Posts tagged Writing

Writing Books for Children – Submissions to Contract to Book Promotion to Writing Career

Sep30
2011 1 Comment

Written by admin

Writing Books for Children – Submissions to Contract to Book Promotion to Writing Career

The foundation of writing books for children, or any genre for that matter, is to learn the craft of writing. In regard to being a children’s author you will need to learn the specific rules and tricks to create appropriate stories with age-appropriate words and storylines.

Once you have taken the time to hone your craft and have critiqued, revised, and edited your manuscript to a polished state, it’s on to the next phases of the traditional children’s writing path: submissions, promotion, and a writing career.

1. Writing Books for Children – Submissions

Before you think about submitting your work anywhere, be sure you’ve completed the necessary steps to learn the craft of writing. You’re manuscript needs to be as polished as you can possibly get it.

Submissions can fall into two categories: those to publishers and those to agents. In regard to submitting to agents, in a Spring 2011 webinar presented by Writer’s Digest, agent Mary Kole advised to “research agents.” This means to find out what type of agent they are in regard to the genre they work with and the agent platform they provide: do they coddle their authors, do they crack the whip, are they aggressive, passive, involved, or complacent. Know what you’re getting into before querying an agent, and especially before signing a contract.

Here are a couple of sites you can visit to learn about agents:

http://agentquery.com
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/

The same advice works for submitting to publishers also; research publishers before submitting to them. Know which genres of children’s books they handle and the type of storylines they’re looking for.

Whether submitting to a publisher or an agent, always follow the guidelines and always personalize the query. There may be times the guidelines do not provide the name of the editor to send the query to, but if you can find that information, use it.

According to Mary Kole, it’s also important to know how to pitch your story. This entails finding the story’s hook. Agents and publishers also want to know what the book’s selling points will be and what successful books it’s similar to. In addition, they will expect to be told what your marketing strategy will be. It’s a good idea to create an online presence and platform before you begin submissions; let the agents and publishers know you will actively market your book.

Along with the story’s hook, you need to convey: who your main character is and what he/she is about; the action that drives the story; the main character’s obstacle, and if the main character doesn’t overcome the obstacle, what’s at stake.

When writing books for children, Ms. Kole recommends reading “the back of published books” to see how they briefly and effectively convey the essence of the story. This will give you an idea of how to create your own synopsis.

When querying, keep your pitch short and professional, and keep your bio brief and relevant. You will need to grab the editor or agent and make them want to read your manuscript.

Writing Books for Children: Four tools you can use to help find a publisher or agent:

•   Writers Market: Where and How to Sell What You Write
•   Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market: Over 700 listings for book publisher’s, magazines, agents, art reps, and more
•   Guide to Literary Agents: Where and How to Find the Right Agents to Represent Your Work
•   WritersMarket.com: Online resource to help you sell what you write

Stop by next week for Part 2 of Writing Books for Children – Submission to Contract to Book Promotion to Career.

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Related Articles:

Children’s Writing: The Traditional Publishing Path
Is Your Manuscript Ready for Submissions?
Rewriting a Folktale

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PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE, and SIGN-UP FOR MY FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, A Writer’s World. You’ll get two e-books if you do!

And to be sure you don’t miss any posts here, simply subscribe to my blog (RSS feed).

If you’d like to check out my books, go to Karen’s Books Page:
http://www.karencioffi.com/karen-cioffis-books-and-e-books/

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Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance Writer

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
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Posted in Children's books, Writing for Children - Tagged book submissions, children's writer, publishing children's books, writing books for children, writing for children

Children’s Writing: the Traditional Publishing Path

Sep24
2011 1 Comment

Written by admin

Children’s books fall into one of three categories: picture books, middle grade, and young adult. To become published within the children’s writing arena, in any of these genres, you need to take the necessary steps to achieve success whether aiming at traditional publishing or self-publishing.

In regard to traditional publishing, there are four steps needed to become a traditionally published author; the first step is writing.

Actually writing, and all that it entails, is the basis of becoming a published author or writer, whether writing books, articles, becoming a ghostwriter, or copywriter. Within that first writing step, there are four subcategories.

Children’s Writing: Four Traditional Publishing Steps

1. Writing and Reading

The first step for a successful writing career is to write. But, in addition to writing, the new writer will need to learn the craft of writing, along with the particular tricks of writing for children. Children’s writing is more complicated than other forms of writing. The reason is because you’re dealing with children.

