Letters To The Editor For February 22nd
This Week:
- Cheeseball Bottom Feeders
- Convicted Felons Need Not Apply
- Red Flag Phrases To Avoid In Freelance Help Wanted Ads
- Cash in on Newsletter Writing
Blogging For Profit…Hopefully YOUR Profit By Richard Hoy
Blogging for profit might be the newest chapter in the book of business models for writers, but phrases like “very part time basis”, “exposure”, and “split the ad revenue” tell the same old story. They are sugar-coated ways of saying “come work for free.”
Marketing, Marketing, Marketing By James Richardson
Some say that the three most important aspects of starting a retail business are location…location…location. By the same token, a successful author might adhere to the same concept with, marketing…marketing…marketing!
Online Dating for 4-Year-Olds!
We recently taught Max (age 4) how to use the TIVO controller so he can now rewind and replay his favorite parts of Blues Clues over and over again. However, today, I kept hearing the same dialogue from the television in the other room. I investigated and discovered that Max was watching an eHarmony.com dating service commercial over…and over…and over again (sigh…).
Convicted Felons Need Not Apply By Angela Hoy
Forgive me while I step up onto my soapbox today. I am SO tired (whine!) of receiving book manuscripts from convicted felons who have written books about the government conspiracies waged against them…
Letters To The Editor For February 15th
This Week:
- Baby Sign Language
- Bottom Feeders
- Thanks!
Red Flag Phrases To Avoid In Freelance Help Wanted Ads By Angela Hoy
Last week, I received two letters from readers complimenting us on only running quality job ads. While I do occasionally screw up and get “had” by a bad one, I try very hard each week to avoid the questionable/seedy ads, and only run ads that are for real companies that pay writers real money.
I admit I get pretty upset when I see my writing website colleagues running ads that are obviously questionable or unethical, if not downright scams (pay per click, term paper mills, etc.) and, unfortunately, when I write to them to complain, they usually ignore my emails…
Can You Recommend An Editor?
I love your site. It’s very fun and informative. Do you know of a good manuscript editing service?
Spring Fever…
We’ve had a really unusual winter this year. As I am writing this, there is no snow on the ground. Yes, that’s right. It’s supposed to be the coldest, nastiest time of the year for Mainers. But, it was in the 50’s last weekend, sunny, breezy, and downrights Springish! I ran errands on Saturday and didn’t even need a sweater.
You Shouldn’t Be Surprised When Bottom Feeders Change Their Contracts By Angela Hoy
We recently ran an article on low-paying Bottom Feeders. Basically, there are people, with seemingly no business experience, who are starting fledgling websites online and offering ridiculously low fees to writers. Unfortunately, sometimes new writers don’t know any better and find themselves spending hours writing an article that will bring in less than $10. They then learn they’ve sold all rights to the greedy company. In some cases, they may even find their articles online later, appearing under somebody’s else’s name. (If a firm buys all rights, they can do pretty much whatever they please with it, including putting their name on the article.) Some people buy articles for pennies and turn around and sell them for hundreds.