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When you take on self-publishing a work of your own, be wary of some of the reasons that traditional publishing looks down on self-published books. While some of the reasons do not hold up in the current marketplace with some of the best sellers coming from the self-publishing marketplace.

One of the biggest mistakes I see authors make is not spell checking their own work and not hiring their own editor. - Meg Meyer

When your own name goes on the work, and it is YOU self-publishing - regardless of what printing or publishing company you work with - You, Mr. or Ms. Author, are responsible for the quality of your work. If you spend $1000, to have your book in print, and it comes out with a typo, a wrong word, or formatting issues - it is likely your own fault and $1000 down the drain.

People work hard for their money. They don’t want to spend $10-$20 a pop for a shoddy product. You might get your friends and family and possibly a few others to buy a copy. But if the work is poor - you lose the possibility of turning those buyers into fans.

So in your budget for your writing business, be sure to include time and money to ensure your book is perfect prior to printing. Then you can turn each new reader into a fan for life.

It is a pretty well known tactic to submit articles to article directories as a marketing tool for your business or writing career. Whether you are a freelance writer, a small business owner, an entrepreneur aiming for expert status, or desire to do one of these things - article submitting may be the thing for you.

Many article directories do not pay money. And while that may deter you - consider some of the non-monitary rewards that you may reap from submitting original content in a subject matter that interests you.

Tip: Quality is Key! Make sure your articles are well researched, spell-checked, and edited! Poor articles make you look bad & may be rejected for quality standards.

Marketing - when you want to get the word out about you, or what you do - you use marketing to do it. Rather than paying for advertising - you can submit your articles to content directories and include a promo blurb about you or your business. People that read your article about the stock market and find the free information helpful will be very likely to click through to your website to find out more about your expertise in that industry.

Google Page Rank - this is especially important if you have a website that relies on SEO, search engine placing, search engine ranking, and advertising to pay the bills. Many article directories, like the one linked here, allow search engines to follow the links in your bio. More quality pages that link to yours - the more value the search engine robots see in your site. That improves ranking and exposure. This generally leads to hits, sales, and making money.

Note: The article directory that I’m checking out now is currently accepting original submissions. They must not be published elsewhere. Feel free to check out if Web Articles is the right site for your article marketing.

These are just a few of the benefits an author gets when they market their ideas through writing articles and publishing them in directories. Research the industry a bit and you’ll find out what features would most benefit your online business and help you make money online.