Writing and Publishing News from

March 27, 2012

The Author’s Edge in Public Speaking

Filed under: Book Promotion,Public Speaking — Patricia @ 4:59 am

I spoke yesterday at our famous outdoor bookstore in Ojai as part of the week-long Ojai Wordfest. Bart’s Books has been in existence for about 60 years. Used books are shelved in little alcoves surrounding a couple of large patio areas where you can sit and read or attend a book event. Some books are on shelves outside. When the store is closed, you can still purchase books. You just look at the price on the book and toss that amount over the fence onto the patio.

Today, I believe they have a slot where you put the money and it drops down into a can. I guess the new owners didn’t enjoy looking all over the cement each morning for coins.

One charm of Bart’s was the huge oak tree that grew up from the very center of the store. It had to be taken down a few years ago. It’s just not quite the same. I see that they have a resident cat, though. It seems that there was always a Bart the Cat wandering around the premises. Yesterday, I met Bart number 5 or 8 or 10—who knows?

My talk went okay. I got to talk about me—my journey as a career writer. I think I spread some inspiration around. A few people came up to me afterward to tell me that they felt inspired to follow their writing dreams and hoped they could be as committed as I was through the early years.

I had a friend ask me yesterday if I ever get nervous before a talk. I thought about it and responded this way:

“There is always the Gemini tendency to think and rethink and plan and consider and strategize and maybe worry a tad before a talk. No matter how well you plan for a presentation, there are still a lot of unknowns until you arrive at the venue.”

Yesterday, I arrived early, as I always do, and discovered that the metal chairs and tables were still very wet after the rainstorm the day before. I spent my prep time wiping them down with paper towels and pushing them out into the sun to further dry before guests arrived.

I told my friend, “Some of the unknowns are not revealed until you actually get up in front of the group. You don’t know how many people will show up, whether they will be friendly, what they hope to get from you, etc. So I think I get a little nervous until I feel the energy coming from my audience. If it is positive, which 99.99 percent of the time it is, this will settle any uncertainties or nerves within me.

“I may be concerned that I can deliver what the audience wants. I try to squelch that concern by asking what they want. And I may experience some anxiety about being able to stay on track with my speech—you never know when your message will fall flat. Of course, that’s why you prepare, prepare, prepare and then give yourself permission to deviate from your speech if you see a need to.”

I remember once, tearing up my speech notes in front of an audience, tossing the pieces up in the air and letting them rain down on me. Once I got started, I realized that the audience wanted/needed something different from me than I was led to believe. So I improvised and it worked out very well.

I no longer feel nervous about going before a group, but I do shine brighter when I feel the group is friendly and are really interested in the information I am presenting.

So I told my friend, “Nervousness—as in fear of speaking isn’t a problem for me, in most cases. But I think it is useful to be a little charged or stressed or on edge before speaking. It gives you a greater sense of energy. For me, I become more animated and energetic. And this, I think, energizes the audience and keeps them interested.”

Today, I’m speaking on another outdoor patio under a canopy of oaks. My talk title is “Generating Revenue Through Writing.” I imagine I’ll have quite a few people there who are eager to get insider tips for making money with their writing. I hope they aren’t discouraged when I tell them, what you’ve been hearing from me in this blog for years, that it takes more than writing talent to make money in this industry.

I’ll let you know how attendees accept my message about dedication, commitment, motivation, tenacity, persistence and hard work.

Have you ordered my two latest books, yet? I sold some on the patio at Bart’s Books yesterday and have some packed up to take with me today, in case people are in the market for some seriously valuable information and guidance.

Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author and Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.
http://www.matilijapress.com

Also available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and most bookstores.

March 26, 2012

Who’s Visiting My Blog?

Filed under: Book Promotion — Patricia @ 4:34 am

I hear people complain that their blog isn’t getting enough traffic—that no one is reading their posts. I assume they are basing this conclusion on the fact that they aren’t getting a lot of comments at their blog site.

If you are disappointed because you don’t get constant feedback with regard to your blog, perhaps I can help you to gain a more positive perspective.

First, I trust that you are posting what your readers want and can use. Presumably, you are an author or soon-to-be-author who is writing on the topic or genre of your book and you are addressing a large niche or general audience.

If you promote your blog everywhere—in your email signature, in your bio at the bottom of the articles/stories you submit for publication, on handouts when you give presentations, at your magnificent website, on your business cards and brochures, in your comments left at similar blog sites and so forth—you will attract visitors.

