Many want to write a book, but few do. The most frequently heard excuse for not writing a book is the familiar refrain, “I don’t have the time.”

There’s nothing wrong with that statement, except several hundred thousand new books appear each year. Authors who get successfully published don’t have any more hours in the day than you and I–yet their books get planned, written, promoted, and published!

What’s their secret?
The secret is that authors who get published have created a system for planning, writing, promoting, and profiting from a book. During the past 5 years, I’ve interviewed hundreds of successfully published authors; authors who have created a brand that has established them as experts in their field.

What do they have in common? They have a system!

Their system leverages their available time. Their system is based on 5 key principles.

Principle 1: Planning for success
Successfully-published authors begin with a plan based on writing a 10 chapter book, with each chapter containing 10 main points.

This planning is essential if you want to write a nonfiction book. Once you identify the 100 “modules of information” that explain how your readers can solve a problem or achieve a goal, you’re well on your way to writing your book.

Viewing your book as 10 chapters containing 10 ideas frees you from the tyranny of linear writing. You are now free to write your book as a series of small easily-completed tasks.

Principle # 2: Committing to daily progress
Few successfully published authors believe in “marathon writing.” Marathon writing sessions lead to burnout and procrastination. Instead, successfully published authors write their book in short, daily, writing sessions.

They schedule their time around their writing. They commit as little as 30 minutes, or an hour, each day to their book, knowing that–in most cases–nothing else they can do can reward them as well as a published book.

Short, daily working sessions–ideally at the same time each day–keep your brain engaged. Progress quickly mounts up, even if only a page or two are written during a single working session.

Principle 3: Nightly reviews
Another success habit that many successfully published authors share involves reviewing each day’s progress right before you go to bed, and taking the time to review your goals for the next day.

Nightly reviews at bedtime puts your subconscious mind to work. While you are sleeping, your mind is reviewing what you’ve written and thinking about what you’re going to write the next day. As a result, when you sit down to write, you’re likely to find that your ideas are organized and the words flow nicely.

Belief 4: Balanced approach
Successful authors recognize that writing is just one element of publishing success. Success involves a balance between planning, writing, promoting, and profiting. Thus, while writing their book, they may devote all, or part, of a working session to planning, promoting, and profiting  (or business development) from their book.

Planning, promoting, and profiting are on-going tasks that are as important as writing. Few books “sell themselves,” and, anyway, few authors can survive on income from sales of their books.

Belief 5: Tracking your progress
Tracking your daily progress plays an important role in your success. It’s imperative that you find an easy way to reward yourself with a feeling of momentum and progress. Simply crossing-out, or putting a check mark next to each point as you finish writing about it, can be enough to generate a feeling of progress. Other ways to track your progress include printing out what you write each day on 3-hole punched paper, and inserting them into a 3-ring binder. As the binder gets thicker and thicker, you can see your book becoming closer and closer to reality.

About the Author:
Roger C. Parker shares more about these techniques on his website. Visit http://www.publishedandprofitable.com where you’ll find hundreds of articles, assessments, audios, interviews, mind maps, templates, videos, and worksheets that will help you set up a writing system that will work for you.

His advice is based on his experience — he’s the $32,000,000 author. Roger has written 38 books that have sold over 1.6 million copies around the world. He’d like to help you do the same.

If you’ve ever thought about becoming an author or professional illustrator, a new contest could be good news for you.

More than 600 novels have been published by the winners and over $30,000 in prizes awarded annually through the Writers of the Future contest. The most successful contest for aspiring writers to have a chance for their creative efforts to be seen and acknowledged, it has the highest success rate in launching careers of any writing competition.

The contest was started by L. Ron Hubbard, himself one of the most successful writers of the Golden Age, and other famous science fiction authors have praised it.

What Authors Say
For example, Neil Gaiman, author of dozens of books, including “Coraline,” said, “Writers of the Future has a record of nurturing and discovering writers who have gone on to make their mark in the science fiction field. Long may it continue.” While Orson Scott Card, who pens the “Enders” series, among many others, said of the contest, “It’s what keeps sci-fi alive.”

About Writing
As for how to write the story, here’s some advice that Hubbard himself gave an interviewer at the time of the first contest:

“There are some activities that are simply so much fun that one can’t give them up. Writing is that for me. I love every opportunity to write.

