How a creative mind works….

Today’s blog comes from The Writing Hall fan, Rachael Norton, (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=563392764); she tells us how a personalised poem brought appreciation from her mother far more than a shop-bought gift.

“I’ve been unemployed for almost a year and, therefore, didn’t have much money to spend on a gift for Mother’s Day. Also, she’s a very tricky person to buy for because she doesn’t appreciate chocolate, she buys her own wine and won’t go out anywhere with me because she claims to be too busy painting or working.

Before I left to spend some time with my boyfriend’s mother I gave her a card with a Tatty Teddy on it and a ‘Mum’ keyring that I came across in a card shop – because I was honestly didn’t know what else to get her. At first she didn’t even look at what I’d bought and just put my gift to one side as she took the dogs out. I didn’t hear anything about it all day, so I knew that I hadn’t done the right thing.  It really bothered me.

I made myself a hot drink and had a look at my mum’s art work. She’d made all kinds of plaques and drawings for my grandparents and their friends for special occasions; the idea then came to me. I turned my hand to creating a poem that told her how I valued her as a parent, and which would serve to inspire her and her creative skills.

I added a couple of pictures of the both of us, and one that I took on one of her birthdays (I won’t say which, out of respect of her age!). As I have no printer of my own and it was quite late by the time I finished, I decided to send it to her as an email and waited for a response.  She simply replied:

“That’s a much better Mothers’ Day gift. Thank you. x”

I couldn’t help but smile to myself. By using my own creative skills at writing I’d bestowed a gift more appreciated than spending what little I had on something she wasn’t going to really use.  It helped me put things into perspective.”

Remember when we made our mothers cards at nursery from dried pasta and cotton wool?  How they’d get stuck on to the fridge for weeks then carefully stored in the loft?  These may have been out of sight, but as a mother now myself, they’re testament to the people we’ve raised and the wonder of life. Gifts in shops look nice and are always well received, but anyone can buy them. Poems, art, prose – whatever the end result – knowing your daughter or son took the time and effort to create it for you, is something money can’t buy.

For more information on personalised poetry, visit www.movenas.co.uk

Thanks to Rachael Norton for the post!

You’ve written a book? So what?!

This great guest post, from Ella Gascoigne of Startup PR, gives new authors tips and tricks to maximise their book sales.  Here, she outlines 10 points which should be a cut-out-and-keep for all writers!

How to get started when promoting your book – advice from Ella Gascoigne, Publicist and founder of Startup PR (www.startuppr.co.uk).

Congratulations, you’ve written a book.  After all that hard work and sleepless nights, you’d think you can now sit back and watch the sales come in, right? Wrong! Now the difficult bit begins – now you have to promote your book and make sure it gets the publicity it deserves. It can be a little confusing to know just where to start, so here are a few things to consider

1.       Book reviews – okay, so you need to try to get book reviews. Write an interesting release, ideally no more than one page, and send it out to book reviewers.

You may need to do a little bit of research to generate a good media list (look in magazines, Google contacts online, call up magazines and ask for the best email address to send the release to). Send the release out and offer a review copy.

Send out the review copies promptly and don’t forget to include the press release in the package so that reviewers can get in touch with you. As a rule of thumb, I would say, follow up 2-3 times, but space it out. For example, two days after posting you may email to ask if they’ve received it; a week after posting you may want to send a high resolution cover image, and finally, a few weeks after posting, you can email to see if they have any feedback or if they are planning on reviewing it.

My main tip is, do not be disappointed if they do not respond to your emails – and don’t keep emailing the same thing if they do not. Chances are they’re reading your emails, but remember, they get hundreds, if not thousands of emails every day so may not reply quickly. Don’t take it personally and please, please don’t get annoyed with them (or at least, do not let it show).

 2.       Author interviews – what’s interesting about you and makes you stand out as a writer? Are you a single mum, a leading business person, did you write the book after facing challenges in your life?  Don’t be afraid to put some personal information in your release – find what sells and as long as you’re comfortable with it, work it

 3.       By-lined articles/advice articles – This is one of the main areas of opportunities for authors, in particular, non-fiction authors. Publications are always on the look-out for content. Identify your key publications (online and print) and offer them advisory articles in your specialist subject, positioning yourself as an expert. In return for an objective and useful article websites and magazines will provide a plug for your book. For example, if you are a marketer who has written a book on using Twitter, contact the business magazines and websites and offer them an article ‘How to use Twitter for your business’. This is very simple, and very effective. 

