The Fabulist Flash

Issue 154

by Gregory A. Kompes

In This Issue:

1. This Week
2. Find the Right Niche
3. Never Pitch the Media
4. Brette McWhorter Sember takes the 18Q
5. About The Fabulist Flash

1. This Week

It's finished. I've completed the latest book. Okay, not really finished. We're never really finished, right? There's still editing, finding a few readers for early comments, more editing, rewrites, cover letters, query letters, hopeful submissions, seeking endorsements...the list. You know the list. But, between attacking the list and this moment, there's a beginning, middle, and end with an interesting story in between. It feels good.

When I announced my accomplishment to my partner, he responded: "Have you started the next one?" What a shock to hear my own words come back to me. I'm always telling writers to begin the next book as soon as one is finished. Yet, my answer: "Yes. Two in fact." It's true, I've got two nonfiction books already started. Plus, this novel is the first of a series. Book two is set up from Book 1's final chapter. So, maybe the answer should be three.

Of course, I'm still doing happy dances over the finished one. And, I've revised my own response for writers who tell me they've finished their book: "Congratulations." (pause) "Have you started the next one?"

Hope you're writing up a storm!

Gregory

Upcoming Events

October 20, 2007: Internet Tech: Building Your ACE Internet Self-Promotion Platform with Gregory A. Kompes -- learn how build, brand, and expand your writing career using Internet Technology during this three hour seminar sponsored by NSA-Las Vegas.

October 29, 2007: Writerpreneur(tm) Course: Internet ACE: Building Your Online Self-Platform Platform with Gregory A. Kompes -- learn how build, brand, and expand your writing career using Internet Technology during this 10 week, interactive, online course. Registration Open.

November 10, 2007: Writerpreneur Workshop: Say It, Don't Slay It with Linda O'Connor. Las Vegas, NV.

If you'll be in Las Vegas on a Wednesday night, socialize with the local writers at the Writer's Pen & Grill(TM). Open to all writers!

2. Find the Right Niche

How to Find the Right Niche for Online Writing (Hint: It's the Opposite of What You'd Think!)
by Jo Ann LeQuang

Online marketers talk a lot about niches. Niche marketing involves creating highly specific material for a limited (but sharply defined) audience. Sports would not count as a niche. Neither would tennis. But start writing material for tennis players over 50 or people who like to travel to tennis resorts or teaching your under-10-year-old how to play great tennis … and you're in a niche.

Many writers have the wrong idea about niches. As writers, we tend to go for the scoop. We seek the unusual story and the odd angle no one has ever used before. We writers cross article ideas off the list as soon as we see other people writing about them.

After all, in the ink-on-paper world, the fastest way to get a rejection is to propose an article on a subject that a competitive publication recently wrote about. If you're writing for a magazine or newspaper, a very unusual, one-of-a-kind story can be an easy sale.

Internet marketing does not work like that.

When you write for online sources, your work can be deep, but it has to be narrow. The Internet has become the medium for specialists. It's the best place to get information on how to grow roses in the tropics or make your own yogurt or learn about the symptoms of Brugada's disease.

The risk in focusing so sharply on a specific subject is that it is much easier to miss the mark than to hit it.

A good writer is looking for readers and a good online writer is looking for customers. So online writers need to become marketers in terms of finding their niches.

Most online marketers research niches to find traffic before they embark on projects. The idea is that you don't want to venture into a niche where there isn't already at least some conversation and activity going on.

That's right, online marketers want to find competition in their niches of choice, because competition means there is already interest, buzz, and business in that sector.

In other words, many niches that are possible are not viable. In a sense, Internet writers need to think like ink-and-paper publishers. A publisher would hesitate to publish a book on the best shoes to wear on an airplane simply because it seems unlikely that anyone would buy it. An Internet writer has to think about niches the same way. Is there an audience for the material?

Finding the answer to that is easier online than in the brick-and-mortar world. Internet marketers look at keywords in an effort to find profitable niches. Keywords are the words or phrases that you type into search engines when you're looking for something.

