MLV Writes » Career Planning

Providing a Service Versus Offering an Asset

Monica Valentinelli — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:27:31 +0000

For any creative professional who is providing a service, the difference between making money now and making money over the long-term can be pretty frightening. On the one hand, we all have the tendency to make decisions based on the power of a dollar. How many jobs have we taken that we were over-qualified for? How many assignments did we take because we needed to pay a bill?

Are You Providing a Service?

The idea that you, as a creative professional, are providing a service goes much deeper than making those quick decisions. Let me walk you through an example of what I’m talking about.

Let’s say I get hired to write a story set within the Hellboy universe. (Hah, I wish!) Because that setting is owned by Mike Mignola, I would not own the rights to what I’ve written. Since I already know the setting, I don’t need to spend a lot of time learning about Hellboy, so I wouldn’t lose a lot of time there. I would, however, need to research new stories within the setting because there’s already been a lot of myths covered. Then, there’s the time it would take to write the story and go through the editing process. Once the story was done, I can’t do anything else with it because now it belongs to someone else. Even though I wrote for a setting I love, I still produced an asset for someone other than myself. In short, I provided a service to develop something that someone already had a need for.

This example highlights how writing for a tie-in property typically works. The reality of being a creative professional is that we produce content for other people in order to make a living. I look at the process of developing an asset for someone else as our ability to provide a service rather than produce a deliverable. Other examples range from writing website copy for someone else’s business to graphic design to developing a game and pitching it to a publisher. The concept, though, is pretty simple to follow once you start tracking how the money is flowing to you. If you get paid up front for the work you’re doing, I feel that it’s helpful to look at your time as a service related to product development. You are, in effect, developing and providing an asset that someone else needs and will, in turn, sell.

Or Are You Creating an Asset?

When you design something for other people to purchase that you have more control over, then you’re creating an asset. An example of that is an illustrator creating a clip-art CD or offering prints for sale of artwork they own the rights to.

Now, there are advantages to both business models because, in many ways, an asset’s value increases depending upon how many people want that asset. I could design an interactive fairy tale for you, but if you didn’t want it, then it’s not worth anything and I’d lose money because I had just spent all that time creating something you don’t care about. The reality of developing your own assets, is that it isn’t enough “just” to create the asset. You need to figure out how you can get people to pay for it. For a writer, that means you have to develop a strong base of readers that will invest in your work.

A really good example of what I’m talking about here, are some of the arguments that self-published authors make. To those that don’t understand how publishing works, the publisher is greedy because they have too much control over the author’s asset (e.g. the book). What they don’t understand, is that the publisher is providing the author with a better chance of reaching readers which makes their asset more valuable. Even though there are many services out there that offer some of the same services as a publisher does, the majority of self-published authors don’t sell thousands of copies of their work for a variety of reasons. For starters, those services are not discriminate; they do not turn down an author based on the quality of the work. Publishers do, because they understand that books are assets that represent the author, but also their brand name, too. This is why authors who go through traditional models typically sell more books simply because of the way publishing works.

Then What?

Now, the examples I mentioned above may not apply to you specifically, but the idea is still the same. If you think about your time as your primary asset, then consider the following questions: Do I own what I create? If so, how am I getting paid for it? If I’m not getting paid what I’m worth, then how can I get paid more?

For myself, I don’t attach a “good” or “bad” value to providing a service versus offering an asset because I look at them in terms of different business models. Which is, realistically, what they are. I’d absolutely write a tie-in story for a property I’d love; on the flip side, I’d still want to write a fun story of my own, too.

Not sure about what you think about my post today, but I feel this idea is pretty important. That’s part of the reason why there’s so many changes going on here behind-the-scenes that I haven’t announced yet.

Deep thoughts today! Do these questions resonate with you? Why or why not?

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Do Not Be Afraid To Make a Mistake

Monica Valentinelli — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:30:54 +0000

Every day, I read headline after headline about all the things writers “should” be doing. From things you shouldn’t do or say in a query letter to the various mistakes you can make when you’re trying to sell your books, I can certainly see how anyone might feel overwhelmed.

