10 Winning Habits of the Frequently Published, Part I
Are you ready to sign off on your first project or publish more
of what you have already written? Have you been wondering who
will publish your work? The publishing industy is changing in
the new millineum and doesn't appear ready to stop changing. It
is estimated that in the next 10 years, 50 percent of all books
will be self-published or published by smaller presses. Even so,
it should not exempt us from the pursuit of excellence in our
craft through sound writing rules and business etiquette. With that said the way to more published writing credits is
basically the same as Anne Wayman says, "Write well and write
often." If you want to get published more by industry respected
magazines and even enter into the competition for the attention
of traditional book publishers, you may want to examine some of
your writing habits. There are some habits those writers who
consistently get published share. If you want to join the
winner's circle of frequently published writers develop these
habits: Habit #1 Develop and maintain a strong sense of
professionalism Frequently published writers know they are not just creative
artists. They know publishing is a business. They realize as a
writer they supply a product to the publisher or directly to the
customer. The writer that comes to terms with producing their
writing as a product develops a professional attitude. He seeks
to develop the most excellent product that will satisfy the
demands of its consumers. The professional writer follows the
basic rules of business etiquette. For example, they use crisp,
clean paper for letterhead. They never handwrite letters or
manuscripts. They always include a SASE with each query. Habit #2 Write your best, always. Unseasoned writers and those who lack professionalism always
seem to be saving their best effort for later. Other writers who
save their best for the next project often procrastinate
themselves out of enough time to do a good job. Some feel the
buyer has left them no profit, so they give them what they feel
they paid for. The solution though it may not be quickly is to always do your
best. This practice works well with the universal law that says,
'What you give comes back around to you." When you continually
give your best - the best is always coming to you - the best
assignments, the best rewards, and the best credit. So write
your best and expect the best. Habit #3 Tap your passions and spread your joy to the
world Most writers who publish often are passionate people. They make
the most of their passions through their writing topics. As many
of you do, the author has varied interests. She has had to
streamline and focus more than several times over the years. The
greater the numbers of things you attempt to focus on the less
effective you become. Two of her passions have burned brightly
in her life in the last decade her writing and web development
business. So its no surprise her published credits line up in
the writing arena and internet/computer category. Identify your
passions and you will rake in the publishing credits. Your joy
will be contagious with editors contacting you to publish your
work. Habit #4 Write compelling leads and hook your editors and
readers The lead often called the "hook,' because it hooks the reader -
is the first few sentences or paragraphs of whatever you are
writing. The job of the hook is to draw the reader in to read
more. Frequently published authors realize strong leads are not
just for good journalism. Strong leads are for plain good
writing. Use strong leads with everything you write, from non-
fiction articles to good stories, from query letters to book
proposals. Use a compelling lead at the beginning of every chapter in both
non-fiction and fiction. If you are writing an article, write a
strong hook each time you transition to a new idea. A strong
hook for an article may make the difference between selling it
to an editor and not selling it.
There are different kinds of leads. Stories that set a scene or
mood, startling facts, interesting statistics that spark
interest are often components of a strong lead. The question
lead entices readers to keep reading to learn the answer. Habit #5 Develop Sizzling Titles and Headings Successful writers sizzle their titles and headings. They know
the title may well be 90% of the pulling power for their
project. An excellent title is short. The best selling titles
are benefit driven. Don't forget to heat them up with emotion.
Use terms your audience can relate to. Use action words and
verbs. Quantify change with ways and time limits. Use one or two
word ideas to tell a story. Pledge change. Spark interest.
Instead of How to Write an E-book a client author chose the
title Ten Secrets to Write Your E-book Like a Winner. She
quantified change, sparked interest and branded her title. Have a meeting of the minds with friends or associates. Let
them help you choose the best title from the list. Find out
which will make them want to read your project. Pinpoint the
sizzling one and the same title may capture your editor's
attention as well. In the beginning, the acceptances are slow and sporadic for the
successful and unsuccessful writer alike. But the difference is
the successful writer keeps submitting. On a regular basic they
see their work published because of their investment and
persistence. Start with 1-3, keep submitting, and be persistent
until you are invited into the winner's circle of frequently
published writers. For Ten Winning Habits of the Frequently Published, Part II
visit http://www.writetowin.org
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