Four P's Analysis for Beginning Writers

I'm having difficulty posting this material, so I'll post what I can for now, and I'll come back to explain more about it later.

Product: What do you produce? What are you selling to editors and readers?
·Fiction or nonfiction? Poetry, games, puzzles, anecdotes, humor?
·Articles or books?
·Your areas of expertise? Subject matter? Style (book or periodical)?
·The quality and timeliness of your product.

Promotion: How will you let your customers know about your product?
·Advertising – print, broadcast, Internet, word of mouth (viral marketing), networking (blogging).
·Public relations – free.
·Personal selling

Place: How will your customers (editors) access your product and decide they want to buy it?
·Remember that editors are the middlemen between you and the reader.
·Query or book proposal sent in the mail (or e-mail).
·Presented in person at a conference (like a farmer's market).
·Establishing myself as an authority in a subject matter area.
·Establishing a presence on the Internet to make others aware of my writing.

Price: How much will you charge for your product?
·Your first work may be free in order to get published clips.
·Editor sets price on articles. It's a buyer's market.
·Choose low-priced markets at first.
·Move up as you gain published clips.
·Alternative: cut out the middleman and publish/sell your own work.
·You can negotiate your price or rights sold. It doesn't hurt to ask.
·Can you make a living with your writing? Your income from your work must cover the outgo of your expenses before you earn anything as the writer.