The Important Search Tool

     

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Several times a week, writers will ask a question about something related to writing and I turn to an important search tool. It’s right in plain sight but I suspect few people know about it or use it. In this article, I want to call attention to this important search tool which is on my blog.

To locate this too, you have to go to my blog on The Writing Life then scroll down to find the tool. Here's what you are looking for:

After you find it, change the search button from web to my blog. Then type in your specific word or phrase to locate entries which have this information.

Since 2008, I’ve been writing each week about publishing and the writing life. I’ve covered many different topics from my perspective as a working writer and an acquisitions editor at three different publishers.  Often throughout my week, I will be talking with writers about publishing. I will use this search tool to find specific articles which I email to them.

Over the years, I’ve written about different attributes of writers like consistency and persistence. Also I’ve covered writing for magazines, devotional writing, book publishing, proposals, query letters, work made for hire, contracts, marketing, social media and much more. You can use this search tool to look for these articles and learn for your own writing life. 

No single person has all of the answers to your various questions but I believe we can learn (and continue to learn) from each other. Through the years, I have written about my various editorial and publishing experiences in these entries. I encourage you to tap into this search tool as another consistent source and tool to gain publishing insights and wisdom.

Do you have a search tool on your blog? Why or why not? I encourage you to add it and make it easy for others to search your blog. It is simple HTML which I added to my blog years ago and continue to use often. Let me know what you think about this search tool and how you can use it on your website or blog in the comments below.

Now that you know about this hidden gem, you can use it too.

 

Tweetable:

If you need writing and publishing information, use this important search tool. This prolific writer and editor has created a blog with over 1600 entries and often uses it himself. Get the details in this article. (ClickToTweet)

Much of the publishing process is outside of the writer’s control. 10 Publishing Myths helps writers have a realistic perspective and take action. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

What Is Your Back Up Plan?

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Sometimes even the best plans have hitches. For example, these weekly articles I write about the writing life. For many years, I've been writing and putting up these articles. Ahead of time I write the article, set up the details and check it. Then early on Sunday morning, I check to see if it worked.

 

Last week, I went to my blog—and nothing was posted. Behind the scenes, I checked and my post had a headline but nothing else. The day before I had carefully written my article, added links like my ClickToTweet and others. I had checked everything and scheduled it to go live online. Yet my article was not there. It was completely blank.  

Many writers in this situation would panic. I did panic for a few minutes but then I sat down and went to work—because I had a back up plan. While I rarely use this back up plan, it is there and something I'm going to explain in this article so you can create your own back up plan.

 

For years, I've been writing my original articles in a different program—reviews, articles and blog posts. My back up didn't have everything—but had the majority of the information. Years ago for my blogging, I began to use a program called BlogJet and that's where I had my original article. In fact, I use this program to keep my ideas and notes for future blog articles. 

Some of these notes are never used. Throughout my day when I get an idea for an article, I will often go to BlogJet and create a new file, then scratch a few words of an outline. Later I use this outline to craft my article. When I looked for my blogpost and nothing was there, I turned to my article on BlogJet which had most of my original article. I still had to re-do some of my work but not all of it to put it into place.

 

Back-up Is For More Than Blog Articles

 

I've written over 1,100 reviews on Amazon and over 700 reviews on Goodreads.  I begin the process writing my review in a Word document—not online. I craft my review in this document, sometimes even print and read it later then rewrite before I post it on Amazon and Goodreads.  I create my reviews in this way because it gives me a back up place.

 

Through my decades in publishing, there have been a few rare times  I've lost writing and it is painful to have to recreate something. I've learned the hard way the importance of planning a back up plan ahead of time. It's a simple concept to write and preserve your material in another location than the online place but a regular part of my practice. Then when the rare day like last week happens, I don't panic and can still meet the deadline.

 

I captured this experience in this article as a part of my writing life to help you. What do you have as a back up plan for your writing or online work? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

When something unusual happens in your writing,  what is your back up plan? This prolific editor and author gives the details of how he handles this writing situation. (ClickToTweet)

Whatever you write, every book needs a business plan. Get this resource.

