Pat's 7 Secrets

Free Blogging Course

2007-12-21T09:27:00.001-05:00

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

The best blogging techniques.
How to get traffic to your blog.
How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Just a tease

2007-01-01T12:19:00.000-05:00

This is some of what you'll find in 7 Secrets to Writing Killer Articles:

I hope you have a productive and prosperous New Year!

All my best to you!

--Pat

Are You Interested in Print Publication? Listen UP!

2006-11-25T16:48:00.000-05:00

I you want to write for print publication and not for the Web, you need to get a start in the business, and that’s not easy folks!

Most of us think that fiction writing is where it’s at. I did, too, until I realized that the market was flooded with fiction writers. Editors don’t need more fiction. They pick only the best of the best and usually, fiction from writers who already have a name in the business.

What’s a writer to do?

Consider writing nonfiction. Oh, I know… it seems horribly boring. But trust me, it’s not! If you like to learn, writing nonfiction could open worlds for you that you never thought you’d want to enter. I know that’s how it happened for me. I mean, did you ever hanker for learning the secret ingredient in yak butter tea? (Hint: It's yak dung.)

I was lucky to have fiction published right away, well, after FOUR years of trying. But a short story in Guide magazine is what started it all for me. That $75 check was so precious to me that I had to run right over to my mom's house to show her that I could make a living with writing. Har.

Six months later, I was still waiting to sell something else.

Feeling rather discouraged one day, I picked up a free women's newspaper and while perusing, found an ad that the paper wanted writers. I had only one piece published, but I thought, What the heck? I sent a meager resume with my one published clip, plus a piece I had written for a writing class on Gold Rush Women (which you can still see online today). It was the only piece of nonfiction I had.

No one was more surprised than me when the editor called and asked me to write an article. That started my fascination with nonfiction. I've written about everything from education to medicine, to computers and the Internet, and a lot of stuff online, like member guides, blogs, doorway pages, autoresponder series and such. I learn so much!

But I also realized that nonfiction is MUCH easier to sell. Why is that important? Because if you are serious about a writing career, you need clips of published work. You need a resume. The easiest way to get one is by doing some nonfiction writing first. Then, when you have a name, even if only one or two published pieces, editors tend to take you more seriously because other editors bought your work before. You're then a proven commodity.

And we're talking print publishing here. I'm sorry to say that most of the writing you do online will be discounted by print editors. Unless you write for some of the premiere magazines, they won't take into consideration that you have 50 articles or stories at a place like iSnare.

If you can't imagine what to write for articles, think about your hobbies. What interests you is liable to interest others, too.

Niche Market Articles

2006-11-13T11:19:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

I'm sorry I'm not terribly active here, but of late, I'm editing three of Tellman Knudson's blogs. I've just been very busy. :-0 But I haven't forgotten you! I'm very interested in learning more about you and what you like to write, what questions you have, etc.

This morning, I had a questons from one of your list mates, asking about writing an article on visual art.

These are a lot of fun. I once reviewed the International Art Show at the Carnegie in Pittsburgh, and the article was one of the most fun articles I've ever written.

If you're not an artist or an art afficionado and you know what you like, but not much about art, you need to do some studying. Read as many art reviews as you can. Notice the form.

There's usually a blurb about the artwork, in general. Then, you'll need some biographical information about the artist for one paragraph.

And you'll need to know what other visual arts writers have written about the piece of art. Then, form your own opinion based on what you've learned.

And here's how I'd structure:

Come up with a punchy title.
General information about the piece of art and where it's being shown.
A little about the artwork.
A little about the artist.
Some of the information you've gathered. Is the piece well received or panned?
Your own observations
Closing paragraph

This is my opinion, how I would write an art piece. But, remember, I don't generally write art pieces. So, study the genre. Then, write a great article in that form!

Editors like to see creativity, but they also respect form. To begin, please editors. When you're established, you can get away with more. When you're trying to be published, it's best to dot the i's and cross the t's.

