1) Persuade and motivate your reader.

It’s your #1 goal when writing. Provide your readers with smartly-expressed thoughts by choosing words that drive your sentences from one to the next and create a seamless reading experience. Think of the horse-before-the-cart analogy. That cart’s not going anywhere until the horse pulls it into action.

2) Paint a picture.

Would you rather eat a chocolate dessert or a creamy, chocolate layer cake? A piece of fruit or a crisp, juicy apple? Drive a car or drive a luxury Jaguar with soft, leather seats and new-car aroma? Your readers won’t see what you’re talking about unless you paint a vivid picture.

3) Clear the clutter.

Words like “that, so, very, and much.” Look at your sentences closely—how many times do you use these words in your writing? Are they necessary? If extra words are not adding to the sentence, leave them out.

4) Pick a style—and stick with it.

Whether you prefer formal or informal writing, use the same tone throughout your piece to create fluidity and keep your readers focused. Formal writing is used in professional writing, technical writing, and most business writing. Informal writing creates a more casual tone and uses contractions liberally (i.e., you’re vs. you are; won’t vs. would not, and so on).

5) Walk away.

Put your draft down and walk away for an hour, a day or a week. After a short break, you’ll view your draft in a different light and be able to pick up what you missed earlier. Sometimes all it takes is a new perspective.

6) Get another set of eyes.

Don’t be embarrassed (or too proud) to let someone read your work. Step back from your writing and let an objective set of eyes view your work from a reader’s point of view. Remember: feedback is your friend.

7) Edit, edit, edit.

Editing and proofreading will make the difference between mediocre and magnificent. It’s important to rework your writing, but it’s even better to hand your work over to a professional editor. An editor’s job is not to criticize, judge or take away your voice; their job is to make your writing better.

Karen L. Reddick, MVA, is an author, editor, and virtual assistant and owner of V And E Services and The Red Pen Editor providing author assistance and editorial services to authors, writers and publishers. Learn more how Karen can help with your next virtual book tour at www.VandEServices.com and sign up for The Editor’s weekly grammar tips at www.TheRedPenEditor.com

As a writer, you probably have already discovered the multitude of details involved in the book publishing process. These begin with the development and creation of chapters for your book, progress to editing, and then move on to publishing and marketing. But if your passion’s writing, you likely prefer to devote your time to creating your book rather than focusing on the details of getting it published. Collaborating with an author’s assistant offers a valuable partnership that will provide you with the opportunity to focus on what you love to do—write—while the author’s assistant attends to the details of getting your book through the publishing process.

A Certified Author’s Assistant provides support in each step of the book creation process, from writing to publishing to marketing. With advances in technology, the twenty-first century assistant is now virtual. A virtual assistant collaborates with various clients, helping them manage the daily administrative, technical, and creative projects for their business. And we all know that books are big business!

By now, you’ve probably heard of virtual assistants but might be wondering, what in the heck is virtual author support and how would it be a benefit to me?

Some of the many projects a professional author’s assistant can help you with include research; acquiring ISBNs and LCCNs; purchasing domain names; setting up Web site hosting; building or maintaining your Web site; setting up shopping carts, autoresponders, and affiliate programs; creating blogs and e-newsletters; helping with a virtual book tour or speaking engagements; and various other marketing avenues for promoting your book.

Some people believe they can do it all—and some can. But why not free up your time so you can focus on more important details, such as writing your next book or finishing the one you’re working on? Enjoy the benefits of working with a collaborative partner who is trained to help authors take their books from writing concept to publishing success.

Karen L. Reddick, MVA, certified author’s assistant and author owns V And E Services and The Red Pen Editor, providing virtual assistance and editorial services to authors, writers, and publishers. Karen is dedicated to helping authors take their writing concepts to publishing success. Learn more @ www.VandEServices.com or www.TheRedPenEditor.com

Sound intriguing? Not sure where to begin? Listed below are ten tips to help you create a successful virtual book tour.

1. Create a Web page

Set up a web page specifically for the Virtual Book Tour (VBT). This is where you will send potential tour stop hosts so they can sign up to join your VBT. This site should also capture contact information and put it in your shopping cart system for future email promotions.

2. Create a book trailer

Create a dynamic book trailer. Don’t skimp on this step. This will be one of the main reasons people sign up for the book tour. A good book trailer acts along the lines of a movie trailer. It’s your hook to draw people in; get them curious and have them asking for more.

3. Do your research

Spend a lot of time carefully doing Internet research to find areas that fit your target market. (Are you writing about self-help, women’s issues, business, a fantasy novel?) Search blogs, web radio, newsletters, article submissions, and social networking sites.

4. Create a killer pitch letter geared toward your target market

Create a pitch letter, stating who you are, what you are doing, and add links to the Web site and the book trailer. Personalize the letter and specifically gear it toward your target audience, and make sure it doesn’t sound canned or come off as a mass email.

5. Offer more than blogging

Podcasts, Q&A sessions, live interviews, phone interviews, articles for newsletters, Internet radio interviews; all work, as well as blogs. The easier you can make it for your tour stop host, the better response you’ll receive.

6. Create a tracking spreadsheet

Create a spreadsheet to include the sites you’ve found, the contact information, when you contacted them, what you can offer that particular contact (i.e., will you blog for them, do a Q&A session, live interview, podcast?), and make a column for responses. Then use an online calendar (Outlook, Google, Yahoo all have calendars that will work just fine) to see who’s doing what, when, and where.

7. Follow up at least four (4) times

Once you have all these steps in place, you are ready to start contacting each person on your list along with their personal pitch letter. If you don’t get a response right away, follow up (at least four times) with a different pitch letter eachtime. (It’s not as necessary to personalize these follow up letters.) If you still get no response after the fourth try, move on to a new group of contacts.

8. Start your own blog

Post what’s happening with your VBT in your own blog. Add each tour stop date and plug the tour stop host’s company, their Web site and their contact information.

9. Send Goodies

Offer to send a copy of your book to your tour stop host along with other possible freebies, (i.e., a workbook, a report, an audio CD, etc.). And don’t forget a thank you note.

10. Ask for referrals

Ask your tour stop host for referrals of people they know that would benefit from your book. You’ll find that if you offer quality content and are passionate and enthusiastic about your book then others will be too.

Karen L. Reddick, MVA, is an author, editor, and virtual assistant and owner of V And E Services and The Red Pen Editor providing author assistance and editorial services to authors, writers and publishers. Learn more how Karen can help with your next virtual book tour at www.VandEServices.com and sign up for The Editor’s weekly grammar tips at www.TheRedPenEditor.com