It doesn’t have to just work for non-fiction though, perhaps you are interested in the Victorian era and have written a Victorian novel – why not promote your book by creating ’10 Victorian  Money-saving Tips for housewives on a budget’?

4.       Extracts – You can also use the content of your book to provide advice to publications by offering extracts.

5.      Competitions – Offer copies of your book as competition prices, and at the very least you will get a description and image of your book and where it is available to buy. Where possible ask the publication/website to include a link to where your book is for sale. If you have a facebook account, part of the competition could be to ‘like’ your facebook page first. Also, it’s always worth asking if you can use the data captured after the competition to send out a reader offer. Sometimes, this data is available to use..      

6.     Reader offers – These can be a great way to provide a publication with something useful to their readers, while encouraging their readers to buy your book. Make sure you track the reader offers so you can see which publications work for you.

7.     Comment on news stories – watch the news, read the papers and if you see something topical that you have experience or expertise in, send an email and explain what your view is, why you are qualified to comment and offer yourself for interview or to provide a quote. In return for your comment, ask to be referred to as author of…

8.     Online PR – Don’t forget online PR. A survey on the eMarketer blog stated that over 75% of people will have shopped online in 2011, so you can’t afford to not be promoting your book online. What’s more, online PR opens up hundreds of new bloggers and websites to promote your book, and they’re not restricted by a certain number of pages online so you have a better chance of coverage. Offer them competitions, book reviews and ‘advice’ articles. 

9.     Twitter – I think that twitter is one of THE best ways for any author on a budget to start getting word out about their new book. I could talk about this for hours, but here are just a  couple of things you can do:

- tweet about your book

- run competitions where people are entered by following you and re-tweeting the competition

- Follow and connect with book reviewers and journalists on twitter

- Engage with relevant organisations, so if you are promoting a book on raising your children, then you can connect with mother groups and parenting organisations.

- Tweet a link of any reviews you get of your book to encourage interest

10.   Local angle- Your local media cannot be underestimated. Often they are easier to get into and will be more supportive of local authors. Not only will their publicity be great for the book, they will also help promote local book signings to get people along. What’s more, regional news stories are often picked up by national papers if they like the story.

Startup PR offers a range of publicity packages starting at just £150. Visit http://www.startuppr.co.uk/pr-services/book-publicity

New Year, new habits…

Today’s guest post is from a previous blogger on The Writing Hall, Mr. Shaun Mooney.  Shaun describes below how the arrival of a New Year can evoke new habits, especially when writing copy….

CONTENT IS KING  

Writing web copy that works can be hard, especially when writer’s block sets in. Here are a few tips to write savvy marketing copy for the web.

Make it snappy

Esther Freud once said, ‘Editing is everything. Cut until you can cut no more. What is left often springs into life’. Every word in your copy should count, not just for SEO’s sake. For each word your put into your copy that doesn’t get to the point, that is one more word your client’s customer has to read before they get the message you are trying to market. Cut the bloat and get to the point.

Are you talking to me?

During my Creative Writing degree, I learnt some really important things. Creative Writing is often called ‘The Author Course’, and teaches you everything you need to know about how to create your own successful, personal brand. As an author, your personal brand is directly tied to your product. Your product is your book. If on the first page you don’t immediately grab the attention of your audience, they will put your book back on the shelf. The same can happen with websites, with web users simply going elsewhere. Don’t just say, ‘We provide carpet cleaning’. Readers would expect that after clicking through to your client’s website from the search engine results page. Web users click onto web pages expecting a solution. Give it to them in the form of a’hook’. A hook is an attention grabber, and in the case of writing marketing copy, it is presenting a solution to a problem. Asking a question is a great way to do that, as it directly challenges the reader. Providing a solution or example tells the reader they have come to the right place.

