Money The Write Way A free eMagazine for writers of integrity *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ March 5, 2003 Volume 1 Number 9 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ To join our more than 4000 subscribers, and receive the FREE eBook, "So You Want to be a Travel Writer," click on: http://www.ebookstand.com It's FREE! *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ In this issue: 1.) Letter From The Publisher---On The Home Front 2.) Ask an Expert/Questions and Answers 3.) COMP-ortunity of the month 4.) Online Success-Internet Marketing Tips and Strategies For Writers 5.) The Business of Writing by Duane Newcomb 6.) Editor's Pick/Reviews 7.) The Boast Post---Bragging Board of Writers Triumphs and Victories *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Money The Write Way eMagazine is a division of The Magnum Group ISSN pending. Copyright 2003 Write Spirit Publishing. All rights reserved. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Start Comping today by purchasing our best selling eBook: "BEEN THERE---COMPED THAT!" Free Travel, Dining, and Entertainment,All for the Cost of Some Ink Available at: http://www.ebookstand.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ On The Home Front Carmel L. Mooney I hope you are all enjoying the new frequency of the same wonderful eMagazine. While I certainly appreciate all the kind kudos we receive each issue, I want to personally invite you to become more active in this publication. Please take a moment to send us your boasts, writing triumphs, insights, and suggestions. Even submissions for an article or commentary are welcome. I just got back from the ultimate comp. A major cruise line comped my whole family a wonderful 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise. This is more proof that my book, Been There---Comped That, really works! Unfortunately, we all contracted the infamous Norwalk virus, which infected hundreds on cruise ships the past year. Although this is the first negative experience I have encountered on a comp trip, being a writer, I am marketing articles from the humorous yet educating perspective of how to prevent this virus. We can laugh now, although a week ago, we weren't laughing! So, my point is, you can take any experience as a writer and market it. Chew on this idea awhile and you're sure to make some money and by-lines you weren't planning. BTW, we are taking the dollar signs out, and shortening the title of the eMagazine for a couple of reasons. One reason is that I've heard that some email boxes reject the dollar signs in an attempt to screen solicitors that may have dollar signs in their subjects or text. Hope you don't mind… Best wishes for continued writing success and comp-liments to all, Carmel *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ This week's newest COMP-ortunity The Hilton Anaheim Website: www.anaheim.hilton.com Address: 777 Convention Way, Anaheim, CA 92802-3497 Phone: 714-740-4268 Contact: Patrick Hynes Description: The ultimate California Resort Hotel. Spectacular 1572 room luxury hotel, offering special Vacation Station program and gifts for child guests. Location: Walking distance, a couple of blocks from Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks. Coverage desired: Family destination lodging Prefers writers with: on assignment for publications on the west coast Possible comp: Comped accommodations when available and opportunity to experience Vacation Station first hand. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ "Ask a Pro" Publishing/Comping/Writing Q&A "Your Questions---You Always Wanted To Ask," answered by professional writing consultant/coach/instructor, Carmel L. Mooney To ask Carmel a writing, publishing, or comping question, email her at: Carmel@ebookstand.com. Questions may be edited for length or content if necessary. Question: It's tax time. Are there any tax advantages to being a freelance writer? S. Mandle, Opelika, AL Answer: Although I am not a tax expert, I can tell you that many expenses a writer incurs are tax deductible. These can include: postage, computer related costs, mileage, stationery, subscriptions to magazines, travel expenses, some types of entertainment, business licenses, permits, even tax preparation fees. You should consult your tax expert on how these issues apply to your personal situation but it is likely that you will find that writing, like most any home-based business, has some very attractive money-saving tax advantages. To ask Carmel a writing, publishing, or comping question, email her at: Carmel@ebookstand.com. Carmel Mooney is also available by phone and/or email for private consultation, editing, and coaching. Carmel has helped hundreds of writers achieve writing and publishing success. Email her at: Carmel@ebookstand.com or call her at: 916-205-4763 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ Internet Marketing Tips and Strategies For Writers How to sell your publications online by Hazel Nieves, Our E- business Marketing Expert and Consultant Tips for Creating Winning Email Campaigns By: Hazel Nieves Let's start with How to Format Your Email Publication. It's absolutely critical that you format your emails to 65 characters or less per line. You see, everyone's email programs are different so that's why sometimes you'll see emails you receive looking all weird with