วันพุธที่ 3 กันยายน พ.ศ. 2551

Article Writing The Top 5 Places to Get Article Writing Ideas

Do you ever have trouble coming with ideas for your article writing? Read on to discover the top five places to get ideas for writing articles.

The top 5 places to get ideas for writing articles

1. From your niche/area of expertise - You are an expert in something, whether you always believe it or not. Write about what you know.

2. From your clients - My clients give me so many ideas for what to write about. I keep a little notebook handy in which to capture the ideas. My in person clients know I am still listening when I lean over to my desk to write down enough words to jog my memory later.

3. From the media - Pay attention to what is going on in the media as it relates to your niche. Write about what you see as it relates to your niche and the people with whom you work.

4. In the grocery store - Yes in the grocery store and any other place that offers you all those magazines at the last minute while you are checking out. Read the headlines and mini-headlines and the article titles. These folks have spent thousands of dollars to know what people want to read about. Benefit from it.

5. Your own experiences - Write about your own experiences and what you have learned from them, especially as they relate to your niche and area of expertise.

How would you like to banish writers block forever and write away, right away? Then get yourself a copy of my 26 Article Writing Templates with Examples at http://www.TheArticleGuy.com/articletemplates.htm


[tags]article writing, article marketing, writing articles, articles, the article guy, jeff herring[/tags]

Article Writing How to Find Ideas for Your Article Writing

Do you ever struggle with coming up with ideas for your article writing?

Well, welcome, you are part of a very big club.

Here are some tips and tools to come up with an almost unlimited amount of ideas.

How to NOT come up with article writing ideas

Article writing ideas are everywhere, but you can miss them if you do any or all of the following.


  • Believe that all the good ideas are taken.

  • Believe there are only a limited number of ideas out there.

  • Do not pay attention to the world around you.

  • When you get an idea while you are doing something else, tell yourself you will remember it and that there is no need to write it down.

  • Convince yourself that you are not creative enough to come up with enough ideas for article writing.

There is your prescription for not coming up with any ideas.

Now if you would like to have an almost unlimited amount of ideas from which to draw, check out the next list.

How to come up with an almost unlimited amount of ideas


  • Pay attention to the world around you.

  • Practice looking at the world through the lens of article writing material and you will begin to notice ideas everywhere

  • Do some complicated and difficult market research - the next time you are in line at the grocery store, pay attention to the titles of articles in all those magazines they want you to buy at the last minute. Those companies have spent thousands of dollars to know what people want to read. Use those ideas and write something better.

  • Keep a small notebook with you to write down article writing ideas as they come to you. The weakest ink is better than the strongest memory.

How would you like to banish writers block forever and write away, right away? Then get yourself a copy of my 26 Article Writing Templates with Examples at http://www.TheArticleGuy.com/articletemplates.htm

You can also subscribe to The Article Writing & Article Marketing Tips Newsletter delivered to your email inbox twice a month from Jeff Herring, The Article Guy.


[tags]article writing, article marketing, writing articles, articles, the article guy, jeff herring[/tags]

Article Writing His Difficulty Writing May Present a Challenge When Faced with the Dissertation

Article writing has been a great boost to my businesses, both online and offline.

But if I would have listened to my own limitations or the limitations that others put on me, none of this would have ever happened.

The power of words

I didn't finish the dissertation part of a Ph.D. program in marriage and family therapy because I believed I could not write. While there may be some people who would say that is still true, I would like to think I somehow found a way to surprisingly blow those limitations out of the water.

At some point in my graduate school career, I had an opportunity to look in my student file in my department. One of my favorite professors in my master's program said in her referral letter that while I was bright and personable, that my writing abilities might present a challenge when it came time to write a dissertation.

Boy was she ever correct!

And I probably still could not write academically, for the most part because I find it tedious and boring. I found myself bored so often as a child that I promised myself I would not spend much time as an adult feeling bored.

