Time to Write

How to make money writing--without being scammed, cheated, or misled

Have you wondered how you could make money by writing? In this economy, it's a good idea to have more than one stream of income. Your writing skills can help you achieve that. 

It's not easy and you have to beware of all the "make money fast" schemes out there. However, there are legitimate options that you can pursue in your spare time. Here are three suggestions:

* self-publishing an ebook (this can be done very inexpensively) - of course you will also have to market it so people are aware it exists. If you have a particular expertise, probably a non-fiction, how-to ebook would be your best choice. There are people making good money self-publishing novels as well. 

* helping small businesses set up or improve their websites. You might want to consider partnering with a web designer/developer. They do the tech stuff, you provide the words. You could start with local businesses you use yourself. Check out whether they have a site. If so, identify how it could be improved to bring in more customers. Copywriting is persuasive writing, so you'd need to educate yourself in that but there are good books available. 

Often these sites are missing a crucial element: good testimonials. If you can collect and add these, there's a good chance that alone will boost their results. 

By the way, don't sign up for an expensive course until you've checked out other ways you can learn this craft. Some of the high-priced courses make extravagent claims as to how much you'll earn. Yes, there are copywriters who make very big money, but they're not beginners. It's like telling an acting student he or she can make $20 million a picture because that's what a top star earns.

* propose writing and editing an e-newsletter for businesses to send to their customers. Many businesses are desperate for ways to bring in more revenue and may be open to this. They may be reluctant to spend money without knowing whether it will work, so you might propose doing one free for 3 months. Let them see the results, get testimonials from them, and then start charging them, and use this proof to demonstrate the benefits to other businesses you approach. 

AVOID OR APPROACH WITH CAUTION:

By way of warning, there are also some ways NOT to make money with writing or writing-related activities:

* proofreading. Don't believe the ads that suggest there is a terrible shortage of proofreaders and if you take their course you'll have more work than you can handle. The publisher of one of my books told me there is no pressing demand for proofreaders.

* writing articles for the web. Actually, if you can crank out half a dozen or more in an hour, maybe you can make some money, but there are a lot of scams that try to get you to pay a registration fee or a monthly fee and then never give you the promised lucrative assignments. 

Before signing up with any services, Google them. Read past the first page of results--many such services put up websites in someone else's name.

If you google "Moneypotts Writing scams" for instance (a made-up example), you'll come on to lots of apparent review sites that say, "Do you wonder whether Moneypotts is a scam? No, it's not, it's wonderful. I make thousands a month writing blog posts for clients, thanks to Moneypotts!" These are phoney sites and the people behind them are good at techniques that keep these on the first page or two of Google results. They are counting on you to give up before you get to any real reviews.

* travel writing. Yes, there are people who do make money writing articles for newspapers, travel magazines, and some large websites. If this is your passion and you're good at it, you can make money from it. But it's not the thriving, high-paying,free-ticket giving hive of activity that some people trying to sell you travel writing courses like to pretend. These days, people rely less on travel writers, more on reviews by other customers. 

* courses that claim to show you how to write a best-seller in 30 (or 14 or even 7) days. Sure, it's possible to write a book in 30 days--thousands and thousands have just done it during the National Novel Writing Month. Most of them are aware, though, that what they have is a rough draft that will need extensive rewriting. 

And as for best-seller…well, if you have some willing supporters you can write a book, especially an e-book, that you can get to the top of the Amazon charts for a day. That makes it an Amazon best-seller, even if it drops down to number 112,543 the next day and stays there. Is it worth paying a lot of money to learn how to do that? I don't think so. In fact, if you're really interested, I'll write a future blog post about exactly how to do it. 

When somebody tells you how great a particular field of writing is, just check whether they're coming from the desire to profit from having you believe it. 

I sell courses, too, including the Breakthrough Writing Strategy Program. But I don't promise that what you write while we work together will turn into a best-seller or a hit movie. I can only promise that if you put in the work, you will end up with something that could do well in the marketplace--and that if you don't write it, for sure it won't!