the text running over and cutoff It's just a mess! Take it from me. That's a dead giveaway that you don't know what you're doing. So the secret is to make your messages 65 characters or less and use a hard return (that means hit the 'Enter' key when you get to 65 characters). Here's what I do. I create my messages using MS Word for spell checking, ease, and I can also get a word count. I also use a fixed width font like Courier New at 10 point when writing. Then I set the line length to 5.5. To do this I simply drag the right side ruler slider to the 5.5 position on the ruler at the top of the page. There you have it! Simple, easy, and your publication will look professional when it arrives in your subscriber's mailbox. The last thing you want is an email message with great content, being dismissed simply because it wasn't "good looking" enough! Here are some Email Copy Tips: When writing your email copy throw everything you learned in English 101 out the window. 1. Personalize There's nothing better for a person to see than their name. Use personalization in the subject line and inside the body of the email (but don't overdo it so it looks hokey). 2. Write just like you talk Use plain, easy to understand English. Nobody cares if you can quote the dictionary in your sleep! Write almost like you're talking to a friend on the phone. Be friendly and personable in your writing. 3. Put passion into your email Since you won't have the luxury of seeing your prospects eye-to- eye to gauge their reactions, you need to put extra passion into your message. Even if you think you are overdoing it. When you write, your letter will end understated when it gets read. Get enthusiastic! 4. Write to one person Try to think of the ideal prospect as you are writing and make the message just for them. Even if your web site will be read by thousands of people each day -- every person will read it one at a time. Use "you" and "your" liberally. Focus on them, not yourself. 5. Keep your sentences and paragraphs short Keep your paragraphs short and simple. Period. Sentences (and even paragraphs) can even be one word like Stop or Free. And paragraphs should be no more than 4 or 5 lines. You want your email to look easy to read with a lot of white space. Make it inviting. Long blocks of words are scary and boring. 6. Use plenty of compelling subheads Subheads should be like mini-headlines. Use them to break up large bodies of text and to bring people back into the body of the letter. A lot of people will scan your email, so you need to make sure your subheads give a complete selling message by themselves. Also, be sure to use different graphic embellishments like <<<>>>. 7. Eliminate excess wording Simplify. Convey your message in a clear and concise manner -- but remember that doesn't mean keep it short. You need to ruthlessly edit your email for flow. 8. Use action verbs whenever possible If you see too many "as", "is", "was" or "were" replace them. Sentences using action verbs are more powerful. When writing your email you want it clear enough so any 6th grader could understand it. You probably think your prospects are a lot smarter than 6th graders but nobody has time anymore to sit down and figure out what you're trying to say -- so keep your writing simple and straightforward. Now you have the blueprint to create successful, action prompting, email campaigns! Let me share with you a well noted Hidden Psychological 'TRIGGER' that Makes Prospects Practically Line Up and Beg To Do Business With You… Researchers found…Telling people the reason why you are doing something is one of the most powerful influencers of human behavior. Robert Cialdini, Ph.D. in his book "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" talks about an experiment by Harvard social psychologist, Ellen Langer, that concluded people like to have a reason for what they do. Her experiment consisted of people waiting in line to use a library copy machine and then having experimenters ask to get ahead in line. The first excuse used was "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I'm in a rush?" This request coupled with a reason was successful 94% of the time. But when the experimenter made a request only: "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?", this request was only granted 60% of the time. A significant drop. Okay now for the shocker. It may seem like the difference between those two requests was the additional information of "because I'm in a rush", but that's just not the case. Because in a third experiment, the experimenter asks "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?" There's no reason mentioned or new information presented, just the words "because". This time a full 93% of the people said yes simply due to the word 'BECAUSE'! And it didn't even matter that there was no reason given. Just the word because triggered a magic response. What this indicates is using this psychological 'trigger' can significantly increase your Marketing success. Here's another noted example: John E. Powers, one of the top copywriters in the 1900's, wrote this ad for a Pittsburgh department store in severe financial trouble: "We are bankrupt. We owe $125,000 more than we can pay, and this announcement will bring our creditors down on our necks. But if you come and *buy* tomorrow, we will have the money to meet them. If not, we will be forced