Rules, such as age-appropriate words, age-appropriate topics, age-appropriate comprehension, storylines and formatting are all features that need to be tackled when writing for children.

Within the first step rung, aside from reading books and magazines on the craft of writing, you will need to read, read, and read in the genre you want to write.

Pay special attention to recently published books and their publishers. What works in these books? What type of style is the author using? What topics/storylines are publisher’s publishing?

Dissect these books, and you might even write or type them word-for-word to get a feel for writing that works. This is a trick that writers new to copywriting use – you can trick your brain into knowing the right way to write for a particular genre or field. Well, not so much trick your brain as teach it by copying effective writing. Just remember, this is for the learning process only – you cannot use someone else’s work, that’s plagiarism.

2. Critiques

The next step, number two, is to become part of a critique group and have your work critiqued. Critiquing is a two-way street; you will critique the work of other member of the critique group and they will critique yours. But, there are advantages to critiquing other writers’ works – you begin to see errors quickly and notice what’s being done right. This all helps you hone your craft.

3. Revise and Edit

Step three on the writing rung is to revise your manuscript according to your own self-editing and critiques from others. It’s also recommended to put the story away for a couple of weeks and then revisit it. You’ll see a number of areas that may need revising that you hadn’t noticed before.

There are also some self-editing steps you can take to help the process; you can check out:

Ten Tips Checklist for Self-Editing (Part 1)
Ten Tips checklist for Self-Editing (Part 2)

Final stages of Self-Editing Part 1
Final Stages of Self-Editing Part 2

4. Take it to a Professional

It would also be advisable if you budget for a professional editing of your manuscript before you begin submissions. No matter how careful you and your critique partners are, a working editor will pick up things you missed.

Once you have a polished manuscript, the next three steps in a writing career are: submissions, a contract and sales, and a writing career.

It’s important to mention that these four steps should be taken whether you are going the traditional publishing route or you’re going to self-publish. Just because you may be by-passing the publisher’s gatekeepers, who protect the integrity and quality of the work they accept, your manuscript should be the best possible, a quality product.

Self-publishing is not an excuse to cut corners, rush a book, or create a substandard product. Remember that your book is a reflection of you and your writing ability.

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Related Articles:

Is Your Manuscript Ready for Submission?
Freelance Editors – Should You Hire One?

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PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE, and SIGN-UP FOR MY FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, A Writer’s World. You’ll get two e-books if you do!

And to be sure you don’t miss any posts here, simply subscribe to my blog (RSS feed).

If you’d like to check out my books, go to Karen’s Books Page:
http://www.karencioffi.com/karen-cioffis-books-and-e-books/

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Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Marketers
Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional and experienced with keywords and SEO. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://DKVWriting4U.com

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Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance Writer

Posted in Children's books, Writing for Children - Tagged children's book, craft of writing, manuscript revisions, publishing children's books, writing children's books, writing for children

Freelance Editors – Should You Hire One?

Aug14
2011 1 Comment

Written by admin

Will hiring a freelance editor ensure you pitch the perfect game? In writing terms, will it ensure you get published? Do you need an editor?

There are a number of pros and cons related to whether you should hire a freelance editor. Some writers benefit greatly from the experience while others have a difficult time and may even get insulted.

Four Points to Examine Before Hiring a Freelance Editor

1. One of the most important aspects of hiring someone to critique or edit your work is to be open to criticism. If you do not have the personality to handle constructive criticism, suggestions, and/or edits, then you shouldn’t hire a freelance editor.

2. Before you contemplate hiring a freelance editor, get your manuscript in the best shape possible. What this means is you should know your craft or engaged in learning it. You should obviously belong to a critique group that focuses on the genre you write. This group should have new and experienced/published authors in it. This will help you to hone your craft through the critiques you receive and the critiques you give.

There are also a number of fantastic free online writers’ conferences such as the Muse Online Writers Conference that will help you hone your craft. There are workshops offered covering just about every writing genre, plus freelance writing and marketing. AND, you will have the opportunity to pitch to publishers. Between the networking and learning, it’s not something you should lightly pass on.

Next up on the road to learning your craft is to join a couple of writing groups – again be sure they have new and experienced writers. You can even look into a writing coach or instructor.

3. Hiring a freelance editor to go over your manuscript will not guarantee it will get published, even the best in the field can’t promise this. What they will do is help you to get it in the best shape possible. But, whether or not you take their advice is another story. And, again, even if you do, there are no guarantees.

