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Richard Webster - Writers Success
Richard Webster - Writers Success
You are welcome to email this, print it, or pass it on to anyone else, in any shape or form, as long as you make no changes to the content. Id be thrilled if everyone who might benefit from the information gets a copy. Please make as many copies of it as you wish, and/or give my URL to anyone who you think might find it useful. Thanks.
www.richardwebster.co.nz www.psychic.co.nz
INTRODUCTION
Im Richard Webster, author of 80 books. Not long ago, a friend told me he had always wanted to become a writer, but had no idea how to go about it. He was surprised when I told him he already had all the qualities necessary for success as a writer. He was ambitious, entrepreneurial, persistent and motivated. He set goals and achieved them. As I had received a number of letters and newsle tters from him over the years, I knew he could write. However, he still had many misconceptions about writing, and the writing business. About twenty years ago, I wrote a letter to a friend who was going through a difficult time in his life. That letter the longest I have ever written - ultimately became a book called Seven Secrets to Success (Llewellyn Publications, 1997). It is my most translated book (13 languages), and is the one I name whenever people ask me which book is my favorite. I have received more letters from readers of that book than from all my other books combined. As my friend appeared serious about his writing, I decided to write him a letter, too. Fortunately, he found it useful and has allowed me to share it with you. I have eliminated information that relates to my friends personal circumstances, and added extra material to clarify certain key secrets. My friend is working on his first book. I hope the information in this e-book will motivate and inspire you, too. My main purpose in writing this is to encourage you to reach your goals.
FOCUS
I decided to become a professional writer when I was nine years old. Although I have always written different things for my own amusement, it was not
How To Write Your Book by Richard Webster/ 3 until I was in my early forties that I was able to make a decent income as a writer. There were many reasons excuses, mainly for this. I started off in the right direction. When I left school, where I was an average student, I worked in publishing for several years. This was a deliberate choice, as I felt that learning about what happened inside a publishing company would be helpful to me as a writer. I learned a great deal. I discovered how difficult it was to get published in the first place. I learned about the miniscule royalties most authors made from the ir work. It almost put me off writing forever. I didnt make a conscious decision to stop writing, but it did make me think. I started looking at other ways of making a living, and over the following 20 years explored a wide variety of business ventures and occupations. The first of these was owning and operating a bookstore. I visualized many pleasant conversations with my customers about the latest books. Sadly, there were few conversations of that sort, as most customers had little time to stop and talk about books and writing. The bookstore was profitable, but after a year I had had enough. After I sold it, my wife and I bought a motel, which we also had for about a year. During that same year, I started a small importing business, and followed this with a printing business, a rubber stamp manufacturing company, a book distribution business, and a variety of other income-earning ventures. Some of these were modestly successful, while others were not. On two occasions, I had to interrupt my self-employment dreams for a while, because I was not making enough money to support my family. At one time, I sold printing services during the daytime, delivered buns and donuts during the night, and mowed lawns in the weekend. Finally, I discovered something important and it worked well for a long time. Instead of trying to make my living doing one thing, I began doing several things at once. Consequently, for many years I worked as a magician, stage hypnotist, pianist and palmist. I also had a private school that conducted memory training and psychic development classes. During those years, my biggest problem was producing the correct business card when people requested one. I also started ghost-writing, and this revived my old dreams of becoming a professional writer. Ghost-writing, the way I did it, was extremely lucrative. But, after 20 ghost-written autobiographies, my enthusiasm for this kind of writing began to wane. There was also little satisfaction in it, as I could not tell anyone what projects I was working on, and my name never appeared on the covers of the books. By 1987 all of my ventures were doing well, until the stock market crash brought me back to reality. I was struggling to keep up with the work one minute, and unemployed the next. I spent the next two years demonstrating products at shows and fairs up and down the country, until my magic and hypnotism shows became profitable again. One morning in 1991, I woke up with a horrible thought. What would it be like to wake up at the age of 70, and it hadnt happened? I knew instantly that it was my writing career. I gave myself five years to make more money out of writing than I was making out of all the other things I was doing. Interestingly, it took almost exactly five years. Lesson: I should have given myself three years. Question: Why was I able to succeed as a writer now, when I hadnt managed to do so before? Answer: Id dabbled at it. I was a successful ghost-writer who had
How To Write Your Book by Richard Webster/ 4 also written two dozen technical books for magicians, and a few books for the general public. The answer is focus. As soon as I made writing success my major priority, I gave it the fulltime attention it deserved. Earlier in my career I had allowed myself to be put off by what I had learned while working in traditional book publishing. I had discovered that the mathematical chances of having a book accepted by a publisher were about one in two thousand. And that even if the book was published, the chances of making more than a few cents an hour for the time spent writing it were remote. Of course, people who know how to go about it professionally succeed against these odds all the time. But I had allowed the math to put me off. I wasnt taking the quality of the raw submissions into my calculations.