So here I am as an adult, not only benefiting greatly from writing and marketing articles online and offline, but coaching and mentoring others to do it as well.

Go figure.

Do you believe you cannot write?

Has someone told you that you cannot write?

What if the both of you are wrong?

Visit http://www.TheArticleGuy.com for more leading edge tips and tools for writing articles that bring you prospects, publicity and profits. You can also subscribe to our monthly Article Writing & Marketing Tips Newsletter. You are also invited to visit my Express-Start Article Writing Program for more information on the next article writing tele-seminar.


[tags]articles, article writing, article marketing, jeff herring[/tags]

Are You Flexible Enough To Succeed

When I was in college, a famous British rock group performed in our amphitheater, and this was nothing less than a major event.

And it was free to students! Our Commissioner of Assemblies had set it up, and this was one of the reasons he was crowned Student Body President, the following year!

But the concert itself was less than 100% gratifying, because the group refused to play its greatest hits, opting instead to showcase its more orchestral ministrations that just happened to appear on their current album.

In time, the fame of that group declined precipitously, and to this day I wonder if it is due, at least in part, to its members’ inflexibility.

Peter F. Drucker, the recently departed management guru and my professor, has pointed out that many people and companies keep themselves from rising to the top because they are inflexible, especially when it comes to responding to what he terms, “the accidental success.”

That rock group succeeded with tunes it didn’t especially like, and it probably thought were no good. So, they were embarrassed to win with efforts that weren’t as “serious” as those that they could produce with a larger orchestra.

Drucker cites examples of department stores that had a rule of thumb that fashions should account for about 75% of profits, yet unexpectedly, televisions and refrigerators started becoming the leaders.

The president of Macy’s for one, was concerned and actually tried to find ways to slow down appliance sales so fashions could catch up, becoming restored to their proper and rightful spot in the pantheon of profitability.

In other words, instead of seizing the new opportunities presented by appliance sales, management was inflexible, wasting time and money to try to restore the old balance.

If an opportunity comes along that can bring you sudden success, will you be flexible enough to ride it to victory, or will you insist on riding your old horse, instead?

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someoneฎ, You Can Sell Anything By Telephone! and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com


[tags]customer service training,sales training,success,telemarketing training,customersatisfaction.com,USC[/tags]

Are YOU Controlling Stress So Stress Does Not Control YOU

Have you recently moved or started a new job? Do you feel you have too much to do and not enough time to do them? Do you worry about your financial situation? Do you worry about your future? Do you feel your efforts at work or at home go unappreciated?

If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you are experiencing stress but you're not alone.

Two surveys indicate that worker anxiety is rapidly rising. According to one survey by The Gallup Organization dated October 2002, the vast majority of the employees attribute their stress to the job itself; and the data from a second survey that an employee assistance program provider CompSyche researched shows:

• 48% of employees report high levels of stress.

• 38% report constant but manageable, stress levels.

• 14% report low levels of stress.

Is it safe to say that if you are breathing, you are experiencing stress? YES, because stress is a powerful force in the form of positive and negative influences and is necessary for life. Without it, we often feel empty. We all need to feel excitement, experience enrichment even frustration and thrive under a certain level of stress.

Stress is mentally and emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition when occurring in response to adverse external influences and can create positive and negative feelings. Stress is the "wear & tear" our bodies experience and can attribute to debilitating consequences to our mental and physical health.

In summary, stress is how you react to pressures and is inevitable as long as pressures exist. Keep the pressure and get rid of the stress.

So how do you know you're stressed out? Here are some common signs for burn out. See how many of them you are experiencing.

• You are missing deadlines and unable to make decisions.

• You are not as productive even though you feel like you are working twice as hard.

• You are feeling blue or in a depressed mood for several days without specific reason. You are lacking self esteem, and feeling unable to live up to expectations. You are feeling unappreciated.

• You have weakened relationships at work. You are constantly opposing management decisions and isolating yourself away from your team.

