5 Ways to Market Your Stories and Articles on the Internet

The Internet is a great place for the novice writer to learn and gain the necessary tools for improving their skills needed to become published and paid. It may not make you rich, but I have belonged to many writers group and heard the same thing said again and again: "I have been published! I won't be getting paid for my story, but at least I have been published!" It's true that getting published is something we writers all strive for. Getting published is always good news to hear. We are not unlike artists. We want to be recognized for our creative works and hopefully get paid for it as well. If you are a writer but not really a marketer, here are five ways that you can promote your work on the Internet in order to achieve greater recognition and pay.

1. Internet Publishers: This is the best place to start. Find an Internet publisher and research their website. Don't forget to read their Terms of Service (TOS) and Writing Guidelines. Some Internet publishers even provide tutorials to help you get started. Always make sure your articles are well written before you submit them. Some of the Internet Publishers available include Associated Content, Triond, Shared Reviews, Suite101 and Helium. These publishers help to promote your work with web pages, profiles and Internet advertising (google ads). Once your writing is on the Internet, anyone with a computer and connection can see it.
2. Personal Website or Blog: A personal "splash" website and domain is a must these days for promoting your business or work. Take the time to create a website that will entice Internet surfers to check out all your published article links. Once it's made, print up some business cards with your website on it and pass it out everywhere you go. Everyone who goes to your website should find all your writing links there whether they are published on blogs, publisher sites or other web pages. Personalize your website to reflect your writing style and genre.
3. Emails: Once your story or article is published, make sure you send the good news to all your friends and family. Create an email signature that also
   has your website or the website of your profile page assigned to you by an Internet Publisher. This is not considered spamming as long as you are not sending the email in the form of an advertising sales pitch. Friends and family are usually happy and supportive about your writing success, just don't overdo the emails.
4. Traffic Exchanges: Traffic exchange sites are a free and easy way to promote your writing. When you get your published link, look for a traffic exchange site like Trafficswarm, Easyhits4U and Deep Sea Hits. These are just 3 of the many traffic exchange sites out there. Submit your link and write an interesting description to entice potential readers. Don't just submit your profile links, submit your individual story/article links also. Read how they work and click daily to earn enough credits to show your own links. It' not hard to do and doesn't take very long. If you don't have the time to click, you can always purchase ads for a nominal fee.
5. Social Networks and Bookmarking Sites: These sites are usually free to join. They provide you with a profile page that you can edit to suit your needs. Be sure to add your article links there and participate actively accordingly to site's rules and TOS agreements. Remember, you aren't there to spam members, but if there is an appropriate opportunity for you to invite them to view your profile, they will see your links and might decide to click on them, if they wish. Don't forget to include a link to your personal splash website also. Such networks are great for making contact with other writers so you can share ideas and links together. There are many social networks on the Internet now but here are four to try: MySpace, MyLot, Stumbleupon and Facebook.

These are just five ways to market your newly published writings. Think like an Internet Marketer and you will discover even more ways to promote your work on the Internet. But always remember to avoid spamming and read all TOS rules to avoid problems. I can't stress this enough. Failure to avoid this could lead to membership cancellations, fines, and involvement with the law.

One final tip in closing:

Join a local or Internet Writers Group: They are a great way to meet other writers who can help you with productive critiques of your work before you submit it for publishing. Share your successes with them, become friends, and give them your links by email or business cards. Be active with your group and help with any organized events. Be sure you are also ready to do the same for them by critiquing their work as you help each other to prosper from all your writing endeavors.

Good luck and keep writing!