WRITING

*Don't just write what you know. Write what you can learn. --Karina Fabian
It's not just about being published: The other thing I must say about this writing business is this: Of all the things I've done in life, writing is the most rewarding. Not because it is creative, though that is important. It is because it has allowed me to surround myself with smart, observant, quirky, and loving people. They exist everywhere, I'm sure. But it seems I can find them more easily in the milieu of the writing world. --Carolyn Howard-Johnson

EDITING

* Put your manuscript away for weeks to months before going back to it to edit. Then it won't be so familiar to you that you miss errors.
* Edit at least three ways: Read it through for general content and effect. Read it out loud for flow. Read it backward, one sentence at a time, to catch errors you'll skip when going forward.

PUBLISHING

* Never let an article, story or manuscript languish in your files. Even as it is at one publisher, plan where you are sending it next. Even have the envelope addressed so that if you get a rejection, you can send it off the next day.
* Rejections are not always personal. More often than not, your story was wrong, or they have something like that already, or it's not their style, or you're writing does not compare to the others they've seen that month. Learn what you can and move on.

MARKETING

* People need to see a product 5-10 times before they decide to buy it. If you are not getting your book titles out there, then you're going to be forgotten. * If someone does an article on you, writes a review of your book, or otherwise mentions you and your work in a favorable manner, THANK THEM. A little courtesy goes a long way in this biz.' besides, you'll make your momma proud! * A great source for marketing tips is Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Sharing With Writers newsletter. to subscribe, e-mail her.HoJoNews@aol.com * Drew McClellan, Drew’s Marketing Minute: “Do Less. One of the most tempting aspects of marketing is the veritable smorgasbord of different marketing tactics that you can toss into a marketing plan. It’s almost overwhelming.
Many marketing professionals make the very understandable mistake of believing that more is better. But they’re wrong.
You will be vastly more successful if you do less, but do them better. Pick 3-4 marketing tactics that you think are really going to be valued by your audience and drive the behavior/action you’re looking for. Then, figure out how you can do them in an extraordinary way. 100% consistency. 100% relevancy. Do less. But do them better.”
Found in Small Business Trends * Need a reason to send out a media release? Joan Stewart will give you 89 for signing up for her Publicity Hound newsletter. www.publicityhound.com