Here’s the thing: most people online provide advice as a way to share what they know (or in some cases, what they don’t). I recently overheard a quote that proclaimed “unsolicited advice is self-serving.” Yeah, that’s really true, but without that “unsolicited advice” no one, including me, would have a lot of material to blog about.

Just because there is all this advice out there, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be afraid to make a mistake. I believe that the number one reason that many people stop writing or never submit is because they are paralyzed with fear. Paralyzed by it because someone out there is always better, faster, more connected or more visible than they are. So, if that writer makes a mistake, they feel like someone is going to find out about it and cross their name off the “I am a writer” list with a big, fat “X.”

If you want to write professionally, handling bad news and criticism in a way that doesn’t damage your soul for eternity pretty much comes with the territory. The only way you’re going to learn about this business is by getting out there and hoofing it. Yes, there’s a lot of conventional wisdom out there that is worth listening to, but that is up for you to figure out what’s meaningful to your career and what’s not. Your experience is going to be different than mine is, because you are a different person than I am. That doesn’t mean “you’re doing right” or “you’re doing it wrong.” If you find something that works for you? Great. If you fall flat on your face? Learn from it. Embrace it. Then? Get back up again.

For clarification purposes, please note that I do believe there’s a difference between reality and fantasy. Experienced authors make writing seem effortless, because they’ve got millions of words behind them. If you’re just starting out? You’ll probably need to focus on how to write rather than how to be a writer. In my experiences, writing isn’t about what you do on the first try, it’s a journey that you have to repeat over and over and over again. Yes, you’ll encounter bumps along the way, but who cares? I don’t measure my career by how many times I fall down, it’s about how many times I get back up. Of course, the irony of this blog post is not lost on me because that I’m telling you — flat out — not to worry about always making the “right” decision when it comes to your career. That certainly includes listening to anything I have to say. *smiles*

If you do one thing this week, I would like to encourage you to try something new. Have a hard look at a story you’re having a hard time selling, write something in a new genre, or give your manuscript to a brutal critic. Break out of your mold and be brave! BE BOLD! Become…a writer who isn’t afraid of making a mistake!

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Don’t be Afraid to Write like Crap

On Dealing with Bloggers and the Press

Monica Valentinelli — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:40:16 +0000

Today, I’m going to put on my project manager hat and share with you some of my frustrations working for FlamesRising.com. Because I work as a professional marketer for my day job, I’ve been able to translate a lot of my knowledge and test the things I’ve learned through this website. FlamesRising.com is a horror, dark fantasy and dark science fiction webzine that offers new, reviews, interviews and other content for fans of the genre. Part of my role is to reach out to other authors, game designers, artists, publishers, etc. to help provide them coverage on our site for our readers.

Reviews are easy to write, because in a review, I have the product in front of me and I can assess its value based on my personal opinion. However, reviews are also time-consuming and they are not the “only” focus of the site. Often, we reach out to people (or they reach out to us) to get different kinds of coverage like an interview or design notes, etc. One of the biggest challenges that I have, is that it is very rare when someone provides me with enough information to talk about their game, comic, book or movie. Nine times out of ten, we do not get a press release that explains the important points about a product or an author. Translation? We then need to research the product or the creator to find things to talk about. In some cases, creating a news piece about a new product takes longer than writing a review for this reason.

As careful as we are, this approach can actually translate into us asking questions that don’t help the audience uncover what they want to know about the person we’re interviewing. There are a ton of different ways to write an interview, too, that can range from a single product focus to a role at a company. So you understand our time constraints, we started a preview functionality, but on average, it takes us a few hours to manually code each one because we typically don’t get it in the correct format.