If you are also giving them what they want most—information and resources, interesting news and perspective on the topic, solutions and/or entertainment, for example—those who visit once will probably visit often.

Also, you want to post regularly and often, so frequent visitors will always find something new to view.

What makes you think no one is paying attention to your blog posts? Is it the fact that you get so few legitimate comments? I’d venture a guess that if you have 300 people stopping by your blog site each day only one or two are liable to comment. And those who do would do so only occasionally. Most people do not comment on blog posts, write letters to the editor, send congratulatory notes or write thank you letters (emails or texts).

What makes blogging worthwhile? Every once in a while you’ll get a quick comment via email (or at your blog site) or even while you’re attending a writers’ event, from someone who says they sure do appreciate your blog.

Multiply the number of people who do comment by 100 or so (those who generally do not comment) and you might get some idea of how many people are following your blog.

Or you could install a counter (but it probably also counts all of those visits from spammers). There are analytical programs you can install. Here are some links:

http://www.analytics.blogspot.com
http://whos.amung.us
 http://www.website-hit-counters.com/website-statistics.html

March 25, 2012

Tips for Writing the Right Book for the Right Audience

Filed under: Authorship,Writing — Patricia @ 8:23 am

This morning I’d like to talk to authors about the order of things.

What is your first step when you decide to write a book? Some of you pick up your journal, after many years of pouring your heart into it, and decide to create a book from your writings. Others sit down and write the story that’s been bouncing around in their heads for decades (or months). Still others compile their blog posts into book form. But how many of you stop to consider your audience in all of this? You know, your potential readers?

I’m talking to both fiction and nonfiction authors this morning. If you’re writing fiction, you should take into consideration what is selling—what are some of the popular genres? If you have a huge desire to write in an obscure or even undefined genre, it is still important to know who reads the type of books you want to write, what elements are vital to include in your book for this particular audience, the style they are most likely to accept, what turns them off in books of this genre, etc.

In other words, know the genre you are writing in so well that you can’t help but score with your audience.

I remind new authors to read what they are writing—I’m particularly adamant about this for children’s book authors. Yet, these authors continue to send me manuscripts that do not conform to the age group they are writing for. They claim they’ve been studying books for their age group, but they often miss the points they most need to focus on.

Nonfiction authors writing how-to, informational, historical, references, self-help books, also need to study books like the one they propose while considering their audience. Honestly determine if there is a need for this book or is the market saturated with books of this nature? If there are many books on your topic, how can you make yours different—more useful, more informative, etc.? Who is the audience for your book? Is there an audience whose needs in this area are not being met by any other book out there? Is there something you can offer readers that isn’t currently being covered? I suggest holding off on your great book idea until you truly know if it is a great idea with an eager audience. If this means that, in order to attract the right audience, you need to change the focus of your book, then by all means do it!

What’s the alternative? Producing a book that is of no use of value to anyone. Write the book you want to write without regard for your audience and you could fall into this trap.

As for memoirs—certainly you plan to tell your story. But there are a variety of ways you could approach it. To help you determine your direction, respond to these questions:

1: Are you so well-known that a large array of people will enthusiastically seek out a book about your life? (For most of us, the answer is NO.)

2: Are you such a wonderfully creative storyteller and writer that, with the appropriate marketing techniques you will entice thousands of readers? (For the majority of us, the answer is NO.)

3: Is there a group of people who would be interested in reading your story of success, failure, health challenges, victimization, or…? (Well, that depends. For the most part, memoirs in every topic have saturated the market.)

Before writing your memoir, read memoirs by other authors. Consider your audience and ask yourself, “What’s in it for them?” That’s what they will ask themselves before they decide to read your book, “What’s in it for me?”

What do they want? Information, to be entertained, encouragement, guidance, support, a quick and easy way to success, wealth, weight-loss or???

I hope I have caught you before you finished writing that book on “my road to recovery,” “my philosophy on life,” “how I lost weight,” “my struggle with dyslexia” or “my dog, Rover.”

For additional information for authors and a serious education related to the publishing industry, read my latest book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. Amazon.com. or http://www.matilijapress.com

March 24, 2012

Presentation Help, Warnings and Accolades

Filed under: Announcements,Public Speaking,Publishing — Patricia @ 4:48 am

This weekend, after having finished editing a 400-page manuscript, I am preparing for a series of five presentations next week at the Ojai Wordfest. Busy, busy.

