Freelance Freedom By Kathleen Krueger

Friday, February 11th, 2011 was marked on my calendar as my first official day as a full-time freelance writer. No other job to go to. Just my words to bring in the paycheck…

Hack, Cough, and FLOWERS!

It’s definitely the flu season here. My neighbor said a local retirement home was discouraging visitors last week because so many of their residents were ill. Richard caught something last week, and then Mason got it, and then Max, and now me. I was sick two months ago and I coughed for so long (6 weeks) that they sent me for a chest xray, and put me on an inhaler. I tell ya, 10 days on that inhaler did the trick! However, I finished the inhaler just a week ago and now I’m sick again. Oh joy.

MORE MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT TRADITIONAL PUBLISHERS BUYING SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS

Hi Angela:
I would have gone even further than you did in answering to “Anne”.
Book proposals presented to agents and then to publishers must contain marketing plans at least as strong as the actual material being proposed for publication.
There might have been a time when major publishers had sufficient resources themselves to promote a famous person’s book.
They no longer have those resources to throw around on risks.
If Oprah herself presents a proposal with no marketing plan, and the publisher receives a proposal from Justin Bieber with a very persuasive and plausible marketing plan, committing Bieber personally to promotion of the book, the publisher will go with Bieber before Oprah.
I’ve ghost written proposals and then books for several people just one notch down from those two on the pop culture fame ladder. Strong marketing plans in the proposals made all the difference, not just in getting the book proposal accepted but also in the size of the advances.
I always opt for more money, rather than a simple “as told to” credit, or anything like that, because in the long run, I don’t care to be known as “so and so’s ghost writer.”
Scott Rose

Reality Check: 7 Questions to Ask Yourself before Quitting Your Day Job By Patty Harder

Reality Check: 7 Questions to Ask Yourself before Quitting Your Day Job By Patty Harder

Before I launched my freelance copywriting business, I spent three full months planning my escape from corporate America. (Four months if you count the month I spent over-thinking whether I should quit my day job . . . or not.) I read Peter Bowerman’s book, The Well-Fed Writer, cover-to-cover. Twice. I built a website and created an online portfolio. I converted my rarely-used formal living room into an office. And I planned my business implementation strategy.
These early efforts paid off. Within 90 days of starting my business, I had replaced my full time income…

Should I Scan My Printed Book for Electronic Distribution? No.

I’ve got a question that I hope you can help me with. I’m the editor for a not-for-profit organization. About 15 years ago a member gave us exclusive rights to sell her book as a fundraiser. We sold out of the books after a couple of years, but recently our office staff found one last copy. We’ve decided we’d like to make it digital and sell it again. The author has given us exclusive rights to do this.
I’ve scanned the entire 350-page book, and now have PDF files. I had thought to use OCR software to convert the PDF files to Word files and then, using InDesign, create the book. Well the OCR software can’t handle the job. I have Greek, Turkish and Serbocroatian characters (along with Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian and English). The PDF files are clear and clean and include some delightful hand drawings – none of which the author has in digital format.
Is there a way to make these PDF files directly into an ebook?

Getting out of My Comfort Zone By Diane Stark

For the last few years, my articles and essays have regularly appeared in several of the regional parenting publications. There is one editor in particular who is especially receptive to my ideas. I usually query her first, and if she’s interested, I write the story. After she prints it, I re-submit it to other regional parenting magazines around the country. (Most of these magazines buy just one-time regional rights, meaning I can sell the same article to any other magazine as long as their readership does not overlap. For me, this generally means I don’t send the piece to two magazines in the same state.)
Regional parenting publications pay modest rates, usually about $50 per article. But since I was selling the piece to multiple magazines, I was making a few hundred dollars on each story. I was happy with that…until my husband got involved. “What about these magazines?” He asked me, pointing at the glossy parenting magazines at our local bookstore. “Have you ever sent any of your stuff to them?”
I shrugged and shook my head…

SNOWBIRDING – PROS AND CONS?

Last Friday, on April Fool’s Day, we got another 14 1/2 inches of snow. Sure, I go on and on about the glorious snow around Christmastime but it gets REALLY OLD this time of year! While my friends down south are talking about planting their gardens, we’re still dodging falling icicles…