Business, economic development - the unofficial Chamber of Commerce

Stories are so important to good copywriting. It’s one of the aspects of copywriting that can’t be done in a cookie cutter style and therefore isn’t answered by some of the sales letter software available on the market.

Please do not misconstrue that last statement to mean that I don’t think that sales letter software is practical. It’s very practical. It also needs some personal embellishments and that’s where good storytelling is invaluable.

Storytelling draws the reader into the sales letter where they’ll learn all of the practical facts about your product. They’ll learn why your product solves their problem. They’ll learn the benefits of purchasing from you and not your competitor. You will be personal to them because they know more about you through your story.

How can you become a great storyteller? Your first project would be to pay attention to other good storytellers. Analyze how the stories are told. Watch others tell stories.

Do you have a friend who tells great stories? Ask them to tell you a few. Analyze how they are telling them instead of getting caught up in the story itself.

Read good books and good sales letters. Watch for the story within the story in books. You won’t have the advantage of 100 pages to tell your story and sell your product so you want to look for the story within a story in the books.

Watch good movies. Compare and contrast movies whose story is told well with others whose story is told badly. What is different?

Look at comic strips. These are comedians on paper who are forced to tell their story and punch line in just a couple of panels. Compare how the different comic strips are written and tell their story.

Listen to comedians. They tell great stories. Whether you enjoy the story line or not, Everybody Loves Raymond and Seinfeld, are great examples of well-told short stories.

Read your competitors web pages or sign up for their ezines. “Listen” to their stories and how they weave in personal items.

These bits of personality that shine through make the writer more personable. They make it easier for the customer to take out their wallet and spend their money. After all, they are purchasing from someone who seems to understand exactly where they, the customer, is coming from. This product seems to answer all the questions and problems they’ve been having – because it did it for the creator and other customers.

Gail Morris is an e-book author and owner of http://www.YourEZBooks.com She teaches others to research, write, publish & market e-books through her free BookMark It! e-zine. People who request BookMark It! also receive a free report designed to improve their business.

If you’re looking for better web site ROI, chances are:

* The web is only one part of your business * You have a
specific budget for your web site, and * You want the site to
not only carry its own weight, and * Why can’t it make you some
extra Yahoo or Google PPC profits, too?

The corporate situation: budgets need to be closely monitored,
and tech people can’t get carried away with unnecessary frills.

My experience learning search engine marketing ROI and becoming
an SEO expert was more guerilla than corporate.

Beginning in 1999, I learned about ranking high on search
engines and increased online traffic flying by the seat of my
pants. By early 2005, I’d learned how to get tens of thousands
of visitors per month, had started my own SEO training course,
and had made more than $20,000 two months in a row.

As it turns out, web site design itself doesn’t lead to better
web site ROI… at least not the graphic kind of web design most
people think of.

Ironically, the flashy flash web sites everyone raves about
often prevent you from getting increased online traffic. Search
engines analyze sites based on their text- they can’t see flash
yet, and who knows if they ever will. If your text is in
graphics without alt tags or in flash movies only, you’ll never
get high search rankings.

There are loads of web designers out there who want to get paid
to make you a beautiful web site, but don’t know the first thing
about helping you improve your web site ROI. Though independent
web design entrepreneurs have to know enough about business to
survive themselves, corporate web designers may never have had
to learn about running a business or getting good web site ROI.

On the flipside, I spent so long raising myself by my own
bootstraps that I’ve learned how to

* Boost web site traffic for free * Make free money from Google
without AdSense click fraud * Build my own ecommerce web sites *
Profit from smart PPC bid management

To get better web site ROI, naturally you have to lower your
investment and/or increase your profits.

Where do the profits that lead to better web site ROI come from?

* Traffic (free or paid) * Converting Prospects * Selling new
products to previous customers

Here are some review questions for your business:

Are you getting free online traffic by ranking high on search
engines? If not, why not? Is your website search engine
optimized? Consider getting search engine placement improvement,
taking an SEO training course, or getting affordable small
business SEO from an Ethical SEO Firm.

Are you adding to and updating your content? Google prefers
fresh content, and other search engines may follow suit.