Although it’s certainly not the case, sometimes it feels like there is an underlying expectation that we should do most of the heavy lifting. (Believe me when I say, that if I was employed full-time in this role, making a decent salary, I would do most of the heavy lifting. In our roles, we do not get paid a salary. Our site is free for everyone to read and enjoy.) The truth is, most sites that can provide creators and publishers with the coverage they need are built on a “free” model so a lot of other sites like ours are in the same boat. There are sites that are owned by a corporation, but even then their content will, understandably, have a slant or an agenda that fits their goals. Our goal, simply, is to share content about the genre that we love so much.

What can you do to help? You know your product the best! When it comes to news releases, interviews, contests, etc. why not come up with a few, different press releases that tell us about you or your product. Why will your audience like it? Why not determine what the highlights are (e.g. talking points) and let us know when we’re taking a look at what you’re promoting?

We have worked with professional marketers that work at publishing houses as well as individual authors that don’t have a public relations agent. Regardless of “who” is submitting the content, it helps save us time and get more content on the site faster if we have it delivered to us in a web-friendly format. While we have a promotional schedule, it also helps if you tell us when your product is going to be released and whether or not you like more than one press release posted to the site.

In order for any website to provide you with the best coverage possible, my personal opinion is that you really need to be very clear and open with your communication. I know a lot of authors and publishers worry about that first week or first month’s sales, but in our experiences, you can’t be afraid to talk about something that’s an “old” product that your existing fans enjoy, too. It’s amazing to me that there’s a preconceived notion out there that if one website in cyberspace talks about your product, then you’ve “done your job” providing PR.

There’s three things I’d like to point out here: one, if you have a website or a blog, you will help your readers learn more about you if you link back to (or mention) the content that has been provided for you. Second, no “two” website audiences are alike. FlamesRising.com has its own market of readers which may be different from another site. Yes, there could be some overlap, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We can help you tailor your content to our audience (which is what every website does) and we hope that you’ll work with us. Third, no matter how popular you are, not everyone knows about your work. That simple statement affects not only our content to our readers, but I hope that it sparks your imagination when talking about your products, too.

I hope that the things I’ve shared in this post today will help you on your quest to spread the word about your products and work. My goal here was to shed some insight on how you can manage your PR better by showing you the effect of poor communication.

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New on the SFWA Blog: Online Reputation vs. Writer’s Platform

Monica Valentinelli — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:00:58 +0000

Recently, I got the chance to write about a topic that I feel is essential for every professional writer to think about. On the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) Blog, I wrote an article entitled, “Thinking About Your Writer’s Platform? Consider Your Online Reputation First.” In the article, I discuss my opinions related to the importance of internet search, tracking, managing and fostering your online reputation, and potential ramifications for sloppy content.

Here’s a quote from my article:

Take a moment and think about the content you’re posting on various websites and forums. Are you comfortable with complete strangers reading what you’ve posted? What about your employer? Agent?

Online reputation management not only includes monitoring what people say about you, but also your strategy related to what, when and where you post your content. –SOURCE: SFWA.org

Be sure to read the rest of Thinking About Your Writer’s Platform? Consider Your Online Reputation First. on the SFWA blog and let me know what you think!

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Bridging the Online to Offline Connection

Monica Valentinelli — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:00:08 +0000

Twitter. Facebook. LiveJournal. FriendFeed. Chat rooms and forums. The list of places where you can go to interact with someone online goes on and on and on. Eventually, you get to know personalities on these different platforms and (in some cases) can meet up with people offline. The experience of meeting someone offline can be either daunting or disappointing, but almost always it is “different” than interacting with someone online.

When you’re chatting with someone online, you are “just” relying on words and rapid responses to develop a connection which (more often than not) is hidden behind an avatar or truncated persona. When you meet someone offline, you make conscious and unconscious judgments based on body language and other social/professional cues. Unfortunately, because people are more accessible online than they are offline, we all know that the internet can foster an illusion of popularity or self-importance. Being chatty with someone online usually means precisely that. It doesn’t mean that people will necessarily remember who you are or expect that you’re their “best friend forever,” but those expectations do exist.

