would leave was just too great.
I once lost a $6,000 placement fee because the employee quit 10 days before the 90-day guarantee. [Most recruiting firms give employers a 60 or 90-day guarantee that the employee will stay put for at least this amount of time, or they dont have to pay.]
6. You cant change your rates every year: Charge enough that you dont have to change your rate for three years. I know some make take umbrage with this, but Ive found editorial (eg, writing, copy editing, proofreading, indexing, editing, etc.) to be a very static industry. It is not one where you can raise rates yearly.
Some of the companies I freelanced for back in 1993 still pay the same rates today Im not kidding! So, I advise all freelancers who are just starting out to start out charging enough so that they dont have to change their rates for three years.
Its been my experience that after this period, you can increase rates without worrying about losing even one of your clients. Putting forth the argument of, we havent raised rates in three years somehow seems to make it fair for them.
Working on this time schedule, I dont ever remember losing a client. I think its a combination of clients being comfortable with your work and them thinking, after three years, an increase is only fair.
7. You must develop a niche: Ive known a few freelancers who did several things successfully (eg, designed websites and wrote the copy for them), but this was the exception, not the norm.
Most successful freelancers niche it. What I mean is, they develop a niche and stick to it. In my opinion, it is far easier to become successful like this than being a generalist.
Trust me, those sites where you see freelancers touting that they do everything from writing to web design to illustration are not making that much money, or they are farming the work out to other freelancers.
Most clients like to know that they are getting a knowledgeable professional who has a history and body of work within the discipline they are being hired for. If it is a pharmaceutical company, they want a writer who has done this type of writing before.
So, develop a niche and market the hell out of it!
8. Patience is a virtue: Even after all of my years in the industry, Im amazed by how difficult it can be to be patient while I grow my business. I have lists and lists of ideas that I want to implement and there just never seems to be enough time.
This is easily a career where you can work nonstop all the time. An idea for an article pops in your head and instead of jotting down the idea, you find yourself writing the whole article; you go online to do some research, and before you know it you have spent two hours surfing the net on an unrelated matter; you log on to check email, and in an instant, you find yourself redesigning a section of your website; the list is endless.
This is an issue I still struggle with; although, I have gotten better about stopping. So, instead of browsing for 2 hours, it might be 30 minutes before I literally make myself stop and go back to my original task.
The best advice I can give to stop this kind of behavior is to think of your long-range goals and ask yourself if what youre doing this very minute is getting you closer to them. If not, stop and get back on track.
9. Retirement is not planned for: I can count the number of times on one hand that Ive had conversations with freelancers about retirement. Most small business owners (and thats what freelancing is, small business ownership) have an exit strategy, or a day where they envision doing something else.
For some reason, editorial and creative freelancers dont think this way. Well, while you may be able to write or design websites from anywhere at any age, whos to say youre going to want to when youre 70?
In my quest to get freelancers to think of themselves as businesses, one of the things I wish more would do is plan for retirement. This includes looking into 401K plans, buying investment real estate, building a sellable business, etc.
Again, just because you might be capable of churning out material long past retirement age does not mean that you are going to want to. So, plan for the day when you wont have to.
10. Longevity pays: The longer you freelance, the easier it gets. My business mentor said to me once, when you first start out, you are just greasing the pipes. After two or three years, clients will not be quite so hard to come by.
Its just like search engine positioning — the longer your site is on the web, the more frequently it is spidered by search engine bots, the more results it shows up in, the more popular it is, more people find it and voila! you have a popular site.
If you are constantly marketing and networking, eventually, it will seem effortless and referrals will flow in. Thats because you build traction just by being around. Many freelancers dont hang in there long enough to get this type of seamless recognition.
In conclusion, freelancing is a wonderful career — if, like anything other venture you enter, you take it seriously enough to work it like a business.
Author: Yuwanda Black
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Credit card currency-exchange fees
If you’ve been writing for any amount of time now I know you’ve either been told or have read/heard that your writing should reflect the same tone with which you speak. Do you fully understand what this means? If so, do you write like you speak? Is your writing real?
I think a lot of times we get too wrapped up in trying to sound perfect on the page. I’ve struggled a lot with this by…
- using “fancy” words instead of plain English
- cramming three (or more–YIKES!) sentences into a single sentence
- speaking in generalities
When this happens, my piece usually ends up feeling stiff and cold. I’ve received more positive feedback when I write from my heart and forget about trying to form perfect sentences.
