Welcome to THE WELL-FED E-PUB!
Serving up food for thought and tasty tips for the prospering FLCW* writer. Come
on in, sit anywhere and bring your appetite!
*FLCW, peppered throughout the ezine, stands for “Freelance Commercial Writer” – the designation for anyone who freelances for businesses (as opposed to writing magazine articles, short stories, poetry, etc.), and typically earns $50-125+ an hour.
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VOLUME 6, ISSUE 12 – DECEMBER 2007 – HAPPY WELL-FED HOLIDAYS!
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THE “WELL-FED” HOLIDAY GIFT BUFFET IS OPEN!
Great value-priced “ONE-FOR-THEM-ONE-FOR-ME” combo gift packs for YOU & the aspiring well-fed writers and self-publishers on your holiday shopping list! Includes Priority Mail shipping (NO charge!) and autographed books on ALL orders placed by December 21, 2007. Details at: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/holidaybuffet.shtml.
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HOLIDAY BLOWOUT SALE ON “WELL-FED WRITER” T-SHIRTS & SWEATSHIRTS!
T-Shirts: $5 (+ $5 S/H) and Sweatshirts: $8 (+ $6 S/H). Details in Dessert, and visit http://www.coolstuff4writers.com/ (then, “Our Cool Stuff’)
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NEW! “The BODACIOUS Banquet” – Issues 1-52 of The EPUB! Just $10.95!
Limited Time! Details: Dessert and http://wellfedwriter.com/thebodabanq.shtml.
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MISSED MY TELECLASS? “Thriving as a Freelance Commercial Writer”
38-PAGE instant download just $12! www.wellfedwriter.com/jan07tstranscript.shtml.
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I. APPETIZER: THE HOLIDAY BUFFET & HOLIDAY CLIENT “THANK-YOU’S”
The “Well-Fed” Holiday Gift Shop is Open! PLUS Tasty Ways to Thanks Clients!
II. CRISP “FIELD” GREENS: From Hospital Captive to Happy At-Home Working Mom
NC FLCW Leaves Corporate World, Is Home for Her Kid, and Matches Her Salary!
III. MAIN COURSE: GOT A BLOG? ADD ONE AND YOUR BIZ COULD SOAR!
Istanbul, Turkey FLCW Shares How-to and Happy Results of Her Blogging Efforts
IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips
Welsh FLCW Is Surprised at the Warm Reception He Gets While Cold Calling
TIP: Austin FLCW Shares Juicy (and No-Charge) Resource for Building a List!
V. COFFEE, MINTS AND TOOTHPICKS
- “THE “WELL-FED” HOLIDAY GIFT BUFFET IS OPEN!
- BLOWOUT SALE ON “WELL-FED WRITER” T-SHIRTS & SWEATSHIRTS!
- NEW! The BODACIOUS Banquet – Issues 1-52 of the EPUB; Just $10.95
- MISSED MY TELECLASS? Full 38-PAGE e-Transcript – Just $12!
- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get 2 Bonuses (no charge!)
- Well-Fed E-Pub Needs All Courses!
- How Can My Mentoring Service Serve You?
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I. APPETIZER: THE HOLIDAY BUFFET & HOLIDAY CLIENT “THANK-YOU’S”
The “Well-Fed” Holiday Gift Shop is Open! PLUS Tasty Ways to Thanks Clients!
THE HOLIDAY BUFFET IS OPEN!
Any aspiring well-fed writers/self-publishers on your holiday shopping list? Maybe YOU? Visit the Holiday Buffet at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/holidaybuffet.shtml! You’ll find great value-priced “One For Them/One For Me” gift packs with something for both you and your giftees. AND, between now and 6 p.m. EST on December 21, 2007, all book orders will be signed by me and will enjoy USPS Priority Mail shipping at NO charge!
HOLIDAY CLIENT “THANK-YOU’S”
Forget the self-serving “corporate gift” embossed with your company name (i.e., paperweight, letter opener, glass bowl, yaaaaawn); Do something tastier – literally:
HOLIDAY BREAKFAST/BRUNCH: I’ve talked about this, but it’s worth repeating. Ideal if you work fairly regularly with a lot of folks in a given office. Pick a day, send an invite to your client’s office and make sure it gets circulated. The night before, swing by your local specialty market and pick up muffins, fresh-squeezed OJ, good coffee, fresh fruit assortment, cream cheese(s) and jellies, smoked salmon, and maybe a few quiches. The morning of the event, throw the quiches in the oven, then pack everything up, and hit the bagel shop for some fresh ones on the way over. Probably set you back $75-100 to feed 15-20, but you’ll make a lot of friends. During the event, greet those you know, meet those you don’t, and keep your radar up for opportunities.
RESTAURANT GIFT CERTIFICATES: Ideal for those situations where you have ONE main contact at a company. Ask his/her staff/coworkers for any suggestions as to preferences. This one always goes over nicely.
