Eons.com, one of the top web sites for Baby Boomers and Seniors, conducts a running survey of their thousands of subscribers that asks respondents to list their most important Life Dream. In the number two slot of the 100 Top Life Dreams is “Writing a Book.” Only “Losing Weight” outpolled it.

It’s not too late to “join the party.” Reread the featured article in this edition “Join the Writing World,” and get moving. With the flexible schedule retirement offers, it should be easy to find the minimal amount of time it takes to see your thoughts morph into printed words and become articles or books for the world to enjoy.

Terry Cochran, creator of the Boomernet - The Baby Boomers' Surfing Center (www.boomernet.com,), one of the Web's top-listed  sites, wrote this delightful piece. It should give all of us who have passed the mystical 65-year mark pause for thought. Cochran was far ahead of his time when he retired to launch a new and highly successful career as a webmaster.

What's in a number? Is it 60 years or 720 months or 21,915 days? Time flows non-stop, but we try to control it by putting it in neat little boxes. The choice of the box size, however, can change your perspective. Even with all the current hype, 60 doesn't sound like such a big number. But 21,915? Now there's a number we can sink our teeth into!

Thinking in terms of "a few years" does not capture the same flavor as "thousands of days." For example, the 3 years of the Kennedy presidency sounds small next to the 8 years of a Reagan or a G. W. Bush, but "1,000 days of Camelot" still brings back a bit of the magic. And even thinking of 30 years of war in Vietnam pales next to a label such as the "10,000 day war."

So what do such numbers mean for you? For most Americans, those 21,915 days start off with almost 2,000 of them as an infant, toddler, or pre-schooler. Those are followed for the vast majority of folks by more than 4,600 days when they are best known as students.

A lot of us don't stop there, of course. I was a college student (at least part-time) for more than 3,000 additional days, along with serving as an Army officer for over 1,000 more—but after those 4,000 days, that was enough for me! Other Boomers, like my wife, could go to school forever. She also completed more than 2,000 days as a college student, but is now considering another 1,000 of them, to earn her Ph.D.

And speaking of my wife, it seems hard to believe that we've been married for over 11,000 days or that we've been grandparents for more than 2,500 of them. Where did the time go?

Of course, some of those old choices have changed along the way. For example, a quick calculation tells me that I wore a tie on more than 7,500 workdays—but it's been almost 2,000 days since I felt I had to routinely choke myself like that.

That latter change, of course, had something to do with the fact that I started the Boomernet website almost 4,000 days ago and then gradually moved more and more of my activities to a home-based operation. With 5 of my own sites now, plus those I manage for others, that keeps me busy. And like my favorite dress code song says, it's "no shoes, no shirt, no problem."

But what of the future? I plan to work another 7,300 days (to age 80) and then hang out for 7,300 more beyond that, poking my nose into other people's business. I still believe as I did 10 years ago, when I wrote that "50 is just the midfield marker." Living a healthy and happy 100 years remains a worthy goal.

So here's an early warning for my kids and grandkids (and eventually great-grandkids): Don't trust anyone over 80. When I finally get some extra time on my hands, I could be dangerous!

I can certainly acknowledge now that I have more days behind me than ahead, but that doesn't mean that I won't stay busy. I plan to work each day and learn new skills, do my daily Sudoku puzzle, enjoy a sunrise or a sunset, and both give and receive love.

As I celebrate day number 21,915, I'm having fun with memories of days past and plans for those in the future—but I'm sure remembering to enjoy this one, too . . .

Widely recognized PR guru for authors, Annie Jennings is offers a hard-to-refuse  
Pay For Placement Publicity Program where you only pay her fee if she gets the booking for you. On her web site and by e-mail she announces each opportunity and solicits  author’s response to the topics listed.

As an example, the current offering is with a national TV program based in New York City. It requires the author to come to the big city to be taped. Jennings lists the segments of the current offering as:
Segment 1:   Building Your Emotional Space - Where Do You Truly Feel At Home
Segment 2:   Odd Jobs - Your Job As Your Destiny, Your Calling
Segment 3:   Back To Basics - Building Blocks Of Life
Segment 4:   The Right Questions - What Should You Be Asking?
Segment 5:   Do It Anyway - Even If There Is A Reason Not To
Segment 6:   Beginnings & Endings

Steve Harrison, publishing and promotion guru, is offering a free viewing of  his interview with Jeff Herman, internationally known literary agent who has closed more than 500 book deals during his career.

