Definitely worth a look if you have even a bit of a way with words.
Earn A Fortune Writing "How To" Reports
by Jonathan Street
HOW TO WRITE MONEY-MAKING "HOW-TO" REPORTS
This is the "real" Money Maker in the Mail Order business - the basic
"How To" Report. It's something anyone can produce, and with all the
proper ingredients at the right time, you can become independently
wealthy! The hard part, of course, is getting all the proper
ingredients at the right time.
Your basic "Money Making Report" is usually two pages in length, sells
for $3, and outlines instructions, details, or a "How-To Method" for
solving a problem: making more money, saving money, attaining greater
happiness, or fulfilling an ambition or desire.
One of the most successful reports was and still is, a short report on
How To Keep Moles Out Of Your Yard, by one of the deans of
self-publishing, Jerry Buchanan. Another of the most successful and
biggest money-makers ever written, had to do with the many different
ways to prepare and serve hamburger. Simple, basic, grass roots kind of
information is what we're talking about.
Any man, woman or child can write a saleable report on any subject -
providing he or she has knowledge of that subject through personal
experience, research, or both. A lot of women write successful
money-making reports based upon better ways of solving household
problems. And a lot of men write successful money-making reports on how
to get greater pleasure from leisure time activities such as fishing,
wood working or other hobbies The list of subjects one can write about
is endless, and reports on how to make more money easier and faster are
no more limited to male authors than expertise in cooking is limited to
female authors.
Writing your report is easy and quite simple. However, it does take
longer, and requires more sweat, blood and anguish for some people to
produce a "finished" product than it does others, even if they are
equally intelligent and knowledgeable.
The best advice anyone can give you on how to write a money-making
report is to advise you to write as though you were talking to someone
- as though you were instructing your next door neighbor via the
telephone on the subject at hand. I use the word telephone here to
point out that regardless of how much you wave your arms, point your
finger, or even draw pictures, you aren't getting the message across,
and your neighbor won't "see" what you're talking about until you tell
him in the kind of language he can understand.
Write in a style similar to the book reports you used to give when you
were in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Do you remember the "theme
papers" you used to have to research, outline and write for term
finals' You got a good grade if you presented your material in a
straightforward style, had the facts, and didn't pad out your paper .
Be factual, and be clear. Know your reader and use the kind of language
he expects you to use. This does not mean that you should drop to the
level of military barracks talk or that you should elevate yourself to
the level of a pseudo Rhodes Scholar. It just means that in
writing the basic "How-To" report, you should bear in mind that these
reports serve as personal one-to- one consultations between you and
your reader, and that your language should establish a rapport he can
feel.
Outline what you want to say before you write it. This helps; in fact I
very definitely recommend it. Many writers "think" as they're typing or
writing what they want to say, myself included. But believe me,
everything flows smoother, with a lot less rewrite involved, and the
finished product is always much better when you've outlined what you
want to say before you start.
When doing business by mail, these Money-Making "How-To" reports we've
been talking about are known by many names: folio, booklet, pamphlet,
guide, or even Personal Success Plan. In reality, these reports are
written guidelines that give the reader more information on a subject
he wants to know more about.
Money Making reports have been, and can still be written to show other
people how to start, develop, enjoy or expand a hobby; how to learn and
develop new or greater abilities; how to start, develop and operate a
new business, or even expand a current one; how to develop and prepare
for a new career; how to make more money; how to save money, better
one's standard of living and have more time for leisure; how to solve
personal problems and enjoy life more; how to attain success in any
endeavor .
You'll find that the better selling reports are well researched,
authoritative, factual and helpful to the reader in the achievement of
his goals. Your report can be put together and sold as anything from a
two-page typewritten paper to a multi-page typeset and professionally
bound book. An important point to remember here is that the people who
are going to buy your report are going to be interested in the
information it contains - not how long it took you to put it together.
The reason you wrote it, or the number of pages you've written - so
long as it contains the information he wants.
Picking a subject to write about - one that has sales appeal and that
will sell well for you - is not as hard as it sounds. The best rule to
follow is to write only about something you already know a great deal
about. With this advice in mind, it will follow that your best writing
will be about those subjects that particularly interest you. And
remember, the more you are involved or interested in the subject, the
easier it will be for you to write about that subject in a manner that
will hold your reader's interest. Your knowledge and enthusiasm will
show through - causing your reader to overlook any technical writing
weaknesses.