• You have increased level of absenteeism because of poor health. You are experiencing pain in your neck, shoulders and lower back. You are suffering from constant headaches. You can't concentrate and you are tired even after a good night sleep.

To create a stressless lifestyle, you have first to learn to eliminate stress and second manage the stress that you have left.

Apply these tips and practice these techniques to eliminate stress:

• Condition your mind and body to eliminate stress and positively affect the way you perceive the world.

o Get Enough Sleep

o Eat a balanced & nutritious diet

o Exercise

• Avoid adverse external influences that trigger responses that then cause stress

o Don’t procrastinate

o Be organized

o Delegate

o Learn to say NO!

o Resolve Disputes

o Like what you do

o Be efficient

o Prepare for next day

o Triage your to do list

o Count to three

o Create a kind commute

o Expectation for yourself

o Talk to someone

o Take a vacation

o Do nice things for someone (unexpected)

And as the final attempt to overcome stress, manage what’s left of your stress by focusing on these methods:

o Identify stress factors in your life.

o Avoid alcohol, caffeine and artificial stimulants.

o Muscular relaxation

o Visualize

o Laugh

Vera Haitayan, Principal Consultant of The Leadership Laboratory, a California-based employee development and process improvement consulting firm and is the senior editor of The Stepping Stone Newsletter featuring leadership and process improvement best practices.
http://www.1leadershiplab.com
mailto: vera@1leadershiplab.com


[tags]article submission, articles, writers, writing, publishing, ezine, email marketing, email newsletter, email[/tags]

Analytic Overlay ... Missing Out On What Truly Is!

Some time ago, I successfully completed a remote viewing course here in Nevada. Not only was I quite amazed at the technology, but also that I had the ability to remote view as I did manage to hit nine targets out of nine. But, the most interesting thing I found, about myself, is that I've been missing out on a lot in my life. This is not a whining article outlining regrets, but an actualization of the things that we, as human beings, have blocked out of our lives because they seem to be trivial to our personal missions in life. I noticed that these silly trivialities are the things that can turn an unbalanced life of black and white into a colorful maze of new and positive journeys.

What is remote viewing?

Remote viewing, or RV, is the process that an individual uses to acquire information about a target (i.e., person, place, thing, or event) that is physically distant in time or space. In all cases, the information collected during an RV session is not accessible to the individual through any means currently known to science. RV is not psychic, but it is a specific process performed within an approved protocol to validate the data being acquired.

In RV, you don't necessarily go into a trance, jiggle beads, or anything of that nature. Some RVers listen to rock-n-roll before performing their sessions and others might meditate in quiet. The entire process requires that you simply focus on a particular target and accept the information as it comes to you. The information is acquired according to a set of rules, or the protocol, which provides a basis for validating the information acquired. The trick is in pushing the conscious mind out of the way to keep it from filling your session with logical representations of the data your acquire, also known as analytic overlays.

What about this analytic overlay?

When we get a great idea or come across something in our lives that is out of the ordinary, we tend to analyze and categorize it based on what we already know. As we apply existing knowledge to unknown information, we are providing ananalytic overlay. An analytic overlay is the closest thing your brain knows based on the attributes of the new idea or information.

One of the more interesting abilities required of a remote viewer is the use of all senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. Another trait that is required of the remote viewer is the ability to accept information for what it is and focus your subconscious so that your conscious mind doesn't interfere. In both cases, this is a difficult task as we are raised to allow our conscious mind to filter out unnecessary information acquired by our senses and only use the information that applies to our current situation and our existing beliefs and knowledge.

Analytic overlay occurs when we've acquired a considerable amount of information during a remote viewing session and our conscious mind applies this information to something we already know. For instance, four or five pieces of information might be characteristics of a particular item that your logical mind can identify. In this way, your brain turns the target into something that is familiar, thus misguiding your session.

How does analytic overlay affect you daily?