Over the past year I’ve been to several conventions, and at almost every, single one there is a story about how an author or an agent felt threatened by one of their online fans. Fans, readers and aspiring authors who have never met these people expected — nay, demanded — personal time with them because of a relationship they believed existed that wasn’t there in the first place. Even if the invitation was innocuous, it leaves a bad impression that can hurt an aspiring author’s (or fan’s) chances of continuing any communication. To put it into perspective: Imagine you were attending your company’s trade show. Say someone walks up to you that you don’t recognize. They introduce themselves as someone you’ve had an exchange with maybe once or twice. You don’t remember them, but you’re trying to be polite. Professionalism is important to you because you’re representing your company. Now they ask you out for an evening’s worth of entertainment. Would you say ‘Yes’?

Even if your intentions for an invite are honorable, I would recommend against having any expectations unless you set something up beforehand for professional reasons. Keep in mind that it’s becoming harder and harder to bridge that online-to-offline connection because of the bad experiences people have had and, subsequently, share with one another.

Most authors/agents/celebrities/etc. are online because it is part of their job to foster an internet presence and provide a glimpse into their life “behind-the-curtain.” Many of these people have hundreds, if not thousands, of readers who demand their time: they have to leverage that offline with writing, working their day job, maintaining a family and their own social life, etc.

As writers, it is exceptionally easy to lose social skills because of the nature of writing. When you’re writing, you aren’t talking “to” anyone and you’re typically engaging with an inanimate object. Writing can be a very lonely and solitary activity, which can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or challenges if you haven’t been social for a while. This is why I cannot stress enough the importance of getting out there and finding ways to “be social” with other people. In my experiences, when you have a strong foundation of social skills offline, you will find that it’s easier to bridge that online-to-offline connection and remain professional when you do meet new people.

Here are ten, low-cost ways you can be social in your own community:

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Lessons in Personal Branding: Day Three

Monica Valentinelli — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:46:29 +0000

Welcome to Day Three in this series about how to develop your brand as a writer. I’ve added Day One and Two to the end of this post, just in case you missed reading them. Don’t forget, your comments are appreciated!

11. Be Kind to Other Writers

I can’t stress this point enough: Please, remember to be kind to other writers. The writer that you support today may turn into your friend, your editor or your biggest fan. The writer that you share a kind word with today may find the energy to keep their creative juices flowing, which is something that’s great for all writers and creative minds.

If you seek out other writers to share your positive thoughts, I firmly believe that you should do so because you want to do it and not because you expect other writers to turn around and help you. That old adage “do unto others as you would have done to you” has definitely proven to be true for me. I look at other writers as a means of support and community. Who understands the solitary craft of writing better than another writer? Who “gets” those little milestones better than someone else who is trying to succeed just like you are?

12. Take Care of Yourself

Whether I want to admit it or not, one of the things I’ve learned is that maintaining a professional appearance includes more than just developing a professional persona. It means that you’ll need to dress appropriately for an event and do what’s best for your health. This is a very sensitive topic for a lot of people, and I understand that everyone has very personal thoughts on this subject. I hope that you’ll take into consideration that your physical well-being can have an impact on your career.

I’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that writer’s depression is a very real danger of the craft. Sometimes, being a writer means that you are so absorbed in your creative efforts that you forget the world around you. I strongly encourage you to temper those solitary experiences with group activities to ensure that you don’t fall prey to a bout of negativity.

13. Choose Your Battles Wisely

It is very easy to misread a comment sent over email, and it’s next-to-impossible to interpret people’s true intentions on forums where anonymity reigns. Consider choosing your battles wisely, because your efforts leave a “digital footprint” behind. Emails can be resent and forwarded to other people; forums can get really nasty but can remain indexable and searchable on the web for a really long time.

