Writers in general are a huge, lucrative, and sometimes desperate market. Fiction writers however, are the cream of the crop. For some reason, it seems like *everyone* dreams of being the next Stephen King.

I’ve gotten several questions recently about the legalities of starting a business. So, this week I thought I would address a few of the more common legal issues most new businesses face. But first, let’s get the mandatory legal disclaimer out of the way: the advice dispensed by this columnist is probably no better or worse than the advice dispensed by other columnists. Do not take the following advice as gospel or bet the future of your business on any advice given herein by said columnist.

Getting newspaper and magazine coverage for your book can be challenging. The book review section has disappeared from many publications; the lifestyle section is very competitive. But a simple tip sheet from your book can get you into almost any publication in America. Here are four tips on writing tip sheets:

You can generate instant income from your book instead of waiting till you complete it.

Not all books come out whole, all at once. In fact, most books ease out little by little. They have strange and wondrous beginnings. Some come from speeches, some come from articles or short stories. The saying goes if you write a short story or article every day, at the end of a year you’ll have a book–a big book at that! But then, why think so big?

Why write an introduction? Nobody reads it anyway. Up until now, this opinion has had clout. But now, with a shorter introduction of one to two pages, and through the five essentials below, your introduction will become the fourth sales tool for your book. When people read your clear, concise personal note to them, they will buy your book on the spot!

Writers block! Even columnist Dave Berry has it. He admits that at least 30 times a day when writing his humor column, he gets up from his computer to sip his Pepsi and to divert his attention when he can’t think of what to write. Recently, he reached for the cola and instead found a coiled snake. He tried barbecue tongs to carry it away, but when it landed in his pool, he kept the dance going trying to catch the thing.

To create a salable book you need to know your preferred audience or audiences before you write your book. This essential “hot-selling point” helps you write focused, organized, and compelling copy your audience will appreciate and talk about.

Most authors say, “Everyone will want my book, and when I take it to Oprah, it will sell millions, and I’ll make millions, too.”

Not exactly true.

One of the things I do every year is serve as a judge at History Day, an annual celebration of history and the study of such in the lives of middle school/junior high school and high school students. This year, for the first time, all of the students said that the Internet gave them the most help finding information.

Imagine yourself a published non-fiction author! Imagine what a print or eBook book would do for your business?

For those of you who don’t have your acronyms cap on yet, “PDF” stands for Portable Document Format. Over my personal good wishes, this is a widely used electronic book file format originally developed by Adobe. Many books, reports and documents are created in PDF for no better reason than because it works across many platforms. Technically speaking, if you can print your document on a printer, then the PDF file created from that document can be “read” EXACTLY the way you create it by IBM based computers and also by MAC computers. The Amiga computer can run almost anything anyway so there is no need to mention it.

Selling–a word that strikes terror in writers and professionals. We love to write. We love our work. We love to speak. We hate to SELL.

1. How did you get started in the writing business? Was it a childhood dream?

Did you know that your book’s back cover information is, after the cover, the best way to sell more books? And, that most authors, emerging and experienced, miss this opportunity to engage more potential buyers?

The underlying drive behind the Internet is the speed at which information can be retrieved — especially at little or no cost. People can literally find out pretty much anything about anything at the simple click of a mouse. They are more informed, more educated and certainly more sophisticated than ever before.

Do you have a problem creating a focus in your chapters? Does your writing slip around, leaving a muddy path to the gold–your unique, useful message?

If you enter a room with 300 people, chances are you won’t find a single coach there. That’s why when I arrived at a local women’s networking group in a small town of York Pennsylvania, I was surprised to meet Barbara Hagler, a local life coach with a unique business name, Spa for the Soul.

While the submission process may feel like second nature to experienced writers, it’s easy to forget that newcomers aren’t aware of the specific procedures. And since everyone can benefit from a refresher course now and then, here’s a rundown of the steps:

Your home page needs to grab your visitors by the collar-persuade and engage them to click on your important links through the navigation bars.

Dissatisfied with your book sales? With book signings, press releases, book store sales? So many authors spend a lot of time and money on promotion that doesn’t work. It’s time to do what authors do best-write a short article. Online published articles are seven times more powerful than advertising, building your credibility as the expert, and leading the flock to your book-selling site.