Gratitude and Subtle Changes

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Last week over 30 people on my launch team did remarkable work on various book review sites like Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Goodreads and Amazon. They wrote reviews about Book Proposals That Sell, 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success (The Revised Edition). It was an amazing experience to read reviews on Medium and other places.

 

Through the years I've written many reviews of books for print publications, Amazon and Goodreads plus promoted those books on social media. It's one of the ways that I support other authors and tell people about worthwhile books that I've discovered. I'm full of gratitude for each of these people who last week made this sort of effort for my book. With many new books releasing each day, it's not easy for any book to get reviews or attention in the market. I understand firsthand the effort it takes to write a good review about the contents in a book, then get it posted on one of these sites.

 

Years ago I wrote Book Proposals That Sell to help editors and agents get better submissions and also to help writers receive publishing contracts and better reactions. The reality of the publishing world is a huge volume of material is being submitted to editors and agents. When something is rejected, you often get a form rejection letter (if a response at all). These form rejections say something generic like “it wasn't a good fit for us” but do not give you any information about what you can do to improve your submission for the next time you send it out (if you send it out at all. Many people get rejected a few times, give up and stop submitting their work. Every book needs a proposal or business plan—even if you self-publish or write fiction or write children's books or write nonfiction books. I'm delighted to get the revised edition of this book back into the market to help a new generation of writers.

 

Subtle Changes From the Launch

 

Because of the release of Book Proposals That Sell, I also made a couple of design and image changes.  First, I changed my header on the top of my Twitter profile to emphasize the new book. Also this images tells the reader how to get a free Book Proposal Checklist. I have a pop up button for it at my book website or you can go to this site and sign up for the Book Proposal Checklist.  In the past I had a one page checklist but I've made this checklist into an 11–page free ebook.

 

My second change is something I've not done in years: I changed the image at the top of this blog on The Writing Life. I published the first entry in this blog December 31, 2004 and yes, I have been blogging each week for a long time. The original design included a book laying on the cover of a keyboard. That book was Book Proposals That Sell (the original edition). The designer built a subtle element (which I suspect no one has ever used) and I didn't call this element to anyone's attention—but I'm doing it now. If you move your mouse over the book laying on the keyboard AND click the book, it will open up a window and take you to that book location.

 

Years ago when I published Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, I changed the clickable book on the design to Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. In celebration of the revised edition of Book Proposals That Sell, I changed the book a third time (and the book is still clickable to take the reader to the book website).  Finally I changed the template header for my email subscribers. Everything matches.

 

I've written these details today to help you see the types of changes you can also make to your own website, Twitter profile and blog, when you launch a book or have any other special event. When you publish a new book, do you make these sorts of changes? Ir maybe you change something else in this process. Let me know in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

When his book launched, this prolific editor and author expresses his gratitude and tells about some subtitle changes tied with the publication of Book Proposals That Sell. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)

Are You Missing A Key Element to Publish Your 

Book? Get the details here

Don't Forget Some Marketing Basics

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Last week I told you about launching my special offer on my newest book, 10 Publishing Myths. Today I want to talk about several simple marketing basics every author can use to tell new readers about your book. As authors, we want to try new marketing efforts yet also we don't want to forget (or neglect) some basics.

If you blog (and I hope you do), your blog has a profile. Does this profile include clickable links to your latest books? A while back I wrote an explanation of clickable links. Just follow this link to get this information. I have not updated my blog profile in ages but last weekend I dug into my settings, found the location and made some changes. It's something I suggest you do as well for your latest offering to cover the marketing basics.

I've mentioned in these articles about tweeting 12–15 times a day using Hootsuite. Twitter has a feature that I've known about for several years but never used—called pinning a tweet and image. You can pin this tweet to the top of your various tweets. Until you change the pinned tweet, it remain at the top. While I've tweeted  thousands of times, I had never pinned anything—until last weekend.  As I pinned, it was a process to get it to look right. Here's this tweet.  At first, it did not so I deleted it and reworked it until I got it like I wanted it. Are you pinning a tweet?

Throughout every day, each of us send email. Do you have a signature in your email? Does this signature promote your latest book? I changed my personal email address and my work email address to add this promotion. Until I revise it, this promotion will be in my emails. Why are these signatures important? Throughout the week I write emails and adding these words point people to my 10 Publishing Myths special offer. The receiver may not notice it the first or third time we email—but they may eventually look at it. The marketing is something simple and consistent.

