Time to Write

Comedy Writing on the BBC

If you want to get some tips on comedy writing and see what your peers are up to, you might want to have a look at the BBC's "Comedy Soup" website. The idea is that aspiring comedy writers can create a virtual portfolio online and maybe their efforts will be spotted by agents, producers, or other fans.

Comedy Soup editor Vicky Dolan writes, "In addition to the simple entertainment value, the site offers advice and tips for those who want to get into comedy and BBC material that people can make use of."

The site welcomes videos, audios, and images (like cartoons or satirical photos). But before submitting anything, check the conditions--you're giving the BBC the non-exclusive right to do pretty much whatever it wants with your material. Additionally, Gail Renard, member of the Board of the Author's Licensing & Collecting Society warns, "my main concern is that the material on there can be plagiarized by less scrupulous users."

Diary of a Non-Fiction Book (January)

Here's the new business card, ready for the launch of the YOUR WRITING COACH book -- I now have official publication dates: April 12 for the UK, May 21 for the US.

Later I'll also have some postcards made that feature the cover of the book on one side, but I liked this bright, colorful design to get started with--it's from Streetcards.com.

Book promotion gurus say you need to kick off your efforts at least 90 days in advance, so now things go into high gear. I'm working on the website, the podcast, and sending out lots of free articles via www.ezinearticles.com.  I'm also contacting book festivals and other events that might want a speaker.

Of course I'll also be talking about the book at the workshops I teach. At the moment, I have a class scheduled in Slovenia (!) next weekend, and then in Newcastle, Nottingham, and London.

The gurus agree: there is no quick fix (unless you get on Oprah or Richard & Judy...), so promotion is a matter of consistent, steady effort. And while writers can do a lot of this ourselves, I am considering employing a publicist in the US--if you can suggest a great one, please let me know at [email protected].

I'll keep you posted here on what works and what doesn't, in case you also have or are planning to have a book or other project that you want to promote.

They'd Never Do That (Writers, Be Bold!)

What are the odds that the website of the Washington Post would ever seralize a novel?

Not likely, right?

As you've probably guessed, it's happening. Admittedly, the author is the Post's veteran financial reporter, David Hilzenrath, so there's a strong connection, but there's still a good lesson for us in this.

First, the basic facts: according to the Media Guardian, the book, "Jezebel's Tomb," was rejected by traditional publishers because the protagonist is not an American and because the book didn't follow all the conventions of a thriller.

Instead, Hilzenrath is going with Lulu.com, a publish-on-demand company. You can order the book through them, but it's also being serialized on the website, washingtonpost.com. It's a 412-page thriller set in the Middle East.

As for the lessons for the rest of us, I see two:

1) being rejected by traditional publishers is no longer is the end of the line for authors; print on demand offers an alternative that doesn't require you to have hundreds or thousands of copies printed in advance;

2) never say 'never'--I'm not sure how Hilzenrath got the Post to serialize his novel but it shows there are lots of possibilities that we might not consider.

How to Be Remarkable

Master marketer Seth Godin recently had an article in the Guardian on 10 ways to be remarkable. Here are the three that stood out for me:

1) Extremism in the pursuit of remarkability is no sin. In fact, it's probably a requirement.

2) Remarkability lies in the edges. The bigger, fastest, slowest, richest, easiest, most difficult. It doesn't always matter which edge, more that you're at (or beyond) the edge.

3) Not everyone appreciates your efforts to be remarkable. If fact, most people don't. So what? Most people are ostriches, heads in the sand, unable to help you anyway. Your goal isn't to please everyone. Your goal is to please those who actually speak up, spread the word, buy new things, or hire remarkable people.

OK, one more:

4) It's not really as frightening as it seems. They keep the masses in line by threatening them (us) with all manner of horrible outcomes if we dare to step out of line. But who loses their jobs at the mass layoffs? Who has trouble finding a new gig? Not the remarkable minority, that's for sure.

Godin is a remarkable marketer; if you're not familiar with his books, have a look.

Writing Articles? A Point to Keep in Mind

I'm currently reading "Perfect Pitch," by Jon Steel, about making effective presentations. It's a good book, and he hits upon a point that's been bothering me about many of the articles I've been reading lately:

"If the members of your audience already know something, then you should simply acknowledge it and move on."

For example, lately I've read a lot about blogging and podcasting. Almost every article about how to blog and do podcasts starts with a lengthy section about the advantages of these two forms of communication. While it's valid to cover this briefly, if I've sought out articles about how to do them, isn't it likely that I'm already a convert? (If somebody picks up an article or book about how to lose weight, do you really need to spend much time on why it's a good idea not to be overweight?)