This holds true everywhere in the writing world. After your manuscript is polished, you may send it to forty publishers and agents, and get forty rejections. Then, you send it to one more and it happens, this publisher has been looking for what your have. Time and chance, my friends . . . time and chance. But, it’s a sure bet if you’re manuscript isn’t polished you won’t ever get that far.

4. If you did your best to get your manuscript into what you think is publishable shape and you want an editor to give it a final once over, be sure to ask for recommendations from other writers.

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Other Writing Articles:

Is Your Manuscript Ready for Submissions?

Giving Basic Writing Advice

Successful Writing Strategy: Know Your Intent

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You Can check out my books page at:
http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/p/karens-books.html

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And, if you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter, A Writers World, and get TWO FREE eBooks on writing and/or marketing:

The Self-Publisher’s Guide, 4th Edition
The Blogger’s Checklist
<em>(The books offered may change periodically)</em>

In fact, check out the sidebar for two free gifts just for stopping by!

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Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Individuals
Do you want to get that idea turned into a book? Do you want to write your memoirs? Do you need editing, proofreading, or a professional critique? Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional, experienced with keywords and SEO, and we cover a number of writing services. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://dkvwriting4u.com

~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,
Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Editor for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

Tagged critique groups, editor, freelance editors, hiring an editor, writing advice

Is Your Manuscript Ready for Submissions?

Jul18
2011 Leave a Comment

Written by admin

Writing is a personal experience. Each writer faces his or her own obstacles and processes. But, one common aspect of writing is it always starts with an idea. You may take that idea and turn it into an outline. You then take your outline and sprinkle it with letters and words and watch it grow. Words turn into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and paragraphs into chapters. The journey can take months and even years. But, the love of writing, the love of your story, and the hope of publication keep you dedicated.

Then, the day finally arrives. Your manuscript is complete. The envelopes are ready. All you have to do is submit, submit, and submit again. But, hold on a minute. Have you gone over all the necessary steps to ensure your manuscript is actually ready to be submitted to a publisher or agent?

The writing journey can take months and even years. But, the love of writing, the love of your story, and the hope of publication keep you dedicated.

Time passes, and finally your manuscript is complete. The envelopes are ready. All you have to do is submit, submit, and submit again. But, hold on a minute. Have you gone over all the necessary steps to ensure your manuscript is actually ready to be submitted to a publisher or agent?

There are eight steps that every writer, especially those new to the business of writing, should follow before submitting a manuscript.

8 Steps to Submitting Your Manuscript:

1. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Then self-edit your story until it’s the best you can do.

2. Make sure you belong to a critique group in your genre. Submit your ms for critique.

3. Revise your story again taking into account the critiques you received. Here you want to use common sense in regard to which critiques you listen to. If all your critique group members tell you a particular section of your children’s story is age inappropriate, listen. If one member tells you he/she doesn’t like the protagonist’s name, use your own discretion.

4. Resubmit the manuscript to the critique group again. See if you’ve revised or removed all the problem areas.

5. Proofread and self-edit the manuscript until you think it’s perfect.

6. Print the manuscript and check it again. You’ll be surprised at the different types of errors that will be found in this format. You should use a colored pen or pencil for these corrections so they’ll be easy to spot later on.

7. Now, it’s time for the final corrections. Give it another go over.

8. Have your manuscript professionally edited.

If you’re questioning why you need to have your manuscript professionally edited after going to the trouble of having it critiqued and worked on it meticulously and endlessly, the answer is simple: An author and a critique group are not a match for the expert eyes of a professional editor.

Did you and your critique group catch all the punctuation errors? How about knowing when or if it is permissible to use quotation marks outside of dialogue? Do you know about the Find function on your word program to check for over used words, such as was and very. What about ellipsis dots, or the over use of adjectives and adverbs? This is just the tip of the iceberg. Isn’t it understandable why it’s important to take that extra step, and yes, expense, to have your manuscript edited. If you’re undecided, ask the professional writers you know if they recommend it. You can also ask if they could recommend a qualified and affordable editor.

The powers that be, editors, agents, reviewers, and publishers, all know the difference between a professionally edited manuscript and one that is not. Every house needs a solid foundation, right? Getting your manuscript professional edited is the same thing – it will provide a solid foundation. The number of authors seeking publishers and/or agents is staggering. Yet, the number of publishers and agents is limited. Give your manuscript every advantage possible. One of those advantages is having it professionally edited. It can be the deciding factor in whether your manuscript makes it to the editor’s ‘to read’ pile or the trash pile.