Finally I updated the website with my name www.terrywhalin.com  I do not drive a lot of traffic to this site but it is a common way that people will search for me and go to it. I added my special offer right at the top of this site. Admittedly I have not updated this site in a while—and it probably needs a whole new make over but that will have to wait until a later date.

I've been making sure I cover the marketing basics for my 10 Publishing Myths special offer. Have I left out something or you have a different marketing basic? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Are you covering the marketing basics? Get some ideas from this prolific editor and author. (ClickToTweet)

What Is Writing Success?

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Success is a pursuit for many writers, authors and publishing professionals. If we are honest, each of us will define success in different terms. In this article, I want to give you some ideas which hopefully will encourage you to keep going with your writing.

Occasionally book authors will ask me about success or becoming a bestseller. When asked, I attempt to give them my best answer—and basically it will boil down to that author's marketing activity and drive to sell books. There is no single path for each author. If there were such a path, then every book would be a bestseller and we know that isn't the case.

For me, I write about topics and people which interest me. Thankfully I have a broad spectrum of interest so there is never a lack of possibilities for my writing. I learn a great deal with each article or book or writing project. Each one has built a great deal into my life and the richness of that experience. I hope writing brings that sort of experience in your own life.

I've been promoting my book about Billy Graham every day for over four years. I post different messages and links and images but have been doing this process over and over every day. Last week one of my long-term friends added a message to one of my Facebook entries about Billy Graham saying, “Wow I didn't know you wrote that book.” She purchased the book and is reading it and has told me she is going to write a review of it when finished. I'm grateful this friend discovered my book and is reading it. This one exchange is success for me and one of the reasons I wrote that book.

As authors (from my experience), we don't get lots of feedback from readers of our work. Yes you may see an occasional review or get an email or comment. For every review or comment, I expect there are many more readers who never reach out to the author.

It's the same with these articles in my blog. The people who comment are rare (outside of the spammers which I delete). Yet each week for years I continue to write and post a new entry in The Writing Life. I see these lists of the top writing blogs—and mine is not on it. These lists come from well-known and respected writing magazines. Yes I have an email subscriber list of about 500 which goes up and down but stays around that same number.

Last week I got an email about this list of ranked writing blogs. To my surprise, The Writing Life blog was the fourth rank of 100 blogs. Notice this ranking includes several criteria for the ranking—including followers. It was encouraging to see my followers and be listed on this ranking.

My encouragement to you:

1. Follow your own path with your writing and persist to reach the right publisher and right readers.

2. Understand that success varies for each piece of writing and some writing will reach people you have no idea that it reaches.

3. Continue to move forward in spite of rejection, doubts, fears and other emotions. The journey is a key portion of the reward.

Success is different for each of us and I hope in this article, I've given you some insights and motivation to persevere and move ahead with your writing. Enjoy the journey.

What is your definition of Writing Success? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:


What is Writing Success? Get some ideas from this prolific writer and editor. (ClickToTweet)

Happy New Year & Five Action Steps

Happy New Year 2019.  As Edith Lovejoy Pierce wrote, "We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."

What pages will you write in the New Year?

I want to give you five action steps to take which will help you succeed in 2019.

1. Keep expanding your reach and your audience. Every writer (new or experienced) needs to have their own audience. If you don’t have an email list, start one and if you do have an email list, keep expanding it. Why? There is much in publishing you can’t control but you can control your own email list. I have a resource to help: http://thelistbuildingtycoon.com/

2. Continue to promote and tell people about your books and other resources. The author’s passion will continue longer than anyone else. I continue promoting my BOOK PROPOSALS THAT SELL which has over 130 Five Star reviews on Amazon and you can get the discounted book at: http://BookProposalsThatSell.com I wrote this book 15 years ago but it still has value whether you are publishing traditional or self-publishing.