With time so short these days, getting to the meat is valued more and more.

So is stopping when you've made your point, so--

Want to Learn How to Pitch? Watch This!

One of the best ways to learn what works--and what doesn't--in pitching your ideas is to watch other people doing it. That way you can learn from their skills and their mistakes. The problem is that we seldom get the chance to do this.

I've found a GREAT site for watching pitches: www.meettheauthor.com. Authors or publishers pay to be videotaped doing a 90-second promo--essentially, a pitch--for their book. The tape is then put on this site and also is available via various other sites, such as those of book chains.

Frankly, I have no idea whether this is worth the cost as a promotional tool, but it does give us an excellent chance to watch pitches! As you'll see, some authors are better than others. Watch for eye contact, twitches, and the rate of speech (people who talk too fast are either nervous or just from New York).

The ending is another thing that determines how good the pitch is. Some authors just kind of run out of steam and say "uh, that's it." Not good. The ideal pitch starts strong and finishes strong.

The good-looking people start with an advantage, but it's passion and story-telling skill that win the day. Have fun watching.

Networking for Introverts

Some time back I promised I'd be writing more about marketing for introverts. In this post, I'd like to share Beth Woodward's ideas:

Successful Marketing for Introverts
By Beth Woodward

In my experience I have seen many levels of introvert and extrovert. Let me share some of my own.

* Invite me to a party -- I'd rather have a root canal

* Have me speak about something I'm passionate about in front of a group of people -- I shine.

* Put me in a "casual" networking group -- root canal please.

* Put me in a "structured" networking group where I can ask for what I need and help others at the same time -- I'm in heaven.

We all have our levels of how we interact, the environments where we thrive and the environments where we are extremely uncomfortable. I have seen many people go into business for themselves, myself included, that would rather give up their dream than to market their business and themselves. I was almost one of those statistics. I almost QUIT my dream until I discovered the secret.

I'm sure you've heard the phrases for successful marketing, Find Your Passion; Market from your Passion; Marketing from Within, etc. This is actually correct, but there are a few more steps. Too many times we focus on things we can't do (weakness) versus the things we can do (strength). The most common phrase I've heard is "I don't want to feel like I'm selling." Then we have this belief we're supposed to market from the standard marketing box; cold calls, networking groups, speaking, knocking on doors, etc. NO! You don't need to jump directly into the marketing box first. Get out of the should(s) and the can't(s). Step into what you do well and what you enjoy first, then, open the marketing door.

The Secret

1. Give yourself permission to redefine marketing to fit your style.

Example #1

A program participant was very good at her profession as a lawyer but was very uncomfortable with marketing. I have clients brainstorm and write down their strengths and passions. She expressed she had very few on her list. It doesn't matter how many are on your list as long as you pay attention to what's there. Some people have 30-40, others have 5-10. She chose her top 3.

Out of her 3 the main passion and strength on her list was one-on-one conversations. We then began thinking of who might be good strategic partnerships for her business. She was thrilled she could not only market from her favorite and most comfortable approach, but also choose her favorite environment, which happened to be in a cozy coffee shop. However, that wasn't all that was holding her back. She had never given herself permission to call one-on-one conversations marketing. Once she redefined marketing to One-On-One Conversations, she left saying, "I feel like I've had a black cloud lifted off my head."

2. Give yourself permission to market from your comfort zone.

When she gave herself permission to market from her comfort zone she began taking more steps naturally. Two weeks later I turned around at my networking group and there she was. She was enjoying herself because she gave herself permission to redefine marketing to fit her passions and strengths AND she allowed herself to market from her comfort zone. I have seen this so many times. Once you give yourself permission to stand in your comfort zone, it's amazing how you will naturally evolve towards expanding your marketing. It becomes FUN and Exciting!

Example #2

Look at what you already have. All you need to market may be right in front of you with your most comfortable group of prospective clients.

A Life Coach I met had a horrible fear of marketing but really believed in his chosen profession and didn't want to give it up. Through the process described above most of his fears disappeared. But he still found himself hesitating. He had identified his best client but that first step of where to begin seemed too big. In asking Bob about his past profession and contacts he realized not only would they be a perfect client but he knew a large number of people he could comfortably approach. Bob did several things.

1) Gave himself permission to redefine marketing to fit his style.

2) Gave himself permission to market from his comfort zone.