The other thing I can promise is that if writing is a dream of yours, you will be happier doing it rather than ignoring or delaying it. The benefits of expressing your creativity are not just monetary, they go much deeper than that. 

Those promises don't bring in as much money as the ones made by the "write a best-seller in 7 days" crowd, but they have one advantage: they're true.

IF YOU KNOW ANY ASPIRING WRITERS WHO YOU THINK COULD BENEFIT FROM THIS INFORMATION, PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO THEM AND ALSO USE TWITTER & FACEBOOK TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE.

(For additional honest guidance on how to write, see my book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other booksellers. My next Breakthrough Writing Strategy Program starts on Jan 16, 2012 and is offered four times a year. For more information, see http://www.WritingBreakthroughStrategy.com - sign up there and you'll also get a copy of the 2012 Writing Breakthrough Report, the most useful and comprehensive report I've written on how to find the time, the motivation, and the skill to write your book).

 

Not everyone will like your writing. That's a good thing.

In a previous posts I’ve shared and commented on one of Robert Ringer’s three rules of writing. Here is another:

Don’t try to be all things to all people. Go after a specific market, and don’t make apologies to those who aren’t part of that market.

Ringer points out that it’s natural to want to be loved and therefore to try to appeal to everyone and offend no one. Unfortunately that results in bland writing that may not appeal to anyone.

If you have a strong viewpoint about anything you will annoy or anger some people. They will express it, especially on the internet.

I wrote this blog not too long ago about how shocked I was at the vehement reaction from one reader to what I thought was a neutral statement. Obviously it pushed some buttons for her, and maybe she felt better after venting her anger.

Her statements were mild compared to a lot of what I’ve read in the comments sections of other blogs. But maybe the old saying is true: If you’re not offending anybody, you’re not saying anything.

This is a good thing to keep in mind if you find yourself worrying, as you write, about how readers or reviewers or members of your family will react when they read it. You have to put that out of your mind and keep writing. When you’re done you can check to make sure you’ve not included anything libellous.

I have some experience with this. Not too long ago I finished writing a novel I call Vegas Bible Porn. It’s a satire and its based, very loosely, on my time in Hollywood. It’s about a producer who tries to cash in on two money-making genres of film, soft porn and Bible pictures, by combining them. 

The novel is not pornographic and it doesn’t make fun of the Bible; it’s descriptive of the anything-for-money attitude that drives some people—the Vegas comes in because that’s where the producer raises the money to make his film. However, so far the title has scared off publishers.

I will hang in there with it because I think it will attract people who have an irreverent attitude, and they’re the ones who will enjoy it.

Is it a risky strategy? Probably. But, as Ringer says, when you have a strong concept you will (eventually) attract an enthusiastic, loyal group of customers. We’ll see it if works!

 (You can sign up for Robert Ringer’s e-letter, A Voice of Sanity in an Insane World, at www.robertringer.com.I don't agree with his views on a lot of things, but find some of his tips useful.)

 If you would like some support in writing what only you can write, join my online Writing Breakthrough Strategy program. It starts in mid-January but now is the time to join and get some great Early Bird bonuses. Find out more at http://www.WritingBreakthroughStrategy.com. )

 

What writers should include in a query letter to publishers or agents

In the previous post I shared with you some things writers should not put into a query letter to an agent or publisher. Now let's look at what you should include:

1. An intriguing but not overly gimmicky first line or two that include the title of your book, its genre and something about the basic idea or plot. Example: "My thriller novel, Dead at Birth, is the story of how things go dangerously wrong when a adopted young woman goes in search of her birth mother."

2. A brief synoposis. Since you're going for a one page letter (or equivalent length email) there's no way you can tell the whole story in any detail. Try to let the tone of the synopsis match the tone of the book. If it's a comic novel, make your letter amusing. If it's a thriller, make it sound thrilling. However, don't use a lot of adjectives to just affirm the qualitites of the story (e.g., "in a hilarious confrontation," or "in a thrilling and suspenceful encounter").  

3. No more than one or two character names. For the example above, you might write, "The young woman, Caroline Maddux, begins her search the day after she turns 21." For the rest of the characters referenced, it would be best to stay with descriptors like "her birth mother," "her adoptive mother," and so on. If you give them all names it can be confusing to remember who's who.

