How To Profit From Your Writing

I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but it wasn’t until I actually wrote that I had even a remote chance of being a real writer. The next step was in learning how to profit from your writing, and here are just a few ideas on how you can accomplish this goal. Spoiler Alert: It’s easier than you ever imagined to earn money as a writer.

Here’s a unique opportunity that allows you to help people tell their story. Many people want to publish their own biography or a memoir, but don’t have the writing skills to put it together. In fact, many famous biographies were not written by their authors, but instead were ghostwritten. That’s where your services can come in. And in some cases, you might even get credit as a co-author.

Now you may want to do this for passive income as well. Instead of doing all the hard work of putting together a memoir or biography, teach people how to write their own, so they can do it themselves. You can create an information product about the process that you can sell repeatedly online. Or once you have achieved success on your own in this area, you can teach other aspiring memoir writers to break into the market.This is the ‘each one, teach one’ philosophy that I simply love.

Book proposals also offer you an excellent opportunity to profit from your writing. Writers who want their books to be published by a more traditional, (rather than self-publishing) publishing company will need a book proposal. This proposal sells the idea of why the book should be published and includes an overview of the book, its market, and competition.

A book proposal is a specialized type of writing that needs to be detailed and persuasive. Proposals can be used for both works of fiction and nonfiction, so there are a variety of types of clients you can work with over time.

Be sure to focus on results to make a name for yourself. While not all of your clients will get book deals because of the book proposals you prepare for them to send out to publishers, the success rate you do achieve will be critical in growing your opportunities in the future. Always follow up with your clients to find out how things went and then use those success stories as case studies to showcase your expertise.

Another form of writing for hire is copywriting, or web sales copy. Copywriting is the art of writing material that helps convert readers into customers. This can encompass everything from email messages to advertisements to online sales pages. Any marketing material often entails some level of copywriting. You can do things like slogan writing, brochures, ad copy, sales letters, product descriptions and more. Copywriters are in high demand and once you have a proven track record, you’ll have clients knocking on your door.

Make sure to track your results, in terms of sales and conversion, from the very beginning. Writing web sales copy is a results driven business and your prospective clients will want to know you can get them more leads and customers. Keep a record of specific conversion rates and help your clients improve those rates as part of a value-added service.

Published authors and online entrepreneurs Alice Seba and Ron Douglas, founders of the Writer Help Wanted Project, have an excellent program that takes you step by step through the process of learning how to profit from your writing. I would encourage you to get involved with this program, as I and so many others have done.

As I make my way across the pond to spend the next few weeks with my family, I’d like to share a story with you that no one has ever heard. Not my family, my friends, my mentees, or even the man about whom I’m sharing
with you.

As I sat at the kitchen table in a small town in Finland, the same one I’ll be sitting at by tomorrow, a thought crossed my mind. The year was 2010 and I’d been online for about four years at that time. The thought was that I was not any more special than anyone else working online as an entrepreneur, and that perhaps I should give up and do something else. Even though my business was growing, something deep inside of me was ready to quit and walk away.

When I checked my email I saw that I had something from Dennis Becker. One of my clients had recommended his ‘Five Bucks a Day‘ book to me, and when I read his email and opened the book on my laptop I somehow found the inner strength to carry on. It was in his approach and style, and the honesty with which he was telling his story that got to me.

That was five years ago, and Dennis is now someone I consider to be a friend, a big brother, a mentor, and a confidant. He never knew that he saved my business by showing me what was possible all those years ago.

Now this is where the story gets even more interesting. 2015 has been a very challenging year for me, both personally and professionally. I shifted my business model, requiring me to go through quite a steep learning curve that was both time consuming and costly. My health once again became an issue and I had to slow down
my active lifestyle. And last month I lost three people in my life within a thirty day period to serious illness. Once again I questioned what I was doing and how/if I would continue as an online marketer. Yes, even the ever confident, funny, and witty self-proclaimed marketing genius Connie Ragen Green has moments of self doubt when life comes down so painfully I need a hard hat in order to hold my head up high and see the light.

Then I went to Las Vegas for the Earn 1K a Day seminar Dennis Becker has put on for seven years in a row. You may remember last year when I took over for him when he became ill just weeks before it was to take place.
This year I was a speaker and knew that my responsibilities would not be more than I could handle. It would be relaxing compared to last year and I could just blend into the background.

