Can I Use One Publishing Company’s Templates at Another?
I published my book with a company that offers “templates” for formatting an author’s book and cover. Can I just send you those files for you to print from?
Freelance for Newspapers by Being the Middleman (or Woman) By Jill Pertler
Newspapers have a number of characteristics that can benefit writers. They are published regularly and frequently. Their purpose is information dissemination through the written word. They are in need of good copy, which leads directly to a need for good writers.
Happy Birthday, Mason!
It seems like just yesterday that Mason, our youngest (and last!), was born after we fought for the right to have a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). Then, the doctor told us 12 days later, after several days of rapid breathing, that Mason might have a congenital heart defect, and may “expire” at any moment. We got a miracle that day!
When Weary Authors Say Their Book is “Good Enough”
Increasing numbers of authors are putting books on the market with errors these days. Perhaps all the errors on the Internet are making people feel more lax about typos and grammatical and punctuation errors. Heck, we even frequently see typos on the major news stations’ news trailers on the screen. Don’t even get me started on the major news websites. However, just because ‘everybody is doing it’ doesn’t make it acceptable for an author to follow suit with their book.
Dump That Content Mill and Get Your OWN Google Adsense Account!
The headline “Dump That Content Mill” jolted me into reality. I’ve been writing for (a content mill). Recently received my first (payment) for $32 and change. My posts had been spotty all of those months (38 in 7 months), yet it’s still surprising that it took so long to earn money.
(The content mill) makes their (contractors) jump through all kinds of hoops. I was in denial about how foolish it was to work so hard for so little pay. I’m a freelancer who writes a column for a community newspaper. The paper can’t afford to publish more often than every other week. I write one column that typically runs 600 words and earn $30.
To compound the damage, I added the (content mill’s) info to my LinkedIn and Facebook profiles. Additionally, I placed it on my resume. Thankfully, many of my friends and colleagues don’t know about content mills but prospective employers might.
Sorry this got so wordy but felt I had to share my experience. When I can afford cable Internet service, I plan to start a blog and use Google ads.
-M
Organizing Your Overseas Writing Vacation By Roy Stevenson
Have you, as a freelance writer, ever considered taking an extended writing vacation? A holiday where you travel to a sunny, exotic, far off country, set up your writing shop, and continue to pound out your articles, stories, and books, while escaping the short, gray, rainy winter days back home. Sounds like the sort of thing Ernest Hemingway and R.L. Stevenson would have done, doesn’t it?
Free Article Sites are Not Content Mills
I am confused about the whole content mill thing.
As part of my book promotion and research, I came across an article advising authors to send articles to content ezines as a way to promote a book. I took the bait. Seemed reasonable. I submit short pieces, include my bio and book info., and get more exposure.
Who Do You Think You Are? By Kirsty Logan
You are a complex person, and there are nuances to your personality that cannot be summed up in a few brief adjectives. Does ‘mother of two’ encompass the highs and lows with your children, the love you feel for them, or the rollercoaster of conception, pregnancy and birth? Does ‘Christian’ explain the midnight questions you asked yourself and the balancing of faith with the realities of the world? Does ‘British’ suggest your patriotism, your political leanings, your secret love of rainy days? Of course not! People are more than just a list of traits; that’s why personal ads are so tricky to write. But you as a writer are not the same as you as a person.
A Hidden Surprise
We’ve been having two bedrooms repainted and refloored over the past six weeks. We had planned to have the old, ratty, who-knows-how-old-it-is carpet removed and replaced with Pergo(R) (that fake laminate flooring that resembles wood). However, we got a big surprise when they pulled up the carpet in both rooms and found old, rolled-up linoleum that wasn’t glued down. And, under the linoleum, they found a layer of old newspapers in excellent condition.
Dump That Content Mill and Get Your OWN Google Adsense Account!
Why do people sign up for content mills? To make fast, easy money like their ads usually state, right? Well, from what we’ve been reading over the past several months, the money is anything but easy.