Essay Online

What IS a best-selling author?

You have to answer that in your own mind.

Technically, it’s any book that makes it into the Top 100 list at ANY online or offline bookstore.

However, what does it mean to you?

Is it someone who sells 300-500 books in a day through online bookstores like Amazon.com and makes the top 10?

Is it only the person who makes it to #1?

Is it the person who sells their book from their own website and makes $10,000 in a few months?

Or does it have to be a specific list… like the New York Times best seller list?

What does it mean to you?

It’s a tough call. But you CAN have it all.

Selling your book through an online or offline bookstore will mean less money for you upfront, but will provide you far more leverage in the long run.

Selling your book from your own website and taking your own orders will mean far more money in the bank for you initially, but you’ll have to work a little harder on the back-end to get the recognition you deserve.

Both ways work. Neither way is right. It’s really what’s right for you.

Let’s talk about the steps necessary to make your book a bestseller whether you want to do it through an online bookstore or from your own website.

1) Pick the specific day you want to become a best seller.

Focusing on a specific day is what provides you the leverage to sell a large amount of books quickly. Selling 500 books over 6 months is not as impressive as selling 500 books in one or two days.

2) Create your “what’s in it for me?” offer.

Your book is a valuable resource for your clients. But selling it alone puts it up against all the other books already on the market for your subject. I don’t like those odds.

What you need is something “extra” — something that really let’s the perspective buyer know that you want to help them.

If you were to sell your book (for let’s say $20) and then offered everyone who purchased your book on the specific day you decided on in step 1 around $200 in bonuses from experts… do you think they’d be more likely to buy? And buy on that day?

Of course they would.

This is the step where you stop thinking about you and start thinking about the group of people you want to help by writing this book in the first place. Think of everything you can possibly offer to add value to your book and build a powerful arsenal of tools and resources.

When the potential buyer asks, “What’s in it for me?” (which they always do)… give them TONS of answers.

3) Use the 12-step method to create a promotional sales letter.

Now that you’ve answered the “What’s in it for me?” question, use the 12-step process to build a sales letter site for your book that explains it to the potential buyer.

They have a problem in their life. Your book is going to give them a solution for their problem… and a whole lot of “extras” if they buy on the specific day you’ve selected.

Tell them &ndash using the proven 12-step process.

4) Leverage the relationships you’ve built.

Now, simply go back to the experts who provided you the bonus items for your book promotion, let them know the day you have picked as your bestseller day and ASK them if they would help you promote it on that day.

GIVE THEM A FREE COPY OF YOUR BOOK.

Don’t be stingy. These are experts who have earned the right to be called an expert. You are asking them for a favor. Be generous enough to let them read your book first.

If you can afford it, send them a physical copy. If you can’t, email them a digital copy with a short, concise explanation of what you are doing.

Pick a specific day to target your focused effort. Give an overwhelming amount of bonus reasons for people to buy your book on that day; and then leverage the relationships with experts to get them to help you promote your book.

Why would they want to? Some will want to give back for the success they’ve earned. Some will want to because by doing so their bonus item is getting in more people’s hands (and their bonus item promotes them).

What will these experts use to help promote your book?

You guessed it… the “list” of their current clients.

Authors 25, 50 or 100 years ago would buy out their own first printing to make it appear their book was popular. Many “best sellers” used this tactic to get the Best Seller status so publishers would contract with them for future titles.

Tricky? Maybe. Successful? Absolutely.

Now it’s your turn.

Now that you know HOW to become a best seller, let’s address where to become a best seller.

Right now the 2 most popular bookstores for running best seller campaigns are Amazon.com and BN.com (Barnes and Noble).

To get your book listed in Amazon.com you can either:

Purchase the $149.95 option from Lulu.com for Global Distribution. This will get you listed in all major online and offline bookstores or go to Amazon.com and do it yourself.

If you take the “do it your self” route at Amazon, be sure to join Amazon.com’s Advantage Program. They will walk you through the process of signing up and getting your book listed in their store.

If you want to get listed in Barnes and Noble (online or offline), then visit BarnsandNobel.com.

Lulu.com will make both of these a simple process because you’ll already have an ISBN and you can order just a few books initially to get started with Amazon.com and/or Barnes and Noble.

