Reading Poetry Aloud
Lots of us decide to give a poetry reading – whether it’s our own poetry, a poem we’ve had written for a special occasion or a famous poem, there are times when we would like to read it aloud and share it with other people.
Poetry readings take place at weddings, funerals, poetry clubs and concerts.
There are a few different rules for poetry reading than for prose reading and these rules help us to keep the shape of the poem.
First you have to be heard. The sound has to get out of your mouth and for this to happen you have to open your mouth.
If you have written the poem yourself or if you’ve had it written for you, you will know the emotion the poem is trying to convey. You will know what is coming next but remember your listeners don’t know. They’ve never heard it before so they have to get in the right mood and then they have to listen to the words and they will need time to take in what you’ve read.
It might come as a surprise to know that there are different kinds of pauses. Some of these pauses are used when reading prose and poetry and some are used in poetry only.
Pauses used in prose and poetry
Grammatical pauses – used when punctuation dictates such as a comma or fullstop.
Sense pauses – used when our common sense says we need a pause.
Rhetorical – this is a longer pause that comes at the end of paragraphs and some verses.
Emphatic – this is used before an important word or after an important word or before and after an important word.
Emotional pause – this is used to give an emotional effect such as when a person is crying.
Dramatic pause – a pause used to give a dramatic effect.
Pauses used only in poetry reading
The main pause is the suspensory pause. This occurs at the end of an enjambment line where the sense carries on into the next line of the poem. There must be a slight puase on the last word of the line but no breath must be taken.
An example is taken form Sea Fairies by Eileen Mathias
They’re hiding by the pebbles, They’re running round the rocks
Each of them, and all of them
In dazzling sea green frocks.
There is a pause at the end of the first line and the next place for a breath is halfway through the third line. However at the end of the second line you must hold on to the word ‘rocks’ so that the shape of the poem is kept.
Caesura pause – This can come anywhere in the line of poetry but it always coincides with sense.
Metrical pause – Lines of poetry are made up of metrical feet. These feet are very similar to bars of music. Each foot is made up of 2, 3 or 4 syllables. A metrical pause occurs when part of a foot or a whole foot is missing.
Why pausing is important
Pausing allows the listener to take in what you’ve just said.
It shows you have confidence in your ability to read the poem aloud.
Gives you a chance to breathe.
Keeps the shape of the poem.
Pace and Power
Try to alter the speed at which you read the poem. If you want to sound angry or excited speed up a little and raise the pitch of your voice. When you want to sound more serious lower the pitch and slow down. A higher pitched voice can also be used when talking about things which are high up – the sky, angels, tall buildings and a lower pitch for things lower such as the soil, graves, underwater etc.
Facial Expressions
Your facial expressions and gestures are important. If you are reading a serious poem try not to smile! Any movements you make must look natural and not rehearsed, you want the whole experience to look and sound natural and relaxed.
If the poem wasn’t written by you, you’ll need to read through the poem a few times to try and gauge the feelijg of the poem and also try to pick out the important words and phrases. These important words and phrases can then be emphasised using the methods outlined above.
How I became an Urban Farmer
Bill’s Life and his Lessons Learned and Opinions, Part III
When I was twelve years old, I had bought and sold many shares of stock on the NYSE. I was a motor mouth even then. I always was eager to talk to anyone who liked to invest and discuss stock picks. One of my fathers friends John was such a person. John only had a 3rd grade education. His mother was a prostitute and his first job was collecting and selling leaches to whores in Trenton to be used to remove hickies on their…Well, you got the picture?
John could hardly speak, he studderd so bad that it was a labor to talk to him. But John was no dummy. He had gone on to become a noted designer of transformers and had built up a large company. He lived on a large estate that overlooked a huge pond which to a twelve year old was an eye opener. What ever John would say or do had to be noteworthy.
