Just Until Payday

After the video production is concluded the editing point starts-off. Typically editing control units remain for the most with the editing business and the technically practised expert professionals chip in a high level of originality at some stage in the editing job. Generally during the editing procedure the good aspects of the video recordings are prioritised & unnecessary sections are eliminated. There is plenty of sophisticated software products that are in huge demand for this specific function. The aim of the video is analyzed & subtle alterations are done too. Sound clips and background music are also utilised at some stage during the editing. There is also Special Effect Generators (SPG) which makes the particular clips more smarter. A few of the video production organisations supply the footages and the editing services.

These days numerous video production businesses operate to satisfy needs of different firms. Apart from corporate presentations, videos are also made use of to capture cherished events of life for example weddings, birthdays, special festivities; family holidays etc. Small camcorders with digital chips are at the moment extensively available in the consumer market. Short films have become rather fashionable as well as being quite educational and comical. In truth videos allow people to relate better to the subject matter than any other style of online communications.

Today, a number of people are setting up video production businesses as demand of these types of companies are increasing. It is also easy to get hold of stacks information from the internet in relation to video production & publishing just with a small number of mouse clicks. The rise of online video industry has helped the development of video commercials and to create professional commercials, a professional video production firm is essential. Videos play a central function in implementation of business marketing promotion and at this time video production is a well-liked concept among the World Wide Web users. As a result, across the globe video production plays a significant responsibility. Vidify is one of the best video production companies around that produce cost-effective short format online videos for local businesses.

Most great sales professionals when they disagree with a prospect or a prospect is sadly mistaken will tell a story rather than allowing a major disagreement to erupt. They say that diplomacy is the art of letting someone else get your way.

In doing so they can enlighten the prospect or potential customer into another perspective or line of thought by telling a similar scenario in a far off setting and this does not make the customer angry, as it is only a story, but it indeed does make them think and of course that is the plan.

And in doing so the salesperson delivers yet another simple message and then listens to what the prospect has to say to see if there is interest or perhaps an underlining life principle that the prospect is passionate about. If so he or she will come out with comments of their own and so this is why at least some sales trainers say that; Good Professional Speakers Start With Telling a Story.

Do I personally believe that this is a viable technique? Well yes and no. Yes if the story is relevant and no, if the story is not a true story. Story telling in sales is also nice as it is entertaining and will not put the prospect to sleep with endless details that he may not remember you see? Perhaps you might philosophically consider this insight and use it if you believe it fits and will work for you in your sales. Please consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

“May I ask who does your window cleaning?” Jimmy mutters to the “gatekeeper”. Her look and answer almost knocks him down – as if a dragon just opened its mouth and spewed fire at him. Helga Gatekeeper responds, “WHO WANTS TO KNOW!?”

Has this never happened to you? If it hasn’t, then you haven’t prospected before. It’s happened to all of us who sell services business-to-business. Unfortunately, oftentimes the answer to Helga kills the deal right then and there. Most professional service providers retort with something like, “I’m Jimmy Meek and I’m the best window washer in town!”. A fine answer indeed, right? Jimmy knows he’s the best but it’s his word against the gatekeeper – and the world, for that matter. She’s heard every Tom, Dick, and Harriett say those same words with a different name. Helga’s thinking in her head, “Oh good, an easy one”.

Jimmy doesn’t think about this but the gatekeeper gets dozens of requests to see the decision-maker every day. The gatekeeper’s job is to knock down the weak with her mental toughness and “rejection-speak”. She’s a seasoned vet at this and the typical salesman is no match for her prowess.

The gatekeeper rolls her eyes at Jimmy and mutters under her breath, “Sure, that’s what they all say. Give me your information and I’ll pass it on to the appropriate party”. This typical scenario ends when Jimmy complies, thanks the gatekeeper and departs with his tail between his legs.

When this happens the deal is dead in the water. Kaput, end of story – NO SALE. Sorry! Jimmy isn’t going to get a return call. It’s doubtful that Helga will even give the information to the decision-maker. The next stop for Jimmy’s material – the circular file called the garbage can!