“Many young writers are told to write in order to learn how to write. That is good advice. I used to find any excuse to write because I loved to do it. If I didn’t have a typewriter, I wrote in longhand.

“I chose science fiction because there is great versatility in this genre. A writer must pick his medium as carefully as a painter must pick his brush and colors.”

According to Joni Labaqui, contest director, there are no entry fees. All the judges see is a number assigned to a submission.

Where To Learn More
To enjoy fine sci-fi and to get an idea of the type of work that wins, you can read previous collections, available online and at bookstores. For more information, go to http://www.writersofthefuture.com.

In recent years, the entire landscape of the publishing industry has changed, and now thousands of authors whose books might otherwise never have seen the light of day are getting published. Following in the footsteps of film and music, publishing is undergoing an “indie” revolution whereby authors invest in their own work to bring their books to the marketplace.

“The indie publishing revolution is all about providing opportunity and expanding the options for both writers and readers,” says Kevin Weiss, CEO of Author Solutions, whose imprints include AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Xlibris and Trafford. “You no longer need to wait years for the chance of being published; becoming an author is no longer a privilege, and the literary world is now accessible to everyone.”

Indie book publishing has also expanded the reasons people write and publish a book. Books are now being used in genuinely new ways — from raising awareness of important social causes to adding to a businessperson’s marketing arsenal and providing significant leverage to attract the attention of a major publisher — books are now multi-faceted “tools.”

Reg Green is an example of the wonderful power of a book to raise awareness of a pressing social issue. After his son Nicholas was tragically murdered, and he and his wife chose to donate his organs, Reg became a leading advocate for organ transplantation. He turned to the pen, too, publishing “The Gift that Heals” through AuthorHouse, which chronicles inspirational stories about organ donation.

Another example, Lisa Genova, was told that nobody would want to read her book “Still Alice,” a novel about a 50-year-old Harvard professor’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

After repeated rejections from traditional publishing houses, Genova chose to self-publish through iUniverse. A literary agent told her she would be basically committing literary suicide if she self-published, and that no publisher would touch her book once she published it independently.

To put it mildly, the agent was wrong.

After a few months and positive reviews, “Still Alice” was picked up by Simon & Schuster and became a New York Times bestseller.

“If you believe in your book, I think you should give it a chance,” Genova said. “Still Alice was a book that people already identified with, and a major publisher saw the book’s potential in a very real way.”

To learn more about indie book publishing visit, http://www.Authorsolutions.com.

Do you want to be known as a “thought leader” in your industry?  Of course you do!

A thought leader is essentially a trusted resource. And, in an information economy, a trusted resource is extremely valuable. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in – whether you have a Fortune 1000 company or a bakery in a small town – thought leadership will propel your business in ways that you could never imagine. For example, here are three benefits of becoming a “thought leader”…

Why You Want to Become a Thought Leader
Prospects will prefer you. The more expensive the products and services, the more prospects will want to seek out recognized leaders. They want to know that the provider is well established and can demonstrate expertise. They want someone who can provide reliable answers and someone who will continue to solve problems and provide cutting-edge information long after the purchase.

You will be recognized as a central source of information. When customers, prospects and the media need to know something that involves an industry, they’ll think first of the company or expert they perceive to be the thought leader.  People invite thought leaders to speak at high-profile functions, present at trade shows, get interviewed and write articles, opinion pieces and books.

Dominate the search engines: Incoming links are one of the key ways to increase search engine optimization. Thought leaders who take advantage of online opportunities such as article marketing will develop a following, increase their company’s online visibility and at the same time improve their SEO.

If you write and submit articles the right way – you can become a thought leader fast.

So, how can you become a thought leader fast?

Write articles on a consistent basis. To be a thought leader – you need to consistently articulate and convey insightful information that listeners and readers value. This means, you should be writing articles – if not on a daily basis – then a weekly basis. These articles should be used for article submission. They should be on your blog. They should put into an auto-responder series. And, they should be turned into products.

Give away your best tips and advice. Truly insightful information is a rare commodity. So, if you reveal some of your best secrets that no one else is sharing, you will automatically become a “thought leader.” Plus, if the information you’re sharing is hot, prospects will think, “Wow! If he’s giving away this information for free – I wonder what I will learn if I get his products or consulting services!” They’ll be drooling to get onto your list, learn more about you and your offerings – and most importantly – buy from you. So, if you want to be a thought leader is then you have to be eager to give information away.

