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More and more publishing professionals agree with me that the first step in producing a successful book project is writing a book proposal. Writing a book without a book proposal is like starting a business without a business plan. People do it, but their potential success is usually compromised.

You wouldn’t construct a building without a plan, sew a dress without a pattern or develop a new automobile design without detailed diagrams and carefully developed specs. Why would anyone write a book for commercial distribution (they want it to sell by the thousands) without first devising a plan to determine:

• Is this a viable product?
• Is there a market for this book?
• What else is out there like my proposed book?
• How will I get this book published?
• What are my publishing options and which one is best for my book?
• Who is the target audience and where are they?
• How will I get the attention of my target audience?
• Why will anyone purchase a book by me on this topic?
• What is my marketing plan?
• What can I do to develop a platform?

I guess there are many people who don’t think ahead—who don’t do their homework—who make decisions by the seat of their pants. Just look at the horrendous mistakes made in recent years with regard to housing mortgages. Thousands of people are losing their homes because they didn’t look ahead. They didn’t study their options and the possible consequences of their decisions.

Publishing isn’t a whole lot different from other aspects of our lives. Here are some hard truths:

• Writing is a craft and publishing is a business. You must approach these two activities in very different ways.
• Knowledge should be your number one priority when entering into the world of publishing.
• The more popular writing and publishing becomes, the more options and opportunities will be available.
• While there are some worthwhile and credible publishers, agents, etc. eager to work with new and seasoned authors, there are also more sharks.
• Competition in the publishing industry is over the top fierce.
• Your best chance at success depends on a well-researched book proposal.
• The best time to write a book proposal is before you start writing the book.

If the idea of writing a book proposal is scaring you half to death, you might consider taking my online, on demand 6-week book proposal course. Check it out at http://www.matilijapress.com/bookproposal.htm

My latest pod cast has gone live. If you’d like to hear me talk with Phil Davis about the things you keep reading about here in my blog, check it out at http://www.authorsonthenet.com

And remember, any day that includes writing is a good day. If becoming a published author is your ultimate goal, concentrate your writing efforts on the revered, highly important book proposal.

It’s good to be home. Flying from Baltimore, Maryland to Santa Barbara, California makes for a very long day, especially when I just made the trip going the other direction two days earlier.

Today, I’m playing catch-up again. I’ve been setting priorities all morning. Paying the first-of-the-month bills was first on my list. And I’ve also been reflecting on the writers’ conference, the people I met and the things I learned. I hope that all conference presenters and attendees take the time to do this. It’s sometimes enlightening, sometimes painful and always worthwhile. If we don’t learn from our experiences—both positive and negative—why bother getting up each morning.

I meet the same hopeful and struggling authors at every conference I attend:

• Those who have just emerged from their writing rooms and are eager to quickly land an agent or publisher.
• Hopeful authors who have collected so many rejection slips they are practically despondent and terribly discouraged.
• Those who are still in the writing stage and who are curious about what publishing is all about.
• Those who have done some research about aspects of the publishing industry and have formed some definite opinions and biases.
• Authors who have “self-published” with a fee-based publishing service (they paid to have their books published) and are overwhelmed by the task of promotion and marketing.

Everyone comes to a writers’ conference with an agenda. Which attendees are most likely to have a successful experience at a writers’ conference?

• Those who are open to at least hearing the material and messages presented.
• Those who network with other writers on a give and take basis.

As a presenter, I also have the opportunity to learn at events such as this. I always learn something about people in general and about writers and authors in particular. I find it fascinating to discover what drives them, what motivates them, what resonates with them, what inspires them. I always learn something more about the publishing industry—and if I do, you know that you will—if you will just pay attention and care. I learn about my peers and, most importantly, I learn something about myself.

If you haven’t yet attended a writers’ conference, I recommend that you do this year. Tell me where you are or where you want to go and I’ll find a conference for you. PLFry620@yahoo.com.

Today, I sent out the second lecture and assignment for my online article-writing course. It’s not too late to sign on and catch up. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm I also teach online courses on demand (sign up when you’re ready to take the course) on writing a book proposal, book promotion and setting up your own publishing company. http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

Here’s an excerpt from the lecture I sent out today.

Come Up With New Article Ideas
What happens when you run out of ideas related to your original topic? Hopefully, you will tire of your subject before that happens. It’s time to get creative and tap into all of your senses. The fact is that if you can’t come up with an article idea, you aren’t paying attention. I tell people to look everywhere for article ideas. My friends laugh at me because I’m always interrupting a conversation to say, “Hey, that’s a good idea for an article!”

Keep your eyes and ears open and you will find ideas. They’re everywhere just waiting to be noticed by an aware writer. Find article ideas at the local coffee shop, airport, grocery store, shoe repair shop, post office, Little League Baseball field, while traveling, at the barber shop, the mall, while fishing, at an animal shelter—absolutely anywhere. I’ve written several articles and, in fact, a book on how to be an effective grandparent even at a distance. The idea stemmed from a conversation I overheard while waiting in line at the grocery store. I met a woman at the post office one day who was working in her retirement as a handywoman. Of course, I wrote an article about her for a senior magazine. Once, while watching my grandson play baseball, I sat next to a Little League dad who earned his living using storytelling as therapy in prisons and other venues. This article idea earned me around $1,500 total as I sold versions of the story to a couple of different magazines.