Are your internal linking and navigational structure optimal?
Google Guy says internal links from your own site count as much
as links from other sites- how many times is each page in your
site linked to from other pages in your site?

If you’re running multiple pay per click (PPC) campaigns: What
is your PPC campaign management plan? How diligent are you with
PPC bid management? Are you meeting your break even points for
all PPC bids except new ones? Are you dumping the PPC bids that
don’t work?

If you’re sell products or services: Do you have special pages
with sales copywriting for each product or service? Is your
conversion rate on all sales pages at least 1%? Have you tried
to increase your conversion rate to 2% or 3% by tweaking your
sales copy and using split tests?

Are you diligent about increase your web site’s stickiness? Are
you staying in touch with previous customers via an opt-in,
third-party managaed ezine? Do you offer ezine subscribers them
helpful tips and resources? Do you monitor which articles
subscribers read more? Do you use the ezine to upsell? Do you
use the ezine to get feedback on products and services?

Are your new products and service changes based on consumer
feedback? Do you have any digital products (ebooks, audiobooks,
special reports, etc.)? Do you use visitor polls for market
intelligence?

Those are just a few questions to help you see which way lies
the real road to better web site ROI. If you’re interested in my
Web consulting services, you can answer those questions on my
needs analysis feedback form.

Now here are a few concrete suggestions to improve things on
your web site:

1. Get more free traffic

All visitors are candidates for sales conversion and profits.
Free traffic is without expense, so that means better web site
ROI. Search engine optimize your web site after taking an SEO
training class, or get affordable small business SEO.

Ever had a keyphrase review for your business sector done? If
not, get one. Optimised keyword marketing can be free, or PPC.
It all starts with identifying the right keywords.

Targeting the proper keyphrases is one of the three major
factors in writing your web site sales copy.

2. Only do profitable pay-per-click advertising

Buy pay per click ads without PPC bid management is throwing
your money away.

Make sure you have a clear plan in place for every phrase on
which you bid. Know what conversion rate you need for each. Send
each phrase to specific and different web pages, and monitor
your success rate. If you can’t tweak conversion rates high
enough to profit on a pay per click phrase, ditch it!

What cuts into your web site ROI more than pay per click
advertising at a loss?

And don’t think it’s branding. There are much better ways to do
branding, and lots of them are free. Branding goals/internet
marketing strategy are a whole other ballgame.

3. Convert more prospects

Hopefully you already have a most wanted response (MWR).

Perhaps you’ve developed customer profiles and/or modeled
customer acquisition and retention phrases. However you group
your prospects, make sure you split-test your web copywriting to
develop the most powerful sales pages possible.

Your traffic cost for each phrase shouldn’t change much from
month to month- either it’s free, or you’re doing alert PPC bid
management, so improving your conversion rates will lead to
better web site ROI (as well as allow you to pay higher bids as
the phrase becomes more competitive).

4. Encourage Community and Get Feedback

Don’t be afraid to let your customers talk to each other-
they’ll talk either where you’re aware of it, or behind your
back. Use forums to help them and find out what they need. Use
polls, articles in your e-zine (e newsletter), and free offers
to motivate them to answer your specific questions.

The best way to stay in business, sell more, and increase ROI is
to know what they need and give it to them. Remember, it’s
easier to keep a customer than to get a new one.

Most people seem to think that good public speakers are born not made. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most good public speakers have undergone significant training in public speaking.

Even politicians – those great natural orators – have all undergone public speaking training. In the UK Margaret Thatcher was known to use speech coaches. In the US President Bush has consulted actors to help improve his speech delivery.

Whatever your level of public speaking you can improve with a little help from the professionals.

If you do a quick search on the internet for public speaking training you will get thousands of hits from sites promoting everything from self study e-books to 14 day residential courses. It is difficult to decide which is right for you.

Here are six things that you should look for when selecting the training or help that is right for you.

1. Principles of public speaking

Everyone has their own ideas of the basic principles of public speaking. As a minimum look for some mention of defining your goals, researching and deciding on your content, and understanding your audience and their needs.

2. Body language

Body language is at least as important as the actual words you use in your presentation. Some experts claim that the way in which your words are delivered – your posture, stance, gestures and animation – does more to convey your meaning than any words that you actually say.