Be motivated by generosity, not self-interest. People are more likely to follow altruists – and they instinctively know the difference. Don’t ruin your article marketing efforts by writing an amazing article – and then try to sell them in the bio box. Earn your prospect’s respect first by telling them how you can help them – and then invite them to get a free special report or other call-to-action that reinforces the fact that you are a thought leader. Then focus on selling them.

Be different. If you are writing the same thing as everyone else, just using different words – how does this make you the expert? It doesn’t!  Build a foundation of expertise. Quantify you experience. Record what you currently know about your industry that others in your industry may not know. Imagine that you’re a mentor writing a long letter to a protégé. Focus on uncommon expertise and wisdom.

Use proven article templates that will help you write articles and content that prove you are a “thought leader.” For example, a case study article template will help you write an article that shows prospect that you are the expert – and that have you gotten desired results. An example is my article, “How to Promote Your Book to the Top of the New York Times Best Sellers List”.

Submit your articles to the top websites, ezines and blogs . Most people focus their article marketing efforts on sites like EzineArticles.com. Submitting your articles to article directories like EzineArticles.com is good for building links and improving your search engine optimization. But it sucks at helping you become a “thought leader!” Anyone can get published on article directories (including kids) as long as you follow their editorial guidelines. This doesn’t make you stand out at the expert, does it? Get your articles published on top, credible websites. For example, my articles can be found on sites like About.com, SiteProNews.com, MarketingProfs.com and hundreds more.

Turn your articles into videos and submit them to the top video sites like YouTube and Viddler.  As a thought leader, you want to get your message out to as many people as possible in as many formats as possible.

About the Author:
Article Marketing Expert Eric Gruber uses the power of articles to create online opportunities for Internet marketers, small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to experience the benefits of becoming a thought leader in their prospects’ eyes. Now, you can get 3 of his favorite his instant article writing templates that will help you write thought leader type articles in 30 minutes or less. Get it now: http://www.TryMyFreeArticleTemplates.com.

You know what hard work is. You’ve put in the long hours, worked late into the night, done more working than eating during the lunch hour-all to ensure the success of your business.

You may be thinking about what else you can do to get the news of your products or services more broadly known within your target market. Or, you might be brainstorming future steps to expand your business and make it even more successful.

In either case, one immensely valuable marketing strategy can be summed up in two words: get published!

Now, you may be tempted to dismiss this out of hand…after all, you have a profession, and very likely it isn’t “writer.” But there are many ways to be published and each, separately or in combination, can be incalculably valuable in terms of its contribution to your marketing efforts.

We’re talking about:

• Articles written about you, or by you, which are published in newspapers and/or magazines. They provide great credibility to your position as an expert in your field.

• Op Ed (opinion-editorial) pieces you’ve written that get published. It’s a great way to take a stance on an issue important to your business and get published, and it positions you as a thought leader.

• A book with you as the author-my favorite!

Getting published opens the door to the media and provides a powerful platform that is magnified a million-fold when you subsequently get invited to appear as a radio or TV guest, or are quoted in the press.

Furthermore, when the press publishes an article about you, it is really a public relations coup! A paid advertisement is always seen for what it is-an attempt to persuade more people to buy your product or service. Don’t get me wrong…there is definitely a place for advertising. But the power of PR is that when the press writes about you, they are giving a tacit endorsement of you and your business. It lends credibility which is absolutely priceless!

And, let’s face it-being published sets you apart from other CEOs and distinguishes you as a leader in your industry. Not only does it boost your status above that of your peers in the eyes of the public, it also makes them aware of what your company is about, who its leader is and helps them to form a positive opinion about your company and its product.

If you decide to be the author of a book or article but don’t have the time or expertise to write, there are droves of professional writers who freelance as ghostwriters (and are easily found on the Internet). For many a busy executive this is the best and only way to go. There is no shame in employing a ghostwriter-their job is to translate your own thoughts into an enjoyable and clearly-understood form. It’s no different than hiring any other professional who helps you run your business more smoothly.

The bottom line is that getting yourself in print can have a very positive impact on the success of your business. You can invest as much or as little of your own personal time to bring it about-it’s entirely up to you. But you will reap great benefits whichever path you take.

