Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

WordPress is not just for blogs anymore

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Stay tuned for my next Client Story, where I’ll be describing my current project editing a how-to book for using WordPress to create a “blogsite.”

It’s been fascinating to learn more about this tool, and I’m definitely convinced! Later this year I’ll be migrating both the Genuine Coaching Services AND the You Talk, I’ll Write websites over to WordPress, along with this blog.

For more about the benefits of WordPress, see what Sandra De Freitas has to say over at the Tech Coach for Coaches blog.

In the meantime, I’d better get back to editing Sandra’s book!

Publishing Your Article in a Print Magazine – Anatomy of a Sidebar

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In my interview with Sharon Crawford, freelance writer, editor and writing instructor, she offered some tips on what to put in a sidebar.

Sometimes editors will ask specifically for sidebars, and will include that content in your word count (clarify this before you submit your article). Check out some back issues of the magazine to see the other sidebars they've printed.

As you know, I'm a big fan of Top 10 lists – and that is exactly the type of thing that makes for a good sidebar. And in some cases, your Top 10 list might be the inspiration for your longer article (I'll be writing about that topic next).

A good sidebar MUST be relevant to the story. Often it's a list of tips or resources from the expert author (that's you!) or an expert you interviewed. You could also use quotes (famous quotes or quotes from your interview subject), a quiz or statistics/facts about the topic of your article.

Sharon's suggestion: If content is important enough to include but will interfere with the flow of the story, move it to a sidebar instead.

Merry Go ‘Round in Hand, Instant Courage in Heart

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A ghostwriting client recently shared a great story with me.

In her "Claim Your Expertise" session, mediator Wanda Joseph and I worked on honing in on a more specific niche group of clients. It was a delicate balance between the stretch and the comfort zone, and I think she did great!

We ended up a little broader than I originally recommended, but her target group of "workplaces in the public sector," was MUCH narrower than what she'd started with.

Wanda was curious and excited about the possibility of creating information products, as a supplement to her training programs and as a way of helping more clients than she could possibly reach in person.

We started with The Merry Go 'Round, a written sample of her training expertise. With fun and creative icebreakers and suggestions for respectful ground rules, it's designed to improve the climate of conflict-ridden staff meetings.

The report will soon be downloadable from her new website (our other work-in-progress) in exchange for the visitor's name, email address and permission to keep in touch.

A few weeks ago, my client was traveling and found herself face-to-face with a member of her niche market. She could see that this particular person didn't need her services – she was more like an "after" picture than a "before" picture!

However, my client had the insight to realize that this was still an amazing opportunity. She complimented the person on what she was seeing, introduced herself and talked about her work. The woman immediately provided contacts for her regional association of libraries, instant access to a huge potential market.

The clincher? My client handed the woman a print-out of the Merry Go 'Round, featuring the valuable do-it-yourself exercises and all of her contact information.

"I had so much more confidence to approach this woman with that special report in my hands. I've been afraid to sell myself before, but now I see that I have a valuable service that people want to know about and tell other people about.

Writing the Merry Go 'Round report with you also gave me the language to describe what I do – both from the positive perspective of someone who's doing it right, and from the opposite perspective of someone who has the problem that I can solve."

So what are we up to now? We're writing an e-book compilation of her winning training strategies. It's going great, and I just can't wait to see where we end up!

Publishing Your Article in a Print Magazine – What NOT to do

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In my interview with Sharon Crawford, aside from offering a breakdown of a winning query letter, she also suggested some things NOT to do if you want to be published in a print magazine:

  1. Don’t bug the editor – especially if they’re rushing to put out their publication. Follow-up according to their publication schedule. Follow-up once, then let it go. Let them know that if you don’t hear back from them you’ll be pitching it somewhere else.
  2. Don’t be vague.If your query was by email, enclose the original email below your new message.
  3. Don’t sign away all your (copy)rights. Make sure you understand exactly what you’re signing.
  4. Don’t be late with your deadline. If you’re struggling (e.g. family emergency or scheduling problems with your interview subject), contact the editor as soon as you know you might be late.
  5. Don’t go more than 20-50 words over or under your word count.
  6. Don’t assume anything. Be crystal clear about what the editor is expecting.

Can a computer programmer teach a coach anything about writing? Perhaps…..

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Have a look at this series of blog posts by Dave Thomas of Pragmatic Programmer, a publishing and training company for programmers.

To start at the top of this 7-part series, scroll to the bottom of this page:
http://pragdave.pragprog.com/pragdave/writing_a_book/index.html

I particularly liked Dave's suggestion to imagine Readers on Your Shoulders as a way to write what your niche wants to read.

Writing Prompt: Read through Dave's description of the hero's journey and how it relates to the journey of programming novice to expert. What is the journey you want YOUR readers or clients to take?