Let’s talk through a few examples of how the Best Selling promotion may work:

1.) Leverage experts

We’ve already covered this one.

If I was writing the Pet Name book, I could find experts who are currently providing products and services to pet enthusiasts. Ask for bonuses and/or content from them. Then let them know the day I’m going to promote it and ask for their help.

I would provide them a digital or physical copy of the book to review. I would also ask what I could do to assist them. I’ve got to make it worth their while to help me.

2.) Leverage businesses

Rather than relying on 1 sale at a time from individual readers, I could approach businesses that sell pet-related products and see if I could get a licensing agreement with them where they buy a large quantity of books at one time.

I could sell 500 books to 500 different readers or I could sell 500 books to 1 or 2 pet stores.

3.) Leverage home town support

If it’s a localized subject &ndash like a travel guide to North Carolina beaches &ndash you could focus on specific businesses along the North Carolina coast to promote your book.

You could also contact local radio and/or TV stations to get publicity for your book promotion.

The biggest key to your best selling book promotion… don’t just go through the motions. Make It An EVENT! And have FUN with it.

Do you like to write letters to those who have meant something to you? Do people like receiving your letters? Have others said they always look forward to your letters?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions you could be an Epistolary Novelist.

This novel approach to fiction writing is unique in that the entire novel is composed with letters written between main characters or a solitary writer.

One of the classic Epistolary Novels in Christian fiction is the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. In this work two demons are conversing by letter to learn ways to frustrate Christians. These letters provided unique insight into the lives of Christians and how we respond to the world around us and the frustration we sometimes feel when dealing with other Christians.

One element that is totally removed from an Epistolary Novel is the narrator. Each chapter is composes specifically of a letter from of the novel’s main characters and presents a perspective unique to that author. There is no tool to lead the reader in any particular direction; they are influenced only by the words of your fictional character.

Another benefit of an Epistolary Novel is that you can present many unique points of view because each letter contains a prospective unique to the fictional author.

It may be difficult to think about how to manage a series of letters, you must learn how to take your plot and direction through the use of one or more voices. You have to work at keeping the characters and voices separated so each letter (chapter) bears the unique stamp of the character you have developed.

It is possible to develop an Epistolary Novel using only one character. In this scenario the novel may read much like a journal with an entire series of events being passed along in a time stamped dateline.

You will find there are several issues in the story that may not be resolved in subsequent letters. It may be several letters before an issue addressed in one letter is finally clarified. The intent is to present a realistic representation of the manner in which letter writing takes place.

A few authors have used the Epistolary Novel approach using email correspondence instead of standard form letters, but the truth is you can set your work of fiction in virtually any time period you choose.

If you are serious about your writing, in fact even if you aren’t, you need a web site. Let me repeat that — every writer needs a web site!

If you don’t believe me then here are five very good reasons why:

1. Your web site can serve as your showcase and portfolio. It can include your biography, experience, and writing credits as well as copies of your work or better yet–links to your published work. So many queries today are done electronically and it much easier to simply include an url for editors or prospective clients to visit than to try to attach copies and/or a long list of urls on various locations.

2. Your web site can be your creative outlet. Perhaps your bread-and-butter writing is in the financial field but you really enjoy writing poetry or about fly fishing. Then you can publish those pieces on your web site to receive exposure or simply to reward yourself for a job well done. Who knows, you might even find yourself with some new paying assignments in these fields!

3. You can demonstrate your expertise in your particular field or fields by demonstrating the number of articles you have written in that area as well as any experience and/or education you may offer in this field. Listing your articles or putting a selection on your site will get your name linked with various key words surrounding that topic in the search engines.

4. For writers, your name is your brand and you need to continually have your name out there and furthermore you need to have it connected with your areas of expertise. The more articles and essays you have published on the web then the more times your name gets out there for readers, clients, and editors. Owning your own web site (deannamascle.com for example) is like owning your own billboard on the internet superhighway.

5. You can earn money with your own web site and your writing even without getting paid by publications. Place Pay-Per-Click ads on your site or sign up for some affiliate programs to advertise on your site. Depending on the size of your site and the traffic you attract this may become a major new source of income for you!