But wouldn’t you know it – Dennis invited me to his suite for an impromptu mastermind meeting the day before the seminar began. As I sat with him on his private balcony overlooking the pool from three stories above the lush grounds, he shared his vision with me for what he intends to achieve over the coming year.

He didn’t see the tears well up as I nodded and listened to his words. He didn’t see me casually brush away those tears as he became animated at what he wants to achieve. He didn’t know that I was melting inside because I was so embarrassed to be thinking once again that I could no longer carry on. In the words of Olaf, ‘Some people are worth melting for’ and Dennis is definitely one of them.

I left Las Vegas with a renewed inner strength and a resolve to do whatever it takes to be there for the people who look to me for the help and guidance to be successful online. God only knows where I’d be without having Dennis
in my life, and I want you to know him as well. But most of all, please know that there are  at least two people who care about you and your success more than just about anything  else in the world. We’ll be here for you as you begin or continue your journey, and that, my friend, is quite priceless.

Positive Thinking for Entrepreneurs: Success and the Power of Positive Thinking

I love this quote from entrepreneur Henry Ford. “Whether you think you can or think you can’t – you’re right.” This was his answer when people came to him to say that they were not able to help him design a car that could be built using an assembly line. Finally, his positive attitude won out and he succeeded in changing the way automobiles were mass produced and made available to people everywhere.

Everywhere you look you’ll see interviews from successful business owners describing what they did to become successful. The key is to look at how they do it. Almost all of them have a positive ‘can-do’ attitude. They use this power of positive thinking to help them succeed. Are you practicing this attitude in your own life as you work to become a successful online entrepreneur?

Your mental outlook is what your perception of success (or failure) looks like. It has a big impact on your success. The good news is that if you currently have a negative mindset, you can change it and your attitude to be more positive.

Here are seven ways positive thinking is connected to success:

1. It’s proven to help with problem solving. People who think positively are better able to learn new information. This improves your perspective and enables you to tackle problems and obstacles as they happen.
2. A positive mindset promotes and enhances your energy level. When you are in a good mood, you tend to laugh more, which boosts your endorphins and your energy level.
3. Positive thinking helps to give you control by giving you confidence about yourself, your abilities, and situations. Successful people control their thought process, turning a negative pattern into a positive pattern as the need arises.
4. A positive attitude attracts other positive people to you. Successful people often have a large circle of friends and acquaintances. The more people you know, the more doors of opportunity will be opened to you.
5. Positive thinkers are more likely to set goals and follow through by taking action, which also happens to be one of the keys to success – setting goals and following through.
6. Positive, forward thinking improves your decision-making ability by opening your mind to broad thinking and creative solutions while negative thoughts close your mind and narrow your thought process. Successful people are often open-minded, forward thinkers who make good decisions and are good problem solvers.
7. A positive outlook builds resilience. Successful people often face many failures and mistakes before they succeed. Those with a positive attitude are more resilient and recover quicker when they do fail.

Success is much more than positive thinking. It requires positive action as well. While positive thinking builds the foundation of success, you have to follow up by taking positive actions.

Developing a Positive Mindset

In life, there is a time and place for both negative and positive thoughts. However, when negativity becomes a habit or begins to have adverse effects on you, it’s time to make an attitude change and cultivate a positive mindset.

Here are some tips to help you cultivate a positive attitude:

1. No more complaining! Complaining is a very negative response to any situation that drains you of energy.
2. Express gratitude every day, even for the small things in your life. Eventually you will become grateful for everything that crosses your path, even if it doesn’t seem that way at the time.
3. Keep a list of the things you have accomplished in both your personal and business life.
4. Let go of the people around you who are negative, critical, and abusive of you. They drain your energy. Instead, surround yourself with supportive, positive people. I did this when first coming online and it made a huge difference in my success.
5. Help others. Volunteer occasionally. This is why I joined Rotary initially, and soon I began volunteering with even more non-profits and charitable organizations.
6. Practice meditation daily. Even ten minutes of ‘quiet time’ meditation first thing in the morning will help you start your day on a positive thought and outlook.
7. Let go of envy. Envy is a very negative emotion. It eats at you, pointing to the faults we see in ourselves.
8. Be kind and smile at others.
9. Choose to be happy. Happiness is a choice. When a negative thought enters your mind, push it out quickly. Substitute a happy thought.
10. Have faith in yourself. Believe the Universe will help you.
11. Read inspiring stories and watch inspirational movies or television shows.
12. Repeat inspiring and motivating affirmations.
13. Practice mastering your thoughts. Access your subconscious mind.
14. Visualize what you want to happen. Release the thoughts you don’t want to happen.