When I get upset, I find a way to get rid of those nasty feelings as quickly as possible. Usually, I rant for about five minutes and then move forward. (Admittedly, I’m not perfect!) I believe that nothing is worth engaging in an online battle of words that will end up getting archived or repeated later. When in doubt, find someone to help filter your thoughts in inflammatory situations to ensure you’re remaining professional.

14. Be Able to Take Criticism

Unfortunately, not every editor or reader will watch what they say about your work. Some people are very harsh critics while others are not. The trick to dealing with criticism and editors is to not take their words personally, even if they come across as abrasive and arrogant. When someone offers a critique about your writing, usually they are making suggestions based on what you’ve written — not your skill as a writer.

Learn to be gracious toward editors and readers regardless of whether or not you agree or disagree with their comments. It’s hard (believe me I know) but if you can master this skill it can really go a long way toward enhancing your reputation. I also believe that if you are receiving very harsh criticism from a fellow writer or other professional, if their comments are important to you don’t hesitate to ask them for clarification. This is a very challenging field to get involved with because many writers regard like-minded professionals as competition. When I first started writing professionally I used to be one of those writers, but I’ve since realized how destructive that attitude is.

15. Treat Every Fan With Respect

After going to multiple conventions over the years, I’ve seen my share of awkward moments. There’s been times where fans are so nervous they stand in front of their favorite writer like a deer in highlights. I’ve seen other moments where a writer stands in a large, empty room and only five fans have shown up because everyone is off engaging in another last-minute activity.

I’ve had my share of moments when I was a “fan” too, like when I met Timothy Zahn. At the time Mr. Zahn was the overseeing editor for over thirty novels written in the Star Wars extended universe. I was okay at first, but then when I realized that this one man was responsible for wrangling multiple writers in an ever-expanding universe that he had to track all of the details for? Let’s just say I didn’t walk away feeling as if I acted professionally.

When you meet someone that’s read your work, treat them with respect. They may ask you questions, they may giggle uncontrollably or they might want to take your picture with them. Whether you have an audience of one or a hundred, meeting your fans face-to-face is a HUGE deal and what you say will have a lasting impression on them.

Previous Lessons in My Personal Branding Series

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Lessons in Personal Branding: Day Two

Monica Valentinelli — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:00:39 +0000

Did you enjoy yesterday’s post where I introduced this week’s blog series on how to develop your personal brand as a writer? If you missed it, here’s the link: Lessons in Personal Branding for Writers: Day One.

Here are the next five tips in this series about nurturing your professional reputation and developing a professional brand:

6. Be Transparent

This tip goes hand-in-hand with developing a brand presence. From conventions to blogging, I’ve found it’s important to be transparent about your writing goals and intentions. As an online marketer, I can’t tell you how many examples I’ve seen where even the slightest “omission” of information has backfired on businesses.
You see, in today’s internet age it’s exceptionally difficult to be anything but yourself — especially if you’re using free tools to promote yourself and your writing.

I’ve found that being yourself both online and offline, you add a touch of personalization to your brand as an author. Being transparent does not necessarily mean that you should disclose everything to your fans and readers. What you offer them is definitely your choice and, as some notable writers have found out, you may want to think carefully before you post personal information or industry-facing discussions.

For me, I’m very careful about what I post online because I also have a “day job.” Everyone has their ups and downs, but blasting that information for all the world to see may work against you in today’s competitive environment. One way to ensure that you know how businesses perceive you online, is to set up a Google Alert. Not only is it free, it’s also a great way to stay on top of discussions and trends, too.

7. Follow-Through on Your Promises

It’s easy to make promises to people if you’re excited as I am about writing. Unfortunately, the road to procrastination and missing deadlines is paved with great intentions. Enthusiasm is great as long as you’re able to temper your excitement with a little touch of reality. If you promise to submit a story to an editor by a deadline or say that you’re going to review someone’s book, try to keep your promises.