It doesn’t have to be this way. In fact it NEVER should. The salesman should be in control of the sale at ALL times. Let’s go through a successful “gatekeeper experience” now.

Johnny Star, Window Cleaning Super Hero, has already done his homework and knows that James B. Grouch is the decision-maker. He found out this vital information by using his brains instead of wasting his time, energy and resources. Johnny called ahead a few days prior and asked to be put through to the maintenance decision-maker “immediately”. When Helga Gatekeeper said, “who is this?” or “is he/she expecting your call?” Johnny turned it around on her and said, “Look, this is urgent. If I tell you who’s calling will you finally put me through to him or her?”

Let’s stop right here and analyze what’s going on. Johnny has met the gatekeeper and she’s as tough a gatekeeper as Johnny’s ever met. But Johnny anticipated this and responded with a tough answer. Notice Johnny’s answer didn’t end with a period, it ended with a question. At this point the gatekeeper will either say yes or no. Let’s go through the no scenario because if he gets a yes, he’s done his job well and has outmatched Helga.

Helga Gatekeeper says “No!” Johnny is quick on his thinking skills and immediately responds, “As I said, this is urgent and I really need to speak with that person. My name is Johnny – now can I please speak w/them now?”

Let’s analyze this for a minute. Helga got her way with the first “no”, but she’s not going to get away with it this time. If she says “no” again, it better be for a good reason. At this point Helga either patches him through, or the more likely scenario is, “I’m sorry but he is not available right now, can I take a message?” Johnny says, “Look, I’ve got to run. What is his name? I’ll call him back later.” The gatekeeper’s job is to scatter away the weak, not the ones who truly NEED Johnny and those like him. If she says “I can’t give you his name”, Johnny’s going to ask for the manager. But the likely scenario is Helga gives up the name: “His name is “James B. Grouch”, Helga blurts out. As Johnny gets off the phone he says, “Do me a favor and tell Mr. Grouch that Johnny Star needs to speak with him ASAP”.

Now that Johnny is armed with one of the most critical steps – getting the decision-maker’s info, he can use his star sales ability to get the decision-maker on the phone.

…two days later…

Johnny: “I need to speak with James Grouch please. It’s urgent”

Helga: “Is he expecting your call?”

Johnny: “Yes I said I’d call back”

Helga: “Hang on please”

Grouch: “Grouch here”

Johnny: “James – I may call you James, can’t I?”

Grouch: “Sure. Who is this?”

Johnny: “I’m Johnny Star and I need to speak with you about your windows ASAP.”

Time to analyze again. Johnny did a great job of getting Grouch on the phone. He said he was going to call back and did. He didn’t drive out and get met by Helga Gatekeeper; in fact he spent only a minute or 2 of his time getting the info about the decision-maker. Johnny then used his brains to get through the door – right over the phone.

This is a great way to get through the gatekeeper without having to drive out and do a song and dance. Even then, getting to the decision-maker is likely not going to happen without an appointment. The truth is, gatekeepers are notorious time-wasters and want nothing more than to be left alone. It’s YOUR job, Mr. Business Owner/Decision-Maker to speak with other Business Owners/Decision-Makers. Not to demean the Helga Gatekeepers of the world, but are you going to be the meek Business Owner/Decision-Maker and let $15/hour Helga prevent you from doing business or are you going to be like our Super Hero, Johnny Star, and do business today? In future episodes of Johnny Star we’ll pick the scenario back up and show how Johnny smartly closes the job.

Gatekeepers beware: they have met their match and it is…Johnny Star.

Scott Rendall is CEO of BRC Systems Solutions – a small/medium service business resource and consulting group, author and freelance magazine contributor. He has been in the service industry since 1994 and runs his own successful cleaning and restoration company in Michigan.
BRC Website

It must be great. You work on Saturday night for 5 hours and make $1,000 or more. What a life. It has been equated to selling drugs – the lucrative wedding disc jockey business is not what it’s cracked up to be. The reality is – this is far from the easy money that a potential wedding client thinks it is. They are shocked when they first hear the price that professional DJs charge and think that they are being ripped off because “wedding” was in their vocabulary when they called for a quote.