Body language is a huge subject. A course on public speaking must cover the basic principles.

3. Use of words

Having said that body language is more important than the actual words it is a fact that without the words there is usually no message. Obviously, researching and creating the content of your speech are vitally important. How to create and craft your content are essential in any training.

4. Preparation

If there is one key to success in public speaking it is “preparation, preparation, preparation”. How to prepare is pretty simple. Learning how to do it well and quickly is a key skill. Some topics to look out for include questions such as:

Should you write and use scripts?

When should you use notes and how should you prepare them?

Can you rely on your memory alone?

Should you use audio visual aids?

5. Delivery

Most public speaking training concentrates on telling you how to deliver. And this is probably the right emphasis. Just make sure that the principles of public speaking have been well covered so you know just what your delivery has to achieve.

Most physical courses well video your performance for you to review and critique. It’s a technique that has stood the test of time. If you put your faith in an e-course you should also look for mentor on whom you can practise your public speaking.

6. Conquering nerves

Show me someone who doesn’t feel some degree of nervousness before speaking in public and I will show you someone who doesn’t care about their performance. Nerves are natural and even help to improve our performance.

For many people there is little more stressful in life than the prospect of public speaking. I have known highly confident, articulate people be physically sick before speaking in public. Any course on public speaking is incomplete without some help and guidance on controlling or conquering nerves.

There are literally thousands of topics that could be covered in a course on public speaking. Depending on your own particular circumstances and needs the overall emphasis will change.

Ensure that the training you select covers these 6 fundamental pillars first. You will be surprised how much sub standard training it will help you filter out. You can then select the training that most closely m atches your needs from those that remain.

Keith Longmire specialises in helping small businesses achieve rapid sustainable growth. Public speaking is a pivotal concept. See more at The Public Speaking Blog.

Started a book and then got bogged down? Like many of my bookcoaching clients do you say, “I have so many other demands, I just can’t get to the book.”

This isn’t procrastination or fear. Most writers get stuck when they don’t know how to move forward, finish, publish and sell their unique, useful book to audiences just waiting for it to come out. Let me share two ways to speed up your process.

One. Take One or More High Level Action Each Day

Another to do, you groan? Not really. If you don’t make your book one of the top three priorities in your life, it won’t finish it.

Get real. How many hours can you give to your book a week?
If not ten, I say you may never get your book out. Clients get so discouraged when they don’t do their fieldwork for our coaching calls, so I came up with one solution of doing one High Level Activity or more each day for five days a week. (HLAs) Go ahead; take the weekend off like I do.

Some HLA steps include:

- Write on a chapter that you have passion for first.

- Write 2-3 pages a day on just one chapter.

- Finish one chapter before you move on.

- Write 3-6 questions you need to answer for your audience for each chapter before you write a word.

- Read a book on how to put a chapter together the fast way

- Write in your organizer each day the specific HLAs you will do

- Contact a book coach who has low-cost teleclasses, small group coaching groups, or writes books on the topic you need help on.

- Write a sample chapter introduction with a hook and thesis to direct your reader to the meat.

-Write compelling copy so your reader will turn all the pages and recommend your book to others.

Sample Organizer Page

Write your intention: I finish this book (name the title) by (name date and year)

Affirm: I stay on track every day with my HLA’s.

Take Action: My HLAs for Wednesday, date, year

1. Contact a cover person for my how to book

2. Answer three questions for chapter 6. For example,

- Can I write print or eBook at the same time?

- What’s the best eBook format for my book’s purpose and me?

- How much will it cost to self- publish? (A lot less than you think)

- Add front and back material to sell more copies

Think of the Payoffs.

The trick is to finish these three HLAs or even one before you go to bed that day. If you finish fully, you’ll feel confident and your guilt will disappear.

Two. Write Fast-Forward, Well-Organized, Easy-to-Read Chapters

Do you try to use past research for your chapters? This is not necessary. All you need to do is answer your reader’s concerns and questions.

Your reader wants your to solve his problem or challenge, whether it be to make more money, save more money, create better relationships, connect with their inner self, or to communicate better.

