Categories
Business Writers

Apostrophe Abuse

Luisa Zissman received a large amount of media attention and not because she reached the final of The Apprentice in 2013. Instead of praising her business acumen, grammar zealots and social media fans criticised her lack of grammar knowledge.

A large section of the population was outraged because Zissman did not know how to use the apostrophe in her business name. This indignant outrage was the result of Zissman’s tweet.

“Is it bakers toolkit or baker’s toolkit with an apostrophe?!” she tweeted.

After receiving a lesson in apostrophe use from her Twitter fans, Zissman enraged her fans and the grammar zealots further by tweeting, “I like the look of bakers,” and so decided to drop the apostrophe.

Zissman’s business acumen was praised during the BBC’s show but her ignorance about basic punctuation has called her credibility and professionalism into question. Her work ethic was also questioned as people felt she was ‘being lazy’ by not attempting to understand the use of the apostrophe.

Ironically, Zissman describes herself as having ‘a brain like Einstein’.

People want to do business with companies who are professional and credible. If companies cannot grasp the basic rules of punctuation then what else do they not know that is crucial to providing a professional service to their clients?

If you still feel that apostrophe ignorance is no big deal then consider the following examples of miscommunication:

  • Your mine (a tattoo)
  • DVD’s sale (a video store signage)
  • There are two is in skiing (online tutorial)
  • A days’ leave (human resource document)

A misplaced apostrophe can change the meaning of a sentence and lead to miscommunication. Worse, it can create a negative perception about your business offering. Can you afford that?

Categories
Creative Writers

5 tips to market your book

Although this article is aimed at indie authors, authors pursuing the traditional publishing route can benefit from the advice. Publishing is changing and many blame the digital era. If anything, this offers more opportunities to pursue a writing business without enormous capital outlay.

reviews

Writing is a business, like any other business. If you are a start-up, you have to earn credibility and a reputation. You have to invest time and money marketing your business.

The same goes for pre-published author. Readers gravitate towards authors they know and trust. It take time and many books to establish yourself and to ensure your book fids it way to the front shelf of the bookstore. Jodi Picoult famously quipped, “It took me ten years to become an overnight success.” If ten years is too long for you then best you pack your laptop away and do something else. As a pre-published author, you will need to invest in the business side of your book.

 Here are my top five marketing tips for authors:

 

  1. Establish a social media presence.

Social media is the quickest and cost-effective way to market. Many authors like EL James and Amanda Hocking promoted their books through their blogs and were then snatched up by publishers. Create your online presence before you start writing. The sooner the better. Many of the bigger publishers are including this as a contractual obligation.

  1. Create a database.

While you are researching and writing your book, create a database of people who have expressed an interest in your book. Keep their interest by emailing interesting facts about your book. Link your database to your blog.

  1. Get book reviews.

Book reviews are an important part of marketing. Ensure that you approach a reputable reviewer. Reviewers do not charge for their reviews but you will need to provide a copy of your book either as a hard copy or as an e-book.

  1. Create a pitch.

Create a 10-second pitch that provides the essence of the book and captures the reader’s attention. Ensure that when someone asks what your book is about, you can deliver the pitch faultlessly. Ensure that you have a 30-second pitch ready if they want to know more.

  1. Write articles.

This is one way to practice your business writing skills and to establish yourself as knowledgeable about your book’s subject matter. For example, if a character in your book has cancer, write articles about your research. Post your articles on your blog, submit them to magazines and newspapers or ask to be a guest writer on a popular writing blog.

 

The above list is not exhaustive but it does provide some ideas for you. Remember, marketing is the business part of your book and it takes careful planning and enormous commitment.

Categories
Business Writers

The Emotional Email

Understanding business email etiquette

By Ulrike Hill

I was once a product manager in the IT industry. I was new to the job and eager to please. One day an important client criticised my product. I took his comments personally. Whinging back at the office about the client, my director was unsympathetic. He told me to ‘take the emotion out of business’ and to stick to the facts.

Fast forward many years later. My director’s advice still resonates with me. Thinking back, his advice was relevant in a world where technology did not dominate business communication. Technology has created a sterile business world. Business people are interacting mainly via email and are spending less time speaking to each other. Too often misunderstandings tend to creep into written messages.

How can we avoid misunderstanding that may happen without the sender realising it?

Acknowledge the recipient

In the hurried world of business, people forget the use of ‘Dear X’ and dive straight into the message of the email. Acknowledge that there is a human being on the receiving end of the email. I prefer using ‘Hello’ and the person’s name. Ensure that you get the spelling of the person’s name correct. If not, the message you are sending to the receiver is ‘You are not important enough to me’.

I am shouting at you

The sender is in a rush and does not notice that THE CAPS LOCK IS ON. THE ENTIRE EMAIL IS WRITTEN IN UPPER CASE. People tell me that it is not a big deal. But it is a big deal. Using caps lock is the same as shouting. Imagine the response if the email is about an over-due payment. Or meeting an urgent deadline.

Smiley faces

During my discussions with a few business people, some felt that using emoticons reveal the human behind the email. I disagree. Emoticons are for friends. Emoticons are for informal communication. Emoticons do not make the email human. Humans talk.

So how are you, really?

Use words that will express the human. Instead of demanding, ask. Instead of diving straight into the main message, introduce a personal line like “I trust you are well.” It is more formal than the “How are you?” but it does show that you are interested in the recipient’s well-being.