PERSONAL XMAS CARDS: Forget those pre-printed “business-y” ones thanking people for their business this year; send regular ones and sign them personally. Connect to people like human beings, not income streams. They know what the relationship is, but add some of the human element to it.
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II. CRISP “FIELD” GREENS: From Hospital Captive to Happy At-Home Working Mom
NC FLCW Leaves Corporate World, Is Home for Her Kid, and Matches Her Salary!
Got this upbeat note about her great new life from Mt. Airy, NC FLCW Laura Wharton, (laura@whartoncommunications.com, www.whartoncommunications.com), formerly Director of Community Relations at a hospital. Note her reference to landing work through a web designer – yet another affirmation of the “creative alliance” strategy. Laura’s living proof that you CAN make as much or more than your cubicle job.
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Hi Peter: We spoke a few years ago when I first read your books. Back then, I was struggling, riding the fence of being a captive employee and wanting to do more freelancing. With a baby in hand, it was hard for me to divert my attention from him to find new work and actually do it. Some women can start their writing businesses then; I definitely could not. So staying an employee and putting my son in day care was my option. In hindsight, I can see several other options that would have permitted me to be a freelancer AND have time with my son, but, hey, that's what hindsight is for.
When my son went off to kindergarten, I had no more excuses. Though my working schedule might not be desirable to some (my day starts at 4:00 a.m. most days so I can play with my boy after school ends), I stay busy writing and strategizing for a variety of PR clients and writing web content for clients I get through a friendly web designer who has no writer on staff. My income far exceeds my “employee” income, and the perks (time with my little boy) are fantastic! By the way, getting my income to this point only took three months using some of the techniques I found in your books. Thanks!
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III. MAIN COURSE: GOT A BLOG? ADD ONE AND YOUR BIZ COULD SOAR!
Istanbul, Turkey FLCW Shares How-to and Happy Results of Her Blogging Efforts
Great piece on blogs from Istanbul, Turkey (you read that right) FLCW and consultant Bea Vanni (bvanni@remarkablesolutions.com, www.remarkablesolutions.com). According to her marketing tag, Bea “specializes in the design, development and delivery of high-quality writing, editing, and overall business solutions for consultants and subject matter experts (SMEs) who want to gain more visibility for their work and attract more clients.” Check out http://www.remarkablesolutionsblog.com, Bea’s blog about living and working in Turkey. I KNOW I should do a blog (and will at some point), so this is a good push for me as well. Thanks, Bea!
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Got a blog? Just like milk can build good bones, blogs build good business. As solo professionals, we know information helps us cut through the struggle of marketing our business. Knowledge solves our challenges and also those of our clients. As writers we live or die by the written word, and if a potential client hears the human voice behind our passion, they're more likely to trust us. A blog can create that connection and trust if you share your unique perspectives and offer useful strategies to address challenges.
Did you notice that you aren't in the business of doing that thing you do, but more in the business of marketing it? Well, a business blog drives more traffic quicker than a website and generates demand for your services because you show how much you care by sharing what you know. That's what happened to me.
When I began blogging in early 2006, I didn't know how to build my business with a blog. I only knew I wanted to share my expertise, and so I began writing about living and working in Turkey. I didn't have a strategy or a niche, but on the way to the blogosphere, I got discovered. All of a sudden, people wanted me for my expertise: Speaking engagements, interviews, and writing projects increased two-fold.
Today, I know a lot more about how a blog conveys credibility and expert status, thanks to the Blog Squad (www.blogsquad.biz), experts on building a blog for business. They taught me tricks and tools most don't know about and set my blog on the fast track to double my traffic and raise my profile overnight.
A professional business blog offers repeat opportunities for you to connect with your ideal prospects and allow them to sample you, your know-how and your commitment. A blog's not for everybody, though, so be sure you're on the right track before you begin. It takes diligence, time and a fount of ideas to ensure success.
If you decide to blog for business, plan a strategy first and target a niche, then write tips, tricks, and strategies in ample quantities aimed at what your readers want to know. To create a business blog, always use a pro's blogging platform, like TypePad (www.typepad.com). No need for techie skills, or to wait for your webmaster to post updates, or to pay a pile of money to a publicist.
Be patient. It may take a few months of writing before you begin to see results in terms of your profile being raised (call it “knowability”). Tack up a subscription box from Feedblitz (www.feedblitz.com) for your readers to subscribe to your posts, and track your blog stats with Site Meter (www.sitemeter.com). Both tools are FREE!
Post regularly, and both the blog search engines and your readers will put you in their blog funnel and visit more frequently. Take it from me; build your online presence with a business blog and watch how it can transform your professional image and credibility.
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IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips
Welsh FLCW Is Surprised at the Warm Reception He Gets While Cold Calling
TIP: Austin FLCW Shares Juicy (and No-Charge) Resource for Building a List!
In the first slice of dessert, another Peter weighs in from Wales with his reflections on hitting the phones. Following that is another tip from Austin, TX-based Tom Myer (tom@tripledogs.com, www.tripledogs.com). I used one of his in the October issue (check it out at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine/oct2007.html). Here’s another way cool idea for building an extensive – and accurate – calling list, at NO charge.
