Category Archives: Writing - Page 3

Kate Harper – Getting Into the Greeting Card Market

Posted by on October 17, 2009 No comments
On October 15th, 2009 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with greeting card and gift industry maven Kate Harper. Kate Harper started her line of humorous greeting card from a hobby of making greeting cards for friends as gifts. Over the next 15 years, Kate’s turned her hobby into a business, manufacturing and shipping cards to over 2,000 stores, including Barnes & Noble, Whole Foods Markets and the Papyrus chain. She informed us on key areas of getting started as a writer or self-publisher of greeting cards, including:

  • Card terends: research, seasonal cards, occasional cards, and publishers
  • What subject areas and categories to focus on, how to stay organized
  • Test marketing your cards and card verse.
  • Seven most common mistake card writers will make
  • Why competition in the card business is vastly over-estimated
 Kate Harper
Two years ago, she transitioned out of manufacturing and into licensing, where she now designs cards for Recycled Paper Greetings (a subsidiary of American Greetings Corporation) and gift items for seven other companies. Kate Harper's blog
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Authors Afterburner – New FTC reviewer’s guidelines for bloggers explained

Posted by on October 16, 2009 No comments

Authors Afterburner is the post-game show where we get to talk about whatever’s on our minds. Please note dear listener that this is not the regular Authors Access show and we don’t promise anything much except to present our news and views of interest to authors and publishers. So let’s light the afterburners and see what’s on our minds tonight….

Irene and Victor consider the firestorm surrounding the new FTC guidelines about bloggers and product reviews. Irene cuts through the hype to deliver a thoughtful consideration about what it all means.

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Moira Allen – Writing For & Reaching the International Market

Posted by on September 22, 2009 No comments
On September 21st, 2009  Tyler R. Tichelaar and Irene Watson spoke with international freelancer and editor Moira Allen. Allen is the host and editor of Writing-World.com, one of the world’s most popular websites for writers. She helped us understand key points that freelancer must know to enter this lucrative market, including:

  • Why target international markets?
  • Where do you locate international markets?
  • What do you need to consider when targeting an international market?
  • What about format and language issues?
  • How do you contact/pitch to an international market?
  • What are the rights issues you need to keep in mind?
  • How do you get paid?
  • What are some pitfalls of the international marketplace?
 Moira Allen
Moira Allen has been writing professionally for more than 30 years, and is the author of several books on writing, including Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer and The Writer’s Guide to Queries, Pitches and Proposals, both from Allworth Press. Moira has been dealing with international writers and markets for many years, and was the editor of Global Writers Ink, a newsletter geared toward the international writer.
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Technorati.com: What EVERY blogger must do

Posted by on September 12, 2009 No comments

www.Technorati.com is the authoritative source of information on Blogs, think of it as the Yahoo or Google of the blog world.  Yes, it’s that important.  Everyone with a blog should sign up for a free Technorati account and “claim” their blog.  This involves simply pasting a cookie in your blog one time to proove that you are indeed the person who is posting the posts.  Then you get to add a description of your blog, understanding your rankings, and see what other people are writing about your blog ( example: http://technorati.com/blogs/authorsaccess.com?reactions )

  • You also get a cool widget you can add to your website or blog showing your most recent posts and demonstrating your “authority”. 
  • You also can add keywords to your blog for your most common themes so new people can find your blog.

1) Technorati State of the Blogosphere Survey

Over the years, Technorati has been tracking the State of the Blogosphere. Our annual study investigates how blogging is growing and changing, as well as its impacts on current events and the bottom lines of businesses and bloggers. Please share your perspective by participating in our survey.

We think you’ll find the survey interesting. It should take just 15 minutes of your time, and of course your answers will be completely confidential. Please feel free to send this link to other bloggers you know. And be sure to check back on Technorati in October for a summary of the results.

2) Become a Technorati Writer

Technorati is entering into the next phase of our evolution: original content. Beginning in October, Technorati will feature original content on the site written by bloggers just like you! This is an amazing opportunity to give your writing vast exposure, become known as an expert in your field/s of interest, and to join a vibrant writer community.

Get in on the ground floor by signing up via the Technorati Contact Page. Select the “New: Technorati Writer Signup” option from the “Message Type” drop-down box. You will receive information and writing instructions as we get closer to launch date. We very much look forward to working with you!