Please email me with your questions or post them in the comments section here. I'm ready, willing, and more than able to help. :-)

More Ideas on Ideas

2006-10-06T13:23:00.000-04:00

Writers are always wondering where the next idea will come from, and I know some of you are because you told me so.

But... I'm lucky. I never have that problem, to be honest. If anything, I can't get to them all.

Here are some tips that may help you keep your idea file full:

When you're reading a book, use a 4 X 6 index card for your bookmark and always have a pen or pencil close by. When an idea pops into your head, write it down. If you see anything that will help your writing, write that down, too. Notice punctuation, if that's your sore point. Write down little tips to help you remember how it goes.

Read the newspapers. If you see anything about kids, you may have something to write a story about, but even if you see an adult situation that could be turned into a story for kids, jot that onto one of your 4 X 6 "idea" cards, too. Here's an example:

Recent Excite.com, headlines read:

"Credit Card Offers Stacking Up at Homes of the Newly Bankrupt"

Maybe the story can be about how people come to realize that filing bankruptcy doesn't mean that their entire life will be upside down. Or maybe it will. Can you see the potential?

Here's another headline:

"Four U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq Violence"

A story where your protagonist learns what death is and how to deal with the loss of a relative or best friend might be something you can work up.

And this has enormous potential:

"XBOX 360 GAMES: the Good, Bad and the Ugly"

Use your imagination!

If you're a parent, you probably take your kids to play in the park or even to McDonald's or Chuck E. Cheese's to play. Take a notebook with you. Jot down ideas, and trust me, you will get some ideas there.

There are many ways to come up with stories idea. Actually, they're all around you. Be observant, take notes, and have fun!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope this helps. If you haven't bought 7 Secrets to Writing Killer Articles just yet, it's still available at the new price. It keeps going up folks! I said only 1,000 would be sold and we're close. Each 100 copies costs a little more. Don't wait! You could have bought this at $7.99. Now, It's $39.99! Be smart. Lock in that price today at http://ovweb.net/7Secrets

Short and Sweet

2006-09-15T15:28:00.000-04:00

Hi gang!

I just wanted to tell you that my first Short has been published at Amazon.com. It's a profile of Mohandas K. Gandhi, and I decided to publish that one first for a couple of reasons.

First, it's fresh in my mind, so I wrote what I knew. But I'm also hoping that if people like the Short they'll buy the book, where they can find much more great information.

But not all my Shorts will be on such heavy topics. I did send one in yesterday about Gloria Steinem for the same reasons as above, but they take about 60 days to publish. So... keep your eyes out.

Here's the link to Gandhi: http:ovweb.net/gandhi7

Or, check out my other books here: http://ovweb.net/pmbooks7

OK, but let's get onto your writing lesson for this session.

Many of you asked in the survey how to come up with ideas.

Hmm... Here's the truth: Ideas are ALL around you!

What did you eat for breakfast? Perhaps a new product? Write a review of it.

Did you read the newspaper? What story popped out at you? Can you write a story about it?

I did that for an educational publisher once. I read a story about a kid who saved another boy who had fallen through ice on a pond. I just dramatized it and voila! I was paid for a story that I took from the newspaper. Of course, I didn't plagiarize a bit of it; I just used the idea to create characters and then a story of my own.

Have you read a book lately? How about a review?

If you're an online marketer, there are stories everywhere! Just surf awhile and you'll see them. What's a traffic exchange? Explain it. How do you optimize a page for search engines? If you know, write that. (It's a hot topic right now, and something I'm learning and working on with Tellman Knudson.) You'll have a winner!

What kind of pet do you have? If it's a pure breed, what can you write about it? If not, so what? Write a story that involved your cat.

When you get the advice to "Write what you know," it means to write about stuff that interests you or that you're good at. It doesn't mean to write your life.

Here's an exercise for you: Go into a magazine and read it cover to cover. Which story interested you the most? Can you focus it? By that, I mean, can you come up with a different angle about the same story? Write it!

