Notes from Minnesota

An interview with the ever fabulous Victoria Rosendahl! Video below, audio at the end of this post.

Today I speak with dear friend, wonderful writer, and savvy marketer Victoria Rosendahl of TheRosendahlMethod.com. A consummate storyteller, Victoria details how she built a solid freelance career by focusing on her strengths as a novelist.

Discussion includes solid freelancing techniques, how to avoid expensive pitfalls, we’ll check out some new hacks, and review long term strategies that actually work.

Websites Mentioned:

http://TheRosendahlMethod.com

http://FilbertPublishing.com

Mark Redmond is the creator of the Arty Anderson Series. With lively characters, Redmond tackles thorny philosophical issues with a deft hand, all framed by a solid Christian faith. However, mystery, intrigue, and a really great story is always first priority.

In today’s podcast, Beth and Mark discuss:

* How writing fits into his busy schedule

* Working with collaborators

* Advice to writers breaking into the genre

* His favorite promotion techniques

Pull up a chair and enjoy the ride! It’s a fun interview…

Websites mentioned:

http://MarkLRedmond.com

http://FilbertPublishing.com

Hey Freelancer,

I’ve got another snarly, head scratching scenario on tap today.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not some sort of saint. However, you probably won’t convince me that cutting corners, borderline cheating, gaming the system is worth it in the long run.

Case in point: in today’s article, I talk about an acquaintance who just last night hit a bestseller list. But, as I outline in my commentary, I’m not sure it was worth it…

Ack. When did this whole publishing/freelancing gig get so complicated, and so filled with impatient folks who disregard common sense?

Oh well. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this! Feel free to head to http://FilbertPublishing.com and toss a comment on this.

‘Til next time,

Beth 🙂

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Everything You Need to Jumpstart Your Writing Career

Combine two Filbert Publishing’s best sellers, Jumpstart Your Writing Career (and Snag Paying Assignments) and101 No Cost (and Low Cost) Techniques to Turbo Charge Your Writing Career, and you’ve got powerful information that’ll get you on the road to earning a living as a writer. Fast.

These are down and dirty techniques, no fluff here, on how to:

* Land Long Term Clients

* Write Stellar Queries that Help Sell Your Writing

* Create an Effective Website that Works Hard For You 24 Hours a Day

* Tackle Nonfiction Markets Scrambling for Competent Writers

* Sell Your Writing to Various Outlets to Create Multiple Streams of Income

* And So Much More

If you’re tired of spinning your wheels, if you feel like you’re missing the one thing that’ll help launch your writing biz, if you want solid information that’ll help you generate a steady stream of assignments… nab your copy of this double feature today. Click here.

NOTE: Introductory pricing ends very soon.

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Is this gaming the system? If so, is it worth it?

Beth Ann Erickson

http://FilbertPublishing.com

Last night an acquaintance of mine hit a bestseller chart. That’s generally good news. Except this time, I was left scratching my head. Allow me to explain:

When I launched Filbert Publishing back in ‘01, I generally followed basic publishing rules, one of which was this: Always place your book in the appropriate category so potential readers can find it.

Not complicated, eh? It apparently is now.

Seems there’s a publishing strategy that maintains that customer discoverability is less important than bestseller status.

In this case, the author just released a thriller. Fiction. She apparently placed her book in the “Health, fitness, and Dieting” category. Uhhh… that’s nonfiction.

Turns out, the author found a category that wouldn’t be difficult to rise through the ranks. She placed her book in that category, sold a few copies, and boom… Amazon bestseller, in that particular category.

But… what about the reader? If you were perusing Health, Fitness, and Dieting to find a new book and you ran into a thriller… would that matter?

If you wrote a legit book in that category, would you appreciate your area being inundated with fiction, something not remotely related to your topic?

If you were a legit thriller author and were selling more books than this author, would you appreciate her bestselling status?

I don’t have any answers for this. In fact, I was pretty surprised to find fiction creeping into hard core nonfiction areas.

So here’s my question: Does this matter?

