Do ya’ll ever notice that the older you get, the more attention you pay to the obituaries section in the newspaper?

I hate to admit it, but it’s true. When I was a young man, I never even bothered looking at the obituaries. The concept of death seemed so far removed that it really didn’t have much impact on me as to who might be dying out there. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t wish death on them or anything, but the truth is I didn’t know them, had no ties to them, and for me death, dying, and obits were concepts eons away from my day-to-day realities. Consequently, I totally ignored reading them.

You can get by with that for awhile, but a funny thing eventually happens to all of us - we get older. And, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that I’ve begun looking at the obits much more closely now because I know more people who have passed away. First it’s one person, then another, and yet another. Pretty soon, you find that you’re reading the obits each day, hoping that you don’t find someone you know or like in there, and most of all being glad that you’re not among those listed.

From that, you begin realizing that these obits are what a lot of people are going to remember you by. Think about it - most of the time when someone dies that we know or care about, we cut out their obits and store them someplace. Typically they go into a family scrapbook. Then, over the years, the obit is occasionally dusted off and looked at by relatives, and a conversation typically ensues about the departed family member. And that’s what really scares me, because one day I’ll die and my own potential obit will be out there for any and all to see.

I imagine some of ya’ll might be thinking, “Geez, Ed, why would that bother you?” Well, I’ll go right ahead and tell you. You see, a few weeks ago I was scanning the obits, and I noticed this gentleman down in south Georgia who had just died. The obit discussed his funeral arrangements, and then pointed out that he’d written a book about the history of his county. In fact, they noted it right out there in italics, like this,

“…and Mr. Berryhill was the author of “The History of Blah-Blah County,” first published in 1986.”

Right then it hit me - one day my own obit is gonna go in the paper. And somewhere in it, right after they tell all the necessary stuff, they’re gonna say,

“…and Mr. Williams was the author of the books, “Sex, Dead Dogs, and Me,” “Rough As A Cob,” and others.”

Frankly, that makes me wince more than a picture of Amy Carter in a bikini. I can visualize a great grandchild of mine pulling out the family scrapbook and noticing a yellowed old newspaper article. Out of curiosity, he/she begins reading it. And, as they read it, they’re gonna find it’s about their great granddad, so they’ll keep reading it as they might want to know a little about me. Finally, they’ll come to the part about my books, read their titles, and say, “Ewwwwwwwwwww! Why did great granddad choose these titles for his books? Was he weird?”

Brrrrrrrrr - now ya’ll can understand why all this bothers me. I really think these book titles are gonna follow me on out into the great beyond, so I’ve got to start thinking up a strategy now. A strategy that’ll make me look as good as possible to my future great grandkids. I think my best hope is the chance that some of my current relatives might be horse thieves, gamblers, or even worse yet, vegetarians. If they are, and they die before I do, I can cut out their obit and make sure that it makes its way into our family scrapbook. Then, I’ll make my son Will swear to me that when I die he’ll make sure that my obit gets put right next to the vegetarian’s. That way, at least a little of the heat will be taken off whenever my future great grandchild sits down and reads my obit. In comparison to the vegetarian I might not come off too bad - at least I can hope for that.

Well, I’d write more, but I’ve got to run, as I have a whole lot of work to do. I need to start doing some research on my relatives, and then determine what kind of health a few of them are in….

About The Author

Ed’s latest book, “Rough As A Cob,” can be ordered by calling River City Publishing toll-free at: 877-408-7078. He’s also a popular after dinner speaker, and his column runs in a number of Southeastern publications. You can contact him via email at: ed3@ed-williams.com, or through his web site address at: www.ed-williams.com.

Many web entrepreneurs are unfamiliar with business writing. In
truth, concise writing will build your business because you will
better connect with customers and prospects. In this five-part
series, the author will teach you how to make your web
communications, and all business correspondence, clearer,
understandable, and more direct.

Business Writing Skills I: What Do You Want to Say? By Linda
Elizabeth Alexander

Whether you hate writing or love it, it always helps to plan
what you want to say. One method that has always helped me is
the rhetorical square — a mnemonic device designed to help you
figure out what to say before you say it. I’ve seen other words
used, but the one I remember best is “P.A.W.S.”

