Marketing Strategies for Writers

Michael Sedge, owner of Strawberry Media Agency and guru of marketing strategies great and small, has his finger on the pulse of struggling writers and authors everywhere because he has been there. Sedge has been able to parlay his writing skills into an impressive global business and shares his tricks of the trade in this fascinating volume.Sedge focuses on, very simply, how to sell writing. He dubs his game plan "guerilla marketing," and he creates an orderly universe out of a terrifying and confusing market. He offers a powerful litany of ideas for: researching the marketplace; smoozing with secretaries and others who are in support positions; anticipating markets based on current events, dates, and trends; using personal style to create markets; maximizing profits and minimizing work; how to create publicity packets; and many other useful tips to new writers.Sedge throughly understands image, and scatters examples of how to seem larger than life in order to better promote oneself: "Distancing yourself makes everything more profession, more `big league.' If you are requesting information about John Hendricks, founder and CEO of the Discovery Channel, would you expect to receive it directly from Hendricks? Of course not; he is much too busy for that. The company has a public relations office for such things. This is the exact image you want to present for your business."Marketing Strategies For Writers is a bible for marketing. It is the type of book that should occupy the same space as the best writing books in a writer's collection. Sedge writes with humor, the earnestness of an excellent teacher trying to impart pearls of wisdom, and genuine compassion for the plight of writers everywhere. He gives writers hope with his abundant wisdom and optimism; and he prods and emphasizes with interesting tales of his own success.Sedge is someone who should be listened to, as he has produced an incredible 2600 articles, several books, and tapes and scripts. His agency handles photography, marketing, writing, editing, and anything else that is required within the publishing field. He is truly the guru of marketing...and writing.

Michael Sedge's latest book has only one purpose: To help you make a lot of money at writing. It is that simple, yet that outstanding. While other books on this topic are either broad overviews or blatant chest thumping, Marketing Strategies for Writers is neither. Sharing with the reader what has worked for him--and what hasn't--Sedge offers clear step by step advice. He also describes in detail how to make editors want YOU! Not just for writers, this book is an excellent reference for marketing in all fields. My wife runs a real-estate agency, and has bought a box of these books for her staff. Bound to be an instant classic. If you are serious about writing, this is the book for you.

If you ask editors what percentage of the writers they've worked with consistently turn in error-free, reader-grabbing, ready-to-go work on deadline, the answer is invariably a very small percentage. How frustrating to be told that you're one of the 10% that fulfills these basic requirements, yet to have to stand in line behind the other 90% as they knock on editors' doors asking for work! There has to be a better way.The answer to this dilemma is marketing. Good writers who can fulfill editors' needs need superior marketing to set them apart and help them cut through the hordes of other writers competing for the same markets. After all, what good does it do you (or the editor) to be one of the 10% of writers that can do the job if the editor doesn't know you exist?Marketing Strategies for Writers addressed every question I had about how to increase my business through marketing. Sedge's ideas are clear and unique--and as I've learned since I've started implementing them, they work.Sedge also has excellent advice on reselling articles to different markets, using unique premiums to get editors' attention, networking and more.

I put some of the suggestions in Michael Sedge's "Marketing Strategies for Writers" into action, and within four days received positive feedback from an editor!Michael Sedge gives practical, down to earth, useable suggestions on how to sell your writing, and then sell it for more, in Marketing Strategies for Writers. The book is easy to read with print that is large enough to be gentle on the eyes, and text broken up with nifty, short, highlighted quotes from various experts and authorities (such as Tim Perrin, Executive Director of WritingSchool.com).Sedge's material is mostly original, and not the usual fluff regurgitated. He makes the drudgery and terror of marketing seem exciting, and provides names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses from his files to get your efforts kick-started.His willingness to divulge which of his marketing efforts failed is reassuring. If it didn't work for Michael Sedge, and a similar effort hadn't worked for me, I felt I wasn't such a flop!If you really want to sell what you write, buy this book now, before it sells out!

Although I've written three books and scores of articles, my marketing skills are far less honed than my prose. When I saw Mike Sedge's new book, I bought it without hesitation, hoping the information would help me increase my sales. It did---and if you are a published writer, or working towards publication, Mike's book is a MUST READ.From Chapter One, Mike paints a telling picture of why it's critical for writers to constantly market themselves and their work. Working smarter, not harder is the guerrilla writer way of life. The smart writer doesn't sit around waiting for work--he (or she) goes out and aggressively grabs it. Mike's book will detail how.This book deftly puts us in an editor's shoes. By understanding what the pile of mail stacked on editors' desks contain, the savvy writer will be able to make their query or submission shine. Guess what? If you're a competent writer who gets the facts right and delivers the goods on time, you really don't have much competition. And once again, this book tells how to get to the top of that pile. As a writer, it never occurred to me to expand into other areas. After reading this book, I've developed a new marketing plan, to include actively seeking speaking engagements and radio appearances.If you are looking for nuts and bolts answers to questions like: Should I submit e-mail queries, or how do I get more work from editors after my initial contract, you'll find them here.Mike's guerrilla marketing has changed my approach to marketing my work, and helped me make more money with less effort. After I read his book, I used some of his ideas and quickly sent off two queries one Sunday afternoon. Three days later I had bagged both assignments. His advice helped me win a $300 assignment for a job that took me an hour. Not a bad rate! If you're serious about being a writer, you need this book!