How To Write Your Book by Richard Webster/ 5 might still be doing a bit of writing, a bit of magic shows, a bit of selling, a bit of importing, a bit of motel management, etc. No matter what your goal might be, give it a deadline, and then beat it.
PERSISTENCE
Persistence often makes the difference between success and failure. Jack London, author of such classics as Call of the Wild and Wild Fang, received more than 600 rejections before he had a single acceptance. He would not be remembered today if he had given up after 599. When Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason, started his writing career his rejection rate was 95%. But he persisted and eventually became the biggestselling author of his day. Do you think they were passionate about writing? Their persistence is the best evidence. It would be interesting to know how many people start to write a book, but give up before it is finished. They lack persistence. Even many of the people who manage to finish their book lack persistence. After one rejection, they stuff their book in a drawer and forget about it. No staying power. John Grishams first novel was rejected 25 times. We would never have heard of him if hed given up after one or two rejections. If you have faith in your book, you have to send it out again, and again, and again. You also need to keep on writing, because your next book might be the one that becomes successful. It makes no difference what field you are in: never, never, never give up. Sir Winston Churchill taught me that. I received an interesting lesson in the importance of persistence when I was working as a sales representative. An older, more experienced salesman told me: Never give up. Keep going back. Eventually, youll get the order, as everyone else will have stopped calling. In my book, Success Secrets (Llewellyn Publications, 2001), I included another piece of advice this same man gave me. At the end of the day, when youve finished your calls, make just one more call. Those five extra calls a week add up to 250 in a year. That alone can make the difference between success and failure. (Interestingly, I am writing this in the same way. After finishing my days work on my current book, I am spending an extra 15 minutes writing this.)
How To Write Your Book by Richard Webster/ 6 I know someone who lost all his money in a disastrous real estate venture. This occurred 10 years ago but, sadly, he is still down. He failed to learn any lessons from the experience. Now he is just going through the motions of life every day. He allowed one failed venture to influence his whole life. Writers experience failure more often than most. Every time a manuscript or book proposal gets rejected they consider this a failure. Its not. Its merely feedback.
How To Write Your Book by Richard Webster/ 7 I wrote a book called Feng Shui for Beginners (Llewellyn Publications, 1997). I became interested in feng shui while in Singapore in the late 1960s, but never expected it to become as popular around the world as it has. In fact, feng shui became so popular that I ended up writing seven books on the subject. At about the time Feng Shui for Beginners was published, some friends asked me why my books were never reviewed in the newspapers in the city where I live. I explained that because most of my books are on new age topics, they are usually reviewed in specialist magazines rather than the daily press. This explanation did not satisfy my friends, so I sent a copy of Feng Shui for Beginners to our daily newspaper. A few weeks later, a review appeared. It filled up a quarter of a page and included a photograph of the books cover. However, instead of a normal review, the reviewer used it as an opportunity to poke fun at the whole new age field. His review was highly amusing and I laughed out loud while reading it. However, my wife was most upset with the review and the reviewer. None of my friends ever mentioned it. But an interesting thing happened after the review appeared. People started going into bookstores and asking for my book. The largest book chain in the country, which had not previously stocked the book, ordered it. Over the next few years they were surprised to sell 2,000 copies. A few years ago I was in Canada promoting a book called Palm Reading for Beginners (Llewellyn Publications, 2000). A reporter interviewed me and the article he wrote was syndicated throughout Canada. Unfortunately, the inference of the article was that I travelled around the world picking up women by reading their palms! I know about 20 people in Canada, and they all read the article. It was embarrassing for me, but it sold heaps of books. Because of the topics I write about, I am used to ill- informed criticism of this sort. I dont care as long as my name, and the title of the book, is mentioned because Ive found even a harsh review always increases sales. So far Ive mentioned the types of rejection and criticism writers receive. No one is immune from it. The chances of being loved by everyone are extremely slim. Be prepared for something surprising: even some of your friends may resent your successes. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN CRITICISM GETS PERSONAL Some forms of criticism can be hurtful. Years ago, I was a regular guest on a late night radio talk show. I would discuss a variety of psychic subjects and do instant numerology readings for people who called in. One evening I was listening to talkback on this same radio station and I heard a caller make some rather unpleasant comments about my previous appearances on the show. It wasnt what he said that upset me. It was the fact that I recognised the callers voice, and he was someone I considered a friendly colleague. He was jealous that I was getting the radio exposure and he wasnt. When you dare to raise your profile in the community you quickly discover that not everyone wishes you well. When I was making my living as an entertainer I, and two other professional magicians, were forced out of a magicians club, because of our apparent success. Although I was hurt at the time, I am grateful that it happened. Lesson: life is far too short to waste time with negative people who are false friends. A few days after being forced to resign from the magic club I was the guest speaker at a local Swap Business Club. Swap is an acronym for Salespeople With A