Here are some interesting facts to understand better what the life of a wedding disc jockey really is like:

• Clients call at all times of the day – the phone rings from 8am until around 11pm virtually every day. For the most part, you must be available to answer the calls because most people won’t leave a message if you don’t.

• Most weekday nights are spent away from home meeting with clients or potential clients.

• Most weekends are spent away from friends and family working at your events. Forget the 4th of July picnic and New Years Eve.

• Wedding Disc Jockeys are booked a year or two in advance – so that last minute call from your friend asking you to dinner or to a concert is a wasted call. You’re already booked.

• Your daughter’s concert that is on a Friday in May – you will most likely miss. Again, you are already booked.

• Try standing for 5 hours straight and see how your legs and feet feel.

• Did you know one of the most feared things to do is speak in public? As a wedding disc jockey, that is what we do every weekend.

• Most people bring a cup of coffee to work – a wedding disc jockey brings over $15,000 worth of equipment and another $20,000 or more in music to most events.

• A wedding disc jockey will haul in about 1,000 pounds of equipment into and out of the reception – that means up stairs, across rickety stone paths and through parking garages, through kitchens and in the cold and rain.

• A typical wedding lasts for 5 hours. Your wedding disc jockey will arrive an hour early to setup, will be there after guests leave tearing down and typically drives 30 minutes to 60 minutes each way to the event. They have to spend time preparing equipment before they leave the office. They have to unload and put away gear when they return. That adds up to between 8 and 10 hours on the day of the event alone invested in your wedding.

• A wedding disc jockey will typically meet you prior to booking (pre-sales meeting) for about an hour. Most disc jockeys will drive to meet their clients. Presales and travel to and from this meeting will add about 2 hours of their time into your event.

• When it’s time to discuss details, your disc jockey will again drive to meet you and spend another hour with you going over details, they’ll return to the office, type up this information and send you a copy. They’ll spend a couple hours organizing music, talking on the phone and sending/receiving emails from you over the course of the two months prior to your wedding. You can figure they’ve just invested another 5 hours into preparing for your event.

• The total time invested per event will be around 17 – 20 hours when it’s all said and done. That $1,000 for 5 hours is now really $1,000 for 20 hours of time.

• A wedding disc jockey will spend about $2,000 or more each year on music updates. They might invest $2,000-$6,000 in equipment, repairs and upgrades each year. They will spend $1,000 – $10,000 in advertising, bridal shows, printing, etc. They will spend $5,000 – $20,000 for office supplies, computers, and business services. They will spend $500 – $1,500 on liability insurance policies. They will spend $2,000 to $5,000 on postage. They will travel to one of the national DJ conventions to keep up to date with the industry and spend around $1,500 doing so. They will have a 800 number, cell phone, fax and voice mail services costing them around $5,000 each year. They will spend $5,000 each year on health insurance. They will spend $5,000 in gas getting back and forth to meetings and events.

• A wedding disc jockey will drive 25,000 – 35,000 miles each year between meetings and back and forth to their events. That will be approximately 750 hours away from home each year just in travel time.

The reason that wedding disc jockeys charge the price that they do is simple. It is the cost of doing business. The value that a professional disc jockey brings to your event is priceless. Take away the music and you’re just inviting friends and family to eat and drink. That accounts for about 2 of the typical 5 hour wedding reception. Your professional wedding disc jockey is responsible for coordinating all the details of the flow of the event – from introductions to the cake cutting. They are the middle man between the banquet staff, your photographer and videographer. They are your wedding coordinator. Without proper quality entertainment – guests will leave soon after dinner.

If a typical wedding reception costs around $25,000 (or $5,000 per hour!), and your guests leave 2 hours before the end due to poor entertainment – you’ve just wasted $10,000 of your wedding budget. If you’re debating between a cheap $500 DJ and a professional DJ costing $1,500, the decision should be easy. Trying to cut corners on entertainment could cost you $10,000. The additional $1,000 is money well spent when the big picture is in focus. The time and effort a true professional disc jockey puts into your event will be worth every penny.