For instance:

I heard a news report this morning that a study was done that proved that men are smarter than women.

Pshaw! Of course, I'd say that, being a woman and all. :-) But if you are a woman, wouldn't it be fascinating to dig up facts and studies to prove that scientist wrong? If you're a man, you could do a great humor piece. Though I'm cautious in advising this, you can get away with a lot, if you can be funny. However, it's very hard to do.

So, there you have it. O-b-s-e-r-v-e

And you'll find stories every single day.

So much to write about; so little time.

Ciao!

Survey Results

2006-09-01T16:24:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!

Well, I've been waiting patiently for survey results to come in so that I could share them with you. Thanks so much to those of you who participated. It will help me to get to the heart of your writing concerns. You know I can ramble on about things at any given point, but I'd rather help you with what you'd like to know, instead of going over things you're already familiar with. Plus, I may take these questions and write another book for you.

Listen, the survey is still open. So, if you'd like to contribute, here's the link:

http://ovweb.net/survey

Here's what I've learned so far:

80% of you write for the web
Only 33% have trouble coming up with ideas, but you often don't know how to focus them
Half of you are interested in writing nonfiction and half are interested in writing fiction and nonfiction
100% of the people polled want to know how to make articles SEO friendly.
You prefer .pdf ebooks, rather than .exe types.

Here are some of your problems:

Keeping it short and simple
Writing technical and educational material in an interesting way
And just about all of you want to know how to get the time to do it and the will to sit down and start

And from that, I have a story.

When I first began to write, my daughter was an infant. Yet, I had been reading to her from the day of her birth, just about. I realized that the books were pretty simple and I thought, I can do that. Ha! I started writing but quickly realized that I didn't have a clue about how to start, how to format a manuscript, what the most important part of any story is, and on and on.

In essence, I learned that I needed to learn to write, if I intended to ever be published in the print media world.

So, here's what I did.

I used one hour a day for writing--gathering source materials (and trust me, you need them even for fiction), making outlines, creating characters, and all the things a writer needs to do mechanically, in addition to writing. I did that only after making preparation and I still do that to this day.

My optimum time was first thing in the morning (though your own may be at another time of the day or night) and my daughter was either sleeping or as she got older, playing nearby.

When she took her afternoon naps, I was studying. I used one hour a day to do that, too.

In the process, you know what happened? My daughter fell into a great schedule of two naps a day, which kids need anyway, and I became a real, honest to goodness, print published writer. She made my life come true, in a way. Had I not ended my career managing bank branches to raise her, I'd never have come down this incredible path.

But you can do it, too!

Think about this: If you sit down and write only ONE page a day, by the end of the year, you'll have 365 pages.

One hour a day.

Don't know how to fit it into your schedule? Try Mark Joyner's Simpleology (http://ovweb.net/simpleology). It will put your daily chores into overdrive. I use it every day and I'm pretty organized. Now, I get more done in a day than I ever dreamed possible. Bless Mark! Oh, and Simpleology is free. You also get a dynamite web cast each week. Believe me, you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't at least check it out.

And... Someone asked how to get his book published. Please write to me at pat@pats7secrets.com so that I can ask you a few questions about your book. Then, I'll make another post here that will be very helpful to all, I hope.

Until then, keep writing!

Copyrights

2006-08-17T17:12:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday, I wrote to my 7 Secrets friends and asked this question:

"As a writer, what's your biggest question about the business or mechanics of writing?"

Out of more than 200 people, only 5 asked questions. Oh, wait. No only 3 had legitimate questions that I could answer here. I really had hoped to give you what you're looking for, but nobody seemed to want to respond. If you didn't want to because of some technical reason, let me know why HERE. Yes, the site adds a cookie, but it's a nothing cookie. It only tells me that you've asked a question. No big deal, and you can delete it any time you want to.

OK...

So, the first question was:

"What do you do once you have written an ebook? Do you nave to copyright it? If so, how?"