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Related Articles:

How to Create an Ebook: 5 Simple Steps

Character Sheets: Adding Dimension to Your Characters

Storytelling: Don’t Let the Reader Become Disengaged

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CHECK OUT MY BOOK PAGES

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And, if you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter, A Writers World, and get TWO FREE eBooks on writing and/or marketing:

The Self-Publisher’s Guide, 4nd Edition
The Blogger’s Checklist
(The books offered may change periodically)

In fact, check out the sidebar for two free gifts just for stopping by!

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Individuals
Do you want to get that idea turned into a book? Do you want to write your memoirs? Do you need editing, proofreading, or a professional critique? Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional, experienced with keywords and SEO, and we cover a number of writing services. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://DKVWriting4U.com

~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Editor for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

Walking Through Walls (MG fantasy book)
http://walkingthroughwalls-kcioffi.blogspot.com

Day’s End Lullaby (Children’s bedtime story)
http://daysendlullaby.blogspot.com

Tagged editing, editor, manuscript submission, proofreading, self-editing, writing advice

Final Stages of Self-Editing: 6 Steps

Jul03
2011 1 Comment

Written by admin

There is so much involved in self-editing; the lists and checkpoints can fill a book. But, in this article we’ll look at how to do a final once over. These are steps to be taken after you’ve proofread and self-edited the manuscript and had it critiqued, checked for grammar, storyline, punctuation, showing, etc.

1. Read your manuscript.

Read it again. Try to read it slow and watch for all the self-editing tips you’ve learned and think you’ve applied. Spotting one’s one errors is difficult since we know what we wrote and intended. Some of the other tips here will help with this problem.

2. Change the font and read it again.

Surprisingly, you will spot errors you just glazed over before. You won’t run through it the same way you did with the original font.

3. Read each paragraph from the last sentence to the first.

This is an interesting method for an additional self-edit. It’s helpful because your brain won’t be on auto-pilot. You will spot glitches within sentences that you would glaze over when reading normally.

Note: I don’t mean reading each sentence backward; read each sentence as you would normally, but read the last sentence first and work your way to the beginning of the paragraph.

4. Check formatting.

Now it’s time to check the formatting of the manuscript.

Are your paragraphs all indented with proper punctuation?

Did you use the Show/Hide function in your word processor to check the inner workings. For instance, years ago the proper spacing between sentences was two spaces. Now, the protocol is usually one space between sentences. The Show/Hide function displays a dot for each space.

Is your manuscript double spaced?

Did you use the correct formatting for dialogue?

Check all the aspects of manuscript formatting.

5. Print your manuscript.

Okay, I know what you environmentalists are thinking . . . I’m one also. I try very hard not to waste paper and protect our trees. But, there is a difference between reading on a computer and reading a paper copy. I’ll be honest, I don’t know why our brain perceives it differently, it just does.

As you’re reading your manuscript, use a colored pen or pencil and mark the text you find errors in. Once you’re finished go back to your computer document and correct the errors.

The other practical aspect of this process is it’s a good idea to have a hard copy of your manuscript near its final stage. Unless you have an offsite backup, you can’t be too careful (I’d be skeptical of this also – you never know with any online system whether it will crash). I’ve lost a number of files when my computer broke. And, I’ve even lost files on zip drives when the drives failed. So, from experience I’m cautious when it comes to saving my work.

6. Go Green.

Another step to take if you print a copy of the manuscript and you don’t feel the need to keep it is to recycle it. I reuse paper I print by using the back for notes, or I let my grandkids use it for coloring or painting. When the paper can be discarded, I recycle it if possible. If you’re concerned about your valuable content being usable to others, you can rip it into pieces or shred it, then recycle it.

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Other Writing Articles:

Is Your Manuscript Ready for Submission?
10 Great Writing Article Links
6 Last Minute Steps to Self-Editing and Submissions

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Please check out my July Walking Through Walls Virtual Book Tour Schedule at:
http://walkingthroughwalls-kcioffi.blogspot.com/2011/06/walking-through-walls-july-book-tour.html

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And, if you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter, A Writers World, and get TWO FREE eBooks.

In fact, check out the sidebar for two free gifts just for stopping by!