If you don’t answer these in each chapter, your reader will say “ho hum” or “I’m confused, what’s the point of this chapter? They will put your book down and not recommend it to others.

One common mistake writers make with their books:

They don’t complete one chapter with all its parts including the sizzling hook and introduction, the middle with stories or how tos with engaging headlines, and the ending that inspires the writer to keep going to the next chapter.

When you sidetrack, you get off focus, and that’s also a big challenge for book writers. When you focus, you write so much faster, and with a little professional help, get to market so much sooner. Results? More cash flow so you can market and promote properly.

Judy Cullins ©2005 All Rights Reserved.

Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people’s lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Judy is author of 10 eBooks including Write your eBook or Other Short Book Fast, Ten Non-Techie Ways to Market Your Book Online, The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Your Targeted Web Traffic, and Power Writing for Web Sites That Sell. She offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, “The BookCoach Says…,” “Business Tip of the Month,” blog Q & A at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 170 free articles.

===============
Email her at Judy@bookcoaching.com.
Phone: 619/466-0622 — Orders: 866/200-9743

“If you write without getting published, then there is no use in
writing at all.” Those are words of wisdom from someone who
wants you to seriously consider publishing your book.

But before you really do so, you will do well to consider these
questions:

1.Have I actually written a best – seller?

2. Do I believe that people will read my book?

3. Is my theme such a timely one that the public should know?

4. Am I expecting responses from my readers?

5. Will I benefit in one way or the other from the publication
of this book?

6. Will I be contented even if I don’t make money?

If you answer in the affirmative to one or more of the above
questions, then do not hesitate to listen to the above advice to
publish.

It will, therefore, be nice for you to know different publishing
channels available, so as to enable you make an informed
decision.

Trade Publishers

Also called commercial publishers, these are the big fish in the
publishing industry. They include Longman, Macmillan, Heinemann,
Random House, Houghton Mifflin, Doubleday Books, Little Brown
and Co., and Brace Jovanovich, among others. They publish
without asking for payment from authors.

My advice to you is that if you are pre – published, if you are
a new writer, do not waste your time submitting your books to
these elephants. Because they will not publish you!

Yes, they have published a few unknowns like Eric Segal (LOVE
STORY) and Kathleen Winsor (FOREVER AMBER) But what about the
countless others who got the polite rejection slip: “We are
sorry your book does not meet our present needs. Good luck”.

I am among that number. I got a rejection slip from one of them,
one year after submission! Can you imagine that? Twelve calendar
months! And in the end, you would have to pray to the god of
good luck, to get a publisher. And after another one year,
another rejection slip. Another prayer. So you would have to
spend a lifetime looking for a publisher, after months or years
of hard work, writing your book.

The point is that they don’t have the time to read your book. Or
they can’t recognize a good book if they see one. Or, they can’t
afford to risk their money publishing a new comer like you,
without hope of getting huge profits. Or, all of the above.

But consider: If you were a great writer, perhaps a Nobel
Laureate who had written a magnum opus. Or, if you were some
celebrated politician with a memoir about your dalliance with
some red – lipped prostitutes.

Or, if as a scientist, you had written a book about how time
travels backwards, titled THE THEORY OF BACKWARD MOVEMENT. And
you even promise to take your readers in a space ship to witness
some epochal events –- pick your choice -– the fall of Carthage,
(history), the splitting of the continents (geography), Noah’s
flood (religion), and the real thing — the Big Bang (Science).
Do you know how the publishers would react?

All of them, the above ones I have mentioned, and others not
named, would rush to dangle certified Bank checks with ten digit
figures before your smiling face! But try sending your
unsolicited manuscript, you unknown writer; and be damned! Let’s
illustrate this point further. Do you know Jerzy Kosinski’s THE
THIRTY – NINE STEPS? Yes, one writer had that best – seller
typed, and submitted, as a manuscript by a new writer, and
waited for an answer. And what reply did he get? All the trade
publishers rejected it. All the agents told him, “no way’”. And
to worst the experiment, Random House which originally published
the book, threw it out as an insignificant book. Yet, this was a
National Book Award Winner.