Paws stands for “purpose, audience, writer, subject.” P.A.W.S.
is most helpful when establishing the goals of the piece you are
writing and can be as formal and lengthy or informal and brief
as you like. Ask yourself these questions the next time you sit
down to write.

Purpose. What do you want to accomplish through your writing?
Every composition has its purpose, even it it’s just to finish
an assignment. For example, you may write a letter to convey
information, to sell something, or to say hi to an old friend.
You might write a brochure to inform customers of a new product,
explain your company’s mission to them, or to serve as an
advertisement for your services.

Audience. The most important thing you need to know in order to
communicate clearly through writing is whom you are writing for.
Who will read your writing? Your mother? Your client base? Your
boss? Every audience has a different level of experience and
education. For example, when writing a report to your boss, you
may share company jargon that the average Joe doesn’t understand
- because the average Joe won’t be reading the report.
Similarly, you will communicate differently to your employees
and your customers.

Writer. Third, take into consideration the persona you will
assume when writing the piece. Think about the tone you want to
use and the image you want to present to your audience. From
what perspective are you writing? What impression do you want to
give your readers? For example, if you get a new job, you will
want to announce it to your friends, your clients - and your
current supervisor. You wouldn’t think of using the same tone in
all three letters, would you? You might sound enthusiastic and
informal with your friends and enthusiastic and polite with your
clients. Depending on your relationship with your current
supervisor, you will probably be official and reticent with her
or him.

Subject (or message). How should you say it? The length or
purpose of the piece lends itself to your subject. It’s very
hard to fit a full-length board report on a post card; at the
same time, you wouldn’t want to write a memo about your travels
in the jungle during your summer vacation. Note that this the
same as your purpose: your subject or message is the content
itself; ask yourself what the piece is about and decide what is
the most appropriate format for it to take.

Good writers routinely analyze the four elements of PAWS. Using
it to prepare your writing, whether it’s a personal email,
formal business report, or your best selling novel, will improve
your writing and get your argument across clearly.

About the Author

Linda Elizabeth Alexander is a business writer and marketing
consultant based in Longmont, Colorado, USA. Improve your
writing skills at work! Subscribe to her FREE ezine. Write to
the Point at lalexander@write2thepointcom.com or visit
http://www.write2thepointcom.com/articles.html.

If you are like me and you write articles for a living, then you know that you must get paid for all of your hard work. Payment can come through customers who have hired you to write, through pay per click advertising, or through banner or text ads you place on your site next to your articles. Regardless of your approach, a consistent and methodical plan is necessary to have in place in order to make a living for all of your hard work. Please continue reading for some helpful tips to help you survive in this highly competitive business.

Submit Freely. Much of the work posted online bearing my name is freely shared. I do not get paid for what I write. I look at article marketing as a joint partnership between me and the article directory. They get my articles for redistribution and I get healthy back links to my site. In addition, the article directory can make money off of ads that show up next to my articles such as Google AdSense or Yahoo! Publishing Network type ads. Furthermore, I get my name out there and can point potential customers to the article directories to show them how prolific a writer that I am.

Submit Jointly. Some of the articles I have posted online are for clients. They have my name on them as my name is more visible than their name. I write as a “contributing writer” but I am a freelancer, not an employer. I get paid for my work and they get some decent links.

Do Ghostwriting. The overwhelming number of articles I write are ghostwritten. In 2005, I submitted 450 articles to article directories, but another 1200 or so went directly to my clients. When I submit articles jointly, I retain the rights to having my name on the articles. When I ghost write, my customers get what I write and retain full rights to the articles. Guess who pays me more? Bring ‘em on!

Bill Immediately. You can write like crazy for paying customers but still end up broke. How? By not billing customers immediately. Whether you use direct billing, Paypal, or an “agent” such as Guru, you are penniless until the first invoice is paid. Come up with a plan to get your money as soon as possible too. You don’t want to have to wait for weeks unless you like being in the credit business!

Keep Marketing. I have busy times I have slow times. During the slow times, I catch up on my paperwork and I write. During slow times I submit many articles to the article directories to keep my name out there. Regular submissions keep me “front and center” and help build up SEO for my site. Yes, I have my own site at www.thearticlewriter.com where most of my best work is featured. Not every article, but those articles where I have full rights to them and ones I want my customers to look at when they review my portfolio.