No, you NEVER have to pay to have a copyright to anything you create, whether it’s for print or electronic publication. Why? Because the copyright laws in the United States, at least, say that once you’ve put your thoughts on paper or down in electronic form, you are the copyright holder, just by virtue of having created the material.

And don’t worry that someone will steal your work.

It’s a rarity and even if you hold a copyright, it’s very hard to prove in most instances. You have to trust. Don’t hold your words sacred because it marks you as an amateur.

Copyrights are instantaneous and here’s how long they last from the U. S. Copyrighting Office FAQs (http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-duration.html#duration):

The term of copyright for a particular work depends on several factors, including whether it has been published, and, if so, the date of first publication. As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. For an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 95 years from the year of its first publication or a term of 120 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first. For works first published prior to 1978, the term will vary depending on several factors. To determine the length of copyright protection for a particular work, consult chapter 3 of the Copyright Act (title 17 of the United States Code). More information on the term of copyright can be found in Circular 15a, Duration of Copyright, and Circular 1, Copyright Basics.

If you have more questions, here’s the place to go: http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/

Please write to me with your questions, or complete the survey at http://ovweb.net/survey I’m ready, willing, and if I’m not able to help, I’ll find someone who can.

But I can’t do it, if you don’t ask, folks! Don’t be shy. I know when I first started to write, I had TONS of questions. Usually, they had more to do with the business end of writing, but I’m happy to answer those and questions from the creative angle, too.

I’ve been at this for 16 years now. I’m not self-published, as some might think. I have worked with 3 different publishers (even Dave Barry's) and you can find all of my books at Amazon.com. I’ve also written for magazines and newspapers. And I taught writing for children for more than 5 years for the Institute of Children’s Literature.

However, I never profess to know it all. I’m thinking of starting a series of interviews with different types of writers. I have one set up right now, and when it’s through, you’ll be invited to participate. I hope you will. We’ll touch on writing for the web, writing for newspapers, writing for magazines, and writing books. It will be great!

Stay tuned. I have lots to tell you! :-)

Make Your Own Blog, and Control It!

2006-08-07T07:17:00.000-04:00

Do you get tired of being unable to control everything about your blog? I'm not talking about what you write. Of course, you're the only one in control of that. But are you tired of lame templates, the inability to exhibit what you want on your blog, or the long time it takes for your blog to upload?

Have no fear!

A friend of mine, Mike Paetzold, has just released his new ebook Word Press Made Easy. Since I edited the book for him, I can tell you with all assurety that it's awesome! Mike can tell you how to install a Word Press blog onto your own server, painlessly and completely. There's even video with step-by-step instructions!

Think about it. Advertise anything you want--free. Make uploads a snap, and choose from the myriad WordPress templates that can really make your blog stand out. I have two WordPress blogs now: OVblogger.com and trafficexchangetips.com and I love them both.

Just check out Word Press Made Easy here: http://ovweb.net/tracker/track.php?id=182 . You're gonna love it!

If you've ever wanted to be the commander of your own ship, now's the time!

How You Do Run-On

2006-08-06T13:10:00.000-04:00

Let’s get going with a run-on sentences tutorial because I know you'll find it enlightening and it will help you to write better ads, blog entries, stories, or articles and by the end of this lesson, you'll know how to make your work better.

Whew! How's that for a run-on sentence?

Let's take a look at it. We have lots of connecting words: because, and, or, and, etc. We can actually break this one very loooong sentence into several parts.

Sentence 1: Let’s get going with a run-on sentences tutorial.
Sentence 2: I know you will find it enlightening.
Sentence 3: It will help you to write better ads, blog entries, stories, or articles
Sentence 4: By the end of this lesson, you'll know how to make your work better.

Now, let's put that paragraph together.

Let’s get going with a run-on sentences tutorial. I know you will find it enlightening. It will help you to write better ads, blog entries, stories, or articles. By the end of this lesson, you'll know how to make your work better.

