Creating a Great Title

Whether you're writing an article or a book, having a catchy title can make all the difference between being accepted/making a sale and being passed over or tossed into the virtual circular file.

I read this enjoyable, useful post today at the Book Cover Coaching blog and thought I'd share it with you. Hopefully, it will spark some ideas for you too.


Good Writing & God Bless,

Cheryl Pickett
http://publishinganswers.com

Cause You've Got Personality...

There's a song with lyrics that go something like "cause you've got personality, walk with personality, talk with personality...

Whether you're researching a publishing opportunity or how to sell something you've written, those lyrics point out a key consideration many people overlook- personality.

What I mean by this is sometimes writers (myself included) look at dollar signs, effort (word count), and similar quantitative factors when considering an opportunity. All of these things are important for sure, but they're only part of the equation. In my mind, it's just as important to consider if the task fits your working style, if it fits your introverted or extroverted nature, or simply whether or not you'll enjoy it.

True, sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do in order to make ends meet etc. But whenever you can, go the extra step and I can almost guarantee you'll be happy with the results.

If you'd like to read a bit more on this topic, you can find a recent article of mine here

Blogging - Trials, Tribulation and Triumph

If you've been researching writing or publishing for more than a day or two, you're probably aware that blogging is a big deal. You're obviously here, so you know about reading them. If you don't have one yourself yet, I can finally say, I really do recommend it, and that just about anyone can do it. For those of you who have considered it, but haven't yet jumped in, here's my two cents worth as to why you should.

First, blogs are useful whether you're a freelance writer or an author. They're a great tool to use to practice your skills as well as to exhibit them. They are also valuable for gaining publicity in a myriad of ways.

Second, things have gotten a whole lot easier, and that's mostly why you're reading this right now. I actually had tried to do this early last summer with Wordpress which was supposed to be very user friendly. I'd tried the free version and the hosted version. Even with help from someone who said they knew what they were doing (and did not), it just didn't work.

Then, just about 2 weeks ago, I gave Blogger a shot and here we are. I couldn't believe how easy it was by comparison. I'm not techie at all and things went quite smoothly. There are a few tricky things (fonts are interesting), but basically, in my opinion, if you can use MS Word, you can do this.

One more important note, I'm not saying other formats won't work. I've just found this one to be the best for me and that's a big part of what this blog and my new site will be about. Seek other people's information and advice, but then seriously break it down and disect it from your point of view. It all comes down to what your plans and goals are. That has to be the ultimate ruler by which you measure what will or will not work for you.


Good Writing & God Bless

Cheryl