Published on January 18, 2012
Angela,
As a freelancer I have subscribed to your newsletter for several years. I find myself on the other side of the desk now, since I was offered and accepted the position of Managing Editor for a south Florida-based magazine in December 2011. Now, instead of begging for assignments and timely payment, I am in the uncomfortable position of refusing assignments and asking writers to take less than what the former editor paid. After just four weeks on the job, however, I see the role of editors in a completely different light. And as a former freelancer, I am able to handle uncomfortable situations with a softer touch than what was sometimes afforded to me.
Thanks for all the free information you provided while I was a freelancer. I will continue to read your weekly newsletter in the hopes that it will make me the best editor (staffer) I can be.
Sincere regards,
Liz Pasch
Managing Editor
Southern Boating Magazine
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Published on January 18, 2012
self-publishing, traditional publishing
It’s been more than ten years now so I guess I can be excused for not being able to remember who it was that suggested I subscribe to WritersWeekly.com. I wish I could remember though because I would like to thank him or her for steering me in the right direction that would eventually lead to a very successful book writing career…
Published on January 18, 2012
(My publisher) in New Mexico has not issued me a royalty check for more than two years because, as they have told me, they have “OTHER VENDORS” to pay. (They are) a POD publisher and our contract states they will pay royalties every six months. However, since the amount they owe me is small, approximately $86, I am sure they just have me on the back burner. The two books I had published by them are on Amazon.com and with local distributors. Is there anything I can do to get direct payment from Amazon?
Published on January 18, 2012
On a typical day, I write about everything from MINI Coopers to sponsorship deals, from motorcycle exhausts to champions. I have found my niche, and it is motorsports…
Published on January 11, 2012
We took Max and Mason to a gathering of local homeschoolers this week. We met at a local community center and each child brought a book they’d recently read, and gave a short presentation on it. Max is reading a book of ghost stories. He was at first nervous, worrying that “no other kids would like scary stuff” but he felt better after a little girl got up and talked about a monster book. So, when Max took his turn, he was very relaxed and did a super job…
Published on January 11, 2012
Last week, we discussed ways some victims could have protected themselves from being scammed online. Here are more examples based on actual complaints that have been sent in over the years…
Published on January 11, 2012
Letters will return next week.
Published on January 11, 2012
As freelance writers struggle to make a living during this “Great Recession II,” we’ve all seen the “writers wanted” ads on Craigslist and elsewhere that outline — in great detail — the hefty amount of work, the long hours and the many qualifications for a particular job…
Published on January 11, 2012
It was time to take my enterprise to the next level, offering myself as a writer for hire. It seemed a logical move once I’d become established as a writer of articles, poems and short stories. Ready to say “yes” or “maybe” to any proposal that involved stringing words together, I vowed I would never say “never”. I was ready to take on all comers.
The only trouble was the “all comers” didn’t come. It was down to me to make them…
Published on January 4, 2012
After Ali and Justin’s bad accident and long recovery last year, our move last summer, my car being totaled by Frank (age 19 – thank GOD he was not injured!!), our Thanksgiving family reunion, and, of course, Christmas, I told Richard that I want to spend January doing absolutely nothing at all. I need a month of nothing so I can de-stress – no drama, no injuries, no illnesses, no trips, no holidays, no nothing.
That night, Frank backed our truck into a car in the bowling alley parking lot…
