At one point, it was extremely difficult for a writer to get his or her works published for all to enjoy. You could submit your manuscript to dozens of publishing houses only to have rejection letters returned. In today’s world, there are a great number of methods that can help a writer get noticed in order to build a career. The Internet has provided possibilities that didn’t otherwise exist. Young authors can begin building a reputation for themselves by using the tools provided online.
1. Wattpad – For those who are looking to break into writing professionally, Wattpad.com can help you build your reputation as well as help you develop yourself as a writer. This website will allow you to post your stories for others to read and critique. Thousands upon thousands of readers and authors frequent the website and can help you see your story through their eyes. Popular writers wind up being featured and passed around building a reputation as entertaining authors. Some have even been picked up by publishing houses in order to continue their careers.
2. Blogs – Hosting your own blog can help you flex those grammatical muscles in order to perfect the skill. While many blogs are centered around information and news, some have been used to promote the author by creating short stories with each post. Owning your own blog could also help market your posted stories on other sites by giving you a platform that will let you link to those pages – this creates a backlink which is a method to help search engines rank your material higher.
3. Self-Publishing – There are many houses that help those publish their own materials and assist with distribution. While this can help bypass a lot of the pain when trying to get your work published, it is usually quite expensive if you don’t have the money. These houses will provide a specific number of copies of your book to be distributed and the proceeds will pay for additional copies if your novel becomes a success.
4. eBook Website – For an investment of a couple hundred dollars, you could host your own website selling your eBook titles directly. Through marketing strategies and social media websites, you could easily get your name recognized as a prominent author. If you’d rather submit your eBook to sites such as BookCountry.com, you could reap the royalties without involving the middle man or designing a website tailored to your needs.
5. Free Downloads – When producing your own eBooks, many people have found a great deal of success by making them free for a limited amount of time. This helps your title rank higher as people love to read free content. After a week, you could very well see your novel sitting next to various popular authors on sites such as Amazon. Sometimes, kick-starting your career requires tactics such as giving a product away to entice sales later.
It can be a tough world to break into. You may have excellent story ideas locked away in your head, but you may lack the skills in order to detail those stories into something that is entertaining to your readers. Don’t be afraid of rejection and turn it into a way to improve your talents. Persistence and tenacity should be your most coveted qualities. Don’t let discouragement deter you from something you love to do.
Author Bio:
The above post was contributed by Ken Myers, founder of http://www.longhornleads.com/ . Ken has learned over the years the importance of focusing on what the customer is looking for and literally serving it to them. He doesn’t try to create a need, instead he tries to satisfy the existing demand for information on products and services.