John would also talk of the lastest electronic gadgets, hottest stock picks, Trees, hunting stories, and about real estate. Just what I was interest in. One day John came to our house. He was so excited that he could hardly talk to us. He handed me a book and said,” Re…re…re..re…re…read this. “It was a book on stock options. The book detailed about puts and calls and how powerful they are in investing. At the time there were few options offered. I read this book. I reread this book over and over. I was amazed at how powerful an option could be. I did not buy or sell any as I did not have the funds to risk on them but I said to myself , “This is something that I am going to do some day.”
Most options on stocks or commodities expire as worthless. Some estimates are that 80% expire as worthless. Not a very good track record for an investor. Now for every option buyer there is a seller. Someone is making money, not just the brokers. Option buyers aquire what can be called leverage. An occasional winner can make up for a bunch of losers. The option sellers don’t necessarly lose unless they trade options naked, ( they don’t own the underlining security) they just don’t have potential gains that they would have had.
Options clearly define an investors loss liabilities. When you buy an option it defines the price of the asset, the time you have to excerise the option, and the capital that you risk. If the value of theoption cotract goes down the most you lose is your inital investment.
There are two basic options, a put and a call. A call allows the buyer of the option to buy the asset a established price for an established peroid of time. A put allows the buyer to force the right to force the seller to buy the asset at and establihed price for an established peroid of time.
What I decided to do when I purchased real estate is to acquire real estate options for farms which had long term contracts. I sought contacts that went out 5-10 years. If I could put together a contract that would run long enough, the rising real estate market would make the contract price a bargain price in afew years. I would offer yearly option renewal payments to the sellers. I made those payments applicable to the purchase price so as time flies the property becomes cheaper.
Now I know that your thinking that this can’t work. I know it does for I have done many of these contracts. Most people who have sold me these contracts want just what this contract offers. They can remain on their property and have the option payment which suppliments their income. They just don’t own any appreciation in the property which they would not have if they sold it. There are also great tax reasons for selling an option. When an option is written it is considered an opening transaction. Taxes are assesed on completed transactions. If a option is not closed revenue is generally not taxed. (see your investment advisor and make sure the contract is properly formed.)
Once this contract is in place one could lease the fields from the owners. This could be known as a lease purchase contract. Now you have ground on which you can plant trees. In many instances I have aquired land this way for less than the cost of the taxes on a yearly cash flow basis.
You can see Bill’s web sit at http://www.seedlingsrus.com
Researching InformationTo Develop Your Unique Content
We live in a sea of information. And information overload is an
increasingly common complaint. Part of the complaint arises
because we get hit with different headlines that point to the
same content. So we waste time on things that have no added
value. Bummer.
When you email your list or put up content on your site, and
assuming you want to generate loyalty, it’s necessary that you
have content others haven’t seen a dozen times elsewhere.
If this makes sense to you, here are some ideas you can use to
EASILY generate fresh content with a minimal amount of time and
effort.
First of all, think about a subject in which you are interested.
Let’s say it’s horticulture. Now if you’re not aware of it, let
me put you in the picture. Most people do web searches from
Google’s home page and stop there. Not at all creative. Not at
all digging for information from which to develop original
content.
So let’s go exploring…
1 – Google has lots of tools besides just web searches. They let
you check the news. (http://news.google.com) As of this writing,
there are 1,680 news items listed by Google on the word
horticulture. Bet you could easily do a summary of some of these
articles and create your own content. But let’s not stop there.
2 – Google also has “groups.” (http://groups.google.com/) These
are folks who like to discuss *your* subject. So now you can go
even farther. Look up horticulture in their groups. Now this
information is potentially gold. Why? Because you can see what it
is about horticulture that lots of folks are interested in.
Think you might be able to do a little research and come up with
a free or even a for-profit report that gives them what they
want?
Check out Google’s other tools, too. You can even get research
info from universities through Google. Start here:
http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/
3 – Next method: Do this search (keeping in the punctuation as
written):
+horticulture +free +filetype:pdf
As of this writing, Google shows 196,000 hits for this query.