Now, read both the run-on sentence and the new paragraph aloud. Which feels better? Which reads better? It's a no brainer!

Especially when writing ad copy, it's important to keep your sentences short and to the point. It's a mistake to keep them all short, however. Vary usage a bit and listen to how your work "sounds." Reading aloud is always helpful. Remember, if the text doesn't sound right to you, it won't sound right to your readers, either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New blog link, folks: Best Traffic Exchanges from Efim Birenbaum at http://besttraffic.blogspot.com/ The new Link Crews traffic exchange is explained by Mr. B. this week. I'm afraid I made the mistake of swearing off joining any new traffic exchanges because I haven't the time to surf the ones I belong to anymore. But Link Crews looks like it's a good one!! My NetMarketingForum buddies, Mike Gartner and Austin Hallock, have a hit! Why, oh why, didn't I get in one day 1?

Writing with a Bird's Eye View

2006-07-28T11:25:00.000-04:00

You're wondering about that title, aren't you? That's what writing good headlines is all about. You need to make people wonder where you're going with the idea. Uh-oh...

I'm losing my focus!

Ha! I just showed you what I want to discuss this time.

Focus is keeping your eye on the ball. It's not writing about the optimal condition of golfing fairways when you're writing about an optimal swing. The fairway has nothing to do with the swing--the aim, the position of the ball, yes, but NOT the swing. Right?

Why I said you need a bird's eye view in my header is actually counter to what that really means. Rather than writing about everything you might see from a high vantage point, you need to narrow your little birdy eyes so that you see only what's in front of you--your topic. You must FOCUS.

Let me give you an example of narrowing to a suitable focus:

When you're writing about a popular band for teenagers, what can you write about?

Here are some aspects:
The music
The band members
Fans
The musical genre and where the band's music applies
Anedecdotal information about the band
Their music videos
And on and on.

OK. Let's take the first example. Say you're writing about Evanescence. You can write about the way that Amy Lee sings, how Ben Moody plays. Their anthem "Bring Me to Life," or anything directly pertaining to their music.

When you start writing about where they come from, biographies of band members, direction of their music videos, or anything that ISN"T strictly about their music, you've lost your focus.

Stick to one topic. Maintain focus. No tangents. Keep your mind glued to the subject and write only about one thing. Everything else you may be tempted to drag in can be other articles. How cool is that? :-)

Have You Tried the System?

2006-07-20T09:11:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,

Hope you're having a fine July day! I'm working on writing some ad copy for a friend today. It's a great day for writing. Of course, everyday is a great writing day for me. :-)

The thing is, if you never start, you'll never get anything written.

Oh, I completely understand. I've had approach-avoidance to writing all my life. Before I actually started writing for fun, which led me to writing professionally, I HATED to write. It just seemed like too much hard work, something that someone else could do. How dopey!

Once you start writing, you'll see that it quickly becomes a passion, that is, if you're at all interested in doing it.

If you aren't interested in it, but are an online business person, you really have no choice. You HAVE to write, unless you want to pay someone like me to do it for you. Have at it! :-) Come visit http://ovediting.com anytime!

But seriously, if you start to write, you'll find that it's not as hard as you think. Write it. If you aren't happy with it when you've stopped, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, until you're happy with what you have. And if you still aren't convinced that what you've written is worthy for the human eye, then send it to an editor. Oh, I'm chiming in again. I'll do that, too, for a fee. But I, and editors like me, can get expensive. Most online marketers are here on a shoestring budget. I know I was.

Trust yourself. If you've done the best you could, don't be shy. Put that writing out there. The more you write, the better and faster you will be.

But start!

Now, here are a couple of worthwhile blog links for you:

http://progressing-through-life.blogspot.com/
This blog is from Kristin, a woman diagnosed with a terminal liver disease. It's honest and compelling, and it would be lovely if you'd make a comment.

http://candles-notjustforburninganymore.blogspot.com/
Is another of Kristin's blogs about candles. I LOVE them, do you? Check this blog out and let Kristin know what you think.

