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Writer’s aren’t usually the RICHEST of people.

They pour a lifetime into their manuscripts. Years into finding a publisher. Months into trying to promote their work. Their reward? A few Amazon sales, generating enough royalties to buy a Big Mac meal.

Writers really do SUFFER for their art.

But what if there was a way to FLIP the TABLES?

What if you could GUARANTEE that you could get published in just DAYS?

What if you could begin earning THOUSANDS from your book starting just a MONTH from now?

Award-winning author Nick Daws has been doing this for years. He’s tapped into the world of E-BOOKS and his methods are being used right now to generate millions in sales.

He has structured a special system for going from IDEA to final PUBLISHED E-BOOK—in just 10 days—AND earning yourself at least $1000 per month from each e-book as a result. NO experience required.

Nick has created a site explaining the system. Check it out HERE.

Recently DD, a top copywriter, e-mailed me for some advice about using articles as a marketing tool.

“An editor has contacted me about doing an article,” wrote DD. “Seems like a good opportunity to generate some publicity for my product—and some nice credentials for myself.

“Do you have any advice or precautions, like how to maximize this opportunity—things I might not know to consider when writing a magazine article to promote myself and my business?”

Here’s what I told DD…

To begin with, just because an editor wants you to write an article doesn’t mean you should.

If you’re writing articles for free as a promotional vehicle, only write for two types of publications.

The first is publications whose readers are the target market for your product or service.

The second is publications so prestigious that your prospects will be impressed by the credential of you having been published in their pages.

Now, even though you’re writing the article to promote yourself—don’t promote yourself in the article.

The only way your article is going to build your reputation…and get people interested in doing business with you…is with solid content. Not self-promotional blather.

Focus on the reader and the topic—and not on you.

For instance, if you’re a consultant, you can give little vignettes in your article about how businesspeople applied smart management principles to solve problems.

But don’t take the credit for yourself. Instead, say “Ned, a manager at XYZ company,” and describe what he did.

Don’t say “When Ned called me in, here is what I did”—even if you were responsible.

Give credit to others, and play down your own role in the stories your articles contain.

This way, you come off as modest and not as a blatant self-promoter, which quickly turns people off.

Give your readers useful hints and tips about your topic…short, practical, pithy advice on how to do their jobs or run their lives better.

When they read your sage advice, they will nod their heads in recognition of your wisdom and begin to think of you as their “guru” on this topic.

The only promotion or “advertising” should appear in the “about the author” box that usually runs at the bottom of the first column of the article when it’s published in the magazine.

Your “about the author” copy should say who you are, what you do, and how to contact you. That means including an e-mail address or website, or both.

As for length, ask the editor. He or she will usually tell you how many words are desired. Stick to that count.

Once the article is published, the contact information in your “about the author” box will generate some response for you.

But don’t leave it at that. Make your article do double or triple duty as a promotional tool.

You can:

* Make reprints of your article.

* Include copies of your article in the inquiry fulfillment kits you send to potential customers.

* Hand out article reprints at trade shows.

* Do a mailing of your article reprint to your clients and prospects.

* E-mail your readers a link to the article.

* Post the article on your website. Having lots of content on your site makes visitors stay longer—and also raises your rankings with search engines.

If the response is good and your article seems to have reached the right people (your target market), immediately send an e-mail to your editor.

Suggest a follow-up article…with information you didn’t have room to include in the first article.

If you like to write…and have the time or can hire a ghostwriter, why not suggest a monthly column in the magazine instead of just an article? The worst the editor can do is say no.

If she says yes, you’ll get your name in front of your potential customers 12 times a year instead of once.

And, you’ll accelerate your recognition as a top expert in your field.

Those are great results…from one of the easiest self-promotions you can do: writing articles.

Bob Bly is the author of “World’s Best Copywriting Secrets” and has written copy for more than 100 companies including IBM, Boardroom, Medical Economics and AT&T. He is the author of more than 75 books and a columnist for Target Marketing, Early To Rise and The Writer. McGraw-Hill calls him “America’s top copywriter”.

According to PublishAmerica, 1 out of 3 book buyers reads print books as well as e-books. Another 26% read print books only today, but expect to start reading e-books soon.

By the end of this year, almost half of all book buyers will own a Kindle, Nook, or iPad. Amazon customers who have a Kindle spend 3X more on books than they did when they read print books only.

Newsletters can be a powerful weapon in your marketing arsenal. They help to create trust, build brand recognition, and establish you as the expert. Here are a few tips to help you take your newsletters to the next level.

1. Know your readers.

Although your newsletter should promote your business, its primary function is to build relationships with prospects and customers. Be sure to discuss topics that are relevant and interesting to your readers. If they know they’ll be getting useful information, they’ll continue to subscribe.

2. Make it unique.

If you want your newsletter to get noticed (and read), make it different. Add a touch of personalization by including a snapshot from your office, a video message from your staff, a link to an entertaining website, etc. Don’t be afraid to portray emotion and personality.

