Sunday, March 30, 2008

How to Become a Star in
The Social Networking Game


Social networking is all about value and respect. If you provide good value, you will get respect … and traffic. If you provide questionable - or negative - value, then the members of social networking websites will conclude that you have a lack of respect for them. They’ll either ignore you or ride you out of town on a rail.

So what is “questionable or negative value”? Simple: affiliate links or any other kind of self-promotion. When you join a social networking group and start posting affiliate links, you have just shot yourself in the head. No one will trust you. No one will respect you. Your website will get no traffic. And nobody is going to buy from any of your affiliate links.

OK. So what is “good value”? Simple: valuable information or tools that you give away free of charge. When you join a community and provide “good value”, you are seen as a person who gives good value. So you are respected. If you’re new at this, then your first task is to do a lot of Googling to find valuable information and tools that you can give away free to others in your community. Compile a large list … it’ll come in handy.

The best thing you can do is to actually ask people in the community what they really need. Or listen when they talk to others about it. Then figure out a way to give them what they want. You will gain their trust and respect, which is way more valuable long-term than any affiliate commission you might miss out on today.

Your heart must be pure. Your intention must be to help, to provide value (that word again!). People will trust you when they see that you are genuine, honest, & transparent. But they start out suspicious, because they’ve been burned before. If they think your intention is to do whatever you have to do in order to trick them into buying your stuff, they will know. And they won’t like it. They will beat on you, and they’ll tell anyone who’ll listen what a jerk you are.

On the other hand … if you care, if you bring value to your Facebook community, if you help people, then they will trust you. And they will follow you. You can build long-term relationships with people who will be happy to see you succeed … and may often help … because they like you and they trust you.

Social networking is not advertising. On these social websites, trust is supreme. Blatant advertising kills trust. Providing true value creates trust. And once you have made the connection that creates trust, it’s a natural move for them to go to your website, because they like you and want to know more about you.

That is how to become a star in the social networking game.

http://social-marketing-nutshell.com

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Are You Struggling to
Make Money Online?

Things are not as they were online; new entrants are coming aboard every day with doubtful sales pitches that are making regular buyers wary about parting with hard-earned cash.

Perhaps you sell your own personally developed produce or act as an affiliate for someone else’s - or perhaps you’re new to online marketing and looking for a route to legitimate earnings.

Either way it is becoming more and more difficult…

I have located a genuine system that might just provide you with the answer to making recurring income online without selling anything!

Have a look and judge for yourself.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

The Social Marketing Nutshell


Everything you need for success in social marketing is summed up in a nutshell; a PDF nutshell containing crisp, bite-size pages that eliminate the fluff and fandango and focus on the essential strategies in progressive order.

Devising a route that meets your specific needs
Why you must never treat social marketing as sales tool
How to make social media work for you spectacularly
Creating a compelling presence in MySpace, Facebook, Squidoo, etc
How to use bookmarking links to your ultimate advantage
How and why you must exploit RSS feeds
How to ensnare friends and colleagues to your social sites
Why adding a forum pays off big time
Why you don’t need a camera for how-to video production
Why sharing your photographs around captures visitors
How to use blogs to drive traffic to your core website
How to ensure that your blogs and websites zoom up the rankings
How social media enhances your reputation as an expert

Friday, March 21, 2008

Introducing the Social Marketing Nutshell


Social marketing is everywhere these days, spreading like a gargantuan virus that touches everyone online…small wonder...look at the facts:

Social media giant Facebook is currently adding 1,000,000 25+ (non-student) adults per week to their rosters - that's 52 million new users a year...

YouTube.com gets over 50 million unique visitors per month... over half a billion a year...

MySpace.com sees over 49 million unique visitors each month - over 1.6 million a day...

That’s a stack of traffic and the social websites (there are 1500 of them) are currently outstripping Google and Yahoo in visitor attraction.

