The Christmas Countdown Has Begun!

We pulled the decorations out of the basement on Friday and, by Sunday night, everything was up, including the tree and the outdoor lights. I always forget how which cords go with which lighted wreath outside so the puzzle must be re-solved year after year. And, each year, I swear I’m going to label those suckers…

What’s the Best Ebook Format?

Here is an excerpt from an email I received:
I just finished my first ebook about travel and safety . I own Adobe Acrobat Pro and can create PDFs with no problems. I see there are “compilers” that have very strong security to prevent any form of “sharing” our hard work.
What do you think is the best way to go?

Letters to the Editor For November 24th

This week:


  • Donna’s 24-Hour Contest Entry Evolves and Gets Published!
  • Does Amazon Remove Old Book Listings? No!
  • Amazon – Do They Draw The Line ANYWHERE?

Novel Strategies for Using Press Releases When Writing By John K. Borchardt

Novel Strategies for Using Press Releases When Writing By John K. Borchardt

Press releases give me a lot of article ideas. Writing shorts based on a single press release used to be a major part of my freelance magazine writing business. Online news sites were particularly lucrative. However, over the last several years I have found that it has become more difficult to get queries based on a single press release accepted by editors. Several other freelancers I have spoken with have said the same thing. Why is this? What strategies can you use to get article assignments based on press releases?