Ten proofreading tips

As I always preach, throwing words on a page is not enough; they have to be error free. Now, I’ll admit I make mistakes. The important thing is to keep these mistakes to a minimum. I’m not a proofreader, when I need my work to be checked I turn my pages over to http://tinyurl.com/34jghl/. They’re professionals and they provide error free pages to make your work more professional and credible. However, I believe that everyone should have some basic proofreading knowledge.

1. Be consistent ex. If you hyphenate “full-time” on page one you shouldn’t spell it “full time” without a hyphen later.
   
2. You achieve an accurate and consistent finished product when you proofread in stages.
   
3. Print out what need to proofread if you are working on the computer.
   
4. Be comfortable when you proofread.
   
5. Ask someone else to look over your work when possible.
   
6. If you repeatedly read over sentences because it doesn’t sound correct, stop and read it out loud.
   
7. Create a style sheet.
   
8. Any word that causes you to wonder whether it is spelled correctly needs to be looked up.
   
9. Read each word out loud individually then read it out loud to be sure it fits in the sentence.
   
10. Stick with one dictionary to insure a consistent model to follow.
    

Once again I recommend visiting Scribendi at http://tinyurl.com/34jghl/, when you need something proofread. They’re inexpensive and very professional.

Are you a blocked writer?

Think about when you have to write, it can be any form you choose, a term paper, an article, a short story, a report or an ebook. Make note of your thoughts, emotions and your physical response. Do you feel a sense of dread and anxiety? Do you quickly think of something else to do? Do think of any excuse (valid or not) to step away from your work.

If writing makes you tense, if you find yourself avoiding it ask yourself why? Ask yourself why you put off writing until the piece is due the next day.
How do you react when the topic of writing comes up? Do you engage, or do you try to change the subject?

What images arise when you think of sitting down to write?

Do you usually write to deadline? If so try writing in advanced. Notice how you feel starting your project ahead of time. What thoughts run through your head?

Here’s a resource to help blocked writers.
http://tinyurl.com/34jghl

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How to write a business plan

1. Your plan should be around 10-25 pages long, seperated into clearly marked sections with an introduction and an appendix for lengthy details like financial forcats.

2. Begin with a summary of the plan and the areas you aim to cover. Make sire your plan is neatly typed and well laid out.

3. Define your business and identify your goals. Your plan should contain a balance sheets and a predicted cash flow analysis for five years.

4. Highlight what you do and for whom. As well, explain the importance of your business. Explain why customers will pay for it, what they will get and why there is a gap in the market for it. Research your competion.

5. Don't gloss over problem areas. Instead identify them and provide solutions.

6. Go to http://tinyurl.com/35rzyu/ for more information on how to start a business plan.

7 critical mistakes e-book authors make

Jim Edwards author of How to write and publish your own ebook...in as little as 7 days has written a great article about the seven mistakes to avoid when creating an ebook.

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The Top Seven Mistakes eBook Authors Make
© By Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel
http://www.ebooksecretsexposed.com
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eBooks are the hottest thing going on the Web right now!Authors with the entrepreneurial instinct are makinganywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollarsper month - that's right, per month - by selling ebooksonline.Why are some authors doing so much better than others?We've discovered seven key mistakes that most ebook authorsmake (and in doing so, hold themselves back from majorsuccess):

1. They don't write to a specific, target audience. The biggest mistake most ebook authors make is they don'tclearly define, identify and visualize who they are sellingtheir ebook to. On the Web, to be successful, you mustwrite to a specific group of people who have specificinterests. Make sure that you know exactly who is going tobuy your ebook, and where you can find them online.

2. They don't automate as many of their business activities as possible. Selling ebooks, though it is highly profitable, is not abusiness where you make hundreds of dollars per sale.Automate everything you can - credit card processing, ebookdelivery, as much technical support as possible. If youcan't automate a function, delegate it to someone else.

3. They don't have a compelling title for their ebook. Use words that convey the benefit of what's in the ebook, aswell as words your audience is familiar with.A bad title for an ebook: "Online Marketing for Newbies." Agood title for the same ebook: "97 Ways to Promote YourWebsite - No Experience Required."

4. They try to cover too much ground. Many ebook authors convey a lot of information but don'tcover anything in-depth. As a result, they never fullyexplain anything in enough detail to provide any usefulvalue to their readers. This is a very bad mistake to make,especially when it comes to how-to ebooks, which happen tobe the best type to write.

5. They are not proactive in their marketing. It would be nice if marketing for your ebook simply happenedon its own - but it doesn't. You have to do it yourself.After you've promoted your ebook to the people on your ownmailing list (if you have one), then you have to contactother Website owners and persuade them to be youraffiliates. You should do this continually.

6. They don't differentiate their ebook from its competitors. When you choose your topic, even if there are a hundredother ebooks out there on same general subject, choose anangle for yours that will make it easy for yours to bedistinguished from the others.For example, right now job-hunting ebooks are very popular. There are dozens that are big sellers. "Secrets of BreakingInto Pharmaceutical Sales" has a very specific title thatsets it apart from the competition, and is aimed at aclearly identified target audience. Incidentally, it'sselling very well itself.

7. They write ebooks that nobody will pay for. Many ebook authors write about information that eitherpeople can get for free, or that people are not actuallyinterested in enough to pay for the information. Before you invest weeks or months into the writing of yourebook, invest a little time investigating whether otherebooks in the same subject area are selling on the Web.

So, there you have it - the seven big mistakes to avoid.Remember, the opportunities are plentiful - and huge - rightnow for anyone who wants to become a best-selling ebookauthor. Simply use common sense, follow our advice, and letyour literary career flourish!

For more great advice about creating an information product go to http://tinyurl.com/yrvgru/