‘Red wine stain? Tried everything? At Shaun Mooney Carpet Cleaning we use only the best in industrial strength cleaning products, and guarantee we’ll remove all organic carpet stains’

Me, myself and I

Nobody cares if ‘Shaun Mooney Solicitors provides legal services’. It’s impersonal and doesn’t speak to the reader. Is your client a sole trader? This is great for services like florists or tattooists, as these are really personable services. Are they a family business? How long have they been established? New business leads might gravitate towards a long-established family company over someone that doesn’t refer to their business history.

USPs 

Unique selling points. Clients often struggle to think beyond what they do in their day to day job, leaving the marketing side to others. However, there is probably one thing that makes your client’s service stand out from their competitors. When asking your client what they think makes them stand out from their competitors, try to start with things like free quotes or consultations (where appropriate). Maybe they have the exclusive rights to
a patented product? Anything that as a consumer might interest you! USPs should always shine through on the home page, as they are the first thing web users will see. Make them count!

Tone of voice

Everybody has a different voice, and I’m not just talking about your set of pipes. You will know from speaking to clients from all different walks of life and different regions of the UK (even the world) that all business owners have a different way of presenting themselves and their business. Let this show in your copy! If you can touch type or write in short hand, try to catch what your client is saying, verbatim. This establishes your client’s voice in the copy, ensuring you’ll be representing your client’s business in a way they would happy with. When a member of the public enquires via the website for the first time and speaks to your client, they will already be familiar with their ‘voice’ which is really great for brand continuity too. Colloquialisms are acceptable from time to time, but be careful not to overuse them and make sure they are tone appropriate. Regional dialect should again follow the same rule. Unless you are writing specifically for one geography, try to avoid this. (Remember, when you’re writing for the web, you are potentially writing for the world).

Call to action

A call to action should really motivate the web user. One should appear on every single page of a website, constantly reminding the user of your client’s telephone number at all times. However, not all call to actions are made equal. ‘For legal services call 020 0799 998′. This call to action is useless and not just because you wouldn’t get much legal advice from a made up number. It’s weak and has no sense of urgency. The user will know they can call that number for legal services because that is typically what solicitors provide. However, there is no ‘now, now, now!’. Give your user some motivation: ‘For a free consultation about your legal problem, call us today on 020  0799 998′. Again, this comes back to presenting a solution to a problem. “Ooh, a free consultation you say? Yeah, I could give them a call for a free consultation.”

Congratulations, you have just generated a lead for your client!

Shaun Mooney is a copywriter, SEO professional and social media buff. He lives in Reading with his cat, Puck. One day soon, both Shaun and Puck hope to relocate to London.

                                                                                      

http://about.me/shaunmooney

http://howlblog.co.uk

Follow Shaun on Twitter: @OhShaun

(picture courtesy of: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=3062)

Apologies all round…

It’s severely shocking that my last post was in August – it’s not exactly the kind of helpful, forward-thinking blog I initially planned and tried to implement.  Whereas posts used to be weekly on average, nowadays I’m barely posting a couple of times a year.

Well, from 2012, this will change – my New Year’s resolutions are starting early!  Having set up and launched a sister company to The Writing Hall, I’m now in control enough to manage both (and all my other endeavours) – instead of the either/or situation I’ve had until now.

So, what to expect?  Firstly, as an author, I want to continue to pepper into these future posts tips, thoughts and general links or information on the subject of writing, which, after all, is the very reason I started TWH.  So many people have a book inside us (if you believe the old saying, it’s actually all of us) and many need help transferring the rampant thoughts inside their head onto the clean, virginal paper in front of them.

That’s where I come in.

A writing coach is a sounding board, pool of resource, motivator, inspirer and calming influence.  You’d have a coach in sport, in your business – sometimes, just to get through life.  The theory is the same when writing; if you’re unsure, not used to it or would just prefer to have someone else’s trusted opinion throughout the writing process, then a coach is the professional to turn to.

Having been traditionally published, having also pitched to 40+ publishing houses and as someone who’s been through the self-publishing process too, I know a lot about writing books from a business perspective – what your market is looking for, what your agent is looking for, and what the editors are looking for.  Though it takes the romance from the idea, book writing for others is a business endeavour.  If you want to write for your friends and family only, then you can also write the rules, but if you want the general public to buy what you’ve written, you have to deliver what they want – or, what they don’t yet know they want.  Cryptic, yes; incorrect, no.

