Hello To Another Year of Writing

This is my last piece of writing that I'll be publishing this year.

Tomorrow is New Years Day and the first day of 2018.

And while it's a good time to say goodbye to all the things you don't want, it's also time to say hello to what you do want.

I've read a lot about LOA, Law Of Attraction, which states over and over that you get what you're thinking about.

Or more importantly, it feeds on your negative and positive emotions.

In other words, it doesn't matter if you think you can't do something or you think you can, you're right both times.

So if you're feeling bad about being in debt, you'll stay in debt.

Or if you're feeling happy about paying off your debt you'll pay it off and get out of debt because you're positive about it.

So when you're thinking about your writing goals for next year, think positively about them.

And if they don't make you feel positive, maybe you're thinking about what you "should" be doing instead of what you want to do.

The question is, what kind of writing would you want to do if anything was possible?

Do you want to be a blogger?

What do you want to write about?

Do you want to be a copywriter?

SEO writer?

Novelist?

Ebook writer?

Scriptwriter?

Whatever it is, what type of writer do you want to be?

You don't even need to know how you're going to do it.

Just feel the positive emotion of whatever appeals to you the most.

Trust your feelings. They'll let you know what you really want to do by how you're feeling.

And feeling good about what you want to do helps give you the motivation to do it.

And then you'll figure out the how.

See you next year.


http://ruthiswriting.com/links/LOAplanner.html

Affiliate Marketing Needs At Least Temporary Enthusiasm

When you're working as an affiliate marketer and you're writing content for your blog/website to promote a product, you're selling something that your customer want, but it doesn't necessarily have to be something that you want for yourself.

But your enthusiasm for the product needs to come across in your writing.

So how do you do it?

I was once listening (we'll, actually I've listened to it lots of times because it was so good) to an audio interview with one of the world's top copywriters, Bob Bly.

It's a fascinating interview because he talks about how and where he writes, and he's written sales copy for a lot of top people and big companies.

He said that he has to write about all kinds of different products and that while he doesn't always love what he's writing about, he needs to be able to get at least what he calls, temporarily enthusiastic about it.

For instance, he said he couldn't write about hunting because he doesn't hunt and has no interest in it. But he could talk about vegetarianism because although he's not a vegetarian, he can see why it appeals to a lot of people, so he could get temporarily enthusiastic about the subject.

But it's not just topics that you need to get temporarily enthusiastic about.

It can be individual products too.

I sell writing products that I don't personally need but I know that others do, so I have to get temporarily enthusiastic about owning it.

I also write in the weight loss niche, and although I don't have weight issues myself, I can understand what drives others who do.

Plus I find healthy diets an interesting subject so I can write enthusiastically about it in my marketing and emails.

So find a hungry market, look at products they want, and see if it's something you can get at least temporarily enthusiastic about while you research and write about it.

And if you can't, then you need a different niche.



Transform your content into a thriving e-commerce business with VigLink
https://www.viglink.com/?vgref=3699263

Download the free Bob Bly MP3 audio interview at:
http://www.hardtofindseminars.com/Bob_Bly_Copywriting.htm

You Can't Polish a Turd

That's a quote from the Stephen Kind novel and movie, "Christine."

In the movie, a garage owner watches a young guy trying to fix up an old car (called Christine) that looks too beat-up and rusty for anyone to fix.

He watches the kid fitting new wiper blades over a broken windscreen, shakes his head, and says to his friend, "You can't polish a turd."

I love that line.

And in another way, it applies to selling.

If no one wants what you're selling then you may as well be trying to sell them a turd, because they won't want it no matter how much you polish it with your intriguing content and clever marketing.

Instead, you need to find a market, find out what they want, and provide it for them.

You could write an ebook or a course that can help them, or find a suitable affiliate product.

Then let them know how much the product will benefit them and everything they have to gain by owning it.

In other words, give them what they want.

Don't try and sell them what they don't want.

It will be like trying to sell them a polished turd.

They just won't be interested. No matter how presentable you make it look.



Transform your content into a thriving e-commerce business with VigLink.
https://www.viglink.com/?vgref=3699263

Make 2018 Your Best Year Ever

If you want to make 2018 your best year ever (and who wouldn't want that?) then you start by making sure you do better than you did in 2017.

Look at what you did right.

Look at what you did wrong.

What do you need to stop doing?

And, more importantly, what do you need to start doing?

Thank clearly about what it is that you want to do.

Not what you think you "should" be doing, but what you really want to do more than anything else.

Once you know what that is, make a plan of how to achieve it.

What is the first thing you need to do?

What is the first step you need to take?

If you need some help, download the free 30-Day Planner and start your journey of making 2018 your best year ever.

http://ruthiswriting.com/links/LOAplanner.html

My New Year Writing Goals

It's nearly 2018 and I've been busying making lots of goals for next year because I want my writing success in 2018 to be far greater than 2017 (not that it was bad this year, but I always want more).

Part of my plan is to write and publish more books in the writing niche.

I'm also going to have monthly topics for my books, emails and websites.

This month's has mostly been about affiliate marketing (I started my goals early). January will be all about self publishing and February is about finding motivation and inspiration to write more.

All my chosen topics for 2018 are all designed to help you write more and earn more from your writing.

It's important to not only be able to write and earn more, but to absolutely love what you do.

To wake up every morning, excited to start writing and go to bed at night feeling great about all you've achieved.

And this is how being an affiliate marketer can help.

You only need to spend 10 or 15 minutes a day writing a blog post that contains an affiliate link and then get back to book writing.

Or you can set up affiliate websites.

Choose a niche, find products (or just one product) to promote, and write blog posts, emails, sales copy, marketing articles, and you can even do video and podcasts if you want to.

And if you're looking for products and ideas, VigLink has thousands of products and can automatically change links already on your site to affiliate links.

This makes it easy because it does the heavy work for you so that you can just keep on writing.

Transform your content into a thriving e-commerce business with VigLink
https://www.viglink.com/?vgref=3699263

A Funny Marketing Email

A few weeks ago I received an email from someone, offering me their marketing services.