Rob Alberti is owner of http://www.afterhoursdj.net in New England and a member of http://www.thedjnetwork.com and contributing writer for http://www.weddingdetails.net

Copyright 2006 Mary Desaulniers

John has just been given the prospect of starting a new business overseas. He sits around moping; the idea of moving into alien territory fills him with dread, worry and anxiety. Fearful of losing this opportunity, yet unable to make up his mind about really wanting it, he makes no decision. Four weeks later, he comes down with pneumonia.

Jim has been given the same prospect. He is excited by the idea, but worries about leaving a secure and profitable niche here at home. He lists the pros and cons of the venture, goes over them, carefully weighing each item before coming to the decision that the benefits of the business abroad far outweigh the fears he has now. He bristles with excitement. Galvanized, he plunges into action. He feels alert and energetic, ready to tackle the challenge of a new opportunity.

John is a perfect example of how negative stress can make you sick. Jim, on the other hand, is a perfect illustration of what we don’t usually hear about– that stress can sometimes be good for you.

Consider what happens to your body when your brain senses a crisis. Immediately, it sends chemical messages that alert the body to prepare for action. The hypothalamus passes a command to the adrenal glands to release adrenaline and cortisol, a hormone which stimulates the liver to convert amino acids into glucose, a primary fuel for energy production. Cortisol also mobilizes and increases fatty acids in the blood to be used as fuel for energy production, plunging the body into action so that the body’s natural resistance and endurance thresholds are enhanced.

At the same time, the bone marrow increases production of blood cells to carry extra oxygen to help fight infection. The thyroid gland secretes hormones to speed up metabolism, providing instant energy boost. The lungs expand to deliver more oxygen to the muscles and heart. Your whole body is on alert; it becomes productive and focused. You think faster, with greater clarity. Your awareness sharpens; reaction time quickens. Your pain receptors are dimmed temporarily by the rush of hormones, sometimes to the point that allows you to perform almost superhuman feats like those we’ve heard of in the news–a 105 lb woman being able to lift up a boulder to release a trapped child.

Research tells us that occasional stress can be good for you; it boosts the immune system’s defense against infection; it stabilizes mood so you can deal with emotional and physical trauma. A life on automatic pilot can often be jolted to awareness by stressful events.

Stress is only problematic when stressful episodes turn repetitive and overwhelming. Sustained stress is the harmful stress we hear about. The cortisol that is released to prepare your body for action becomes a dangerous enemy when it floods the system. By stimulating the production of glucose, prolonged release of cortisol leads to a problematic increase of blood sugar. Too much cortisol also decreases the body’s ability to synthesize protein; it increases protein breakdown which can lead to muscle wasting and osteoporosis; it suppresses the sex hormones and depresses the immune system.

As with most situations in life, handling stress is a balancing act. If we return to John’s situation, we can see that John’s fear is crippling him from being the best he can be. He is literally frozen by a fear that prevents him from taking risks and experiencing the (good) stress that will make him grow emotionally and intellectually. Jim’s reaction is much more positive, allowing him to take the chance at something that could be very rewarding in the long run.

How can we become more like Jim than John?

1.Break the cycle of prolonged stress by spending time each day “de-stressing.” Consider the use of meditation, guided imagery and visualization. Studies now show that practicing meditation can reduce blood vessel constriction, keeping blood pressure in check. People who meditate 10 -20 minutes a day have been able to maintain low levels of stress hormones for several hours after each meditation session.

2.Exercise is a powerful stress buster. It lowers overall cancer rates; it increases bone thickness and bone mass. It releases endorphins that make us more relaxed, spontaneous and self-accepting. It energizes the body and increases the alpha (feel-good) brain waves that diminish stress.

3. Laughter breaks up routine and discomfort. It allows you to look at yourself as an “outsider.” Keeping this third-party, witnessing rather than experiencing perspective also gives you the chance to review the stressful situation in a new light. Nothing lightens the body and mind more than a good belly laugh!