Because I have a day job and other non-writing commitments, I used to misjudge how long it would take me to work on a project or do a favor for another writer pretty frequently. Once the holidays passed, I made it a goal to wrangle my commitments and make sure I followed through on the things that I said I was going to do. Now that I’ve been stuck inside for most of the harsh winter here, I’ve been able to get caught up on a number of projects so I can start writing what I want to write and helping out where I can. Following through on promises is a hard lesson for any writer to learn, and I have to say that it’s not easy. I’m not one hundred percent there yet — but I’ve made some serious headway.

8. Respond to Contacts in a Timely Manner

Are you blowing past a deadline? Committed to a short story you just can’t finish? Don’t want to work on a story but haven’t figured out a way to politely back out from your contract? When you get emails from publishers big or small, don’t forget to shoot an email back to them. Seriously. I don’t care if you’re as “famous” as Steven King or if you haven’t published anything before, burning bridges is not a good idea in any industry. In my experiences, there is no easier way to burn a bridge than to neglect your email correspondence, especially if you’re active in other public places online.

When I realized that I was falling behind on email, I took a day to get caught up. After going through 1,200 emails, I can’t tell you how upset I was when I realized I had blown people off accidentally. I used a variety of email filters to help tame my monstrous “in box.” I set these filters into two hierarchies based on action and subject matter. The actions help me respond when I need to; and the subjects help me keep topics of conversation straight.

For tips on how to turn down projects, read my post about sample phrases to politely turn down assignments. I also talked about how you can communicate more effectively when I outlined some new year’s resolutions for writers, too.

9. Don’t Expect Everyone Will Love Your Writing

Oh, this is a really hard lesson to learn. Just because you’ve successfully published something doesn’t mean that every reader out there will enjoy what you’ve written. If a reader enjoys reading fantasy books, it doesn’t mean that they will love every fantasy book on the market. When it comes to books, movies and other entertaining media, a fan’s preferences might be all over the board. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you didn’t do your job as a writer, it means that the reader just didn’t like it.

When I think about all the people who’ve read and commented on my writing, I’m thrilled to hear that some people love what I do. Of course, there are people that absolutely hate every word I write and admittedly that doesn’t make me very happy. My goal is to embrace the readers that are somewhere in the middle, without ignoring the other two groups.

10. Cherish Every Publishing Milestone

No matter what your publishing goals are, remember that in order to be a writer you have to learn patience. Many writers grow their career bit by bit, and rarely experience a surge of success all in one indescribable moment. Instead of getting upset because “you’re not there yet,” start celebrating what you do have. Do you have a blog? GREAT! Can we read your short stories in an anthology? WONDERFUL. Jump up and down for joy because each and every milestone is important!

I learned this lesson the hard way when I had a really tough time of things this past fall. After going through some professional rough spots, I chatted with some of my peers and received a big wake-up call. I realized that if I kept staring at that glass “half-empty” I’d cease to enjoy my writing. How great would my writing be if I didn’t love what I do?

Thanks for sticking with me in this series about developing your personal brand as a writer. I hope you’ll join me tomorrow for the next five tips.

Have a wonderful day!

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Lessons in Personal Branding for Writers: Day One

Monica Valentinelli — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:18:05 +0000

One of the most challenging things to do in today’s competitive market is to develop a personal brand. A writer whose name is recognizable will find work not only based on their skill, but also on their reputation. It’s very easy to understand this from a publisher’s perspective, because a well-known author who writes a book might sell more copies of their new release than a “new” writer that has never been published before. While that might be the most straightforward example, the same can be said in the business world, too. Would you hire someone as a corporate blogger if they didn’t have their own blog? Aren’t you more likely to take “how to” advice from someone who has experience doing the things they’re advising?

This week I’d like to share with you twenty-five lessons I’ve learned over the years. Each day I’ll cover five lessons that have helped me develop my brand as an author. I hope you enjoy reading this series and invite you to offer your comments on these lessons that I have learned.

