6 Ways to Toot Your Own Writing Horn

You know you've got writing talent. Others enjoy your work and you've even sold a few things. You'd like to turn that writing talent into full-time freelancing but you don't enough clients yet. You need to toot your own horn!

The problem is that we writers often aren't very good at telling others how wonderful we are and how well we write. We'd much rather be writing than marketing ourselves, but market we must.

These six actions are relatively painless, and they work:

1. Get a business card that says you're a writer. You can get 250 premium quality, color business cards FREE from VistaPrint. Try some titles like this:

Anne Wayman

Freelance Writer or

John Smith

Technical Writer

or even:

Anne Wayman

Writer/Coach/Ghostwriter

Make sure your phone number, email address and website are also on the card.

2. Use your business card! They do no good sitting in a box on the shelf or tucked away in your wallet.

Make sure you have some every time you leave the house, and don't hesitate to hand them out.

Leave them with your tip at restaurants. Hand out one or two when someone asks you what you do. Give them to the bank teller and when you pay for purchases at a store.

You can also stick them in invoices, when you're paying your bills and even to post on likely bulletin boards around town. If your day job requires the use of a card, hand out both. You simply never know who needs a writer or knows someone who needs a writer.

3. Make sure your email signature either links to your website and/or says you're a writer. It doesn't have to be fancy. In fact it's better if you keep it to three or four lines, but make sure it's on every single email. I've gotten good paying jobs because of my email signature.

4. Get your own website with your own domain name! See Do You Need a Web Site? for more details.

5. Your business account checks should say that you're a writer - usually under your name. Every time you pay a bill, you're also sending out a mini-ad.

6. Speak up! When someone asks you what you do, tell them you're a writer, even if writing isn't yet your main source of income. The more comfortable you are saying "I'm a writer," the more likely you are to stumble into some business, so practice.

Although there is a great deal more you can do to market yourself, these basics will accomplish at least two important things:

* You'll get used to thinking of yourself as a writer, and,

* The world will begin to think of you as a writer

So get out there, and toot your own horn, again and again. It's magic.

Write well and often!

Anne Wayman, Writer, Writing Coach, Ghostwriter
http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com

---

Be A Savvy Writer: Go Where The Business Is

If you're a writer, you're in business. It doesn't matter... Read More

Writing Good Dialogue.

There's nothing that kills a scene like hackneyed dialogue. Just... Read More

Save Time When You Write

I'm in the process of moving from one computer to... Read More

Greatness

[When I was a nineteen-year-old high school student and budding... Read More

Dont Rely on Your Spellchecker - or - The Importance of Good Proof Reading

Weather posting a page to your Website, writing a letter... Read More

Blank Mind, Blank Screen: Need Ideas!

Q. I'm staring at a blank screen with an equally... Read More

Plotting Problems - Episodic Writing

The rejection letter says: "Your story, on the surface, appears... Read More

The Heart of the Delay: Harnessing The Wisdom of Procrastination (AKA Writers Block)

I am sure that at in some era, at some... Read More

A Perfect Day for Writers

In one of the exercises in my "Getting Started as... Read More

Advice for New Writers

With the advent of email communications in the workplace, it's... Read More

6 Ways to Toot Your Own Writing Horn

You know you've got writing talent. Others enjoy your work... Read More

Crime Writing Beckons

If your cash is running out fast and you have... Read More

Memories Dont Fade Like Hair Does: Memoir Writing Help for You, Our Elders, to Tell Your Story

~~~Old age, to the unlearned, is winter; to the learned,... Read More

Creative Problem-Solving: Following Your Stream of Consciousness

Having trouble finding a solution to a nagging problem? Try... Read More

What Does It Take To Make Your Memories Into Publishable Memoirs?

Why should you consider creating a memoir of your personal... Read More

Get Published: The Nuts and Bolts of Good English, and How to Impress a Publisher (1)

Not all writers write good grammar. That's a fact. It's... Read More

Home Business Writing Made Simple

Have you ever written a letter to a friend? Ever... Read More

Recipe for a Style Guide

Wired Online has recently announced its plans to drop capitalization... Read More

Gut Check: Quitting Your Full-time Job for Your Freelance Career

It's 6:00 p.m. You're dead tired, but instead of an... Read More

On Giving and Receiving Feedback

Writing is a personal and introspective process. To share with... Read More

Have You Settled On First Choice When Choosing A Title?

Short Story Writing Tips -We've established what a title should... Read More

Editing

EditingExpect, allow, and accept that every first draft will represent... Read More

The Myths of Writing: Have You Bought Into These?

There is an image most people carry of the artist... Read More

Keeping a Journal - One of the Three Treasures to Leave Behind

(excerpted from the "How to Use a Journal" audio series... Read More

Under The Leaded Sky in Serbia by dr Mirjana Radovic

When one population in one century survived five wars, two... Read More

10 Tips on How to Cultivate Relationships with Editors

If you are an aspiring writer, or you simply want... Read More

Writing Help

Whether you are working for a small business, large corporation,... Read More

A Quick Guide to ISBNs for Self-Publishers

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It is a... Read More

Are Writing Exercises Effective?

It was reported that the great American author Sinclair Lewis... Read More

What Nationally Published Columnist, Cindy Laferle Has To Say About Writing & Journalism

Today Norm Goldman, Editor of sketchandtravel and bookpleasures is honored... Read More

Is Your Title Compelling?

Short Story Writing Tips:Your title is your selling tool. It's... Read More

The Writing Game

There are a lot of tapes and books and CD... Read More

How to Write Bad Poetry

So you've decided to crown yourself with a title that... Read More