|
|
|
|
|
|
| ________ | ||||
| The
Downtown Writers Network is a resource for independent writers in central
Ohio. |
A Review by Douglas Gray Michael Sedge In Marketing Strategies for Writers, author and marketer Michael Sedge contends that too many otherwise talented writers find themselves "walking the tightrope of poverty" because they don't grasp the basic principles of marketing. "Marketing, as we know it today, feeds on our subconscious desires to be associated with high-quality products and the people who create them." Whether the product is a magazine article or laundry soap, it must do two things -- provide a benefit to the customer, and project the authority of a "brand name." For writers, this means fulfilling the needs of our immediate customers (namely, the editors or clients who are buying our words) while simultaneously promoting ourselves as experts on whatever topic we're writing about. Sedge believes that writers should devote 40% of their energies to two parallel marketing plans: 1) selling their work, and 2) selling themselves. Marketing Strategies for Writers explains both plans, with audacity and originality. Guerilla Sales Strategies In the chapters about selling our work, Sedge advocates guerilla tactics that don't sound like the kind of advice handed out in traditional writing workshops. With chapter titles like "Let the War Begin," "The Attack" and "Resources for the Warrior Writer," Sedge's advice is consistently aggressive and unconventional. Agents, he says, are unnecessary to writers who are clever enough to break the rules and invent novel ways of getting in touch with editors directly. If you must have an agent, he outlines a stratagem for representing yourself through a front. Be tough in your negotiations over publishing rights, Sedge advises. Be aware of the rights you're needlessly asked to sign over in any standard contract, and never forfeit more than what the publisher absolutely needs in order to publish your article or book. Sedge also advocates writing articles "on spec" as a way of winning assignments from new clients, and he explains somewhat devious methods of gaining access to any magazine's editorial calendar. The Art of Self-Promotion His advice on how writers can market themselves is even more interesting. Once you've published an article or a book, Sedge explains, you're no longer just a writer -- you're an expert in the field of whatever you've written about. This is how writers establish their brand-name credentials, by leveraging every published work into new opportunities for self-promotion. The final chapters of Marketing Strategies for Writers detail how writers can exploit and even create their own media opportunities through press releases and media kits. Sedge delves into what he calls the "mystique of writers," how they can turn themselves into media figures who regularly appear on television talk shows and radio interviews. This isn't simply an ego boost. Media exposure leads to new writing assignments and to lucrative nonwriting jobs, such as speaking and teaching. Michael Sedge lives out the advice that he gives. Almost half of this book is a shameless self-promotion of his own career. But as he points out time and time again, writers can't afford to be bashful about their talents. A writer's personality, skills and knowledge are half of the product that's being marketed. It's hard not to admire Sedge's self-confidence, as well as his practical advice on how to prosper in this highly competitive industry. Marketing Strategies for Writers is recommended reading. |
Guerillas Armed with Pens