Creating a new marketplace where editors and writers find each other faster

Am I crazy to think....?
Here's an off-beat idea that has been squirreling around in my brain for a couple of years, but powered by social marketing, it just might work:

A free service where just by subscribing to a weekly update, non-fiction editor-publisher-book producers, can have access to writers with solid talent, clips to prove it, and exactly the content they've been looking to include in their publications. It would essentially be an aggregate of short pitches, sorted by subject, and from writers they might never have heard of, but who can be trusted.

The genesis of the idea
The notion first occurred to me when I was a PR person. I had my media lists, and kept constant Google searches, as you'd expect, but I always wondered if there were writers I wasn't finding--freelancers especially. Maybe they were new to freelance writing, but were an expert in the topic at hand who could bring deep insights to bear on the subject. Or maybe they were already a writer but wanted to break into a new kind of reporting, and so didn't have an established portfolio in that field yet. Who knows? I just figured that there were people out there who weren't reading my press releases, weren't being assigned by editors, didn't know I had material they would like to cover, but would do a good job and would ensure an editor used the story.

Will it work?
The problem with my PR dream was that no matter what, I couldn't think how it would work without looking like a quid pro quo, ("Here--sign up for this newsletter and choose which stories you want to cover to expedite your career!", that kind of thing) even though all I really wanted was to find competent writers to cover my clients so that their stories were told well. But when I left PR, my idea came with me, and I just can't help but think that it will work in reverse because it's no longer about third party endorsements as it is in PR.

Expanding the marketplace
Editors, publishers, and book packagers of non-fiction materials often have a crew of writers they know they can depend upon for well-written copy, delivered on time. But--what if by expending minimal effort, they could find additional writers who had those kind of chops, but were also experts in the topic to be covered? That's not to cut out the writers already in the game, but to help the publishing contingent turn their content around faster. When that happens, there's room for more product--which means everyone has a chance to profit. And while editors and publishers don't want to lose face (or money) by betting on a bad writer, they also love it when they can foster a new or as yet undiscovered talent.

Taking the plunge
I admit, this might not be any better than business as usual, but I think there's also the chance that it could make things easier for all of these parties to get what they need. So, what the heck? I am willing to dive in. Will you come with me?

Here's how you play a part
Editors, agents, book producers, publishers
Sign up to receive The Thought Shops newsletter by filling in the form in the upper right hand corner of your screen. Make sure to note what your profession is so I know how to direct the emails to you. E.g., if you are a book producer, I will send you the list for book producers, not for writers.

If you're already a subscriber, then just sit tight...and read the emails from TTS when they arrive. As my inventory of stories from myself and other writers grows, I will sort them out according to subject, and as much as possible, I will ask writers to submit photos with their short pitches. All you need to do is read through the email for the specific topics you're in the market for, peruse the "tweet:"-sized blurbs, and see if there is anything that matches your interest. If so, then follow the link to that writer's website and you're on your own to do what you think is best.

Writers
Well, first of all, you'll have to think a little differently about how you pitch your stories. And you might also have to get past your worries that if you tip your hand in any way to other writers, they might steal your ideas. You know what? That might happen. But, if you are the expert in something, and/or you have the contacts--you're going to be the one that eventually gets the gigs. Still, I do understand--I know it's competitive, so it's up to you.

Secondly, you'll have to have photos of what you want to cover. I will include them in the little snippet pitches you make of your work. If you would like an example of what I mean, take a look at my website's travel and leisure page to see how I am beta-testing this idea.

Third, if you don't already have a website, then you need to build one! Coffee Cup is a cheap and easy WYSIWYG builder, and Wordpress, while being html, is filled with easy templates to turn into a simple way to showcase your work. You'll have to have one or else there's really no way I can offer editors et al a way to qualify you at a glance. Remember--this is all about ease.

And finally, you'll need to sign up for regular updates of this blog. See the form at right--and make sure you indicate that you are a "freelance writer" in the field that asks for your profession. If you're already a subscriber, then soon I will be sending out an email with the next steps once I know whether I will have enough writers to participate. You can help by passing the word!

Don't tolerate bad behavior!
I don't want to this to be the refuge of scoundrels! If you have a bad experience with a writer, or vice versa, and it can't be justified by him or her (e.g.: they miss a deadline, but can demonstrate that there was an extenuating circumstance) let me know!!! I will address it, probably by knocking the writer or the editor-publisher-agent-producer off the list. It's free, so I can do whatever I want.

What's in it for me?
If I get the chance to look like a superstar, I will take it. But of more interest to me is that I will have helped streamline the hunt for good writers, and good places for them to publish. That means there will be more opportunities for me--and for you--to sell your stories. I also get to expand my audience for my Thought Shop entries on how to be a better writer--and for me, that's no small thing. It's a personal mission of mine to improve the way people communicate. I am every bit as much a reformer as I am an entrepreneur. And okay, I'll cop to being a little bossy, too.