4.Writing is definitely cathartic. Keeping a journal gives you the chance to explore your deepest anxieties. In Jim’s case, he took the initiative to write down his worst fears and discovered in the process of doing so that the risks are worth his engagement.

5.Eating a well-balanced diet with a good source of vegetable proteins like Soy or Wheat, 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables, 3-4 servings of “good fats”( fish oils, sardines, salmon, nuts, legumes) will bolster your body’s defenses against stress.

6.Last but not least, Love. Whether the object of your love is a person or pet, the act of love, touching, interacting with a loved one does wonders to the heart and to the body’s immune system.

Regardless of what you’ve been told, spelling does matter. This little guide puts the most commonly misspelled words at your finger tips. It isn’t every word, but it contains the ones I’ve come across during my years teaching. My bear in the woods is the word “separate.” For some reason I keep wanting to stick an “e” in there. (sigh) Oh, by the way, the most often misspelled word is……misspell!

A

absence accidentally accommodate accumulate achievement acquaintance acquire acquitted advice advise amateur among analysis analyze annual apartment apparatus apparent appearance arctic arguing argument arithmetic ascend athletic attendance

B

balance battalion beginning belief believe beneficial benefited boundaries Britain business

C

calendar candidate category cemetery changeable changing choose chose coming commission committee comparative compelled conceivable conferred conscience conscientious conscious control controversial controversy criticize

D

deferred definitely definition describe description desperate dictionary dining disappearance disappoint disastrous discipline dissatisfied dormitory

E

effect eighth eligible eliminate embarrass eminent encouragement encouraging environment equipped especially exaggerate excellence exhilarate existence existent experience explanation

F

familiar fascinate February fiery foreign formerly forty fourth frantically

G

generally government grammar grandeur grievous

H

height heroes hindrance hoping humorous hypocrisy hypocrite

I

immediately incidentally incredible independence inevitable intellectual intelligence interesting irresistible

K

knowledge

L

laboratory laid led lightning loneliness lose losing

M

maintenance maneuver manufacture marriage mathematics maybe mere miniature mischievous mysterious

N

necessary ninety noticeable

O

occasionally occurred occurrence omitted opinion opportunity optimistic

P

paid parallel paralysis paralyze particular pastime performance permissible perseverance personal personnel perspiration physical picnicking possession possibility possible practically precede precedence preference preferred prejudice preparation prevalent principal principle privilege probably procedure proceed profession professor prominent pronunciation pursue

Q

quantity quizzes

R

recede receive receiving recommend reference referring repetition restaurant rhyme rhythm ridiculous

S

sacrifice sacrilegious salary schedule seize sense separate separation sergeant severely shining similar sincerely sophomore specifically specimen statue studying succeed succession surprise

T

technique temperamental tendency tragedy transferring tries truly tyranny

U

unanimous undoubtedly unnecessary until usually

V

village villain

W

weather weird whether woman women writing

That is the popular and, thank God (if you’ll pardon the use of the G name) the politically correct feeling among most Christians today. You will recall that in the second book of the Potter series, The Chamber Of Secrets, Harry Potter alone heard the voice of the basilisk. When he confided in his two friends about it, one told him that even in the wizarding world, hearing voices is not a good thing. Like art imitating reality, can’t we say that even in our non-wizarding world, it’s not a good thing to be hearing voices. Whether those voices be God’s or someone else’s voice.

Most of us would agree that hearing voices in your head, voices that aren’t there, this is indeed a bad thing. In fact it used to be a sign of being crazy. But what if the person claims to be hearing God’s voice? How can we know if God is speaking to this guy such that we can’t immediately lock him up in the looney bin?

The obvious answer is that we, the non-Harry Potter-hearing-voices-people, have to recall the eleven different ways that God speaks to mankind. Some of those ways are observable and objectively verifiable. Others are not observable but they can be verified. Examples in the first category are the times that God spoke to Moses out loud and all the other Israelites could hear their conversation. Or when God the Father spoke to Jesus during his baptism, and the others gathered around heard that talk. Or when the wayward prophet Balaam had a talking to by his donkey. Makes you wonder who the dumb animal was at that time, doesn’t it?