And it was hilarious because the person who sent it obviously knew nothing about marketing and it was one of the worst pieces of marketing I've ever seen.

I actually read it through several times and each time it seemed even funnier as I noticed more things that were wrong with it.

Below is the email --

"Hi Ruth Barringham,

This is Jerry I hope you are doing well.

I am checking in to see if you are looking for Digital Marketing, Web Development, Content Marketing and Application Development business partners for your company branding and new business development.

We also expertise in:

Digital Marketing, Content Marketing, Application Development, Website Redesigning, Web Development, CRM, Ecommerce, Portal Development, B2B and B2C Email Data Leads, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), ORM (Online Reputation Management), SMO (Social Media Optimization), LinkedIn Marketing, Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Branding, Graphic Design, Logo Design, Image Editing, YouTube Marketing etc.

Our clients include top brands who swear by our services.

Please let me know if you need more information and we can discuss further steps.

Regards,
Jerry
Web Marketing Executive [INDIA]"

-------------------------

My usual response is to move emails like this to my junk folder and block the sender.

But this time I just couldn't resist giving some constructive criticism.

So below is the response that I sent --

"Ha ha.

This is hilarious.

A marketing person who can't even market themselves.

What do I mean by that?

No mention of your company name. No website to direct me to.

Your opening sentence should have been two sentences (very poor start), as in "This is Jerry. I hope you are doing well." See. Two sentences. And that also tells me absolutely nothing about who you are or what you are offering me, not even a surname, which immediately makes people very suspicious right from the start.

You say "We also expertise in..." without first explaining what else you think you're an expert in.

You claim you have big name clients, but don't name them.

You claim they "swear by our services" but offer no testimonials.

And at the end of the email, there is no "call to action."

Nothing.

Just a tepid "let me know" and that's it.

Clearly I know more about marketing than you do.

This is possibly one of the WORST marketing emails I've ever received.

And I get a lot.

I think I'll use this email as a teaching aid of how NOT to construct a marketing email.


P.S. Also your ending of telling me what to do if I want to stop receiving emails from you, tells me immediately that this email is spam because I never signed up to receive emails from you so why do I need to unsubscribe? Always a dead giveaway of a mass commercial mailing, which is really insulting to the person receiving it."

-------------------------------

Naturally, I didn't hear from them again. Afterall, what could they say? That I was wrong and their marketing email was first class?

But you may be wondering why I'm telling you this.

It's because there's an old saying, that in order to be successful, you have to act as though it's already happened.

In other words, "Fake It Till You Make It."

But that doesn't mean to send out substandard work like this hopeless and hapless marketing "expert" did.

It means to feel the feeling of your goals already being achieved.

To act as though you've already made it and those thoughts and emotions will help you to see opportunities that you might otherwise have missed if you weren't thinking about your success.

And now is a great time to start working on your goals of being an online writer and self publisher.

So that you can begin Living The Laptop Lifestyle.

http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/LLS.html

A Xmas Day Email? Why?

Today is Christmas Day so you're probably wondering why I'm sending an email?

Because no one else is. But I do know that many people check their inboxes on Christmas Day.

Christmas is an exciting time of year for most people - but only at the beginning of the day.

The rest of it is usually an anti-climax after all the months, weeks and days, of planning, shopping and preparing.

And some people are like me, and they don't bother with it.

Where I live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, it's hot right now. It's summer.

So I often take off and go to the beach for most of the day. Or go to a shady park with my dog. Or stay in and avoid seeing anyone at all. To me, it's a welcome day off.

But no matter what, I know that people will be checking their emails at some point in the day, so emailing on Christmas Day means I'm one of the few if any, emails in people's inboxes so mine have more chance of being read.

It's also a time of year when many start thinking about their New Year resolutions.

So instead of thinking about what you're going to stop doing in 2018 (smoking, drinking, over-eating), think about what you want to start doing.

Is there something you've always wanted to do but didn't know where to start or what to do?

Well, now you can begin by downloading a free 30-day planner to get you started.

Take the first step in your commitment to having a better year.

Download your free planner right now as a gift to yourself.

http://ruthiswriting.com/links/LOAplanner.html

Want to make more money from your blog or website next year?

Sign up to VigLink and let them automate your affiliate linking so that you can write more.

https://www.viglink.com/?vgref=3699263

Always Be Prepared To Write

I always like to carry a notebook and pen with me wherever I go just in case I get time to write, or in case a brilliant idea appears in my head out of nowhere and I need to write it down.

My tech-savvy daughter tells me that I'm "so old-fashioned" because she uses her iPhone to record anything she suddenly needs to write down.

But I still prefer my good-old paper and pen. Besides, I much prefer to write by hand because it makes me feel far more creative than tapping away at a keyboard.

One day, I had a brilliant idea for a book just pop into my head out of nowhere.

I was in town at the time, picking up a few bits and pieces.

When the idea struck me, I ran to a newsagent shop and bought an A4 notebook and pen.

I went to the park and sat for over an hour outlining my book idea in detail. I just sat there writing dozens of pages.

Then I went home, dropped everything, and started writing my book.

Within a week I'd not only finished the book, but I published it as an ebook AND made sales.

That's the thing about ideas that arrive seemingly out of nowhere.

They're a gift and shouldn't be wasted because once the idea is gone, it's gone for good.

Once the initial enthusiasm and motivation are gone, so is the brilliant idea.

So if it hits you, go with it.

Take your gift and use it straight away.

This is how my 7 Day Ebook Writing And Publishing System was born.

http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/7day.html

$700/Month Writing Blog Posts

I was reading an article recently about a freelance writer who earns over $700/month writing blog posts for a client.

She writes 5 blog posts a week and charges $35 for each one.

You can read the article at https://inkwelleditorial.com/become-a-six-figure-freelance-writer

Anyway, the point of this is why would her client pay so much for short blog posts?

And the answer is because they know that they can earn much more than this from them.

All blog posts, emails and online articles have 2 "jobs."