4. The ending--although opinons on this differ. I think most agents want to know at least in a general sense how the story ends. For instance, you might write, "Caroline risks her life to get evidence of her half-brother's crimes by breaking into his house. Unknown to her, he's hiding there and they have a final showdown that ends in his death." 

5. Only the relevant information about your life. For example, if Caroline was raised in a Quaker family and one of the story elements is that she has to choose between her beliefs and the need to defend herself, then the fact that you grew up as a Quaker would be germane. 

6. Credits or awards if they're impressive enough. If your short story won first place in a national short story contest, mention it. If it got honorable mention from your writer's circle annual competition, probably not.

7. An offer to send either the full manuscript or the first few chapters.

It's not easy to fit all that into one page, but this could be the most important page you write. If it intrigues agents or publishers they will want to see more and the process continues.

(Do you want guidance for writing or marketing your book? The Writing Breakthrough Strategy program could be your answer. You'll get online lessons and resources, bi-weekly group coaching calls, and much more-plus you get a total guarantee. Get more details now at http://www.writingbreakthroughstrategy.com. 

 

(For more tips, see "Your Writing Coach," published by Nichoals Brealey and available from Amazon and other booksellers. 

 

What writers shouldn't write to agents or publishers

The other week I attended a workshop on getting published and I want to share with you a few tips that came up about what not to write in your query letter to an agent or publisher.

In case you're not familiar with the term, a query letter is simply a brief letter that tells the agent or publisher what your book or screenplay is about. It's the first step and you hope that they will be sufficiently intrigued to request your complete manuscript or some sample chapters. 

Before you send a query letter, check out the recipient's web site. Look for pages labeled "submissions" or "submission guidelines" or the "contact" page. Most of the time the site will tell you what they are willing to look at in the first instance and whether they prefer it to come in an email or by mail. 

The site will also tell you to whom to direct your query--be sure you send it to the right person and that you've spelled their name correctly. 

The agent said all of the following are things she's actually seen in real query letters--and doesn't want to see again:

1. How much your family or friends liked your manuscript. They're not considered unbiased judges of material.

2. How much better it is than the current best-seller in your genre. Or, possibly even worse, how much better it is than a book this agent represents. 

3. That you're unworthy. She said overconfidence tends to be a trait of U.S. writers, lack of confidence a trait of U.K. writers.

3. How rich the agent will get by selling your book or that they will regret it if they pass up the opportunity to sign you. 

4. That this isn't the final draft but it's good enough for them to look at. They don't want it until you're sure it's as good as you can make it.

5. That you have another ten or twelve other projects ready to ship them. It's OK to mention one other project in passing when you write to an agent, but no more. 

6. That you'd be happy to make your male protagonist a woman or vice-versa, or to change key aspects of the plot. It's a given that you're willing to make some changes if a publisher asks you to, but show confidence in your choices.

7. References to the agents' personal lives, how many kids they have, or that you know where they live.

That's the negatives out of the way. In the next post we'll look at what should be in a query letter.

(There's lots more guidance on how to market your book, in "Your Writing Coach," available from Amazon and other booksellers.)

 

 

Writing and publishing opportunities are knocking--are you listening?

Writers sometimes ask me whether I have any tips for how to find a publisher or an agent, beyond the usual (looking at the annual Writer’s Market or Writer’s Yearbook, etc.).

My number one answer is: keep your eyes open to see where things are changing.

For instance, here’s a little item I saw recently in the Shelf Awareness newsletter:

“Prometheus Books has founded a new mystery and thriller imprint called Seventh Street Books that will begin issuing its first titles in a year. Dan Mayer, former mystery buyer for Barnes & Noble, has joined the imprint as editorial director.”

If I had a mystery or thriller that I was hoping to place with a publisher, this would send me into action. First, I’d look up the Prometheus Books web site to see whether it has any further information about this new imprint, especially about whether or not they are considering submissions and any guidelines.