The world of authorship is more competitive today than it’s ever been.  Approximately, less than one percent of aspiring, newbie authors land a publishing deal, so if you harbour grand dreams of being the next J.K. Rowling or Stephen King, I’m here to bring you crashing down to reality.  I know of well-known names being refused deals on new books, despite their previous titles appearing in bestseller lists.

I don’t intend this as a negative speech, but neither am I going to blow smoke up someone’s backside!  There’s a lot of groundwork and preparation needed to write a book, beginning with the removal of any rose-tinted glasses, but, even when everyone knows what to expect on the journey ahead, it’s still one of the most exciting things you’ll ever do.

The Writing Hall’s website is also being overhauled slightly after Christmas; not the design as this is relatively new, but the focus of the services offered will revert back to me, as opposed to the current one-stop-shop mentality.  I’d rather shift things back to doing a few things really well than trying to help everyone with everything.  So, stick around, and join the rest of the 390+ aspiring authors’ community on Facebook.  If books and writing are your first loves, you’ll be amongst like-minded people.

That’s all from me for now; if you’d like more information on my writing coaching services, call free on 0800 4101 041 or email me at diane@thewritinghall.co.uk.  Speak soon.

 

So many exciting things on the horizon…

Here at The Writing Hall, I’ve never wanted to be labelled solely as a freelancer, lifestyle business, sole trader, etc.  All these monikers suggest that I want to remain a solitary worker.

Well, I don’t – I dream big.  And I mean really big.  Probably the same as half the population and I feel physically restrained if things don’t go my way (hence the moaning I do on TWH’s Facebook page).  There’s so much I want to do in life that I doubt I’ll ever be happy with my ‘lot’.

I have two beautiful girls and a wonderful husband (who, incidentally, puts up with a hell of  a lot), a nice enough home and I enjoy what I do for a living, most days.  That should be enough, but it’s not.  Does that make me bad?

I grew The Writing Hall as a freelance business around my last job, which has retained some lovely clients that come back again and again.  I then launched Clerical and Content nine months ago which is just starting to raise its awareness in my local area.  I published my children’s novel last Christmas…and now I’m launching an online interior/home-ware design company.  The latter venture has been in the background since April and the earliest it may launch is October but if there’s one thing I’ve learned is that the more background planning you can do, the more it may save you from making costly mistakes once things have gone ‘live’.

I’m still very much in demand for social media services but my shop window – this blog and my Clerical and Content blog – have fallen by the wayside because I haven’t the time to update them.  I stand by the common phrase, “If you want something doing, ask a busy person”.  Nuff said.

I’d like to think that, once the home-wares company is launched, that I’ll be fulfilled.  That I’ll look at what I’ve already got in front of me and stop chasing something new, but I doubt it.  (You see, I’ve always wanted to open a coffee shop and community space for my village and there’s only funds stopping me from doing that.  If money became no objective then a barista I’d be….for a while.)  I was once described as having ‘lots of ambition’, but I don’t think it’s as much that as I’m just an unsatisfied woman who loves to chase dreams.  (I’ve never been that good at reality.)

So, here’s to my new, and existing ventures.  Here’s hoping they offer the success I dream of, because I’m really, really not a bad person.

Why we write essays…

The Writing Hall’s second guest post comes from Pauline Guerin MA, on the subject of essays.  Please add a comment at the end if you’d like to add your own point of view on this subject, or indeed, any of TWH’s posts – we’d love to hear from you!

As a Private Tutor, this is something I am asked a lot by my students, ‘why do I have to write essays? What’s the point?’  ‘I can’t see why anyone would want to spend time doing that, when they can watch the telly’.

To write a really good essay, one has to be disciplined, controlled and organised.  One of the overriding factures of poor essay grades is that the student has failed to plan or organise their work.  This results in a higgledypiggledy mish mash of information almost thrown down onto paper, which they then believe is acceptable, of course, it isn’t.  Looking at the examination board mark schemes, in almost every single case the students’ marks from good organisation, and a well thought out piece.  Interestingly, and certainly in my local area, it seems that most schools or colleges discourage students from downloading or even locating the mark scheme.  That, however, is another subject entirely.

Let’s face it, anyone can put together a page of words, but how many of us are able to express ourselves in a meaningful, powerful manner which manages to persuade the reader of our position on a given subject? Whether it is a literary essay or a piece of journalism.  A well written essay puts across a carefully considered argument which further encourages the reader to reflect on the issues raised and see the world from a different angle.