I’ve mentioned the Wordfest before. This is the second year they’ve held it here in Ojai and it is an interesting concept which pretty much involves the whole town. Various merchants agree to have an author read or speak to customers at set times throughout the week. There will also be speakers/readers at the library, in private homes and other venues throughout the community. It’s a lot of fun and it’s well attended. To learn more about the event, go to http://www.ojaiwordfest.wordpress.com You’ll find a calendar of events there.

Speech Preparation How-To
Two of my adult grandsons were over for dinner the other night. One of them asked me how I prepare for a speech. I thought some of you might be interested in my response, as well.

I write my speech and then I go over it many times, tweaking as I go. When I am satisfied, I condense it to notes and begin practicing it while I walk each day. I might memorize (or loosely memorize) the first line and the last line. Other than that, the speech may take on a different flavor each time I practice it. This means I am also free to go with my intuition upon meeting my audience and gearing my talk to their specific needs.

I know my material, so my main concern, when formulating a presentation, is organization. I want to share the information and anecdotes in an organized manner, so that the material flows—much the same as you would do when writing a book or an article.

If I need to memorize a speech, which I may do for a much longer presentation, I do all of my rehearsing while out walking. Has anyone else discovered the benefits of rehearsing speeches while walking? What works for you?

Grandparent Scam
By the way, all of you grandparents out there: Are you aware of the grandparent telephone scam being perpetuated against grandparents, lately? I have received one of the calls, as has my mother and my daughter’s father-in-law. The caller pretends to be your grandson or daughter who is stranded in a foreign country and in need of money. They say, “I can’t call my parents, they don’t know I’m here, so can you send me some money so I can come home?”

Don’t fall for this scam. As I understand it some do. My mother was the first one I know to get the call and she handled herself and the criminal on the other end of the phone quite well. I got it next and, recognized the scam for what it was because of my mother’s experience—but also because my grandsons would never talk to me the way this young man spoke to me.

Protect yourself from telephone scammers just like you do Internet scammers.

New Unsolicited Review for Publish Your Book!
Hey check this out: I got an Amazon review from someone I don’t know and she doesn’t know me. Don’t you love when that happens? Here’s the review:

“I really appreciate this book. I wish that I had known about it before I started my own publishing journey. It is packed full of things every beginning author needs to know to be successful. It talks about mistakes beginning authors make, some of which I made, also things like how to pick a publisher, self-publishing, writing a book proposal, and even some marketing basics with lots of tips and ideas. She includes the addresses of many helpful websites and even has a chapter on bookkeeping for authors. I recommend this book for any beginning author and anyone who wants to know more about the book publishing industry.”

If you haven’t ordered your copy of Publish Your Book, why not visit Amazon.com this weekend and place an order. If you are thinking about writing a book, you’re involved in the process of writing or publishing a book, you will not be disappointed in my book. Let it be your guiding light that helps you make better decisions on behalf of your project.
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

March 23, 2012

How Many Times Should You Self-Edit Your Manuscript?

Filed under: Editing,Publishing — Patricia @ 4:34 am

Do you ever wonder why you need to go over a manuscript so many times before it is right? I think it is because, as humans, we’re only capable of holding so much in our minds at any one time. Especially when you’re not trained to do so, you have difficulty noticing all of the mistakes/errors/problems in a manuscript all at one time.

You’ve probably noticed that every time you read through your manuscript, you find new errors. You wonder, “How is it that I didn’t notice the missing quotation mark in that bit of dialog or that ‘there’ was wrongly spelled ‘their’ or that I typed ‘abandon’ instead of ‘abandoned’ in the preface?”

Why don’t you catch all of the errors the first time around? I think that editing-proofing is similar to cleaning house. The messier it is, the more times you’ll have to go through it. The first time through, you might remove the bulk of the clutter. Once that’s out of the way, you can more easily see areas of dirt and disarray that need your attention. And after you do your second thorough, soap-and-water cleaning, if you use your keen senses, you’ll find even more dirt, dust and even clutter hidden in the crevices.

So it is with the editing process. After you go over your manuscript time and time again, you’ll continue to find things you’ll want to (or need to) change. It seems never-ending. And if you can’t settle on the name for your character, his background, the order of the events, or you are confused about how to use the apostrophe, how to represent numbers, etc., it will be never-ending.

I suggest that, once you are satisfied with your story or your nonfiction manuscript, continue to read it—using a fine-tooth comb—searching for every minute discrepancy, error, misplaced comma, etc. many times. Go through that manuscript until you can do so without seeing more than say five new problems. THEN turn it over to a qualified book editor. (You may be surprised at the additional problems he or she finds.)

