We are always pleased to welcome new writers to www.writebuzz.com. New members and old may like to consider our top tips, below, for getting the most out of your membership.

We encourage writers, publishing on www.writebuzz.com, to publish their profile, including a photograph, and to review other work on site. It's a way of saying 'hello, I'm here," and of encouraging other members to read your work.

Most reviews, on writebuzz®, are positive; a negative review is in fact very rare. Many writers do, however, value constructive criticisms so don’t be afraid to suggest ways in which you feel a piece of work could be improved. If your work receives practical feedback which you would like to implement, then you are welcome to amend and republish the piece of work concerned, simply using the suffix revised in the title avoids confusion.

Some members use our Pen Pals service to contact authors and provide more in-depth and critical reviews; so if you see a piece of work with no reviews this doesn't mean it hasn't been reviewed and it certainly does not imply it hasn't been read. www.writebuzz.com is currently averaging over 250,000 page views a month!

If you decide to join Pen Pals, then don’t be shy about making the first move. It’s good to be read and you will find that most writers are very pleased to hear from their readers. In fact, 90% of writers, (to date) who have received a Pen Pals message about their work have replied to the sender.

Whilst we are on the subject of writers' reserve, if you have taken the time and trouble to compose a piece of work that you are proud of then don’t be modest, publish it on writebuzz® and then send it to everyone you know. Sending a literary E-card is free and easy. Simply choose a template, add the recipient list and a message; ‘Cop a load of this’ will do fine, and press send. No-one becomes famous by being coy!

The more work that you publish, the more likely you are to establish yourself. Having said this, in order to maximise your exposure, rather than publish all your work at the same time, we recommend that you trickle-publish your work over a longer period. Regular contributors to the site often become our readers' favourite writers.

Other ways to get noticed include using catchy titles and incorporating an introduction to your work, especially useful at the start of a series. You should also consider publishing in more than one channel. The channel options illustrate the general age groups of the readership and writers often find that their work is enjoyed by all age groups. The only constraint to multi-channel publication is that work for the schools' channel is predominately read by the under sixteens and therefore must be suitable for minors.

Finally, for those looking for inspiration, why not enter one of our regular competitions or join a Plot Thickens®? There’s always something a bit different, open and waiting for your contribution.