Even, some other best- sellers were “randomly” rejected. Like
THE JUNGLE by Upton Sinclair. Like Thomas Paine’s COMMON SENSE.
Like MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION by Lloyd C. Douglas. Do you now
understand what I mean when I say you should not go to them? But
you have another chance. Subsidy Publishers

Also known as private or commission publishers, subsidy
publishers are a better choice; if you can pay to get your book
published. And they pay higher commission or royalties, than the
trade publishers. They include Vantage Press, Minerva Press and
Avon Books.

Now, paying for book publication has a long history. Many great
writers started that way. Edward Fitzgerald financed the
publication of his monumental work, THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR
KHAYYAM. Thomas Gray paid to publish his classic, ELEGY. And
what about Edgar Allan Poe? He sponsored the printing of the
book of all times, TAMERLANE AND OTHER POEMS. And Leo Tolstoy
doled out money to pay for the publication of the best novel on
earth, WAR AND PEACE. The list has not ended. What about Thomas
Hardy, Alexander Pope, T.S.Eliot, Alfred Lord Tennyson and many
others? They did likewise. Why not submit your book to one of
these subsidy publishers now?

But suppose they don’t appeal to you. You have another choice.
Self Publishing

Yes, you may decide to do it yourself. Print and publish your
work. Go round, promote and distribute your book. Become your
own manager, accountant and clerk. And more! Then ask yourself:
How far can I go? Do I have the time? Do I have the experience?
Can I bear the health and physical risks?

Well, it is up to you to decide. And remember what Hippocrates
said: ”Ars Longa: Vita brevis -– Arts is long, but life is
short”.

If none of the above appeals to you, you are not to tuck away
your precious manuscript in the attic. And go bungee jumping!
Life after all, “is not a roller coaster” someone says. So, why
not try the exciting world of Internet Publishing.

Internet Publishing Did I say exciting? Yes, of course. The
world had been dragging until some whiz kids got their magic
boxes together and said: “Let the computers be connected!” And
there came the Internet. And the dot com bomb. So, at the touch
of the button, you have the world at your feet. Isn’t that
exciting? You, the writer has so much to gain from the Internet.
You can do your research there, read all kinds of books, and do
the ultimate –- publish on the Internet.

I am not going to do a dissertation here because I do not know
so much about the subject (pardon my ignorance.) I even
understand that there is going to be a “new” kind of Internet,
soon (pity me.) The first thing I will tell you though, is that
dragons live there. The second is that many dot com companies
are closing shop. And the third is that there is no hidden
secret to success in the net than hard work, as in real life.
(Is Internet not real?) The fourth is that the Internet is your
shortcut to success. Do you want to find out? Why not visit the
experts as you read on. Two publishing opportunities are open to
you on the Internet. What are they? you may ask. E- BOOK
PUBLISHERS

Just as you have the traditional publishers, so you have the
electronic or e- book publishers. But be careful! Many of them
out there don’t know what they are doing. And remember, you are
going to do business with someone you don’t see. So you will
have to ascertain the credibility of your publisher.

These are the categories of E- book publishers I have observed
from my own personal experience. Which is your preference?

1. Targeted Publishers

These ones publish selected books targeted for special audience.
They publish How-To’s, books on Business planning, web site,
search engines, Net Etiquette, humor and others. If your book is
on these subject matters you are free to submit. 2. Submit,
ready to sell.

These publishers would want you to submit your formatted E- book
ready to sell. But the manuscript would previously have been
submitted for approval. And you would not be asked to make any
financial commitment in this case. If this appeals to you,
submit. 3. General Publishers

Submit your finished manuscript of any genre to these E- book
publishers. Pay for the publication and go to bed. They will
handle everything from formatting to publishing and promotion.
Your book will even be available as an E- book or Rocket E –
book, paperback book and audio book and in several, other forms
(as you may desire.) Interested? Then submit!

PRINT-ON-DEMAND PUBLISHING

Your book can now be published in paper back or hard cover and
be made available to be ordered online anywhere. This technology
is known as print-on-demand (POD). The copies are as good as the
ones from the traditional printing houses. And there are no
unsold copies.