It's rather interesting to note that, as you learn remote viewing, you begin to find that your conscious mind is blocking information from so much of your day to day activities. Instead of accepting things as they truly are, your conscious mind is busily categorizing information into nice, neat boxes that are easy to manage.

This overlay is what causes many of us to do the same thing over and over again. You'll always do what you've always done because of what you know and what you believe. We tend to miss out on so many things because we are busily masking the realities so that they are able to fit within our comfort zones.

How can I truly see?

One of the exercises I had to do involved the acquisition of information from my surroundings. My teacher took me to several locations in Las Vegas, including Lake Mead and a farmers market, so that I could observe and sense things as they existed, not as I wanted them to exist. I had to make a conscious effort to smell the smells, hear the sounds, and feel the environment. I didn't realize how much I was missing in my real life.

The brain tends to block those things that are common and inconsequential because they do not have anything to do with your current mission. I found that I was missing out on so much because, somewhere along the way, I lost the ability to accept things like the smell of strawberries, the texture of a papaya, the feeling of water, and the varying beauties of a desert sunset.

As I opened myself up to accepting the small inputs of the senses, not only did my remote viewing become more accurate, but my appreciation of my life through the senses has increased. I was able to see the strawberry and taste it for what it was instead of just seeing the strawberry as something to consume for nourishment. There's so much to the various items of life than I had missed that, once I saw beyond my ingrained filters, I turned a mundane life into one of continual interest and intrigue.

What's next?

In the hectic world in which we live, we're busily blocking unnecessary inputs and categorizing experiences within our comfort zones so that we can focus on the issues and motives at hand. Our conscious brains process information and organize it comfortably as it tosses out those pieces of inconsequential information that don't apply to our lives.

One thing I've learned through remote viewing is that the universe is bigger in mystique, than in size, than we can imagine. However, we, as humans, have allowed our minds to become smaller than is acceptable. We have to learn to touch, smell, hear, see, and taste our lives instead of just issuing a projection of how we think it is, based on that which is comfortable. Not only will such an acceptance of things as they are allow us to enjoy life to its fullest, but it will also simplify life since we won't have to try to make things fit instead of just allowing things to be as they are. By opening our minds to the world outside instead of following the small world we create inside, we can learn to control our whole lives and 'target' a vision that provides us with greater balance and fulfillment.

Edward B. Toupin, Ph.D., is a published author, life-strategy coach, counselor, Reiki Master, and technical writer living in Las Vegas, NV. Edward works with people to help them strive for a richer life. He also authors books, articles, and screenplays on topics ranging from career success through life organization and fulfillment. Check out some of his recent print and electronic books as well as his articles covering various life-changing topics! Contact Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or visit his site at http://www.make-life-great.com.


[tags]article submission, articles, writers, writing, publishing, ezine, email marketing, email newsletter, email[/tags]

Advise Wisely When Giving Advice

When offering advice to someone who has asked to be advised about something, appears to cause a lot of confusion. Which always leaves me thinking twice about the advice they offer when they are advising me.

I read a lot of information on the Internet, in articles (both bought and freebies) and am amazed by the number of times I see this spelling error. In fact, I sort of feel now that it’s me who is out of step with my language skills. But a quick trip to my off-line Oxford Dictionary soon puts me at ease again.

You see, it works like this: When I am offering advice to my Contractors - that is all I am doing – offering advice on how they can save time and improve their marketing skills to get more jobs for less effort.

I am advising them on ways it can be done with ease and efficiency. My advice may not always be taken but it is still good advice and worth reading. And I do differentiate the difference by saying that it is my advice that I am advising them to do based on my experience in their market place. See the difference yet?

Advice is what I give when I am advising them on how to do a better marketing job of their services.

I think this problem occurs because people have become too reliant on their spelling and grammar checker on their computers. You see, both are real words and are both spelt correctly for that word so the computer doesn’t pick it up as an error. It’s a bit like George and Gorge.