3. Be working on new books or the expansion of a book. Can you create an online course associated with your book? I have another resource, the Simple Membership System. To help you, I’ve discounted it for a week from $47 to $37--just use the coupon code 2019START for the discount when you check out at: http://yourmembershipcourse.com/

4. Continue learning and growing, reading new books and applying the information to your life. I recommend you attend a conference because who you know is as important as what you know. (http://www.right-writing.com/conferences.html? ).Also subscribe to my blog and get it by email every week at: http://bit.ly/1F9r3Ro

5. Reach out to me if I can help you. One of the books I acquired last year for Morgan James got on the USA Today bestseller list (broad distribution). I know many people are self-publishing (over a million self-published books last year) but the average lifetime sales of a self-published book is 100 copies.  I would encourage you to go a different route and as an acquisitions editor, I send contracts to authors every week. My work contact is on the bottom of the second page at:
http://terrylinks.com/mjponesheet

Be encouraged and keep going. Wishing you great blessings in the New Year. 

Finally You don’t have to buy my resources to succeed in 2019 but you do have to take action and I’m glad to help you in this process. Also Last year marked the passing of America’s greatest evangelist, Billy Graham. My short biography, BILLY GRAHAM has over 100 Amazon reviews. It is available in print, ebook and audiobook. Get more details at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com 

In the comments below, let me know what steps you are taking in the new year.

Tweetable:


Get five action steps for the new year at: (ClickToTweet)

Authors Need A Practical Plan

Authors know the online world is important to their book marketing efforts. Yet many authors are overwhelmed with the possibilities. The majority of writers want to write instead of market their books. Every busy author has limited time and resources to market their book. Where do they begin and how can they create an effective in their online marketing strategy?

From my many years in publishing, when you face such questions, it is best to learn from someone who knows the world of online book marketing intimately and can give you sseasoned direction. Long-time publicist Fauzia Burke is one of these experts. Recently I read Fauzia's new book, Online Marketing for Busy Authors, A Step-by-Step Guide. This an eye-catching book is easy to read and loaded with practical information.

The book is organized into three phases. First, you need to get organized, then you need to turn your thinking into action and finally, you need to learn to stay the course. In the first section to get organized, you have to dream big, know your reader (target), set realistic goals and have a priority list.

The second section helps you turn your ideas into action with step-by-step information to create an online marketing plan, build a website, create a mailing list, blog and social networking. I found each section to be straightforward and easy to apply advice. In order to cut through the confusion, Burke encourages authors to focus on six priorities: website, mailing list, blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and video. Her detailed recommendations are in the book.

In the third section, Burke encourages authors to promote without being promotional. I understand it is a fine distinction.

 Scattered throughout the book are a series of “Tip for #BusyAuthors” and each one is simple yet full of insight. For example, “You don’t have to be an early adopter and chase every social media tool. Use tools that have a track record for success.” (Page 40)

In the final pages of Online Marketing for Busy Authors, A Step-by-Step Guide, Burke writes, “The famous line said it all: “You gotta be in it to win it.” If you are not available online when people are searching for information, the chances of them finding your book and buying it are slim. Remember: Every reader who takes the time to seek information on a related topic is an interested, and qualified buyer—a warm lead. Just the kind we like.” (Page 140-141)

I loved the simplicity yet power in Online Marketing for Busy Authors, A Step-by-Step Guide. I highly recommend it.

Tweetable:

Busy Authors Need a Practical Online Marketing Plan. Get details here: (ClickToTweet)

Build Your Presence with a Blog

Book editors and literary agents are looking for visible authors. I'm talking about authors who have an already established connection to their audience and communicate with that audience on a consistent basis. The buzzword that is commonly used in publishing is called “platform.” What is the author's platform?

Many authors are chagrinned to hear this news. They thought the publisher was going to be the one to promote and market their book. These authors want to focus on storytelling and creating the best possible novel or nonfiction book. They don't want anything to do with marketing. Because these authors resist being involved in marketing, their pitches are consistently rejected and they struggle to find an editor or agent to champion their project. 

One of the simple yet effective ways to build your market presence is through blogging. On a consistent basis, I've been writing my blog since December 2004. The experience has been valuable in dozens of different ways and I've learned a great deal from it. Also I've increased my presence in the marketplace through blogging. 

