How My Article On Terry Crews Became A Top News Story

Our success as writers is rooted in creating strong content. But how good is a story if nobody reads it?

In the digital world, if Google or Bing doesn't pick up your story then your readership will be significantly lower. And let's face it--we live in a world where news has to be delivered quickly and concisely.

After all, the news cycle waits for no one. If writers can't boast authorship of a couple of viral clips, then the chances of getting more work are reduced significantly.

I recently completed a writer's internship at the Inquisitr and became a regular contributor. Compensation for freelance contributors is based solely on article performance. In other words, the more folks read and share your work, the more you get paid.

The good news is that there are residual earnings for every news story you write. So as long as you are active on the site and a minimum number of people click through and read your stories, you can make money.

I was excited today to do a quick Google search on Terry Crews just to see if there were any updates to the story I wrote on March 12 entitled, "The Criminal Complaint Terry Crews Filed Against Adam Venit Has Been Tossed By The LA County District Attorney." To my surprise, my article appeared in the search engine results as a top story.

Giving credit where credit is due, the Inquisitr does a really good job of teaching its writers SEO strategies and social media promotion that will help give articles more reach. It makes me feel pretty good to see my efforts paying off.

A few tips to try include strong use of keywords in titles, subtitles, and article text; appropriate tags; a great lead image that is properly sourced and captioned; appropriate article length for your targeted audience; and, as always, writing a great story.

Once you publish the story and editing is complete, start sharing to your social sites and groups wherever appropriate.

Know that this kind of writing platform is a marathon, not a sprint. If you are looking for a get-rich-quick scheme, this ain't it. However, the Inquisitr has been a great place to hone my skills as a news writer and learn some best practices on promoting my work. I'll let you know how it goes. :)

In the meantime, feel free to get caught up on my musings over there by following this link to my author page. If you see something that interests you, give it a read. If you have a friend or two who might want to read it, feel free to share. Thanks in advance!

Keep your pen to the paper! Remember, inspiration is everywhere...

More Writing + Less Chatter = Finished Manuscript

I read an article some time ago that advised authors to focus on writing more and talking less about their works in progress (WIP). I could not agree more and I can bear witness to the many distractions that keep us from writing. Some are necessary evils like early promotion, blogging, social networking, our day jobs, family, etc. But, it is too easy to log-in to our Facebook timelines and Twitter feeds only to later find ourselves 2 hours later watching cat videos gone viral on YouTube. I know. These temptations are hard to resist. But, if we are going to have any chance at finishing what we start, it is critical to stay balanced and focused. Here are a few tips to help us all stay on-track:

1)  Save the chatter about your next romantic, sci-fi , mystery thriller for your editor and the interviews you'll do on your upcoming blog tour. Doing so will keep you progressing towards completion of your manuscript.

2)  Schedule your social media visits and limit the time spent there. Start the day with the the platform-building stuff. Then, treat it like you are meeting a friend for coffee and you only have 15 minutes to catch up on the dish. Set a timer. When your time is up, log-off and get back to work.

3)  When people ask you how your book is coming, focus your answers on stats rather than content. If you are 60% done, say that. No need to go into details about the problems you are having with plot or character development. Save those tidbits for your editor or critique group because they will help you resolve those issues constructively.

4)  Keep writing and follow your instincts. The most important thing that writers can do is to keep writing. Remember that what you do is important. Everything that somebody reads is something that somebody else wrote. Vow to never allow yourself to be distracted from your writing again.

Keep your pen to the paper! remember, inspiration is everywhere...

Publishing Is Tough, but Are You Going to Quit NOW?

No matter how difficult your circumstances become, life goes on.  The fact that the housing market has reached all-time lows doesn't mean that people no longer need a place to live. And while it is getting more difficult to find jobs and earn a living, we all still have to find ways to meet our basic needs. And for those of us who seek to reach some level of success in the publishing industry, it is too easy to focus on all of the current challenges. People do still read, (believe it or not) and they are looking for new voices, great stories, and helpful information. The world still needs writers. In order to meet the needs of the readers, we must find ways to adapt--that is what the most successful people do.

Realtors, brokers, and home builders all agree that it is tougher to sell homes due to the economy, unemployment rates, and the subsequent flood of lower-priced inventory available. One thing they know is that when everything is all said and done, people still need a roof over their heads. So to survive, they adapt. They find new ways to market properties and make them stand out from the rest (polish your manuscript). They become more knowledgeable about financing to help qualify their clients (study the industry and step up your game). They use modern technology and social networking (build your platform). Many cater to a niche market (identify and connect with potential readers). They are creative, aggressive, innovative, and they stay in the game (emulate all of these things). Success in publishing is no different.

I believe that now is an exciting time to be a writer. There are so many avenues to publish your work from blogging, to freelance writing, to self-publishing, and, of course, traditional publishing. Writers can have the best of both worlds. Rejected manuscripts no longer have to sit in a desk drawer or be archived on a computer hard drive. Writers can generate interest in their work, publish it, and promote it with the possibility of still landing that elusive book deal. If you have a great product, a vision for it, a clear plan, and you are willing to roll up your sleeves, it is possible to be successful in the face of adversity. But, you have to believe it and you have to keep your shoulder to the plow.

Check out literary agent Rachelle Gardner's post, "Is the Sky Falling?", where she advises us all to "pull on our grown-up pants and deal with it". There will always be challenges. Life is full of them. 
Are you going to quit now?

Book Marketing: Why I Gave Up Trying to Build a Big Social Media Following

This is a fantastic post. I've learned that quality over quantity reigns supreme. If the point of social media use is to network, then it does me no good to play the "Follow Back" game with online personas that have nothing to do with what I am trying to accomplish. Social media is time consuming, so I try to be strategic in my approach to it. I share information, promote projects and people I believe in, and let relationships build organically. I like a tight circle of people who matter as opposed to a big circle of those who don't. Well done, Mr. Miller.

The full post appears on Joanna Penn's "The Creative Penn" at http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/05/02/book-marketing-giving-up-social-media/


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Problems with Building a Social Media Following
First, building a following consumes lots of time.

Social media guru Chris Brogan recommends a minimum of two hours a day. Think of J.R.R. Tolkien, who taught full time and hung out with his family after work, writing books after his children went to bed. Had he spent those two hours blogging and Tweeting, we may have never read The Lord of the Rings.


Second, there’s no proof that building a large following can work for every author.

Granted, it works for some authors, but that’s not the proof we need. Compare social media to the California gold rush. Had I lived in New England in 1849 and read regular newspaper reports of people striking it rich, I’d need better evidence to warrant selling the farm and moving west. I’d want to know, “out of the last thousand people who made the move, what percentage struck it rich?” If eight out of ten, I might move. If one out of 1,000, I’d keep the farm. But that’s precisely the statistical information we lack concerning authors trying to build social media followings.


Third, when I studied low profile authors who sold a lot of books, I found very few taking this approach.
When authors reported on book marketing forums, “Twitter works for me,” I’d ask, “How many books are you selling as a result?” Typically, they sheepishly replied “a few” or clarified that they were defining “success” in terms of how many people they drew to their blogs through Twitter.


Read the full post here: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/05/02/book-marketing-giving-up-social-media/


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NaPiBoWriWee Update!
Yesterday, I wrote my first of 7 picture books for this challenge. Already, I am tired of meaningful, warm and fuzzy stories. Today, I am going for something silly and fun with no lessons--maybe even rude and irrelevant. Time to shake things up! Won't you join me?

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Sketch the Story! Contest

Deadline for entries is Friday, May 4, 2012! Enter my illustrator's contest today! Details here!