Top Book Sales : Book Marketing and Self-Publishing Articles

Here’s a great idea for celebrating National Punctuation Day this year. Write a haiku poem and enter a Haiku Contest. Winning entries will receive a plethora of punctuation goodies from the day’s founder, Jeff Rubin.

How do you enter the contest?

Send your best Haiku 5-7-5 (syllables, that is) poetry to Jeff@NationalPunctuationDay.com by September 30 to be included for prizes.

These three Haiku examples came from Craig Harrison, one of the best trainers and prolific writers around.

• Which colon to use? Colon or semi-colon? I’ll use a comma.
• Exclamation points. Some people just love to shout, In print and in speech.
• Serial comma. What is your philosophy? To use or not to? Continue Reading

Related Posts:

• Do You Even Care About Grammar These Days?

Everywhere we turn, someone’s doing an Extreme Makeover—a house, a wardrobe, an image, a website—enough to make your head spin.

I joined that “makeover spin” after reviewing Nancy Juetten’s Bye-Bye Boring Bio guide and “re-spun” my own bio (see end of this ezine). Her templates and examples guided my process and their instant “ease of use” quickly won me over.

When you try to do your own makeover—of any kind—it’s easy to get stuck and feel, well, self-conscious. (I’m not sure which comes first!) But I didn’t feel that way at all because the guide’s paint-by-number instructions sucked me right in before I could moan, “Writing about myself is tough.” Continue Reading

Related Posts:

• Word Trippers Word Choice Guide

In a recent teleseminar, I shared lots of info about working with an editor plus 10 ways to improve your writing with host Dr. Sandra Haymon on blogtalkradio.com. What a fun experience! You can hear these teleclass free by going to  www.BlogTalkRadio.com/sandra-haymon

You’ll see Top 10 Techniques title in the box on the right. Just press play.

I keep focusing on what I consider the Top 10 ways to improve your writing, but I suspect you have a few “gems” to add to my list. Mostly, I’d love to hear from you. You can: Continue Reading

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

In today’s competitive arena, entrepreneurs and leaders of organizations can’t rely on onlyconveying facts and figures to call people to action.

People need to feel moved to act. They have to get the message deep in their bones why you or your organization merits investing precious resources.

Giving a strong emotional appeal strengthens your chances to rise above the crowd. This is true whether you’re speaking to a single person or a roomful, whether you’re writing website copy, press releases, articles, or pitch letters.

But how can you do it effectively? Continue Reading

Related Posts:

• Marketing ROI: Getting Your Head in the Game
• Author to Professional Speaker: The Writer’s Next Level to Success
• Creating An Information Product to Position Yourself as THE Expert
• Promoting Books without Leaving the House
• Powerful, Intentional Writing Can Save Lives!

A year ago, a professional speaker and consultant hired me to edit articles and website copy—not an unusual request—but the events that have unfolded since form the makings of a heartfelt movie with suspense and hope, drama and victory. Risa Simon decided to convey this urgent message to humankind: that 85,000 people in the U.S. waiting for kidney transplants can be helped with kidneys from living donors. Yet who’s likely to step forward and donate a kidney to a stranger? It’s a tough sell.

For Risa, the question was how to communicate the issues surrounding kidney donation in a way that persuades people to shift attitudes and take action. Vital elements must be abundantly present in the writing, including eloquence, heart, logic, and a sense of urgency. Continue Reading

Related Posts:

• Author to Professional Speaker: The Writer’s Next Level to Success
• How You Tell Your Story Makes a Huge Difference—When You Do It Well
• Promoting Books without Leaving the House

“Writings are useless unless they are read, and they cannot be read unless they are readable.” – Theodore Roosevelt

After encouraging writers to quit rambling when crafting their paragraphs and chapters, I want to make sure you don’t stall out.

What techniques can keep your motor running smoothly? Take these four tips to heart. Continue Reading

Related Posts:

• Whack Wordiness Part 2: How to Stop Rambling

This is the second part of a 3-part series on how to Whack Wordiness. Your comments and questions are greatly appreciated.

“Make every word work like a galley slave.” – William Zinsser

Rambling in your writing often stems from muddy thinking—that is, not having a clear idea of what you want to say. When analyzing a piece of your writing that rambles on, ask, “Exactly what was I trying to say?” Challenge yourself to state its purpose in one simple sentence. Then once you have your intended point in mind, ask: Continue Reading

Related Posts:

• Whack Wordiness Part 3: Keep Your Writing Motor Running
• Who’s This Book For, Anyway?

You never know when someone may contact people on your testimonial page. What are they saying about you?

I eagerly detoured from my planned projects last week after receiving a “Barbara McNichol” Google Alert that commanded my attention. Lo and behold, I learned that my website made an elite list of 26 Small Business Websites You Can Trust—the only Editing site on the list. It included categories from Article Distribution Service to Domain Registration Service and Publicity/PR Expert to Website Analytics.

On April 27, SiteProNews.com ran a post originally written by David Jackson, a marketing consultant who did the research to come up with the 26 Websites. (Here’s David’s complete article.) Continue Reading

Related Posts:

• Facebook for Business: Are You Ready?
• Should You Be Using Google+ Yet?
• 5 Strategies to Keep Up Your Hustle and Engage Customers
• Author to Professional Speaker: The Writer’s Next Level to Success
• Strategic Marketing for Driving Traffic to Your Website