How to start a writing career, become a published author and writer

A big part of being a freelance writer is self-promotion. Its just like when some one has a brick and mortar business with excellent products and services, if no one even knows who they are or where they are located, the business will not make a profit no matter how good the quality of the products are. So now as a freelancer you are in the selling business. You must learn how to sell yourself, sell your skills, as a published writer, market your expertise and get the word out.

Which leads us to the first thing you must do:

• Let everyone know that you are a writer. When you are on an airplane, shopping, at a pot luck, walking your dog... where-ever you have the opportunity to engage in a conversation with some one you do not know or someone you knew from the past. Allow the question of "What have you been up to lately?" or "Where are you working now", or "Are you still at that previous job?" and everyone wants to know what you do for a living. so you get the point. This is your opportunity to tell them that you are a freelance writer (this does not mean that you do not have a day job) it just means that you talk about the job you want them to know about. Carry a business card with your email address, website address, or blog address on it. Encourage them to check out what you write. Then tell them to email you sometime and keep in touch. Then use their email as a means to promote your free newsletter. Give them an incentive to refer their friends to your website.
• Use signature lines. Whenever you send an email to your friends, or other business contacts, use forums, chat rooms make sure to have your name, email address, occupation, and website address some where at the bottom of your message. This will keep reminding others of what you do, and where to find you.
• Conduct a workshop. Adult education has allowed anyone who has years of experience in various areas of business, finance, entertainment or cooking to teach a class. So start a workshop in your local area. Place an ad in the newspaper, or pass out fliers at your community centers. Offer the workshop free to the public, cover topics on writing and publishing. Use this as a medium to sell your books, reports, showcase your website, provide consulting services for a fee, network and have other local authors and writers speak at the workshop. Hold a scheduled weekly or monthly seminar so as to increase a fan base of followers while providing instruction to novice writers in your area.
• Write an online press release. There are sites on the Internet that allow you to promote your business and your skills in the form of a press release show casing a particular niche. Your title could be "Ways to break into the Entertainment writing market, Jane Doe from bookworm associates provides tips at: (you get the idea) Just use the platform as a way to introduce your site. Here is some more information about writing a press release http://www.prweb.com

Ways to keep a following coming to your Website or Blog

Use and auto-responder.

When you get visitors to your website, have a place where they can join your free newsletter or sign up to receive free information on the specific topics of interest. Auto-responders operate 24 hours a day and provide a successful way to use repetition to gain future buyers of your product. Here is a popular site that manages all your autoresponder needs http://www.getresponse.com/

Become an Expert.

Gain name recognition by becoming a guide for an online column, select a topic you are passionate about, make sure to contribute as much advice on the subject as possible. Keep up to date on the industry you are writing about, provide resources for your readers and become a place viewers will come to first to get the information.

Join a Web ring.

Once your site is set up visit http://www.webring.com/ at this site you will be able to find rings that coincide with the topics on your website, eventually start your own web ring so that it will be featured on other sites who will promote it for you.

Participate in a chat-room or message board.

The nice thing about message boards is that a group of people come together to share and find information, many of them have questions. Others want to know something they seen on TV, read in a book or heard at work or even something they may have seen on the web. Or it may be something that they are experiencing in their life and they want to know what to do about it.They could be looking for a solution or to find someone who has been through the same experience. (Think AA meeting!) A group of people who are needing support to get through an issue in their life. Use this as a way to promote your site, answer a relevant question and list your site as a solution or a place to start to get answers.

Join a mailing list.

Find people who are doing what you want to do, this will lead to finding a mentor, someone who can show you the ropes and give you advice that will help you succeed and help you save time without making the same mistakes they made when starting out.

Other Ways to Promote yourself online

Build a website.

I should have listed this one first, in order to establish a presence or make a name for yourself, start by building a website. There are providers that serve the writing community by providing free web space and email service. http://www.sff.net/ and http://www.dm.net/

Write a Bio.

Keep one so when you send queries you can basically introduce yourself and state what it is that you do. Think of it as a resume. Even if you are an unpublished writer having a bio is professional and you can list your accomplished work as your portfolio grows.

Publish an e-zine.

Edit and publish your own ezine because it is an effective way to increase exposure and recognition, use your auto responder, mailing list, message boards, and workshops to announce your issues coming out. Here is a site to find out more information ont how to write and publish and ezine http://www.thewritemarket.com