Please Forgive Me

2006-07-14T15:42:00.000-04:00

Mea culpa, mea culpa...

I know I've been remiss about posting here. No excuses. Let's just get the ball rolling again.

I had an excellent question in "Only 2 Days Left" about how to market article directories. Check it out. I hope Dianne will give us her URLs. I'm also giving away free article submission directories, which I plan to update regularly.

If you haven't gotten your copy, sign up here:

http://ovweb.net/tracker/track.php?id=155

And if you haven't bought 7 Secrets yet... now's the time, folks! Check out the testimonials at the site. And read Tim Linden's review (Linden Software, StartXchange Clixx Network, ProBlogNetwork owner). Folks are loving it!

Why? Because it's a simple system. You will be able to organize those random thoughts and work them into something focused and well-presented. That will help you to have your articles accepted at first glance!

And articles are definitely the BEST way to advertise. Once they're distributed, rather than having your article at one e-zine, you may have 10 or 20 sites pick it up. Seriously, it's a great way to get your name out there and with that "author" tag comes esteem. It works like magic. :-) People think you're an expert in your field, begin to trust you, and voila! Sales.

You won't get this training anywhere else, that's certain. You point to someone who's had 10 books published and is telling you how to write articles, and I'll be surprised. Books aren't articles, but I've done a rousing round of those, too. If you're leery, check out my resume at WriteOn! my writing site. You'll see that I've had LOTS of experience, including 5+ years as a writing instructor. If I can't tell you how to do it, nobody can.

So, let's have your questions... Your links... Your interest! If we can start something going, it will snowball and we'll have a regular discussion blog. I'd like that a lot.

Be well!

Only 2 Days Left!

2006-05-24T08:49:00.000-04:00

Well, sales are still brisk, but if you want in, you'll need to buy 7 Secrets to Writing Killer Articles before FRIDAY, May 26. That's when our price will more than DOUBLE to $19.99!

Hurry.

The special offer is ending.

Actually, even at $19.99, the offer is still special. Think about it.

Pro writer telling you HER secrets.

Writing instructor giving up the right stuff.

Don't listen to people who aren't trained or proven. I'm the only author I know online right now (well, aside from the big boys) who's going to put you on the right track. Even if you don't write for the web and want to get into print, these methods will STILL help you.

Run.

http://ovweb.net/tracker/track.php?id=123

I'd hate for you to miss out.

Send me your comments or post them here!

It's Been a Wild Week, Folks!

2006-05-21T17:11:00.000-04:00

The excitement of a launch is a real rush. You get the product ready, the site, the payment buttons lined up and then, WHAM! You open the doors and the customers do the rest.

But wait...

There's more exciting news!

I'm on the verge of closing a deal with a master marketer; however, when that's sealed 7 Secrets to Writing Killer Articles will have a huge price increase!

Here's the thing. If you're remotely interested in getting in on this deal, I have some left at the old price.

Jump on it! It will make writing articles easy and fun.

Thanks so much to all of you who have supported me! Want to see a cool review?

http://www.reviewedbytim.com/

I'd love to hear from anyone who has taken the time to do similar entries. Or, would appreciate a comment to let me know how the book worked or didn't work for you. I'm always happy to make improvements and anyone who buys from me, automatically gets the upgraded copy.

It's time, folks! Get in now before we really explode this thing. The next 1,000 (which I really hadn't planned) will be at a much higher price!

Hurry or You'll Miss It!

2006-05-18T19:39:00.000-04:00

What a great week!

Almost half of my 1,000 copies of 7 Secrets to Writing Killer Articles are promised!

Everyone who's seen this book loves it! Not to brag, only stating fact. If you want this, you'd better jump on it today.

And there are some great free gifts. You won't believe the incredible low price of only $7.99.

I think about one more week and we'll be sold out! If you're interested in writing, you really need to go to Pat's 7 Secrets.com and get your copy today!