I hope I’ve convinced you that a web site can be an asset to your writing career, but I must warn you that web mastering can be very addictive to us creative types. Don’t let it overtake your writing time. Start out simple and build over time so you can work out a good balance between your writing and your webmaster chores.

Who is the Bigger-Than-Life Character in Your Bestseller-Kind-Of-Novel?

The main characters in the bestseller-kind-of novel are bigger-than-life. No wimps here. You can’t just tell us what they do; you have to show us what they do. Prove that they’ve bigger-than-life. These are people who find ways to solve the problems around them. They outsmart the bad guys. The bigger-than-life character overwhelms the enemy, somehow. They blow up blockade, so to speak&ndashliterally or emotionally.

Here are your examples: In the Godfather, everyone knows that he can fix any man’s problems. His people already know that; we’re just being introduced to him, though. The undertaker comes to him seeking revenge on the well-to-do white boys that tried to rape and beat his only daughter. If the undertaker takes revenge, he knows the police will find out and jail him. So he comes to godfather and asks the request. Godfather has his foot soldiers to take care of it. The pizza baker wants his daughter to be married to the baker boy who is about to be deported to Italy by immigration. Godfather has his concierge to talk to his politicians and stop the deportation. His godson comes in crying about a movie that the big time Hollywood producer won’t give to him. Godfather assures him he will fix it. The producer says he’ll never get that part. Godfather makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Through his unlimited connections, the producer finds his prized and protected horse’s head in his bed. Producer’s scream can be heard a mile away.

Even in death, he has outwitted the bad guys. He grooms the son Michael to carry on, and drummed into his head the plot the enemy will use to kill him. He accurately predicts who would be the traitor after his death. Godfather was larger than life and he has out lasted the author, Mario Puzo.

Godfather executed the death of the Italian Don, who had killed his father. As his mother begged for his life, the mob boss shot her. The boy escaped and came to America. He did crime to keep his people from suffering injustice. That was larger-than-himself, larger than life.

GONE WITH THE WIND&ndashNear the end of the war, Scarlett comes home to Tara and finds it in disarray. Her mother is dead, the cotton fields are waiting to be tended, her father is losing his memory and two lazy sisters are complaining. Scarlett put on her bonnet and worked the field and whipped the sisters in line to do the same. When a Yankee soldier comes into her house, she shoots and kills him, then drags him out and buries him. Scarlett was a bestseller-kind of character&ndashlarger than life.

The Mayor’s Wife Wore Sapphires&ndashIndigo Tate is wired to make things happen. The story opens with her scheming to get her husband into congress. She was ladylike and all cosmopolitan in the right circles. When she’s trying to get her “Camelot” status for Compton. But near the climax, when she is locked in a safe house, under the guardianship of a six-foot-nine giant and pressured, she tamed her guardian to have pity on her. She had the cool presence of mind, like Michael, to push the right buttons. The head enemy approaches, and when he is caught off guard, she battles him down with a broken chair leg&ndashlike Scarlett when the Yankee tries to invade her home. She runs and jumps off a high porch with two pit bulls baring teeth and chasing in close pursuit. She sprang on top of a six-foot fence, dislocating her arm and leg, but she keeps running to the highway, to freedom. No one can say anything but that Indigo Tate is a larger-than-life-character. She is the African American heroine who’s name will be just as well known as Scarlett’s.

Write 20 characteristics of your bigger-than-life character. If you notice, there are no wimps in even a love story.

Once your manuscript is complete you are ready to begin your search for the publisher that will best meet your needs. Research your genre to find publishers who accept what you have written. Look at books that they have already published and determine where your story will fit in.

Once you have found a publisher who catches your eye, make sure that you take the time to carefully read their submission guidelines. You may have written the most wonderful story in the world, but if you do not follow the publishers specifications, you may find that your manuscript will lie untouched at the bottom of a pile of submissions from authors who did follow the rules.

Once you have read the guidelines, you are ready to work on preparing your submission. You might need to go back and fix your spacing and indentations to the specifications of whatever publisher you are submitting to. You need to now write a query letter that introduces you as an author, your novel and your level of experience in writing. This should include a brief biography and a list of publishing credits. In the query letter, let the publisher know why your story is different, who will be your target audience and how do you plan to market your novel.