They provide a tip or another piece of useful information, and they make a sale or get the reader to perform another kind of CTA, Call To Action.

There are many smart writers who know how to earn money from everything they write and publish online. While many others earn nothing.

So if you're not earning an average of $35 from each piece of your online content, then ask why not?

Then look into how to do it.

There's no point writing lots of online articles and blog posts if you're not earning from them.

Unless of course, you enjoying writing just for the sake of it. In which case, ignore what I'm telling you.

But if you want to earn more money from your online content, this is something I talk about in-depth in my best selling ebook, Living The Laptop Lifestyle: How To Start & Grow A Profitable Online Business So You Can Quit Your Job.

And it's not too late to download your own copy and make 2018 your best writing year ever.

http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/LLS.html

More To Writing Than Just Writing

I once knew someone who loved to drive trucks.

All his life he'd dreamed of being a truck driver. And once he got his truck license and started driving trucks for a living, he then decided he wanted to buy is own truck and run his own haulage company.

The problem was though, that he had no idea how to run a business. He only knew how to drive a truck.

So his business failed pretty quickly, but not before he got into heaps of debt trying to keep it afloat.

And I mustn't have learned from his mistake.

Because when I first decided to work as a writer, I naively thought that all I had to do was write.

It was a natural assumption that writers do nothing but sit down and write.

Right?

Wrong.

There's a lot more to being a writer than just knowing how to write.

There's writing books, copywriting, website content writing, understanding HTML, knowing how to use WordPress, understanding some coding basics, self-publishing, SEO... and the list goes on.

Is it all easy to do? Yes.

Does it take a lot of time? Lots.

That's why I believe that it's really important to treat your writing as a business if you want to earn money from it.

And it starts with time and knowledge in several different areas.

Afterall, how can you earn money from the books you write if you don't know how to self-publish them?

And how can you earn money from a blog/website, if all you know is how to write content but not how to monetise it?

And that's just the beginning.

Every business, not just a writing and publishing business, needs you to know how to do more than just one thing.

So take the time to learn it all or you'll never know how to work as a writer.

It's taken me years to get to where I am because the internet and the ways to make money as a writer have been evolving and changing all the time.

And I've had to keep learning and changing with it.

So if you already have a website or blog but don't know how to earn money from it, or you're just not making enough money, try to find more ways.

One of the things I did was join VigLink as an affiliate marketer.

VigLink is affiliated to thousands of companies and you can take advantage of this by signing up for just one free account and accessing them all.

Viglink makes it easy to earn money by automatically transforming already existing content and links on your blog or website into revenue-generating hyperlinks. And that's just one of the ways they make it easy to earn money writing online.

It doesn't get much simpler than that.

Take a look now at https://www.viglink.com/?vgref=3699263

An Ebook Everyone Will Want

There is an ebook that your website visitors will want.

It will get downloaded hundreds of times a month.

And this ebook can make you a lot of money.

What ebook is this?

It's a marketing ebook.

It's a short report that you can write in just 2 hours.

You fill it with great content that's centred around a book or other product you're selling.

The content of this short ebook is so entertaining and so compelling that your readers are eager to click on the link at the end and make a purchase.

This 2-hour short report is what you give away as a free download.

You also allow others to give it away too.

I've written many of these short reports and they really are good at helping drive sales.

Often, websites that give away free ebooks start giving my free ebooks away too.

And before I know it, I have thousands of copies being downloaded all over the world.

2 Hour Short Report Writing is a free bonus ebook that I give away to anyone who buys my 7 Day Ebook Writing and Publishing System at http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/7day.html.

Create the Future You Want in 2018

Achieve all your goals.
Download your own free planner
http://ruthiswriting.com/links/LOAplanner.html

Don't Give It All Away

We all love a freebie.

It's great when you get an email with a link to a free download.

Or you visit a website full of loads of free offers.

And it's also good if you can find a few free things to offer your website visitors and email subscribers.

Just make sure that you don't give away too much. Otherwise your website visitors and email subscribers will come to expect it.

They'll think that everything you offer them is free.

This will make them not only reluctant to pay you money for something, but it can sometimes make them hostile.

I fell for this myself years ago when I was just getting started writing online.

I searched high and low for freebies I could give away on my website to attract more visitors.

But all it attracted was freebie-seekers.

I thought I was doing well getting so much traffic to my site and hundreds of people signing up for my emails.

But I wasn't making much money.

So I removed most of the free stuff and started offering products for sale.

And strangely enough, I found that people valued products they paid for much higher than the free stuff.

And many became repeat customers.

And speaking of freebies (which I don't do often), here's a link to a free 30-day planner to help you start the New Year your most productive and the most profitable.

Create the Future You Want in 2018

Achieve all your goals.
Download your own free planner
http://ruthiswriting.com/links/LOAplanner.html

Cheap Products Gets You Cheap Customers

Writing articles and other content can be a really profitable way to earn money from your writing.

But you really have to be careful about what you're selling.

And this can also apply to how you price your own books.

And that is, if you keep selling cheap products, you'll end up with cheap customers.

This doesn't mean your customers will be penny-pinchers, but rather, they'll come to only expect cheap prices from you.

So when you raise your prices or try to offer them something that is expensive, they won't be interested.

That's because you've "trained" them to only buy cheap things from you.

And because it takes just as much time and effort to sell both high and low priced products, only getting a few dollars for each sale can end up being a waste of time.

So give your customers what they need, instead of offering them cheap products.


Learn more about selling as an affiliate at http://ruthiswriting.com/links/clickbanksuccessforum.html.

Create the Future You Want in 2018

Achieve all your goals.
Download your own free planner
http://ruthiswriting.com/links/LOAplanner.html

When You Gotta Market Your Products

If you're making money as an online writer and affiliate marketer, you have to keep looking for quality products to promote.

Some are low-cost products while some are what are known as high ticket items.

But it doesn't matter if what you're selling costs a few dollars or a few hundred dollars, it all needs the same amount of marketing.

No one is going to buy anything unless it benefits them in some way.