out of business". Instead of yelling 'SALE' like so many other stores would, there's a legitimate reason given why people should spend their money at this store. And this ad was said to be responsible for saving the store. Another ad written by Powers, for a different merchant, proclaimed, "We have a lot of rotten raincoats we want to get rid of." This sold out the entire inventory of raincoats by the next morning. "Whenever you make a claim or special offer in your advertising, come up with an honest reason why, and then state it sincerely. You'll sell many more products this way." This powerful strategy works well today. So how can you apply all of this to your business? Easy. Let's say you have a slow time of year and you want to increase your business during this period. Well, write a simple email letter to your customers making a special offer, only good during your slow period. Maybe you'll throw in an extra free bonus, an extra service, or a special discount simply because it is your "slow time" and you need to pay your staff anyway. Let people in "behind the scenes" at your company... * Are you overstocked on merchandise because for some reason customers only wantthe deluxe widget - but you ordered tons of the basic one? * Did you have a flood and you need to liquidate your inventory? * Do you need to raise cash so you can pay for your nose job? Whatever the reason. Tell them the truth. For some reason everyone wants to be mysterious about their business. If you're lowering the price nobody thinks you're doing it just because you're "such a nice guy". So let people in on the reason why they should shop with you or buy your product or service. I know this probably goes against every grain of business sense, but if you give people a good, believable reason why… they'll respond with open wallets. Next issue: 7 Ways to Collect Email Addresses Online and Off ---Hazel Nieves, expert on Internet Marketing and Online business success is owner of Web Development Company, Sierra Technology Solutions, Inc. She has 20 years experience in sales, marketing, and technology and is a committed crusader in helping take the confusion out of taking your business online. You can Contact Hazel at 530-367-2915 or customerservice@sierratechnologysolutions.com Special Offer! Writers Special E-biz Website Package Turn-key Package Includes: *5 Custom Pages *Shopping Cart (up to 10 products) *Secure Server *One year hosting service *Uses your own domain *Up to 15 Email accounts *Attractive Professional designs to choose from *Copyright Statement page Special Price: $ 600.00 complete Get started today with your Affordable Professional E-business website here: http://www.sierratechnologysolutions.com/writers/writers_special. htm Learn more from Hazel at: http://www.sierratechnologysolutions.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ The Business of Writing by Duane Newcomb The Business Side of Writing Build From Projects You've Already Completed Once you've sold an article, don't quit looking for ways to sell the material contained in that article in other, sometimes unrelated ways. I wrote several general Houseboating articles in which I surveyed the Houseboating manufacturers and described the various models. Part of the material I collected concerned small trailable houseboats, boats that could be lined in at a campground and also could be moved easily from one body of water to another. I managed to sell one article to a camping magazine. I then turned this around and sold a roundup on the same subject to Better Homes and Gardens. When I finished this, I proposed a book on Houseboating using this same information and some additional material from the files. Prentice Hall brought it out under the title The Wonderful World of Houseboating. I know a retired game warden who wrote one article on his experiences as a game warden. Then, building on this experience, he wrote a piece on abalone poaching. Finally he wrote a piece on avoiding game wardens. Then he took some of the funnier things that happened when he was a warden and sold "Silly Excuses Game Violators Use" to Field and Stream. One of my students spent a week researching Monarch Butterflies. She sold three articles to children's religious magazines (all in different dominations). Then she sold a piece on Monarchs to Family Circle and the last I heard she was writing a book on the subject. What we did, you can do and should. Look over your past articles, read magazines and write your queries. Duane Newcomb is a literary consultant with 36 non-fiction books to his credit, over 5000 articles and more than 150 client books in print. He has taught article and non-fiction book courses at numerous colleges, universities and writer's conferences across the United States. He welcomes new clients who need a manuscript evaluated. dnew@thegrid.net . Subscribe to his free, monthly professional author newsletter at: dnew@thegrid.net http://www.ebookstand.com/cat.grp/besthow-to.html Duane Newcomb's Writing Guides help you write proposals and book query letters, find 20-30 markets for every article idea and more. Available at: www.ebookstand.