There are lots of ways to perform keyword research; some of them can be done for free. By visiting the inventory at Overture.com (http://inventory.overture.com) you can find out how many searches on Yahoo took place in a recent month (which may be six months ago) for any keywords you type in. Yahoo is not the Internet universe, but most authorities feel that Yahoo results can be extended to the other major search engines. In other words, if lots of people searched Yahoo for "hula lessons," it is quite likely that many people also searched Google and other search engines for the same topic.

There are more sophisticated ways to do keyword research; it's practically a science. However, for most online newbies, using a simple, straightforward keyword search will likely provide more than enough information to get your project off to a good start.

The problem with keyword searches is that you have to suggest keywords and then you can find out what is there. If you're stumped or just want to see where there is a lot of buzz, type in things like "how to" or "secrets" or "tips" or "free" and you'll see things with those words that were most searched for.

This is the part that can get confusing for writers. Most writers think that a keyword search with few results means the keyword is hot, while a keyword that's getting a lot of hits is a dead end. Wrong! When it comes to Internet marketing, it's the other way around.

Lots of activity on a keyword means that there is interest in the subject, a demand for information in that niche, and possibly a "community" that's already built up of folks interested in that particular topic. If you find a keyword with very little activity, you have more likely found a subject that nobody cares about than some great untapped opportunity. In other words, if nobody is searching for information about knitting hats for Chihuahuas, it's probably not a niche you want to invest in.

The next step is to type in those keywords and related keywords to see what comes up. Again, there are many very advanced techniques to this kind of research, but writers can make do with the basics. Just see what turns up. This is what the people searching those keywords will find. You may even want to see what kind of sites they are: are they selling physical products? Selling information? Offering free content? How would your proposed product or site fit in? Writers can get scared off when they find their subject is already quite well covered. If you venture into some well established niches, you'll find content-heavy sites, blogs, information products, courses, and products for sale. But competition online is a symptom that there is a lot of interest in the topic.

Just as people don't necessarily own one pair of jeans or eat in only one restaurant, competition can be welcome.

There is another huge benefit to writing in a busy niche: you may be able to tap into pre-existing traffic. If there is a rabid group of people eager to talk about setting up an at-home design business, your information product on tax guidelines for the at-home artist-entrepreneur has a ready-made customer base.

How do you find your niche? Some niches find you, in that you may know all about a certain unusual subject or you may have a personal passion. An Internet marketer would also try to discover "hidden" niches or secret niches by trying to find busy keywords that were being serviced by some (but not many) matching information sites. If you can find where the demand is not being entirely met ... you have a winner!

Once you identify the niche, you next have to identify how you care to participate and how you want to monetize your activities. As an online writer, you can develop a content-rich site on the topic to sell advertising or an information product that can be sold with a sales page type website. Information products include books, electronic books, special reports, courses, CDs and other media.

No business is immune to risk and online writing is no exception. There's probably more risk in Internet business because it's fast-paced and everyone is new at it. On the other hand , you can often launch an Internet venture with minimal financial investment.

But there is still a risk. You're going to be spending a lot of time and energy creating a product that may or may not sell. That's why you need to pick the right niches. Go to niches where there is already a lot of energy and activity; you're more likely to find customers where there is also some healthy competition.

About the Author
================================================================= Ready to quit whining about not finding work as a writer and get busy as an online entrepreneur? Check out http://www.workingonlinewriter.com to find out why writers actually have a massive advantage in Internet marketing. Jo Ann LeQuang wrote this article and earns her living as a writer. Check out her site at http://www.LeQMedical.com.

3. Never Pitch the Media

Why You Should Never Pitch the Media
from The Book Marketing Expert

Forget what you know about media and marketing, the rules have just changed. Here's the truth: the Internet has changed the way we market in more ways than you could have ever imagined. So much so, in fact, that marketing to media might not be the best way to get the word out about your book. Now I'm not saying to *never* market to the media, just switch your focus to your real target: the consumer.