Saying goodbye is hard to do

Like the forgotten greeting, signing off the email is taken for granted. Worse still, it is forgotten completely. This is the same as walking out of someone’s home without saying goodbye. The sign-off can reveal a lot about you. Create a professional ending to your email. ‘Faithfully’  sounds fake, ditto ‘Yours truly’ and imagine how a client may react to “With love”. Signing off can be professional and still reveal the human part of business.

These are a few suggestions for email users to create the ‘human face’ behind the words and to reduce misunderstandings. Business is tough so the human touch without the ‘touchy-feely’ will go a long way to maintaining a professional relationship.

Ulrike Hill provides a writing workshop to assist people with email etiquette. Contact: writer@ulrikehill.co.za or call 071 636 8028 (South Africa only).

Categories
Business Writers

Find your Creative Voice

The world is changing. People realise that making money is not the key to happiness.

I receive many emails from people who want to write a book and looking at these emails has made me wonder if creativity is what people are searching for. People want more from life. It seems that life is a constant running around like hamsters on a wheel; running with no purpose other than to meet month-end commitments

So what happened to creativity?

Children learn using their senses and exploring their creativity during their formative years. Far too soon, the teacher starts to strangle creativity and demands that they colour in the lines and use blue for the sky and green for the grass.

Have you noticed the sky today? What colour is it? Grey? Blue?

Creativity is not about stereotyping. It is about life experiences and thinking out of the box. Freedom of expression is important in developing this skill.

Business is about meeting deadlines, reaching sales targets and keeping a wary eye on budgets. People are consumed by a world of balancing salaries and monthly expenses. No wonder creativity flies out of the window. Numbers have started to rule and dominated our creativity.

The search for creativity

Years ago, I trained as an English teacher. After three years in the classroom, the lure of earning a decent salary moved me into the corporate world. But, I still had that hole in my soul. Something was missing. The money was great but I was not happy. Years later, I changed careers once again. I went into adult training and found that I had a natural talent. I loved teaching people how to write. I found that people who wanted to learn how to plot their books and develop their characters inspired me. I found my creative side. I found that companies who attended my Story of a Business course went back to their workplace understanding the language of their company. They were able to identify with the character that the company had become. They found that they could still be creative in an environment that may not seem to be creative.

Finding your creativity

Attend a creative writing course, photography class or look back to your school days. What did you enjoy doing? What made you feel like the hours rolled by without you noticing? Perhaps it was sewing or building model aeroplanes. Find time to pursue your creativity.

All it requires is taking time out from your busy schedule. Create some ‘me’ time. Slow down and get back to basics: use your five senses to experience the beauty that surrounds you. Keep a journal. Who knows? Perhaps one day that journal will keep you.

Ulrike

Categories
Creative Writers

The Publishing Game

Publishing is changing. Technology, recession and social issues like saving the trees, are affecting the publishing industry. People who earn their living from producing and selling books are facing many challenges.

What does this mean to the pre-published writer? A lot, according to Trish Gentry who recently published a post on her blog, Chicklit. Her blog, ‘An Unpublished Author’s Perspective on Paying to be Published’ highlights the challenges she has faced trying to get her first book published.

Gentry has paid her publishing dues in money, time and tears. She has spent large chunks of time writing her book. No an easy feat as any first-time writer will attest to.

The next step was paying someone to edit her book. Gentry knew this would enhance her chances of becoming published. She admits she is an unknown, has no credibility. With edited book in hand, Gentry spent hours researching publishers who have accepted authors in the genre she has written. She submits her manuscript. And waits. And waits. Hopefully she will receive a request or rejection. She admits that she has more chance of winning the sweepstakes. Not because she is a bad writer. It is because she is a new writer.

The safe game

Publishers are playing the safety game. The safety catch is firmly in place before they will commit to a pre-published writer. Why? Because publishing is expensive. There are no guarantees. Recession has taught people to be cautious with their money. Readers will more than likely purchase a book written by a known author. The established author will have prime spot in the retailer. Where will the unknown’s book be positioned? Probably in the dusty recesses of the shop, next to the forgotten gems of yesteryear.

So why do people still feel it is important to go the traditional published route? Gentry admits that publishers and agents do have clout. They know the book game. And it is a status thing for a writer to say ‘I was published by [insert your choice of publisher here]’.

Consider this: once the production costs have been deducted, the agent has taken their commission and the publisher has sliced their pound of flesh; you the writer may get R12 per copy sold. Is it worth the effort?

Why self-publishing works for the pre-published author

Amanda Hocking, self-published writer of a supernatural series, earned her money from selling her books online. Hocking decided to self-publish after being continuously rejected and being told that the supernatural market was oversubscribed. An international publisher is now interested in her books. Why? Because her self-published ebooks have earned her a cool million dollars. She has credibility and is now considered a low risk.

There are many options for the newbie author to follow. The traditional publishing route is not the only way to get people to read your book. Research the market. Understand genres and their story-lines. Ensure that your book is as close to perfect as possible. Spend the money on attending writing courses and editing. Publish it online. Spend some more money promoting. Get a social media presence. Test the waters. See what readers and reviewers say about your book. Once you understand this process, you may realise why publishers are nervous about the future of publishing. You may also earn more money this way.

 

Ulrike Hill
First published on www.writerswrite.posterous.com
23rd February 2012
Follow Scrumcaps and Sideline Snippets on my blog: www.ulrikehill.blogspot.com

Tackling the Brickwall (Overcoming adversity in schoolboy rugby) is available from

www.exclus1ves.co.za

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www.kalahari.com (eBook)