Why Mainstream Publishers Can’t Make Money

Looking around the web, I’ve noticed two types of publishers—private and public (these are terms I coined myself).

The Private Side

Private publishing puts marketing first. It treats content as commodity—like an ebook or a free report or even a blog that drives people to opt into a list. The list is where the magic happens: suave but automated relationship building that push sales of affiliate products in a given niche.

When done right, private publishing works. It rakes in huge profits not because the content is good, but rather good enough. By this I mean the content serves as the tool (aka weapons of marketing) for selling other products rather than serving as the product itself. [Read more...]

Why The World Needs Less Copywriting

toy soldiers

Update: this post has been updated to better reflect the author’s intent.

It’s no secret that copywriters can be exquisite with words. They’re downright crafty when it comes to selling the sizzle.

But what about social interaction? The thoughtful, unscripted dialog between company and customer that demands our humanity and rejects the skillfully manicured sales pitch?

Our blossoming social space demands true authenticity, and this leaves little room for traditional ‘hard sell’ copywriting. It’s actually more suitable for anti-copywriting: fearlessly engaging with others through natural, transparent conversation. [Read more...]

5 Gentle SEO Tips for Creative Writers

SEO tips for writers For the sake of clarity, the term “creative writer” in this article refers to anyone who considers their writing a gift of art long before it serves a function of marketing.

Not everyone who blogs or writes online is trying to get a sales lead or talk about their business. And not everyone who reads online is looking for a product, service or idea to solve their problems.

Some writers just want to express themselves more creatively, hoping that—somewhere along the way—a community of impassioned readers take notice.

So it’s understandably frustrating when the web feels like one big marketing machine and the only way to get a respectable search engine ranking is to [Read more...]

My First Comment Leads to More Questions

I recently got my first comment ever, and I have to admit it’s a small but significant milestone. That means at least one person is out there reading this and responding. So: thanks Tina Marshall, whoever and wherever you are.

Tina left her name, some good, brief commentary and a link to a quasi-related article, but no personal URL. So, out of total curiosity, I researched the origins of Tina’s comments and what her motive might be. Turns out it came from the blog of J. Peterman, that quirky old school mail order company once so famously portrayed on Seinfeld.

I found another comment by the same Tina on another blog with a link to a J. Peterman promotion. My guess is there might be a bit of soft promoting going on here. Maybe I am to start shopping at J. Peterman?

First of all, Tina — you left my first human comment and I’m so grateful no matter what your intentions were. As they say here in Hawaii — mahalo.

[Read more...]