Dave Smith on Writing

As a published author of five books, two DVD’s and hundreds of tennis articles, I’ve enjoyed knowing I’ve left my name on something that will survive long after I’m gone. There is a saying, “When we die, we leave two things: Our kids and what we write.” Obviously, unless our kids, (if we have kids!), write about us or about something we did, then we leave nothing behind after they are gone. Thus, what we write, (or record in the form of music, lectures, or any other message on some media form), is something we can be certain will outlive ourselves.
Obviously, not everyone has a passion or a sense of need to be immortalized in this way! However, what a gift to leave to generations after you, something that was of value to you? The level of that value to others will be subject to the usefulness of what you leave. But, if only one person benefits from what you leave, then you leave something of value.
What do people write about?
The most obvious thing people write about is stuff they know! Things we love or are passionate about are equally written about. Personal experiences, what people think about, and the things we all do can all have a place in the written word.
In my opinion, every single person has a story to tell, (or many stories!), and there is someone, (or many!), who want to read or hear or know that story.
What contributes to “Successful Writing?”
Successful writing can be anything that is read by others. Creating something that someone wants to read or has a perceived need to read what you write is based on several factors:
Experience, Education, Passion, and Imagination are four main components to successful writing.
Writing, like any art form, usually improves with practice. Thus, the more someone writes, the better they become at being “writers”. Most successful authors will tell aspiring writers to write and write and write! Join writing groups, go to writing workshops, and READ a lot of books by a lot of authors!
Marketing your Writing
Another form of successful writing is getting paid for your effort! In most cases, successful authors are lucky…but that luck is created through hard work, persistence, and a sincere desire to improve and, indeed, succeed.
Many authors spend countless hours writing their book…only to then sit back and do little to nothing to sell their book. I’ve seen hundreds of authors at book signing events do nothing except sitting at their table with their books as their only form of attraction. Authors must be as passionate about selling their work as they about writing it! So many believe that bookstores and distributors will somehow flock to their book now that it is written. Yet, this is almost NEVER the case. Nine out of ten books will NOT make the bookstore, the publisher, or the distributor money. With those odds, you can see why most bookstores won’t want to carry your work. You must do two things for them to want to sell your book: One, you must sell them on why your book is important. Two, you must work to attract people to your book. From ordering advertising fliers and displays to signing up for booth space at fairs and events, from developing a web site and sales site to networking with everyone you can; there are countless ways to promote your books.
Within Synergy-books.com, we will be helping authors not just get their books to print, but to help in the marketing plan as well as set up platforms for books to be sold through. (E-book, Kindle, Nook, Amazon, etc.)