This is where being a great marketer comes in.

No matter how much or how little the price is, if your customers don't want it, you can't sell it.

This is why it can make sense to sell high-quality, higher priced products.

That way you earn more money for each sale, and your customers get a better product.

Naturally, you won't sell as many, but your commission/royalties will be more.

You can learn more about finding the right products to sell at the Super Tips website.

http://ruthiswriting.com/links/supertips.html

Create the Future You Want in 2018

Achieve all your goals.
Download your own free planner
http://ruthiswriting.com/links/LOAplanner.html

Always Do This

I've been talking recently about affiliate marketing as being a good way to earn money from your writing.

Selling your own books is even better.

But however you choose to earn money as a writer, there's one thing that you must always be doing.

And that is growing your email list.

Having products to sell and plenty of online content to promote it is great.

But it won't help much if no-one sees it.

There are several ways you can promote your work, but the best way is through email.

Customers aren't going to seek you out.

It's you that has to stay in touch with them.

You need to let them know what you're selling and how it can help them.

And the bigger your list, the better.

So always be promoting yourself and your work to get more subscribers.

And then stay in touch with them often.

Send them lots of useful tips and information and give them links to all your promotional content.

Sent out emails every week, or preferably, every day.

Become the favourite person in their inbox.

Learn how to do it all plus download free products that can help you at http://ruthiswriting.com/links/supertips.html.

Create the Future You Want in 2018

Achieve all your goals.
Download your own free planner
http://ruthiswriting.com/links/LOAplanner.html

The Guaranteed Way To Earn Money As An Affiliate Marketer

Making money as an affiliate marketer isn't difficult (it all depends on what you're promoting, how you're promoting it, and who you're promoting it to).

It can also be done for free.

All it takes is time.

Time to write up all your online content, your emails, and anything else you'll be writing and using to drive sales.

And there's also something else you have to do.

Or rather, it's something that you should NOT do.

This is the mistake that many writers make when they try and earn money as an affiliate marketer.

Doing this can almost guarantee to kill sales.

But not doing it is guaranteed to help you make sales.

So what is it that I'm talking about?

Trying to sell too many things at once.

Offering multiple products at once often confuses people.

And promoting too many things on your website looks cheap and "salesy."

Instead, I always find it better to just pick one product to sell, and then promote the hell out of it.

We're coming to the New Year now, so if you want to make more money as an affiliate marketer, see if you can make 2018 your highest earning year yet.

Make a plan and stick to it.

Create the Future You Want in 2018

Achieve all your goals.
Download your own free planner
http://ruthiswriting.com/links/LOAplanner.html

Earn Money Writing Short Articles

It's great to be able to earn money as a writer.

I've been doing it for the last 20 years.

But what if you can't (or don't want to) write books?

What if you just want to write short articles?

Is it possible to earn money this way?

The answer is a definite yes.

Short articles can be website content, blog posts or emails.

And it's possible to use all three of these to earn money from your writing even if you don't have a book of your own to sell.

You simply find other products to promote as an affiliate.

And done correctly, it can be extremely lucrative.

Just look at what Rosalind Gardner has achieved.

She's known as THE biggest Super Affiliate because she earned half a million dollars a year from her affiliate sales.

She also wrote The Super Affiliate Handbook (http://ruthiswriting.com/links/superaffiliate.html) to show others how she did it.

The "secret" though, is like I said before; it needs to be done correctly.

Most people think they'll get rich by putting up a few banners on their site, but it's much more than that.

And it starts with the content on your web pages needing to lead your readers to want to buy the products you're promoting.

But how do you find out more about how to earn money as an affiliate marketer?

You can start with a free affiliate forum like http://ruthiswriting.com/links/clickbanksuccessforum.html.

Or there's an ebook that I bought that was really useful (I read it several times and took copious notes), and it only cost a couple of dollars, called the Affiliate Trump Card. https://viewbook.at/affiliatetrumpcard.

Or try Rosalind Gardner's Super Affiliate Handbook http://ruthiswriting.com/links/superaffiliate.html.

Or try all of these.

And start making money writing short articles.

How I Started Making Money Online

I loved it when making money online from my writing became possible, because, before that, it was almost impossible.

The internet made it so easy - and so fast.

One of the ways I first started earning money online was with affiliate marketing through Click Bank.

(After a few years, I stopped marketing for them because they changed their Ts & Cs for affiliates and actually threatened to take money from affiliates if they didn't make enough sales. Since then they have revised their payment system and now I get paid every 2 weeks with no threat of deductions.)

At first I did it by simply putting banners on my website.

And while that made me some money, I soon realised that there was much more to affiliate marketing than this, with some affiliates earning six-figure incomes.

It took quite a bit of researching and practice, but eventually I discovered how to do it properly.

Now it’s much easier to make money with affiliate marketing because there is so much more information around.

There’s even a website called Super Tips (http://ruthiswriting.com/links/supertips.html) that not only has a free ClickBank forum, they have some really useful products like their Affiliate Shield software (http://ruthiswriting.com/links/affiliateshield.html) that can do several things, including changing affiliate links so that they bypass the product's sales page and go straight to the payment page, so that you can create your own, better sales page.

You only have to look at forums and products like these to see how much help there is now to earn money online from affiliate sales.

Which is how I first began earning money from my writing.

And I still do it today.

—————-

ClickBank Success Forum
The ultimate resource site to help you succeed with making money with ClickBank.

Whether you are a newbie or a professional, vendor or affiliate, customer or entrepreneur, this is the place to ask your questions, find great tips, receive special deals, and get up to date with the latest developments at ClickBank.

It is owned and run by two of the very top authorities on ClickBank.
http://ruthiswriting.com/links/clickbanksuccessforum.html

——————————-

Create the Future You Want in 2018

Achieve all your goals.

Download your own free planner
http://ruthiswriting.com/links/LOAplanner.html

Exercise Your Muscle to Sell More Books

This is a good time of year for my book sales because one of my books is always my Christmas best seller.

And that book is 'How To Quit Smoking Without Giving Up Cigarettes.'