Peter Maughan (petermaughanbooks@yahoo.co.uk) shared this eloquent, lyrical epiphany a few months back about the cold calling process:
I’ve have just started cold calling (I regard it as atonement for sins which will take me a lifetime to atone for), and I have found, interestingly, after spending most of my fairly long life in the society of Bohemians, mostly writers, that quite savvy people in marketing departments, etc, have – how shall I put this? – a regard for writers, commercial or otherwise. For my own part, I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting. I started life as an actor, so I put on the smile and the voice of the man at the door. I’m guessing they attach perhaps a glamour to it, something outside their own lives. Whatever the reason, I can tell it’s made things a damn sight easier. I'm sitting under the wild hills in the Welsh borders, and snow is falling. Good luck with your day.
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TIP: (From Tom Myer) One constant expense is the cost of marketing yourself. If I can cut down the cost of acquiring leads, I’m ahead of the game. I called Hoovers, but they want $20,000 a year for access to their database. Forget it. I spent $200 for a small list from InfoUsa.com – one chock full of errors. Same experience with TheListInc.com. Frustrated, I called the Austin Public Library and asked a reference librarian about finding a good directory and perhaps helping me in my target market research.
She asked, “Do you have a library card?” When I replied that I did, she said, "You can access all of our business directories and databases for free over the Internet; all you need to do is enter your library card number.” Paydirt! I suddenly had access to information from D&B, Mergent Online (public company database) and several other resources that others were charging thousands of dollars for! And I can access it from my office instead of driving downtown to the central branch. WOW! So, call your local public library and see if their reference desk offers the same. Chances are, they do!
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V. COFFEE, MINTS AND TOOTHPICKS
- “THE “WELL-FED” HOLIDAY GIFT BUFFET IS OPEN!
- BLOWOUT SALE ON “WELL-FED WRITER” T-SHIRTS & SWEATSHIRTS!
- NEW! The BODACIOUS Banquet – Issues 1-52 of the EPUB; Just $10.95
- MISSED MY TELECLASS? Full 38-PAGE e-Transcript – Just $12!
- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get 2 Bonuses (no charge!)
- Well-Fed E-Pub Needs All Courses!
- How Can My Mentoring Service Serve You?
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THE “WELL-FED” HOLIDAY GIFT BUFFET IS OPEN!
Great value-priced “ONE-FOR-THEM-ONE-FOR-ME” combo gift packs for YOU & the aspiring well-fed writers and self-publishers on your shopping list! Specials on THE WELL-FED WRITER, TWFW: BACK FOR SECONDS, THE WELL-FED SELF-PUBLISHER (AND companion ebook, THE WELL-FED SP BIZ-IN-A-BOX, Now on CD!) Includes Priority Mail shipping (NO charge!) and autographed books on ALL orders placed by 12/21/07. Details at: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/holidaybuffet.shtml.
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HOLIDAY BLOWOUT SALE ON “WELL-FED WRITER” T-SHIRTS & SWEATSHIRTS!
Speaking of great holiday gifts for the “well-fed writers” on your list, you can’t do much better (except for buying them a Well-Fed Writer book, of course!) than the specials running at http://www.coolstuff4writers.com (Click “Our Cool Stuff”), which is closing out “Well-Fed Writer” T-Shirts & Sweats. Pay just $10 for T-shirts (SHIPPED vs. $16 reg.) and $14 for Sweatshirts (SHIPPED vs. $24 reg). Supplies are limited so get moving! Note: the shopping cart on the web site isn’t the most user-friendly. It’s being fixed, but be patient if you’re making a purchase!
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NEW! The BODACIOUS Banquet – ISSUES 1-52 of the EPUB; Just $10.95!!
Every strategy, technique, tip, and success story from 5/02 to 8/06 in one KILLER easy-to-use 280-page ebook resource! http://wellfedwriter.com/thebodabanq.shtml.
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MISSED MY TELECLASS? “Thriving as a Freelance Commercial Writer”
38-PAGE e-Transcript! $12: www.wellfedwriter.com/jan07tstranscript.shtml.
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AWAI COPYWRITING (& OTHER) COURSES: Register Here, Get 2 Extra Bonuses!
Six-Figure Copywriting, Graphic Design, Internet Writing, Fundraising, Health Market and more! TWO Bonus CDS: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/awai.shtml.
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WELL-FED E-PUB Needs ALL COURSES!
“GREENS” (200-300 words), MAIN COURSES (400-500; query first), TIPS (150-200) and SUCCESS STORIES (200-300) to peter@wellfedwriter.com.
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HOW CAN MY MENTORING SERVICE SERVE YOU?
For details and testimonials, visit www.wellfedwriter.com/Mentoring.shtml.
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NEW Subscribe/Unsubscribe feature. To Subscribe (YAY!), Unsubscribe (boo!) and/or update your address for the E-PUB, visit: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine.shtml.
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