How to Sell More Books at Stalls and Signings! by J Harker Shaw
So you’ve written your book. My sincere congratulations and kudos. It’s not easy, and takes a…
Articles
From Blog To Book! The Journey From Blogger To Author By Neil Tortorella
If you've been on the fence about writing a book, go for it. You'll be glad you did. Landing a publishing contract is another story, but, the bottom line is that if you never try, you'll never know. You don't want to be sitting in the 'ole retirement home at 90 thinking what might have been. You're capable of doing more than you think. All it takes is some organization, both in your thinking and your productivity, and a story that your audience is interested in learning more about. Command of your language du jour is rather helpful, too.…
Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com Fall, 2016 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
The dark water racing under the bridge contrasted sharply with the yellow and orange leaves riding atop the ripples. Balding maple trees shadowed the riverbank while the remains of a cornfield rustled violently in the cold wind. Standing on the cobblestones by his trusty wooden cart, he shivered. It was going to be a bad winter but they were well prepared. Suddenly, a strong gust brought the sound of maniacal laughter. He stepped quickly to the back of the cart, and threw back the burlap cover...…
REWRITING EXECUTIVE PROFILES?! LinkedIn’s Largely Untapped Goldmine! By Kevin MacConkey
Take one look through your LinkedIn connections and their profiles and it becomes increasingly clear how bad some people are in the English language. Someone should help these folks and straighten out their grammar and their, they're, there's. What I've figured out through some inquisition and experimentation, is that most business people would gladly pay to have us professional writers rewrite their profiles and even ghostwrite their published posts for them.…
BookLocker Was My Gateway For Landing A Traditional Contract WITH an Advance! – By Michael Brian Murphy
Fortunately, I found BookLocker, who published NLD From the Inside Out in both POD and ebook formats, with a generous royalty rate. Angela and Richard and their whole team provided excellent customer service: helping me navigate all the pitfalls of a novice author, and even went to bat for me when Amazon.com started causing problems for publishers…
Use People-watching as Inspiration for Your Fiction Characters! by Julie Guirgis
People watching is an essential part of being a writer and lesson in human nature. How this is done is by seeing people’s bad and good habits, distinctive temperaments, tastes, and appearances, and deepest longings and fears. It involves watching people to get an insight into the beauty and rhythm of the community around us.…
My Child Wrote A Book!!! But, Can We Publish It? by Harvey Randall, Esq.
Your child has written a book and a number of friends who have read it have remarked that it is great, and should be published. Your child then tells you he or she has decided to become an author, and wants to have the book published. You quickly respond “okay,” and then, realizing what you said, you ask yourself a number of questions: Can my child actually publish a book?…
Use Snapchat to Sell Your Book(s) or Writing Services to Millennials! by Joan Selby
The millennial generation has famously been dubbed as the “Selfie” generation. While some have contested this…
6 Mind Games For Writers (queue Twilight Zone theme song NOW…) By Jayne Thurber-Smith
I used to love flying kites with my kids when they were little. Just yesterday, as I tackled a challenging writing assignment (is there any other kind?), I experienced the exact same feelings of kite-flying. My mind flashed back ten years to playing at the park. First came the weak, failed attempts of trying to get it airborne; the running and throwing, the frustration, the phrases of “this sucks!” or even worse “this will never work.” Then unexpectedly, gloriously, the kids and I got to see the kite finally catch the right combination of wind current and momentum and take off, with no more effort required on my part. I hung on and watched the kids’ cute SpongeBob kite appear to literally dance on air. Then came the inevitable and sad ending. Whether caused by me reeling the kite in because it was time to go or by the wind calling it quits, SpongeBob would crash to the ground with an abrupt thud.…
14 Paying Faith Markets for Writers By Laura Yeager