What you get here are free downloads in pdf format about your
subject.
Now you can’t simply copy and use it as your own information. You
have to create your writing in your own words. But there’s no law
that says you can’t summarize what you find in other people’s
works. To make the point, you could even call your work something
like: “Survey Report: Latest from the Horticulture Front!”
4 – Go to Alexa.com. Do a search on your subject, in this
example, horticulture. It provides the exact same results as
Google because it’s powered by Google. So why bother, right?
Wrong. Because Alexa *does* provide value added information.
When you do the search, you don’t want to click the link that
takes you to the listed site. Instead you want to follow the link
that says “Site info.” When you do this, you’ll find a section
called: “People who visit this page also visit.” This can be very
valuable because it potentially shows *what the marketplace is
interested in.* This can enable you to tailor your information
product to what people want.
These are just some of the easy ways to branch out your
explorations and find gold to weave into golden braids.
Golden searching… 
Mary Rita Earle owns the work at home directory
and marketing website located at:
Duchess Marketing
Come by and visit us today! Also, be sure to
check out our favorite home business marketing
ebooks at:
http://www.duchessr.biz/ebooks/
Taking Monumental Risks
If a writer is to succeed he or she must take risks. What are these risks?
One of the first risks is the usage of time. If the idea of success is to write for one’s own satisfaction only, then writing is but a hobby, but if one is interested in being recognized as a writer, then other risks must be addressed.
The first one is the fear of rejectionrejection by peers, rejection by editors, and finally, rejection by readers. The first, can be the most important: if a writer presents his or her work to fellow writers and they are too critical, it can have a detrimental effect on the author, often to the point that the writer abandons his or her dream.
An important rejection is that by editors, but it must be realized that the editor has not rejected the writer, only that particular work. Many reason are possible: not appropriate, not needed at the time, overlooked, and many others. All writers have their work rejected so one must look for another market.
If the work is published, then the reader comes into play. Will they buy and read it? If they do, will they consider it or simply snub it?
Another risk is writing what you believe in. If the writer is to succeed, one must be convinced that what he or she says is important to them. Otherwise, the writing will lack sincerity and authenticity.
Once the work is written, it is important to get it out to readers and that can involve sending it to appropriate publications whether in the trade online or otherwise. Do not give up. If the writer believes that the work is significant then it must be placed before readers.
This mean that the writer must promote it with every means at his or her disposal, and many exist: newspapers, word of mouth, business cards, brochures, web sites, blogs, etc., to name a few.
Probably the greatest risk is believing in one’s self. Most writers have vulnerable egos thus it’s important to develop a positive attitude to one’s work. If the writer believes in his ability and effort then the battle is won.
Charles O. Goulet has a BA in history and a BEd in English literature. He has six books published, mainly historical novels.
His website is: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/go1c
His Blog is: http://go1c.blogspot.com
Help to the writer by a judge of several major TV script and screenplay contests. Advice and tips on
Introduction There are many screenplay contests available
to the aspiring screenwriter.These contests can be a good
avenue to getting one’s work noticed and/or make a sale.So,
it’s important to make certain that you have written your
screenplay to the best of your ability and according to industry
standards.
The most important thing to do for any aspiring screenwriter is
to first learn the basic techniques of screenwriting before
sitting down to write one.I come across many hopeful writers
who think that all it takes to write a script is a good story
idea and a lot of explosive special effects.While a good story
is important, with or without the special effects, writing that
story using proper industry standards is equally
important.(Please visit http://www.cover
script.com/education.html — Tips for Screenwriters link for
further information.)
There are specific techniques to the craft of screenwriting
involving everything from act structure to proper screenplay
format, which must be followed.It’s difficult to write
engaging characters, focused plots and entertaining screenplays
without having a solid framework in which to bring it all to
life.