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Individuals
Do you want to get that idea turned into a book? Do you want to write your memoirs? Do you need editing, proofreading, or a professional critique? Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional, experienced with keywords and SEO, and we cover a number of writing services. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://DKVWriting4U.com

~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Acquisitions Editor Intern for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

Tagged editing, proofreading, self-editing, writing advice

6 Last Minute Steps to Self-Editing and Submissions

Jun18
2011 Leave a Comment

Written by admin

So, you Think You’re Ready to Submit to a Publisher or Agent? Read this first.

You’re at the final stretch. You’ve done everything you could think of to get your manuscript ready for submissions. You’ve used all the self-editing tricks you learned, such as changing the font and reading it again, printing the manuscript out and reading it yet another time, and reading each paragraph backwards. Now, you’re at the finish line. But, before you cross the line, here are 6 last minute steps you should take into consideration

1. Check formatting

Now it’s time to check the formatting of the manuscript.

Are your paragraphs all indented with proper punctuation?

Did you use the Show/Hide function in your word processor to check the inner workings. For instance, years ago the proper spacing between sentences was two spaces. Now, the protocol is one space between sentences. The Show/Hide function displays a dot for each space.

Is your manuscript double spaced?

Did you use the correct formatting for dialogue?

2. Get your manuscript edited

When you think it’s perfect, have it edited before you start submitting it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, you think this step is overkill, and it will cost money. You’re right on the second part, it will cost money, but it will be money well spent.

No matter how many times you self-edit, and how many times your critique group goes over your manuscript, there will be errors. Ask around for a reputable editor.

3. Create a log line

A log line or pitch line is a one sentence description or your manuscript. This may take a bit of trial and error, but, it’s important to master.

4. Create a synopsis

A synopsis is a short description of your story. Be sure your writing should is tight and focused—leave out the fluff. The content should be, at the very least, self-edited and proofread before sending it off to an agent or publisher. You are trying to grab the reader’s attention and let the reader know that you are grammar literate.

Basically, the synopsis should briefly let the editor know what the book is about: the beginning of your story, your main character’s needs or wants, how he strives to reach his goals, the obstacles/conflicts in his way, and how he overcomes the conflicts and moves forward to the final outcome.

I read an interesting article recommending that your synopsis should be created using your detailed outline.

5. Create a query letter or proposal

A query is a sales pitch. It should be three paragraphs and only one page long. The first paragraph quickly and interestingly describes the story; it’s the hook. The second paragraph tells a bit about you, your qualifications for writing the book. And, it’s a good idea to include a bit on how you intend to help market the book. The third paragraph is the conclusion; keep it short.

6. Final Step: Submissions

Okay, your manuscript is polished and shiny, now it’s time to submit. But, hold on . . . check each publisher’s guidelines before you submit.

In fact, don’t just check the guidelines, you need to study them, and follow them implicitly. If a publisher asks for submission by mail only, don’t email your submission. If the word count on an article or story is up to 1000 words, don’t submit a story with 1150 words.

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Related Articles:

4 Tips for Final Stages of Self-editing

6 Stepping Stones to Publication

3 Steps to Querying Publishers and Agents

~~~~~~~~~
CHECK OUT MY BOOKS PAGE:
http://www.karencioffi.com/karen-cioffis-books-and-ebooks/
~~~~~~~~~
And, if you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter, A Writers World, and get TWO FREE eBooks:

The Self-Publisher’s Guide, 4nd Edition
The Blogger’s Checklist
(The books offered may change periodically)

