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1. Know who you’re working for or with. As a Christian writer that probably should be the Lord even if you aren’t doing distinctly religion articles or books. Draw closer to God and make the Bible your first reading choice. Being a dedicated Christian makes you a more sensitive author or reporter in the secular market as well.

2. Where do you plan to go with your talent? What genre? What are your goals? What does your heart cry to do? Think. Who are you and what are you qualified to write? Those two things create your brand. If you’re not qualified, be qualified through study, seeking out those who are qualified in that area, and experience.

3. Who is your audience? What age group? Why? What are their interests? What do they need or want to know? What does your writing help them to achieve?

Get to work. Study publications, market guides, and accumulate ideas, illustrations, facts, and a list of people you would like to quote or interview. Decide what market you’re aiming for. Look at articles or books similar to what you intend to write and start putting words on paper.

4. Prepare you bio, which is a short resume. Every time you guest on a blog, you need a bio. It’s good to write a vitae, too, that details not only your experience, success, background, education, but also who you know and things such as writers conferences or other training that establishes expertise in doing the writing you wish to do.

5. Create a signature that will appear on your e-mails. On your e-mail page, click the little square at the top left corner with an arrow on it. Click “mail” on the drop-down menu. On the options menu that comes up, click “signatures.”

You can add your brand, blog, website and Amazon links.

6. Study publications, market guides, and accumulate ideas, illustrations, facts, and a list of people you would like to quote or interview. Decide what market you’re aiming for. Look at articles or books similar to what you intend to write and start putting words on paper.

7. Complete a writing project and then submit the work to a print or online magazine, a blog, or to a newspaper. Start with publications you read. Yet, if you’re really serious, check out publications that assign articles. The easy way to do get assignments is to attend writers’ meetings and conferences that editors either are a guest speaker or attend.

8. If you want to write books, first look for a traditional publisher. The place to meet agents and publishers is at writers’ conferences. Younger people are more apt to find a traditional publisher than an older person who is doesn’t have a lot of publishing credits.

Beware of “vanity” publishers that promise great things, charge a fortune, don’t fulfill their promise to edit or don’t have anyone who is qualified to edit, and often charge outrageous prices for the books that usually end up unsold in the writers’ garage.

Today the best subsidy publishers don’t prints thousands of books at once. Publishers such as Amazon’s Create Space do print-on-demand. A book often isn’t printed until it’s sold.

Another thing to look for is a publisher that will market your book online. Some small legitimate publishers have trouble getting their books online and in bookstores.

The interesting thing about Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing is that you can publish an e-book for free. Amazon even has cover templates. Unless you are a great writer and can find a beta reader, hire a qualified editor who has solid recommendations, background and experience with writing and publishing. It’s risky to put poorly edited or unedited writing out with your name on it.

9. How will you reach your readers? The No. 1 way to find readers, in my experience, is speaking. A blog is another great method. Marketing through social media is an excellent way. News releases, interviews and paid advertising also are helpful.

10. Join a critique group and be open to suggestions, criticism and compliments.

About the Author:

Ada Brownell, a devoted Bible student, has written for Christian publications since age 15 and spent much of her life as a reporter for The Pueblo Chieftain in Colo. She also is a veteran youth Christian education teacher. After moving to Missouri in her retirement, she continues to write books, free lance for Sunday school papers, Christian magazines, write op-ed pieces for newspapers, and blogs with stick-to-your-soul encouragement. She is the author of six books. She is a member of Ozarks Chapter of American Christian Writers and American Christian Fiction Writers.

She and her husband have five children, one in heaven, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Blog: http://inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com/Stick-to-Your-Soul-Encouragement
Ada Brownell Amazon Author page http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06