I’m not telling you to write junk and play it off as something great. What I am telling you to do is practice writing like you speak. Here are some tips to help you work out the kinks in your writing…
TIP #1: Use a voice recorder.
This exercise doesn’t require anything fancy. If you have a plain old cassette tape recorder, that will do just fine. Schedule some time this week to recording articles. Instead of writing, you’re going to speak them into the recorder.
At first you’ll probably feel a little weird. That’s why I suggest you do this while there’s nobody else in the room with you. The sound of your own voice might be a little strange in the beginning.
You might begin by reading an article or two aloud that you’ve already written. This will help you break the ice. After you get comfortable speaking aloud, hit the record button and start talking.
First, state the tentative title of your article. Then give a brief summary of the article, followed by the article itself. If you’re still having a hard time doing this, imagine you’re talking to your best friend, sister, or uncle. What would you tell her about this particular topic? What would you want him to know?
TIP #2: Throw away your thesaurus.
The thesaurus has its place in this world. But it doesn’t belong anywhere near your desk when you’re writing. I hear all the gasps of horror. Sorry!
Just about the only thing a thesaurus is good for is making your writing sound over the top and ridiculous. I know, I know. I’ve used it many times myself.
I’ll concede that there are a few instances when a thesaurus is handy. A necessity? No. What would happen if you had to live without it. How would you figure out what you want to say? You’d talk it through with yourself. You might even call a friend and brainstorm with him. But somehow, you’d figure it out on your own.
That’s what I want you to do now. Figure out how to say what you want to say without prettying it up.
TIP #3: Give specific examples.
When you write an article, depending on the type of article, it is important to give examples. Readers can identify with examples. It brings the point you’re trying to make closer to home.
You can almost always find examples in your own back yard. Take a look at your article and see if you can recall a certain situation that is relatable to the article. Let me show you what I mean…
I wrote an article for the Jackson Parent Magazine about simple ways for Moms to relax. I interviewed several experts, all of whom gave me really great and simple ways moms can relax. When I finished the piece though, it seemed a little flat. I thought for a while about how I could add a tad more depth to the article. I wanted other Moms to be able to relate to me. And then–AHA!
At that very moment, I was stressed out! I had been dealing with a sick baby and lack of sleep, which was making my stress levels rise even more. So I added this to the beginning of the article:
I braced myself as Elijah screamed for the fifth time that day. It was an ear-piercing, I’m-mad-at-you scream; a fit that persisted for over an hour. (Why didn’t someone warn me that the Terrible Two’s for boys is much worse than girls?)My heart pounded in my ears. My breathing quickened and my palms became sweaty. I thought I might faint. Oh great, an anxiety attack in the making.
By adding my personal experience, I immediately connected myself with thousands of other moms in my community who felt just as stressed as I.
TIP #4: Write tight.
If you don’t learn anything else, learn to write tight. But then, I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times, too. Right?
Tight writing is nothing more than cutting away the excess. Making each word count. When you can compose a sentence in which each word stands on its own, you’ve accomplished a great feat.
To put it plain and simple, writing tight means:
- Short sentences
- Short paragraphs
- Short phrases
- Lots of action words
- Focused thoughts
When you write tight, you’ll often find it necessary to cut words. Sometimes you’ll even need to cut entire sentences out of a paragraph–or paragraphs from chapters. When you write tight, you keep it short and sweet. Succinct. Detailed. Action. Focus.
If you’ve been told your writing sounds too cold or stuffy, you can warm it up in no time by putting these simple tips into practice. Don’t worry if you can’t seem to make the switch immediately. These things take time. And remember…practice makes perfect.
Author: Hope Wilbanks
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty
Are you hoping you’ll see your name printed on a prominent newspaper? Well, you can start by knowing exactly how news articles are written. Actually, you don’t need a degree in journalism to know how this really works (although it will surely help). All you need is to read as many relevant resources as possible and notice how renowned journalists are writing their news stories. This will be enough since writing newspaper articles is relatively easy and simple. In fact, they are all written using the same format.
1. Headlines/titles. This is the most important part of your article. You see, when your article is published on one section of the newspaper, it will compete against the other news stories that are also posted on the same page. If you don’t want them to be overshadowed, you need to grab your readers’ attention through your headlines. You can do this by using only powerful words and by making your titles intriguing and benefit-driven.