Why is it a best seller this time of year?

Because most people think that January 1st is magical and it will somehow give them with more willpower, so they buy my quit smoking book or give it as a gift to someone who they think will have more willpower in the New Year.

And while that's really great for me, the truth (that we already know but don't want to admit it) is that we already have all the willpower we need to accomplish anything we want, or to give up bad habits.

You see, willpower is a muscle. And just like any other muscle, if it doesn't get used enough, it becomes weak.

But the good news is that all it takes to make it strong again is to use it.

Because the more you use it the stronger it gets.

And it's not just good for quitting smoking.

It's also a great muscle to use to help you write more and earn more.

You just have to exercise it every day.

So don't wait until next year rolls around.

You already have what you need.


-----------

How to Quit Smoking Without Giving Up Cigarettes
Let this amazing quit-smoking course, help you to use your willpower to quit for good.
http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/HQS.html

Writing Resolutions for 2018

I was trying to find my resolutions from last year and I don’t seem to be able to find them anywhere.

Did I actually make some?

I don’t know.

But the reason I was wanting to look back at last year was to see if I’d achieved what I set out to do.

I do remember though, that one of the things I was wanting this time last year, was to rent an office so that I had somewhere to go and work every day.

But I never ended up not doing that because my daughter moved out and so I took over her room as my office, which is an annexe room (or sleep out, as some people call it). 

It’s a completely separate room from the rest of the house and is about 26 feet long and about 14 feet wide. Plus it’s fully carpeted which feels like a bit of luxury.

So now I work in my separate office which works out really well for me. 

So what are my plans for next year?

I’m not sure yet.

But I am sure that I want to achieve far more than I did this year because, over the last 12 months, I’ve done far less writing than I usually do. But that was mostly due to emergency family matters and house renovations, which are still on-going but most of my work here is done.

But it has also been a year of learning because I’ve been studying a lot about marketing and so far it’s been quite useful. But it also has taken up a lot of my time as well. And I’m in the middle of rewriting the sales pages for all my books.

I am also in the middle of updating all my ebooks and today I just finished uploading the updated and expanded (by over 10 pages) edition of Living The Laptop Lifestyle at http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/LLS.html.

It’s a huge PDF ebook that has 118 full pages of information to help you start and grow your own online business.

I earn all my income from my online writing and self publishing, and in this ebook, I explain how I do it and how anyone can do it to. It takes you all the way through from idea (even finding one if you don’t have one) to online business.

And if you already have a website/blog but aren’t happy with your income, Living The Laptop Lifestyle shows you how easy it is to quickly turn it into a profitable online business.

I know that this ebook can help anyone who wants to work as an online writer the same way I do.

I’ve also update The 7 Day Ebook Writing and Publishing System, and as I was going through it, I realised that I’d forgotten what a great ebook it is. 

Plus the bonus ebook about how to write short reports in 2 hours, really turns it into must-have item for anyone who wants to write and publish books for a living, because when you can do it this quickly AND make sales within a week, what more do you need to get your writing and self publishing business up and running?

http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/7day.html 

I’ll let you know when I do more updates.

And in the meantime, I’ll also make a plan of what I want to be working on next year.

I hope you have plenty of big writing plans for next year. And I hope they’re so big, that if you achieved them, it would blow your mind. Or should I say, WHEN you achieve them it WILL blow your mind? 

That is much more positive.

A More Profitable Writing Niche

There is so much advice around about working online.

And one of the things that is spouted the most is the need to work within a small niche. The smaller the better, according to many.

And it’s the same with writing when people say to write within a tight niche.

For instance, if you’re going to write a book or start a blog about business management, a more profitable, and more targeted niche would be hotel management.

And I’ve come across many people who also write about just one type of writing such as SEO or copywriting or article marketing, and say that just knowing about this one type of writing will help you make more money.

And while I think these ways of writing will help, I also think you need to know more than just one thing.

I don’t niche down so tightly when it comes to how to earn money from writing because you need to know much more than just one thing that can help you.

For example, being good at SEO won’t help you make more sales if the books you write aren’t great.

And learning how to get more traffic to your site won’t help you if your content is boring.

Likewise, learning how to write great content won’t help you if you have poor marketing skills.

You see, you need a broad knowledge of many related things to be successful. Learning to be good at just one thing won’t do it.

That’s why my narrow niche of writing is broad enough to encompass everything I need to know.

Sign up for my free emails and monthly writing newsletter that will help you to become the successful and wealthy writer that you’ve always dreamed of being.

AND you'll receive 5 free ebooks for writers.

http://ruthiswriting.com

Big Changes Are Coming

The past few weeks I’ve been working away feverishly on the new plans for my writing.

The reason for the changes that I’m making is because I’m moving away from freelance writing because I don’t do much of it at all anymore.

So I’m changing direction to talk about the writing I do now, which is online writing, book writing and self-publishing.

There are a lot of different facets to this kind of work such as writing books, ebooks, SEO, email marketing, self-publishing, blogging, article writing and online content writing.

And it’s important to know how to do all these things if you want to be successful.

I earn all my income from my writing and I’m going to help you do the same.

So watch this space because soon I’m going to start spreading the joy.

In the meantime, you can shoot over to http://ruthiswriting.com and see the changes I’ve made there including my new web pages of writing resources and writing courses.

http://ruthiswriting.com/writinghelp.html

Plus there’s plenty more to come.

How Time-Saving Is This?

I always try and save time.

One of my pet peeves is wasted time because of inefficiency.

That’s why I try and have my own systems and wicked ways of how I do things.

The rest of my family laugh and say I have OCD.

But it’s not.

I’m just efficient with my time.

I have set ways of how I complete tasks whether it’s household chores, online work, or writing.

You see, I figured out a long time ago that successful businesses have efficient systems.

For instance, when I used to work in an office, we had a system for filing physical files so that if someone needed a file, they knew exactly where it would be in the filing cabinet.

There were also rules and systems for how we handled everything, with processes to go through and everything was kept exactly where it was supposed to be so that no time was lost looking for something.