The synopsis should be a 2-4 page summary of the story including the ending. It should be well thought out and follow your plot line from beginning to end. Often this is the first sample of writing that a publisher looks at. A publisher knows if it was thrown together at the last minute. You should take as much time and care with your synopsis as you would with any scene of your novel.

Having a plan of action should your novel get published is an important tool of preparation for you. Let your potential publisher know how you plan to get your name out there. Will you do book signings, contests, chats, online signings, book club readings or placement into independent bookstores. Do you have a website? Do you have any special groups that you know would be interested in this type of novel. This is called a promotional plan and some publisher require it. Whether it is required or not, this is a good tool to develop prior to submission.

There are also a number of things that you should not do when submitting a manuscript. First is to send a manuscript with no query letter or synopsis. Publishers like to get an idea of what the story is about before plunging into a novel.

Second, make sure that the guidelines are followed. If the publisher specifies that all submissions should be double spaced in times new roman font, saved as an RTF file. Do not send something that is single spaced in a gothic font saved as a PDF.

Third, do not tell the publisher how wonderful your work is, or how much you think he or she will enjoy it. Stick strictly to the facts.

Fourth, do not write the publisher over and over again asking if they have yet read your manuscript. Most publishers will list an average response time. Only after that time has passed should you contact the publisher for an update.

Finally, when your Manuscript, make sure that your document is appropriately labeled with your name, pen name, title of the book, word count and email address. When manuscripts are sent by email, your document is often saved in another location. This manuscript could quite possibly be passed to various staff within the company in order to find the line that best fits your title. If there is not identifying information on the Manuscript itself, a publisher can not respond to you.

Overall, when you are submitting your work, remember be professional, be kind, be respectful and be patient. The publisher is working hard to review works and put out the best quality pieces to our public. As an author, it is your job to follow some simple guidelines when submitting a manuscript in order to allow the process to go smoothly and your work to be accepted.

Before you begin writing your book, you must research your idea and see if it is in-demand with readers. Who is going to read it? To whom are you trying to appeal with your words? You must have a general idea of who your intended audience will be. Check out other books. Is there a book already published that resembles your book? What will make your book unique from theirs? If there are similar books already out there, what is going to make your book different and make people want to buy it?

When you are ready to begin your book, decide on a schedule that is best for you, one that you can stick to. Your schedule should begin before your research and carry through to the completion of the book. Make a detailed outline with the main plot, events leading to that plot, and explicit detail about the characters. An outline is also a good reference point to double-check your timelines and details.

ONE IDEA IS NOT ENOUGH

Part of the reworking process is changing direction within the writing. Many beginning writers aspire to write a book. They have an idea and a vague plan to turn the idea into book. Picture a first grader telling you she wants to write a book about horses. Although you can collect a lot of information about horses to write several books, the vague idea is not enough for an adult writer to create a marketable book. To write a book, you need to start with a topic. You may or may not be an expert on the subject. After you have the first vague ideas, you need to start asking yourself questions to focus in on a specific, marketable topic. Answering those questions will lead you to more questions, and so on. Even if your original idea is unique and leads you to write new information that the world does not yet have access to, you will need to add to that original idea to create an intriguing finished product. If you are not an expert, or you have not created any new information, it will take more time and effort to produce a unique piece of writing. Fiction is the same as non-fiction. Many stories have been told before. If you want to become a published author, you need to come up with an engaging and new journey for your readers to take.

RECYCLING OLD IDEAS

There is always room in your book for old ideas. Your readers will need a familiar starting place within your writing. As you are putting together your ideas for a complete book, you will probably publish smaller pieces of work in magazines and newspapers. It is okay, as long as you cite yourself, to reuse some of that work. In that way, you can publish as you go along while still making progress towards your end goal in book publishing. After several months or even years, you will have poured out your effort and knowledge into a completed book.

You may want to turn off your editing software for your first draft. Mesh the plot, the characters, and everything together, without using your spellchecker. You can fix your grammar, spelling, and punctuation later. Most authors don’t write their books from front to back. By writing different chapters or events, it may be easier for you to come back and connect them later. Sometimes having the words on paper makes it easier to fill in the blanks.