As an author, I go through my manuscripts numerous, numerous times. As an editor, I like to go through my clients’ manuscripts twice. The first time, I catch the majority of the errors. This is also my opportunity to become familiar with the story or the material. But I like to take a second trip through in order to make sure what I decided late in the manuscript is applied to the first part of it. Once I know the story or the material, I can more accurately repair discrepancies-inconsistencies and poor writing habits that some authors tend to have. And, typically, I will find small errors I missed the first time around.

Some people say, “Why don’t you just read the manuscript one time and then do your editing?” I have tried that and I find that I cannot read a book that needs editing without editing it. In fact, I’ve been known to discard a published book that is poorly edited. The mistakes are so distracting to me that I cannot stick with the storyline. I assume that many readers have the same problem. Readers of any caliber do not appreciate—in fact, resent being subjected to—published books that are not properly edited.

How many times do you proof or self-edit your manuscripts before turning them out or turning them over to your editor? If you are working on a book, make sure that you are putting aside money for an editor. Don’t shortchange your chances for success (and don’t shortchange your readers) by not investing in an editor for your book. Of course, the more successfully you can fine-tune your manuscript, the less time an editor will have to spend with it.

I offer an online course on self-editing. Check it out here: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_self-editing.htm

If you are new to publishing, you really do need to understand the industry, your options, the possible consequences of your choices and your responsibility as a published author. Read my latest book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author (Allworth Press). Available at the publisher’s website, my website, Amazon.com, most bookstores and other online stores.

Note: Part of your responsibility as a published author is to present the best product you can to your audience. And this means producing a properly-edited book.

March 22, 2012

Is Your Great Book Idea Really a Great Book Idea?

Filed under: Authorship,Publishing — Patricia @ 3:24 am

So you have an idea and you want to write about it. Most of us immediately think, “book” when the light bulb goes off above our heads.

“Gosh, that would make a great book!” or “I’d like to write a book on that topic or concept.”

Sometimes, however, your idea isn’t worthy of an entire book on the subject. That’s why I advise writers to consider writing an article, instead. If it is a worthwhile topic, the writing is good and the audience is eager to get this information, you should be able to sell the article to a high-paying magazine market. If not, perhaps it isn’t a great idea, after all.

Sometimes articles evolve into books. I’ve had this happen a couple of times. After seeing the response to my article on long-distance grandparenting, I wrote a book on the topic. Likewise, there was an interest in my articles on youth mentoring, which encouraged me to reproduce them in book form.

Some of my book publishing/promotion articles also evolved into full-blown books. In fact, article-writing is a good way to test your potential book ideas.

Another option, especially if you want to distribute the material you’ve written on a particular topic, is the booklet. Professionals and experts often produce booklets to test a concept or to bring attention to their work or business, for example.

If you think you have a great idea for a book, here’s what I suggest:
• Write an outline in order to determine just how substantial this book might be.

• Consider writing an article for an appropriate publication to see what the level of interest is in this concept.

• Test the idea by producing a booklet to give away or sell at your website or hand out at trade shows, conferences, etc.

What can you expect from the process of testing the market? You might find that you have a strong niche market for a full-blown book on the subject. The feedback you receive might prompt you to alter your original idea to suit a larger or more targeted audience. You may discover that this isn’t such a good idea, after all and you’ll save yourself money and time.

Have you ever done a test market on a book idea? How did you proceed with that? How did it go? What did you learn from the process? Leave your comments here.

If you are determined to produce a book, be sure to educate yourself first about the vast and fiercely competitive publishing industry. Read Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html

It’s also at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and others. And it is on Kindle and Nook.

March 21, 2012

How to Reach Your Readers

Filed under: Book Promotion — Patricia @ 3:48 am

Publishing is a business and your book is a product. In order to put your book into the hands of readers, you must stop dreaming and start thinking like a businesswo/man. You’ve heard people say, “Think before you speak.” Or “Think before you act.” Well, an author must think before s/he publishes. And your thoughts really should reach beyond the bookstore.

Try this exercise: Can you come up with five (5) ways to reach your target audience outside of the traditional bookstore? I’d love to hear your promotional ideas. Send them to me here.

Here are five of my ideas for promoting my writing/publishing-related books:

1: Write articles for writing-related magazines and newsletters. You could write articles for magazines and newsletters that your particular audience reads—regional publications or religious/spiritual, parenting, business, art, sports, health or travel magazines, for example. It’s a great way to let your audience know about your book and to dazzle them with your expertise.