Cultivating a positive outlook takes conscious thought. Be aware of your thoughts and the attitudes of those around you. Once you are aware of the negative thoughts in your environment, you’ll be able to counteract them more quickly. Whether you are making the effort to have a more positive mindset for your personal life or your business, you will find this to be the shortest path to the life of a successful online entrepreneur.

Disruptive Innovation for Your Online Business : Online Marketing Tips Podcast

The focus and intent of this podcast training call was ‘Disruptive Innovation for Your Business‘ for online entrepreneurs. What I mean by this is that we must create something new if we are to stand out and succeed in our businesses. The definition of disruptive innovation is ‘An innovation that helps create a new market and value network, and eventually disrupts an existing market and value network (over a few years or decades), displacing an earlier technology’.

During this call I discuss my thoughts and experiences on the current state of affairs in the Internet marketing world, and why we must take a stand if this world is going to survive. I also ask listeners to examine their own niche to see what is needed and how they can provide the solution to the problems of those in that niche in order to disrupt the status quo and become innovative entrepreneurs.

Then we move on to discussing the value and importance of risk taking on a daily basis, and of having curiosity when it comes to pursuing our dreams and goals. I share my own vision for how to solve the problems of those interested in online marketing and the new program I will be rolling out in the early fall of 2015. It will consist of a series of modules rolled out in an orderly manner; Moderators who have achieved a level of success in a specific area; and an interactive community that would support the efforts of the members. The idea would be to have everyone blogging regularly, podcasting, and writing books on their topic.

It is my sincere believe that it is next to impossible to create a profitable online business by using only free and very low cost information, and that we must be willing to invest in ourselves with courses and trainings and a Mentor in order to achieve the results we are looking for as an entrepreneur. I take a close look at both the ‘Idealistic’ and ‘Realistic’ approaches and how they both come in to play when starting your business online.

I would love to connect further with you. Are you already on my list and receiving my daily updates? If not, add your first name and primary email address to the form on the right-hand side of this site. If you are new to my podcasts, you will be interested to know that this specific training call, as well as all of the calls in my podcast series is intended to teach you and other new online entrepreneurs how to take your business to the next level quickly and effectively, and as a way for me to share my exact methods, techniques, Case Studies, secrets, and advice on creating a profitable and lucrative online business using the ‘multiple income streams’ approach. People on six continents have now discovered that starting an Internet business is the very fastest way to achieve both time and financial freedom, as well as to great success in all areas of your life, and you need help to get there quickly. That’s why I started this online marketing tips podcast for my community.

You will see that each podcast session is first recorded live as a teleseminar, and then repurposed into a podcast to extend my reach to the world. Please join my list (opt in on the right) to be included on these calls, and be sure to introduce yourself and share your site for optimal exposure for years to come! Also, check out my Podcast Show Notes site to see how you can subscribe at no cost to both of my podcasts, and please leave me a review on one or both of them if you are so inclined.

You may now pick up my popular training on winning affiliate contests and other online marketing tips for only seven dollars at Affiliate Contest Secrets. Use the discount code CONTEST to bring the price down to $7. This training has been completely updated for 2015 with the latest information, strategies, and Case Studies for you to use in your own business.

Please be sure to leave your comments below so that I may get to know you better and to serve you as you continue your journey as an online entrepreneur. Your success is my reward!

Subscribe To My Online Marketing Tips Podcast Today!

This is a Google Hangout I did with Dennis Becker to discuss his upcoming Earn 1K a Day live event in Las Vegas. Will you be there?

My direct link is http://ConnieLoves.me/E1K2015 This year the Earn 1K a Day event will take place in Las Vegas June 12 through the 14. Hope to see you there!

List Building Tips

Building a list, also known as a database, from the very beginning will enable you to grow your business by leaps and bounds in the future. In fact, your customer list or database, consisting of the names, email addresses, and other pertinent information from people who have actually spent money with you at some point in the past becomes an extremely valuable and coveted asset. There are many examples of companies that consider this list to be as valuable as real estate in their business.