2. Article body. A normal news article usually contains 3-5 short paragraphs. Your first paragraph is usually the only one that will be read by your audience. So, it’s important that you deliver all the juiciest details on this part. Tell your audience what your story is all about; who did what, where it happened, why it happened, how it happened, and its effects. Your readers must fully understand your story by just reading your first paragraph. You can then use the remaining paragraphs to present supporting details and quotes from the people that you’ve interviewed who are directly involved or knowledgeable in the story that you’re covering.
Author: Sean R Mize
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Excise Tax
When you read a letter from someone, we are immediately transferred into their world, experience, and physical reality. You can capture the same feeling by writing letters to yourself or about other people in your journal. Letter writing is the easiest form to use in journaling. On occasion, you might have already dabbled in writing letters in your journal.
There are three major benefits to journaling with letters. First, the experience helps organize the event more clearly in our mind. Second, letter writing makes it easier to see cause and affect sequences of our actions. Third, because of its intimacy, it loosens up our writing style.
Whether you have or haven’t experienced letter writing previously, here are a few ways you can expand the experience.
Step 1: Compile a list of people who you want to write a letter to. You can do this as a journal entry and mark the page with a post-it note.
Step 2: Select a letter style, purpose, before you begin writing. Since there are various types of letter writing styles, let me present four types that I have found most helpful and have received the most positive feedback in my workshops.
Style 1: Milestone letters. Writing about milestones is about picking an event that changed your life. Whether the milestone was minor one or one that turned you around 360 degrees does not matter. Even the smallest ones have truth to be released. The milestone will have either altered your way of thinking, change your relationship with yourself or others, or even shaken your physical or spiritual being-ness.
By writing about a milestone, you weed through and determine what is important in your life. Additionally, the exercise helps you understand what formed the person you are today and explains what shifted that path.
Style 2: Release letters. Release letters allow you to vent and express your deepest emotions. This style frees buried energy, in turn, allowing you to think and feel through things, rather than keeping it corked. Please note that your experience may not always lead to a resolution, however, it does lead to change. You can’t help but clean house of those leftovers.
Here are a few examples on how you can use release letters.
Example: Have you ever finished a conversation with someone that ruffled your feathers or left you still hearing their words like sounds of chalk going backwards across a blackboard? The conversation tumbles repeatedly in your mind for hours, even days. This is a perfect time to write a release letter. Set a timer for 10 minutes and let it rip across the page.
What you do with the release letter afterwards isn’t important. If you feel comfortable leaving it in your journal, do so. If you prefer to use separate paper and burn it, do so. If you prefer to tear it out of your journal later, do so.
Example: You can use this same exercise to curb over spending. This process came to me years ago when I was an accountant giving advice on how to curb over spending.
Have you ever been in the position of feeling you just "got to buy" something. Let’s say you are watching television and you see something you "got to have." Alternatively, maybe a friend recommends a book and you still have 10 others to read but the recommendation is haunting you. How about seeing something, someone else has that you just "got to have." The urge, just doesn’t want to relinquish its grip even with conscious "fighting it" thoughts. By writing a release letter, you can release this urge at least the majority of the time.
You can also use release letters to move you past the urge to eat something that isn’t on your food plan.
After several release letters you can even see what need is expressing itself and triggering these reactions. Once you identify the trigger, the process need usually subsides. There is no guarantee that this will work all the time; however, you will probably find it provides the release the majority of the time.
Style 3: Wisdom letters. A wisdom letter is writing to your wisdom self. A wisdom letter works well after a release letter because it enables the process of moving on. The experience allows the wisdom transition into learning and usually into a more positive light.
Adding dialogue, either in part or as the whole letter, is an excellent way to enhance the experience. Initials will help you transition between wisdom self to other self.
Style 4: Thank you letters. Since my parents passed, I’m always coming across things I want to thank them for. Even the small things seemed important to share. Now, in hindsight and wisdom, I can see how even the small things rippled through my life. These letters are also a special way for keeping their memory alive.
We both know that an attitude of gratitude is a peaceful place to be and thank you letters is one avenue you can use to be on that path. Our gratitude feelings fuel our spiritual connections with the universe and with all living things. Peacefulness is attractive to others and what we want to manifest in life.
You can also use one of these letter styles to let go of the "wish I had said that instead" thoughts and feelings or to share unfulfilled wishes and dreams that no longer fit but can’t seem to move on.