As life brings me more trials, I’ll “digest” them and turn them into spiritual articles and essays for others just trying to get through the day on this difficult path we call life. God willing. I encourage you to try your hand at writing for God. Examine your life. Read the Bible--or whatever religious guide to which you aspire. Pray about it. I’m sure He will assist you.…
Has Your Writing Been Rejected? At Least Your Hand Didn’t Get Chopped Off! By B J Bassett
Writing isn’t for wimps, or for those who are sensitive or thin skinned. It’s for writers who believe in themselves and their work, and realize that rejection is part of the business. Even with a thick skin, rejection hurts. Writers labor over their creations, and rewrite, trying to find that perfect word. Our manuscripts are like our babies. We send them out into the world, only to be rejected. Anyone who puts pen to paper knows the sting of rejection. It goes with the territory.…
How To Book Yourself Out With Freelance Work For Three Months by Laura Pennington
You can breathe a huge sigh of relief when you book so much work that you're going to be busy for the next couple of months. This allows you to turn off your marketing machine instead to focus solely on client delivery.…
A Squirrel Pee’d On Me! How To Use Catchy Titles To Attract More Readers – By Laura Wing
What if I told you there was a great way to attract more readers to your blogs, books, status updates or other writings? What if I told you there was a way that goes beyond great SEO, or in-store book signings? What if I told you attracting more readers is as simple as coming up with a catchy title for your work?…
Amazon’s Actions Lead To Angry Readers, And May Have Killed My Sponsorship Deal! By Wendy Lou Jones
For those of us whose books are listed on the infinite Amazon platform, working with a ‘900-pound gorilla’ has not always been easy. Small press publishers and authors alike have occasionally had to listen to the temper tantrums of that engorged beast as it flexed its muscles (searching for more bananas, no doubt). As the owner of RK books, I have experienced things that can only be described as ‘Amazon issues’ with one of our titles.…
4 Ways to Get Your Book Reviewed! by AmandaEmma
There are lots of self-published authors out there who have no idea how to write a good book review request! I have read numerous posts and articles from authors claiming they know how to write the best book review requests. The thing is...they are usually wrong. So, I am here today with a few tips for sending in review requests that will hopefully give you more acceptances and fewer rejections.…
Publish Or Withdraw? How To Deal With A Heavy Editor… By Aris Apostolopoulos
Dealing with a heavy editor is not only frustrating but it's a process that can definitely hurt you as a writer as well. Writers already have to deal with insecurities the industry fills us with. We will read a book, a short story, a feature. We may feel down because another writer has written something at a level we believe we will never reach. We will hear about a six-figure author and disappointment will knock on our door, especially when we are dealing with a cash flow issue.…
New Magazines Can Mean Long-Term Writing Gigs And 7 Other Tips For Freelance Writing Success – By Wanda Waterman
Let me save you a little time on your freelance road trip and bring you closer to a profitable writing career by sharing the common wisdom that didn't work for me — and what eventually did.…
Grab The Helm! Creative Prospecting Will Make You The Captain Of Your Own Salary! By Matt Gallus
When writing for a livable income, it can sometimes feel like you're navigating through harsh and unforgiving waters. On the left, you have the sharp, jagged rocks, and in every other direction, you have enormous waves crashing over your deck, calling you to the bottom. One wrong move and your salary will be feeding the sharks and man-eating squid. Argh! What does a writer do to fight back when his sword has fallen off the ship? Luckily, Ol' Captain Matt Gallus has read enough books to know a thing or two about killing the problem with your bare hands. I'll show you how!…
How I Earned An Extra $15K Last Year Selling Family Secrets By Rich Bivins
I had no idea that, when I crafted these family heirloom books, I would soon be earning a decent return for my time and a stream of cash flow for doing something I love to do anyway. It all started when my mom shared her new biography with her neighbor in Florida.…
10 Paying Pet Markets For Writers! By Wendy Hobday Haugh
When it comes to popular human interest topics, pets will always rank high on the list. Their eccentricities, shenanigans, aggravating and heartwarming ways make for many great stories. So, why not write them up, share them with others, and make some money at the same time?…