2: Participate in writing/publishing online forums and groups. This is a good way to meet up with the movers and shakers in your field or genre and to keep abreast of trends.

3: Solicit book reviews and interviews in magazines and newsletters and blogs for freelance writers and authors. There are reviewers and blogs on every topic.

4: Seek out book festivals and writers conferences and offer to give workshops. You can sell practically any type of book at a book festival and there are conferences on every subject imaginable. Members of your audience attend conferences to learn from experts like you. Contact the conference leaders and get speaking gigs.

5: Keep adding to and improving my website so it continues to attract my target audience. I just sent my webmaster a list of changes to make at my website. I call it my spring cleaning.

If you need more book promotion ideas, help writing a query letter or book proposal, information about finding and working with a publisher, steps to self-publishing, hints for better writing, distribution and shipping info, resources or other information related to authorship, purchase my latest book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. Also read Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author http://www.matilijapress.com

There is a new five-star review at this book’s Amazon page. Check it out!

March 20, 2012

Why Your Book May Not Belong in Bookstores

Filed under: Book Promotion — Patricia @ 3:16 am

What are you doing to promote your book(s)? Are you still trying to figure out a way to get them into bookstores?

I field a lot of questions for freelance writers and authors each week through SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), through my web site and via links from some of my published articles. The majority of these questions relate to book promotion. Many of the authors want to know, “How can I get my book into bookstores?”

Typically, these authors have spent the last several years writing the book of their dreams and then they take just a few days to search for a publisher. They gleefully and gratefully sign up with the first fee-based publishing service (pay-to-publish company) that issues them a contract and assume that their book will be available in bookstores nationwide. Of course, they envision copies of their book flying off of bookstore shelves into the eager hands of thousands of readers. Their job now is to sit back and rake in the royalties, right? Not even.

Tell me now, at some point in the process of writing your book, did you ever look around a mega bookstore and consider the vast competition? Visualize your book in that bookstore. Think now, what would cause readers to find and purchase your book among the tens (or, in some cases, hundreds) of thousands of other books?

Few authors realize that booksellers rarely carry books produced through fee-based publishing services. I know, I know, this isn’t what the publisher told you. Likewise, booksellers avoid carrying self-published books (books you produced yourself). Some legitimate, traditional royalty publishers even have trouble getting books into bookstores. I’m telling you, the competition for space in the few bookstores that are left, is stiff. And books that are accepted by these mega booksellers had better fly off the shelf or else!

What happens to books that don’t sell well? They are promptly returned to the publisher for a refund and I mean promptly. You might only have a three to six month window of time to prove your book worthy of bookstore status. Unfortunately, this is true whether you have paid a publishing service to produce your book, you’ve self-published or you managed to land a major publisher.

You can prolong your book’s place on a bookstore shelf by bringing in customers. This does not mean soliciting your friends and family members to order the book over and over again. Publishers/authors who have been caught doing this sort of thing usually have their books banned from the bookstore thereafter. What I suggest is creating a buzz, getting exposure, establishing a name for yourself (your book), getting publicity… Do whatever it takes to attract customers to the bookstores that carry your books.

But don’t rely totally on bookstores to sell your books. Sure, pursue bookstores if you wish, but be aware that bookstores are not the be all, end all answer to book promotion. Upon your first inkling to become an author, start planning your book promotion strategy. There are many countless avenues for promotion outside of the bookstore. Discover them, study them and, if they are appropriate for your particular title, pursue them.

I will continue this post tomorrow. In the meantime, if you are an author, you are responsible for promoting your book. If you need help (and if you’re new at this or if your book isn’t selling, you do), order my book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for Promoting Your Book. It’s at Amazon. It’s also here: http://www.matilijapress.com

March 19, 2012

What’s in Your Subject Line?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Patricia @ 2:48 am

Email is an odd phenomenon. No one who is over the age of 17 grew up with it. Many of us are still learning the ins and outs and idiosyncrasies of our email programs. While I receive and send a couple of hundred emails every day, I still don’t know all of the intricate aspects of my system. But I am learning more about how to handle incoming and outgoing email messages so that only the important ones are received and read and fewer of those are lost.

Think about this, do you often feel rejected because your email messages are ignored? Do you envision a black hole where your outgoing email is swallowed up, never to be read by human eyes? Well, that’s exactly what happens to thousands of valid email messages each year. And it’s mainly because of what we put (or neglect to put) in the Subject Line.