And if a customer came in with a query, we knew exactly who to send them to and that person knew exactly what to do.

See? Efficient systems.

And if someone new started working there, they were quickly shown what we do, how we did it, and where everything was kept.

And it’s the same with a writing business.

Just imagine if you were hiring an assistant and you had to explain your work-flow to them and show them how you file everything on your computer and/or in your office.

Could you do it?

Do you have simple systems and work-flow patterns that you could easily explain to someone else?

For instance, if you wanted to explain how you handle your email, could you say, “If I get an email from this company, I deal with it this way,” and show them exactly what you do with it?

Or explain the exact process you go through to research and outline a book before you write it?

If not, then you may need to re-organise how you work to save more time for your writing.

------------------------

Accelerated Learning & Productivity: The Compact Guide
Learn Faster and Smarter. Productivity Hacks. Stop Wasting Time and Get Things Done.
https://www.udemy.com/accelerated-learning-productivity-the-compact-guide/

Productivity Hacks for Writers (Writing Mastery)
Simple strategies and proven techniques to be more productive and get the most out of every writing day
https://www.udemy.com/writing-mastery-productivity-hacks-for-writers/

The Miracle of Tidying

A few months ago, my daughter wanted me to find something in her room.

It was some important papers that she’d left behind when she went out, so she needed me to photograph them and email them to her.

The problem was that she didn’t know where she’d put them.

So there I was on the phone with her, and she’s saying, “Look in my bottom desk drawer,” and “Maybe it’s in that box in the top of my cupboard.”

She had me looking everywhere.

But what I couldn’t understand was how she didn’t know where she’d put them.

I’m just the opposite of that.

If she’s looking for something in the house and asks me where it is, I say, “It’s in the chest of drawers next to the window. Second drawer down, on the right-hand side at the back.”

I know EXACTLY where my things are.

I also keep my digital files the same way, so when I need to bring up a file I haven’t used in years, I still know exactly where it is.

And do you know what I gain from this the most?

Time.

I save hours every week by being tidy.

Whenever I finish using something, I store it in its place.

A place for everything and everything in its place.

That’s time management 101.

———

Subliminal Guru

Subliminals (in the world of self-help) are powerful little audio MP3s that can really help to CHANGE your life... all just by playing them in the background while you get on with your day!

Weight loss. Abundance. Confidence. Positivity. Brain power.  Releasing phobias. Health. Better sleep. Creativity. Motivation.

Whatever you want, just play the MP3 album in the background while you get on with your day... and you're done!

Subliminals work by sending thousands of positive little affirmations straight to your subconscious mind, helping to "reprogram" your mind at the deepest possible level.

Subliminal Guru MP3s! Select Two FREE Albums NOW
http://subliminalguru.com/homepage/a/writesuccess

Hanging With The Smartest Writers

It’s a well-known fact that is you want to improve your life or your business, you need to hang out with people who are smarter than you or who you want to be like.

And you don’t have to be with them in person.

It can be bloggers you follow online, or people you go to see at seminars, or authors you read.

I was watching a seminar a few days ago and the speaker was author and marketer, Brian Kurtz and he said, “Only surround yourself with the smartest people. And if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”

And I agree. That’s why I only follow writers and marketers who I believe are the best.

One that I follow and have bought many products from, is email expert, Ben Settle.

I don’t follow him because I want to be an email expert, but I like three things about him.

1. He works alone. He has no staff and works completely by himself out of his own home. That’s the way I prefer to work too. AND he earns thousands a month from his emails, books, and courses.

2. His products are no-nonsense, and by that I mean he always gets straight to the point and doesn’t waste time with useless ‘filler’ information. I like that and I know that whatever I buy from him will be full of useable information.

3. He is full of ideas which I find really inspirational. By studying and disecting just his free emails I’ve discovered that he can take one idea and write 20 or more emails about it. And knowing how he does it is gold.

Having plenty of ideas is THE most important thing about being a writer, because without ideas you can’t write anything.

I’ve never had a problem with finding ideas and that’s why I wrote an ebook to show others just how easy it is. And even if you can’t think of anything, I'll show you how.

And once you know how to get your creative juices flowing, you’ll get 100s of ideas in just a few minutes.


Goodbye Writer's Block
How To Be A Creative Genius
And Have An Abundance Of Ideas
Plus The Inspiration
And Motivation To Write
http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/WB.html

Fighting Resistance to Writing

Resistance.

I fight it nearly every day.

I love to write and yet I have to fight resistance to do it.

And just because I beat it one day, it doesn’t get rid of it.

When it comes to sitting down and getting my writing done, I always seem to have an excuse -

~ Too tired

~ Too busy

~ Too hot

~ Too cold

~ Not feeling creative enough

~ Too worried

And then one day I realised what the real problem was.

It wasn’t resistance to writing.

It was resistance to sitting down and getting started.

Once I start working it’s easy to keep going.

I just have to start.

And it works with everything.

Once I fight the resistance to begin, it’s easy to keep going.

All it takes is to stop making excuses.

And just start.

-------------------------


The War of Art : 
Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
by Steven Pressfield
http://viewbook.at/warofart

My Problem With Jessica Fletcher

One of my favourite TV shows is Murder She Wrote.

It’s an old show that keeps getting repeated and I often watch it while I’m doing the things because it’s easy to watch (or just listen to) and takes no great thought on my part.

Murder She Wrote is all about the novelist, Jessica Fletcher, who is a best-selling crime writer who travels the world and gets caught up in murders and uses her crime-solving skills to figure out 'who-dunnit.'

My only peeve with this show is how Jessica writes her novels.

It often shows her sitting at her kitchen table typing her latest book manuscript.

My problem with that is two-fold.

First, her house is huge and she lives alone,  yet she still sits in her kitchen to write, and strangely enough, prefers writing on an old, manual typewriter to using a computer.

Secondly, and this is the big one; she writes straight to final draft.

I mean, who even DOES that?