Harrison is the owner and  publisher of RTIR Radio-TV Interview Report, considered the number one resource for helping authors book broadcast interviews. He is offering the 13-minute audio interview with this renowned agent free by clicking on
http://www.YourQuantumLeap.com/JeffHermanAudio.html?10527

Lots To Do - But It's Really Not So Hard

Nothing's easy! You discovered that during those long years of work prior to your retirement.

Learning to write well enough to see your work in print really isn't that hard. Can you do it? Sure, but it does require a degree of discipline and a willingness to do some serious thinking.

There's no guarantee your book will find it way to the best seller list. Very few ever do. And this isn't a guarantee your article will appear in the New Yorker.

But you definitely can see your work in print, and many will read and
hopefully enjoy what you have to say.

Between savings, retirement plans and social security payments, you probably don't have to worry about finances. Without obligations at the office or plant, you have far more time than you need to become a successful writer and still enjoy all of those fun activities you envisioned for your retirement years.

You're Unique

Most important of all, you are in a unique position, far more advanced than younger wannabe writers. You come to this challenge supported by years of varied life experiences as well as the knowledge gained during your career. That combination allows you to choose what best interests you.

Your understanding of character and personality developed from close contact with co-workers and social friends gives you a substantial head start in writing a novel. Certainly a memoir.

With the skills you have developed in your specialty, you can write for trade
magazines or freelance in the lucrative world of commercial writing.

You may be an expert hobbyist. There are publications that deal with all sorts of hobbies and pastimes, and are eager for fresh articles. You might call upon your expansive knowledge of a sport to craft articles or even a book on the subject. Writing about any of these "passions"- hobbies, pastimes, sports - should be relatively easy and lots of fun. After all, you've been involved for many years and know a great deal about them.

The Game Plan

Step one is to develop the confidence that you too can be a published author. How many times have you started to read an article in a magazine or newspaper, and thrown it down in disgust because it was so empty of information or so poorly written?  I'm sure you've done the same with books as well. You've thought or possibly expressed your feelings to others, "Heck, I could do just as well." And you undoubtedly can. So why not try?

Next, begin thinking about what it is you really want to write. Fiction or nonfiction? Short stories or a novel? Magazine articles or a full-length book? History or How-to? True crime? Now that you're a retired, active senior, you may want to pass personal memories of your own past years or a history of your family on to your children and grandchildren in a memoir.

Many retirees sorely miss the career in which they spent so great a part of their lives. Trade magazines are hungry for articles written by knowledgeable authors. The market for How-to books is robust. Businesses frequently look for part-timers to help them write for their advertising or public relations departments. The opportunities are endless, and YOU are eminently qualified to become a business writer. 

As you start out, a quick and easy, but very efficient source book, is Writer's Market. Every library has a copy, but I am sure you will keep this 1178-page "freelancer bible," on your desk for as long as you continue to write. You'll find 50 different subject categories of consumer magazines from Animal to Women, and 60 categories of trade journals from Advertising to Veterinary Medicine. Reviewing those pages is a great way to trigger ideas that will lead to great articles and books. As a bonus for book authors, there is a lengthy list of literary agents and book publishers.

The Key Is Discipline

The key to opening the door to writing success is very simple: Discipline, Disciple, Discipline. Lawrence Block, author of more than 25 books, states in his book Writing the Novel, "Writing has this in common with most other skills; we develop it best by practicing it. Whatever writing we do helps us to become better writers."

Don't let that frighten you. We're not talking about long hours. If you are disciplined and regularly spend as little as two hours a day at your computer, you can turn out a 300-page book in a surprisingly short period of time. That's an infinitesimally small portion of your retirement day, yet it can produce a superb reward.

BUT, you must keep to your schedule without interruptions.

Retired and an author in your new career...what a great way to spend these wonderful years.

It certainly helps to develop a sense of the publishing industry now that you're retired and starting your new career as an author. Writers' conferences are held in many different locales throughout the year.

Checking industry publications like Poets and Writers or Writer's Digest can keep you abreast of the schedules. Try the Internet. Enter "Writers Conferences." Wonderful sites like http://writing.shawguides.net will pop up with all the information you need to choose the conferences best suited to your needs.