If they were, I’d send Mr. Mayer a query letter right away. If not, I might send him one anyway—nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Whenever a publisher starts a new imprint, a new agency opens up, or an agent goes from one agency to another—these are the prime times for you to approach them.

I know this works. When I read that Pearson was starting a new personal development imprint, I contacted the editor by email and very briefly pitched a book idea in line with their category.

She asked for more information about what I had in mind.

I sent a proposal, she gave me feedback on how to make the intended book fit their needs better, and it ended in a deal for my book, “Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done.”

It has gone into two editions, multiple foreign editions, and I think total sales are around 50,000. (The related website is www.FocusQuick.com.)

Based on that, they asked me to do another book—this time the idea came from them—which was “Marketing for Entrepreneurs.” They also asked me to be series editor for the other five books in the “for Entrepreneurs” series and I also illustrated four of them. (The associated website is www.forentrepreneursbooks.com)

Then I pitched “Creativity Now!” which comes out in a second, expanded edition next year. (If you go to www.jurgenwolff.com and click on the Creativity Now book cover, you’ll see the bonuses that go with the book.)

It all started when I spotted that opportunity and followed it up. Does it work out every time? Of course not. I’ve also made lots of inquiries that led nowhere. But as you can see, the right one can pay off handsomely. 

(There are many more tips on how to market your writing in my book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey. You can get it now from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller.)

For writers whose work has been rejected: read this!

Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help” has been hugely successful both as a novel and as a film. In an article on Shine (part of Yahoo), she talks about the rejections she got along the way.

The first rejection came from an agent who said “the manuscript did not sustain my interest.” Instead of despairing, Stockett went back to editing to make the story more riveting.

A few months later she sent it out to agents again. Fifteen more rejections. By eighteen months the number of rejections totalled 40. She says the one that finally made her cry said, “There is no market for this kind of tired writing.” Talk about a slap in the face!

She continued rewriting. She even started “cheating” on her husband: “I started lying to my husband. It was as if I were having an affair—with 10 black maids and a skinny white girl. After my daughter was born, I began sneaking off to hotels on the weekends to get in a few hours of writing. I’m off to the Poconos! Off on a girls’ weekend! I’d say. Meanwhile, I’d be at the Comfort Inn around the corner. It was an awful way to act, but—for God’s sake—I could not make myself give up.”

The rejections continued. Sixty in all.

Submission number 61 was to agent Susan Ramer.

She took on the book.

Three weeks later she sold it to Amy Einhorn books.

Here’s what Stockett says about the moral of the story: “The point is, I can’t tell you how to succeed. But I can tell you how not to: Give in to the shame of being rejected and put your manuscript—or painting, song, voice, dance moves, [insert passion here]—in the coffin that is your bedside drawer and close it for good. I guarantee you that it won’t take you anywhere. Or you could do what this writer did: Give in to your obsession instead.”

Don’t kid yourself—the rejections will hurt. I’ve been a full-time writer for a long time. I know that rejections come with the territory. You know what? That doesn’t make it any easier.

My last rejection came at the tail end of a lot of encouraging correspondence from the publisher in question. It all looked like it was going to happen—but it didn’t. I was depressed about it for weeks.

It’s taken a bit of time, but now I’m going to start submitting the project again. As Stockett says, “What if I had given up at 15? Or 40? Or even 60?”

If your work has been rejected, join me.

Back to our obsessions!

(If you have lost focus with your writing or your work habits in general, you'll find friendly guidance and a wealth of practical tips in my book, "Focus: Use the power of targeted thinking to get more done." It's published by Pearson and you can order it now from Amazon or another bookseller.)

 

If you want to write a screenplay, get this free ebook

I've contributed a chapter on screenwriting to a new ebook that's yours for free. It's called "The Modern Moviemaking Movement," and it's the brainchild of my friend Jason Brubaker.

Jason's site is www.FilmMakingStuff.com, and he's a young, smart, ambitious film-lover/film-maker/film distribution consultant who is on top of the new developments in film-making that have brought what used to be the preserve of the big studios into the realm of possibility for individuals and small groups. 

He's corraled some great people to contribute their expertise on all aspects of the new filmmaking movement: not just writing, but financing, production, and distribution.