FIRST DRAFT

You have finished your first draft. Now is the time to read it. Reading the rough draft allows you to zero in on the timeline, link the plot with the characters, and ensure everything makes sense and flows together. Once you have accomplished these tasks, use your editing software. It is time to fix your grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. Two widely used grammar programs for authors include WhiteSmoke Software (.WhiteSmokeSoftware.com), and a book formatting software called WizardsForWord (.WizardsForWord.com).

Now put you book aside. Let it sit for 7-10 days or so before you pick it up again. This will give your mind time to clear. Now read the book again. Does it still flow and make sense? Do you need to add something or change it? Now is the time.

Choose someone to proofread your book for you. If possible, hire a professional editor to do this or someone with a writing or English background. Besides editing your manuscript, a professional copyeditor can also offer you unbiased opinion and advice.

Lastly, create the final draft. The final draft should be error free. This is your last chance to change anything before it goes to the publisher. Now is when all that time you spent writing a book comes together to make its trip to publication.

Unlike other areas of expertise, book writing is a different process for everyone. As you set out to write a book, you can follow some basic guidelines, but getting your ideas from your head to the page is an invention of your own. Not only will you have to get the information onto the page, but also you will have to write in a way that thousands or even millions of readers can relate to and understand.

The point of view in any story is important because it provides a guide to manage the execution of your story. Most works of fiction use one point of view although a second perspective can be brought into the story for a short period of time.

Third Person Perspective is the most common method of conveying a work of fiction. This method allows the narrator to have at least limited omniscience. The narrator has limited access to the knowledge and feelings of the characters in the story and can take the reader from one character setting to another easily. There is no questioning of how the narrator knows so much about each individual; it is a premise that is simply accepted by most readers.

Unlike first person perspective that conveys the story from the perspective of a cast member, third person perspective narration does not allow the narrator to actually participate in the action. They are simply the mechanism that operates outside the story to bring the various story threads together.

If a writer were to give the narrator full access to all feelings and thoughts of the cast of characters the story would be a little flat because nothing would be left to the imagination.

Third person narratives can be spotted by the predominate us of words such as they, he, she and it. The narrator talks about others - never about himself.

The least common perspective is Second Person Perspective. Very few novels can utilize this approach throughout an entire work.

This type of fiction relies on words like you and you’re. The use of this type of perspective either assumes you will connect with the story as if it is written to you or that you will understand you are reading a private story written to and about someone else. It is rare to find a full manuscript that uses this perspective although an Epistolary Novel such the C.S. Lewis masterpiece “Screwtape Letters” may likely be considered second person perspective in its entirety.

The trouble many writers get into is an unintentional shift in perspective. This can be used effectively under certain circumstances, however the shift in perspective needs a breaking point to allow the reader to gain some understanding that a shift has taken place. Without a break to qualify the shift in point of view the story becomes confusing because the reader has to work hard at discovering who is actually telling the story.

I am pleased to announce that because of the existence of the American Chronicle, and the kind tolerance of its editorial staff, particularly Peter who has had to endure a lot regarding yours truly, I have been noticed by a travel guide publisher. Because I was permitted to send in article after article to this online publication, I am able to take on some bigger, paid gigs.

The way this works is that you write, a lot, and send your stuff into the American Chronicle for no pay. Hopefully, you write something that people actually want to read and, on occasion, respond to. The guys and gals at the mysterious editorial offices of the Chronicle, if you are lucky, approve your articles and put them on their web page. Though you aren’t making money in the traditional sense, you are getting exposure. You can even mention that you have written a book or two and that you would appreciate it if lots of people buy many copies for Christmas presents.

Lo and behold, when I wasn’t even looking, a travel guide publisher wrote me and asked for samples of my writing and my resume. Of course, I did what they asked pronto! I also asked which butt-cheek I should kiss. Not really, but I felt like it.

This travel guide publisher responded. After swooning to the floor and picking myself up, I read that not only were they interested in me as a contract writer but they also want to publish one of my articles in an anthology they have coming out later this spring.

After a lot of excitement-caused sleepless nights and a lot of alcoholic beverages, I was finally able to reflect on how this has all come to be. I thought I would offer some words of advice to other aspiring writers.