About the Author:
Marsha Friedman is a 20-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations http://www.emsincorporated.com, a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. She also hosts a national weekly radio talk show, The Family Round Table, and is author of the book, Celebritize Yourself.

Write Brothers, Inc. announces the launch of Outline 4D, a powerful outlining program with timeline views and element tracking. Outline 4D launches on February 1, 2010 exclusively on Amazon.com for the month of February.

Write Brothers, Inc. announces the launch of Outline 4D, a powerful outlining program with timeline views and element tracking. Originally branded under the name Storyview, Outline 4D includes additional support materials such as a new training site, www.LearnOutline4D.com and importing capabilities. As one happy user says, “Outline 4D is an outliner on steroids.”

“We realized our software’s usefulness extended beyond the writing community and wanted the name to reflect that. Outline 4D is a powerful tool and useful to anyone who needs to plan or outline,” says Chris Huntley, Vice-President of Write Brothers, Inc.

Outline 4D is for everyone using outlines to organize projects. The unique features of the software make it flexible and customizable to fit the specific needs of your project. Its patented method of displaying and editing an outline along a timeline makes Outline 4D the perfect tool for project planning and outlining visually. And the unique tracking feature lets users track any aspect of a project, providing quick visual references and benchmarks.

Outline 4D launches on February 1, 2010 exclusively on Amazon.com for the month of February, and is compatible with all version of Windows 7, Vista, and XP.

ABOUT WRITE BROTHERS:
In 1982, Write Brothers Inc. (formerly called Screenplay Systems) invented the first screenplay text processing system, Scriptor. For 27 years the company has been the world leader in developing software for screenwriting, film and television production, and creative story development.

Write Brothers is the only company to win an Academy Technical Achievement Award for the development of screenwriting software. Write Brothers’ software is sold worldwide, and has been used by the industry’s most demanding professionals for the development of film and television shows.

Author Solutions wants writers to make “publish a book” their top 2010 New Year’s resolution.

To help authors achieve this milestone, the ASI family of publishers — AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Trafford Publishing and Xlibris –are offering free expedited service with the purchase of a publishing package through Jan. 31, 2010.

“In most cases, expedited service will allow authors to see their books available for purchase one to two months after submitting their final manuscript,” said Keith Ogorek, Vice President of Marketing. “With free expedited service, authors can save up to $500, depending on the brand, and their books get to readers faster than ever before.”

In 2009, ASI publishers helped more than 20,000 authors bring 24,000 new titles to market. Overall, more than 85,000 authors of all genres including fiction, biography, self-help, business, children’s books, and poetry, have trusted ASI’s industry-leading publishers with helping them realize their dream of becoming published authors.

For more information on how Author Solutions is making indie book publishing accessible to authors of all genres worldwide, please visit http://www.authorsolutions.com.

If you’ve got a manuscript, there’s never been a better time to get published. This video from Author Solutions will tell you how to get started on your publishing journey.

The Web is built on words. For savvy writers, that means opportunities. Leading copywriter and writing teacher Angela Booth has just created her top ten tips to help writers to make money in 2010.

Angela writes several popular blogs, and offers a free weekly writing tips ezine for professional writers. She believes that there’s never been a better time to develop a high-powered freelance writing career.

“Oddly enough, the economic downturn has been good for writers. As businesses strive to cut costs, they move their marketing online, and they also ramp up their ecommerce efforts. This means there are many more opportunities for writers, particularly in writing Web content, and in blogging,” explains Booth.

The best writing jobs with great rates are never advertised. Unfortunately, she says, many writers both new and established, find the Web intimidating. She receives questions every day from writers asking her how to find writing jobs online which pay well, and how to make money online.

She says she created her Top Ten Writing Tips for 2010 to help writers to plan now for their best-ever year. She encourages writers to be both productive, and professional, because they’ll be amply rewarded.

In 2010, she encourages writers to set production goals, as well as marketing goals, and to ensure that they have a Terms of Service Agreement which they send to prospective clients. She reports that few writers understand that it’s necessary to set their own terms of service, as well as their rates, and that clients appreciate transparency.

She says that writers always want to know what they should be charging, but in a free market, it’s up to writers to set their own rates.

“There are no standard rates,” she reports. “New writers often get upset at what they perceive as low rates, but they’re not experienced enough to realize that the best writing jobs with great rates are never advertised. They go to known writers who have contacts, and who market. Becoming a known writer isn’t difficult. Writers who make getting known a top priority in 2010 will succeed far beyond their expectations.”

