6 Tips For New Authors

1. A lot of “you” and not much “me” – people are interested in themselves and not in you!! What that really means is that your readers are interested in the benefits they will receive by reading what you have to say. So, you need to talk about them and their questions and make it interesting from their point of view. Linked to this you should write to build a friendship with your reader – write as if they were sitting across the dining table from you and you were just having a friendly chat.
2. Keep it simple – research has shown that your readers will only be able to focus on one or two ideas at a time. So, in a way, this makes things easier for us when you write about something it should have a single topic. Focus on a single idea, and keep to the point. If you have a lot to say then write multiple times once per idea. A common mistake the new author makes is to write reams on every topic under the sun, instead of being focused and to the point.
3. Solve problems – this is linked to being about them. The reader is looking to solve problems. When you think about it the reason people go online is to look for the answer to a question or to solve a problem. So, if your material is not being read then you are probably not answering their questions. If, on the other hand, what you write about solves their problem from their point of view it will make loyal readers out of them. This means you need to make sure you know what your readers are looking for and I am sorry to say that involves you in some work. Look at what people are searching for – for example, use the Google keyword research tool to find what words people are using to search for topics in your area of expertize. And when you have some readers don’t forget to ask them what they are interested in.
4. So, we have discussed the fact that you should be solving problems. The next tip for a new author is to be practical when solving those issues. You should use terminology that is easy to understand, readers want to use what they learn without having to read a dictionary to understand what you are trying to say.
5. One key tip for new authors is to remember that it is more than just what you say it is also how you say it. By that I mean the layout and style of your writing is as important. For example, you can make things easier to read by using bullet points, short paragraphs, headings, pictures, and anything else you can think of to attract your reader and to keep their attention.
6. The last of my tips for new authors is probably the most important plan. There is a famous saying that I am sure you know – “fail to plan, plan to fail”. When you are writing for an audience this is even more important. At a very simple level readers will get used to you writing to a schedule and will look out for you have to say at the due time. This means you must have a schedule for your writing so it is a good idea to put these regular events into your diary so you know exactly when you should be producing material. When doing that set your schedule so you are writing when it is best for your creative juices–don’t write at 6 am if you hate getting up early it just won’t work.

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