2006-05-15T12:50:00.000-04:00

Today’s the big day! 7 Secrets to Writing Killer Articles is NOW available for purchase.

Click here to buy it now.

But, you’ll get much more than the ebook alone! I have audio, so you can listen if you don’t want to read, or you can put it into your iPod and walk down the block listening. I usually put the mp3s on a CD, since I don’t have an iPod and listen to them in my car while driving here or there.

Ready to buy?

And that’s not all!

I have 4 free gifts for you.

John Botscharow’s Guerilla Marketing Journal is great and will give you some tricks to boost your marketing efforts.
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is THE book. You must read it, if you do nothing else.
Power List Building through Association by Alex Sampson will help you to explode your list.
Jason Mangram’s Instant Traffic Formula will do the same for visitors to your site.

Whoa. Huh?

OK, but there’s more…

You can pay with PayPal, CreditCard, e-Gold, AlertPay or CacheCard. How great is that?

Here’s something better. ANYONE can afford it.

The ebook, audio files, and all 4 free gifts are only $7.99!

Please remember that I intend to sell only 1,000 copies of this book, and they probably won’t last the week. Many people already have reservations. If you want to buy this, you have to jump on it now!

Hope to see you there!

Only a Few More Hours to Go!

2006-05-14T18:26:00.000-04:00

Whew!

When you prepare a product for launch, you set a deadline, thinking that you'll meet it without a problem.

Then, you can't get your sales letter to work properly and your thank you page is messed up beyond all repair. Your download is so big that you have to split it, and you've attracted more editing and writing work than you can sanely handle.

But...

It's now ALL ready to go. Just less than 18 hours and I'm done! That's a record. :-)

I hope you're ready because 7 Secrets to Writing Killer Articles is so simple, you'll wonder how you wrote articles before. Or, if you haven't tried yet, it will show you how you can write them and make them readily accepted.

Keep your eyes peeled. 7 Secrets is on its way! And just wait until you see the price. You won't be able to resist.

Oh, and did I mention free gifts? Yep. There are 4 of them.

Let's see... Book + mp3s + four free gifts for a very low price. (It's so low, you may smile a lot when you see it, rather than clicking through because it's something you just can't afford right now. Everyone has this much hanging out in one account or another. You'll see.)

Sound like a no-brainer, eh? :-)

Secret #2

2006-05-11T18:46:00.000-04:00

Now that you have an idea, what do you do with it?

I'll bet you're thinking of a broad topic. Let's say dogs.

But what about dogs? If you just write about dogs, that would mean you'd have to cover dog breeds, dog food, dog training, dog grooming, etc. There are way too many things to write about dogs.

OK... so, let's think about that for a moment.

Dog breeds is a good topic, especially if you have a favorite. Personally, I switched to cats after owning a brace of Afghan hounds that had a 13-puppy litter together, but let's choose a breed.

Afghans.

OK, what about them?

Development, behavior, training, foods that are best for them, how to keep knots out of their long fur (I doubt that one will ever work), but you see what I'm getting at? It's like eating an elephant. Take your topic and narrow it down one bite at a time.

But I can show you how to do that quite easily. It will help you to conjure many ideas from the same topic that will allow you to write several targeted articles from one idea. It's also a very simple technique. Would you like to see it?

Go to: http://pats7secrets.com and sign up for advance notice of publication. When this thing hits, don't forget, only 1,000 will be sold. You won't believe how affordable the price is, either. Go to the movies? Skip a week.

Get in now before they're all gone!

Blog Links Today

2006-05-08T16:21:00.000-04:00

Blog Links coming in from the 7 Secrets Site:

Carrie Gebbie's Coffee & Juice.com http://www.coffeeandjuice.com/, a blog about healthy coffee and juice, and Multi-Task Marketing.com, http://www.multi-task-marketing.com/, perspective on how Carrie runs her multiple online businesses.

Send me your links! I'm waiting.

