Writing for print and online publication can generate new business leads, drive traffic to your site, build relationships with your clients and prospects, and attract an audience. If you need to grow your business, consider the following ways to get your byline out there.

1. Online Article Directories
If you’ve never published an article before, article directories-like SelfGrowth.com and EzineArticles.com-are a great place to start. Basically, you post articles to these directories and other web publishers can read them and republish them on their sites (don’t worry; you get credit and a link back to your site in return). All you need to do is create a profile and start uploading articles.

2. Trade Magazines
If you belong to professional associations, then you probably get some of their publications in the mail. And if you serve a market that belongs to an association, then you SHOULD be getting that publication too. When you flip through the pages, you may notice that other members and experts often contribute articles to these magazines and they get an about-the-author box at the end that lists their business and web site. A great way to establish expertise and get new leads is to contribute your own articles to these publications.

3. Your Own E-zine
Everyone with a business can and should send an e-zine or electronic newsletter to their clients and prospects. It’s an inexpensive way to stay in front of people on a regular basis and e-zines allow you to build relationships and stimulate repeat business. So start collecting e-mail addresses (the legal way) and publish your own e-zine, even if it’s just plain text to start.

4. Blogs (Your Own or Someone Else’s)
Blogs are another way to build relationships and establish expertise. They’re easy to set up and update, and you can post new material at a frequency that suits your schedule (such as once or twice a week). Blogs are also great for search engine optimization because they’re usually updated more frequently than a web site. If you’re not interested in maintaining your own blog, try guest posting at blogs where your ideal clients and readers are likely to see your material.

5. Your Own Print Newsletter
If you have a long list of past clients, a print newsletter (like the e-zine) is a great medium for keeping in touch and generating repeat business. Some experts suggest incorporating both a print newsletter and e-zine into your marketing plan. Printing and postage are more expensive than doing everything electronically, but if you include good content that your clients want, they are probably more likely to read the print newsletter.

6. Special Reports
Nothing gets people interested and builds a list of prospects like giving away a freebie. I’ve used downloadable special reports that appeal to my ideal clients and their needs to generate new leads, and people love it! An informative special report also gives people a taste of what it’s like to work with you and lets you answer some frequently asked questions up front.

7. E-books
After you’ve written a few articles and reports, why not repackage them into an e-book that you can sell from your web site? This adds a passive income stream to your existing business, and lets you help prospects in a way that’s often less expensive than working with you one-on-one. With an e-book for sale on your site, you can literally get clients and make money while you’re out doing something else!

8. Books
Although you may not be ready for it now, writing and publishing a book is still one of the heaviest marketing hitters out there. And with print-on-demand publishing making it so easy, there’s no reason why you can’t write a book that will allow you to raise your rates, get more lucrative speaking engagements, and grow your business dramatically.

Getting Started
If you’re a consultant, coach, speaker, small business, or self-employed service provider, writing for publication is one of the best ways to differentiate yourself from your competition, attract new clients, and make more money doing what you love. So pick a publication from the list and get started. You’ll be amazed at who might be reading your words!

Melinda Copp is a ghostwriter and writing coach who helps self-employed professionals, speakers, entrepreneurs, coaches, and consultants who struggle to write in a way that attracts new clients and grows their business. If you want grow your business by writing and publishing, visit http://www.WritersSherpa.com to get a free copy of “The Top 10 Mistakes Aspiring Business Authors Make–And How to Avoid Them!”

Author: Melinda Copp
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Smiling shark

Many authors write because they enjoy it, but promoting their books, seriously trying to sell their books, or even writing books that an audience will read requires being willing to make a few sacrifices for the sake of being professional. Here are ten top signs that you may view writing as just a hobby rather than a profession.

Writing is likely just a hobby for you if you say or think any of the following:

1. I just write it as it comes out. It’s inspired. I don’t believe revision is necessary. Yeah, and I can tell you didn’t revise. Sadly, I’ve seen too many books where it was obvious the author did no revision. Typos, misspelled and wrong words, repetitive phrases, illogical plots, dialogue that isn’t clear. These books are a mess. No one is going to be impressed by them. Not only are you obviously a hobby writer, but I’m sad to say that you’ve wasted your money publishing a book that no one will buy, or if they do, will only hurt your reputation.
2. I can’t afford an editor and my daughter just graduated from college as an English major so I’m sure she will catch any typos. Please! I recently had an author send me a manuscript that his daughter, the English major, proofread for him. Something is seriously wrong with public education if she was given an English degree. She didn’t catch half the typos if any at all-worse, there were more grammatical errors than there are words in this article. And even if the English major is good at catching errors, it doesn’t make her a book editor. How many books has she written? How many books has she edited? You need to hire a professional. Better to spend the money and have a quality product than to have a book that people will put down in disgust because of the typos. If you’re serious about being an author, you will invest the money to have the book edited.
3. My friend’s son is really good at art so he suggested his son could do my illustrations. As with the book edited by the daughter, how many books has the son illustrated? Someone who is good at drawing is not necessarily a professional artist. Put some thought into how you want your illustrations to look. Audition some different artists. Perhaps the young man’s drawings will be good enough for your book-if so, great, but don’t let personal feelings interfere with the success of your book. Remember, producing a quality book is a business decision.
4. I’ll be happy if I just break even. Do you think Donald Trump thinks that way about his investments? If you are serious about being an author, don’t think about breaking even. Think about making a profit. Even if you break even on your printing and production costs, have you really broken even on the hundreds or thousands of hours you spent writing, not to mention marketing your book? Make sure you know how much your book will cost to produce, what your profit margin is, what percentage bookstores and other retailers will want, and develop a plan to make a return on your investment.
5. I don’t have the Internet so I can’t market my book online. My computer is so old it won’t allow me to access Facebook or Twitter. Get a new computer. Quit making excuses. If you’re serious about writing and you don’t have Internet access where you live, move to where you can get it. If you don’t want to move, hire someone who can check your email, monitor your Internet presence, post your blogs, promote your book online, and keep you regularly updated. If you want to succeed, you need to keep up with technology. Plain and simple. No excuses.
6. I’ve decided I’ll only have my books here at the Country Bookstore. The staff is really nice, and I’m not really into running around to all those other bookstores. Okay, and I’m sure your readers aren’t into running across state to find your book at the one place you have it for sale. They will go where it is convenient for them to make their purchases, and they won’t ever see your book in those stores so they’ll never buy it. No one is going to know about your book if you don’t make it visible in many locations, both in brick-and-mortar stores and online. Visibility is a requirement for book sales. The more effort you put into marketing your book, the bigger the rewards are likely to be.
7. I’m not going to get up to give a speech. No problem. Plenty of other authors will. The library or conference will invite a different author. If you don’t talk about your book, then you can’t provide a hook to make readers interested. People want to be entertained, and even if you’ve written the best book ever on your subject, remember, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” So get up and give that speech. If you’re shy, go to public speaking groups or get a coach so you get better at speaking in public. You need to present yourself so people will get to know and like you, and then they will want to read your book.
8. I’m not going to sit at that art fair for eight hours a day all weekend. Yes, doing book shows and art fairs can be long days. They can also be exhilarating experiences where your readers have a chance to meet you personally. They get the opportunity to speak to you individually, to have you personally sign their books. What an opportunity for them! And a chance for you to meet people who might never go to a bookstore or look for your book, but now find you unexpectedly, to your benefit and theirs.
9. I don’t see any point in going to those publishing conferences. They’re just for socializing. That’s true. You can get a lot of information at publishing conferences and writer’s group meetings, but mostly they are about socializing. They are an opportunity for writers and publishers to get together and share information, to brainstorm, to connect, to give each other ideas and make each other aware of opportunities. Networking is really about making friends. The more friends you have, the more people who will be talking about your book, and the more books you will sell, so get to that publishing conference and socialize, socialize, socialize!
10. I don’t want to write full-time because then it would be like work. Hmm, well, I imagine you’re working now. Are you working in a call center, dealing with customer complaints, making someone else rich, putting up with a nagging boss, doing a job that leaves you exhausted at the end of the day, sacrificing your family time for a job you hate? Let’s get real here. You love writing. It’s what you’re passionate about. What’s wrong with working at it-with having a job you will love, if not fully, then a lot more than the day-job you have now? Writing full-time-that’s not work, that’s living the dream and never having to work again. Don’t you deserve to spend your life doing what you love? Of course you do.

After reading this list, you probably realize you have some of the “writing as a hobby” mindset. Now that you’re aware of it, get rid of it. No more excuses. Make today the first day of the rest of your professional writing career!

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

Author: Irene Watson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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