Fab Freelance Writing Ezine Archives

The Easy Writing Process - my best professional writing tip ever: Issue 56 Fab Freelance Writing Ezine

November 6th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

This week, we’ll look at my best writing tip ever, and at establishing your freelance writing as a business with the article ” Your Writing Business - From Start-Up To Success”.

Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is a free ezine; subscribe so you don’t miss each issue. Subscribers also get exclusive bonus issues which are never archived.
Includes:

* Editorial: The Easy Writing Process - my best professional writing tip ever

* Article: Your Writing Business - From Start-Up To Success

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[Editorial] The Easy Writing Process - my best professional writing tip ever

This week, we’ll look at my best writing tip ever, and at establishing your freelance writing as a business with the article ” Your Writing Business - From Start-Up To Success”.

=> My best-ever professional writing tip - the foundation of your writing: DEFINE what you’re writing

Before you start any writing project, whether small or large, define it.

It’s alarmingly easy, in the midst of any writing project, to forget exactly what you’re aiming to do. A minute spent defining exactly what a project should accomplish acts as your compass as you write.

Definitions may be a sentence or two, or a paragraph. Shorter is better. For example:

* [Working Title] is entertaining novel is a closed-room mystery, set on a tropical island, with three primary characters. It establishes my new series character: Tessa Lalvani;

* [Working Title] is a Web sales letter for a mobile phone. The target audience is teenagers. The response required is entering their name and email address;

* [Working Title] is an article which teaches the reader how to avoid counterfeits when buying designer goods.

You’ll notice that the definitions are short enough to fit onto a sticky note, and that’s exactly what I do for most projects. I write the definition on a sticky note and paste it onto my computer’s monitor.

Since defining a project seems so simple, you’ll be tempted to skip this step. Don’t! All writing projects tend to morph as you write, and it’s easy to forget where you’re headed. Defining a project acts as a compass: you can see where you’re wandering off the track.

The “define” tip is part of my ebook ” The Easy-Write Process: Write What And When You Please” Here’s the link to the ebook:
abmagic.com/reports/reports/for-writers.html#EasyWrite

Whenever you’re stuck on a writing project, or if you can’t get started, DEFINE the project in a sentence or two. You will be amazed at the difference it makes.

Affectionately,

Angela

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What PLR means, and why it’s your ticket to BIG money as a writer

The basic idea of PLR content is that it’s content which is sold to people to edit, mash up, or use directly on their Web sites. PLR content may be articles, ebooks, reports, or even audio. It’s CONTENT - stuff for Web sites - in its generic form.

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** You Can Become A Web Publisher Too: Become A Web Mogul **

For the past year, I’ve been receiving messages from writers who want to create their own Web sites. They’ve heard how much money there is in Web publishing, and want a piece of the action.

So, I’ve written a new ebook, “Super-Fast Money-Making Web Sites For Writers: Join The Web-Publishing Bonanza” -
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The ebook (and its fabulous bonus ebook) outlines step by step, with images, how to create Web MONEY-MAKING sites fast. What could YOU do with an extra $300 a day?

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* Article: Your Writing Business - From Start-Up To Success

As a freelance writer, you’re in business: you’re selling words for money. Just like any other business, your primary aim is to stay in business. This means that your writing business needs to be profitable.

How do you make your business profitable? You create a plan.

Few writers develop any kind of business plan. This is a mistake. Every editor/ publisher/ client who buys your writing has a business plan, and has his/ her eye on the budget. This means that they will try to purchase your writing as cheaply as possible: that’s good business sense - it means they have more money in the budget to buy other writers’ material - and pay them more money, often.

You, on the other hand, need a certain level of cash flowing into your business to stay in business: if your cash flow is negative - ZAP! You’re out of business.

There’s one thing which is just as important as your business plan to ensure that your cash flow stays positive: that’s the skill of negotiation.

=> As a freelance writer, you’re a business person, dealing with business people - SO HAGGLE

I coach writers. Over the years, I’ve found that my main function is to teach my students elementary business tactics, and haggling is a tactic you must use, no matter how new you are to the writing business. Your editors, clients and publishers all approach any dealings with you from a stance that they will negotiate the best deal for themselves.

If you’re not aware of this unspoken mindset, you’re crippled.

