Most people get writer’s block because they try to write before they’ve actually thought about what they want to write. So step one to recovery is to decide what you are trying to say. Read More
Month: October 2011
Journalism ethics: an oxymoron?
Can journalism be an ethical profession? Let’s deal with the last word first: it’s a set of crafts not a profession. Journalists do not regulate who joins, do not have the powers to reject members who breach its “code of ethics”. So it’s a set of crafts which likes to call itself a profession. If Read More
Top tip of the week on effective writing
#34 Watch out for overloaded sentences. If you try to pile too much information into a sentence your reader will never get to the end of it and your message will be lost. See more top tips here and check out our new course on Effective writing. Read More
Future content floods through Apple app
Future Publishing has delivered 2 million downloads through the Apple Newstand function in 4 days. The downloads cover 50 of Future’s publications across three platforms iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. It offers free content, paid-for and premium products. But is it making money? Future won’t say, can’t say as it is in the quiet period Read More
Two quick things you can do to make your writing better
Check for repetition and cut back on subordinate clauses – they’re simple fixes but they can make a big difference to your writing. Repetition The English language is wonderful. It gives us plenty of different ways to say the same thing. So don’t fall into the same trap as this writer: I established the firm Read More
Contract mag works for Heineken
Heineken and its contract publisher Wardour have shown that magazines can work. After only three issues of the contract magazine First Orders published by Wardour for Heineken aimed at the drinks trade a staggering 41% of readers said the magazine had positively changed their view of the brewer. A third place order A third of Read More
Top tip of the week on effective writing
#33 Think before you write. To find the message or the main point, ask yourself: Why will anyone care? What is the single thing they will want to know? Is there a benefit for them or a risk? See more top tips here. Read More
Hearst US shows the way to digital subs: 300,000 and counting
The very disappointing digital subscription figures from ABC for UK magazines in August may give the impression that content has to be free online. But news from Hearst in the USA shows that paid digital circulation on tablets and e-readers can work. Hearst US has over 300,000 paid digital subscribers for its digital versions of Read More