Okay, that makes three trips to the E.R. in the month of July. It’s a new family record!! (huge sigh….)
First, it was Max’s stomach virus. Next. it was Frank’s cow herding accident.
And, on Friday morning, Matt (age 20) woke up with severe stomach pain…
Craps, Baffert’s Gin, Santa Damiana cigars, exotic destinations like Montreal, Morocco, Costa Rica, St. Kitt. Micro-micro small batch beers and Watanabe-tailored suits. Cigarette boats.
All of these are vice-related article ideas that have appeared or appear regularly in the pages of magazines like Esquire, Cigar Aficionado, All About Beer, Wine Spectator, and the whole host of poker and gambling related magazines that you can find at any large newsstand. And if you like the things I’ve just spoken of, you can write about them too.
Let me tell you how I got published…
We’re spending this week on our property in rural Western Maine. Richard has us online via a dish and he’s building a storage shed while Mason and I “rough it” inside the RV, with the air conditioner running and the refrigerator stocked full of yummy stuff… that can be cooked on the stove or in the microwave (no campfire required!). We do use the campfire at night for the s’mores. Some things just aren’t the same in a microwave…
You did it! Your book is finally in print! After months of sweating over details like editing and cover colors and even the final list price, you’re ready to start that marketing campaign! You’ve even figured out that you can make more money buying copies at your author discount and doing your own fulfillment at appearances than you would if you sent potential readers to your publisher’s website. But, wait…
You just tried to place an order for 100 copies of your book…and discovered that your publisher is charging you around $1 per paperback book for shipping and handling! Say what?!
Chaleen:
That was a great article, and it’s the truth. I realized it a long time ago, but I never really understood until I started musing on it myself a few weeks ago. It’s a fact though: To make money as a freelance writer or artist or musician or whatever, you have to view yourself as a high priced prostitute. It’s just a fact…
Whether you write magazine features, flash fiction or articles for the web, freelance writing has its ups and downs. It’s never boring, but late payments and heavy handed editors can sometimes take the wind out of our literary sails. I write because I enjoy it, but it’s also work for me and the money I make doing it comprises a substantial amount of my income…
I want to use a photo I found in an old newspaper in my book but I can’t find the copyright owner and the newspaper is now out of business. How can I determine if it’s in the public domain?
My recent freelance success has been based on some of the worst experiences in my life. Without divorce, job loss and a number of illnesses, I wouldn’t have the successes I have experienced in my first year as a freelance writer…