You can tap into this swarm of ever-growing enthusiasm if you know how but you will flounder and sink if you don’t…

Perhaps you’ve already had a stab at social marketing but gave up because it looks too difficult; perhaps the outrageous price tags scared you off.

You are not alone. Some months ago I chanced upon a social media training site with a discounted price point of $1300 but I lost interest halfway down the page because the gobbledygook sales pitch made it seem like an impossible dream.

I decided there and then to do it the hard way; research social media marketing from A to Z, carve out my own succinct solution, and put it to the test - with spectacular success - as you can witness for yourself by clicking on this link...

Monday, March 17, 2008

How Meeting Betty Grable
Spawned a Book Idea


There’s a line in a famous 1970s pop song composed and recorded by Neil Sedaka that goes something like, ‘I never met you Betty Grable’

Well, unlike Neil Sedaka, I did, several times over, and on the first occasion I got to shake hands with the 1940s icon which was an enormous thrill for a long time fan.

So, what’s shaking hands with Betty Grable got to do with writing?
Just this: I got to thinking about that momentous first meeting the other evening and it galvanized my brain into sketching out an outline for a new book, something I should have done years ago; something that’s been languishing in my subconscious for eons.

You see, I met many famous people when I travelled the world as a publicist from the late 1950s to the early 1980s. Apart from the delightful Betty G there were chance encounters with Rory Calhoun (Betty’s partner at the time), Frank Sinatra, George Raft, Stan Kenton, Dolores Del Rio, Fess Parker (Davy Crockett), Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black, Mike Sarne, and dozens more.

Oh yeah, (can I hear you say?) anyone could make a claim like that.

That’s true, anyone could, but could they also provide photographic evidence of each and every meeting; like pictures of the luminaries and me together?

That is the essential difference; I can…

So, considering that the majority of these famous people are now either dead or forgotten, will I get my book published by a traditional house?

Yes, I will.

No.

What it will do though is provide me with a sense of fulfilment and at the same time knock out sales of a few thousand copies in the nostalgia niche.

The secret lies in stringing together a chain of offbeat events with a similar pattern - and it occurs in everyone’s life.

Could you come up with such a pattern from your own lifetime experiences?

Think about it – there could be a book in it.

PS: The little girl in the picture sitting beside Betty back in April 1968 is my daughter Stacy (age 5)...

Friday, March 14, 2008

Ways To Earn Extra Income
Using the Internet

It's no secret that the quickest and by far most satisfying way to earn extra income is from where you are right now: online. And it isn't nearly as difficult as some people would have you believe.

For a start, you do not need to invest in the expensive paraphernalia touted mercilessly by so-called gurus: glitzy, high ticket, over-priced, all-singing, all-dancing concoctions of videos, audios, workshops, workbooks, phone-ins, talk-ins, mutual backslapping and suchlike theatricality.

All you really need to get started is a plan; a well constructed marketing plan such as you would use in any offline commercial scenario.

Rushing around willy-nilly to find success online will get you nowhere. No matter how hard you try you won’t find it that way, but do all the right things in the right order and success will find you.

QUESTIONS TO ASK IN THE FORMATION OF YOUR PLAN

1. What is my mission?
2. Will I stay local?
3. Will I go global?
4. Which type of website will I need?
5. What about a domain name?
6. What sort of offline activity will I engage in to promote my site?
7. How much should I set aside for start up costs?
8. How should I budget my time?
9. Is my core aim incremental income?
10. Do I want to expand in other areas?
11. Will I use the internet to establish an image?
12. How important to me is acquiring expert status in my niche?
13. Will I engage in marketing digital produce?
14. Will I be using electronically generated vouchers?
15. Will I use the internet to deliver superior customer service?
16. Will I use it to foster loyalty among my existing clientele?
17. Will I set in motion an online system for monitoring my competition?
18. Will I be sourcing new merchandise online?
19. Will I use online research to track market trends?
20. Will I use it to source new or additional suppliers?
21. Will I be offering an online ordering service?
22. Will I set up a free newsletter and solicit subscriptions?
23. Will I use video and if so, how will I use it?

