Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Two Shades of White (Papers)

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I recently worked on two very different white papers for two very different clients.

What's a white paper? According to Michael Stelzner, White Paper Expert, "A white paper is a persuasive document that usually describes problems and how to solve them. The white paper is a crossbreed of a magazine article and a brochure. It takes the objective and educational approach of an article and weaves in persuasive corporate messages typically found in brochures." (source: http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/resources.html, retrieved February 15, 2008)

White Paper #1 – What's a Wiki?

Client #1 is a technology, social media and e-business specialist and coach who works with business-to-business companies. In this case, her client was a company that specializes in helping corporations with their internal, corporate communications.

My client asked me to edit her white paper about social media for corporate communications. She'd already done an excellent job of pulling together a lot of complex, technological information. Her client had already given her some feedback about the tone of the piece, and I helped her make these revisions. As well, I read the paper as a "newbie" (which I AM, to several of these social media applications) and made sure the language was clear and free of jargon.

At the end of the paper, she illustrated 5 different social media applications by telling the stories (and you know I love stories!) of companies who use them. I helped her maintain consistency in the format of these stories by using the same headings and level of detail in each.

Working on this project, I got a glimpse into a brilliant mind, I learned a TON about a hot topic, and I provided my client with a valuable service so that she could put her attention on other things. I love what I do!

When I asked her about working with me on her white paper, my client said: "It was a relief to be able to turn this piece over to someone who I knew would do a good job. Many editors only know how to edit for clarity or grammar…but you know those things and you know how to edit for tone. I appreciated your capability and skill set on that project."

White Paper #2 – Fire Up Your Life!

Client #2 is actually a pair of clients, Lissa Bergin-Boles and Randy Boles, of True Callings. [Update December 9, 2012 – Lissa's new business is The Soul Map.]

LissaRandy_2 Lissa and Randy asked me to edit and reshape their white paper, Fire Up Your Life. We talked through their ideas of what they wanted to include, they gave me a sample of a white paper they really like, and they sent along some writing they'd already put together.

Ok, to be honest, there was a LOT of writing to go through. The total number of words in the documents and our call notes? 4,846. The number of words in the white paper I turned back? 1,578. Phew!

Lissa and Randy are two very creative, very prolific, forward-thinkers. So whenever it's time to put an END to a piece of writing, they call on me. Because, left to their own devices, these two would never run out of ideas, words or steam (though they might run out of paper 😉

When I asked Lissa and Randy about working with me on Fire Up Your Life they had this to say: "Taking the best of our (many) thoughts and (many) ideas, and staying true to our voice, Linda knew what to keep and what to put aside, weaving everything together beautifully. She even welcomed – and made great use of – ‘sneak peek’ reader feedback. To put it simply, Linda has a gift for making the complex clear and the whole process enormously easier. We can’t sing her praises loudly enough."

Get to the Point – My Newest Elevator Pitch

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The latest tweaks to my elevator pitch came as a result of reading these words from Michel Neray of Essential Message, reprinted in adherence to the reprint agreement:

"Is context clouding your message?

If you're like most people, you feel the need to give people the context of what you're saying before telling them the important stuff.

You probably do it in your memos, proposals, networking introductions, presentations and speeches, and sales letters.

While context can be crucial in some situations, it often creates distance between you and your audience.

These two techniques help you — and the people you speak to and write for — get to the point more quickly. Try them. They really work.

1. Next time you introduce yourself in public, like at a networking event, don't give your audience a chance to tune out: skip the part about your name and your company, and get straight to what you offer.

They couldn't care less about who you are until after they think you have something they need. Starting with non-essential stuff simply gives them time to tune out. If they show an interest, you can easily fill in the blanks later.

2. Next time you write a memo, recommendation or email, try this after you write your first draft. Replace the first paragraph with the second paragraph or delete it entirely. For a case study we developed for a client, this is exactly what we did — with dramatic results.

Instead of giving the company background and context, now the very first line of the case study is: 'Global success couldn't keep Carrefour Spain from falling prey to the retail industry's most common problem: inventory and cash shrinkage.'