1. Don’t Plagiarize

Plagiarism. Although the very word sends many writers into raging fits, the fact remains that plagiarism does exist. I covered this a little earlier when I talked about how search engine technology helps to catch plagiarists. In that post I gave an example of plagiarism in action, and how the author was caught by two readers who had used Google to double-check the originality of her work.

As a professional writer, engaging in an act of plagiarism is probably the worst thing you could do for your career. Not only will you lose professional credibility, but your readers will probably feel that you betrayed them, too.

2. Consider Writing Under a Pen Name

Are you a fantasy author but plan on writing political satire? Do you enjoy online marketing but want to write about the negative effects of the internet? There are many reasons why a writer might choose to write under a pen name. These reasons range from protecting their identity to distancing themselves from their current “brand.”

Building a brand around a fictitious identity seems pretty challenging to me. If I were going to write under a pen name, I’d definitely seek out advice from publishers and agents before deciding on a course of action.

3. Specialize in a Particular Form of Writing

Are you a better technical writer than a fiction writer? Know how to write screenplays but not great at writing short stories? One of the ways you can take control of your brand is to play to your strengths. By making a name for yourself in a particular style of writing, you can really focus your efforts and increase your chances of getting published. I’d like to mention that there are drawbacks to specialization, because once you develop a brand in a particular market it’s really hard to shift gears.

I navigate around this issue in two ways. First, I choose more than one speciality. Secondly, I force myself to have a clear understanding why I’m writing a particular style or subject. For example, I write horror and dark fantasy genre fiction because I enjoy writing about what makes a hero a true “hero.” Most of my stories have either a hero or a villain at the heart of the plot for that reason.

4. Don’t Make Claims You Can’t Support

Have you ever met a writer who claimed they had a book published but really didn’t? Agents often hear about writers who have a book to pitch, but don’t have it finished yet. (I made that mistake early on but learned my lesson since then.)

It is natural to talk yourself up when you’re networking and trying to get published. Even though the competition is really fierce out there, there are ways to promote yourself without stretching the truth. When you make a claim, be ready to back it up because you never know who you’re talking to. The same person you’re promoting yourself to now might be a contact that influences your career later on down the road.

5. Beware of “Over” Self-Promotion

Developing your personal brand goes hand-in-hand with the phrases “online reputation management” and “online self-promotion.” Even though there are a number of free tools out there to help you develop your brand as an author, be careful not to overuse these tools and talk about yourself too much. It’s exceptionally important to remember that while your online activity may only be for professional use, people use these same tools every day to share details about their personal lives and talk with friends.

For examples of how other authors use these tools, all you have to do is ask your fellow writers and readers. Since other writers are more likely to support you and maybe even promote you, they’ll give you the best feedback money can buy.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this first installment of “Lessons in Personal Branding for Writers.”

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Job-Hunting? Writers, List Additional Skills!

Monica Valentinelli — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:00:32 +0000

One of the things that happens in a tight economy, is that employers want to get more for their money. It makes sense, right? Not only are there are number of people out of work, but employers are looking for that value-add so they save money in the longer-term. In my experiences, this has meant that employers are willing to sacrifice the quality of writing for those “extra” qualifications that they might be looking for.

Unfortunately, those “extra” qualifications might not be easily apparent when you’re applying for a job. Give too much information up front, and you may qualify yourself out of a job. Don’t reveal enough about your skills, and you might find yourself overlooked.

Now more than ever, you’ll have to show not only why writing as a specialty is so important for effective communication, but you’ll also have to list your other skills. Whether you’re technologically-savvy or not, writers often incorporate other skills that are important to list. For your convenience, I’ve come up with a sample list of skills other than writing that may help you promote yourself.

