Published on June 6, 2012
Just in time for our vow to “stay at home and do nothing all summer”, the rainy season has begun. It was sunny this morning but a storm developed just offshore at lunchtime and quickly moved inland. We enjoyed hearing the huge drops pounding on the roof. The “weather in motion” option on weather.com gave us the opportunity to show the boys, who are homeschooled, how quickly storms can erupt when the sea breeze picks up in the afternoon here. In a 15-minute span, the radar went from blue sky to a huge cell popping up on the screen. Very cool.
Published on June 6, 2012
I received a frantic email from an author over the weekend who’d been threatened with a lawsuit. Of course, the first thing I told her was that I’m not a lawyer and that I can’t give legal advice. I then calmly told her to send me a file containing all the correspondence between her and the angry contributor because I’m always happy to give my non-lawyer opinion about a situation. Here’s what happened…
Published on June 6, 2012
Hello Angela,
I’m also a writer on Examiner.com and, although I really don’t take them seriously at all, I continue to write for them. I use them to promote books I publish for other writers and also to vent my thoughts on politics and religion.
They are rather loose in their acceptance level — all you have to do is write. The more often you write, the better they like you. They use a grading system that is rather frustrating. I’m a professional editor / co-publisher and Examiner.com doesn’t seem to have a clue about good writing. There is no indication of why you get graded the way you get graded — no feedback for your grade — and no transparency on their part about who is doing the grading. We could be graded by monkeys for all we know.
I enjoyed your article revealing how the writers feel on Examiner.com. Thank you for revealing some truth for writers so they can make a more informed choice when signing up with Examiner.com. They seem to be very bias. I’ve also noticed that when I use my Twitter account to advertise my Examiner.com articles, people tell me they’ve read my article, but the number of readers I’m seeing does not seem to match the number of “hits” Examiner.com is reporting to me. There is really no way to check the integrity of Examiner.com’s “hit” numbers on our articles. That is a bit disconcerting for me. When you have a place that is barely willing to pay writers for their time and effort, asks them to leave and keeps their work — making additional income off “fired” writers, I can’t help but wonder about the accuracy of their “hits” per article integrity.
Thank you for the article. It helped me to evaluate for myself if perhaps I’m wasting my time on Examiner.com.
-Name not published on request.
Published on June 6, 2012
Mentoring another writer may sound like giving away your industry knowledge for nothing or boosting a competitor. But really, mentoring is good for your protege’s writing career and yours. Mentoring can benefit you beyond feeling good about helping another person who is new to the business.
Published on June 6, 2012
My POD publisher recently released an ebook version of my book without telling me. I only want a print version of my book available. What can I do?
Published on June 6, 2012
Good things come to those who wait? Not in my world. Good things come to she who contacts an editor every couple of months with a pitch, a new slant, a pleasant reminder that she’s still out there…
Published on May 30, 2012
On Memorial Day, we worked in the morning and relaxed in the afternoon. Richard spent most of the day in the kitchen and outside by the grill while I spent the afternoon in the pool with the kids, batting around a volleyball, tossing a Frisbee, and teaching Max and Mason how to play Marco Polo…
Published on May 30, 2012
There are many content mills out there that have a confusing, vague, or buried clause in their contract that states contributors won’t receive a check until the amount owed meets a specific threshold. In many cases, contributors never reach that threshold. They end up terminating their contract, hoping to receive payment for the paltry amount they are owed…but then realize the contract terms prevent them from EVER receiving a payment until/unless that threshold is met. That means the writer has done all that work – for free…
Published on May 30, 2012
Dear Angela,
I owe you the biggest apology. Several years back, I dissed you for your stance against Demand Media Studios. I felt that you had done a hatchet job on them, but the fact is, you didn’t go nearly far enough in exposing them for the terrible company they are. Please accept my most heartfelt apology, and feel free to share this letter that I wrote to them today:
https://tempetempest.blogspot.com/2012/05/latest-disrespect-to-writers-at-demand.html
You have my full permission to quote me.
Sincerely,
A wiser, contrite Jane M. Smith
Published on May 30, 2012
Tradeshows offer a unique marketing opportunity for freelance writers. Many industries and trade associations ranging from the oil, chemical and food industries to home builders and restaurant owners have tradeshows to exhibit the latest in equipment and services to their members.
I tried out my new strategy at Houston’s May 6-9 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC). This is a major annual tradeshow. In 2012, there were more than 2,500 trade show booths and 89,400 attendees. So far my payoff from attending the tradeshow and marketing there is $6,000…