How do you determine the subject that's best for you to use for your
first report' Channel your thinking along these lines: If you love to
fish, you could probably put together a money-making report on "How To
Catch The Big Ones." If you love to sew, you could probably write a
report on "Tips For Beautiful Sewing." If you have experience in
advertising, you could write a report on "How To Write An Ad For Best
Results;" experience in printing, a report on "How To Prepare Copy and
Layout For Best Printing
Results;" experience in business, a report on "Better Business Operating Techniques."
It's worth repeating: Whatever you write about, make it something you
know about, and are especially interested in. Art Fettig writes about
motivation and ideas for selling because he has spent many years doing
just that - motivating people toward larger sales volume and
"brainstorming" new ideas for more sales. Doug Hooper writes about the
power of positive thinking because he has practiced it and believes in
it; it works for him and he knows it can work for you. Paul J. Micali
writes about the techniques of closing more sales. He has spent all his
life teaching people to become better sales people, and he never tires
of talking about how easy and rewarding selling is with the proper
thinking and approaches. Maryanne Raphael writes for all of us about
the many and different writers' markets open and available to
free-lance writers, because she has spent many years searching and
learning all about these markets as a free-lance writer. Whenever we
talk with her, she's always "neck-deep" with assignments from countless
publications. She knows the problems of the free-lance writer, and she
passes along information of great value because she's been there.
Dottie Walters writes about the opportunities for women in business
because she's been "down to her last dime," started a
business on sheer determination alone, and knows the tremendous
potential of women in the business world. Today, she is one of the most
sought-after women in this country as an inspirational speaker for
women's groups. She gets paid for speaking before these groups, and
sells thousands of dollars worth of books at these engagements besides!
I could go on and on - naming friends and telling you how they have
taken a subject they were interested in, found out everything about it
they could, and parlayed it into a fortune by starting with the writing
of a "How-To" report. Rather than go on with these stories of how
others have done it, and are doing it, let's get on with the task of
showing you how you can write your own "How-To" report and parlay it
into a personal wealth vehicle of your own!
Once you've decided on the subject you're going to write about, the
next step is thorough research. Visit your public library and "bone up"
on your subject. Read as much about it as you can find - newspapers,
magazines, books - everything! Start collecting clippings, talk to your
neighbors, your friends and relatives, and take notes on all
information you gather from reading and personal discussion.
When you've spent a good six weeks intensively researching your
subject, gathering notes and discussing it as often as you can with as
many different people as possible, you should be ready for the next
step - the sorting, compiling and assembly of your notes. Simply read
through all the notes and clippings you have accumulated, discarding
those that are repetitious, and organizing those you're going to use
according to your "subject coverage" outline. Don't let the outline
part of your project become an obstacle. An outline is simply listing
the order in which you want to write about or discuss each aspect of
your subject.
Everything that's written should have a natural beginning, a body and
an ending. When you outline your subject, and your "subject coverage,"
which can be likened to a table of contents, you'll find it easier to
say what you want to say. You'll be able to say everything you want to
say. You won't have to worry about forgetting or leaving out an
important point you want to make. The coverage of your subject will be
more complete, and your writing will be much smoother.
Once you've completed your research, organized your notes, and
have your "subject coverage" outline set, you're ready to write the
money-making report that just might make you rich!
Start writing, and write as though you were talking to someone, because
writing, after everything has been analyzed, taken apart, studied,
improved upon, and put back together, is still nothing more or less
than a written conversation between two people. Write your how-to
report as though you were instructing a high school graduate in how to
do something his first day on the job.
It makes no difference whether you write it all out longhand or pound
away at a typewriter. Just get it all written! Once you've got your
material organized, start writing and don't stop until you're finished!
When you have finished, be proud of yourself! Take a break, go out to
dinner, enjoy a night on the town! In other words, put this first draft
of your report aside for a few days and allow your brain, your body,
and your creative juices to rejuvenate themselves.
After a couple of days off, take up your report and go through it with
a sharp pencil, just as you imagine an editor would do. Strike out,
rewrite and polish each paragraph for clarity, accuracy and flow.
This is the time to make sure that what you've written is easy to read,
easy to understand, and each sentence follows the one before it just as
surely as spring follows winter. The smoother the conversation or the
writing of your report flows, the easier it'll be to read, and the
easier it is to read, the more copies you will sell.
Now you have a money-making report that has the potential of making a
great deal of money for you. If you are a good typist, go ahead and
type it out in finished form. If you're not a typist, you can have it
typed by someone who is, or even have it typeset for a small fee.
About the Author
Jonathan Streets weekly eZine "21st Century Entrepreneur" is one of the webs most popular money making newsletters. Lively, upbeat and packed full of the best ways to make money right now, sign up for free yourself at: www.millionaire-enterprises.com |