It pays to pay attention—literally!! And it pays to reach out to others. As writers, we tend to hole up in our comfy cubicles allowing only our family pets into our space. But if you want to earn a living writing articles for magazines (or supplement your income), you really must get out and mingle once in a while. Being a writer, you probably are already observant—hone this skill to the max. And if you aren’t naturally social—if you generally stay to yourself when in public, I’d suggest changing that. You might be surprised at the gifts and opportunities you will glean when you reach out to others.

Do you remember Art Linkletter’s show (and book), Kid’s Say the Darndest Things? Well so do adults, teens, seniors, the mailman, the clerk at the ice cream parlor, your pastor and your neighbor. Heck, you can even find stories in the junk mail you receive if you open your eyes and your mind.

Just today, for example, I received my 4th or 5th letter from a major investment company that is changing the way they operate. With each letter, they attempt to clarify the scope of the changes and who will be in charge of my account from now on. Each letter refers to the letter before and states that it may have contained some erroneous information. Upon reading each of these letters, you feel as though the Marx brothers are now running the company. Use your imagination and you can visualize employees in cubicles holding a small slice of information that they don’t dare tell to anyone else. So each letter coming from each of these people tells a different part of the story. Can’t you just envision creating a humorous essay from this scenario? Or maybe I could write a piece featuring ten tips for better communication within the workplace.

Here are 8 of the 15 things I suggest you consider when trying to come up with new article ideas: (Of course, in my lecture, I flesh each of these points out with examples and instruction.)

1: Write about what you know.
2: Write about what you’re interested in.
3: Write about what you want to know.
4: Write about what’s hot.
5: Write from your own experiences.
6: Write from the experiences of others.
7: Create articles from conversations you have or overhear.
8: Extract ideas from the media.

As many of you know, article-writing is close to my heart. It is through articles that I entered the world of writing for publication. It is article-writing that supported me for many years. Articles help to promote my books. Writing this blog is like writing an article, so it is my way of communicating, of expressing myself and it’s a good vehicle for spreading information. If you have tried to sell articles and failed, if you have a book to promote, if you want to shift from factory or cubicle worker to writer, this course could hold the key to your dreams.

Learn more about article-writing for book promotion in my book The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html Contact me with questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com I also work one-on-one with authors and freelance writers. Check out my credentials and fees at my website: http://www.matilijapress.com/consulting.html

Peter Bowerman, of Well Fed Writer-fame, has a new blog and it’s getting a lot of attention. He allows comments and he gets a lot of them. Check it out at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog

I would like to allow comments here. I did for quite a while, but I was so busy deleting spam all the time, and no one was commenting, anyway, so I asked my webmaster to have the comments option turned off. I do, however, provide my website address in practically every blog entry (through which you can easily contact me) and I frequently give you my email address. I do welcome and invite legitimate comments.

I get random questions from random people every week. Yesterday, a “virtual assistant” contacted me with a question about locating sites where her author could list her books and tapes. Here’s what I told her:

“Hopefully, your author wrote a book proposal before coming out with her book. Or at least, hopefully, she researched her competition. If she is familiar with competing books, she can find out how those authors are marketing their books—where they are showcasing them, where they are getting reviews and so forth.

Do a Google search using the titles of competing books and tapes as the keywords and see where they pop up in blogs, at review sites, in magazines, etc. This will give your author an idea about where to begin promoting hers.

Where did she go for information when researching her book/tapes? Revisit these sites, magazines, newsletters and see if she can get interviewed there, have her book reviewed, get her book listed for sale at these sites…

Talk to others with books on these topics and ask what their best promotional ploys are. Most authors are happy to develop a mutually advantageous network.

Look at the calendar and press sections at other author’s sites to see where they are speaking, where their books are for sale, where they are getting interviewed…”

Hopefully, this gave the virtual assistant some ideas about where to start and will lead to some good exposure for her author.

I’ve also recently been asked how to find paying work on the web. Does anyone out there have any ideas? Those local to Ventura County may have seen the article in the Ventura County Star this week about getting web writing gigs. Let me know if you have additional information that I can pass on to my clients, blog followers, students and others. PLFry620@yahoo.com.

In the meantime, what are you working on these days? Are you focused on writing a book? Seeking freelance article work? Trying to place stories in magazines? Doing corporate or client writing? Trying to land a newspaper or magazine column? Promoting a book? How’s it going?

If you need help in any of these areas—some ideas, encouragement, solid resources, instruction, information—be sure to check out my array of books at http://www.matilijapress.com

Here are my best sellers: The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book (enormously, incredibly rich in information, instruction and resources), The Successful Writer’s Handbook, (a great choice for someone getting his/her feet wet in the writing business), How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less (a stand-alone book on writing a book proposal), The Author’s Repair Kit (featuring the post-publication book proposal—for authors with books that are faltering in the marketplace), Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book (my all-time best seller at Amazon), A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles (for the freelance writer who wants to earn a living or supplement his income through article-writing).

Note: You can get The Successful Writer’s Handbook or How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less in print or digital form FREE with a SPAWN membership or renewal. http://www.spawn.org At least sign up for the FREE enewsletter, SPAWNews.

And don’t forget, yesterday I started a 6-week online (email) article-writing course. It’s not too late to join in. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm Contact me with questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com