Direct-to-consumer marketing is a hot phrase many marketing people like to throw out. It implies direct access, ease of marketing, and a quicker sale. But accomplishing one or all of these things isn't as easy as it seems. These days, consumers don't want to be sold something, they want to hear about it, they buy buzz and they generally buy this buzz from people they trust.

When you start to look at directing your campaign to market to the consumer, everything about your marketing strategy will change. First, you'll start to become more aware of topics and keywords that affect your reader/buyer. By doing this you'll be able to zero in on messages, sites, blogs, and hot topics that you can start commenting, blogging, or writing on.

The media is so inundated with pitches that most of them are just white noise. Also, when a media person needs someone to comment on a story they're more likely to go after someone who is an "authority" on the subject, rather than someone who has sent them dozens of press releases. Writing a press release does not make you an authority, your connection to your target community does. That's why a campaign that is less media-focused and more consumer-focused will end up driving more media to your book.

I have always talked about becoming an authority, about becoming an expert. This is the same thing - only you're being more aggressive about it, you're actually marketing to that consumer instead of just adding the label "expert" to your bio.

The new age of media is upon us, it's no longer an issue of when to pitch, who to pitch, and what days of the week are best, it's a matter of positioning yourself to be irresistible in the eyes of the media by making yourself the "go to" person in your market.

1) Write and issue news releases often, but make them newsworthy. While press releases sent to the media may get ignored, they have a bigger chance of getting noticed by your customer. Writing direct-to-consumer press releases is a way of "speaking" to your customer through a series of announcements, advice, or trends. When you do this, hone in on keywords that make a difference to them. Don't toss out high-brow, technical terms that are meant to impress, unless your market actually speaks that language. Send a release out via the Internet in sites like PRnewswire.com once a month, and then, keep them archived in the newsroom of your website.

2) Forget high-profile media targets, go after plugged-in bloggers, high traffic relative-content-rich websites: while it would be great to have Oprah call, the likelihood of that happening is pretty slim. Focus instead on where you can make a difference and make the sale. Focus on your customer. Where do they go when they're online and who do they listen to? Those are the people you should be targeting with your story. When you find these folks, offer them tips, helpful advice, story excerpts, whatever is most appropriate for your market/topic.

3) Comment on blog stories the media writes: this is a fantastic way to network with media people. Have you visited a media blog lately? You haven't? Well, start adding them to your list. Just like I recommend commenting on industry blogs (see bullet #4), you'll also want to keep an eye out for media who write on your topic and also have a presence on the Internet. Did you know that the media will notice someone who's an active commenter on their blog before they notice a news release?

4) Comment on industry blogs: same idea as #3 but now you're focused on blogs that matter to your reader/consumer. Go after them and start commenting on what they're blogging about. This is a great way to network and introduce yourself to folks who may be part of the "big mouth" market in your industry. (The term "big mouth" is reserved for bloggers who have a lot of clout within a particular arena). Also, while you're at it, get your own blog. If you're going to network with bloggers, become one of them.

5) Content drives action: getting a content rich website is a must. There's no two ways about it. I don't care what you've written or what market you've written to. It's all about content, content, content. Have a resource section on your site, put a blog up there. Be helpful till it hurts. Put up lots of useful, relevant content and the world will beat a path to your door.

6) Never sell your book to your consumer: the biggest mistake authors make both online and offline is that they sell their book. No one cares that you wrote a book, they only care about what the book can do for them. Sell the benefits, sell what your book can do for your reader but never, ever, ever sell your book.

7) It's not about you: remember as you're developing your direct-to-consumer campaign that it's not about you, it's about your market, it's about your reader. Knowing what matters to them will help you circumvent a lot of marketing snafu's and directions that take you nowhere. Keep in mind the things that matter to your readers and what their hot buttons are. If you can become a channel to direct their issues, challenges, or questions to you and your website, the media will stand up and take notice.

