Richard took me on a surprise getaway last Friday for our anniversary. We returned home on Saturday, packed the RV, and drove to our land in Western Maine. Richard finished the storage shed and set up a solar gizmo that provides us with power in the RV when we can’t or don’t want to use the generator. It’s pretty cool!
Fiction author Piers Anthony has been a thorn in my side for years. He runs an “Internet Publishing” page that he presents as an “accurate” source, but, in my opinion, it contains numerous inaccuracies, submitted by “anonymous sources.”
Hi Angela,
I have written to you before about what writer’s are paid for their hard work. I don’t know Examiner, but I have come across way too many editors who offer next to nothing for articles, stories, etc. I would rather my work sat in a drawer than let it be used for so little pay. Maybe there are writer’s who put out junk, I am not one of them. I feel it’s an insult to be offered so little for so much. As a writer I put in long hours as well as my heart into my work, writing is created by an artist, the only difference is we use words not a paint brush. I don’t think it’s right the way writers are paid and it will continue until all writers decide to stop working for nothing.
Ok, that’s it ! I had to say it, thanks for the ear.
ang dee
During the past fifteen years or so I’ve been fortunate enough to write for a variety of different publications, primarily magazines and newspapers that are either local or regional. I’ve written for lifestyle magazines, home and garden magazines, and general interest magazines, but the majority of my work has been with parenting and family magazines.
I wrote an article for a small magazine that was accepted for their January 2005 issue. There were no rights discussed (I’m not so naive now!), just the acceptance, which read that they had accepted my article and to let them know if I had any questions. Now I would like to use the article in its entirety in my upcoming book. Do I need to secure permission?
I didn’t set out to write a book.
When I started my business, Twentity.com, it was more of a hobby. It was just a website to help recent college graduates make the transition from college into the real world. As time passed (years, actually), I realized I really wanted to develop this as a business and started treating it as such.
Whispers and Warnings will return next week.
Last week, Max got a sore throat and a runny nose. I’m not typically the type to run a kid to the doctor for a cold but the Swine Flu has me nervous. So, off we went. He had a low-grade fever by the time we got there. Strep was negative and they swabbed his nasal passages to test for swine and the other influenza. Uh, that nose swabbing stuff is NOT like they make it seem on the news.
The word CENSORSHIP is sure thrown around a lot these days. It has a very negative connotation about it, don’t you think? But, it is really a BAD word? It was previously used primarily when speaking of government action…but the word Censor is far more widely used today.
Angela,
Just finished How Much Are Examiner.com Writers Really Earning?. I am so glad there is someone like you willing to post the truth behind these horrible sites. I’ve been a professional writer for well over ten years now, but I no longer seek out freelance gigs online because I would say 99% of the ones I find are exactly like the Examiner – a total joke (read between the lines, people). I can’t understand how anyone would in their right mind would write for pennies. These are probably the same people who wire money to Montana (a.k.a. Nigeria), keep all their 401k money in stocks, and hand over their winning lotto ticket to the sneaky clerk behind the counter so he can check the numbers (a.k.a. pocket the ticket), while they shop for goodies.
Also, I have stopped reading blogs, twitter pages, articles, etc. on the Internet unless the content from a reputable site like CNN, MSN, and even WritersWeekly. These Examiner writers are clogging the Web, along with Twitter, etc., with junk. I guess it’s nice because now I have my life back. When I log on to the Internet, I go to respected sites to get my news, read my email, and then I’m done. I no longer waste time reading all the extra fluff, like the stuff from Examiner (if these examiner writers admit to spending 20 minutes or less per article because they are trying to build up their portfolio, then the article can’t be worth crap, so why should people bother reading it if the writer doesn’t even care to put in the hard work to make it a worthwhile piece? Hello). Life is too short. It’s amazing that even after you posted the article on WritersWeekly, these so-called writers still stuck up for company.
Keep up the great work Angela. You are truly awesome! The work you do is making a difference. Thank you!
DT
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Hi Angela,
I was surprised at the number of people willing to defend Examiner.com, but I have to comment on something the writer referred to as Katrina said. She claims that the problem is new writers who “expect something for nothing.”
Excuse me, but writing articles for a website — helping to add content, drive traffic, and generate more ad revenue — is NOT nothing. It is a valuable professional service. To have a fellow writer suggest that what we do is worth nothing is possibly even more offensive than the $1.96 she earns per article.
Katharine S. Leppert
https://www.katharineswan.com
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Angela,
Your presentation of the Examiner.com issue was fair and representative of various opinions. That’s why I respect your site the most for information on writing controversies. You put it out there and now it’s up to writers to make the choice.
Kathie
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Angela,
Thank you for your research and facts about Examiner. I have never written for them, wouldn’t even consider it, but what’s bothered me is their ‘dumbing down’ effect on the industry, and the sheer volume of writers who feel that working for pennies is what freelance writing is all about. Hopefully your piece will convince them to rethink working for Examiner and similar sites, and we can bring the standards of freelance writing back up to where they belong.
Again, thanks for all you do toward keeping freelancing a reputable and profitable business.
Debbie