The essay should enable the author to consider different sides of an argument; different angles of the world with which they are presented.  This develops the author’s ability to question and contemplate subjects which they may otherwise take for granted.

I wrote five essays last year for inclusion in ‘The Encyclopaedia to Literary Romanticism’ (Ed. Andrew Maunder, 2010).  I volunteered; I was not paid a penny!  To some this seems to be a ridiculous idea, but the fun I had dissecting and analysing three poems and writing about two of the authors of those poems was immense.  So, too, is the reward for having made the effort to ensure that they were as a precise and well argued as they could be, to say nothing of the resulting accolade of finally being published.

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and History, and studied Victorian Literature and Culture to Master’s Degree level graduating in 2005.  She currently teaches students through private tuition and is also researching and writing a historical novel.  Pauline also runs Purple Princess Designs.

 www.PurplePrincessDesigns.co.uk

 The Writer’s Blog     http://pauline-guerin.blogspot.com/

Pauline has also recently completed a separate blog post on research;  http://pauline-guerin.blogspot.com/2011/07/problems-researching-historical-novel.html

The secret of a successful author

I’m not going to revolutionise the writing world here by saying this, but most authors who make a success of their writing career have plenty of time.  I’m not saying they won’t have work commitments or family ties to attend to, but it is clear, at least from the other side of the fence, why my book isn’t as widely read or as successful as it could be.

I simply haven’t the time to promote it, and although there are professionals who could do that for me, my funds are earmarked for other, more important, things.  I knew that with any book, traditionally published or self-published, it takes more than a modicum of personal marketing, appearances and promotion to get any readers to notice your tome amongst the millions of others available.

People buy from people, so whether you’re selling pegs, pigs or poems, this ethos applies.  Raising awareness of your book isn’t just placing it online or on your local bookshelf, there needs to a strategic plan to get said book under the noses of your readers.

Because my book is aimed at 8-12 year olds my most effective route to my readers is approaching schools.  However, during the week I’m working, so this tends to be in fits and starts – not conducive to a sustained promotional campaign.

Here are some tips to help with promoting your book that I’ve found the most effective (mainly through doing the opposite and realising the best way to do it!)

• Know your market: There’s no point selling ‘How to find your perfect match through computer dating’ to those without computers, nor a book entitled ’101 ways to cook chicken’ to a group of vegetarians.  It may sound obvious and these are extreme examples, but finding the most likely place that the majority of your readers will congregate – online or offline – will be the easiest and quickest group to convert into buyers of your book.  Many authors blindly promote ‘en masse’ with no research or strategy into who their readers are and how to get in front of them.  For instance, are there seasonal changes that affect the theme of your book, or events in the year that could help your marketing plan?
• Accept that you need to spend time on promotion: I knew I needed to spend time, but perhaps was short-sighted to just how much would be needed to effectively raise the profile of my book.  Because the best campaigns are built on continuous momentum, I realise that my ‘fits and starts’ marketing falls woefully short.
• Try everything: Although your market may only be in one place, don’t use the same tack each time or they’ll soon tire of hearing about your work (sorry, this may seem hypocritical to the fans on The Writing Hall Facebook page who suffer repeated mentions of my book!!).  Have a range of ideas and marketing angles to get people talking about your book.  Once word spreads you’ll find the promotion gets easier as awareness gets to new groups of potential readers before you do.

There are probably a million and one other tips but I’m still quite early on in my marketing programme, due to the fact I haven’t more time to spare.  I’ve so many ideas running through my head and it’s actually frustrating not to be able to put them into practice.  I can’t help but notice that a lot of professional writers are full-time in their literary pursuits; perhaps that’s because they know they need as much time to promote their works as it is to create them in the first place.

Hopefully, I will find more time to devote to promoting, or find a way to pay someone else to do it on my behalf.  Failing this, the gap between Book 1 of the series and Book 2 could be the longest in history.

http:www.sonoftheringmaster.com

Guest Post: If I could write anything…

Today’s guest post comes from Shaun Mooney, a very talented writer from Bagshot.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and please tell us your views.  What would you write, and would you do it for a living if you could?