I almost didn’t upload this one. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But… (there’s always a “but,” right?) something just isn’t right with this. Perhaps I’m wrong. Please correct... Read more »

~~~ Notes from Minnesota ~~~

Hey Freelancer,

Lina, the Flamepoint Siamese kitten, is on her first diet. Vet said she’s beginning to resemble a wood tick.

Sigh.

I’m on a diet, too. Heck, I’ve been on a diet pretty much my entire adult life. Colon cancer put me on a really weird range of acceptable foods. But to put a kitten on a stricter food plan? I feel her pain.

She’s definitely a Siamese. This means she talks. A lot. Constantly. I get the definite impression that she’s not real pleased with this development.

And her diet? It’s really not that bad. At this point, we just have to curb the treats. No “milkbones” when Jake (the Mini Pinscher) goes outside. (They like to celebrate his accomplishment together.) No more tuna treats. Salmon bites? Gone. We were told to quit doling out Friskies Party Mix like popcorn, too.

Please don’t judge me. I miss Ru, my dearly departed Doxie cross. In response to my grief, I’ve apparently decided to slowly ruin my lovely Lina’s health by systematically overfeeding her. :/

But no more.

Now, she eats kitten food. Only kitten food. That’s it. Nothing more.

The result? Everything about this new lifestyle displeases Lina. My office has become a cacophony of feline complaints.

And I love every minute. Jeepers, that girl is cute!

Onward and upward,

Beth 🙂

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first month of 2018 is in the can. Have you turbocharged your writing career yet?

How’s this:

Combine two Filbert Publishing’s best sellers, Jumpstart Your Writing Career (and Snag Paying Assignments) and101 No Cost (and Low Cost) Techniques to Turbo Charge Your Writing Career, and you’ve got powerful information that’ll get you on the road to earning a living as a writer. Fast.

These are down and dirty techniques, no fluff here, on how to:

* Land Long Term Clients

* Write Stellar Queries that Help Sell Your Writing

* Create an Effective Website that Works Hard For You 24 Hours a Day

* Tackle Nonfiction Markets Scrambling for Competent Writers

* Sell Your Writing to Various Outlets to Create Multiple Streams of Income

* And So Much More

If you’re tired of spinning your wheels, if you feel like you’re missing the one thing that’ll help launch your writing biz, if you want solid information that’ll help you generate a steady stream of assignments… nab your copy of this double feature today.

Click Here. 🙂

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Four Vital Marketing Steps

By Beth Erickson

Last time I discussed how annoyed I got when a stranger hit me up on Facebook asking if I’d buy her book. Another time, a self proclaimed “guru” got all friendly on that same message format, introduced himself, then broadsided the conversation, asking me to purchase his service.

While figuring out how to sell your writing online can sometimes feel frustrating, it’s important to remember a few basic principles before you start.

Hanging out your shingle online is similar to setting up shop in a small town. While people tend to be naturally friendly, never assume they’ll just pull out their wallets and start handing out cash because you’re so gosh darned talented, competent, wonderful… whatever.

Nope. That’s not how it works.

First, your potential customers have to be aware of your existence. They need to “know” you. Ever hear of the marketing mantra “location, location, location?” That’s fairly true online as well.

So… I lost my writing partner last year. Rudie, a beautiful Doxie Cross, was with me eleven beautiful years. She had a heart of gold. A really big heart, too.... Read more »

* Scroll to the bottom to listen to this post! *

~~~ Notes from Minnesota ~~~

Hey Freelancer,

You know I enjoy marketing. Persuasion is (and will likely always will be) one of my favorite topics.

The human psyche’s amazing, a complex vortex of mystery… yet despite our (sometimes) crazy tendencies, we’re surprisingly predictable… sometimes. 😛

I spent the weekend watching Jerry Seinfeld’s newest series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” and more than once he mentioned (paraphrasing here), “You really can’t teach comedy. Either you get it or you don’t.”

I think, to a smaller extent, marketing is a little like that.

A so-called effective technique placed in the hands of someone who doesn’t “get” people often falls flat. Case in point: today’s article.

Oy. It’s a doozie. I look forward to your thoughts!

Onward and upward,

Beth 🙂

P.S. Happy 2018! If you dislike staring at your screen to read this, click the link and you can listen to my gorgeous voice (ha) read this (I may even add a little impromptu commentary). Enjoy! 🙂

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Start 2018 with a bang and turbocharge your writing career!

I’ve always wanted a simple, uncomplicated calendar that would help me progress towards my goals. I couldn’t find one, so I figured, why not make it? So here ya go! Check out what it looks like in the short vid right here.

For a VERY limited time you can pick up the official Filbert Publishing Freelance Calendar. It’s terribly inexpensive, created by a long time freelancer for freelancers.

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Facebook Messenger: A New Marketing Opportunity?

By Beth Erickson

It’s happened twice since the 2018 odometer flipped.

Someone “friends” me on Facebook. I check ‘em out. Things look legit so I accept, thinking this person looked interesting.

Then I get a message. At first it’s friendly. “Thanks for the add!”

I reply, “You’re welcome. I look forward to meeting you.”

Then the pitch starts. The first time, the person wanted to sell me his service supplying me with “insider marketing information” on a particular publishing niche.

Dang.

The second time, the writer sent a friendly line (complete with flowers and emojis!) asking me to download her new novel. Of course, she also wanted me to promise to leave a review.

Sigh.

Here’s the deal. Unless you have explicit permission to send sales messages to another person online, don’t do it. Seriously. Don’t. That’s why our emails are double opt in.

Sending unsolicited messages won’t help you sell books. It won’t trigger an avalanche of writing assignments, either. If your writing is a legit business, you need to treat it that way. Only contact people who have expressed an interest in talking with you about whatever it is you’re selling.

There’s a time and a place to market. I’m not sure Facebook Messaging someone you just met fits that criteria.

After this little scuffle occurred, I poked around online and discovered a number of so-called gurus advocate this type of marketing. Just as an FYI, this advice also comes with a pretty steep price to learn all the ins and outs on how to “properly” do this.

And sure, you may make a sale or two. But I’ve already noticed a couple downsides.

Although I didn’t report her, the second writer was placed in “Facebook Prison” for 48 hours due to her Messenger activity. Someone else clearly didn’t appreciate her marketing strategy.

Also, I don’t hold real warm feelings towards either of these peo...

Today I answer a reader’s question: How does a writer find work, how do they know what to charge, and how do they get paid. Ah, timeless questions…

Your wish is my command!

If you have a Facebook “Page,” you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

According to The Guardian (link below), Facebook is running a test in six countries keeping all the people (and companies) you “like” out of your Facebook feed… unless they pay to promote their post.

This means authors you enjoy, celebrities you “like,” and local companies you support could be locked out of your feed, leaving friends, family, and paid advertising on your wall.

But it’s not a done deal… yet. Get details here.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/23/facebook-non-promoted-posts-news-feed-new-trial-publishers

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Uff-da. I never thought creative blocks could be controversial. Guess they are.

Yes, the “blocks don’t exist” and the “just sit down and write” crowd is alive and well. Those methods probably would’ve worked for pre-cancer Beth but… yeah, not so much now.

Today I share some of my personal cancer story and explain how it helped create my creative block. If you aren’t able to get going on the path to creativity, check it out. You may find some useful tidbits…

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