For a list of publishers, simply search the following on the Web:

Trade publishers

Subsidy publishers

E-book publishers

Print-on-demand publishers

A word of caution as you begin your search. There are ugly
things about the site that the publisher will not tell you. Some
of them are fraudulent, with “killing” contracts crafted in
legalese. I keep an updated list of all the book publishers. So
feel free to ask me about the reliability of the one you intend
to mail your manuscript. And I will tell you all you need to
know. If you however want me to help you with your submission to
a performinfg publisher, let me know.

But if these do not appeal to you, and you have the training and
computer experience, you may play Stephen King—publish yourself!

ARTHUR ZULU is an editor, book reviewer, playwright, and
published author. He also writes short stories, scripts, essays,
and poems, and ghost writes for others. For his works,
professional services, and FREE helps for writers, goto:
http://controversialwriter.tripod.com mailto:
controversialwriter@yahoo.com Web search: Arthur Zulu

In a letter written in 1814, Wordsworth referring to ” Intimation to Immortality’ ode wrote the following to clear his stand on the poem:

The poem rests entirely upon two recollections of childhood, one that of a splendure in the objects of sense which is passed away and the other an indisposition to bend to the law of death […]

[(Quoted in) Durant]

In a later comment, Wordswoth states that for a child, the world seems more vivid and has a strange charm, which an adult is unable to view. Wordsworth through his recollections tried to revisit that wonderland which he was more real for him than the present real world and it is on this recollection the Ode is based upon. Along with it Wordsworth has used many theories and myths regarding human existence. But it is sufficient to say that “From this starting point, the poem examines the whole story of humanlife as an excile from an earlier and more perfect state’ (Durant)

The primary point that the man lives in “less than perfect condition’, has been interpreted in various myths, one of which (and of course the most popular) is the myth regarding adam and eve in Bible. “This story tells us how through the eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, man first knows pain, guilt and anxiety’ (Durant).The Greek myth about Pandora’s box also narrates how the opening of the box by two children brought sorrows into the world.

Ancient philosophy also supported this myth indirectly. Plato’s adaption of Pythagorian theory states that the soul originally resides in the supernal region of the pure idea and when the soul is born, it enters into the “dark prison house’ of this world by losing its memory and thus goes farthest from heaven.

Though Wordsworth used this myth in his poem he doesn’t advance the argument in its favour. In Durant’s words: “The poem makes use of the myth of pre-existence, but this is not what the poem “means’ ‘ (Durant).

He more over adds that “In one sense the meaning of the poem is simple. The poet raises the question of the value of life itself, once the primal joy experienced in childhood gone by […] The first four stanzas are given to a statement of the sense of loss felt by the poet when as an adult he can no longer experience the unity of being and sense of illumination he remembers from his childhood’ (Durant).

In the first stanza he writes “There was a time’, referring to his childhood, when “the meadow, grove and stream, / The earth and every common sight’—- seemed to him in “celestial light’ which he “now can see no more’. This stanza infact describes poet’s lamentation (at least a kind of ) on not being able to see any more the “glory and the freshness of a dream’ that his childhood had.

Echoing What he said in the first stanza, Wordswoth writes in the second one that wherever he goes he knows “That there hath past away a glory from the earth’. The tone becomes more sad in stanza three and here the poet confess it in the line: “To me alone there came a thought of grief’ — and also provides the clue to the cause of writing this poem: “A finely utterance gave that thought relief’.

About The Author

Samir is presently works as a director of an animation firm www.anigraphs.com

You can know more about him at : www.samirshomepage.zzn.com

You can send feedback to him at: samirk_dash@yahoo.com

Internet marketers, be warned! There’s a rash of new products
catering to (lazy!) Adsense publishers who want to beat Google’s
duplicate content filters.

They claim to provide “unique” content for you either with
private label rights content or by generating hybrid articles
using article creator software. Here’s why these are a very bad
idea.

1. Search Engines Can Detect And Filter Hybrid
Content

If you want to believe marketers touting Private Label Rights
(PLR) and rehashed articles as the way to beat Google’s
duplicate content filters, do so at your own risk.

According to Chris Knight, of the EzineArticles.com article
directory, even software like the EzineArticles.com CASM
(Content Association Sequence Matching) system can detect exact
complex sentence matches in PLR articles.