Getting Your Articles Out There

2006-05-07T17:53:00.000-04:00

After you write that killer article, where will you submit it? Will it be a one-time shot? Or, does the article base distribute the article for you?

Guess which kind I like best. :-)

iSnare is the best place to submit your articles because it's not a one-time shot. You pay them $10, and you can have 10 articles submitted to 40,000 publishers. I'd say that for $1 an article, that's quite a deal.

Another great place to send folks is Ezine Articles.com. Though the site won't distribute the article, submissions are free and because it's such a reputable site, your article may be picked up by ezine publishers anyway. You can check it out here: http://ezinearticles.com/, and one of my articles about condo life here: http://ezinearticles.com/?id=187847.

AdvertisingKnowHow is a traffic exchange, but it's a great place for posting articles and even better for you, if you have a newsletter that you're promoting, an ezine, or even a private blog. You have to join to submit, but it's not just a great traffic exchange. I've gotten hundreds of subscribers to my marketing tips newsletter from there.

There are about a gazillion places to submit, but I won't continue. Just plug "article submission" into Google and you'll come up with more than you can handle. Best of luck!

Secret #1

2006-05-05T11:25:00.000-04:00

Of course, I'm not going to give it to you, but I'll hint at it:

You need an idea.

There are many ways to find out what people are thinking. What do people want, if you're using article writing to support your online business? In fact, what are people thinking before you start an online business? What ISN'T everyone selling?

Niche marketing has become a "buzzphrase" of sorts. You need to find something that everyone wants, something that they need to solve a problem, or something so darned ingenious that they just want to have it.

Once you've figured out that problem, then you need to create or find a little-known product to represent.

Need an idea?

OK. How's this: People need to learn how to navigate this online insanity fast. Yet, if you have been marketing very long, you know that the learning curve is very long and can be quite expensive.

A product that will do three things for you is Online Marketing Explained v2.1 Brandable. Yes, it's my book; however, it's something people into online marketing need and it's not widely known. Though it's had 2,351 copies of the non-brandable version downloaded, think about all the people on the Internet who haven't seen it yet and want to brand it, but don't have the capability.

And guess what?

I'm the only one pushing it. So, drop over to OVMarketing and check it out.

But remember it's just an illustration of what you can do. Find a product that's quality, something you're interested in, and then, write side articles to support your sales. Use your tag line at the end of the article to sell the product.

Simple? Yep. You'll be amazed at your results.

Welcome to the 7 Secrets Blog!

2006-05-03T10:07:00.000-04:00

(All Links Open in New Window)

Hello,

If you're interested in writing articles to boost your traffic and ultimately, your income, you're in the right place.

Anyone who is interested in writing articles for the Web are welcome. Heck, even if you aren't, but think you might be, this blog is still for you.

To give you a little bit about me so that you know I'm for read, I'm a professional writer and actually have made my living writing for the past 15 years. Over that time, I have had 10 books published in hardcover (see them here at Amazon) by various publishers (Andrews McMeel, Lucent Books, Greenwood Press) and countless articles and short stories for national and regional magazines and newspapers. I know writing and I know it well.

So, why am I starting this blog?

Of course, I'd like you to sign up for advance notice of my new ebook, 7 Secrets to Writing Killer Articles. Actually, the ebook, which comes with a free audio version, is not just for people who want to write online, but for any budding writer.

But I really enjoy sharing knowledge. You can see that's so by another blog of mine, WriteforKids.net, where I teach tricks and tips on writing for kids. Actually, many of the tips you may be interested in will pop up there as well.

However, I want to use this blog to answer questions. What is your block? Are you having trouble coming up with ideas? Once you have an idea, do you know where to begin? How do you organize your thoughts? How do you come up with a great headline, and so on. I'm sure you can think up more questions than me at this point because 15 years ago, I had all those questions, too.

I've learned the answers to all those things over the years, and I'd like to share them with you. Please post your questions in the comments area. I'll be waiting!

Pat Marcello, OVMarketing, OVEditing, OVBLogger