Whether you have a blog or not, as an author or would-be author, you have some questions about how to build your presence (platform) with a blog and also how to you make money with a blog? I want to provide you with some answers but first here's

Five Ways Not To Blog

1. No focus. The word blog is short for a weblog and you start your blog with a literal use of this word. You write whatever comes into your head with no focus and no particular topic and audience in mind. In the process you crank a bunch of words into your computer. Yet are you drawing an audience?

2. No consistency. Sometimes you blog several times a day. Other times you go weeks or months without a single entry. You put information into the blog without any constant flow. And if you look at your viewing statistics, you see the results—lame.

3. Not picking a niche with passion. While this relates to focus, as a blogger, you need to select a particular niche that you will write about for a long time—with passion. Many bloggers fail to account for this element and they blog for a while then run out of steam. My blog has been going strong for years because I am passionate about the area I selected. Are you?

4. No email updates or RSS feed. Readers are different and you need to appeal to many types of readers. Some people like reading the entries on the site while others prefer to receive updates via email or their favorite blog reading tool which picks up on the RSS (really simple syndication) feed. You are missing out if you aren't using these simple resources with your blog.

5. No links to other resources. No one contains all of the information about any particular topic. People who read and love blogs like to have other resources within a blog post. You need to include links to other people's materials and resources as you write your entries. It will broaden your base and help you in countless ways.

I've just listed a few of the countless mistakes that people make in setting up and maintaining their blog. They do not attract readers nor make any money from their blog and quickly lose interest. They chalk it up to a wasted experience. You can avoid these mistakes with a little forethought and consistency. 

I want to help you build your presence in the marketplace with a blog. Whether you are a blogger or not, I have some insights for you. 

On Tuesday, August 7^th, I will be answering your questions in a FREE live teleseminar at www.askterrywhalin.com I encourage you to ask your questions. Hopefully your question will be one that I will answer during the 70–minute event. If you can't make the exact event, go ahead and register because it will be recorded and everyone who signs up will receive an email to the recording after the event.

To encourage your blogging efforts, everyone who signs up for the event will receive a free copy of my Ebook, Bloggers Guide to Profits, Discover the Little Known Secrets to Making Money with our Blog. If you scroll down the right side of my blog, you will see that I sell this book for $9.95. During this event, I'm giving away this valuable resource to everyone who registers. Please feel free to pass this information along to others and have them come to this live event.

I look forward to answering your questions on August 7^th.

Plan For Your Blog To Succeed

Over six years ago, I started blogging from my passion to help others in the publishing community. My idea was simple: to give my insight about the writing and publishing world. I’m using those words in the broadest possible way so I write about the magazine and book worlds. I highlight new products that I’ve created and what I learn from others. While I never dreamed it would get this big, my blog has over 1,000 searchable entries in it. This place alone has a wealth of material about writing.

Millions of people start a blog with no plan. They have a passion for their topic and begin pouring words into their blog and posting them on a regular basis. I applaud that passion but one of the keys for your blog to succeed is that you have a plan for how your blog will earn money.

I’ve heard of people who turn their blogs into a six-figure income center yet I’ve also watched others start a blog, work hard at it and then eventually abandon it because it didn’t make them a dime.

I’m sure you’d like to be in the former category rather than the latter.

You can increase your chances of doing so but following these three easy steps for making money as a blogger…

Step 1: Create quality content in a hot niche.

People aren’t interested in reading ads or “spun” articles that are nothing more than gibberish. They want solutions to their problems. And that means they need quality content. In other words, they want useful information that solves their problems.

Here’s the key, though: While the information you provide should be useful, it should also be incomplete.

That is, it shouldn’t completely solve your prospects’ problems. After all, if you completely solve your prospects’ problems, then they really have no need to buy what you’re selling.

One way to provide useful but incomplete solutions is by sharing articles that tell people what to do, but don’t go into detail about how to do it.

Example: A marketing blog might have the instruction “buy a good domain name at NameCheap.com,” but it doesn’t get into the details of what it means to buy a “good” domain name. Then the blogger can point to a short report that tells people how to build a website (which includes how to choose a good domain name).

Step 2: Monetize your blog.