Search engines like Google are even smarter. They use more than
one way of identifying duplicate content, including methods of
dating to identify the page on which the original content first
appeared.

So if you think these “unique” article creation tools can beat
search engines like Google in the “cut-and-paste” content game,
think again. The best way to beat the
duplicate content filters is to create unique content.

2. Article Creators Violate Fair Use Guidelines

There’s no doubt that it’s unethical to steal sentences from
other articles, rewrite them and call them your own. Chris Knight also warns against
marketers who claim that you can take and steal any exact match
sentence from any author under fair use doctrine.

It’s the equivalent of taking bits and parts of other people’s
songs, remixing them and releasing them under your own name. The
word for it is plagiarism and it applies as much to written
content as it does to music.

If you publish hybrid content created from another author’s
articles you could be guilty of plagiarism too.

3. PLR Articles Will Kill Your Brand

Building your brand through article marketing involves creating
trust by sharing original ideas and content.

If you’re caught using plagiarised content on your own site or
submitting it to article directories, you’ll end up destroying
the trust you built between you and your target audience.

If you do use PLR articles for your Adsense site, use common
sense and don’t submit them to article directories as your own,
even with modifications.

And if you really want to go about it the right way, check out
Chris’ Article Production Strategies
Seminar and learn how to leverage article syndication to
grow your Adsense sales and traffic.

It would be very selfless or noble of me to tell you that I have created my web site only to help you and the rest of humanity. The reason for me spending so much time and energy into my writing and this site is selfish. And I must remind myself of that from time to time, especially when I move into a down period and I am asking myself “why.”

The real truth for the site in all honesty is to give myself an outlet for my own thoughts, a forum in which others may benefit. It really is all about me. I place value in my belief system. I can express these thoughts on my site without censorship or having anything cleared or approved by another person or organization. That’s important to me. My writing most often gets to the point in as few words as possible. I am a sort of “No Frills,” author, and some people may get offended.

All of us have something to say. There is a book in each and everyone of us, that needs to be written. I write for myself first, if anyone benefits by it, it is a bonus to my ego and it likes to receive the praise that it does.

I sincerely want to empower others as well as myself to get the book out. My fondest wish is to inspire someone else to write something even better than I have done.

I often question the validity of my writing and its source. The truth is, there is only once source, and it is the same source that is yours or any other author. There is only one consciousness in the universe and we all draw from the same pool. I express that consciousness in my writing. The writing that I do each morning comes from that source and it is filtered through me in a way, that it only can be, and is uniquely mine.

All the words that I use are words that have been used millions of times by others. There are no original words. It is the combination of the words and the circumstances of how they are used that bring them from my subconscious to the paper. These words will be heard or read and they will trigger the correct response in the reader. As the correct combination of a lock will open doors for those that use it. Every one of us has these combinations present within us, and need to get them out.

Once again there is a book waiting to be written in all of us. We all have an obligation to write or tell it. First for ourselves, simply because it’s there, and secondly we know that there is someone waiting to hear or read it. It is our words that will open the door for one of them. For every lock there is a combination that will open it.

You owe it to yourself and others to open that door. What you write should be heart felt and always in your own words and said or written your way, in order to match the correct combination.

Authors say to me, I am overwhelmed when I go to the book store and see all the books and the authors that are writing about the same thing as I. What chance do I have of being published or anyone seeing my book. I remind them that they are writing the book for themselves, it’s in the action of having the words come out that the reward is found, the door opens for you as well as for others. You do it because it’s there and it needs to come out. It is there for that one person who will read it and be inspired, because of you words. Many may read your words, but few will hear what you have to say.

It is your legacy, your obligation. It is the inheritance that you pass on to others, after you are gone. All of us, everyone has this ability. Whether it is a quotable quote or an entire 500 page volume. Someone will be touched, and more than likely, the one who wrote it.

You have the skates, I have the key, give the key to me, so that I may skate. My treasure is locked within. It may be you that sets me free, for I am a prisoner of my own ignorance. Your word, just at the right time is all that I need.

My writing is for me first. The answers you are looking for my be hidden within the paragraphs on the pages. It is my gift, my obligation, my Karma being released, that you should find it. If, even the dull and ignorant have their story, then I am in fine company.