There will be other questions you will want to add to this list and only you can come up with the answers; answers that will add flesh to the bones of your plan.

MOVING INTO OVERDRIVE

When the foundations of your marketing plan have been set in position you will be ready to move into overdrive in your endeavors to earn extra income online. You will be applying the nuts and bolts of your plan to evolve your own personal definitive marketing funnel.

LANDING PAGES – You will design landing (or squeeze) pages to collect reams of names and email addresses.

LIST BUILDING – You will build your own lists of responsive subscribers for catalytic fertility.

AUTORESPONDERS – You will have several of these to cope with your burgeoning promotional activities.

EMAIL – You will have several dedicated email addresses linked to your autoresponders.

DIGITAL PRODUCE – You will become expert at creating your own ever-growing stream of digital products and services.

SALES PAGES – You will learn how to compose sizzling sales letters to have prospects reaching for their credit cards.

PRODUCT LAUNCH – You will become adept at orchestrating perfect product launches.

MEMBERSHIP SITE – You will in time convert your existing website into a Membership Hub and attract ongoing online income.

UPGRADING – You will in tandem upgrade your initial produce to explode your sales.

FOLLOW UP – You will follow up forever on both your mushrooming prospects and confirmed buyers.

OPTIMISATION – You will optimize all of your marketing activities to extract maximum profitability.

To assist in the accomplishment all of the foregoing you would benefit from two unique software tools you can acquire at no charge from the website featured in the resource box below.

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Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Ultimate Creative Writing Solutions

Whatever your specific requirements, you will find the complete range of
Ultimate Creative Writing Solutions right here:

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Fiction
Non-fiction
Poetry
Theatre
Film
Television
Articles
Resources

Plus a host of Contests to test the
quality of your creative writing output.

Fiction…
Writing for magazines, pitches and proposals, paying markets, manuscript editing, story writing software, critiques, consultations, online classes.

Poetry For You – Home Study Course…
Learn to view the world as a poet. Understand structure, rhythm, rhyme – and more. Feel confident about approaching the editors who can publish your work, enjoy privileged advice on succeeding in competitions.

Drama Workshop – The Nuts and Bolts of Dramatic Writing…
Well don't just stand there in the open bay door. Come on in, walk across the sawdust-covered floor and take your place at the workbench. Whether you are a novice or an experienced dramatist we have all the tools you'll need to build a script with good structure and a solid foundation.

Getting Started on Writing Screenplays…
Get writing and keep writing: screenwriting courses,
free templates, pro writing programs, workshops, fundamentals
for beginning writers.

http://ultimate-creative-writing-solutions.com

Beginners Guides – Writing for Television…
From the pilot project to completion, writing television comedy, the real scoop on what it's actually like to be a sitcom writer, the inside scoop on how to successfully pitch a TV show, an inside look at the medium of television, Forum for writing for television and cinema.

Writing Contests to Test the Quality of Your Output…
Numerous monthly contests for writers: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting, television.

Why Good Authoring Resources Are Essential…
If you are to produce information products worthy of publication, products that people will want and be willing to pay for, you need access to as many efficient authoring resources as you can locate. You’ll want to be able to visit a comprehensive cyberspace library for additional information– and perhaps even acquire some help with your creative writing.

Articles Galore to Use as You Please…
You are at liberty to use any of the articles listed
for your own promotional purposes providing
always you retain the resource box –
intact as it stands.

http://ultimate-creative-writing-solutions.com

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Commission the Characters to
Take Over the Plot

When the first and crucial chapter of your book has been put to bed and your scenario is in position, you will do something so radical that it might scare the pants off you:

Commission Your Characters to Take Over the Plot…

Look upon your plot or central theme as the engine room and the characters you have invented as technicians maintaining it and driving the engine. You will have already recorded snatches of conversation between them (you ought to a bundle of these by now) and you will have involuntarily ‘listened in’ on the occasional tête-à-tête emanating from this team of virtual co-workers.