3) Identified a market he had come from and was comfortable.

4) He became so energized with his approach he is making cold calls speaking from the passion of his business.

Sometimes we are so close to things we can't see them. Look right in front of you -- your perfect client and ease of approach might be within reach.

However you approach your marketing, you get to choose how you do it. If need be, ditch the word marketing and insert ____________ (the words that fit YOU).

Beth Woodward, CPCC, is the creator of the popular Marketing On The Playground Program, and the "My Way" Marketing Plan. Find out more about how to market "your way" and sign up for monthly Marketing Tidbits at http://www.marketingontheplayground.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beth_Woodward
http://EzineArticles.com/?Successful-Marketing-for-Introverts&id=79861

A New Way to Write a Book?

A brief article on the Bookseller website mentioned that solicitor and tech consultant Justin Patten has set up a wiki (a website on which anybody can add to the content) to help him write a book about blogging and social media from the legal perspective. (If you want to have a look, it's here.)

The book will be published by Gower Publishing. Gower's Jonathan Norman said, "As a specialist business publisher, it is really important to know that the content will deliver what the market wants."

It will be interesting to see the extent to which people participate. There is no obvious payoff, but then there is no obvious payoff to contributing to the best known wiki, Wikipedia. However, that's a non-profit venture for everyone, whereas here Patten will be making money from his book.

Call me cynical, but I have a hunch that to get a significant number of people to participate, you'd have to give them some incentive. It could be a lottery--everybody who takes part gets a number and at the end there is a drawing and the winner gets a prize valuable enough to be tempting; or at the very least, the names of all contributors would be listed prominently in the book and they'd get a copy, or...?

New Media: Keep Up or Else

If you needed any more proof that the new media are having a major effect on the old, here it is: The Times (of London) is training journalists to incorporate key words and phrases into their articles that will make it more likely that anybody searching for that topic on Google will find the related Times article coming up at the top of the free search results.

The Daily Telegraph goes one further: they actually pay for certain key words and phrases, so that their articles come up at the top of the sponsored links you see in the margin of Google search results. For example, at one point they bought the phrase, "North Korea Nuclear Test." According to an article at the editors weblog, the phrases cost them between 19 cents and two dollars per click.

That's a lot of money. Why pay it? "It plays a critical part in exporing our brand, particularly to the U.S.," says Telegraph digital editor, Edward Roussel.

Not so long ago, websites were desperate to be mentioned in newspapers. Now it's also the other way around.

The implication for writers is that if you're not keeping up with the new media, you're going to be left behind.

Art Buchwald's Last Advice to Writers

I guess you have to be one of my older readers for Art Buchwald's satirical columns have been a formative part of your youthful reading. For many years, he was the the foremost political humorist, cranking out column after column, with rare consistency of quality. It's true that toward the end they didn't seem as funny but maybe that wasn't Buchwald's fault. To parphrase Norma Desmond, "It wasn't humor that got less funny, it was reality that got funnier."

Buchwald died the other day, by all accounts at peace with himself and the world, no regrets at having stopped his dialysis treatments almost a year ago (the docs had told him he'd be dead within weeks of doing this).

A journalist stopped by Buchwald's hospice for an interview and finished with this question:

“Art, any pearls of wisdom for all the columnists who love you?”

“Keep writing. Tell them to just keep writing,” he said.

Funny how the wisest things always sound so simple. As Buchwald knew (even though he received tons of awards), it's not the awards that make people writers; it's not even how many readers they have (although in his prime he had millions).

It's just that they write. And keep writing.

Writers Beware! What Rights are You Giving Away?

There are a number of Internet sites that invite you to submit material and, in some cases, indicate that you will be paid for the content if it is popular with site viewers. One of these is Helium.com. Let's take a closer look. First, how much will you get paid? Here's what they say:

This is the best part. Sure, Helium is an outlet for the writer in all of us, but it is also a place where you can earn not only the adoration of your peers, but money, too! We want you to be part of the success here. Helium shares a portion of revenue with you. Every article you write is an asset which can earn you revenue---into perpetuity. The better you write, the higher you rank, the more your reward.

Yeah, but how much? I can't find anything more specific on the site. (If I've overlooked it and you have found it, let me know). I'm guessing they can't give you any numbers because this will apply only once they have revenue. They could tell you now what percentage of their revenue they will distribute, but even then your share would depend on how many writers got a cut. So the answer is: nobody knows. If you're comfortable with that, no problem.