Now here’s another interesting error possibility – in more ways than one.

“Just suppose George went to the Gorge and while there he gorged himself on his packed lunch”

The computer would pass that as okay too because there are no spelling or grammar errors in there. But gorging George while doing it in the Gorge, would be about as sick as that sentence – and George!

So my advice to you when advising people on a course of action is to be sure you are giving them the best advice you can in what you are advising them to do.

http://www.constructingprofits.com
Showing contractors how to make more money
~ working less hours!


[tags]Contractors,advice,advise,marketing,confusion,Internet,marketing,language,[/tags]

A Story Worth Living

When I was a child I held adventure near to my heart. As I lay in my bed I would doze off to heroic dreams; leading an army into battle, fighting off tigers and scaling a castle wall to rescue my princess. In the morning I would rise to rehearse my part with wooden swords and cardboard shields. The maiden was destined to be mine, and through my valor I would win her heart.

I remember the moment I felt my heart drop to my stomach for the first time. I was in the first grade. Her name was Rachel. Traveling down the Australian coast from my Grandfathers, I laid in my cabin on the train and began to dream. Rachel was there with me, it felt so real she might have well been. With the innocence of a child, I held her. I felt her brush her soft blonde hair against me cheek. I still get chills when I recall the moment. I remember it so vividly; it was as if the world around had broken into symphony. I had won the beauty; I had scaled the wall and captured her heart. I know, it sounds really cheesy. But be honest with me for a moment. Whether you’re a man or a woman, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Fairy tales, music, literature and movies all borrow from this mythic theme. A strong man coming to the rescue of a beautiful woman, it is written on our hearts and unveiled to us in the purity of our childhood. But somewhere between once upon a time and happily ever after, we got lost, we got wounded and we’ve become cynical.

Don Henley says, We’ve been poisoned by these fairy tales.

That seems like the most reasonable explanation in response to the futility of our quest for love. But what if its not true? What if we have not been poisoned by these fairy tales at all, but we have failed to take them seriously enough?

Roland Hein says, Myths are stories that confront us with something transcendent and eternal.

I’m almost 28 years a man now. I’ve had years of defeat, heartache, tragedy, failure and disillusionment. Yet I still dare to hope. And as I recall the stories which have brought me great courage along my quest for authentic masculinity, I realize there is something that I have overlooked. I can never reach the beauty without a fight; there is always a great battle between our longing and our destiny. Stay with me now. If this is true, than all the defeat, the heartache, the tragedy, the failure and the disillusionment doesn’t have to be the final blow, it is not the end to the story, it is the middle. If this is true, it is what I was training for with my wooden stakes and cardboard scraps. If it truly is only the middle of the story, there is hope. Shrinking back is not an option, because on the other side of this battlefield is life, passion, victory; on the other side is love. It is this vision, I believe, which can provide the courage and strength to push through the pain of transformation.

And what if there really is a dragon? What if it has just snuck up behind us in our dereliction of this thing we call life. What if it just looks different than what we expected?

We have found that its fiery breath has come in the form of deep loss, failure, death, fear, rejection, sickness, abandonment and loneliness? The wounds are real and they have a way of burning their mark on our soul. But at some point we must decide. We must reconcile our wounds with the apparent incongruity between our longings and the way life has turned out. On that ground we are confronted with our identity and we must either choose to lie down in defeat, or to rise up to the moment we have known was coming all our lives.

Some may be willing to rise up and fight once, twice, even three times. But a warrior knows his place in the battle. A warrior is in it for good. If we desire to have the love and passion and adventure that we dream about, that we ache for, we must abandon our self-protection and come to the place where it is no longer about winning or losing; it is about life and death. For what we attain too cheaply we esteem too lightly. But he that sheds his blood on the battle field, he shall enjoy the fruits of his labor, and his victory shall be heard on the playground in the voices of his children, and his children’s children, for generations to come.