So, that’s it. Five simple tips to help you make a living from article marketing. If you are good at it, you will make a decent living writing for others. I doubt you will get rich unless article marketing ends up being a stepping stone to something else — such as, writing your own Harry Potter style series of books!

Copyright 2006 - For additional information regarding Matt Keegan, The Article Writer, please visit his blog for wit, quips, and freelance writing tips.

Self-publishing is not for the faint of heart. The publication process is lengthy, involves a considerable number of detailed, administrative tasks and can be expensive. This is the easy part; the real challenge involves “S & M” - sales and marketing.

For an author to become a successful self-publisher, he or she must make a paradigm shift in consciousness from author to entrepreneur, and view their book in the same way that Madison Avenue gurus view the newest shampoo. An author has to be able to do a dispassionate analysis of the market the book was meant to reach. Is its greatest appeal to young people? Senior citizens? Men? Women? Members of a minority group? The definition of a market - or markets - will help to determine and focus the ensuing marketing campaign.

Next, the author must develop a marketing plan. How can I reach my market most effectively? Freelance authors are already aware of the plethora of niche publications on the market. Now, instead of contacting these publications for submission guidelines, the self-publisher needs to contact the advertising department for rate and data information. Information such as 1) per-issue circulation, 2) average response rates for classified and / or display advertisements, 3) advertising rates and specs for display advertising will allow a self-publisher to determine the cost per contact. If a book involves specialized information, the self-publisher can afford to advertise in low-circulation, niche periodicals, as the audience of those periodicals may well be the exact type of individual most likely to benefit from the book.

Books which were written to appeal to a wide, general audience will have to be marketed with a larger media blanket. Diet, self-help and money management books do better with radio or television publicity. These media have higher costs, but over the long run, the per-contact cost is smaller, due to the greater number of people reached.

The question of cost brings us to the next challenge: a marketing and advertising budget. How much are you willing to spend, and for how many years? Launching any new business venture generally requires five years to begin turning a profit, and the first two years concentrate on developing an identity and “brand awareness.” In other words, it may take an author two years for anyone to become aware of his / her existence, let alone want to purchase their book! Too many self-publishers give up on marketing after the first year, and wind up selling their book at garage sales.

Finally, marketing efforts need to begin before the book is published. If an author builds interest and excitement while their book is still in the “proofing” stage, the outcome could easily be immediate demand upon release of the book. One of my clients did this, and sold 100 copies of his book before he received his first shipment.

Along with publications written to help authors improve their writing skills, the self-publisher should reference books or audiotapes relevant to promoting and marketing small or home-based businesses, such as Jay Conrad Levinson’s Guerilla Marketing. Promoting your work doesn’t have to be torture or outrageously expensive. Well-planned, consistently executed promotion will get your book on bookshelves, as long as you are willing to invest patience and persistence in your marketing efforts.

Jean Fritz is the owner and chief editor for JMT Publications (http://jmtpubs.tripod.com), a company which specializes in helping self-publishing authors get into print.

This article is not copyrighted

jeantype@excite.com

One obvious question that can get overlooked in the process of seeking publication is, Why do you want to publish this book, article, story or poem? Most likely, the answer involves some combination of artistic or spiritual vision, desire for recognition, need to communicate an idea or body of knowledge, feeling a compelling urge to shift consciousness around a particular topic, seeing a knowledge gap in the general society and feeling called to fill it, and of course receiving a little or a lot of financial compensation for one’s efforts.

As writers, as creative people, it can be difficult to join the artistic and spiritual sides of what drives us with the practical and business concerns. However, the union needn’t be a shotgun marriage, and it needn’t be done alone. Let’s look at some examples.

Cassie, 23, is a recent college graduate with an English major. She is working as an editorial assistant in an academic publishing house. For the last several years, she has been keeping a journal of poetry and prose. In the last six months, she has been reading at open-mike nights throughout the Bay area, and has begun to receive excellent feedback and recognition for her work. Thinking she might be ready to publish a book, Cassie showed her work to one of her colleagues at Scholarly Books, Inc., who told her her work was not commercially viable. What should be Cassie’s next step?