Letter writing is an excellent way to find closure or complete unfinished business in order to heal or learn. Whether you have or haven’t already been using letter writing in your journal, dedicate a whole week or two to the exercise. You might think that when you finish one letter, there isn’t another reason to write another. Be patient, another will probably appear because you have uncovered what was on top. When you get tired of the exercise, stop, and switch to another technique.
Author: Catherine Franz
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Import duty tariff
Which of these would you hire to join your Technical Writing Dept? Someone with great writing skills but little technical knowledge or, for example, a Computer Science graduate with deep technical knowledge but average writing skills? We’ve been talking about this on LinkedIn and here are some thoughts.
Why Writing Skills Are More Important
- Technical writing is about writing. Words are the foundation upon which the rest is built.
- If you don’t have the writing skills, then regardless of how well you know the application, you can’t explain how it works.
- Your ability to drill down and describe complex functions may be beyond your grasp.
- To resolve this involves arranging sessions & workshops with developers, IT architects etc, all of which cost time/money.
- If writing skills were not necessary, programmers could write the user guides! Ever see a well-written user guide from a 22 year old Java developer? There are exceptions but…
- Technical writing is about communication. Technical writers are trained to interview people and extract the relevant information. Of course, listening skills are not exclusive to technical writers but many (that I know) feel they grasp the importance of this more than others.
- Writing skills give you the tools to communicate – and to help/teach others to communicate.
- One of the trends I see in Tech Comms, is the changing role of the Technical Writer / Technical Communicator into an educator, facilitator, and becoming the central point of contact for technical information distribution (i.e. technical information coordination).
The counter argument is as follows.
Why Technical Skills Are More Important
- Technical knowledge is the starting point. You need to know how the system works, otherwise all the writing skills in the world may be of little use. If you don’t know what it actually does, what can you begin to write?
- Most ‘non-technical’ technical writers (e.g. graduates with English degrees) waste/take up developers’ time asking questions about how the application works, instead of actually generating content. While there is some leeway here with new technologies, developers have their own deadlines and can’t be expected stop coding to explain the innards to the application.
- Those with technical skills can hit the ground running – it’s the responsibility of the Technical Editor to refine the text.
- Those with technical skills know which questions to ask. As they understand the application/industry/codebase they can ask the hard questions that ‘non technical’ writers would not see in the first place.
Which would you hire?
If you were running a technical writing dept, which type of person would you hire?
Author: Ivan Walsh
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Creditcard Currency Conversion Fee
By freelance writer jobs or freelance writing online, we may not necessarily always mean content writing or web content creation or web journalism. There are varieties of freelance writer jobs booming in the world of the internet and boasting of attractive compensation packages that you can try out if you have the talent to make it big in this field.
Among freelance writer jobs there are magazine writing jobs, greetings card and tee shirts or mugs or magnets or bumper sticker writing jobs, poster writing jobs, resume writing jobs, advertising or copywriting and copy editing jobs, e books writing jobs, newspaper or journalism jobs and of course content creation jobs. But there are more freelance writer jobs and freelance writing online opportunities that you can explore.
E zines freelance writer jobs
The latest craze in the publishing industry is e zine or online newsletters which contain regular columns, features, associated websites etc. Here a freelance writer is supposed to write shorter articles which take less time and although the pay is less, you can write fast and churn out more articles in a short time frame.
Freelance writer jobs – Newsletters
Countless small companies and household companies that are mushrooming all over the world want to publish newsletters. Writing newsletters is not that tough, a freelance writer will find it easier to write newsletters as per the set requirements than a magazine article and you will find a job as a newsletter writer more quickly. They are in great demand currently and the pay packet is at par with that of small magazines. You can add the experience in your CV.
Freelance writing job – Press releases
Other freelance writer jobs that a freelance writer can try out are writing press releases for companies because these too are in great demand and the pay is rather attractive.
Freelance writing online – Ghostwriting
Don’t go for ghost writing if you are in search of fame and want to make your mark in the freelance writing online publishing industry. But there is decent money in this field and you can earn a great writing experience by writing out articles, books and memoirs for other people who don’t have the time to write themselves or who don’t have the ability to write.