Only daring men and women choose to hear God’s voice today. Many christians don’t hear God because they don’t know what exercises to do that would enable them to hear his voice. While other christians choose not to hear God out of fear of what their friends will say about them. They will likely be considered to be crazy, religious fanatics, and attempting to glorify themselves. Worst yet, those christians will be imposing their morality on the rest of us because they claim to have heard God. Right?

The value of hearing God is that it saves lives. I recall the time that God told me to pray for a certain Dee Jay (Strawberry Jan) that used to be on KEZY 1190 AM. He told me that she was in danger and I was to pray for her often. So I did, even though I didn’t know her, and knew nothing of her personal or professional life. Six years later she was nearly killed by a drunk driver on the freeway. Finally about 15 years later I met Strawberry Jan in person. I am certain that my prayers were central to God’s plan to save her life in that accident, prevent certain injuries and lessen others during the years.

If you are courageous and want to hear God, then contact me toll free at (877) 230-0100 or by email at sgtrepo@comcast.net
A Mark B. Replogle Article / October 2004

All rights reserved.
Copyright 2004 by Mark B. Replogle

No part of this Article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

About the Author

Mr. Replogle is an Attorney at Law in private practice in California. He served with the Marine Corps Central Command last year, in the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate. Mr. Replogle wrote the books Saviour Clinton: An Evil American King, and How To Hear and Discern The Voice of God.

A great way for self employed professionals to enhance their reputations is to write articles. But for many, the thought of writing an article calls to mind your school days of struggling to write a composition, trapped indoors while your friends played baseball without you.

Article writing doesn’t have to be difficult and the rewards are great. Since I started writing articles, my website traffic increased, signups for my newsletters increased, the media has sought me out, and I’ve become what Stephen Van Yoder calls “slightly famous”.

Here is the formula I use to write articles:

First of all, I do not see myself as a writer. You will not find me starving in a garret, suffering for my art. I see myself as a communicator. I have important and useful information to impart that can help people build successful businesses. When you look at it that way, it really takes a lot of pressure off you.

Secondly, your articles do not have to be Pulitzer Prize quality. They need to communicate information in a way your customer can relate to. If your customer is put off by high-falutin’ language, don’t use it. Speak in language that resonates with your customer. Remember, your intent is to communicate, not to win prizes or bludgeon others with your knowledge of polysyllabic words.

Next, start out by writing out a sentence or two (no more) that explains what you want to accomplish with your article. Your purpose is two fold: you want to establish your expertise in the eyes of your potential customers and you want those customers to do something. Here is an example for an article I am writing about how self employed professionals can enhance their reputations:

“I will write an article to give self employed professionals ideas on how to enhance their reputations which will result in more traffic to my website.”

That statement causes me to focus on achieving a specific resultmore traffic…by providing specific informationreputation enhancing ideas. It really is the most important part of writing an article. Without that focus I am likely to head off on a tangent.

From there, develop a main thought and support it with three or four points. Add a brief story, a website to visit for more information, or a quote from an expert (that expert can be you) and you’ve got your article.

Sometimes when I get writer’s-I mean communicator’s block. I grab my microphone and “talk” my article. This also ensures that my articles have a conversational tone instead of a boring professor monologue.

Give it a try and you’ll soon be turning out articles with ease and enhancing your professional reputation.

Caroline Jordan, MBA helps self employed professionals who struggle to build their businesses, attract clients they enjoy, improve cash flow, and find additional revenue streams. For more success tips and strategies visit http://www.TheJordanResult.com

Obtaining public domain files is one thing. But using it intelligently and effectively is a whole different ball game.

Really, if you think about it, anyone can get their hands on these works that have expired copyrights. But not everyone knows how to use it. And more importantly how to profit from it. That’s where the line is drawn.