First, write, write, and write some more. What I mean is, write something publishable every day. Write as though you have a daily column to get out by a deadline. This doesn’t mean that you necessarily need to get it published daily. The point here is that you need to produce a lot of material. And, it needs to be publishable. Make sure it is your best stuff.

Second, in this daily writing, be sure to address your niche. I write about Mexico almost exclusively because that is where I live and what I know. I write what I know and what I want to write about&ndashlife in Mexico.

Third, find a place like the American Chronicle to file your stories. Make sure, if the online publication allows you to post key words, you choose key words that you think someone will look for within your niche. For example, with almost every story I file, I put the words, “Mexico, Guanajuato, expatriation to Mexico, travel to Mexico, etc…” or some variation as the key words.

Fourth, if you are permitted to post personal info, a bio or your web page, then do so. You want your biographical information out there. You also want to have words in your bio that correspond to the key words in your stories.

Fifth, do not ever offend your editors. Do not be a cry-baby. Do not pitch fits. Do not think of yourself as a prima donna. There are enough of them in the world. Frankly, they are not well loved. In fact, do what your editors say. Always follow their suggestions, especially when they tell you to straighten up your act and fly right. I add, reluctantly, that I know this point from personal experience.

Though none of this is guaranteed to land you a paying gig, it can be the means through which you get discovered. The more stories you can file, with lots and lots of good key words, the better your chances of getting noticed.

I will keep all my readers on the Chronicle informed as to the progress of my new writing venue. I will continue to crank out the stuff that many of you apparently like reading.

I want to thanks the Chronicle, Peter, and all those readers who have actually read my work.

And, be sure to buy my books, lots of them, for Christmas presents this year.

Whether you’re a professional magazine writer with decades of experience or a not-yet-published freelancer, you are bound to get rejection notes. Editors don’t always explain clearly why they’re saying no. Some reasons have nothing to do with you and others have everything to do with you, while many other reasons rank between those two extremes.

To succeed as a freelance magazine writer, you must do your best to optimize the factors within your control. Then accept the rejections that occur despite your efforts, as an inevitable part of the business. Use this list of 10 common reasons for rejection as a tool for crafting article queries that make it hard for editors to respond in any other way than “yes!”

1. We already did this topic. When a magazine has its archives posted online, you should try to make sure this objection isn’t the case. However, sometimes you couldn’t possibly know that your topic is already assigned to another writer or already set to appear in a future issue. Your idea being “in the pipeline” is the quintessential reason for rejection that you can’t prevent. Oh well! Just go on to the next idea.

2. We’re not ready to redo the topic yet. Many magazines revisit some topics after a certain length of time has passed or if there’s a compelling rationale for shortening their normal repeat cycle. If your research reveals that the publication has covered a topic before, explain what’s changed to warrant another article now. For instance, your article would focus on post-Big Dig Boston. Or you’ll cover the fertility treatments that have been discovered since their last discussion of the topic in 2006.

3. It’s not relevant to enough readers. Forestall this response by making a strong case in your query that your topic is either relevant or interesting to their target market. For instance, editors at a men’s magazine would most likely reject an article on eating disorders unless you cite statistics showing that it’s rapidly growing or an increasingly serious problem for men in the age group the magazine serves.

4. Your idea isn’t focused enough. Very often queries go in five different directions for a topic, so that the editor can’t figure out what the article would really cover. If the editor can tell you want to write about volunteerism in big cities but not what you want to say about the phenomenon, that’s a “no.” Whenever possible, include a sentence in your query defining your focus or stating the main idea of the article.

5. You’re trying to cover too much. Editors know what can and can’t be accomplished in 700 or 1800 words or whatever length is usual for their publication. Beginning writers have a tendency to propose something that would need a book-length treatment to accomplish or that’s way too broad for an article. To prevent this reason for rejection, carefully study your target magazine to determine what a reasonable scope for an article is &ndash for instance, “ways to help your child complete their homework,” rather than “ways to help your child succeed in life.”

6. Your focus is wrong for us. If you propose a profile when the magazine runs how-to articles, or vice versa, the editor will say no. The same thing would happen when you propose writing about a tragedy or outrage when the publication prides itself on hopeful, upbeat stories. Research, research, research first!