You’re already providing useful content. Soon you’ll have plenty of readers eyeballing this content. So before you bring in the traffic, you need to find ways to monetize the traffic. Here are three ways:

* Promote products and services. These could be your own products or affiliate products. If you don’t know or understand the word affiliate, I encourage you to get my free Ebook on this billion dollar industry (click the link in this sentence). Read my Ebook and sign up to become one of my affiliates.

* Sell advertising space.

Example: You can sell a rotating banner ad on the home page of your blog. You can even sell plain text links.

* Get people on your list. Instead of focusing on getting people to buy products or click on ads, you can focus on getting them on your list. Then you can build a relationship with them, which makes it easier for you to sell products on the backend.

Step 3: Drive traffic to your blog.

Your blog is ready to make some money – now you just need traffic! Here are three ways to get traffic:

* Start a Facebook Fan Page. I used a simple tool Facebook Fan Page Engine to build my own Facebook Fan page. You can see my Facebook Fan page at this link. Please click the “like” button and get my free Ebook.

* Get JV (joint venture partners). Then co-promote each other on your blogs, such as by guest blogging.

* Submit articles to article directories such as EzineArticles.com.

There’s not enough room in this article to share with you all the tips you need to know to make a killing with your blog. That’s why you need The 31-Day Guide to Blogging for Bucks. Get your copy here now: http://bucksforblog.com.

Ten Ways to Capture Your Blog’s Passion & Profit

Most people start blogging because they are passionate about their particular topic or subject matter. Each day they pull up to their computer and crank out some more words then post it and go on with their day. Through their blogging, these writers:

* Establish themselves as an expert on their topic

* Begin to gain readers to their writing

* Grow their communication skills through regular writing

While I applaud these three benefits from blogging, take a minute and think about the time and effort you are pouring into your writing. Can you balance that effort and turn a profit from your writing? Whether you are just starting a blog or have been blogging for some time, I want to give you the top ten ways to make money on your blog.

1. Create clever post titles. People don’t come to your blog to read advertisements. Instead, they come to read good content. And their first clue as to whether the content is good is based solely on the titles of your blog posts. That’s why you need to create interesting, benefit-driven post titles.

Example #1: Here’s an example of a ho-hum title: “Dog Training Tips”

Example #2: Now here’s an example of a title that will get people reading your posts: “10 Surefire Dog Training Tips That Will Have You Firing Your Dog Trainer!”

2. Optimize your content for the search engines. Your blog won’t put a dime in your pocket if no one reads your content and sees your ads. That’s why you should seek to optimize your content to pull in traffic from the search engines. You do this by finding out what keywords your market is already searching for in Google, and then including these keywords in your articles two or three times per 100 words of text.

3. Weave product recommendations into your content. Your ads shouldn’t be confined to your blog’s sidebar – you can also put them directly into your content.

4. Post regularly, such as twice per week. Doing so makes your blog “sticky.” It also gives your readers a reason to keep coming back and again and again, which gives you another chance to sell them something.

5. Create regular weekly features. This is another way to get your visitors to return on a regular basis.

Example: You can create a feature called “Friday’s Super Tip,” where you post your very best niche-related tip every week.

6. Make use of your blog sidebar. You can post text ads, banner ads and other graphics, links to your best blog posts and a newsletter subscription form in your sidebar.

7. Rotate products on your blog. Doing so keeps your blog fresh. But it also gives you a chance to track and test your offers to see which ones put the most money in your pocket.

8. Use pictures. You can post relevant pictures in your articles as well as your sidebar, which will work to draw people’s eyes to your content and ads. You can get these photos for as little as $1 each at stock photo sites.

9. Encourage people to subscribe to your RSS feed. People who are subscribed are more likely to become a regular reader of your blog.

Don’t just rely on people subscribing to your RSS feed, however…

10. Get people on your newsletter list. One way to do this is to password-protect some of your best posts, and then offer access to these posts only to those who’ve subscribed to your newsletter list. Another way is through a Feedblitz account. Use the link to set up a 30 days trial. You can set up a simple way for people to subscribe to your blog and receive it through their email. I have over 500 subscribers to my blog using this system.