These lessons will show you a trick or two, I hope, and get you on the the right track to making money from public domain for years and years to come.

You probably already have have access to several public domain files. If you want to obtain plenty of copyright-free content to last a lifetime, visit http://www.InstantAuthors.com

But first, a quick reference sheet on what can be considered public domain:

Unpublished works from authors who died before 1935.

Works published in the US before 1923.

Works published without a copyright notice from 1923 through 1977.

Works published without notice, and without subsequent registration from 1978 to March 1, 1989.

Works published with notice but copyright was not renewed from 1923 through 1963.

Works published outside the US before July 1, 1909.

Works published outside the US in compliance with US formalities between July 1, 1909 and 1922.

Works published outside the US between 1923 and 1977 and in the public domain of its home country as of January 1, 1996.

Anytime a copyright expires, it is added to the public domain and anyone can use it anyway they like without paying a cent in royalties.

But are all these just worthless old information? Let’s explore ways you can tap into and profit from the vast resources of the public domain.

It starts in the mind

First things first. You need to KNOW what your public domain file is about.

That’s right. READ IT !

This may sound elementary but many people overlook and underestimate the importance of this. Spend some time reading it. Get an understanding of the contents. If you don’t have the time, at least, scan through the material and look out for the main points.

Why is this important? A good understanding of the contents of the file. will help you make the best use of the product. (Not to mention, it puts you ahead of others who also download the product but do nothing with it.)

Studies have shown that less than 5% would actually take action. So don’t worry if you think that since anyone can download the products, you’ll have thousands of competitors. You’ll probably only have a small minority to compete with. Even then, these lessons will show you how to get ahead of the top bracket. And it all starts with this.

When you make an effort to understand the material, you gain knowledge. Sometimes that can be more valuable than anything else. For instance, if you have a public domain file on health matters, and you read something about migraine that has troubled you for years. And the writer suggests some help that works for you and gives you relief from the pain.

Once you’ ve read the material, THINK of different ways that you can repackage the file. (Don’t worry if you’re not inspired with any ideas yet. After going through this course, you’ll be doing this like a pro.)

For me, I find that it helps to think in terms of a website. What do I mean by this?

Think of the public domain file as a website (or a book)

Browse the public domain file and ask yourself….

If this was a website (or book), what would it’s title be?

(You wouldn’t have any idea unless you have read the public domain file yourself). Yes, I know the the original file probably comes with a title. And yes, you can use that too. (Just like others who will promoting it.) But I always recommend that you change it to something more compelling to attract people’s attention. Make the title a benefit-laden statement. Take a look at the title of this page you’re reading. “How To Use Your Public Domain Files Intelligently To Make Money”. This title tells the reader exactly what he wants to know and gain. It’s a little long but it works because everyone wants to be thought of as intelligent and everyone wants to make money and I am addressing them personally by using the word “your’ in the title.

Another example: Let’s say you have just downloaded a file called “Tennis For Beginners.” This is a good enough title. One that most people would use. But can you make it better and stand out from the rest? How about something dramatic like, “Learn Tennis In 10 Days”. Wow! That’s something. You add a ‘time frame’ statement that tells the reader that he can get what he wants (i.e. learn tennis) fast. I’m not suggesting you make ridiculous statements like “How To Play Tennis Like Federer Even If You’ve Never Held A Racket.” No one’s going to buy the hype. (Although you might certainly get some attention!)

Browse your local bookstore and just look at the titles on display? Which ones attract you? Learn from the kinds of words they use. And come up with one that you yourself would be interested in if you were the visitor. Put yourself in the visitors shoe. Does this title make me want to read on? Will I find what I am looking for here? If your website title is “Welcome to My HomePage”, I think you just lost your visitor.

This simple exercise helps you visualize and THINK how best to package your public domain file. And I am not just talking about creating a website as we shall see in part 2 of this article.

Not all writers write good grammar. That’s a fact. It’s no big deal. Well, mostly it’s no big deal. As a freelance books editor, I’ve seen hundreds of books whose authors cannot produce decent grammar and punctuation. I do it for them. I’m paid to do that — mostly by the hour.