7. Your query is okay, but not exciting to us. Here the topic and focus may work, but the writing lacks persuasiveness and pizzazz. Head off this reason for rejection by writing vivid, energetic queries in the style preferred by the publication.

8. We’re not convinced you can pull it off. Certain kinds of articles require journalistic experience, technical knowledge, contacts or unusual storytelling skills. Try to anticipate the fears editors might have about your abilities in reference to what you’re proposing and explain what in your background shows you can handle it.

9. There are factual errors in your presentation. Always, always look up the spelling of proper names and check any facts mentioned in a query. One of my writing students showed me a query he was going to send off that described a highway as going somewhere it didn’t and put a tourist spot in the wrong state. These would have been deadly errors. Editors hate working with writers who can’t get details right.

10. Your query is poorly written. Editors also hate receiving assignments that need a major rewrite, so they send queries containing mangled sentences, verbs that don’t match subjects and misused phrases to the “reject” pile. Learn to write correct, competent English, and you’ll ensure a fair reception for your ideas.

“I’ll figure that out . . . when I get the time.”

“I really don’t know how to start!”

“I really should write my essay!”

This common dilemma is expressed over and over again by many people everywhere. The good news is that anybody can write an essay!

There are three main reasons for essays:

1. To help you to cohesively construct an argument and defend it on paper.

2. To help you develop good written and oral communication skills.

3. To help you to figure out how to find information.

Not knowing how to write properly can make your academic life disorganized, stressful and chaotic. By improving your writing skills, you can confidently and quickly finish assignments and write properly throughout your professional career.

Writing an essay can be very simple when you follow these basic steps: choose a topic, define the scope of your essay, create the outline, write the essay and — proofread, proofread, proofread!

The Essay Topic

The first step in writing an essay is to select a topic (if one has not been assigned). In order to define a topic, you should think about the goal of the essay. Is the purpose of the essay to persuade, educate, or describe a topic — or for something else entirely? It is generally helpful to brainstorm ideas by jotting down favorite subjects or thinking of a topic that may be interesting to you.

Define the Scope of the Essay

The next step is to define the scope of your essay. Is the subject matter very broad, or will the essay cover a specific topic with detail-oriented examples? Thinking about the overall topic and scope will help you to begin the writing process.

Create an Outline

The next step is to create the outline. You may think that an outline is an unnecessary, time-consuming task — but this step will actually help save time! An outline will help keep you focused while writing your essay, and help keep you from wandering aimlessly in conducting your research. It should be composed of the main idea of the essay or thesis statement, and the arguments that support it. The outline is often numbered and organized by paragraph, but more abstract outlines will also help to organize and focus your ideas.

Writing the Essay

The subsequent step is writing the essay. The introduction paragraph should begin with an attention grabber. This is a statement the lures the reader into wanting to read the rest of the essay. The next few sentences should be very broad in topic, and should lead to the narrow focus of the thesis statement, which is usually the very last sentence of the introduction paragraph. There are typically three body paragraphs, and each one starts by tackling one of the main ideas presented in the thesis statement. The following sentences should describe and elaborate on the main point. Details of specific examples should be included to strengthen your main ideas. The conclusion paragraph summarizes the essay and provides a final perspective on the main topic. It often begins with a paraphrase of the original thesis statement, and sometimes includes a future prediction based upon the viewpoint presented in the essay.

Proofreading Your Essay

The final step in writing a thesis is proofreading. Proofreading is actually the most important part of writing the essay and is often skipped. A few items to consider when proofreading your essay are the order of the paragraphs, the flow of the sentences, grammar, spelling and the instructions for the assignment. Questions to ask yourself include:

• Does your essay make sense?

• Does each sentence flow to the next sentence well?

• Are there any points that can be made stronger or clearer?

• Are there words that are used frequently?

• Are there any run-on sentences or fragments?

The proofreading process sometimes takes longer than the actual writing process, but this is what makes the difference between a concise and well thought out essay, and a bad essay.

When the process of writing an essay is broken into pieces, the process seems more manageable and easier to complete for the beginner. The process consists of thinking about a topic, creating an outline, writing the essay and proofreading the essay. This makes essay writing an interesting learning experience, and helps the writer express his or her thoughts more clearly, concisely and with more validation.