Published on March 2, 2011
I received an email the other day that I suspected was an error. It was an invoice for a purchase made on my eBay account. I logged into my account and discovered it was not an error after all. Our youngest son, Mason (age 4), LOVES Shrek and the invoice was for a 27-inch stuffed Shrek doll…
Published on March 2, 2011
self-publishing
This week, we’re going to look at how some POD publishers upsell authors on products and services that should already be included in their outrageous setup fees…
Published on March 2, 2011
Letters will return next week.
Published on March 2, 2011
When you’re writing a news release for a client, you should be thinking like the reporter who will eventually read and use the information. What will help him or her write the story? If you make the writer’s job easier, there’s a better chance your message will make it into publication…
Published on March 2, 2011
I am still considering the book but unfortunately I am wracked with fear. I can’t live off my savings and can’t afford the health insurance to allow me to quit my depressing job where the morale is at ground zero. I am making some extra cash as a freelancer but am losing my creative spunk.
In addition, I have developed a myriad of health issues. MY MD told me yesterday to retire, but I help support a handicapped relative. At this point, I just don’t know where to turn.
Published on March 2, 2011
Sometimes writing success comes when–and where– you least expect it. Seven years ago my second child was stillborn at full-term, in a time when my writing career was focused on brick-and-mortar opportunities. With a three-year-old, I’d had little time for exploring career options online, but after my son died my writing career dried up and I had time to explore the online world. I slowly began to discover websites with resources for parents like me and, eventually, whole blogging communities helping parents of stillborn children…
Published on February 23, 2011

In case you missed it, last week we only published a News From the Home Office column because our daughter and her boyfriend were in a head-on collision. You can read the story HERE.
I am once again not publishing their names for their own privacy.
A’s boyfriend, M, has more extensive injuries, with the broken foot, ankle, and ribs…
Published on February 23, 2011
This Week:
- COMMIT RANDOM ACTS OF WRITING
- PAPER TRIED TO SELL ME A BOOK REVIEW!
- USING THE IRS TO COLLECT FROM DEADBEAT PUBLISHERS
Published on February 23, 2011
There is a disturbing trend on some content sites that could leave writers, and the site owners, open to accusations of plagiarism. It is the act of rewriting and paraphrasing stories that appear on genuine news websites, such as Fox News, where working journalists have gathered the facts and presented them as a news story…
Published on February 23, 2011
I recently heard from “Foreword Digital Reviews” that our book won’t be reviewed by ForeWord Magazine since they only have space for a few book reviews…but that there’s plenty of room at Foreword Digital Reviews on-line. Their fee for writing and posting the review is $99.00.
What are your thoughts on this?