But let’s go back to the beginning of how we build a list in the first place. I will explain it using both the online and offline methods that work very well. Whether your business is strictly online or a bricks and mortar location, the idea of capturing leads is a worthwhile endeavor. Here are some excellent list building tips.

Traditionally, the offline world of business did not include asking for an email address when providing information on the products and services they had to offer. Instead, a street address and telephone number sufficed when it came to staying in touch with prospects, clients, and customers. Those days are gone, and you now must absolutely ask for both a cell phone number (I’ll discuss the opportunity of text message marketing in another article) and a primary email address if you are to stay current with your marketing efforts.

Then, set up a system where you can drip messages to people on a regular basis to keep your company top of mind with them after they have done business with you. Aweber is the autoresponder service I use and highly recommend for this purpose; my discount link is http://ConnieLoves.me/Aweber. If your business is exclusively online, set up a landing page where people may add their name and email address to join your mailing list and then send them messages as I have described above.

The idea is to have your company’s name in front of both prospects and clients on a regular basis. A company that does this extremely well is Vista Printing. I expect to receive an email from them about once a week that shares what is new with their printing and products and to also give me a small discount if I order that week. When I am ready for new business cards, postcards, or something else they offer, I simply pull up their most recent email and click to order. Because they stay in touch so regularly I feel a connection with them and what they have to offer. This is excellent marketing on their part and I am more than happy to stay on their list.

Think about what you could include in emails to your target audience. You may want to share Case Studies, examples of what you have to offer, or even detailed information that is specific to just a small segment of your audience. Also, allow people to stay connected with you through social media as a further way to engage and connect over time. This becomes social proof that what you offer is unique, relevant, and valuable to others.

I hope you will take the necessary actions to build your list and grow your business. It has never been easier and more important to stay connected with your audience on a regular basis to build what is known as the ‘know, like, and trust’ factor over time.

Productivity Challenge 2015 Begins!

I thought I would begin my fifth annual Productivity Challenge (2015 promises to be the best ever!) by sharing a post from the Invoca Blog. Invoca is a software company in Santa Barbara. They develop inbound call technology that generates phone numbers for telemarketing, then routes and tracks the calls and sales that result. In a recent blog post they outlined 11 Easy Tips Guaranteed to Prevent Productivity Burnout and I have to say this list is an excellent one.

Tip #2 discusses the concept of ‘talking out loud’ and they say: “Getting your story right takes practice, and it’s not going to come out right the first time. The best way to hone your message and your story is to verbalize it and talk it through with people.” This continues to work well for me in all situations.

Tip #11 is to be proud of what you have accomplished and they state: “Don’t forget to be proud of your work. If you aren’t excited about your work, no one else will be, and it will suck the motivation right out of you for future projects. Take pride in what you did well, and know that you always have another chance to improve. Perfectionism is your enemy! It’s amazing how much your productivity will change with the right mindset.”

With this we begin year number five of my annual Productivity Challenge. 2015 can be your best year ever if you set and achieve the goals you have designed for yourself. If you would like to participate in this 30 day challenge please leave a comment below, along with a goal you will be working on. The community is where you are encouraged, ask questions, and take action on what you want to do while sharing it with others who are reading this blog.

Jason Fladlien’s ‘Double Your Productivity‘ training is available at a special discount today and tomorrow by clicking on the words above.

Day 2 – Take an honest look at your online business to determine what you have in place and what you still need to set up. These are some things you will need in order to get started:

• Hosted WordPress site – If you need hosting, I recommend Blue Host; if you need domains, I recommend GoDaddy (my discount link).
• Separate optin page(s) – You want to attract people from a variety of demographics.
• Free Giveaway – Put together a short report or audio that will be irresistible to people searching for information on your niche topic.

Be sure to leave a comment and let us know where we may find your blog or website. And I promise to answer all of your questions personally. Please introduce yourself!

Jessica Larrew, Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) expert, has been selling physical products on Amazon for the past five years. Three years ago her husband left his job to join her and together they are raising their five year old son and living life by their terms.

I share how I sold a textbook on Amazon several years ago using Amazon’s FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant) program, and Jessica explains how she purchases products from retail stores, as well as online from suppliers, to sell through Amazon’s FBA program. Her business model is one that is easily duplicable. She looks for items in a variety of areas, including health and beauty, household products, and toys. This is referred to an ‘retail arbitrage’ and can be quite lucrative to those who learn how it is done. And the best thing is that you can get started for about a hundred dollars.