I think I can do that. It is in me. It is what I have trained for. It is who I am.

Shane Parkins is a social entrepreneur and serial innovator. He has developed his career as a Mortgage Planner around the concept of “venture philanthropy”. With his passion for impacting the world around him, Shane Parkins has built partnerships with homeowners across the nation to fight the impact of poverty, one person at a time. A modern day abolitionist, Shane directs revenue created from home financing into groups that are on the front lines bringing freedom and healing to thousands around the globe. You can contact him at First National Mortgage Sources (916)369-6500 or email shaneparkins@gmail.com


[tags]article submission, articles, writers, writing, publishing, ezine, email marketing, email newsletter, email[/tags]

40 Days and 40 Nights

I am beginning a journey starting tomorrow. I have decided that doing some serious soul searching is in order for me. I have been getting messages so to speak that make me realize I am changing into someone I don’t particularly like right now. I feel ashamed and unworthy as a spiritual person and I need this chance to prove my worth not only to my self but to the One who created me. I am making some promises on this day, that I intend to take seriously and to heart, not just to heart though. I need to take this into my soul.

I am feeling a little resentful of things I have experienced as of late, why do I feel such a need to challenge my decisions all of the time? Why is it that I constantly look for something better and new? I am taking this challenge to heart. I am going to, for the next 40 days, limit my attitude towards others and myself, what I mean by that is simply this, I am going to treat myself as I wish to be treated. I am not going to let people use me run over me or upset me. How am I going to do this? I am going to take myself out of the picture. I am going to make other people see themselves. I will make them feel good about them in some way no matter how minut. I will remind everyone of something good I see in them. If it is simply a compliment, praise, a hand if need be. I will make everyone around me feel important and maybe just maybe, they will see me for who I am really and not what they want, maybe they will see me as someone who deserves respect.

I see it all the time. I let people use me too much I think, and I do it simply because I think well if it was me I would want to be treated this way. I guess it finally got to me, I get tired of letting people run over me. Usually I take it in stride and move on, but for some reason it is hitting me harder than it ever has, if I do not do something now, I feel myself falling into what I hate. I cannot stand people who whine and complain yet do absolutely nothing to change the situation they are in. I am not like that, but yet at times I expect things from people and maybe they just don’t know or just don’t get it. My friends are great, I love them dearly. I have met some great people in the past few months and really am grateful for that. But I also notice I am getting untrusting and demanding about it. I don’t like seeing myself that way. I seem to question everyone’s motives, well maybe not to them, but it is getting hard for me to let people in again.

At one time in my life, years past. It was impossible for me to let people get close, they could get so far only to have me push them away in one way or another. I feel that creeping in once again. I look at everyone as a friend, I even let them get by with hurting me when I used to never allow it. Since letting my guard down I have been happier but also living in a fantasy land that needs to be shut down. I need to open my eyes and see people for who they are, not look at everyone as if they have some agenda but look with my eyes open. It seems my years of forgiving and forgetting have finally got to me. I noticed I started voicing my opinions and concerns to a very dear friend of mine, yet to me it seemed like I was trashing all these people and it just isn’t me. I have an, I don’t care attitude, even if noone sees it. The one thing that has been so important to me and my life is acceptance. I feel I rarely have that for some reason. Oh people appreciate me and like me, but I don’t know why. I guess to me I feel as if I don’t accept me myself. I open up to friends but few no my real heart. I seem to be blessed with meeting the right people at the right time. My blessings run over at times and I feel overwhelmed with emotion when I see it. Some people I reach out to seem impossible to touch. I become frustrated but hold on giving them the benefit of the doubt to later realize I have wasted my time and a part of my life, why do I feel that way it was my choice right? I think I do it because I want them to see there is more to life than what they are seeing, then I get slapped in the face with, they just don’t get it and they just don’t care, so I am left wondering how I could have done more and what I could have done differently. I guess it just isn’t up to me to save the world but even knowing that doesn’t seem to change the fact that I want to.