These tips are just scraping the surface when it comes to making money with your blog. If you want to make real money with your blog, then you need an in-depth guide that shows you exactly how to set up a blog, create content for it and make money with it. You can get The 31-Day Guide to Blogging for Bucks by going to: http://BucksForBlog.com.

Discover Passion and Profit in A Blog

You have selected a topic that you love and started a blog. For most of us, we are passionate about that topic and it is a fun place to write our thoughts. While the word “blog” has become common it started from the term web log or a place on the web to log your thoughts. According to one site, there are over 450 million active English blogs.

I enjoy writing in my blog yet in these challenging economic times, I also see the value in combining my passion with earning some money. Over the next several entries of The Writing Life, I want to show you several different ways you can either start a blog or begin to earn from your blog. And since a blog is so flexible, there are plenty of ways to monetize it.

Here are the top three ways:

1. Sell your products.

This is the most obvious way to make money with a blog: If you have products or services to sell, then promote them on your blog.

You can put permanent banners and text ads in the sidebar. I encourage you to take a moment and look closely at what I've done on The Writing Life. If you click some of the banners, you will see they refer to some of my products such as my Write A Book Proposal course or my book, Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. You can also weave your product links into your actual blog posts.

Example: Let’s suppose you’re selling a weight loss book on your blog. You can post a “Top 10 Tips for Losing Weight” article on your blog. And then at the end of the article you can include a link to your book, “101 Tips for Losing Weight.” If people like your 10 tips, then they’ll be eager to buy your book.

Why does this work so well?

Because blogging gives you the opportunity to showcase your expertise. When you establish yourself as a trusted expert, people are more likely to buy from you.

2. Sell affiliate products.

Don’t have your own products?

No problem: You can sell affiliate products. That means that you get a commission every time someone buys a product or service through your affiliate link.

There are plenty of big companies that have affiliate programs. One of the most popular affiliate programs for physical products is the a Amazon.com program, simply because your buyers already know and trust Amazon.com.

But if you’re going to sell downloadable information products, then one of the best affiliate programs is via Clickbank.com, where you’ll find thousands upon thousands of products to sell. Best of all, the commission rates are generous. You’ll see them as high as 50% and even 75%! I've written a free 30–page Ebook, You Can Make Money. Just follow the link and get it.

3. Insert AdSense ads.

Still another way to make money on your blog is by showing Google AdSense ads on your site. You make money every time someone clicks on your ad!

Here’s the biggest benefit of this method:

You don’t have to sell a thing. You don’t have to convince anyone to buy. All you have to do is post good content on your site to attract prospects… and you get paid every time they click on an ad. It’s easy!

What’s next?

I’m sure by now you can see that there’s a world of profitable opportunities waiting for anyone who wants to start up a blog.

If you’d like to know what the Internet's wealthiest bloggers know about making money with a blog, then look no further than The 31 Day Guide to Blogging For Bucks. I encourage you to get your copy right now—risk-free since you can use it for 60 days. This guide will really open your eyes to the possibilities!

Back From The Big Apple

Mid-day on Sunday, I returned from five days in New York City. Whenever I travel to New York City, it seems to be a whirlwind of activity. I met with various editors and pitched projects for clients of Whalin Literary Agency. I talked shop with my colleagues in the American Society of Journalists and Authors. I met many new people and exchanged business cards and many other details.

Over the next couple of entries about The Writing Life, I'm going to break out some of those events and write about them here so you can get a hint of what transpired, what I learned from it--and you can learn as well. The majority of people who attended the conference from out of town stayed at the Grand Hyatt which was the conference hotel. It's a terrific place located right next to Grand Central Station yet typical for a New York hotel right in the center of town, not inexpensive.

With the advice from an ASJA colleague, several weeks ago I checked out temporary housing on CraigsList and found a one-bedroom apartment for less than half of the conference hotel rate. It was a terrific arrangement because I could cook my own breakfast and had a bit more space than your typical New York hotel room. It would have helped me to have one extra detail from my colleague: to look for buildings with an elevator. This one bedroom apartment was on the fifth floor with no elevator. It took quite a bit of personal heavy lifting to get my belongings up to that fifth floor with a narrow staircase on each floor. Then yesterday heading home, it involved some careful walking again with my suitcases to get down from the apartment. Because I was on the upper west side and at least 50 city blocks from the hotel, I rode the New York subway each direction.