She often says things like, “I really have to get my book finished. I still have three chapters to write and it’s due at my publisher’s in less than a week, and I don’t even know how it’s going to end yet.”

Really? Idea to final draft in one go?

Unbelievable.

AND, if all that isn’t enough, her novels are all best sellers, without even so much as a rewrite.

Real writing means doing at least 4 stages of a manuscript - first draft, edit, second draft, proof, final draft.

Naturally, it is possible to write a book quickly if you have a great writing system (unlike old Jessy Fletcher who seems to have none).

But getting fast at writing, even with a system that you follow, still takes practice.

But the more you write, the easier it seems and the quicker you get.

So write, write, write, and then write some more.

Because when it comes to writing, practice really does make perfect.

-------------------------------------

7 Day Ebook Writing And Publishing System

Do You Want To Work From Home Writing And Selling Ebooks?
Have You Always Dreamed Of Having This Type Of Lifestyle?
Do You Envy Others Who Are Already Living Your Dream?
Well, what if I told you that you could start living your dream within the next 7 days?
Think that’s impossible? Well it’s not.

PLUS

When you buy the 7 Day Ebook Writing And Publishing System You also get

2 Hour Short Report Writing:

How To Write A Short Report Or Ebook In Just 2 Hours.

http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/7day.html

Start the Day Write

Have you ever noticed that however a day starts, it tends to carry on that way?

So if you start the day by getting up late, you seem to spend the rest of the day trying to catch up with yourself?

Or if you start by spending way too much time on Face Book or checking emails, you spend the rest of the day getting zero done.

This is why I find it so, so, important to start my days how I want them to go on.

If I start the day right, it usually keeps up the moment.

So I have a morning routine that gets me into my most important writing straight away.

I don't waste it on trivial things like social media or email because the first hour of my day is the most important hour.

I originally learned about this from a book called "The Miracle Morning" and it really made a difference in my life.

I not only read this book once, I studied it, and listened to the audio version several times too.

So if you're like I used to be and find that you get up every day with the best intentions, yet go to bed every night wondering why you even bothered, try it for yourself.

Use the first hour of every day for the most important thing.

Mine is book writing or studying.


The Miracle Morning: 
The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)

By Hal Elrod

http://viewbook.at/MiracleMorning

Oh Yes It Can Be Done

I was watching an episode of one of my favourite TV shows, Criminal Minds, the other day (while I was ironing - boo!) and in it two of the team were in a strip club trying to figure out how the criminals had kidnapped one of the dancers.

So what they did was sit where the criminals had, to see what they could see, who could see them, and the view they had of the entrances and exits.

But they had to actually visit the club to be able to do it. There was no other way. They had to take the same steps the criminals had.

It think it's a bit like when people say, 'don't judge what I do until you've walked a mile in my shoes', meaning you cannot understand what they were going through until you've lived through it too and seen and experienced what they have.

But as a side note, I don't have to walk a mile in the shoes of someone as bad as a peddle-file (or kiddy-diddler as they sometimes call them on the cop shows) to judge them. I just know they're the worst kind of people.

But anyway, the Criminal Minds' profilers visiting the same place the criminals had been, in order to understand how they did what they did, and it made me think about writing courses and how-to ebooks on writing.

Sometimes I see them advertising that they can show you how to write a book in a week, or a month or how to use different types of marketing to make more book sales, and I think, "Would that actually work?"

But I never know unless I try it out for myself, which I often do.

And it's the same with my own ebooks about how to write and publish an ebook in 7 days, or write a short report in 2 hours, or overcome writer's block in minutes.

Many people think it can't be done.

They resist trying it for a long time until they finally give it a go. And once they start practising, they soon discover that yes indeed, it can be done.

So if you've seen a writing or marketing course that promises to teach you something that up until now you couldn't do, but you know it would benefit you greatly if you could, give it a go.

My only caveat here is not to believe everything, especially products that tell you it's possible to go to bed tonight and wake up a millionaire by following their simple online system, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Because if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

On the other hand, writing an ebook in a week or curing writer's block quickly or setting up your own online business, is extremely do-able.

You just have to put on those proverbial shoes and start walking.

And as the saying goes, every journey starts with the first step.


7 Day Ebook Writing And Publishing System
http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/7day.html

Goodbye Writer's Block: How To Be A Creative Genius And Have An Abundance Of Ideas Plus The Inspiration And Motivation To Write
http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/WB.html

Living The Laptop Lifestyle: How To Start & Grow A Profitable Online Business So You Can Quit Your Job
http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/LLS.html

Instant Idea Overload

A few days ago, I sat and brainwaved for new ideas about writing and moving my online business forward.

It was a really great session that went on for hours (I had a lunch break and an after tea break during it).

I sat taking notes and more notes and even more notes and then wrote them all out in more detail and re-arranged them into the order that they need to be done.

It began with me mulling over just one idea.

Then I put in my earbuds and started listening to my 'Creative Spark' audio.

And before I knew what was happening - Boom!

The ideas started to flow and a plan was hatched.

I kept replaying the 30-minute audio and kept writing.

Creative Spark is one of the tracks on the Brain Salon audio collection.

There is also Super Razor Focus, Ultimate Deep Sleep, Happy Pill, Power Chill and High Energy Expresso.

At the moment, Creative Spark is my favourite.

I know that I've talked about Brain Salon before, but it is just so great.

It's not cheap to buy, but it really is worth every cent of the price, and I can use the tracks on the go, unlike some audios that you have to close your eyes and stop everything you're doing to use them.

I just plug in whichever I need and get to work.

I've been using Brain Salon for years and I use it almost daily.

But like I said, it's not cheap to buy, but nothing worth having ever is.


Try a free sample of Super Razor Focus for yourself, or learn more about this audio collection. Click the link below:
http://ruthiswriting.com/links/brainsalondemo.html

Spending Money To Make Money

A couple of weeks ago, I made an online purchase.

It was a huge purchase that cost me $2,000.

Why did I spend so much?

Because I plan to use what I bought to help me earn more money.

So it wasn't so much a purchase, as an investment.