For further information on Angela Booth’s Fab Freelance Writing Ezine, and to subscribe, visit http://www.freelancewritingezine.com/. A sample issue is available. To download the free ebook, visit http://www.freelancewritingezine.com/2010tips.html.

Grammy and Emmy winning writer and MasterWriter creator, Barry DeVorzon, will hold a free webinar on November 19th to demonstrate the revolutionary new MasterWriter creative writing software.

The 15-minute online presentation will give creative writers and poets the opportunity to see MasterWriter’s array of unique reference dictionaries from the comfort of their own computer. Registration to the free event is on a first-come, first-served basis. A free copy of MasterWriter will be raffled off during the webinar.

“The greatest enemy of creativity is distraction. Searching a bookshelf full of reference dictionaries, or bouncing from one website to the next trying to find the right word or phrase can interrupt the creative process. With MasterWriter, the creative writer can search on a word and instantly see all of the possibilities in one place, including a vast array of descriptive words that he or she will not find in any other reference dictionary or thesaurus,” says Barry DeVorzon, the Grammy-winning songwriter who created MasterWriter.

The creative writing software is an invaluable tool during the writing process, and in the editing phase as well. “In a competitive world where good is rarely good enough, MasterWriter will help the creative writer to consistently create the exceptional,” notes DeVorzon.

MasterWriter began as a songwriting program, and is currently used by an impressive list of songwriters including Gwen Stefani, Rob Thomas, Amy Grant, David Foster, Kenneth “Baby Face” Edmunds, Kenny Loggins, and Clint Black, to name a few. With the addition of two revolutionary new reference dictionaries, Word Families and Parts of Speech, MasterWriter has evolved into a powerful creative writing software program that will open up a new world of possibilities for descriptive words and ideas.

In addition to Word Families and Parts of Speech, MasterWriter’s collection of reference dictionaries include a Phrases dictionary, a Pop-Culture Dictionary, a searchable Bible, a Rhyming dictionary, and The Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus.

Building the content and the delivery system for all of the reference dictionaries into one easy-to-use program was a six-year effort. Every dictionary was created from scratch, with the exception of The Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus.

No special software is required to watch the demo. Viewers can watch right at their desktop and listen via their computer speakers.

MasterWriter will open up a new world of possibilities for descriptive words and ideas.
To register for the free webinar: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/571363779
Date: November 19th
Time: 4:30 pm Pacific, 7:30 pm Eastern
Duration: 15 minutes

She’s written hundreds of articles for newspapers, magazines and websites, and now writing coach Maya Payne Smart is sharing her business know-how with other journalists—for free.

Smart knows it takes more than just writing talent to succeed as a freelancer in today’s competitive market. She’s teamed up with journalist Kate Eckman to create the free Breakthrough Freelancing Quick-Start Kit http://breakthroughfreelancing.com.

Eckman, a former TV news reporter, grills Smart about what it really takes to thrive as a freelancer in a challenging economy. Smart’s responses to the aspiring freelancer reveal tried and true methods for getting paid to write. She teaches listeners how to choose a niche, find and attract great clients, value themselves and their work, write once and sell multiple times, and stay motivated despite the odds.

This free kit includes a digital audio file of the 45-minute interview, a 32-page PDF transcript with links to key resources. Also included is a free subscription to Writing Coach — Smart’s bi-weekly newsletter full of insights and inspiration to help freelancers create wealth and enjoy the writing life.

“As print media scrambles to reinvent itself and online news organizations struggle to find profitable business models, many writers can no longer rely on employers for a steady paycheck or benefits, let alone any sort of professional development or long-term career path,” Smart said. “Given these trends, business skills must quickly assume their rightful place beside writing ability and reporting chops in the journalist’s toolbox. Freelancing, for many, will be the first step in moving in an entrepreneurial direction. I hope the Breakthrough Freelancing Quick-Start Kit inspires someone to get going already.”

Aspiring writers, current freelancers or journalism students won’t want to miss this limited time offer. Smart’s advice is not only informative, but uplifting and inspirational—something every journalist could use, especially in this economy.

“If you decide that this is what you want to do, be confident that you can do it,” she said. “It’s possible and you’re capable.”

To sign up for the free program, visit http://breakthroughfreelancing.com/.