analytical – Do you know how to analyze small details and glean insight from them? Are you familiar with web analytics?
proofreading – Can you spot punctuation and know grammar rules?
content editing – Are you a natural editor? Can you look at the bigger picture and restructure content?
web copywriting – Do you know the basics of web copywriting? Or how about search engine optimization?
social media-savvy – Are you on Twitter? Facebook? MySpace? It’s not a bad idea to mention that you know how to use the tools.
community-builder – Do you know how to generate great discussion and get people to interact with one another?
reviewer or critic – Do you write reviews of books, CDs or movies? You never know when someone might be interested in that skill.
presenter – Have you written speeches or presented at a conference?
style-format editor – Are you a master at word processing and know how to format reports quickly and easily?
indexing – Do you know how to index automatically or manually?
coding HTML, XML, etc. – Familiar with the ins and outs of coding? Even on a basic level this can be a real plus?
blogging – Different from web copywriting, pointing out to clients where you blog can help them glean a little insight about your personality
technologically-savvy – What kinds of tools do you know? While a long list of everything that you’re familiar with might not be the best, definitely let your clients know you’re not afraid of tech.
photographer or video creator – Do you know how to take a great picture? How about creating short videos?
coaching or advising – Have you ever offered other professionals advice? What about non-professionals?
bookkeeping – Do you keep excellent books for your freelancing business? Have you thought about expanding that skillset?
project management – Have you ever managed a project that you were working on?
photo or image editing – Do you know how to edit a photo to make it look great?
graphic or web design – Artistic? Know how to design flyers or websites?

Another thing to think about when you’re putting together your skillset, is that the skills you share will also help break down some of the common stereotypes that non-writers have about us. Blast those misperceptions of writers being anti-social and snobbish right out of the water and let your personality shine. The easier you appear to work with, the better your chances will be.

Good luck!

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Resume Writing and the Resume Book Essential for Writers

Monica Valentinelli — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:20:48 +0000

Every day I not only read headlines about layoffs, but hear from peers, friends and people I greatly admire how they had just lost their job. Having been through some of these experiences myself, I’ve often turned to resume writing books, professional agencies and other resources to learn how to market myself on paper, which is not as easy as it sounds.

The challenge with writing resumes and cover letters, is that it’s easy to make a mistake. Unless you get a callback for an interview, typically prospective employers won’t communicate with you if your resume is written poorly. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of receiving resumes for different jobs you’ve hired for in the past, you probably have a lot of stories to share. Some of the more ironic stories I’ve encountered are the resumes I received for editing positions, only to find out their name was misspelled.

Writers often encounter another stumbling block, because writing is often perceived as a “skill” rather than a “career.” Often, we have to be versatile to navigate different industries both online and off in order to stay in business. Because of that, if we don’t handle that type of experience effectively we can appear very unfocused or too detail-oriented.

After reading several resume writing books throughout the year, there is one that stands out in my mind. This book is absolutely essential to writing effective resumes and cover letters, in my opinion.

Best Resume and Cover Letter Book Available

This resume writing book, entitled “The Quick Resume & Cover Letter Book” is one of the best books I’ve ever read. This best-selling resource not only offers you different examples of resumes and cover letters, it provides solutions for specific job-hunting situations and critiques of resumes that could be improved. Before you get to all of that, the book asks you to think critically so that you find the job you want before you submit your resume.

Here are some of the items I’ve used in the book that have helped me:

Collection of well-written resumes and cover letters for Career Changers
Comprehensive resume writing worksheet
Sample cover letters
Sample Thank-You notes

The last revision of The Quick Resume & Cover Letter Book was published in 2007. The revised editions ensure that the content is up-to-date with current trends and technology.

With an easy-to-reference format, this is a resume writing and cover letter book that’s perfect for writers, because it encourages the reader to think strategically about format, keywords, etc. and provides excellent critiques of the resume samples. The critiques are exceptionally helpful because it teaches you how to write an effective resume, rather than just following the format.

For those of you that are job hunting, you could probably also check this book out from your local library, too. Otherwise you can find The Quick Resume & Cover Letter Book on Amazon.com for less than ten dollars.

My heart goes out to those of you who are job hunting out there. Hope you find this recommendation helpful. For more job hunting tips, be sure to check out my tip about the job hunting search engine Indeed.com.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great day!

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