In fact, check out the sidebar for two free gifts just for stopping by!

~~~~~~~~~
Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Individuals

Do you want to get that idea turned into a book? Do you want to write your memoirs? Do you need editing, proofreading, or a professional critique? Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional, experienced with keywords and SEO, and we cover a number of writing services. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://DKVWriting4U.com

~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Acquisitions Editor Intern for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

Posted in Freelance Writing - Tagged editing, logline, manuscript formatting, manuscript submission, synopsis, writing advice

Outsourcing Articles – Is it Right for You?

Jun12
2011 Leave a Comment

Written by admin

Recently, a writer/marketer who always has valuable information recommended outsourcing as a means of effectively and quickly getting a number of articles written. He was using a particular service to create a niche site for affiliate marketing, but it can be used just as effectively to create visibility and traffic to your own sites and products.

The marketer stated that he paid $3 to have articles rewritten and distributed to hundreds of article directories.

Wait a minute . . .

While I’m sure this is true, guaranteed the rewritten articles are not done by professional writers. It’s possible the writers or spinners are using a rewriting/spinning program.

A rewriting program chooses random words to change, or the author creates a list of words for the program to find and change. Some can also rework paragraphs, but it’s not the same as a writer. These programs can’t tell if they’re missing the mark on clarity in the content, or if they are changing the meaning.

Outsourcing these types of articles is similar to purchasing private label rights (PLR) articles. PLRs are articles that you can buy by the bundle at a low cost and use with your own byline.

But, consumer beware. You may have an embarrassing situation on your hands if you don’t proofread and edit the articles before using them. Often, these articles are rewritten by non-English speaking writers, or writers who are overly concerned with quantity over quality.

Remember, it’s the content that creates the organic traffic funnel to your site. You should offer your visitors/readers quality content. And, now that Google took steps to reduce spam sites, it’s even more important to have quality content.

But, for those of you who don’t mind having to edit each article, PLRs or outsourcing on-the-cheap may be an option. Certainly, there are some writers who feel it’s easier to rewrite an existing article than create one from scratch.

Some of us are on the other end of the outsourcing chain. We ghostwrite or rewrite articles for marketers or others who are looking for quality content. As professional writers, we know the importance of creating quality over quantity. If you want to create an impressive article utilizing facts and quotes, and shining with clarity, you can’t use rewriting programs, or writers who aren’t professional.

One important factor as a writer is that your writing is a reflection of you and your writing ability; it should always be the best it can be, whether you are writing for yourself or for a client. The same holds true if you are hiring a professional writer to ghostwrite articles for you; unless you’re very familiar with the ghostwriter’s work, be sure to proofread any content you’re publishing before hand. Remember, your name will be associated with that content.

Depending on your writing needs, you will have to decide if you want quality or quantity, if you choose to outsource.

If you are an affiliate marketer, it’s all about getting as much traffic as possible to a niche site that has a copy ad landing page urging the visitor to BUY. The more traffic the greater the chances of sales and an affiliate commission. Conversion rates rule . . . quality often takes a back seat to quantity. But, again, the search engines are cracking down on fluff or spam sites, so be sure to take that into account.

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Related Articles:

The Ghostwriter and Businesses
The Ghostwriter and the Individual
Freelance Writing: An Additional Path to Income

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PLEASE HARE THIS ARTICLE – THANKS!
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Writing, Publishing, and Marketing – You Can Do It

This 34 page e-book is full of writing, publishing (traditional and self-publishing) and marketing information. Kind of a GPS for getting where you’re headed: published and selling books.

Click on the link for more details and a great review:
http://www.karencioffi.com/writing-publishing-and-marketing/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter, A Writers World, and get TWO FREE eBooks:

The Self-Publisher’s Guide, 2nd Edition
The Blogger’s Checklist
(The books offered may change periodically)

In fact, check out the sidebar for two free gifts just for stopping by!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Individuals
Do you want to get that idea turned into a book? Do you want to write your memoirs? Do you need editing, proofreading, or a professional critique? Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional, experienced with keywords and SEO, and we cover a number of writing services. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://DKVWriting4U.com

~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Acquisitions Editor Intern for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

Posted in Marketing - Tagged Marketing, outsourcing articles, rewriting programs, spinning articles

Freelance Writing – An Additional Path to Income

May20
2011 Leave a Comment

Written by admin

Many children’s authors or book writers in other genres realize that making money writing books may not be what they or others envision it to be. So, if as a writer you want to make money to either supplement your income or earn an income, you might think about other writing paths in addition to authoring books.

One such path is freelance writing.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, “approximately 10.3 million workers in the US (7.4% of the US workforce) are independent contractors. In the past three years, companies have increased their outsourcing by 22% on the internet.”1

These figures are rising every year as more and more businesses realize the necessity of marketing online.

Essentially, a freelance writer is self-employed. He or she looks for magazines that accept submissions or maybe businesses and marketers who are looking for writers, although this area may fall more under ghostwriting which is a form of freelance writing.

Simply put, in a freelance capacity, you will write for pay, whether with a byline or as a ghostwriter, and you will search for entities that are willing to pay for your services.

To get started in this area, you should establish yourself as a freelance writer; this will help you harness paying jobs. The best way to do this is to create a website that is devoted to you as a freelance writer. You may want to blog about topics you excel in, whether marketing, health, business, or other. Show the potential client what you are capable of, and post content on a regular basis.

You will also need to search freelance job boards. You can find job boards by doing an online search. In addition, you might ask writer acquaintances or friends for information in this area, since you want to make sure the job board site is reputable.

Another area to promote your freelance business and expertise is in social networks such as Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter.

With persistence, you may see you’re first freelance job.

Be careful though, before you accept a job it’s important to know your value; don’t under value your writing talent, or underestimate the work involved in a particular project. Writing a 500 word article for $10 is not the way to go, considering it may take you one to two hours to complete if you need to do research.

Your best course of action is to decide what fee you are willing to write for, and then stick to your guns. Often, once you fall into the writing-for-peanuts-pit, it can become difficult to get out, so seek quality writing jobs.

Once you’ve landed one or more clients, it’s important to manage your time effectively. You will need to put business first and other writing and social networking second. Now, this does not mean you can neglect other aspects of writing, such as working on your next book if you are an author, or marketing your freelance services and marketing your available books, it simply means take care of the writing that brings in an income first.

Next, to generate more business, ask satisfied clients for testimonials and post them on your website. If you are ghostwriting this may be difficult to accomplish, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

One final note, write quality content no matter what the writing assignment. This effort will lead to long-term clients and referrals.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Related Articles:

Article Directories and Ghostwriters – Strategies to Save You Time

Tips for Content Subcontracting in Your New Freelance Business

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PLEASE SEE THE RIGHT SIDEBAR TO SHARE THIS ARTICLE – THANKS!
~~~~~~