What’s the big deal about the subject line? Right up there with the “to” and the “from” the subject line is the most important aspect of any email. Why? This is what causes the recipient to open it or discard it. Think about how you determine which email messages to open and which to delete.

You will open email with information or words that are familiar to you or that relate to someone you know or something you’re involved in. I typically open email from people I know and those that look as though they relate to one of my books, writing, publishing or SPAWN. If the email lands in my bulk/spam box, it has an unfamiliar return address and the subject line reads, “I’m confused,” “Waiting to hear from you,” “Need information” or another generic phrase, I may delete it. Occasionally, however, I follow my intuition and open one of these messages. Often, I’m glad that I did because it is from a potential client. But I wonder how many email messages I delete every year just because it doesn’t appear to be legitimate.

Folks, think before you click “send.” If you want your email to be read and, especially if you want a response, pay attention to what is in your subject line. Maybe you have a question about our networking organization, SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). Or you need help with your book proposal. Instead of typing, “Question,” or “Interesting Proposal” in the subject line, type, “Question about SPAWN,” or “Need help with my book proposal.”

Likewise, let’s all pay closer attention to the email we delete. Just because it lands in our bulk/spam email box or just because it has an unfamiliar email address, don’t discard it.
Look at the name. Read the subject line. Is it familiar? Check closely before deleting because it may just be the response you are waiting for.

Sometimes the email you have been waiting for or have requested comes from an unfamiliar email address—one different than you expected.

We’re all guilty of deleting legitimate emails. But this will occur much less often if we will type reasonable, clear messages in the subject line and if we take a little more time to review the messages in our email and spam mail boxes.

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

March 17, 2012

Are You Getting Your Energy’s Worth?

Filed under: Authorship,Writing — Patricia @ 12:52 am

If you are a freelance writer or an author with one or more books to promote and you’re darn serious about succeeding, you lead a busy life.

As a freelance writer, you are always in promotion mode. You face frequent deadlines. Either you work with editors or you serve clients; and their needs don’t always coincide with the time you have available.

As an author, you are either researching and writing every chance you get or you’re involved in promoting one or more books. I’m sure that you feel as though someone is stealing hours out of your days, lately. It’s really hard to get it all done.

But my question today is, “Are You Getting Your Energy’s Worth?” Is the payoff in satisfaction and/or success appropriate to the energy you expend? Or are you, wasting or misusing your efforts? I think this is a question we should ask ourselves every once in a while; because if we are not using our time and energy wisely, we won’t get the results we desire.

And what do you desire:
• having your book completed and edited by December of 2012?
• an increase in the number of books sold this year?
• a contract from a major publisher?
• more new editorial clients in 2012?
• a greater volume of your magazine articles/stories published?
• a higher rate of pay for freelance work—more money per article or story?
• a higher overall income in 2012?

Whatever your goal, you know that it is up to you to meet it, right? But are you taking the right steps, making the right moves and using your energy wisely? How do you know whether you are or not? Your answers to these 4 questions might offer some insight.

1: Do you have realistic priorities with regard to the work necessary in meeting your goals? In other words, do you set aside an appropriate amount of time and expend the right level of energy in which to do the research, writing or promotion necessary to make some strides and move ahead?
2: Are you doing more of what has worked in the past while also trying some of the new things that have come to your attention?
3: Are you always on the lookout for new ideas, resources, recommendations and opportunities?

4: Do you take advantage of the opportunities that come before you?

One area where many authors and freelance writers fall down is that they subscribe to a newsletter and/or join a club or organization and then neglect to use the materials and opportunities afforded them through this channel.

• Determine which organizations have the most value in your particular quest and which benefits are most useful—set aside time to pursue these. It might be a member forum or discussion group, a monthly podcast or a book proposal or article-writing course, for example.

• Select the publications that contain the type of information and resources you need most and take time to study them each week/month.

• Collect tips and resources and make sure that you follow-up on those that could move your project or career forward.

The thing is, if you give the same amount of energy and time to your career or project as you always have, you can expect the same result. If you want a different result—more client work, more money coming in from article work, increased book sales, for example—you must expend a different amount of energy using different methods.

How many of you reading this blog regularly have already purchased my book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author?

I’d like to know how it has helped you along your publishing path. Leave a comment here or write to: PLFry620@yahoo.com.To those hopeful authors who haven’t read it yet, order yours today at Amazon.com or at http://www.matilijapress.com/PublishYourBook.html

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