Just to give you an idea about my diversity of transportation, I took my last subway ride to the apartment late Saturday night, packed up and checked out about 5:30 a.m. I flagged down a taxi who took me to the New York Port Authority. I rode a bus from the Newark Airport when I arrived to the Port Authority and now I was making this trip in reverse. The bus runs about every 15 minutes from Manhattan to the airport. I reached the airport and checked my luggage and purchased a bit of breakfast. My 4.5 hour flight from Newark to Phoenix was uneventful. I waited in the Phoenix airport baggage claim area until the last bag came off--and none of them included my bags. So...I went to the airline to report my missing bags. To my relief the airline worker found my two bags. Apparently I checked in so early in Newark, they put my bags on a previous flight. I took the airport shuttle to the economy parking, found my car and drove home. It made for a long day of travel.

Saturday I was a panelist at a workshop about blogging. Here's what the program said about our session and the various panelists:

(G) Successful (Money-Making!) Blogging

If you're thinking of creating a blog or looking to improve your current template, this is a must-attend session. Panelists will show how to achieve professional results when it comes to generating buzz, cultivating an audience, and writing the kind of content that gets you noticed by editors. Bonus: the latest tech details.

Moderator: T.C. Cameron, ASJA, blogs via TheWriteReferee.com. He has written for The Ann Arbor News, The Detroit News, The Lakeland Ledger, Great Lakes Golf Magazine, Referee Magazine, others. T.C. Cameron has recently authored his first title, Metro Detroit's High School Football Rivalries, offered by Arcadia Publishing. Cameron recalls the best games from prep football's golden age in the Motor City. Release due August, 2008. Cameron also blogs three times a week for The Oakland Press, which syndicates Cameron's TheWriteReferee to a 27-paper network of statewide dailies throughout Michigan.

Bruce E. Mowday, President of The Mowday Group, Inc., spent more than 20 years in journalism, winning a number of writing awards for investigative journalism, before founding his own company in 1997. Mowday's complete endeavors are found at Mowday.com. Bruce is a contributing editor for a business magazine and freelances stories for newspapers, historical organization newsletters and other publications. He has also hosted his own weekly radio show on two stations. Mowday is the author of eight published books, including The Selling of an Author, a marketing guide for authors.

Jerame Rief, owner of DataOne Solutions, Inc., a technology consulting firm specializing in building web-based solutions as they relate to the needs of writers, entrepreneurs and building business platforms.

Patrick Stiegman, is vice president and executive editor/producer for ESPN.com. Stiegman, who joined the award-winning site in April 2004, oversees ESPN.com's day-to-day public and premium sports content, including news, commentary, analysis, enterprise and community. His role includes collaborative strategic planning and content development across ESPN Digital Media. He has editorial oversight of the award-winning premium service, ESPN Insider, with additional strategic responsibilities for numerous business objectives. He was named vice president in November 2006 and added the title of executive producer in June 2007. Before joining ESPN, Stiegman spent five years as vice president/editor of Journal Interactive, the award-winning Internet division of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where he was responsible for editorial, business and strategic development of Journal Communication's new media initiatives.

W. Terry Whalin, ASJA board member, writer and literary agent, is an active blogger who is always updating his expertise on retaining an audience. He is the author of numerous books."

Moderator T.C. Cameron included some information about the panel on his blog along with some powerpoints from it at this link. Here's my handout that I created for this session. Notice my first link on this page. It's for a free Ebook about blogging. I hope it will be a useful resource for you as well. Our session about blogging was packed with hardly an empty seat in the room.

Over the next few days, I plan to tell you about some of my meetings at publishing houses across New York City, some of the free ideas that I found in the ASJA conference Idea Marketplace plus a bit of extra entertainment that I took in while there. As a hint, I will tell you that New York is one of the few place in the world to experience such clean family entertainment. I promise to tie each detail to the world of writing and publishing.

Finally, not that anyone is keeping track, this entry marks my 800th post about The Writing Life. Make sure you use the wealth of information here and the search tool in the right-hand column of the site.