How To Write Your Book by Richard Webster/ 8 Purpose. In the United States, this organisation is called SPI (Sales Professionals International). I always enjoy speaking to Swap Clubs because they are a motivational organisation, and their members are positive, enthusiastic people. The contrast between the Swap Club and the magicians club I had just left was so marked, that I joined SWAP on the spot. That was over a decade ago and I consider my membership in Swap to be one of the most rewarding activities of my life. At each meeting, members have an opportunity to stand up and talk about their recent achievements. In my former magicians club I had to keep my achievements quiet because of the jealousy it would create. At Swap I was encouraged to talk about them. In the SWAP meeting a guest speaker provides us with ideas we can incorporate into our own careers. I always return home full of enthusiasm and energy after my weekly Swap breakfast. Why have I mentioned this? If you want to be successful, you must mix with positive people. Avoid negative people as they will resent your success. Lesson: spending time with positive people on a regular basis (e.g. weekly) helps you maintain the positive mental attitude you need to achieve success.
How To Write Your Book by Richard Webster/ 9 Writers are able to determine what publishers are looking for by referring to reference books. In most other fields, this information can be obtained by asking your customers what they want. Find out what they want and then give it to them, preferably exceeding their expectations at the same time. Be so good at what you do, that your customers will not even think about employing someone else.
PROMOTE YOURSELF
Authors tend to be quiet, introspective people who enjoy being on their own. Consequently, many of them hate the thought of appearing in public to help promote or market their book. However, public appearances are a vital part of the process.
How To Write Your Book by Richard Webster/ 10 If you want your book to be successful you must do whatever you can to publicize and promote it. People cannot buy your book if they dont know its available. You might think its the publishers job to market your book, but this is only partly true. Your publisher might publish hundreds of books a year. It is impossible to give individual attention to every one. Fortunately, there are countless things you can do to increase sales. A book signing here, a radio interview there everything adds up. This increases your royalties, of course, but more importantly it means your publisher will be keener to accept your next book.
How To Write Your Book by Richard Webster/ 11 at one time. But as a novice writer you may prefer to complete one book manuscript first. Many experienced writers work this way. Give yourself time to discover which technique works best for you. If you intend making a fulltime living as a writer you should plan ahead. I already know the titles of my next 20 books. Of course, its doubtful whether Ill write them all, as other ideas will occur to me that will replace some of the titles on my list. One big advantage of my approach is that I can start collecting information on any of these proposed topics as I come across it. A couple of days ago I read an interesting article that relates to one of the topics on my list. I cut it out and placed it in a file where Ill find it again when I write that particular book.
GIVE BACK
Many people have helped me become successful as a professional writer. Probably you can think of many people who have helped you too. Maybe they gave you good advice at exactly the right time. Or motivated you to act when you had been pausing too long. Now that I have achieved a small amount of success as a writer I am gaining enormous pleasure from helping others. The main way I do this is by sponsoring the annual Richard Webster Popular Fiction Award (www.richardwebster.co.nz ). I donate the prizes ($5,000 for the winner and $1,000 for second). Hazard Press, who published my novel Enemy Within publish the winning entry. The idea is to encourage new writers of popular fiction to write books that will sell around the world. I am not aware of any other writer who has created an award of this sort, but would like to make contact with any other professional writers who also sponsor a competition to encourage and reward novice authors. This award takes up much more time than I expected, as all the entries have to be read, and the three judges need to agree on first and second places. However, it has been extremely satisfying and several books have been published as a result. Joe Vitale has written an excellent book on the subject of giving, called The Greatest Money-Making Secret in History (available from amazon.com).
How To Write Your Book by Richard Webster/ 12 Sometimes the words come easily, but frequently I struggle to achieve this target. If I waited for inspiration, Id have written one book, rather than 80. (Seven Secrets to Success, the book I wrote for my friend, is an example of a book that virtually created itself. All I had to do was recycle the letter I wrote into a book format.) If you want to know exactly how I write my books, from conception, to publication, and beyond, youll find all the details in How to Write for the New Age Market (Llewellyn Publications, 2003). My friend is now writing his first book. He has created an action plan, and is writing for 90 minutes every day. Im confident that he will achieve his goal.