It all started in October, when I answered an ad for a freelance writer. I was to write articles and blog entries. The pay was alright, $75 for articles and $50 for blogs. The editor had me working daily; I was thrilled. She was full of praise over my pitches and articles, and made comments such as, “Work your magic.”
I was raised in a middle-class, university-educated, secular Scottish home, while a friend of mine grew up in a sprawling and deeply religious Texas family. I’m always fascinated to hear about her marriage, her experiences at Bible camp, and her rebellious and reactionary adolescence. I realized that she was equally interested in my life with my girlfriend, and dealing with my father’s mental health issues. She thought that her life was normal and slightly dull, just as I thought the same about mine; yet to one another, our lives were completely different and completely fascinating.
On Monday and Tuesday, we worked frantically on business stuff and Max got ahead in his school work. We wanted to get caught up so we could take some time off when our oldest son, Zach, arrives this week. However, a large Nor
One of the biggest mistakes new authors make is believing that blindly mailing copies of their book (or, worse, emailing copies of their ebook) will result in sure-fire coverage by book reviewers and journalists. They waste this valuable opportunity by making several common mistakes.
This week:
Traditional publishing versus self-publishing is a big issue. I have experience with both. My first book was taken up by a mainstream publisher in 1983 and was swiftly followed by others. Within ten years I was “head-hunted” by Hodder and was commissioned to write several books. One of these, The Last Mountain, became a Sunday Times No. 4 bestseller.
Success in life is often about timing. Being in the right place at the right time, or filling a precise need, can shift your life where you least expect.