9 Paying Feminist Markets For Writers By Shanon Lee
Do you pen feminist pieces, and need to find a place to sell them? Have you…
8 Questions You Should Ask Before Selling All Rights By Devyani Borade
Handing over all rights, including copyright, of your work to another entity goes against the grain for many writers. Others, however, don't bat an eyelid. You can always write more, right? So, in which situations does it make sense?…
The 4 Steps to Becoming an Entertainment Writer! By Robert Peterpaul
My hands trembled over the keyboard when I started to write my first entertainment article. Despite my wealth of experience, I was nervous. Entertainment writing is a different animal, I thought. It wasn't until I fully lost myself in the craft that I came to this comforting realization - writing is writing and good entertainment writing is still writing.…
How My Best Freelance Writing Jobs Came From Company Blogs and Digital Magazines! By Tim Leffel
For many, the phrase "freelance writing" conjures up images of famous magazines on a newsstand. Often the best-paid work, however, comes from companies that aren't in the publishing business at all. They're commissioning articles as part of their content strategy, to either connect with their customers or improve their website's search traffic.…
10 Deep Web Engines for Finding Hidden Writing Jobs By Leah Zitter
In a previous article, I wrote about Metasearch as being one fantastic engine for finding hidden writing jobs on the web. Well, Metasearch is dead. God bless the departed king. God save the new monarchs. The most meritorious successors, it seems to me, are the following...…
“HELP!” Emergency Grants for Writers, Artists, and Other Creative Folks By Robyn McGee
I have been freelancing for over 20 years and I can best describe my love affair with writing as feast or famine. Freelancing provides me with the opportunities to explore the subjects I am most passionate about: women's and family matters, education issues and the arts. The pay is steady and a nice supplement to my income as a part-time teacher.…
5 Tips For Non-Native English Writers By Aris Apostolopoulos
We are living in the age of the Internet and writers can now work wherever they want to work, writing for a magazine in California while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate in Vienna. However, having access to a laptop and an Internet connection is not always enough and, sometimes, even talent is inadequate. What if you really were in Vienna with that hot chocolate in your hand, but you could not write a single English word? Exactly, you wouldn't write for a publication in California. Or would you?…
When Writers SCREW UP the Facts! By Wendy Hobday Haugh
I hurled the newspaper aside, appalled by the writer's shoddy treatment of her subject, humiliated by her failure to proofread and, even more, profoundly disappointed. I'd trusted this fellow word-slinger, and she let me down...…
Want to Freelance Full-time? Use the Three-Legged Stool Approach! By Troy Lambert
I dropped out of school, went back several times, and after a series of jobs and "careers," which resulted in an extensive collection of hairnets and nametags, I finally got serious about being a writer, and figured out the first obstacle to working at home full time: money.…
7 Tips For Getting Indies To Stock Your Book! By Anthony St. Clair
Any author can understand what a bookstore owner or buyer looks for when evaluating new titles. Here are 7 tips for asking an indie bookstore to carry your book.…
Low-tech, Easy Bookkeeping For Freelancers By William Pepe
To dislike making the shift from the vocation of your choice to bookkeeping is a common characteristic of any self-employed individual. Here is a minimal plan for keeping financial records with which your accountant can work.…
Go Global! Expanding Your Writing Business Overseas By Aris Apostolopoulos
Being a freelance writer is not an easy job. You have to be your own personal manager, your own bookkeeper, your own publicist, the one who promotes your work, and, of course, a writer. However, this is the easy part when your clients are 12 flying hours away and you have to make everyone feel satisfied - including yourself. …
Pitch Your Book to These National Book Clubs! By Dr. Marlene Caroselli
Poet Don Marquis once divided the world into two types of people: those who could tell you they had just bought a package of paper napkins and make you "thrill and vibrate with the intelligence" and those who could share the secrets of the universe and yet "fail to impress you with any sense of the importance of the news."…