Before any money is spent submitting your work to a
screenwriting contest, it would behoove the writer to first
educate himself in the “tools of the trade”.There are many,
many screenwriting books available as well as workshops and
seminars, both online and in live classroom situations.My
advice is to take advantage of them.Then, armed with the
basics, write, write and then write some more.
Then before submitting your work to any screenplay competition
have it copyrighted and WGA registered.(United States
Copyright office: http://www.loc.gov/copyright<
/a>. Writers Guild of America: http://www.wga.org.)
Advice and Suggestions I am a judge for many contests
and as such, have read thousands of TV scripts and
screenplays.I can assure you that the winners are chosen
because their screenplays or TV scripts contain great stories
and are written to industry standards.Therefore, putting your
best foot forward is a must.Below are some pointers to keep in
mind before you submit your screenplay.
- If your purpose
is to “break into the business”, make certain that the script
contest you enter offers meetings with agents and/or producers
as part of the prize for winning and not just cash prizes.Of
course, if it is just the extra cash you’re after, then go for
it! - Make certain, before you write that entry fee check and
send in your material, that the screenplay contest or TV script
competition is a reputable one and indeed has, in the past,
delivered to its winners what it promised in its promotion. - Presentation of your screenplay does count so make certain
your screenplay follows the accepted industry standards.This
not only includes using the proper screenplay format but also
such things as a typo-free screenplay and the correct binding. - Keep in mind that the industry professionals who sponsor
some of these film and TV competitions do so in order to find
good producible material, hopefully for lower rather than higher
budgets.Therefore, entering a screenplay in a genre with a
story that screams “high budget” lessens the writer’s chances of
winning.This means that
- Sci-fi special effects
stories taking place on purple planets populated with giant,
paisley-skinned, seven-armed, Plasmanian Wooglegorps who
magically float through the air using anti-gravity belts or - a 1920’s Period Piece necessitating Model-T’s, Zoot suits
and flappers or - an action/adventure story that has the bad guys blown to
smithereens, along with their Lear jet, over the ocean, followed
by a high-tech nuclear submarine underwater search and rescue
mission while the oil slicked water burns out of control, are
not the best way to go.
- Make certain that your
story is told visually.Film is a visual medium. - Make sure you don’t have “on the nose” dialogue or too much
dialogue and that all the dialogue sounds natural. - Check to make sure that your characters are interesting,
engaging and have good character arcs.Nothing worse than
having an unlikable hero, a wishy-washy bad guy, or a
protagonist who starts out angry at the world and by the end of
the story is still angry at the world having learned and changed
nothing in his nature.
through your screenplay and are satisfied with it, have it read
by someone else.After all, your story is intended for a
movie-going audience so honest opinions from friends and family
members will give you a feel for that audience reaction.
Then do yourself a favor and have your screenplay read by an
industry professional that has experience and good credentials
in the area of script analysis.A writer can become too close
to his work and not be able to “see the forest for the
trees”.It is to your advantage to have any possible format,
story, character, dialogue and structure flaws found and
corrected before it is submitted to a movie or TV script contest.
While there is never any guarantee your screenplay or TV script
will be a winner, writing one to the best of your ability and
which meets industry standards is a must, as the competition is
fierce.
I wish you great success in your present and future
story-telling adventures.
Website:
http://www.coverscript.com
Email me at: lynnepem@aol.com
Lynne Pembroke Coverscript.com Los Angeles, CA. 323-953-5921
lynnepem@aol.com http://www.coverscript.com
Copyright 2003 Lynne Pembroke, Coverscript.com The
information on this page may not be reproduced, republished or
mirrored on another webpage or website without the permission of
the links site owner or webmaster.
Extreme Research: 10 Snappy Rules For Success
So you want to learn to research well, and not waste any time. Let’s do it. Here are a few NECESSARY preliminary points.
First, adopt an aggressive I-am-taking-over-this-place mindset.
