Blogging, Writing, and Publishing

Recently a friend shared her dream to get into “publishing”. I listened intently as she described her desire to write articles and becoming a published author. I’ve read her work in some of our locally published magazines and have no doubt that she would make a great writer. I also recognized that she was where I found myself a few years back; full of ideas, but nowhere to publish them. The first inclination is to do what many budding authors have done; purchase a copy of the bestselling writer’s reference book. The book is a great place to develop ideas and sell articles. It also provides a good service with great details on which publisher is purchasing which articles and for how much. However, the reference cannot guarantee that you will have the platform to actually sell an article. After a few years of buying these books, I recognized the growing trend of many magazines not taking on new authors and paying less than ever before if they did buy an article. Why? Because of the cha...

Chances are that you are already gainfully employed and are involved with other life matters. You are probably considering following both your dream of writing and owning your own business. You’ve probably explored both, but hesitate because it really doesn’t make sense to take on another job while spending 40 hours a week of your life being miserable. So, do something you love in your professional and personal lives. The same goes for the business you want to start. Passion is hard to define, so I’ll draw up a scene from what got me started: “I have a great idea that will help other people earn the certification!” I exclaimed to my wife, almost immediately after telling some great news. “Wait a minute, let’s get back to the certification,” my wife replied, redirecting the conversation. “You passed the exam?” Her smile demonstrated how happy she had been for me. “Thanks. Sorry about changing the subject,” I replied. “I know that you...

An entrepreneur in a small niche market can provide solutions with little cost. Because you have the right skills, you can do so much with little cost and risk. Here's what you need when writing a book, publishing either yourself or through other non-traditional alternatives is a real possibility. 1. A great book idea that needs to be developed 2. An identified customer base 3.  Method to inform and provide your target market with valuable resources 4. Ability to balance career, family and other commitments. Now you have a burning desire to fulfill this dream on top of everything else? Well, it’s definitely possible. As a professional, you have a code of ethics to live under. What you do will often affect your reputation. So, how can you possible market to the people that you might already have a business relationship paid for by your current boss? Get buy-in from your full time job. Ensure that your employer has no problem. It ...

Guess what, niche marketers can command top search engine results for free. Many marketing tools are available for you at no cost. 1.  Article writing and interacting on social media networks can result in top search engine rankings. 2.  Add key words and phrases to your websites, blogs and newsletters that search engines pick up on really works. Your challenge is to find a possibly elusive market and send them the right message. My market is hard to find; many in the security niche do not have an online presence and mailing lists aren't always available. By nature, members of some small security niches do not participate in social network and limit internet behavior activity. However, what I have learned creates an advantage for niche marketers. 3.  All professionals have email addresses issued by their corporations, belong  to professional organizations and are hungry for education. I also know ...