3. Take time for design.

The visual appeal of your newsletter has a lot to do with its success. The right design can captivate your audience before they read a single word. Create a design that is clean, simple, and reinforces your brand.

4. Solicit feedback.

Include your readers by asking for comments on your articles or stories. They’ll feel welcomed and you will get feedback on what you can do to improve and what your readers really like.

5. Include your contact information.

Although your goal isn’t to sell through your newsletter, you probably wouldn’t object to an occasional sale. So make sure readers have a way to reach you if they feel the urge to buy now.

Implement the above steps and your newsletter will help convert your readers into lifelong customers.

Best-selling author Michael Masterson gives the following tips for writing strong content for your e-newsletter:

1. The quality of the ideas presented is paramount. A reader may sign up for an e-zine for many different reasons but he will continue to read it only if he feels that his time invested in reading is yielding valuable ideas. Valuable in this context means provocative, memorable and useful.

2. Less is better than more. If you overwhelm the reader with ideas—even valuable ideas—he will come away from the reading experience emotionally neutralized. That happens because the reader recognizes subconsciously that he has taken in more information than he can possibly act upon. Being comprehensive therefore is not the virtue some writers and publishers think it is.

3. Specificity is key. Unsubstantiated claims and promises may attract your readers’ attention but you will never win their trust unless you back up those claims and promises with specifics.

4. Stories sell the heart. Facts sell the brain. Don’t forget that the job of good writing is to appeal as much to the readers’ emotional intelligence as it is to provide them with rational evidence.

One of the most common questions I get from my subscribers is “How do I think of article topics?” so I thought I would address that today.

Here is what I do.

Every Sunday I make a list of things to be done in that week. I make a list of article topics to be written in that week.

Now I go to Yahoo answers and search with my terms and observe the questions and answers in the search results. For example, if you’re a beautician, you can search with the terms “hair, pimples,hair coloring, tatoos” etc. With the above search terms I immediately found these interesting questions

How can I look more attractive?
How to remove dandruff?
How to get rid of pimples?
How to make your nails naturally white?
What hair color dye damages your hair the less?

And so on.

I instantly found thousands of topics to write on. And remember that you can use the exact question as your title so that your article may be found in search results for related terms.

Then, once you have written certain number of articles, ask this question after each article: what kinds of questions might someone have after reading this article?

Assuming you come up with just 3 questions more per article, that will give you unlimited number of article topics.

Indu Priya is the webmaster of The Ideas Home.

Even if your best friend owns a top publishing company, giving you an immediate “in”, this does not guarantee publishing success.

First, you have to write a quality book that has a clear target audience. And your book must answer a common problem or need that audience shares. Then you have to develop a marketing plan, and stick to it for at least two years.

Let’s begin with the process that should commence before you write your first word. Begin by reading A LOT. Read both books you passionately love and books you can’t seem to make it past page five. Then figure out what the author did in the book you loved, and what was wrong with in the book you couldn’t finish. Write down these points so they are crystal clear to you. Read other people’s books for inspiration and to discover what you should avoid as a writer.

The next step is to plan out your book. Narrow down your subject, and then divide it into chapters. Each chapter should address a specific aspect of the problem your book is going to solve. In each chapter, break the specific aspect down into several parts. This will help your readers take in your information a bit at a time instead of overwhelming them with every bit of information clogging up the pages until they feel like they’re about to go blind. It’s not quite spoon-feeding the information to your readers, but it’s close.

The next two steps are obvious. Write your book and then revise it. And then revise it again. And perhaps again. Of course, writing is extremely hard, and writing a book can seem like an impossible task. There are many books out there that give you guidelines to help you become familiar – and even love – the process of writing and revision. Find a number of books about writing. Better yet, find a number of books about writing the specific type of book you aspire to write. These can serve as roadmaps on your writing journey.

Once you’ve written your e-book and revised it at least twice, show it to someone else whose opinion you respect. If you’re lucky enough to know a good editor, see if you have something to barter for him or her to go through your manuscript. Or join a writing group and let the other members critique your work.

Then take all these ideas from other people, and revise your manuscript one last time. And then stop! Put down that pen! Get your hands off the keyboard!

One of the most important steps to actually producing a book is to know when to stop writing and tinkering with it.

You’ve finally written your e-book! Pop open the bubbly! Give yourself a night out on the town!

Okay, now that this necessary celebration is out of your system, what do you do next?

Now the secrets to turning your e-book into profits…

E-books are a revolutionary way to publish your book without incurring the costs of print production. All you need is a relevant and targeted subject and some inexpensive software, and you can transform your manuscript into a book.

The problem, in terms of actually seeing any profits from your ebook, is that the market is overwhelmed with e-books, and many of them are not worth the time it takes to download them. Just because the ability exists to easily produce an e-book, doesn’t make it good writing.