2. Develop a system for executing the research process. By creating your own rules to follow systematically, you really speed things up. Don’t have one? No worries. You can use mine. I happen to have “research animal” stamped on my forehead.
3. Follow the rules. You can tweek them to suit your own style after a couple of runs with this method. But these make for great training wheels.
4. Before going into battle, always ready your weapons.
Do not go near a library or desk to start research unless and until everything you will need sits neatly arranged all about you for quick access. This one is your call. I use 2 or 3 pens and a pad of paper to scratch out notes and thoughts, and a pack of index cards for especially important notes. Then come the highlighters. In college, I used to work the highlighters until they overheated.
Some people like sticky notes (post-its). You can stick ‘em all around you as you work. You will want a rolodex and a phone nearby in case you have to call someone you know to ask questions. For instance, if you have a specially-gifted techie friend in your inner circle, or know a professor, you may want to put him on speed dial. Think a bit about anything else you might need. Some folks study and research well to music, so get your headphones if you need them. Okay, here we have the system lined up for you.
PART #1: Begin Reconnaissance. You’re going in.
A. Get an overview and “contextualize” your topic. Learn its timeline of events and the major historical factors associated with it. When did it happen? What did it do? Why do people care about it at all? Find a short article that outlines the history of, or at least offers a timeline for, your topic. Everything has a history, and gaining a quick overview of your topic’s chronology will give you the context into which all your other sources will fit.
B. Next, ride the wave. This is the surfing and browsing stage. Start with what you know. Pick out words associated with your topic or subject and Google them. When you land a starting topic (you can change this as you go, no worries. Just start somewhere.), use online encyclopedias and other resources to get a “quick snapshot” of the general views on the subject that exist out there already. Try to see your subject from as many angles as possible, as it were, “walking all the way round it,” inspecting as you go. Ask questions in your head, or even out loud like I do (caution: this may scare people), and put them down on paper in a special spot. Slap a sticky note on it that reads “QUESTIONS I HAVE.”
To aid and abet developing a “snapshot overview,” start looking up books on the topic. Find 10 of them. Note the titles on maybe 50 books — if you can find that many — about your subject or topic. Note the overlap in words used in the titles about your topic. This will give you a quick idea about who or what this topic means to others who have already studied it.
Next, read the bibliographies of books. One good book can give you 5-10 great leads you might never have found otherwise. Note the titles that show up repeatedly in different bibliographies. In research geekspeak this is “bibbo,” bibliographic overlap. Bibbo identifies your IRT’s — Initial Research Targets. Photocopy or print out from your IRT’s: the table of contents; the first chapter; a middle chapter that looks interesting or helpful; and the final chapter. Then read these and highlight the Dickens out of them. This gives you a snapshot, and a working knowledge, of the entire book extremely fast. It works too. Use your scribbled out question set as a filter for “what to look for” — and highlight or take notes on — when reading your IRT’s. Write down any further questions that develop. These can be as simple as “Who is that guy?” Let your curiosity guide you, and let the sticky notes FLY!!
Next, read journal and magazine articles. How do you find these? Try checking your Bibbo. Or just follow any that you think might land you somewhere interesting. Play the detective. Follow your nose if you smell a good lead.
PART #2: Compile and organize your sources.
Use the old-fashioned vanilla file folders and mark them up, so you know which is what. Then get a file box to keep them handy.
PART#3: Determine which are the most relevant features of your topic from its effects or imlplications in 3 different areas of study. For instance, if your topic reads, “Interesting stuff about World War II,” then you will need to ask and study questions like, “Who did it cost, and how much did it cost them, to have this war?” Follow the money (economics). Then, you might ask “How did this war change the mindset or values of American society” (sociology or philosophy). Finally, ask maybe, “What inventions did Europeans develop to fight this war?” (technology).
By looking at your topic from at least three disciplinary viewpoints, you will gain a broad understanding of it, and find yourself — somewhat suddenly — asking GREAT questions about it.
