There seems to be no shortage of ways that POD publishers can concoct to separate authors from their money. Here are a few DOOZIES that we bet cost far more than most (if not all) authors will ever earn back in resulting book sales.
Letters will return next week.
It’s not always easy to translate thoughts into words, and oftentimes as a freelance writer, it’s not even your thoughts that need to be translated, it is somebody else’s. Sometimes, the topics are familiar and sometimes they are dumbfounding. Quite often, it’s not a surprise to see a freelance writer wearing strange wigs or doing strange things during a write-up to get a “feel” of the unusual writing job that has been given to them. Here is a list of five unusual yet lucrative freelance writing jobs available to freelance writers…
Ever since the death of my four-year-old Daniel in 1997, I wanted to write a book about grief and loss. As I grappled with my new bereaved life, daily yearning for my child, I submitted query letters to potential publishers. While some were interested, a few wrote back that they thought it was too soon to write a book of this nature. Too soon? ‘What did they know?’ I thought as I crafted another letter, hoping a different slant might work to get me a contract this time…
All the kids came over for Father’s Day with the exception of Zach. We are going to be in Port Charlotte this week for a dentist appointment so we’ll be celebrating Father’s Day with him then. Justin cooked burgers for us that consisted of Pork Belly fried in Duck Fat and served over ground beef and caramelized onions. It was DELICIOUS! Sssshhh! Don’t tell our cardiologist!
Ah, the large POD publishers will say just about anything to get your money, including offering ridiculous sales that look like good deals…until you do the math.
Letters will return next week.
Without being cheesy or over-the-top, you can tactfully use current events to sell your story. In fact, many authors get their book ideas by reading the paper.
A (local) man decided to do an anthology with the proceeds going to a charity. I submitted a poem and it was accepted with a small, simple contract offered. Everything was fine until the anthology came out and the man had listed himself and his wife as the authors of the book. Now, individual poems were listed by author but the cover / title page and back of title page showed the couple as authors.
One of the reasons I am employed as a writer is because I talk to people — in the check-out line, the doctor’s office, the vet, the post office, the nail salon, to name a few — because I want people to know who I am and what I do, just in case they’re ever in need of one. How often have you been at a party to hear someone bellow, “Is there a writer in the house?” How about never? Gab, and you shall be rewarded. It doesn’t pay to be shy under any circumstances.
