Now, do you want to know Writing Fairy’s major-super-bonus-end-all-be-all secret? Here it is. Keep it quiet. Put it in bag somewhere next to cat or under your hat if you prefer. Here is my secret. You are a writer. Right now. With only what you have in your head as it is. You don’t need anything else. You are a writer. You just need to keep writing. Don’t let Writing Fairy tell you that you aren’t. That you need something more, that you’re pretending to be something you’re not. Hemmingway wasn’t Hemmingway when he started. He was just a guy names Ernest who sat down at his typewriter. Believe me. You are a writer. You are a writer. You are a writer. And no, you don’t have to repeat that while clicking your heels three times. You don’t have to do anything but write. And that’s Writing Fairy’s horrible little secret. I stumbled upon moment I stopped waiting for her to show me a sign that time was right to actually start typing and just went ahead and did it. Now is right time; now or never.

So let’s go back to question at beginning of this article. Any ideas on what those three books have in common? They’re all in English? Okay, I’ll add Les Miserables to list. They’re all from last few centuries? Okay, let’s throw The Iliad on there. Give up? What those books have in common, what every book you read has in common, is that it was written. Simple isn’t it? I told you it was. That is only difference between what is in your head and any book you have ever picked up. All books you see every day were actually written. Someone sat down and wrote them out. That it. That’s secret. That’s what Writing Fairy is hiding from you. You’re ready to write your book. You just have to sit down and do it. I said that secret was simple…I also called it horrifyingly so at beginning of this article. Why is it horrifying? Because, as I’ve mentioned, Writing Fairy is you. She makes it seem like she’s someone else. Someone or something you’re waiting for before you begin. But that someone or something doesn’t exist. The only thing that exists is fears she creates inside of your head. And that means that person telling you to wait is you. The person holding you back is you. The person hesitating to write is you. And only person who can make you ignore all of this and just start writing…you guessed it…is you. So come on, stop reading this, open up a new document, start clicking away at those keys, don’t be afraid, just trust me on this one…you’re a writer.

Joseph Devon josephdevon.com

And residuals are what writing for profit is all about. 'Starting Your Own Business' first saw light of day back in 1994, doubles in turnover every year, and (according to my publisher) should still be around in another ten years time. 'Starting an Internet Business at Home' falls into much category in that sales consistently increase year on year. Both of these titles have something in common: they were designed to last because they are both injected with essential ingredient to guarantee multiple editions and consequently, bestseller status: longevity.

You will learn in 'Writing for Profit' how to inject your own work with longevity and how that will galvanize commissioning editors into offering you a contract for publication. To provide you with an example of power of this little-known ingredient: I have written 50 full length works of niche non-fiction of which 37 have been accepted and published.

You'd settle for two out of three as a batting average wouldn't you?

Footnote: Do not leave your rejections to gather dust in a desk drawer. Put them to work. I downsized 13 that failed to cut mustard into mini-volumes and 7 of these went on to be accepted and published as 'Thrifty Books' titles...