PART#4: Find and choose a controversial feature of topic, and choose a side of the issue.
Write down your viewpoint in one sentence. This we call your “thesis.” Arguing this point well now constitutes your “objective.” Ask the question of your thesis, “How do you know this is the case?” Ask this three times. Each time you ask it, give a brief answer in writing from one of your three areas you chose. Each answer must reflect views formed from a different area.
PART#5: Next, Re-read or skim your sources to develop an outline (in order to support your three points offered in defense of your thesis). Now pull out the photocopied (or printed out) chapters from your IRT’s and highlight and scribble all over them — but keep it legible. Argue your case vigorously with your imaginary critic who knows what you know. Take his side and argue against your thesis the best you can. Shoot it down, developing three criticisms. Some of these will already have circulated in print in your sources. Line them up. Then answer the critic. Refute his three points. Your outline is nearly finished.
PART #6: Organize your notes into subgroups listed under the branches of your outline. Draw a picture of the flow of your argument and objections as though it were a tree, and label the parts. Modify the outline as needed. Add relevant subheadings (you will come across new info in your scribbling) under the branches of the outline. Fill out relevant details from your notes to form the arguments for each section and subsection. Your rough draft is now complete.
PART#7: Rewrite your rough draft 5 times using our rules of good writing.
PART:#8 Study the cleaned-up draft for logical errors in arguments. See our “Blogic For Writers” website for this; modify and strenghten your case. Use T Edward Damer’s “Attacking Faulty Reasoning” for this too.
PART#9 — Write your conclusion. This final paragraph spells out “what important point or points you have learned from doing all this hard work (e-search). Here, you make the case for why your research has value. Also, here either write or rewrite your introductory paragraph to “hint at” (anticipate) the concluding paragraph. Most of the time it actually makes the best sense to write your introduction LAST, since this way you write with a view of the WHOLE work, which you did not have at the beginning.
In the introduction, hint at your conclusion, but don’t give away the whole story. This makes for a smooth and logical flow from start to finish, giving your work a stylish symmetry, where the first part foresees the end, and the end reflects on the beginning. All good stories have this symmetry.
PART #10. Do the footnoting (or endnoting) and contstruct an extensive bibliography. Add title page and Table of Contents. See Kate Turabian’s or an MLA manual online for this, and for grammar and style. You can also use the resources we list in our sidebar.
You are DONE. Your paper or article “so totally rocks,” and you get an “A.” Your readers love you, and you then become wealthy and famous. Your actual mileage may vary, batteries not included, offer void where prohibited.
Carson Day has written some 1.3 gazillion articles and essays, with insightful (if alternative) viewpoints. He presently writes for fun and profit, and specialized in the history of ideas in college. He has been quoted as saying “What box?” and remains at large despite the best efforts of the civil authorities.
You can visit his blogsites at http://ophirgoldcorp.blogspot.com (Carson Day’s Free Web Traffic) or http://ophirgold.blogspot.com (Carson Day’s OmniBlog) or http://extremeprofit.blogspot.com (Carson’s Day Trading Outpost)
Are You Feeling Dash-ing? Using Punctuation for Effect and Influence
The dash-that curious mark of punctuation people use in their email and letters. Not the hyphen (-), but the dash (–). It’s made by hitting the hyphen twice. In most cases, when you type the hyphen twice it will turn into one long dash (). Sometimes you see the dash inserted where a comma would fit; other times you see it where you would put parentheses. How is the dash supposed to be usedand when can you use it to get the effect you want?
Each mark of punctuation has a specific function in writing. Certain conventions are attached to every mark of punctuation, and as long as the conventions are adhered to, most readers will understand what we mean when we write. The problem is that the farther we get from our education, the more difficult it becomes to remember the conventions.
Then, add the informality of email to the mix and all “standard” conventions sprout wings and fly out the window. Or at least that’s what happened for a time-until we realized people didn’t understand our messages. We’re revisiting conventions in punctuation because the whole point to the work we do is to get our messages heard and understood-the way we intended them to be understood.