Trade Shows

Trade shows and festivals abound. There are national shows like the Book Expo America, which will run from June 1-3 at the Javits Center in New York City. Many state and regional groups also sponsor book shows and festivals that are well worth attending.

Annual conferences or book festivals are sponsored by the larger groups, statewide or regional. They are smaller and more intimate than the national shows and well worth attending.

Lists of writer organizations can be found on the Internet by searching "Writers Organizations." Several sites that are helpful are Pegasus Writers Stable for nonfiction  groups, www.artslynxs.org,  www.canauthors.org for Canadian organizations and even Wikepedia.

The writing community is for the most part warm and inviting and willing to assist newcomers. It's a great way to improve your skills as an author and to socialize now that retirement gives you the luxury of time to enjoy those activities.

Reach out, and the contacts you make and the information you garner will pay you back generously.

Perhaps that title sounds a little odd to you, but it is the title of a program run by Harald Anderson, a courageous, outspoken coach on search engine optimization and related writing matters. Anderson’s program is so basic and understandable, even we retirees who have not grown up in the techie world can follow and comprehend it.

Anderson prides himself on being controversial and irreverent. His approach is a bit different as he attempts to simplify the SEO maze and show writers how they can best gain position in the major search engines. His FREE introduction to SEO is geared to discovering “How to Feed the Spiders and Get Your Share of the Pie!”

The spiders, of course, are the mysterious crawlers that wend their way through your web sites and blogs evaluating their relevance to surfers who use search engines when they seek information.

Sign up for his multimedia presentation. It costs nothing, but, I discovered, rewards substantially. The presentation uniquely interweaves audio and video on your computer screen and is very easy to navigate. Try it. http://www.haraldanderson.com.

Simplifying Search Engine Optimization  

How do Spiders Evaluate you?
Are They Objective or Subjective?

Believe it or not, 210 Billion searches are conducted every day by close to 1.1 Billion users of the Web scattered around the globe. Can any author who is determined to sell a book or build his/her reputation neglect this superb marketplace? Of course not.   

Even better, it is essentially FREE! That's great news for everybody, but particularly for seniors on fixed incomes who yearn to spend part of
their retirement days writing articles and books.

Easy and Inexpensive

The process is relatively simple. You begin by creating your own web site. That's neither terribly difficult nor expensive with the many programs (Google's program www.blogger.com is one of the best) available on the Web to guide you through the process. Lots of them are free.

Just creating and activating your site is not enough. The secret is to OPTIMIZE it. That means making it better. In digital technology there are very special ways to make it better.

With the majority of Baby Boomers and increasing numbers of seniors and retirees now computer literate, you, like your peers, head to the search engine on Google or Yahoo, perhaps MSN or others to find the information you seek. You know that the listings you find there are sorted by their value. To the search engine, value means the site is the best source for data on the topic.

First 2 pages Are Key

Research has proved that most web surfers never look beyond the first two pages of search results...and that's just a tiny 20 out what can be as high as millions of listings. The Internet marketing company iProspect reports that 40% of surfers never read beyond the first 10 results. Only a miniscule 8% ever go beyond the top 30 listings. So the object of this game is to work your way up through the ranks to the top 10 or 20 if you hope to see a real boost in the number of visitors that come to your site.

That may not seem fair to you. Setting values on all of these sites sounds rather subjective, doesn't it? The answer really is no. But the objectivity occurs in arcane and almost incomprehensible ways. The engine reaches out with an aggressive little widget called a spider that courses throughout your web site evaluating your content. You ask, and rightly so, how this mysterious little gadget makes those judgments? It doesn't, as you will see just a bit further on in this article. Its decisions are amazingly objective.

The Challenge

The challenge to the search engines is to make locating information as easy as possible for their visitors. Their sponsor companies are businesses that need volume to survive. They compete with one another to attract the highest number of surfers. That's why they demand that the sites they feature in their listings produce what they promise and satisfy information seekers.

Although the "natural or organic listings," as they are called, are free, the engines generate big bucks from their advertising. The free search engines bring in potential buyers who are exposed to the revenue producing components of the business. Harald Anderson, a leading SEO (Search Engine Optimization) expert in Florida, labels them "advertising agencies." 