Why for free?
This is a social media venture. It's about our relationships with one another--people who love the written word. I think we can create a vibrant community of people who prosper from trading ideas and good will, so long as we also do so in good faith. Once we're viable, then people will be willing to pay to participate, such as by advertising. I just want there to be better writers and more places for them to showcase their talents.

That's it!
I hope you'll join me!

~W

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Stop! You are so boring, I might never read you again!

How to keep readers coming back by saying "thank you" with every word you write

Please stop. Stop!
Your writing is boring me to pieces. Well, maybe not your writing, but don't be so sure it's not you...

I am not ranting, darling. I am giving you very good advice. If you want to write for money--and as important, if you want what you write to have any impact whatsoever--then you need to think about your reader, not yourself. Read on. You'll thank me.

Get over yourself!
Bad writers abound these days. They always have, but they now have more weapons with which to assault us than ever before. Maybe you're one of the guilty, slopping piffle all over the screen and then hitting "send"--I won't call you out, but I suggest you might want to disarm yourself before you publish your next piece. The quickest way to do that is to remember that readers have choices--you are one of billions they could spend their valuable time and energy reading. Don't take it for granted that just because you thought it, it's worth sharing.

You're in business, dear
I'm not saying you won't get paid to type silliness and blather--sadly, many editors publish garbage all the time. But, not if they know better, and especially not if they don't have to! If you write what matters to readers--you'll get contracts, and then some. Think of yourself as a business person, because whether you're writing fiction, travel, memoir, or essays--if you're selling it, you're in business. And why bother to go into business if you don't intend for it to grow?

Gratitude grows your bottom line
Businesses that last have built-in ways of showing gratitude to their customers--after all, business is about relationships, right? And relationships where one party doesn't feel appreciated don't last very long, do they?

So, here's how gratitude works for writers:

1)Think in terms of customer service
Consider that your readers are investing their time in you. They deserve a return on that investment. Give it to them! Write something that makes your readers think. It might be something that causes them to reflect on their own lives; gives them practical information; helps them help others, improves their ability make money, or just makes them laugh. Whatever it is, the attention should be on the reader's needs, not yours--even if you're writing your life story.

2) Anticipate your reader's questions: if you are writing a travel piece, for example, your reader might want to know if they visit the place you're describing, what should they expect to wear? That doesn't necessarily mean--although it could--that you write, "Wear jeans." It might just mean that you somehow describe the climate. Why? Because anyone going on a trip wants to know what to pack. If you answer that question, in general terms anyway, you've made yourself very useful.

3) Borrow from Business: ask what about your subject will surprise and delight the reader, and then be sure to include that. "Surprising and delighting customers" has become a cliché in commerce, but that's because when done properly, surprising and delighting customers means repeat sales. So, don't dismiss it. Employ it. What can you offer readers that makes your piece memorable without being gratuitous or weird (unless weird works)? Take that travel piece again--you're probably not the first, and won't be the last, to write about the place--but what can you offer that makes your story unique? Did you discover that at a certain time of day, shadows of trees fall in a pattern resembling a Chinese dragon? That's cool! Write it down.

4) Know your strengths: and stick to them. You can always improve aspects of your writing, but if you know you are a very good feature writer--maybe you have a way of describing things that give people pause--then start there. A personal pet peeve is bad memoir writing. Just because something is "your story" doesn't mean you a) know what's important to readers about it and/or b) can write it without getting stuck in your own mud. If you can't find a way to get over your self pity or whatever type of self-involvement often reeks from memoir, then discerning readers will care less about your story. The strength of memoir writing is that it offers some insight gained from whatever happened. If that's not your long suit, skip it. (oh, and how would you know, right? Sigh. The world is full of sniveling.)

5) Keep the drivel to yourself, or among a "select" few: I keep a private Facebook account for when I feel like being silly, solipsistic, or obnoxious (no, this is not me being obnoxious; if you only knew). I do not use my channels of commerce to slosh the contents of my brain onto everyone who might actually want to do business with me, because if I did, I am sure I would bore them to tears. Technology really is pushing who we are in private into who we are all the time, but there's still a time and place where it's okay to have your nose in your navel, and times when it's not. Know the difference.

Why does it matter so much?
A dollar a word used to be the holy grail of freelancer pay--that was around the early 1970's. By the 1990's, it was the standard minimum for most national publications. Now we're back to having to practically fight to get paid that amount by many publishers. For books, it's a little different, but amortizing the amount you get paid over the number of words you actually write--well m'dear, the margins are definitely shrinking. Your best defense against this--assuming your writing is well-structured--is to cherish others' time.

Let me be a witness to this: bad writers make big bucks all the time. Their secret isn't secret at all; they think they deserve it, they know how to run their writing as a profitable business, and then they make it so. It's that simple. But oh, how sumptuous to find a writer who's not only business savvy, but also gracious!

If that's you, your readers--and editors and publishers--will return the favor by coming back for more.
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