Write a Novel that Sells
Before you even organize the framework to start writing your manuscript, there is one very important factor to consider. As in any industry, to succeed you must have a quality product to sell that will attract enough customers to buy it. To create a marketable product—in this case, a salable manuscript that will motivate a book publisher to offer you a publishing contract —you need to follow these basic steps. Step 1: Read other writers’ work before you start writing. Read everything you can lay your hands on – magazine features, classics, comics, science fiction, biographies, and romance and fiction books — and see how they do it, just like a novice crafts person that works as an apprentice and studies the master. Become an avid reader. Carry a book with you wherever you go. Spend every spare moment learning your craft. You will learn different writing genres when you read. In brief, a genre is a form of text that uses a particular format and structure. Once you recognize that there are different genres, you will discover how to navigate through each kind of text to find the information you seek. In this way, you learn that how-to text often includes a list of materials and a list of steps; biographies are generally organized in chronological order; and persuasive text often has attention-grabbing features to attract a reader’s interest. In-depth knowledge of different genres will help you to recognize what you are reading and help you to quickly identify pertinent information. Step 2: Start writing. You’ll know intuitively if it is good. If it’s not, delete and start again. Editors and publishers urge authors to be aware of their target readership and to focus on a typical reader profile when writing. This approach will give you a good chance of selling your manuscript and publish books aimed at a solid fan base. The style of writing publishers generally look for is ‘relentlessly commercial’; familiarize yourself with publishers’ title lists to gain access to the right publisher to have your manuscript considered. Read books and magazines on the genre you are interested in. Pay attention to emerging target markets and trends. If you don’t work hard at the business end of your writing, you’re just setting yourself up for rejection. Don’t write in a genre unless you enjoy it. Step 3: Write for yourself. This instruction sounds as if it contradicts the course of action suggested in step 2, but it doesn’t really. Writing to please your target market and writing for yourself can co-exist. It’s a fine line however, but it is important that you know how to blend both elements. The writer must shape the writing process ‘on the inside’ to be believable to the reader. Writing with integrity requires a great depth of skill; you need to combine what you like to read with what sells. Be true to what you want to write; if you have a novel in mind, you should write the best story possible. If you write about something you’re really interested in, it’s going to show. Step 4: Learn how to write well. You might be an avid reader and feel confident to write a manuscript, but writing a manuscript for publication demands much more than a personal desire to tell your story. It is important to know how to bring your work up to professional publishable standards before submitting it for consideration. Writing a manuscript is not something that happens instantly, even if you are an avid reader. Learning the craft of writing is an ongoing process: HOW-TO BOOKS are the textbooks of...
Read MorePromote Your Book
To publish and market your book by yourself can be a bit overwhelming, but it is not as daunting as you might imagine. A good place to start is to have a review professionally written to use as a marketing tool to generate publicity and organize a possible book signing. It is wise to promote your book at least one year before it lands in the book stores; start by establishing a Web site to showcase extracts from the book and to run a blog; build your social network community. Post content that will inspire people to ‘spread the word’ about your forthcoming publication, so that they will want to buy your book when it is launched. Always keep your publisher and editor in the loop as to your marketing efforts. Other PR activities: Put together a press kit (synopsis, author biography, photo of author holding the book, invitation to launch) that is distributed to media representatives to set up newspaper, magazine and radio interviews; Print and distribute leaflets or chapbooks (to publish a image of the book cover, photo and bio of the author); Display size A3 contact posters in retail stores that agree to stock copies of your book; Run a compact mail order advertorial in a community newspaper; Have an edition of bookmarks printed that feature an image of the book cover, brief outline of the content, retail price and list of outlets where the book is available for purchase. Leave bookmarks at libraries and stores that stock the book; Showcase the book on a dedicated web site. Provide online payment facilities that makes ordering easy; Create a video where you discuss your book (tell your audience about yourself, why you wrote the book, what the book is about, mention who the target audience is, why readers will benefit from reading this book) and post it on your site; Post the video on your social media links; List your book online on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kalahari, Bidorbuy and Loot; Negotiate with Book Clubs like Leisure Books to review your book for inclusion in their catalogue that are mailed to members; Depending on the type of book, you could run seminars or workshops on the subject and sell copies to delegates; Use social media to attract users to your web site; Include a free gift when packaging your book, such as a bookmark, plantable seed-embedded paper cut-out, printed post card). Contact Theresa (ecottage@gmail.com) to write a review, compile a press kit, design and print leaflets, chapbooks, posters, bookmarks, post cards; Web design and content; or create seeded paper...
