Our March e-Newsletter should be hitting your inboxes within the next week. This is one that you definitely don't want to miss. I actually got to interview Martha Greene from Marmee's Kitchen and got a great article from her. You know, she just started out jotting a few recipes for people in her store, and then one thing led to another, and now she's working on her 10th published book!
There are so many marketing things that she has done well. She saw a need and she established herself in that niche. She continues to learn all the time. She listens to others' suggestions and implements the ones that will work for her business. Things like having a very visible link to subscribe to her e-Newsletter on her front page. She said that she saw results from that simple change immediately. She networks with other homeschool businesses. She tells about how she started getting people to review her book for her and how now people are asking to review her books.
Martha talks about why she has chosen to self-publish and how it works for her. Laurie Bluedorn also submitted some great tips for self-publishing as well. We've got tips for setting up a website, plenty of links for more information and of course, another contest! Our contests are only open to PRMama e-Newsletter subscribers so you'll want to be sure and subscribe!
I don't want to tell you too much, but I did want to remind you to subscribe if you haven't already. You'll want to read all of the great tips for taking your writing business to the next level!
Christopher Paolini is the homeschooler who wrote Eragon and the other books in the Inheritance Trilogy. He wrote Eragon when he was 15 years old. His family self-published it, someone noticed it and brought it to the attention of a major publisher and the rest, as they say, is history. In fact, Eragon jumped to third on theNew York Times bestseller list just a few weeks after being published.
Check out his story on his website. It's absolutely amazing.
TRC: Due to your age and your accelerated publishing career, you have a unique history as a novelist! What writing/publishing advice do you give to aspiring writers of any age?
CP: Three simple things: Write about what excites and moves you the most, otherwise your enthusiasm will never sustain you through an entire novel; be persistent and disciplined, otherwise someone more determined will take your place; and be humble enough to accept editorial criticism and learn all you can about your craft.
I always find the stories of other writers very interesting and the fact that Christopher Paolini began his writing as a homeschool teenager makes his story even more fascinating. I hope it's an encouragement to you or your young writers at home as well!
You're probably pretty busy. Most of us are. So why should you take the time to enter writing contests? I mean lots of people enter and if you didn't win, you'd just be disappointed, right?
Well if you are only in it to win, that might be valid. But what if you used the writing contests as a way to improve your writing? What if you used them to challenge yourself to try new styles of writing? What if you entered them just as a discipline of forcing yourself to write and meet deadlines? What if you looked at them as just another way to get your writing out there?
I truly believe that writing contests could be a great way to improve your writing skills and to challenge you to keep moving forward with your writing. The question is will you take the time to enter? You're supposed to be journaling every day. Why not use your journaling time to put together material for the contests. You don't have anything to lose, as long as you look at it as a learning experience!
The Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards Writer's Digest is now accepting entries in the 14th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards. Now more than $15,000 in prizes. Enter the only competition exclusively for self-published books.
Each month Writer's Digest presents a creative challenge for fun and prizes. Should you choose to accept our assignment, submit your entry, typed on one side of a standard-size postcard, to the address below. The winner will receive a selection of Writer's Digest Books worth approximately $100, chosen by the editors of Writer's Digest magazine. Honorable mentions will each receive a copy of a Writer's Digest special issue.
Chronicle The next deadline for the Writer's Digest Online Chronicle Competition is 3/25/2006. Entries should not exceed 500 words and must be submitted electronically.
There are many more writing contests awaiting you online. Just google Writing Contests and you'll come up with a plethora. Then challenge yourself to enter at least one. You just might learn something. And hey, you just might win as well. You'll never know until you try. Are you game?
I was recently sent some information about a wonderful Christian writer - Mary DeMuth. She has a new book coming out this month - Watching the Tree Limbs.
According to the bio on her website www.relevantprose.com, she's been writing since 1992, first as a newsletter editor,and later as a novelist, columnist and freelance writer.
She has a great website and a wonderful message. Be sure to check out her links with tips about writing.
Have you been pursuing freelance writing? Have you gotten your first piece published? Are you an experienced freelance writer with some tips to share? Leave a comment or send me an email to let me know if you've got questions or if you'd like to share your experiences here at PRMama. I'd love to hear about your experience in the writing world!
The Homeschool Marketer is the place to gather all your tips about homeschool marketing and public relations! Whether you are considering marketing to home educators, are a homeschooler attempting to spread the word about your business efforts, or just want to know the news from the busy bees at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, this is the place to get the "buzz".
Gena Suarez is the co-publisher of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC. She and her husband Paul (the other "co") reside in the foothills of the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The magazine, found in Borders and Barnes and Noble bookstores, is a family affair and is run out of their home.
Dena Wood, Schoolhouse Store Manager, is a homeschooling mom of five, freelance writer, and Co-Owner of Trigger Memory Systems, home of Times Tales and other creative, non-traditional learning products.