Even if you only want to write screenplays, you need to be aware of where filmmaking is going because it's having a major effect on writers as well as everybody else in the field. 

You can get your free copy here: http://www.ModernMovieMaking.com. It has already been downloaded more than 10,000 times, so don't miss the boat!

When you've had a chance to read it, let me know what you thought, either as a comment to this post or directly at jurgenwolff@gmail.com.

 

 

How AIDA can help you with writing a book, a query letter, and pitching

If you’ve ever read any books on copywriting you may have come across AIDA—not the opera, but an acronym that stands for:

 

Attention

Interest

Desire

Action

It can help you if you’re writing fiction, too (you could argue that most copywriting is fiction as well, but let’s focus). 

 Using AIDA in writing

Attention – obviously you have to get the reader’s attention in order to get them to read your book. One key element is the title, although some books with terrible titles do break through. Test your title—you may be so used to a working title that it feels like the obvious best choice, but ask a few people what they think of it. Better yet, give them a few choices. If you have a mailing list of people you can create a short survey using SurveyMonkey.com (it’s free).

Interest – A title can make people curious but then you capture their interest. When people are browsing, typically they look first at the title and the cover image, then they turn over the book to read the blurb on the back, then they turn to the first page.

While the blurb on the back cover usually is created by the publisher, with your input, the all-important first paragraph is down to you. It should raise a question in the mind of the reader.

The next time you’re in a book store, check out the first paragraphs of a bunch of books in your genre. Notice which ones grab you and figure out why. You can also do this using the “look inside” feature on Amazon.

Desire and Action --  The desire in this context is the desire to know more, the action is to keep reading. This means you have to continue to pique people’s interest throughout the entire book.

With many books and films there’s a lull in the middle. This is when people’s attention wanders and they may put your book aside and never come back to it. I think the key is to introduce new information and new conflicts but make sure they’re foreshadowed in the first third of the story.

Another element of desire and action can be to create a book series featuring the same protagonist. This is done most commonly in crime fiction and also in Young Adult novels like the Harry Potter or Twilight series. The advantage is that you don’t need to win the reader’s attention and interest all over again. Not every genre or story lends itself to a series but it’s worth consideration.

Using AIDA in query letters 

Attention: In a query letter the opening paragraph should arouse their curiosity without being too cute or gimmicky.

Avoid starting with boring statements like “I am a writer based in London and I have finished a fiction manuscript I would like to have you read in order to consider representing me.”

Instead, get right to your project. It could be something like, “A terrorist who has infiltrated the highest ranks of the CIA is the target of a manhunt—but the search turns dangerous when chief investigator Matt Conrad finds out the mole has knowledge that could bring down the President. That’s the plot of my thriller, ‘The Deadly Truth’…”

Interest: A sexy hook is not so hard to create. Sustaining a story at a high level of interest is more difficult. The rest of your summary of your plot has to suggest that you’ll keep ramping up the interest level for the reader.

Desire: Assuming that the recipient finds your story interesting, you need to increase their desire to work with you. This is where you give relevant information about yourself and your author platform—for instance, a popular blog. I emphasize “relevant”: mention only the things that establish your credibility or that would help a publisher market your book.

Action: Most of the time this is clear, but you can mention it in a final sentence along the lines of, “If you’re interested, I’d be happy to send you the complete manuscript,” because that’s the next step you want them to take.

Using AIDA in pitching

A good pitch basically follows the same pattern as a strong query letter. If it’s an “elevator pitch,” that is a few minutes to tell someone the story, you may not get into much more detail than you do in a query letter.

If it’s a formal pitch, which is more typical for a screenplay, the producer or studio executive will expect you to tell the entire plot, including the ending, in about ten to fifteen minutes.

In a pitch a lot of the interest will come from how you tell the story as well as the content. The key is enthusiasm in whatever form is natural to you. There’s no right or wrong way. Some writers are great performers who are happy to jump up and act out a key scene. Others are more reserved but still get across their passion for the story. If you’re very shy, take an acting or public speaking class to gain confidence, or join your local chapter of Toastmasters.