In fact, thousands and thousands of articles that are published in online article directories everyday are ghostwritten by some freelance writer or another, but you will never find their names featured anywhere and in exchange of money they are selling the whole article and its copyright to the client. The freelance writer who wrote the article so painstakingly after a lot of research will neither get the byline nor the fame nor the credit for writing such a beautiful article.
But still, thousands and thousands of freelance writers are doing this ghost writing for others because of the tremendous amount of money involved. You can improve your prospects by experimenting and dabbling in several fields. Sitting in a far off country, you can ghost write for an individual in another country, but don’t get stuck in a rut.
Author: Lee Su Jung
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Make PCB Assembly
When I read different books on publishing, I think it is implied that publishing your own informational, inspirational or self-help books are the only works one can self-publish successfully. Granted, this is the Information Age and people buy information. But all due respect to how-to books, there is still a market for self-published fiction. I have found that self-publishing is just as viable an avenue for fiction, if not more.
One only has to look at the many fictional books that are circulating on the Internet (and off) which are doing well financially and which were self-published. Some have even been picked up by mainstream. One only has to go to Mosaic Books.com and Cush City.com and even my column, On The Same Page, to see this is true. Many of the authors I interview on my Internet radi shows are self-published authors of fiction.
To begin with, self-publishing is not only becoming more acceptable, it can be a lucrative venture. A few years ago, I read about a novel in the Publisher’s Weekly’s newsletter. Although this book was a self-published fictional book (it sounded like a roman a clef of Monica Lewinsky), it was chosen by the Double Day Book Club! This was a first. Now to me, that meant this was a door opener. For other examples, in mainstream America we can look to Grisham and James Redfield, the author of The Celestine Prophecy. What would have happened had these writers not self-published their fiction?
In African American literature, we know what happened with Michelle McGriff and many others who have ‘blown up.’
In addition, it is not unusual for authors who have been published by mainstream to turn around and self-publish their subsequent works. Why?
Factor in the recent explosion of print-on-demand companies and ebook companies or writers selling books directly from their website, and fiction is a great way to get your name out to the public.
Let’s look at what you gain when you publish your own non-fiction, then what you gain when you publish fiction. Neither one is better than the other. This is just to encourage writers of fiction to consider publishing their own works.
When you self-publish non-fiction, these are the things you gain:
Speed. Most publishers work on an 18th month production cycle. Will you miss your market?
Authority. The word ‘author’ is the root word in authority. People listen to you when you are an author. You become an ‘expert’ or ‘authority’ on a subject. From here you can do seminars, tapes, speaking engagements, and consultations.
Control. Twenty-three per cent of publishers do not give the author the right to select the title, 26% do not consult the author on the jacket cover’s design, 36% rarely involve the author on the book’s promotion.
A profit center. You make more money. The profit margin is 40% on a self-published book. After the advance, you only get 6 % to 15% of the sales on a traditionally published book.
A reading audience. Many publishers receive more than 100 unsolicited manuscripts for consideration each day. As a result, no one will ever read your manuscript.
A tax-write off. You get more write-offs as the publisher/author, than just the author.
When you self-publish fiction, in addition to all of the above, these are your gains:
- Posterity. Your deciphering of mankind’s trials and tribulations in the twentieth century are recorded for future generations.
Fame. If you build a reading audience, you may become famous. Even if you don’t become famous, you have a sense of satisfaction. A sense of testifying, a way of saying, ‘I lived. I was here. I made a difference.’
- A possible movie deal. Movie companies, television and independent filmmakers are always looking for good stories. Many movies, such as Waiting to Exhale or How Stella Got Her Groove Back are made from books. My favorite book, Beloved, has been made into a movie. Although the movie can not touch the art of literature, Oprah has tried to capture its essence on film for future generations.
A reading audience who loves stories. From the time man sat around the first cave fires, they loved to hear stories. When one hears a story, this can resonate in their mind long after the story is over. In essence, you are renting space in your reader’s imagination, which they will carry around with them for years.
Also take this fact into consideration. Many books which we have studied in our classrooms, such as Lady Chatterly’s Lover, (D.H. Lawrence), Leaves of Grass, (Walt Whitman) and Ullyses (James Joyce) would never have become classics if the writers hadn’t self-published. These books were ahead of their times and considered too risque to be published by mainstream publishers. So for writers of fiction, don’t wait for years and years to be discovered!
Life is a smorgasbord! Go out there and help yourself!
Author: Maxine Thompson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Benefits of electric pressure cooker
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