So how do you not save your friends and family, how do you not save the people you love and care about? I mean how do you just give that up? When that is the one thing in your life you are most proud of? What is the one thing you seek above all else? I know what it is I seek, but it seems an impossible dream, over and over you get shot down in this quest and you tread on, maybe a little lighter than before, but your steps get heavier and heavier and you come to a place where you need to rest an then it seems time has stopped and why go forward when it is so comfortable right where you are. I do care. I care a lot about this world and the people in it. I care about you as an individual but I also care about me. I know I can reach some people and I have, but I can’t change everyone. Does that mean I should stop all together?

I have decided to do this thing, 40days and 40 nights to get connected with me and my emotions, also to feel closer to God and draw myself back up to where I once was, to focus on my own needs yet be there for you also. I can do both. Maybe letting go of the people’ who cant see and refuse to, and focusing on the ones who want to, will be the first step I take but I don’t know. I need to go into myself and see what it is I need to do and when I get myself back, the trusting yet cautious person who loves a great deal and cares more than you know, I will begin to reach out to many and see what I need to. God be with me as He always has been. And God be with you too. May many blessings fall at your feet. God Bless you.

Vaughn Pascal

To Dakota: I love you..


[tags]article submission, articles, writers, writing, publishing, ezine, email marketing, email newsletter, email[/tags]

10 Questions Before Recording Your Album

1)Why Are You Recording Your Album?

There are a number of reasons that a person would want to record an album. Some musicians have had songs laying around for years and would just like to slap them down onto some kind of repeatable device such as a cd. Others are looking to capture their latest batch of songs and hopefully intend to sell it. Others are simply looking for a demo. You need to look at your situation and see what you intend to do with it. This will effect many other aspects of the recording process.

2)What Are Your Goals for Your Album?

Are you hoping to get signed based on the songs on this album? Are you looking to make money off of the album without the help of a label? Are you just wanting to record the record for yourself?

3)Do you really need to record an entire album?

I get a lot of bands who want to record a $200 album and they want it to sound just like their favorite band who spent $200,000 recording their last record. Frankly, it's impossible to get the same sound at 1/ 1000 of the budget. It's just not going to happen. It takes time to make a great record that will compete with major label big boy bands. Even great musicians take a week to do drums or a week to do vocals (Sometimes much longer) in the major label setting. Are you sure you want to cram vocals in the last 3 hours on Sunday night?

I always recommend that bands on a very tight budget cut their song quantity down. Chances are that not all of these songs are great anyway. For most bands, you are better off recording your best material and giving yourself plenty of time to work on it. Think about it. If you really want to come out with a perfect record (which many people do) how is this possible without perfect songs? Your perfectionism (if you believe in perfect) should start before you walk through the studio door.

4)What are you expectations for the record in terms of quality and perfection?

You need to have clear goals of what you would like to achieve with your record in terms of how professional it sounds and looks. Again, your budget will play a huge part into the quality and perfection factor of the record. To sound great, you need great musicians, playing great performances of great songs on great gear. That's basically it. If any of these things are present, you are compromising. Be realistic. Odds are strong that if you are a 16 year old in a rock band, your record simply won't sound as good as the band that has 10 years of experience over you.

5)In any less than mega pro setting, compromises will I have to make?

I'm talking about on a recording quality level. For example, I'm limited to 20 inputs on my recording system. (Two Delta 1010 soundcards and two Mytek ADC 96s). When a drummer want to use 4 toms and 2 kick drums (and expects them to be close mic'd) I'm already using up 6 mics on the kicks and toms. By the time I put 2 mics on the snare and two overheads, I'm up to 10 mics. I always like to try putting a mic in front of the drum kit and also farther back as a room mic. However, when I know I'm going to need to a couple tracks for bass (DI and mic'd amp) and a couple mics on each guitar cabinet, I have to start rationing my microphones. In other words, I've had to compromise what I'm doing because a drummer decided to use an extra tom or two and extra kick drum. Those two tracks could have went to tracks that would have seriously improved the entire drum sound immensely, but instead went to a tom that will be hit 3 times on the album.