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ Editor's Pick Book, Magazine, Website, and e-Book Review by Victoria Beninga, Editor Writing for Dollars By Dan Case, Editor If you enjoy the convenience of having MAKING $$$ THE WRITE WAY delivered right to your computer, I have another eMagazine to recommend. WRITING FOR DOLLARS is a well-organized, easy-to- read, entertaining, informative emagazine that is geared towards writers. Best of all, it's free too. WRITING FOR DOLLARS is delivered twice a month via email. It contains feature articles that cover topics such as how to find work writing in Hollywood by writing with a team, how to write queries to national publications, and how to build your career by writing for eMagazines. Every issue has links to resources which are valuable to all kinds of writers. You'll also find a list of articles in demand, both in print and online. If you subscribe to WRITING FOR DOLLARS, you get a free ebook, 83 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY. To subscribe to this valuable eMagazine and get your free ebook, send a blank email to subscribe@writingfordollars.com or go to http://www.writingfordollars.com/ . I have found WRITING FOR DOLLARS very useful, and I think you will too. Victoria Beninga Travel Author/Columnist Publisher/Editor, Gold Country Families http://goldcountryfamilies.com Ebooks: Beyond the Tent: An Introduction to Camping Trailers and Motorhomes and RV Packing Simplified available at http://www.ebookstand.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ The Boast Post Don't be modest—we applaud you! Whether it's an assignment victory, a publishing accomplishment, comp, or a writing goal achieved, we'd love to hear it. Please include your full name or initials, and your city and state. Send your boast in 75 words or less to: Carmel@ebookstand.com may be edited for length or content) Boast: Our subscriber, Larry James was selected as the national spokesperson for the "Hilton Hotel's Valentine's Day Romance Radio Tour 2003." The "Love" expert will be giving helpful tips to help keep romance alive in a national media blitz of radio interviews during the month of February. http://www.CelebrateLove.com Larry was also quoted in the January and June issues of Cosmopolitan Magazine. He recently was interviewed for an article called "Great Date Ideas" for the Ladies Home Journal Magazine Website. Good job, Larry! "Seduction By Poetry", an essay by Sherry L. Stoll, will appear in the March 2003 release "Hope: True Stories of Answered Prayers" published by Red Rock Press. It's the true story of how Sherry wooed her husband with original cowboy poetry. This anthology is available at www.VirtueVictorius.com, www.Amazon.com and various other book retailers. Sherry is a freelance writer from rural Maryville, Missouri. Congrats Sherry! *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Coming Soon/Around the Corner: Carmel Mooney's online Travel Writing/Comped Travel Course. Take it from the privacy of your home and have email access to your questions from the instructor. COMING SOON! Email for more information; there's no obligation. Carmel@ebookstand.com Carmel Mooney's Upcoming Writing and Publishing Classes/seminars: Carmel will be speaking for the Sierra Writers Club on Wednesday March 12, 2003 The topic will be Travel Writing and how to get Comped trips. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and Carmel's presentation follows immediately after business is finished, about 7:00 p.m. Come meet Carmel Mooney and Money the Write Way's editor Victoria Beninga, at the Community Room of the Madelyn Helling Library on Maidu Avenue, in Nevada City. 3/9 Ebooks/Print on Demand, Always Learning, Elk Grove, CA 3/23 Travel Writing/Comped Travel, Always Learning, Elk Grove, CA 3/24 Ebooks/Print on Demand, Placer School for Adults, Auburn, CA 3/29 Effective Business Writing, Sierra College, Rocklin, CA 3/31 Travel Writing/Comped Travel, PSA, Auburn, CA 4/5 Ebooks/Print on Demand, Sierra College, Rocklin, CA 4/12 Ebooks/Print on Demand & Travel Writing, Butte College, Chico, CA 4/19 Ebooks/Print on Demand Publishing & Freelance Writing for the Internet Nevada Union Adult Education, Grass Valley, CA 4/26 Travel Writing/Comped Travel, Learning Exchange, Sacramento, CA *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ It's FREE---List your inn, resort, restaurant, entertainment venue, business, or destination seeking written coverage contact the publisher at: Carmel@ebookstand.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Money The Write Way eMagazine TO SUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail with "subscribe" as the subject to: subscribe@ebookstand.com TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" as the subject to: unsubscribe@ebookstand.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Write Spirit Publishing P.O. Box 3405 Auburn, CA 95604 Contact us at: Carmel@ebookstand.com We welcome your comments/suggestions/requests/contributions Carmel L. Mooney, Publisher Victoria Beninga, Associate Editor http://www.ebookstand.com Should the links we provide not work, this may mean your E-mail program doesn't like our code. If this occurs, please go directly to our current online issue at: http://www.ebookstand.com/newsletter_archive.htm You may freely distribute this eMag to friends, discussion lists, and writing groups as long as the issue is included in it's entirety. Like our eMagazine? Vote for our eMagazine! Visit: http://www.ezine-marketing.com/cgi- bin/ezsearch/vote.cgi?ID=1038751909 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~