How to defeat a common myth that will derail your success.

[The Writer’ s Life]( April 5, 2017 Hi {NAME}, Dan Kennedy loves blowing up false dogma … mythologies that can make achieving the writer's life difficult … or impossible. Today, Dan uses his unique, fun writing style to blow up one of those myths, one he used to buy into. Yours for a successful copywriting career, [Signed] Will Newman --------------------------------------------------------------- This Common Myth Will Derail Your Journey to The Writer's Life Dan S. Kennedy Someday, my Prince will come … or How a Common Mythology Can Ruin Your Chances of Success … and What to Do to Defeat It By Dan Kennedy This is the mythology imbedded from very early childhood. It permeates everything. The Field of Dreams — build it and they will come. The university degree — get it and all things wonderful; corporate suitors, high salary, career will come. In the 1940's, there was Dale Carnegie. If only you knew how to 'win friends and influence people,' success would leap into your lap. Much more recently, The Secret; the "law" of attraction; manifestation of any and every desire by thought. It will materialize! Or, someday my prince (or to be present-day PC, princess) will come, and whisk me away from all this drudgery. Enormous sums of money are taken from people unconsciously governed by this mythology, enormous disappointment inflicted by those cynically using the mythology to take that money. A surprising amount of all commerce between adults runs in a circle around this childish mythology. Freelance writers' and copywriters' favored mythology combines it all: If I just get good enough and keep getting better 'n better at writing, I'll be discovered, found, sought, and generously compensated. Success will come. As it should. For I am entitled to it by my skills (and my own needs and desires). In the halcyon era of Hollywood, when "the studio system" plucked people from the streets and made them into movie stars, people flocked by planes, trains, and automobiles to La La Land, to be discovered. At least they put themselves in the right place. I am here to tell you that this mythology needs to be ripped out of your psyche as a vicious cancer that must be removed to save your life. There are three essential elements for prosperity as a freelance copywriter, not one. One is, obviously, a level of skill for which there is a suitable clientele, and continuous improvement of that skill so you can climb to better clientele. But this alone will never attract the princes or princesses, bring success to your lap, manifest your millions. The second essential element is a source of worthwhile clients. The third is advertising, marketing, promoting oneself to that place where the worthwhile clients congregate. A stern warning: no amount of superiority in skill can relieve you of these other two essentials and the responsibility of proactively managing them. So, let's talk a bit about #2 and #3 … Essential Element #2: Establish criteria for worthwhile clients, and for their source. To many freelance copywriters and writers, I recommend this: The 'Information Marketing Industry,' encompassing authors, publishers, speakers, seminar promoters, consultants, coaches, combinations and cross-breeds thereof, and "complete" businesses incorporating all those pieces and more. This industry uniquely meets a near perfect criteria for worthwhile clients. I won't summarize the entire criteria here, but key items are … (a) An unending, insatiable need for writing and writers — because, again uniquely, the entire business is written words; both the deliverables and the marketing. There is nothing else. And "NEW" is needed incessantly. (b) Incredible diversity, so it's impossible for any writer not to have relevant background and interests. (c) A big range of level of clients — tiny to small to large to giant. Start-up to 50-year longevity, competing against very unsophisticated combatants all the way up to extremely savvy and sophisticated. Thus, there are clients appropriate for any writer's levels of skill and experience. There are plentiful, accessible sources of these golden-goose clients, too. Even the most shy and secretive can be found. Many gather, associate, collaborate, so breaking in with one almost automatically leads to many. I'd add that, unlike many other industries, nearly every operator of the businesses in this industry understands the vital importance of copy that sells. Essential Element #3: Where better to advertise, market, and promote yourself than in an industry that is entirely about, welcoming of, and interested in advertising, marketing, and self-promotion? The info-marketing industry is the ideal place to do this which you must do, period: make yourself visible, known, accepted as expert. Here, your own self-promotion, that is necessary anywhere, does double duty as demonstration of your capabilities in a very clear and relevant way. I claim unique knowledge of this unique industry, from 43 years' experience with it, even developing it. I have started, built, bought, and sold businesses of my own in it. As a consultant and copywriter, I have aided countless start-ups and entrepreneurs new to the field but have also been brought in to assist some of the biggest, big-name entities in the industry. Every year, more than half of my 7-figure income comes from this industry, one way or another; as an author and content provider, from a portfolio of newsletters, from ghost-writing, from consulting, from sales copywriting. Based on this, I serve as a most able guide to other freelancers, to info-marketing land, all its territories, its most fertile places (sources of clients), its tribal customs and language, and the ways and means of gaining acceptance and securing clients in it. No feast of support will come to you from this place. But if you will come to it, properly prepared, you will find welcome mats and open doors all throughout the land! --------------------------------------------------------------- FROM WILL: It might seem that Dan's bragging when he says he is a "most able guide" to info-marketing success. No brag … it's the unvarnished truth and rightly so. After all, he's generated countless millions for his clients. So wouldn't it make perfect sense that if you wanted to pursue copywriting in the information niche, you get your training from Dan? Good thing he offers in-depth training that will put you ahead of others. In fact, once you learn all the nuances of writing for this niche, you get the chance to be certified by Dan. And then to take things one step further, he'll even put your name and contact information on his prestigious roster of know-how copywriters that he sends to clients he knows are ready to hire. If you want to make a steady stream of writing income, there's no more surefire way to do it than the training Dan offers. But you're going to have to hurry because today is the last day to get in. [Go here now to reserve your place.]( [Comment here]( to give us your thoughts on information marketing as your route to the writer's life … and on Dan's possible role in that pursuit. *** What We're Recommending this Week *** Enough "I'll Get to It One Day." Your "One Day" Has Arrived! Stop putting off launching your freelance copywriting business! In just ten hours, Joshua Boswell will help you finally cross this foundational item off your to-do list, once and for all. Settle on your niche, develop a customized plan of attack, and start implementing your self-marketing plans right then and there. You'll leave the event at the end of the day as a bona-fide, professional copywriter! [Commit to launching your business—and save $200—when you sign up by April 7th!]( Dan Kennedy's Writing for Info-Marketers Training and Certification Program As a professional writer, all you need to support yourself are clients who can provide you with certainty, security and a steady flow of assignments. And there's no better place to get them than inside the information marketing industry. Dan Kennedy's comprehensive program Writing for Info-Marketers Training and Certification Program will show you who the info-marketers are, where to find them, how to write for them and prepare you in every way to succeed. [Enroll by Wednesday April 5th and Save $500!]( Free Webinar and Q&A Event: 5 Ways to Get Clients to Come to You Every day, companies are looking to hire copywriters in your writing niche … If you like the idea of clients coming to you for your next assignment, you'll want to join Katie Yeakle and Rebecca Matter Friday, April 7th at 12pm ET for this free Inside AWAI webinar to learn how to attract new clients to your writing business, using FIVE different marketing techniques. They'll even open up the lines for a Q&A to answer questions from you and your fellow listeners on what you can do to ensure clients find you! [Register Today!]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ©2017 American Writers & Artists Inc. Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? 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