What I bought was a huge package of marketing materials - DVDs, Audios, and books.

I haven't received them yet because they're physical products and are being shipped to me here in Australia from the USA.

Over the years, I've bought literally dozens (probably hundreds) of products about writing and marketing, but I've never paid so much before.

But there are many people who baulk at paying anything for what they think will help them write more and earn more.

They only want things that are free (or really REALLY cheap).

Then they wonder why they don't make any money.

But I've decided to go big or go home.

I'm aiming higher with what I buy, what I create, and how much money I make.

And I started big with the $2,000 marketing bundle.

If you feel the same way, make the switch.

Invest in whatever it is that will help you move your writing business forward.

And then get going.

Don't let penny-pinching hold you back any longer.

Living the Laptop Lifestyle: How to start & grow a profitable online business so you can quit your job

http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/LLS.html

(and for anyone wondering what I spent so much money on, it was The Titans Of Direct Response Package. http://titansdvds.com)

Writing Distractions That Were Overwhelming

For the last week and a half, it’s done nothing but rain.

Not just any rain, but with really strong winds and it was a huge deluge that sent cascades of water running down my garden, carving out huge channels in the dirt as it went.

But you might be asking what this has to do with writing?

Well, I was trying to sit inside and write while all hell seemed to be breaking loose outside, but it wasn’t easy.

During the first few days, it was doubly hard because two of my chickens started suffering from the downpour, and it was also really cold.

I kept running outside to keep an eye on them and try and tempt them with food (they were all sheltering under the house, which is raised on stumps).

But the cold and damp got to be too much for them, and sadly, I had to take them to the vet to end their suffering. The poor girls couldn’t even open their eyes or uncurl their feet at the end (see the last photo of them, above).

One of them was Miss Broken Comb who’d been ill recently.

The other smaller one who is upright in the photo, was Miss Scrappy, so-called because she was always shirt-fronting any animal that came into the garden.

So while my other 7 girls continued to shelter under the house from the storm, I carried on bravely with my writing, to help keep my mind off everything.

But with everything going on around me, with losing 2 of my girls, the loud tempest raging outside and the awful dampness and darkness everywhere, it was all starting to feel somewhat surreal.

I found though, that once I was able to focus properly, I not only got plenty of writing done, but I managed to have a huge brainstorming session that went on for hours.

And when I checked my online accounts, I saw that I was still making sales from my books and affiliate products.

So it does go to show that it’s always possible to keep writing.

And sales can continue to happen from other places, while yours seems to be in chaos.

That’s what I love about being working from home and earning all my income from my writing.

Living The Laptop Lifestyle: How to start and grow a profitable online business so you can quit your job.

http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/LLS.html

The Different Ways Grammarly Is Helping Me.

A few weeks ago I downloaded the free grammar software, Grammarly.

Once I installed it on my computer, it started working on most of my online writing like in Facebook, blog comment boxes, and online forms.

At first I was disappointed that it doesn’t work with Pages for Mac because this is the word processor I use.

But it wasn’t too much of a problem because all I have to do is copy and paste what I write into Grammarly, fix the mistakes it finds, and then copy and paste the corrected work back into Pages.

In fact, I’m kind of glad it doesn’t work in Pages because it would be too much of a distraction and would slow me down if it kept popping up and showing me errors while I was working.

I’ve found that it really does find errors in my writing that I wouldn’t have noticed myself.

But the best thing I like about using Grammarly is that it emails me a weekly report of how many words I’ve written and how many errors it’s corrected. And then it compares my progress against the other Grammarly users and against my own past weeks of writing.

I find it fascinating to see my weekly word count and my accuracy (or lack of).

It also tells me how many unique words I’ve used which is something else I find interesting to know.

So if you haven’t tried Grammarly yet, maybe you might find it useful too.

I was skeptical at first as to how accurate it is, but so far I’m pretty impressed.

And the weekly writing reports are definitely an added bonus.

Hopefully, you’ll find it useful too.

Write a Book That People Want To Read

Before you write a book there’s one thing that you need to have first.

And you must have it before you even write one word.

Do you know what this one thing is?

Readers.

You need people who want to read your book.

So how do you make them want to read it?

You answer the question that they’re all thinking:

“What’s in it for me?”

No one will buy anything, not even a book, if it doesn’t benefit them in some way.

They don’t care how good your book is. They only care about how it can help them.

So why should they read it?

You need to answer this question when you market your book.

And it’s also what you need to put in every chapter.

You need to tell them “why” they need to keep reading what you’re going to tell them.

In my ebook “The 7-Day Ebook Writing and Publishing System” putting a “why” in every chapter and in all your marketing is discussed in detail.

And that’s just one of the ways it will help you write and sell more books.

Just think of how many books you could write in a year and how much money could you earn if you knew how to write and publish a book in just 7 days?

The 7 Day Ebook Writing And Publishing System:
How to Write and Publish an Ebook and Start Getting Sales in Just One Week

http://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/7day.html

You’ve Written a Book. Now Comes The Hard Part

Every time I write a book I know it’s good and how much it will help people.

But the hard part is letting them know that.

It’s true that selling a book is a lot harder than writing it, and anyone who’s ever written a book knows that.

This is why copywriters are highly paid.

They know how to get people’s interest and to write a vision so great, that customers are dying to buy whatever product they’re trying to sell.

But most people, like us, can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars to a copywriter.

This is why copywriting is important to learn.

It doesn’t matter if you’re selling your own books or working as an affiliate marketer. You need to be able to write sales pages, blog posts, and emails that emote good feelings of wanting to buy what you’re selling.

Luckily, there are plenty great books about copywriting that can show you how to do it.

One copywriter whose books I always recommend (and use myself) are those written by Ben Settle.

And here are a couple of them.

I can personally guarantee that they’re good.


Crypto Copywriting Secrets - 
How to create profitable sales letters fast - even if you can't write your way out of a paper bag now.
http://viewbook.at/cryptocopy

The Affiliate Trump Card
http://viewbook.at/affiliatetrumpcard