The dash, the comma, and the parentheses tend to be used interchangeably and can to be pretty confusing when they are. Most writers confuse them because they don’t understand the important role each mark plays in conveying meaning to the reader. I’ll clear up the specific use for each so you’ll better understand when to use the dash to get the results you want.
Separating the Comma from the Dash
In my article “Does Punctuation Really Matter in Eamil?” I discussed two of the multiple uses of the comma: to separate items in a series and to set off introductory clauses. Commas can also be used in the middle of a sentence to set apart information that is extrastuff you don’t need but that might be useful. For example,
“We will provide breakfast. We will not, however, provide lunch.”
In this example, the “however” between the commas isn’t required. You could leave it out and still understand the sentence. Hence, the “however” is calm and calls little or no attention to itself.
Parentheses also indicate that the information within them could be left out because the reader doesn’t need that information to understand what’s being said:
“The results have been released and are included with this report (see Appendix A).”
In this case, the information in parentheses is extra and not necessary though definitely useful. You may remember from school that when you see information in parentheses you can skip that information and will still be able to understand what’s written.
Using the Dash to Make Your Point
Okay, so commas set off unimportant information; parentheses set off unnecessary information. What do dashes do? Dashes add emphasis. This is completely opposite from what commas and parentheses do. Consider their difference this way: parentheses whisper, commas are calm, dashes scream!
When you separate information in your sentence by using a dash or dashes, you are telling your reader “this is the only information that really matters.” Because of the impact of dashes and their difference from commas and parentheses, you can see how important it is to use dashes correctlyand only when you want to add emphasis!
Knowing What You’re Doing & Why
While some folks have begun to think dashes, commas, and parentheses are interchangeable, you can probably now see why using the correct one in your sentence will make the difference in the message your readers might get.
Be careful to use your marks of punctuation carefully so they help reinforce the message you are trying to get across to your reader. Stick to the conventions of punctuation, and be consistent. This not only improves the readability of your documents; it also increases your credibility.
About the Author:
Dr. Tracy Peterson Turner works with organizations that want to turn their managers into leaders and with leaders who want to get their messages heard. She is an expert in both written and verbal communication and conducts presentations and workshops to help individuals and corporations meet their communication goals.
Visit Tracy on the web at http://www.Mgr-Impact.com. Email her at Tracy@Mgr-Impact.com
Secrets Of Successful Authors
When the writing bug hits you, get out your pencil, typewriter,a word processor or tape recorder and go to work.
Personal wants and desires, such as “How to Make Money” can put you on the road to success in the writing field. there are five main emotional appeals for selling this kind of publication: Money, Self Preservation, Family, Romance, Recognition. These appeals can all be built into your writings.
It pays to make up a good advertising schedule several months in advance and when you do hit the pages with your ads, be sure they “Drip” with enthusiasm!
The title is of the greatest importance. It alone can determine the sales volume to a large degree. Price your report so that you can come out with a good profit. You will want to make tests to see if your publication will bring in the required price before going into full scale advertising.
Most people are dreamers not “do’ers”. It is only a short step to be a do’er… Just do it!
Sometimes it is better to write a strong ad before you write the report, then make the report live up to your ad. Make your ads friendly.
Write about a special subject in a unique way: Strive to write in such a way that you will get repeat orders or will receive orders from the same customers for your other books and products. Have a follow-up program ready to go.
Ship your orders without delay. Don’t hold them up for checks to clear. It will do you much more damage than getting a few bad checks. Offer a free bonus for “buying today”.
Get quality printing for use with all your paper needs (letterheads, envelopes, circulars, sales letters, return envelopes, order forms, etc.)
You can set up a distributor program, sell your publications direct to the consumer, or use both methods.
It’s a good idea to give your other publications a boost within the pages of your other reports and books, but don’t brag about your accomplishments or try to sell all your own products in the body of your publication.