Now hand over management of the plot to them; lock stock and barrel.

Something magical occurs when the characters take over. They edge the storyline along in directions you would never have imagined, and mystically expand the overall theme and sub-plots.

Don’t worry, you are still in command of the story, but you are being fed on a regular diet of gold nuggets gathered up by your virtual co-workers from the inner labyrinth of your subconscious while you have been asleep…

Let the Characters Craft the Dialog

Now they are doing the walking, let them also do the talking. You wouldn’t send a lawyer into a court of law with a statement written by you to plead in your defence. Treat your characters with the same respect. They have by now perfected their own individual voices; allow them to express themselves in their own way; say what they want to say, not what you want them to say.

This is how to cultivate what the pundits call ‘a natural ear for dialog’ where the discourse matches the original voice of the character.

Paint Word Pictures

o Allow the amazing power of words to illustrate scenes in your story;
o Ultilize your words like the colors in a paint-box to flesh out the action.

Compare this brief text with the embellished version immediately underneath…

“As they walked along the prom in high spirits, the pretty young lady linked arms with her youthful companion.”

“As they walked along the prom in high spirits, the pretty young lady in pink cloche hat and purple pleated short skirt linked arms with her youthful companion. He wore outrageously wide yellow Oxford bags topped by a candy striped blazer.”

Do you see the difference?

o The first is a bland statement of fact;
o The second a word picture that sets the action in a definitive period in time and engages the reader to the full in the scene you are painting.

JIM GREEN is a bestselling author in the realms of both fiction and non-fiction.

http://how-to-write-cutting-edge-fiction.com

Monday, March 10, 2008

Creating Your Own
First Piece of Cutting Edge Fiction


Your head is brimming with ideas and you want to get started straightaway. Don't do it. There are certain preparations you must attend to initially.

Adhere to these age-old principles and you will rapidly become aware of the vital importance of progressive sequencing in all you do before you create your first piece of cutting edge fiction.

WHAT YOU MUST ALWAYS DO BEFORE YOU WRITE ANYTHING

Draw up a TTD (Things-To-Do list) which to start might be as modest as the one below - but it will grow because you will be adding to it as you go along.

1. Research what you think you know
2. Decide on a title
3. Novel or novella
4. Main plotline
5. Sub-plot(s)
6. List of characters
7. Era (period in time)

RESEARCH WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW

You may think you know all there is to know about your intended storyline but no writer is that clever…

If you haven’t already done so, engage in thorough research of the era in which your story is focused; the fashions, the automobiles, the technology, personalities, major news stories and events. Even if your tale is set in today’s world, still do your research.

Paradoxical though it might seem, facts are what make fiction perfect.

DEVELOPING A DEFINITIVE TITLE FOR YOUR BOOK

It’s never too early to start on this but don’t settle for the first idea that comes into your head; there will be many twists and turns along the way before you develop a definitive title for your book.

NOVEL OR NOVELLA

This is never easy to decide first time out of the trap; it is a matter of personal choice. My own first piece of published fiction was a novel Saturday Singles comprising 22 beefy chapters and 100,000+ words, followed in quick succession by another Get Fell In; 30 chapters, 60,000 words. Thereafter I have concentrated on novellas of 10,000 to 18,000 words which I can knock out in three to four weeks on average.

MAIN PLOTLINE

You need a plot or central theme and you have choices. You could crib one from the hundreds (if not thousands) available online but don’t be tempted because that will just brand you as a copyist whereas you want to position yourself as an original thinking writer of fiction. Developing your own exclusive plot stretches the imagination, gets the creative juices flowing, and germinates the list of unique characters that will move your story along.