Admit it, you want to read more too…"

Michel's newsletter is a quick and fun read — subscribe free at www.essentialmessage.com.

Writing Prompt: How will you use Michel's ideas to get to the point in a piece of writing you're working on right now?

Now, here's my new elevator pitch:

"My clients have great ideas for a self-help book they want to write. They know having a book will bring them more credibility and more business. But they're intimidated by the writing process or they're worried about the quality of their writing. That's why they're so relieved to find me! I'm Linda Dessau, I'm a ghostwriter and editor, and I put my client's great ideas into writing. My website is www dot you talk dash I write. That's www dot you talk dash I write."

I tried it out the other week at Referral Quest and it felt like a winner to me, what do you think? Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!

Publishing Your Print Book – An Interview with Linda Horowitz, Professional Author’s Assistant

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Last week I had the chance to sit down with Linda Horowitz, Professional Author’s Assistant. We spoke about what she does to support authors, and some important things authors should think about.

Here are three key points I took away:

1. If you’re aiming to publish your book in print format, the book should be at least 25,000 words long (approximately 100 pages, if you’re working with a 12-point font and about 250 words-per-page).

2. If you’re using quotes in your book, it is your responsibility as the author to make sure you have permission to publish them. Linda has a system for contacting and following up with the appropriate people and/or organizations.

3. There are a lot of jobs that need to be done in publishing your book – whether you’re preparing to submit it to a traditional publisher or whether you plan to self-publish. Linda suggests you focus on writing and let her take care of the rest!

Listen to our interview here:

Contact Linda Horowitz, Professional Author’s Assistant, via her website, Neville Park Business Solutions.

Audio Isn’t Enough: 3 Ways to Enhance Your Live or Recorded Offerings

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If you’re a visual learner like me (see “How Do You Like to Learn“), audio offerings probably leave much to be desired. I’ll only attend a live tele-class if I’m really keen on the company.

However, I’m ten times more likely to attend a tele-class if I receive a handout beforehand. If I don’t get notes from the instructor, what I’ll do to help myself is take notes as I listen. As I type, I’m seeing the information laid out on the page and all of a sudden I’m learning visually, just the way I like it.

Otherwise, it can be very difficult for me stay focused or grasp the concepts I’m there to learn. Quite simply, you’ll lose me. IF you even get me to show up in the first place.

As you can probably guess, I’m also not one to purchase a recording of a tele-class after the fact, or any other audio products, for that matter. No matter how interested I am in the topic or how much I like the person. If it’s not packaged with a written resource that has the same information, I know I’ll never use it.

If you’re offering audio, consider how many visual learners might be in your midst, and how you can draw them in instead of turning them away. Here are three ideas:

3 Ways to Enhance Your Live or Recorded Audio Offerings

1. Before a live telephone event or as a free give-away to promote an audio product: Provide callers, students or prospective customers with an outline of what you’ll be covering in the audio.

I like using PowerPoint slides for this because it also helps me to structure my content and keep it organized. Include blank pages for notes for people who will print the outline before the call. You can check out Guy Kawasaki’s thoughts about the 10/20/30 rule for PowerPoint presentations. Personally, I like to think in 3’s, so I aim for 3 main topics and then 3 sub-topics for each of those.

2. After the event or as an added bonus: Provide an enhanced transcription. [Update July 26, 2016 – I now use and recommend Scribie for transcription.] Once you receive the raw transcription, go through it carefully to make sure it stands alone as a written document.

3. For a real WOW!: Provide a learning guide – a workbook that combines an enhanced transcription with questions and exercises that deepen the learning and offer opportunities and ideas for how the reader can apply the information immediately in their own life. You may also want to combine this with a special offer of a one-time coaching or consultation session with you, to discuss their specific situation. Give the session a catchy name that relates to the topic of the audio.

It doesn’t matter which option you choose, just please remember that for us visual learners, audio isn’t enough!

[This post was updated on November 8, 2016.]