“I sometimes sit at my desk and day dream of the good life. A large house in the country, a dog resting over my feet and a book shelf of titles with my name on the spine. Then the J.K Rowling lifestyle disappears in a puff of smoke as my manager gently reminds me about deadlines. For many ‘aspiring authors’, aspiring really is the active word.

I took a degree in Creative Writing and Media Studies at the University of Winchester (and despite what I am about to say, I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone that asks). By no means did I think that ‘I had it made’, nor did I think a job would fall into my lap. The creative writing degree at Winchester is often described by the staff as ‘The Author Course’, much in the same way taking a law or teaching degree is vocational to those professions.

However, can one simply graduate and overnight become an author? The short and very realistic answer is no. There is light at the end of the tunnel though. I am not going to debate competition for entry level industry jobs in light of the tuition fee hike (of which I am totally opposed). You cannot buy good written and communication skills, ambition nor a willingness to learn. A degree in any of the Arts based courses such as English Lit, American Studies, Media Studies or Film Studies can take you practically anywhere. I have friends in my graduating year that have gone on to do PR for blue chip clients, test video games for Nintendo and write for national newspapers.

I am currently a Web Consultant for Yell. I get to flex my copywriting ability on a daily basis, writing different website content for different clients. It’s a good way to test my ability to write engaging, marketing copy. Although I feel my growing process has slowed down after 7 months of being there, it is very good industry experience nonetheless. This, on top of running my own online music and culture magazine (http://howlblog.co.uk) and blogging internally for the Yellsites intranet has further expanded my writing ability.

However, despite building upon my copywriting and digital marketing skill set, I have felt a small piece of my life was missing. I stopped telling my friends and contacts that I was a writer, and now referred to myself as a ‘web consultant’. Then, just last month, a colleague posted on the intranet that she was starting a creative writing group. She had taken a masters in Creative Writing and, like me, felt that she needed some friends to get back into writing fiction. And she was so right. I had been missing that sense of community that comes from workshopping a piece of writing, talking about favourite reads and just having a chat over a mug of tea.

Now I am writing fiction again, for the first time in months. I am still ‘aspiring’ towards my novel, but the idea is firmly in the works. In the meantime, I am having fun sharing my creative ideas with my friends. The good life doesn’t seem so far off now.”

Shaun Mooney is a copywriter, SEO professional and social media buff. He lives in Bagshot with his cat, Puck. One day, both Shaun and Puck would like to live with boyfriend James in a lovely countryside house.                                                                                       http://about.me/shaunmooney

http://howlblog.co.uk

Follow Shaun on Twitter: @OhShaun

Do as I say, not as I do…

Obviously, I don’t think people should do as I say (well, only my two kids, the dog and sometimes my husband), but as I’ve not posted on my blog for a month and I natter on about frequency and having a sustained campaign when blogging, it very much applies.

I once found a quote: “If you want something doing, ask a busy person” – which I thought very apt to certain periods within my company.  The latest ‘absence’ was as a result of Easter holidays, subsequent Bank holidays, polling days and Inset days all affording the kids time to annoy me at home – and placing me back to working on the kitchen table and not in my quiet, calming office that is conducive to ploughing through my workload.  Juggling has never been something alien to me but if Billy Smart were here, he’d snap me up tomorrow.

Blogging is a way of reaching readers and audiences, and letting them know your thoughts, plans and recommendations.  It can be a very useful tool, as well as a basis for escapism, but when neglected it’s like a peach you find when you move the sofa – shrunken and unappetising.  Gone is my regular traffic – sporadic glances is all I’ve attracted in my time away from writing, despite all previous posts of wit and wisdom still available for all to see.

I feel like I’m playing a game of snakes and ladders – just as I got to somewhere worthy in the game, I’ve slid down a snake and it all starts again.  Such is the consequence of taking your foot off the pedal.

So do as I say: commit to your readers and maintain connections.  Don’t do as I do: eat too many Easter eggs and pay sod all attention to your blog.

What constitutes a ‘mumpreneur’?

Is it really just as simple as a ‘mother in business’?  Considering that half our population are women, and that a good proportion of the self-employed are female….and that it’s highly likely most businesswomen will have families, the term ‘mumpreneur’ is perhaps not that niche.