SUB-PLOT(S)

Sub (or ancillary) plots are essential for maintaining reader interest but don’t include too many or you will run the risk of creating confusion and disrupting continuity. As a rough guide, I use a maximum of three in my novellas and up to six for full blown novels.

CHARACTERS
With outlines for the central theme and sub-plots to hand, now compile a list of the main characters that will feature in your story. Give them names and assign each a specific task. As of now they are embryonic skeletons but as your story evolves in progressive sequence they will become fully fleshed out living beings; living in your mind that is…

ERA

Your first work of fiction (like everything else you produce thereafter) will be set in a definitive era so make sure you do your research before you start writing; remember, facts make fiction perfect.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Hitting the High Spots Without
The Support of a Mainstream Publisher

Traditional publishing houses don't always get it right when it comes to spotting winners.

Nowadays they operate under considerable pressure with profit margins cut to the bone as major retailers, online and offline act more and more like supermarkets in their demands.

As a result, mainstream publishers tend only to accept proposals on what they reckon will sell in big numbers.

I was a victim of this policy just recently.

Despite acquiring bestseller status with my first 2 books on the topic of retirement ('Your Retirement Masterplan' and 'Earn Money in Retirement') I came unstuck with the third entry.

'Maximising Mindpower to Enrich Your Retirement' (ISBN: 1933817364 EAN: 9781933817361) was turned down flat on the basis that it did not fit in with the publisher's profile (whatever that means...).

As I was of the opinion that this was the best book I'd ever written, I decided to have it published privately which I did in August 2007.

Amazingly, and with no promotion on my part, it would appear to be attracting inordinate attention online and is currently featuring prominently on 1000s of websites including Amazon, Google Books, The Reading Warehouse, and a miscellany of major and minor online booksellers.

Despite the fact the book is not stocked by offline booksellers, sales are starting to flood in - and I do mean 'flood'...

The moral of this delightful situation: if you have written a book of any description which you are convinced other people will want to read but haven't yet found a publisher who agrees - do it yourself. With the ever-growing incidence of POD (print on demand) the costs are negligible.

After all, DIY did John Grisham no harm; the sole vehicle of distribution for his first book was the boot of a car.

JIM GREEN is a bestselling author with 30+ traditionally published titles to his credit. http://ultimate-creative-writing-course.com/

Friday, March 07, 2008

Feel Free to Use Any of My
Expert How-To Articles

You are welcome to use any or all of the following articles for inclusion in your ezine or web pages providing always:

1. You replicate the article in its entirety
2. You do not change the content
3. You include the resource box

How To Excel In The Race To Keep Pace With Online Marketing

How To Avoid The Costly Mistakes That Cripple Small business

The Bestseller Lying Dormant In Your Mind – And How To Access It!

Can You Really Sell Your Writing Output On Radio?

Why women excel in small business

What It Takes To Start An Offline Business In Retirement

Fleshing out the Mystery Ingredient that Leads to Multiple Editions and Bestsellers

The Questions People Ask About Writing Niche Non-Fiction Bestsellers

How My First Published Work Almost Hit the Dump Truck

Turning Retirement Planning into a Profitable Pursuit

Do You Long To See Your Books Published And Selling From The Major Chains?

Time-Saving Skills to Get More from Your Writing

The Bestseller Lying Dormant In Your Mind – And How To Access It!

Are Smart Pages As Clever As They Are Cracked Up To be?

This Piece of Software Does It All

Work at Home and Make Money Writing for Profit

Choosing a Topic for Writing a How-To Book

Using the Internet to Test Market Your Writing Output

Researching your first writing project

Where to Look for Your Next Project when You Are Writing for Profit

http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article1.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article2.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article3.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article4.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article5.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article6.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article7.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article8.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article9.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article10.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article11.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article12.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article13.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article14.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article15.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article16.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article17.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article18.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article19.html
http://howtoproducts-xl.com/article20.html

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Why It Pays To Listen Even When You Think They’re Nuts

The first published work of the writer of this post became a bestseller as soon as it hit the bookshelves way back in 1995 and it has been topping the lists ever since.