First of all, Cassie should get other opinions about the viability of her work, and from people with more relevant backgrounds. An editor at an academic press does not necessarily know the market for poetry and literary fiction, and even if she does, any author would do well to learn a bit more. Right now, Cassie is making enough money to live on, and has time left over to pursue her writing.

Though most writers of poetry and literary fiction do not earn the bulk of their livings through publishing their work, Cassie’s main goal is self-expression and elevating her level of participation in her literary community of choice. This would give her increased recognition and acknowledgment, which a few years down the road, could in turn translate into a cash advance for her next book. Even without a published book, Cassie could possibly attract enough students to offer a successful creative writing workshop through a local venue.

Cassie might also want to consider some of the many alternatives to mainstream publishing such as zines, e-books, subsidy publishing or self-publishing. A knowledgeable and qualified publishing consultant will be able to help her make the best choice at the optimal point in her writing career.

Here’s another, very different, path:

Bryan, 47, is a nurse-practitioner who spent time before and after nursing school working in nursing homes. Now he works in a clinic for the elderly with doctors and social workers. He is known in the office as the “New Age Guru,” and often refers his clients to homeopaths, osteopaths, and other practitioners of alternative medicine. He was even instrumental in starting an ongoing yoga class for the elderly at the local “Y.”

Bryan has kept up with gerontological and alternative medicine health issues by reading both trade journals and consumer magazines, for years. He is familiar with some of the psychological challenges some elderly people face when considering alternative care. For example, having relied on western medicine exclusively for so many years, many elderly patients are understandable skeptical about undertaking something unfamiliar, and in their eyes, marginal. Bryan wants to write a book that would serve as a guide to holistic health care for the elderly and their families, but isn’t sure how to begin.

Having never published before, Bryan might well choose to write an article to begin with (as opposed to launching into a full-on book), for several reasons. One, it will be a good exercise in writing itself. Two, he will see whether he feels satisfied with the amount of writing in an article, or feels he has a great deal more to say. Three, he will introduce himself to potential readers as an expert on his topic, perhaps even creating a website to include as part of his byline.

Let’s say Bryan decides to go ahead with his article, entitled “Holistic Health Care for the Elderly.” Now Bryan needs to decide what audience he wishes to reach: Health care providers? Elderly patients? Families of elderly patients? Aging Baby-Boomers? His publishing consultant sends him on a mission to the library and through the Internet to find a small handful of publications in which he would love to see his work appear. To his surprise, Bryan finds that the topic has been fairly well-covered already, however, no one has adequately addressed the issue of coordinating multiple health care providers for the elderly patient, something Bryan has much to say about. Bryan decides on two gerontology trade journals and three consumer magazines geared toward baby-boomers, who are likely caring for an aging parent. He crafts one query letter for the trade journals, and another for the consumer magazines, which his writing consultant helps him polish. Should both a trade journal and consumer magazine accept his query, he’ll be able to recycle some of the same material for different audiences, provided both editors approve. Once published, Bryan will be much better situated to decide whether and how to go about writing his book, if he still feels called to do so.

While their situations differ, both Cassie and Bryan, like other writers, needed to consider the question of audience: Who will be interested in reading this work? They also need to consider their vehicle: What is the best way to reach this audience? Are there multiple routes to various audiences? Should an author put all his energies into one route, or explore several avenues simultaneously? What are the advantages and disadvantages to each of these choices? Finally, both Cassie and Bryan had to do some work to establish credibility in their field: Readers want words that come from experience, knowledge and recognized talent. Both Cassie and Bryan are well on their way to moving their writing careers to the next step. Their weekly meetings with their writing consultant help them clarify their options each step of the way, make the choices that are best for them, and groom the query letters and proposals that help launch them into print.

The above are fictional composite characters extrapolated from typical client situations.

You are welcome to reprint this article any time, anywhere with no further permission, and no payment, provided the following is included at the end or beginning:

Author Jill Nagle is founder and principal of GetPublished,
http://www.GetPublished.com, which provides coaching, consulting, ghostwriting, classes and do-it-yourself products to emerging and published authors. Her most recent book is How to Find An Agent Who Can Sell Your Book for Top Dollar http://www.FindTheRightAgent.com.