It is commonly accepted in the industry that 99% of Google's revenue is generated by advertising. I am sure you've heard of the Ad Sense program, and probably used it on occasion. Google places its small box ads on willing web sites, and receives a payment from the advertiser each time someone clicks on the ad. The "Pay-per-click" listings that all the major engines offer are highly lucrative as well. Those are the shaded listings at the top and the bottom of each page, sandwiching between them the ten free listings.

The Spider's Task

The search engines depend on their spiders to ensure that the web sites they feature offer value. Spiders crawl through the pages of a web site to determine whether the text is relevant to the subject matter the site announces in its title and headlines.

The title of the site makes a promise by employing "trigger" words that mimic the way a surfer commonly requests information from the search engine. The text must deliver on that promise by providing sufficient information.
 
I am certain almost all of you recognize the term "keywords," one of the two most important components of optimizing a web site to impress the spiders. These keywords are sprinkled throughout the page, and assure the spider that the subject matter in the text conforms to the promise of the title and headlines.
          
There is a second tool that the search engines use to determine the worth a web site, and it is as important as the wording in the text. Some experts believe it is even more significant in determining a site's ranking in the listings. Incoming links from quality web sites, recommending that their readers visit your site for additional information tell the spider that your peers hold you in high regard. That impresses the spider more than any other factor, and helps it make the objective judgment, I have spoken of.
          
Be aware, however, just collecting hundreds of links from other sites is not only meaningless, but can actually penalize you severely in the eyes of these omniscient spiders. The incoming links must be relevant to the subject matter of your site and they must be of decent quality. That means, if you are able to obtain a link from the number one listing on the engine, the spider accepts that as a top notch recommendation, indicating that your site too is of equally high quality.

Quality, Quality
 
So the bottom line is QUALITY. Mount a first class site or blog intelligently filled with appropriate keywords (and phrases). Then reach out to others that you believe are of equally high quality. If you succeed, you can be certain of a big boost in the number of visits your site receives.
          
Your request to the others should point out the uniqueness of your site and the abundance of worthy, fresh information it offers. Just as you evaluate the other site for its quality, so it will assess yours to determine whether it is worthy of bestowing its imprimatur on you.
          
A solid "marriage" will benefit both participants. You will gain traffic through the referrals, and the sending site will gain by offering its visitors another excellent source of information.

You're an author....expert or wannabe. One of the easiest forms of promoting your web site and/or your book is writing and distributing informational articles on the Web. These need be no more than 800 words and can be as short as 300. Most editors prefer they not go beyond at most 1,000. Short tips are always welcome too.
 
Make sure that all submissions contain the key words that are featured in your web site or blog. That will attract spiders to your site. List your site's URL in the brief bio you are allowed to add at the end of the piece to bring people interested in what you have to say directly to your web site.
       
Derek Gehl, whose Internet Market Center distributes highly informative articles, newsletters and eBook and sponsors conferences from coast to coast, recommends in his newsletter, "Once you've taken a few hours to write one or two quick articles, head to one of these top online content distribution sites. Upload your keyword-rich content to:

www.contentdesk.com

www.ezineartiocles.com

www.freesticky.com

www.goarticles.com

www.ideamarketers.com

www.findsticky.com

It only takes a couple of minutes, but the rewards to your site will be huge." (www.marketingtips.com)

With the innovations recently announced, Book Expo America 2007 promises to be a “not-to-miss” event for publishers and authors. The BEA podcast program (www.bookexpocast.com) will feature interviews with participating authors, as well as offer coverage of the events and educational sessions.

At one of the 80 events of the BEA educational wing, the new BEA Global Market Forum will be introduced. This unique program is designed to increase reading in English around the globe, a badly needed outreach to help smooth the disdain we have fostered through our attitude of superiority and our crass unilateral actions.

Authors will be pleased to learn that the outreach effort to bring librarians to Expo have been remarkably successful, especially when you realize that the library industry mounts its own widely popular trade shows. Attendance by librarians has grown  from 500 just five years ago to an anticipated 3,000 for the 2007 show. The event will be held in New York City’s Javits Convention Center from Friday, June 1 to Sunday, June 3. Info is available at www.bookexpoamerica.com.