Lucky author, some might say, but then they probably don’t have access to the strategies divulged in the web pages at http://ultimate-creative-writing-course.com

By and large the content of “Starting Your Own Business” has remained unchanged (apart from essential updating) and although ten years is a fair old run, what goes up must eventually come down.

So with that in mind the author approached the publishing house with a suggestion for a commemorative 10th anniversary edition; new chapters, new cover, new cosmetics, new typesetting.

They loved the idea but balked at producing an entirely new edition per se.

“Why?” he said, “It will start the ball rolling all over again.”

“No it won’t,” they said, “It will kill the golden goose.”

And so instead the publisher opted for a reprint dressed up as a new edition: new imprint, new chapters, new cosmetics, new typesetting – but no new cover; only a subtle color change to preserve continuity.

He thought they were nuts but they were right of course; stop supplying bookstores with a bestseller for five months and you risk consigning it to oblivion for evermore. And a block on supply there must be to allow the trade to dispose of existing stock.

The threat of extinction becomes even more imminent when a giant online bookseller such as Amazon has its supply source put on hold for months ahead.

That’s the price you pay with every new edition of a bestseller.

The author was well pleased with the new production and contacted the publishing house to express his satisfaction, intimating only mild concern over the lack of a new cover design.

“Oh, there will be a new cover,” they said. “We’ll incorporate that on the next reprint of the reprint – now that the brand link has been maintained”.

His idea was good but he hadn’t thought it through to finality.

The publisher house had.

The 4th edition of “Starting Your Own Business” (How To Books ISBN 1845280709) appeared in bookstores worldwide mid-April 2005 and exactly one year on was followed by the much-awaited reprint of the reprint replete with new cover and enhanced formatting.

The book will enter its 5th edition in July 2008...

All things come to pass for those who listen and wait.

http://ultimate-creative-writing-course.com

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Why I Packed My Lifetime Knowledge Into A Single File

Well, not quite my lifetime knowledge, but certainly all of my expertise relating to creative writing, achieving publication, and aspiring to bestseller status in every literary work I set out to create.

So why have I done this: pack all my knowledge into a single file?

It was prompted by something in the response I received after giving away my proven formula for getting published; a gift to mark my 75th birthday; a gift that was downloaded hundreds of times in just a few weeks.

Most of the emails were from recipients expressing their gratitude but the remainder disturbed me; they were from writers claiming that no matter how hard they tried, they just could not get their work published.

Now that’s sad, very sad, but undeniably true…

Most writers spend a lifetime trying to get into traditionally published hard copy print but all they end up with is mounting frustration and a pile of rejection slips a mile high.

It’s doubly sad because it needn’t be so; there is a way, a tried and tested way to turn consistent failure on its head and convert it into sustained success; a way in the shape of a series of simple, proven, time-tested strategies that successful writers down the ages have always used to inject their work with the quantifiable bestselling potential that ensures publication in traditional hard copy print.

When I first started writing in earnest I did not know about these age-old, time tested strategies but I was lucky, very lucky, inasmuch as my first piece of creative writing became my first published work and a bestseller.

First published in 1995 “Starting Your Own Business” is still around today, still selling in big numbers in bookstores world wide, and still featuring in the major online bestselling lists.

Now, with a clutch of bestsellers in my portfolio, not only do I know about these timeless strategies, not only do I consciously use them use them in all my writings, but now at last I have managed to package them all together in one single file.

I have done this to put something valuable back into a profession that’s been good to me and to assist aspiring authors following in my footsteps to realize their ambition to become published.

If you would like to see how I packed my lifetime knowledge into a single file you might want to visit http://ultimate-creative-writing-course.com