Writing, Publishing, and Marketing – You Can Do It

This 34 page e-book is full of writing, publishing (traditional and self-publishing) and marketing information. Kind of a GPS for getting where you’re headed: published and selling books.

Click on the link for more details and a great review:
http://www.karencioffi.com/writing-publishing-and-marketing/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter, A Writers World, and get TWO FREE eBooks:

The Self-Publisher’s Guide, 2nd Edition
The Blogger’s Checklist
<em>(The books offered may change periodically)</em>

In fact, check out the sidebar for two free gifts just for stopping by!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Individuals
Do you want to get that idea turned into a book? Do you want to write your memoirs? Do you need editing, proofreading, or a professional critique? Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional, experienced with keywords and SEO, and we cover a number of writing services. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://dkvwriting4.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Acquisitions Editor Intern for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

Posted in Business writing, Freelance Writing, Ghostwriter - Tagged article writing, business writing, freelance writing

Giving Basic Writing Advice

May12
2011 Leave a Comment

Written by admin

Recently, I was asked to look over a children’s fiction picture book manuscript. This was not a paying job, just a favor.

The ‘new to writing’ authors, who are both health care professionals, had already been calling major publishers to find out submission requirements. They were told their manuscript would not be looked at without an agent.

So, they went to the library to find a book on top agents. While this is a worthy endeavor, there are some basic first steps to take before shooting for the stars.

Just glancing at the manuscript, I knew it needed a lot of work. And, interestingly, I was surprised to see so many errors in a simple 600 word story. It seems as we progress in learning the craft of writing, we forget that we didn’t know the very basics at one time either.

When critiquing, or giving writing advice, it’s important to begin with the positive aspects of the manuscript. If the errors are basic and abundant, you may also want to state them in generic terms, not to offend the author/s.

What does this mean?

Well, instead of saying, “You shouldn’t have the children’s picture book manuscript formatted in lists, numbered, or in Australian Sunrise 10pt font,” you might say, “Manuscripts are usually preferred typed in New Times Roman 12pt font, and are double spaced using a free form flow with the first sentence of each paragraph indented.

To help with clarity, you could include a first page example of a manuscript you have, or rewrite the 1st paragraph of two of the authors’ manuscript.

If there are just too many errors, for time’s sake you can make a list of proper manuscript formatting tips. This is the approach I took.

I started out with the ‘positive:’

This is a wonderful idea for a children’s book and has great potential, especially that both of you are professionals in the health field. Children will certainly benefit from the story’s information. It could use some tweaking though.

Then I added a brief sentence:

Here are a few tips for writing and formatting a manuscript to help get it submission ready:

• Manuscripts should be formatted in 12 pt Times New Roman Font
• They should be double spaced
• They should be in free form without numbering for pages or in list form
• The first sentence of each paragraph should be indented
• Children love action – actions are better shown through ‘showing’ rather than ‘telling’
• Notes for illustrations after each of your intended pages are usually frowned upon by publishers
• Most publishers, especially the major ones use their own illustrators
• Manuscripts are more likely to make it past the slush pile if they are polished
• Usually writers go through a process of one or two critique
groups and writing groups, after rewrites and editing it gets to a point where it looks perfect. That’s when it needs to be professionally edited.