So why bother to write good grammar? you ask. What does it matter if I can’t tell a colon from a semicolon, or when to use double quote marks and single quote marks? Is it such a sin to use inappropriate or downright wrong words if someone is going to correct them for me? Who cares if my syntax isn’t logical? If there are copy editors and proofreaders to ensure my book looks good, why is it so important to go to the trouble of ensuring my grammar and punctuation are tiptop?

Well, it might just help you to sell your book, that’s why. And I don’t mean sell it to the buyer in the bookstore: I mean sell it to the commissioning editor who is on the point of deciding whether your life is about to change.

When you’re a would-be first-time author — and many of us have been in that position — a well-presented approach letter and sample chapter might be the thing that tips it for you. Look at it this way: you’re an unknown; the commissioning editor likes your ideas, but has seen a couple of other approach letters and sample chapters recently that say much the same; of those other two, one is so well presented that it won’t need much copy-editing. Which writer is that commissioning editor going to choose?

In reality, that editor will probably not see your full manuscript till you’ve been accepted, but will get a good idea of your writing skills from that approach letter and the sample chapter or two that you may be asked to submit, along with a breakdown of the book’s structure.

Copy editors such as me are freelance. Mostly, we’re paid by the hour. Sometimes a publisher will pay a flat rate for a particular editing job, but will assess it first and say, “Hmm, I’ll offer nine hundred dollars” (or, say, four hundred pounds, depending on where you’re working). That commissioning editor has just done a quick calculation and has decided that, by accepting the manuscript from the author who’s submitted a near-perfect approach letter and samples, the company will save some money.

But I’m writing a novel, a big stream-of-consciousness thing, you argue. I don’t want good grammar. It will spoil the whole thing.

Fine. If your terms of reference are that this is the type of manuscript you’re producing, you’ll have agreed this with your in-house editor, who will have taken note of it and will brief me — or another copy editor — to treat the text accordingly.

Most books, however, are not stream-of-consciousness novels. Many are told in a straightforward way (that’s not to say they’re dull, but merely that their authors have chosen to adhere to the conventions); and, anyway, many are not novels. Most books are nonfiction. If you can find a subject that will interest a publisher and you’re suitably expert in it, you may get published.

But the publisher will look more kindly on you if, in your approach letter and accompanying material, you present yourself well.

The good news is that the basics — what I refer to as “the nuts and bolts of English” — are not too difficult to learn. Most of them are logical. Once you’ve seen them in action and passed that eureka! moment, you won’t forget them.

I hope this short article has made you realize that you’ll have to bite the bullet sometime soon, and get to grips with these basics. If you’re already an expert, of course, you won’t have read this far, so probably won’t be reading this sentence!

But there are many writers who, for whatever reason, need to brush up a little. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe they’ve had better things to do with their lives so far.

The important thing to know is that there are people like me, writing articles such as this one, to help. Call me a nerd if you will, but I actually like working on text at the level I do. As writer and co-writer of 14 print titles, I’ve also been copy-edited a lot, so I know what it’s like from both sides.

Getting published isn’t always easy, but attention to detail can sometimes be the deciding factor. I wrote a downloadable book recently with my co-writer Stephen Blake, called You Can Write Books (at www.youcanwritebooks.com), which, although its main topic is actually getting published, contains some tips on the nuts and bolts of writing. This is already selling quite well, which is gratifying.

To sum up: don’t neglect good grammar, because (a) it could make the difference between acceptance and rejection; (b) it’s satisfying to know that you can do it; and (c) once you’ve learned a few basic stylistic points, that dread word grammar may not sound so bad after all.

Good luck with your writing.

Andrew John is co-author of You Can Write Books, a no-nonsense downloadable book from http://www.youcanwritebooks.com that will get you into print if you follow its advice. He and his co-author, Stephen Blake, have written more than a dozen print titles (details on http://www.youcanwritebooks.com). Both are writers and editors, and You Can Write Books is crammed with advice you can trust.