Kern Carter's Blog, page 5
April 5, 2023
Packaging your writing for profit — tips and tricks for success
Start expecting more from your content.
Photo by MK +2 on UnsplashWriters, I need to you to understand something. So much of your monetary success as a writer is not just about how well you write. How you earn money and the amount of money you earn will depend on how you package and present your writing.
You may be thinking that you write books or blogs or short stories or whatever and that’s it. But I need you to open your mind, take a step back, and understand that monetary success isn’t just about what you write, it’s about how you get people to value what you’ve written or what you can write.
Understanding Your AudienceBefore we even get into ways you can package your writing for profit, you need to understand your target audience. Who are they? What are their pain points and desires? What do they need and want?
This goes for any kind of writing you do, even if you’re just blogging about your life or current events. You aren’t journaling. People are reading your work, or at least you want people to read your work. And since that’s the case, then you need to get hyper-focused on who is reading your work and their needs.
You also need to be clear what you want to get out of your writing. This post is speaking specifically about monetizing aka making money. If writing serves a different purpose for you, then you don’t need to follow any of this advice. But if you want to find ways to start making a living, then understand that value is in the presentation.
Types of Writing Packages and How to Leverage EachDo you read self-help books? I used to devour those books, usually over audio, so I can say this with a high degree of certainty: Most self-help books are nearly the same. The point of focus might be different, but what they teach essentially remains consistent, regardless of the author.
So why can a book like Atomic Habits succeed in a world where 7 Habits of Highly Effective People already succeeded? Because each of these books presented and packaged the information in a way that felt fresh.
That’s what you need to do.
And there are opportunities to make your work stand out, depending on what you’re doing. For example, if you’re writing a short story or e-book, your title is one way to signal that this is something different. Your title should be exciting or reflective. It should stir curiosity in someone that randomly scrolls past it. Titles are a huge part of presentation.
Maybe you’re an editor offering your services on a freelance basis. Actually, you’re not just an editor. You transform clients’ writing from good to great so it can help these clients better achieve their content goals. Or you’re a content editor who helps clients find the right angle to tell their story so it better connects with their intended audience.
Are you following?
How you present yourself and your work matters. And you should be thinking of ways to elevate the experience for readers or prospective clients. For example, are you using multiple images in your posts? Why not? Are you structuring your posts in ways that are visually appealing or that’s just different than a typical post?
If you’re writing a book or have written a book, have you considered releasing one of the chapters in audio format? Maybe you record a video series that creatively expresses the book’s themes.
We’re at the point now where writing alone isn’t enough. Artists in other industries already know this. Musicians, specifically, know that how they present and package their music is directly connected to its success. Writers are not exempt from this reality.
Creating High-Quality Content and High Quality ServiceAs much as I’ve just stressed the need for presenting your work more effectively, none of that will matter if the content itself isn’t high quality. You need to take the time to make sure that whatever you’re offering or whatever you’re putting out is done to the best of your capabilities. And if your capabilities aren’t enough, then keep learning and improving until it is.
If you have clients (or hope to have clients), then the idea of high quality can be expanded to your customer service. What is the client’s journey from the first time they engage with you to you complete the project? What kind of experience are you creating?
I compare this to inviting someone to your home. You want to create an ambiance that matches what you hope to get out of the evening. You might decorate oyur home, adjust the lights, wear a certain outfit. All of this is part of what will make the evening feel right. Same goes for customer service. Create an experience to match the intended outcome.
Is all of this making sense?
I hope so. We need to step things up, writers. We need to prove our value. The work can speak for itself but it needs to be put on a pedastal so people can actually hear what it has to say. Presentation and packaging is that pedestal.
[image error]Packaging your writing for profit — tips and tricks for success was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
April 3, 2023
Call For Submissions — Protecting Your Peace
I feel like this is a skill we’re all going to need to master. It’s so easy to get weighed down with the world’s problems, not to mention all the personal challenges you go through.
Protecting your peace today is essential. You need to find ways to tune everything else out and protect that place of joy and solitude.
So for this week’s writing prompt, how are you protecting your peace? What are you doing to make sure you don’t take on the negative energy of the world?
Same rules as always:You can submit to this or ANY of our past writing prompts. Just scroll through our previous newsletters. They’ll be marked “Call for Submissions.”If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.[image error]Call For Submissions — Protecting Your Peace was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
March 30, 2023
March 29, 2023
March 27, 2023
Do you have a writing ritual?
Artwork by author (Agnes). Find more illustrations on my Instagram!I have a friend who puts on her rings before she stretches and flexes her fingers over the keyboard. She always wears the same five. It’s not a series of actions, it’s just the one, but that’s her writing ritual. It’s like she’s putting on a uniform or costume. Maybe she thinks the shiny metal will attract the muses. Maybe it does.
I have a friend who always writes in the morning. She wakes up, washes her face, and puts on a clean shirt and her glasses. She also puts on perfume. It’s like she gets ready to go out, and steps into her world of words instead.
I have another friend who journals and says she likes to light a candle or a couple of them. Her reflections aren’t always relaxing, but she says she likes setting the scene like it is a self-love moment.
Some writers tell you to lock yourself up: a writer needs a room of one’s own. Stephen King tells you to shut the door on the world, so you can create your own. Elizabeth Gilbert tells you to slip away like you’re having an affair and guard that intimate moment when it’s just you and your words.
I’m not sure if I have a ritual (yet?). I write anywhere and everywhere, on my computer, and my phone, my notebooks, and loose pieces of paper. In the morning when I’ve just woken up, and also rushing out of the shower to write down the ideas as they come, and at night when I’m falling asleep and my eyes feel heavy and my handwriting comes out all clumsy and typo-laden.
Having said that, I do have a playlist I like to write to, and sometimes (though I know this is weird) I’ll write with the same song on repeat. It’s a sort of non-aggressive white noise for the brain, like on some level it can listen so it doesn’t hear everything else. I have a desk where I love to imagine myself writing. It’s a perfect desk with a perfect view, even before I got it, I would look at the spot where it sits and think: that’s where I’ll write. And I do sometimes, but is it the sacred writing spot I thought it’d be? Is it the altar where I light the candles and call upon the muse and go into a writing trance? No, (not yet?). I write there as often as I write sitting on the balcony ledge or the couch.
I do like the idea of the ritual: of these small steps and gestures to tell myself this is the moment we’ve carved out for the words. If I had to make one up right now, thinking of the moments when I’m most “inspired”, I think my ritual would probably start with an exercise to clear my mind: breathing or taking a walk. Maybe have a snack handy, as if to tell the muses we’ll be here a while and then I’d put on my writing playlist, open the word document and select the font I like.
What does your ritual look like?
[image error]Do you have a writing ritual? was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
Call for Submissions — How do you celebrate the small wins?
This is something that helped change my mindset and in turn, change the outcome of a lot of my goals.
We all have grand ambitions for our writing. Whatever grand means for you, it’s something elusive, a place further than where you are today. But despite where you are today, you’ve already accomplished so much.
You may not see things in that way, but it’s true. You’ve accumulated so many small wins but haven’t taken the time to properly celebrate. That ends today.
Tell us how you celebrate the small wins on your writing or creative journey. If you haven’t celebrated them, think about how you will moving forward. This exercise requires you to reflect on your accomplishments and be proud. You may not be exactly where you want just yet, but you’ve come a long way.
Same rules as always:You can submit to this or ANY of our past writing prompts. Just scroll through our previous newsletters. They’ll be marked “Call for Submissions.”If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.[image error]Call for Submissions — How do you celebrate the small wins? was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