We briefly discuss the private label model, one which requires a larger investment and more time to get it off the ground. You may find out more about this model at this course that I highly recommend.

Jessica now offers her own trainings on this topic based on her five years of success, and you may sign up for three free videos to learn more about what she has to offer. I really loved when she explained that most people earn at least a small profit, and the worst that will happen is that you’ll break even. You can’t say that about too many business opportunities these days!

I have many students who continue to learn from Jessica, and I am one of them. Even with her great success she remains down to earth and approachable. She and her moderators are available to answer questions 24/7/365 (they are in several time zones) through her forum, making it possible for you to move on to the next step in the process. Having people with so much experience will definitely shorten your learning curve.

We discussed how she came to realize that this was a viable business for her family. While pregnant with her now five year old son, Jessica decided to move forward and learn more about Amazon FBA. Not having to fulfill and ship orders freed up her time and gave her the insight to expand very quickly. When her husband observed what she was doing he began to ask questions and soon joined her in the family business, leaving the job he did not enjoy behind forever.

One of my favorite models is selling groceries on Amazon. Jessica’s training on this is the fourth one down on this page. What questions do you have about selling physical products through the Amazon FBA program?

Choosing Your Online Business Model : Online Marketing Tips Podcast

The focus and intent of this podcast training call was ‘Choosing Your Online Business Model’ for online entrepreneurs. We discuss the various models that are working during 2015 so that you can get a better idea of which direction you want to proceed with for your business. It’s so important to know what’s working right now when it comes to effectively building your online business.

During this call I discuss my thoughts and experiences on coaching, mentoring, and consulting as a business model, and the difference between these titles. I consider myself to be a mentor to individuals wishing to join the ranks of online entrepreneurs, and a consultant to small and medium sized companies and corporations. Build an excellent reputation as someone who can help others to achieve their goals and your dance card will soon be filled.

Then we move on to discussing affiliate marketing, a model that continues to bring in almost half of my income each year. My goal for new entrepreneurs is to get you away from the ‘trading time for money’ model and moving closer towards the ‘earn money while you sleep’ model. Affiliate marketing enables you to have almost endless inventory of your choosing, from among the plethora of products and services that are available to us online. I have become extremely picky over the years and only recommend what I use and benefit from in my own business.

We also discuss income guarantees for coaching and mentoring; the validity of mini-sites; creating an effective, irresistible, and profitable free giveaway by using a ‘call to action’ at the end of your short report; using press releases to get the word out about what you have to offer; and the comparison of online business to starting a more traditional, bricks and mortar business. Most people are not cut out to be entrepreneurs, so determining that for yourself is the first step to being successful with the entrepreneurship model.

Are you already on my list and receiving my daily updates? If not, add your first name and primary email address to the form on the right-hand side of this site. If you are new to my podcasts, you will be interested to know that this specific training call, as well as all of the calls in my podcast series is intended to teach you and other new online entrepreneurs how to take your business to the next level quickly and effectively, and as a way for me to share my exact methods, techniques, Case Studies, secrets, and advice on creating a profitable and lucrative online business using the ‘multiple income streams’ approach. People on six continents have now discovered that starting an Internet business is the very fastest way to achieve both time and financial freedom, as well as to great success in all areas of your life, and you need help to get there quickly. That’s why I started this online marketing tips podcast for my community.

You will see that each podcast session is first recorded live as a teleseminar, and then repurposed into a podcast to extend my reach to the world. Please join my list (opt in on the right) to be included on these calls, and be sure to introduce yourself and share your site for optimal exposure for years to come! Also, check out my Podcast Show Notes site to see how you can subscribe at no cost to both of my podcasts, and please leave me a review on one or both of them.

You may now pick up my popular training on winning affiliate contests and other online marketing tips for only seven dollars at Affiliate Contest Secrets. Use the discount code CONTEST to bring the price down to $7. This training has been completely updated for 2015 with the latest information, strategies, and Case Studies for you to use in your own business.

Enjoy this New Rules for Online Marketing in 2015 training. Please be sure to leave your comments below so that I may get to know you better and to serve you as you continue your journey as an online entrepreneur. Your success is my reward!

Subscribe To My Online Marketing Tips Podcast Today!