Finally, if the action you wanted isn’t the one the listener is taking, have a fallback in mind. For instance, if a producer likes your idea but feels the protagonist is weak, thank them for that useful input, say you’re going to take a crack at solving it, and would it be OK to come back when you’ve done that? Or if they reject an idea because it’s too similar to something they’re already doing, mention that you’re working on another project and ask whether you can come back when it’s ready to present.  Most of the time the answer will be yes. Don’t take too long to take advantage of that open door.

(More helpful guidance is in my book, Your Writing Coach, published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline retailers.)

 

How to pitch your book or screenplay idea

I get the bookreporter.com newsletter which always includes reviews of new books. To help you decide whether or not you want to read the full review, they summarize the book’s plot in two or three lines. I think these are good models if you find that you need to do this kind of summary—for instance, in a query letter to an agent or a publisher.

Here are two examples:

EYES WIDE OPEN by Andrew Gross - Jay Erlich's nephew has been found at the bottom of a cliff at Morrow Bay. It's all just a tragic suicide --- until secrets from the past begin to rear up again. Did a notorious killer, jailed for many decades, have his hand in this? With eyes wide open, Jay puts his life at risk to uncover the truth.

This description tells us quite a lot: the genre, the setting, and the mystery at the heart of the book.

KILLER MOVE by Michael Marshall (Thriller)
Bill Moore already has a lot, but he wants more. Much more. One morning, he arrives at work to find a card waiting for him, with no indication who it's from or why it was sent. Its message is just one word: modified. From that moment on, Bill's life begins to change...

By way of contrast, this description doesn’t give us many specifics, but in a way that’s what makes it intriguing. My only quibble is with the last sentence: “Bill’s life begins to change…” is a bit weak. I don’t know the story, but something like “Bill’s life begins to come apart” or “Bill’s life turns into a nightmare” or “Bill is forced to question every part of his life” would have been stronger.

It can be useful to come up with this kind of pitch even before you write the book, as a foundation (answering the questions I mentioned in the post just before this one can help you do this).

(There are more tips on writing your book in "Your Writing Coach" published by Nicholas Brealeay and you can get it right now via Amazon or your other favorite online or offline bookseller.)

 

How writing is like going to Las Vegas

The newsletter OM Says:

What many don’t realize is that today’s always-on economy has an entirely new dynamic that involves an always-on, anywhere customer, unpredictable demand, and — most importantly — the limited attention span of customers. Add fierce competition to the mix, and what you have is an unpredictable and highly chaotic marketplace. And what that means is that today’s company – regardless of their business focus — has to have a much higher metabolic rate. It grows faster, and fails even faster. Against such a backdrop, one needs to break down one’s business into many small chunks.

What does that mean for writers? I think it means that writing is getting even more like going to Las Vegas and placing your bets. We have to pay much closer attention to what is happening in our sector of the marketplace—fiction, non-fiction, scripts, or whatever your speciality happens to be (the flexibility to move between formats also has greater value these days).

Yes, there are people who actually come away from Vegas with more money than they started with. I met someone like that last year. He didn’t fit the image of a professional gambler, but he has worked out where the odds are better (this varies from casino to casino, and game to game—here’s a little tip: if you play the slot machines, choose those on the ends of aisles; they have a better return rate because the casinos like to have winners be visible to passing foot traffic). He also has figured out how to get the maximum number of perks the casinos give to gamblers. Putting this knowledge to work he makes a six-figure income every year. He calls himself The Gambling Ninja.

The changes are coming fast—note how quickly e-book sales overtook the sales of traditional books. Success for failure is determined more quickly. No longer do publishers cultivate writers on the basis that they’ll be successful after writing a half dozen books. And I think book stores will speed up their turnover of books even more.

This is not happy news for a lot of writers, but that’s immaterial. It is what it is, and we can moan about it, or we can try to figure out how to turn it to our advantage.  Regarding exactly how to do that, I’m as in the dark as everybody else but I’m paying attention—and maybe someday I can be the Writing Ninja!

(For guidance on writing and marketing your writing, get "Your Writing Coach" from Amazon or your local bookshop.)