However, what kind of rights are you granting them? If you actually read the 'terms and conditions' (which I'm thinking probably few people do), here's what you find:

You grant Helium, and its affiliates, a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable, non-exclusive right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, display, create derivative works from and/or sell and/or distribute content posted to Helium.

OK, at least it's non-exclusive, but even so, they can do whatever they want with your material. If they put it into a book, for example, you get...er, nothing. Ever. World-wide.

Let me be clear: I'm not accusing Helium of doing anything underhanded; if you agree to their terms, that's up to you. But I do say: writer beware. Always read the fine print, so you know exactly what you're gaining (if anything) and what you're giving up.

Persistence Power (2)

One more example about persistence that paid off. Maybe you heard or read the news story about the young Canadian, Kyle MacDonald, who swapped a paper clip for a house. It started in summer of 2005, when he had the idea that it might be fun to use the Internet to play a swapping game. He decided to start with a little red paper clip and listed it for barter on his local craigslist web site. He promised that he'd visit anybody with whom he would trade.

The first swap was for a pen in the shape of a fish. After about ten swaps, Kyle had a generator and nobody very interested in going on playing. By this point it was November, and he was close to giving up.

This is where it gets interesting, from the perspective of persistence!

Instead of giving up, he decided to give it one more push, by starting a blog called oneredpaperclip.com. On the blog he said his goal was to keep trading up until he could get a house.

The blog went viral. Without 24 hours, it received 120,000 hits! The trades went on and on, the media got interested, and--jumping ahead to July 2006 he took possession of a three-bedroom house in the little town of Kipling, Saskatchewan. In front of it was a twelve-foot-tall red paper clip built for him by the town.

Writers: Beat Procrastination

Oops, the post immediately below this one is about procrastination--I guess I procrastinated about giving it a title! Anyway, here's one more tip: On a task you're finding particularly difficult to get going with, first daydream how the most efficient person you know would handle it. Really imagine it vividly--sounds, sights, feelings. Then open your eyes  and write down the process as you imagined it, in the greatest detail possible. Now you have an instant task list to follow!

By far the problem that writers ask me about the most is procrastination. David Allen, probably the top time management guru, suggests that the best way to handle procrastination consists of two simple steps. First, decide on the outcome you want, not the process of getting there.  For example, the process is writing an article, but the outcome is to have a finished article. Thinking about the outcome is much more pleasant!

Then ask, "what is the next action I can take to get there?" Not all the steps, just the first one.

Then do it.

Then figure out the next step, and do that one.

The secret to making this work is to make the steps small enough that they don’t intimidate you. For instance, if you’re shy about making a follow-up call to an editor, on one day the step might be to look up and jot down her phone number. The next day the step might be to write down exactly what you want to say. On the third day you could even make the ste, dialing the number but hanging up before they answer. (Usually, you will feel too silly hanging up and you’ll go ahead with the call; but if not, then following through with the call can be your step the next day.)

In my experience, there is a third step that makes the process more effective: write all this down, one step at a time. Here’s how the process would look:

At the top of the page, write the desired outcome. Let’s say it’s to write a query letter pitching an article. The steps you write down and achieve, one by one, could be:

* jot down all the key points to cover in the letter

*prioritize the points

* do a rough draft of the letter

*the next day, go over the letter and rewrite it

* have a trusted colleague look it over and incorporate any useful new ideas

* write the final draft and mail it

Each day do the current step, cross it off, and jot down the next step. If you feel motivated, do more than one step a day. Even if you’re up against a deadline and can’t space out the steps very much, it helps to break the task down and do one step, then go do something else (even if for only a few minutes), then come back and do the next one, and so on.

Each time you cross off one of the tasks, you’ll feel you’re getting closer to the goal, and none of the steps is threatening enough to make you want to put it out of your mind. The end result: you’ve conquered your procrastination.

Who Do You Write For?

The artist Mary Todd Beam wrote about what art means to her, in the Jan/Feb issue of the Artist magazine, and it struck me how much her words of wisdom apply to writers as well. Here's part of her essay (I've taken the liberty of adding "and writing/writers" where she's written "artists"):

"I believe there's something only you can give to art and writing, if you give up false notions of beauty, if you resist trying to win praise, if you're willing to allow your very heart and being to appear in your work. I see now, after years on this journey, that the path is long and the destination passes in and out of sight. I hope I'm never 'there.' I hope I never become self-satisfied. our goal as artists and writers may be to live with the fact of death. What we gain along the way of the journey is not necessarily an accumulation of beautiful paintings or writing but a greater awareness of what it means to be alive."