Be aware of this and go easy on the recording guy. The more junk you add on your kit, the harder it is to get right. Since most drummers do not balance their kit properly, most things have to be close mic'd. This is unfortunate because it usually reduces sound quality to make up for the drummers lack of playing.

6)How does your drummer sound?

Sit and listen to your favorite records. Then listen to your drummer play. In almost every rock record ever made the snare and kick drum cut through the mix easily. You can hear them clear as day and there are not a ton of washing cymbals drowning everything else out. How does your drummer sound? Does he smash his snare or is it lost in a wash of hihats, rides, and crash cymbals?

If your ears don't pick up the snare and kick as they should be, no microphone will either. It's up to your drummer to play his kit in a way that sounds good. About 20% of the drummers that I've seen naturally do this. Most have to learn to do it.

7)What is your plan for after the record is complete?

If you don't have a marketing plan made out before the record is even started, you've already messed up. Guess what. No one has every cared about an album that they never heard of...ever! If you don't have a plan to make sure that everyone in your county has heard your album, how do you expect to sell any to the people that will actually like it? Marketing an album is beyond the scope of this article, but if you don't have a clear cut plan for getting this album to the people, you will probably fail. Note: Playing a few shows and putting the cd in local music stores is not nearly good enough.

8)Have you thought about graphics?

Graphics are usually not cheap unless you have a talented buddy. You need at least 300 dpi graphics ready for the printer's specs. While the instructions to do this are not difficult, most people are clueless. If you are doing the graphics yourself, make sure you understand exactly what your cd replicator needs from you.

If you are hiring a professional to take care of the graphics, good. Make sure you save your money!

9)How many cds do you expect to sell with your newsletter?

In my opinion, if you don't have a large quantity of people on the newsletter, you aren't ready for an album. The newsletter is the most powerful way to promote your band without spending a dime or much time. All you have to do is send out one email every 2-4 weeks.

So if you don't have a large newsletter already going, don't waste your time on an expensive record. Go and record quick demos of each song and save them for a rainy day. The newsletter thing is so powerful and so easy to setup. If you don't have one, you probably have done a poor job of promoting your band. You are simply not ready to record a serious record.

10)What's the worst thing that could happen?

Let's say you go into debt recording the “perfect” record. You then go into more debt creating the graphics and shelling out the cash to pay for the cd replication. You throw your cd release party and you sell 7 copies. 7 COPIES???? You haven't even paid for the shipping on the cds yet? If you plan to make a great record, you had better have a plan or you'll end up with 993 copies of the cd in your basement and a huge credit card debt.

11)Should I use my money to impress a label?

Many bands are hoping to get signed. Great! If that's the case, you need to realistically look at your situation. If you have the budget to make a recording that sounds so good that the label doesn't have to do re-record it, you will save money. Of course, most bands can't afford the bucks it takes to do this. Hiring pro engineers is not cheap in most instances. Pro mixing is even more expensive. So you'll probably record with a studio that will give you results less than that of a major label recording. If that's the case, you've already compromised. You've already weakened a link in your chain. No matter how perfect the vocal take was or how amazingly you played the drums, the quality will be sub par.

In other words, if you are recording at a demo studio or project studio, you are wasting your time if you go for monster perfection. Labels are looking for great looking people to play extremely catchy songs. Most producers are paid to shape you into a real musician when the big bucks come. No matter how perfect of a record you think you'll make on your own, a real producer will find flaws...lots of them.

Brandon Drury has recorded too many albums for too many bands that didn't take band
promotion into consideration.


[tags]band promotion, recording your album, band marketing[/tags]