Roy E. Klienwachter is a resident of British Columbia, Canada. An ordained minister and New Age Light Worker. Roy has written three books on New Age wisdom. “Simple Manifesting,” “First Steps To Spiritual Enlightenment,” “The New Age of Healing.” Roy’s books are thought provoking and designed to empower you to take responsibility for your life and what you create. His books and articles are written in the simplicity and eloquence of Zen wisdom.

Most published writers will admit that there is no secret formula for writing a winning query letter, however, many professionals can share some basic suggestions to help new writers formulate a query that will sell their story idea.

I can think of four simple guidelines to follow for building good query letters.

1) Capture The Editor’s Attention

You must develop original ideas that will stimulate editors almost immediately. Proposals have to provide something out of the ordinary, a unique angle, a new approach or a different view of the common, over-publicized topics that editors and readers are tired of seeing.

Think about how your article can offer innovative insight, inspiring material, or contrasting views of well-worn subjects. You probably have less than a minute to spark the interest of most editors, who receive hundreds of similar pitches every week. Make yours stand out from the rest!

2) Be Concise But Explicit

Eliminate fluff. Use action verbs and effective nouns to explain exactly why your idea will appeal to their readers and add quality to their publication. Give adequate details without going overboard.

Tell the editor why you want to write the article, why he should care about your topic and how you plan to deliver your completed work (estimated deadline and approximate word count etc.)

3) Know The Market

You can spend hours constructing the perfect query letter, but if you send it to the wrong publication, your efforts will probably be wasted and your idea rejected.

The most obvious way to gain knowledge of any market - that many writers may overlook - is to read the publication. I mean really read it. Don’t just browse article titles or skim the written words. Spend some serious time reading what other writers have written and learning about what the readers seem to prefer.

Most publications will provide writers with printed submission guidelines. Request this information and follow it completely. Some editors will toss a query in the trash immediately if it is not written according to their specified format or if it does not include the information required for submission.

4) Be Professional

Consider your competition. If an editor opens one envelope that contains a hand-written, sloppy, wrinkled letter on yellow notebook paper and another envelope that has a type-written, clean, easy to read letter printed on quality paper, it’s not difficult to figure out which letter will be more impressive and more likely to appeal to the editor.

It’s just like going on an interview - you never get a second chance to make a first impression!

Crafting a Creative Query

Paragraph One - The Hook

Your first sentence counts more than you can imagine. Make it informative, interesting, and honest!

Examples:

1 - Start with a question that will fascinate the editor so much that she feels the need to read on just to find out your answer. (How many professional anglers catch hypodermic needles and other fishy items in their nets each week?)

2 - Use a shocking or uncommon statistic to lure the editor into your letter. (Although many national news sources reported that suicide among teenage girls increased dramatically by more than 35% last year, did you know that more than half of those 5,000 young girls were raised without a father for most of their childhood?)

Paragraph Two - The Specifics

Who cares about your idea? Who will be effected by your article? What will your story reveal that hasn’t already been reported? Why is your idea perfect for this particular publication? When can you deliver it? How many words? Who will you interview? What about background, statistics, historical references? Research your topic. Give them the facts accurately, quickly, honestly and persuasively.

Paragraph Three - Your Credentials

Why are you the person to write this article? Where have your writings been published in the past? What similar subjects have you written about? What makes you different, special, unique?

Paragraph Four - The Closing

Thank the editors. Suggest a follow-up contact time. Offer to provide any further details, answer their questions or clarify your query at their convenience. Thank them again and tell them how much you look forward to talking with them within the next two weeks - month - whatever you feel is appropriate (refer to their submission guidelines for tips on this information - they usually provide writers with an estimated response time.)

For more ideas on writing query letters that will sell your work, see the Articles on this page http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art1821.asp

Good Luck!

Go research and then go write some query letters.

Do not expect overnight success and do not be disappointed by the inevitable

rejection letters you will receive.

Do be persistent, focused and positive. Do keep sending queries! You have to start

somewhere and it’s hard to get published if nobody hears about your great ideas!

Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp

It is believed that there are only two ways to ensure customer
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