Read MoreDigital Writing Competition
Write your way to a job with 2Stroke! 2Stroke is a Cape Town-based award winning digital marketing agency. They’re looking for a new generation of writers to join their content team and are offering two internships – starting in early 2014 – to the winners of their ‘WORDSTA’ writing competition. The chosen candidates will be given a three month writing internship where they will work on live projects conducting research and writing copy on a wide range of topics. During their time with 2Stroke they will be tutored, guided and enlightened by a team of experienced writers, digital marketers and PR professionals. And the agency will even pay interns a basic allowance to cover their every-day expenses. The details: Entering is pretty straightforward. Register online (follow instructions), select the topic you want to write on, let your imagination / pen / fingers do their thing and post your piece. It does not need to be a magnum opus … 600 – 800 words will do. Once it’s live, get your friends to like it, share it and comment on it. At the closing date the agency will evaluate all the posts and pick their winners. Scoring will be largely based on writing ability, but 2Stroke will add bonus points for pieces that have been shared, rated positively or attracted large numbers of comments. Competition opened on 11 November 2013 and closes on 31 December 2013. Winners will be announced on 24 January 2014. Interns are expected to start their internships on Monday 3 February 2014. Rules and Ts&Cs...
Read MoreMake a Difference! Volunteer
Community service is a selfless act of kindness undertaken by volunteers to improve their neighborhood. It is generally intended to promote good fellowship. Volunteering also promotes skill development, socialization, allows one to make contacts for possible employment, and to test-the-waters before selecting a field of further study. While some volunteers might receive specific training in the areas they plan to pursue as a career, such as medicine, education or emergency rescue, others serve their community on an as-needed basis, such as in response to a natural disaster or helping out at a retirement home or animal shelter. People have the option to volunteer as much of their own time as they are willing, still allowing them to remain focused on their personal lives. Young people are encouraged to volunteer not only to gain life experience but also for character building. Another incentive to become involved in community service is to include the capability gained in the motivational letter required for admission to a university or college. It is recommended that students volunteer in subjects and projects that they have an interest in. Students could volunteer at soup kitchens, museums, retirement homes, and school development projects, such as establishing extra mural workshops in horticulture, photography, amateur dramatics, and journalism or coaching scholars in starting a small business. What a volunteer puts into their volunteering experiences will show immensely in their character. Most people have toiled with the notion of wanting to find some way to give back to their community, and help those who cannot help themselves. Those in this situation have been able to have discussions with people who may benefit from some guidance, brightening up their day and making them smile. Others have volunteered their time at a hospital and aided the elderly, having conversations with them and listening to stories of a time long ago. Volunteers can also help out pre-schools by reading to children or teaching them crafts. One of the easiest things about volunteering is getting involved. There are countless organizations and charities that are always looking for an extra person to make a difference in someone’s life. Here are some ideas: Volunteer to do office work at a local non-profit agency; set up a web page for them. Share a talent through teaching a class. Help township resident’s paint and repair their homes. Make maps of local parks, libraries or historic sites. Adopt a pothole and raise funds to repair it. Help fix a run-down public playground. Identify corners where bushes and trees make it difficult for drivers to see. Create a campaign to encourage biking and walking. Volunteer at an animal shelter; help clean up and play with the animals. Become a foster pet-owner; some animal shelters have temporary foster care programs — you take care of a pet until they can find a permanent home for it. Words by Theresa Lutge-Smith...
Read MoreWhat Makes A Homepage Brilliant!
You never get a second chance to make a first impression! For this reason your homepage — your virtual front door and showcase to the world — is undoubtedly one of the most important pages on your website. It must be visually striking and has to be slick in its navigation. If a new visitor is not impressed straight away they will simply click away! What makes a homepage brilliant? Clearly answer “Who we are,” “What we do,” and “What can the visitor find here” questions. Even if you are a well-known brand it is still important to clarify these standard searches. The content must be succinct and address your target audience, written in uncomplicated language. The homepage is the first thing Search Engines see when crawling your website, which makes it the most important page of your site. Increase your domain authority and website rankings by engaging in active SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and back-link building campaigns. Make sure your homepage contains a fair amount of content. The aim of a well-designed user-friendly homepage is to compel the visitor to identify with your value-proposition and explore the rest of your site. Utilize the homepage to introduce prospects to your value proposition through persuasive content. Avoid ‘flashy’ objects that might get in the way of browsing. Incorporate Calls-To-Action (CTA) to direct visitors to the next logical step, such as “Read More”, “Free Consultation,” or “Buy Now.” The objective is to navigate visitors further down the funnel. Calls-To-Action turn your homepage into a mouthpiece that allows you to communicate with customers and prospects to facilitate customer relationship management. The best homepages are active, always offering something new to reflect the needs, problems, and questions of their visitors. The intention of a well-designed home page (and the rest of the site) is to build mutual trust; anticipate unmet requirements and offer solutions to problems; invite constructive comment and an opportunity to express grievances; communicate information that is of personal interest to your target audience; and steer visitors to take action. Accordingly, effective homepages utilize inspired layout, Call-To-Action placement, white space complimented by color and font choices, illustration, and other supporting elements such videos, blog icons and company symbols. Words by Theresa Lutge-Smith (ecottage@gmail.com). Contact Theresa for Web Design, Custom Web...
Read MoreAbout Theresa
I’m a published author of four business books and have written a number of self-study tutorials [creative writing; editing and proofreading; business writing; and self-publishing] and an eBook [Workplace Harmony]. I am an experienced writer, editor and publisher. 
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