It comes as a shock to many writers to realize that they can negotiate, and that when an editor says “that’s our standard rate” the editor is always lying. There is no standard rate, ever.

The big secret: when an editor/ client wants to buy, they want your product and expect you to negotiate. So please do that. This one piece of information should increase your income substantially, without you writing any more than you’re writing now.

So with negotiation in mind, let’s look at what your business plan covers. Please don’t let the term “business plan” intimidate you - all you need to do is answer a few questions to complete your “napkin” business plan.

=> Create a “napkin” business plan for your writing business

A napkin business plan is just what it sounds like - a short business plan which could fit onto the back of a napkin.

Here’s what it covers:

* A short description of what your writing business is, and what it does

* A short description of who needs your writing services (your target audience)

* A list of the writing services your business provides, and the fees you will charge for these services

* A marketing plan - how you will let your target audience know about your writing services

* A cash-flow estimate for the first 12 months

Writing this plan shouldn’t take you longer than half an hour. Just fill it in as quickly as you can, and if you’re not sure about something, take a wild guess.

Your business plan is a map of your business. It will take you from start-up to success if you use it. Having a business plan puts you into a powerful position. When you combine your plan with negotiation, you’re ensured success.

=> You can change your business plan at an time

Once you’ve written a basic business plan, you can adjust it as you get more information. For example, let’s say that you start your writing business writing articles.

One of your articles gives you an inspiration: you feel that it would make the basis of a book. You investigate the market for this type of book, and realize that your book fills a need. You work out what kind of advance against royalties you need, enter that into your business plan, and start writing a proposal.

When you enter your desired advance into your business plan, you immediately know your bottom-line financially in regard to your advance against royalties, the figure you MUST receive from a publisher before you write the book, to make writing the book profitable. This puts you into a strong bargaining position with potential publishers of the book.

In summary - two business tools are essential for writers: negotiation, and a business plan. Please use them. They will make your writing business successful beyond your dreams.

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** Imagine… $1,000 A Week For Just Ten Hours **

You can get paid to blog. The current rate for experienced bloggers is around $1,000 to $1500 a week for from two to five posts a day - VERY nice writing income.

Find out how to blog with the blogging best-seller “Blogging For Dollars: How to become a career blogger — in your PJs, if you want”. It’s my complete new ebook package, with free coaching/ consultations as well.

Find out more at: www.abmagic.com/Blog/blogging.html

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** Write YOUR Way to Riches - Write A Book **

Your life will change, when you’re a published author - writing books is the perfect home business. As an author, you’ll have successful home-based business which delivers great rewards. It’s a dream job with a perfect lifestyle.

You can write books anywhere, in your home office, or while you travel to any country in the world. Your morning commute is the steps from your bedroom to your home office - no annoying boss, no office politics.

Financially, the rewards are potentially huge. You can make millions of dollars if your books are published by major publishers. Or, you can self-publish your books as ebooks, and make hundreds of thousands of dollars, as many writers are doing right now - the Internet makes self-publishing easy.

Compared to the rewards, the risks are tiny - you invest your enthusiasm, time and energy, rather than cash. You can write in your spare time.

Get started writing your way to riches today at

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** End your writing procrastination: become a prolific writer TODAY **

Are you procrastinating? If so, you’re feeling frustrated and guilty. You know you can write, and you know you should be writing, but you can’t.

Now you can. You can end writing procrastination for good. Discover how you can become the prolific writer you were born to be with my bestselling ebook “Top 70 Writing Tips To Help You To Write More” at

abmagic.com/Write-More/write-more.html

You’ll discover 70 ways in which you can write more, no matter who you are, or what your level of writing experience.

The 70 tips will help you to plan your writing time, stick to a writing schedule, and get more energy, so that writing is a pleasure for you.

End procrastination for good today, with “Top 70 Writing Tips To Help You To Write More” - you can make writing easy and fun -

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** ANGELA’S BLOGS **

Fab Freelance Writing Blog: fabfreelancewriting.com/blog/

Fab Web Writer: www.fabwebwriter.com/

Top Ebook Writer: www.topebookwriter.com/

Angela Booth’s Writing Blog: copywriter.typepad.com/

The Creativity Factory (copywriting and search marketing): www.angelabooth.com/wp/

Seven Days Copywriting: sevendayscopywriting.com/

Just Write A Book Blog: www.justwriteabook.com/blog/