These tips are part of the advice I offered the authors and I kept it as generic as possible.

After you note the manuscript errors, you should end your advice on another positive note. You might say, “With rewriting and editing, you will have an engaging story that children will be sure to love, and it’ll be submission ready.”

After my comments, I provided links to a few articles about writing for children and editing.

Since every author’s personality is different it’s usually best to use the gentle approach when offering writing advice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related Articles:

Simple as A, B, C: 6 Basic Tips for Writing Children’s Fiction – Part 1
Simple as ABC: 6 Basic Tips for Writing Children’s Fiction – Part 2
Editing Tips: 1-4
Editing Tips: 5-10

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PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE – THANKS!
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Writing, Publishing, and Marketing – You Can Do It

This 34 page e-book is full of writing, publishing (traditional and self-publishing) and marketing information. Kind of a GPS for getting where you’re headed: published and selling books.

Click on the link for more details and a great review:
http://www.karencioffi.com/writing-publishing-and-marketing/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter, A Writers World, and get TWO FREE eBooks:

The Self-Publisher’s Guide, 2nd Edition
The Blogger’s Checklist
(The books offered may change periodically)

In fact, check out the sidebar for two free gifts just for stopping by!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Acquisitions Editor Intern for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing for Children and More

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

Posted in Freelance Writing, Writing for Children - Tagged children's writer, writing advice, writing for children

Characters or Story, Which Comes First?

Mar12
2011 Leave a Comment

Written by admin

A number of articles about writing for children, and other genres suggest knowing your characters inside and out before beginning the story. In fact, information suggests that the author build the story around the characters once they are fully developed.

While this is good advice, and many experienced authors recommend this technique, there are some authors who occasionally watch their characters unveil themselves right before their eyes.

This is such an interesting method of writing. Your character introduces himself and gradually reveals bits and pieces, and blossoms as the story moves along. Sometimes a story doesn’t begin with this intent, it just happens. This is known as the seat-of-you-pants method of writing.

You do need to be careful with this method though, you may lose track of all the bits and pieces that make up the character. So, a good way to keep track of those quirky telltale marks, expressions, behavior patterns, and physical features is to note them on a separate page or character card as they become unveiled. You wouldn’t want your character to have brown eyes in one chapter and blue eyes in another – unless of course, it’s a science fiction or paranormal and part of the storyline.

So, is there a right or wrong answer to the question of which comes first, characters or story? That depends on the writer.

While it may be important to know your characters, and even have a family and background established for them, even if they are not used in the story, you can also become acquainted as you go along. As your story develops you may find out if the character is fearful in certain situations, or if he is heroic. Sometimes it’s impossible to know this about a person, let alone a character, until circumstances create the possibility of the question.

It is one’s environment and circumstances that help develop his or her characteristics, fears, hopes, and so on. The same holds true for your character.

Using an example: How would a child who never saw a mouse before react to one? There’s no way to answer that question until it happens. So, having the story help develop the character can be a useful tool. But, again, be sure to keep track of all the new features your character unveils along the way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related Articles:

Rewriting a Folktale
The Elevator and One Sentence Pitch for Your Manuscript
Finding Children’s Story Ideas

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing, Publishing, and Marketing – You Can Do It
This 34 page e-book is full of writing, publishing (traditional and self-publishing) and marketing information. Kind of a GPS for getting where you’re headed: published and selling books.
GET YOUR COPY TODAY!
Click on the link for more details and a great review:
http://www.karencioffi.com/writing-publishing-and-marketing/

Kindle Version: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MDLT0Q

You can also check out the page for Writing for Children One Step at a Time, and the page for The Self-Publisher’s Guide 4th Edition.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter, A Writers World, and get TWO FREE eBooks:

The Self-Publisher’s Guide, 2nd Edition
The Blogger’s Checklist
(The books offered may change periodically)

In fact, check out the sidebar for two free gifts just for stopping by!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you want to get that idea turned into a book? Do you want to write your memoirs? Do you need editing, proofreading, or a professional critique? Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional, experienced with keywords and SEO, and we cover a number of writing services. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://DKVWriting4U.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Acquisitions Editor Intern for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing for Children and More
Babies, Tots, and Children

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

Posted in Writing for Children - Tagged characters, creating a story, story, writing advice

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