Learn to Write Like a Pro

Learn to Write Like a Pro

©) 2003 Caterina Christakos

Many writers write for the experience. Others
dream of having a number one best seller. Both
are wonderful reasons for writing. What many fail
to realize is that these two do not have to be
mutually exclusive. With a little research, you
can enjoy writing incredible stories and see to
it that they generate a profit.

The first thing that is needed is a business like
attitude toward the process. From day one you
must:

1) Know your niche.

Research which books are popular in your genre.
Go to bookstores and start reading popular
authors in your field. Also pick up writing
magazines and see what publishers are looking for
today.

2) Know your audience. If you are writing for
children, for example, know the developmental
stage that a child reading your book needs to be
and cater to them.

Ex. A five year old would not be a good candidate
for a chapter book.

You can also talk to your future readers and find
out what really sparks their interest.

Ex. If you are a sci-fi writer, you can go into
sci-fi chat rooms and ask what books are the most
popular and why. Also ask what they feel is
missing in this field. Do they want a return to
some of the earlier styles of sci-fi books are an
even more futuristic approach?

3) Write from this knowledge.

Once you know what your audience wants, create
your story and characters around that theme. Give
them what they want, what they crave and you have
a better chance of creating a book that they and
publishers will love.

4) Pre - market. If you are self-publishing, you
can give away a free chapter of your book on
hundreds of sites to spark an interest and get
feedback. You can also send out press releases
right before your book is about to be releases.
Prweb.com is a great place to send out free press
releases.

Those are just a few examples of pre - marketing.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other
free ways to gather interest and get feed back.

The more information that you have before you
write, before you market and before you go to
press, will determine your chances of creating an
enjoyable and profitable book.

Remember you can
be creative and profitable. Just start from a
place of knowledge and the rest will follow.