HOW TO PRICE YOUR BOOK!
Whatever amount you come up with for the price of your book, remember that advertising expense will usually take 50% to 60% of your selling price if you are to promote your book properly and get into the mass market. This only leaves 40% to 50% of the sales proceeds for all your other expenses and a reasonable profit for your efforts. And don’t forget “all other expenses” include not only the cost of typesetting, printing, mailing and other direct expenses, but also includes numerous variable and indirect expenses; such as auto, depreciation, insurance, and all the other “general overhead”, even if you only work part-time from your home. Then you must have enough left over to “pay yourself” a reasonable draw for your time, effort and risk!
Failure to understand the “Mathematics of Mail Order” is the basic reason most people do not succeed when trying to sell books by mail.
One of the most important points to learn about mailorder mathematics is just exactly where your break-even point is. This varies drastically depending on the total units produced and sold. The more units sold the less the cost per unit. In other words, the more you sell the more flexible you can be in pricing your product.
Never price a publication at less than total cost, just to increase sales, unless you have computed correctly that the increased sales will reduce you unit cost sufficiently to overcome any potential loss.
On the other side of the “coin”, if the price of your publications is too high, you could be in a worse position than if selling for only half the price. Maybe a price reduction of 50% will get you 500% more sales thus lowering your variable costs per unit sufficiently. The loser is immediately turned into a blockbuster! Only tests will tell!
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Julia Tang publishes Smart Online Business Tips, a fresh
and informative newsletter dedicated to supporting people
like you! To find out the best online business opportunities,
and to discover hundreds more proven and practical internet
marketing secrets, plus FREE internet marketing products
worth over $200, visit: http://www.best-internet-businesses.com
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2 Critical Things That Will Determine Your Future
Copyright 2006 Daniel N Brown
There are many things in life that clamour for our attention. Many of these things are completely useless and only eat up our valuable time. If we’re not careful these things will drag us down and lessen our quality of life.
We have to be very careful what we subject ourselves to because everything has an influence. We must protect our minds by being careful what we choose to let inside.
If we have hopes of having an extraordinary future there are two critical things that we must monitor.
1. The Books We Read
In 5 years or less you will be the sum total of the books you have read. In other words, you will be the sum total of what you have put into your mind. If what you are allowing into your mind on a regular basis is not in harmony with where you want to be in the future you may want to make some serious changes. Get yourself on a good reading program.
What we focus on becomes attracted into our lives. If we put positive information into our minds we will attract positive circumstances.
2. The People You Associate With
In 5 years or less you will be the sum total of the people you have associated with.
There have been times in my past that I have had to break off some close relationships because of the negativity associated with these particular people. They did nothing but drag me down.
Relationships like that will keep you from getting to where you want to go. I’m not saying that you should stop loving and caring for those type of people, but just love and care for them from a distance. Simply quit hanging out with them.
You don’t have to physically associate with negative people to experience their negative effects. Many people associate emotionally with other people via television.
I have a friend who is into a particular soap opera and he says it doesn’t affect him. I disagree. I know this soap well because I was addicted to it myself! After watching it every day for about six years, I was usually left in a paralyzed state of mind. My friend is so accustomed to his state of mind that I know he doesn’t even realize it.
I have another friend who is reading romance novels. She views her real world as lacking romance so she tries to compensate for it by indulging in a fantasy.
I know a lot of people who are into watching scary movies. These shows leave a person with a sense of fear. The Bible says over and over again, “Fear not!”
We absolutely have to choose our associations wisely! Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens the other.” How sharp do you want to be?
Conclusion
Where will you be in in the future? Three, four, or even five years down the road? It is a fact that in five years or less you will be the sum total of the books you have read and the people you have associated with.
Are you reading good books and associating with the right kind of people? Or, do you need to get some good books and change a few relationships? The Bible says, “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it flow the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).