8) Many goals lead to confusion: what's the goal for your website? I mean, seriously, what's the one goal you have for your site? You mean you don't have just one? Well, if you don't, you should. Having one singular focus will help sharpen your message to your reader. Pick one thing you want your home page to accomplish and build on that. Too many messages will only confuse your reader and send them off to your competitor's website.

Selling a book, product, or business has become less about getting into your favorite newspaper, magazine, or TV show and more about making yourself so irresistible that the media comes to you. Build credibility in your market and consumers will buzz; when consumers buzz, the media will surely follow.

About the Author
================================================================= Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com.

4. Brette McWhorter Sember takes the 18Q

Brette McWhorter Sember, author of more than 20 books, takes the 18Q.

1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you?
It chose me. I should have known though since really it was what I always wanted to do, but I never had the guts to do it.

2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.)
I have a BA in English and a JD. I was a practicing attorney and left on maternity leave and never went back.

3. When did you 'know' you were a writer?
I think that's something I've always known. I used to make books when I was a kid. Writing has always been how I think best and communicate best.

4. How would you describe your style of writing?
I'm very good at explaining things, offering practical suggestions, and taking things apart so that they are more understandable. So, in that sense, I am a self-help writer. But I also have a humorous, playful streak, so I like to do essays and humor pieces.

5. What is your writing process?
Put my butt in the chair and do it. Really, as far as I'm considered there's no process - it's just about doing it.

6. What was your path to publication?
I responded to an ad in the state bar journal about a publisher looking for lawyers to write books. 2 years later I was home with a baby and got a call from that publisher and that was my start. Around the same time I also sold an essay to a magazine.

7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea?
I have a book that I KNOW would sell like hotcakes in hospital gift shops. I haven't found a publisher yet, but still toy around with the idea of self-publishing it.

8. What are the biggest surprises you've encountered as a writer?
Probably that so much of it is not about writing. It's about running a business, building a platform, making the right connections, and above all else, doing publicity.

9. How do you inspire yourself?
What are your sources of creativity? I don't really think of it as inspring myself, but more as recharging myself. I can't sit in front of the computer all day, so spending time with my husband and kids, reading, cooking, and traveling are the things that make me feel like a person.

10. What is your proudest writer moment?
There's nothing like holding that first published book in your hands. I was also really proud to sell my book Your Plus-Size Pregnancy, which I knew there was a market for but it took years to get anyone to believe me

11. What's the best advice you were given about writing?
I love Anne Lamott's advice about taking things bird by bird. I use that analogy all the time with my kids with their school projects!

12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment?
Probably when I was doing publicity for The Complete Gay Divorce and my publicist mistakenly booked me on a morning shock jock radio show where they had 2 people pretending to be gay asking me obscene and outrageous questions. I hung up and refused to finish the interview.

13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer?
The biggest challenge is cash flow. When you primarily write books, you only see money when you get royalty statements or when you get an advance. That's why I think it is important to supplement with magazine and corporate work.

14. What is your writer life philosophy?
Stop stressing about it and just do it.

15. When you're not writing what do you do for fun?
Read, read, read. PLay with my kids. Travel, cook, walk, decorate.

16. Who do you like to read?
Lately I've been on a chick lit binge reading anything I can get my hands on. When it comes to favorite authors though I'm drawn to mysteries - Robert Parker, Diane Mott Davidson, Sue Grafton, Marcia Muller.

17. What's your advice for new writers?
Diversify. Get your hand in as many pots as possible. If you limit yourself, you won't have a lot of options.

18. What are you currently working on?
I'm just finishing up The Essential Supervisor's Handbook and am about to start a new book for which I don't have a contract yet, so I don't want to put it out there quite yet. I'm also doing a magazine article on infertility and preparing for a seminar I am giving at a writer's conference. Any day I should have page proofs for the second edition of my book Seniors' Rights.

Take the 18Q Today!
=================================================================
Selected a Writer's Digest "101 Best Website" for 2007, the 18Q is a collection of writers sharing their experiences.

If you're a published author, take the 18Q Today!

5. About The Fabulist Flash

ISSN: 1554-0804

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