Make sure your book does not simply rehash old material. You will injure your credibility as an author by claiming to offer valuable new insights and disappointing your audience with material they’ve read a zillion times before. So spend enough time writing and revising your book to make sure it’s of the highest quality and presents the most current information. A good book will eventually sell itself; false claims about your book will make it extremely difficult to sell any future books you may write.

Assuming you have determined that you do indeed have a quality product that answers some question or need of your target audience with NEW information, how do you know how much to charge for it? Rule number 1: Set a price for your book equal to its value. An under-priced book will only give the impression that your book isn’t worth very much.

To figure out a fair price, estimate how much time you put into creating it and how difficult it was to transform the necessary information into understandable and engaging writing. Figure out how much your time and effort is worth, and then price it accordingly. The goal is for you to be adequately compensated for your talent, your time, and your effort.

Once you’ve figured out a price that is high enough to convey the value of the book, but not so high as to be out of the reach of your target audience’s mean budget, then it’s time to offer it for sale on your website. To attract sales, you will need to develop a promotional campaign, particularly if you are an unknown author.

There are multitudes of books about self-promotion that will guide you in your efforts. Choose a plan that is both creative and professional. Learn how to write a catchy yet informative press release, and send copies of your e-book to sites that specialize in e-book reviews.

Learn how to write powerful sales copy, or hire someone to write it for you. This is an essential. You absolutely need excellent sales copy to sell your book. Make sure the copy includes all the reasons your target audience needs your book, and the benefits they will derive from buying it.

Use graphics in your promotional materials. Beautiful graphics have the power to instantly convey the quality and value of your e-book. Graphics can also convey the amount of valuable information the book contains, and your careful attention to detail. Professional graphics sell professional books. They reassure the customer that the product is what it claims to be.

Consider excerpting chapters for articles. You can offer these tidbits for free on your website as a sort of demo of your book. Include an order form for your e-book at the end of the excerpted articles.

Finally, when you set-up your download link, make sure to simplify the process. It’s a good idea to offer a few bonuses that make your book even more enticing to purchase, but make sure the bonuses are valuable and high quality. Too many bonuses that are basically a load of useless stuff will compromise the impression your audience has of your e-book. The goal is to convey to your audience that they are getting a quality product for a good deal. That means applying restraint, especially when it comes to adding bonus items. Too much free stuff offered diminishes your credibility.

Make sure your book is a quality product. Make sure it is relevant and current. Develop an effective marketing plan that includes excellent sales copy and excerpted articles. Then offer your book for sale, and wait for your audience to discover you!

To recap the 11 steps to publishing success:

1) Start researching in your subject. Read a lot.
2) Plan a content structure for your e-book.
3) Don’t rehash old material.
4) Start writing and sustain your pace. Do not edit and write and the same time. Let the ideas and words flow from your mind first. You get to express more content in less time.
5) Know when to stop writing and start editing.
6) Price your e-book.
7) Design an e-cover for your book.
8) Get external reviews or find creative ways to get testimonies, e.g. barter trade.
9) Prepare a sales copy and set up a site promoting your e-book.
10) Consider creating a free giveaway version of your e-book.
11) Write articles related to your subject and submit them to major article directories. Your resource box points back to your sales page.

Do you get challenged each time you edit your newsletter or wrap the e-mail text?

Not sure what’s the best width to format your mailings?

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Did you know that properly formatted emails make all the difference in whether or not your message gets delivered and read?

And because of that, you should try this tool immediately…

Hope you like it!

If you’re like most companies, you’re not using your newsletter for the marketing tool it is. You see many companies produce newsletters. But after a while, the purpose of the newsletter is lost and so is its impact. Here are a few tips for turning your newsletter into a powerful marketing strategy.

1. Determine what your readers want: too many newsletters are used simply to boast. Although your newsletter should promote your business, it’s also a time to build your relationship with your prospects and customers. Be sure to discuss topics of interest and value for your customers and prospects.

2. Personalize your newsletter: there are hundreds of newsletters circulating on the Internet and in the mail. You need to make your newsletter stand out from the crowd. Making your newsletter uniquely you will make a difference. So be real. Feel free to include personality and emotion in your newsletter.

3. Make it look good: the visual aspect of your newsletter can make all the difference. Make it brief. (You only have the reader’s attention for a few minutes.) Use bullets and appealing headlines. And include graphics.

4. Let your readers give you their opinion: ask your readers to comment on the newsletter. They will tell you what they liked, disliked, or want to see more of. Additionally, the interaction with your readers draws you closer to a sale.

5. Include your contact information: the ultimate purpose of the newsletter is to get more customers (through name recognition, relationship building, and promoting your products). However, without your contact information, those potential customers will never appear.

Create a newsletter worthy of your company and you’ll drive your readers to future sales. Make it simple, make it short, and make it a powerful tool that reflects you and your business!

Clate Mask is the CEO of Infusionsoft.