How to Avoid Giving Yourself (and Your Publisher) LEGAL Nightmares! by Harvey Randall
Could you, not your publisher, get sued for your book? What about fair use? How many ways can an author get sued???…
Articles
This Question Might Alter Your Writing Career! by Carli Brinkman
As writers, we notice copy. We notice it everywhere. Sometimes, we notice it because it appeals to and inspires us. But most of the time, as professionals with a great appreciation for the effective written word, we notice it because it's mediocre, or just plain bad. However, in these moments when you find yourself rewriting poorly worded copy in your head…
Book Promotion: Why Postcards Work by Kathryn Elizabeth Jones
Most writers have business cards to pass out to interested readers and writers, but what about business postcards? A writer is in business, after all, not only to let others know about their latest book but to sell it as well. Investing your money in postcards becomes valuable the minute you hand one to a potential reader ...…
Eight Strategies to Boost Your Online Writing Income! by Steven King
With these eight strategies you can boost your freelance career by utilizing the most effective websites and online services to become more accessible, more marketable, more widely read and with a greater chance of landing new clients to generate more money than ever before!…
Want to Close More Writing Deals? Haggle Like a Fishwife! By Matt Gallus
Every good writer should be a good salesman as well. Argh!…
Easy, Upside-down Budgeting For Freelancers With Fluctuating Incomes! By Bonnie Juettner Fernandes
As a freelance writer, you may have given up on traditional budgeting advice. Personally, I've been supporting myself as a freelance writer and editor since 1998. I've written 23 books and countless articles, blog posts, and website copy. I don't have difficulty finding work, and yet, I often have had difficulty paying my bills.…
How A Fictional Character Convinced Me Not To Write “For Free” By William Pepe
"We'll have a check for you tomorrow," the editor told me. The next day, I returned to the newspaper's office only to find the office completely vacated. …
10 Tips and Tricks to Become a Digital Marketing Ghostwriter By Kelly Vo
If you're not writing blogs or working in social media, you're missing out. Is that blunt enough for you?…
Eight More Ways to Market your Imagination! By Donna Kordela
Here are eight ways to imagine markets for your writing...and fatten your bank account too.…
Never, Ever Argue with a Book Reviewer! By Terri Schlichenmeyer
It happened again today. Inside the pile of mail I hauled to my kitchen to sort, I received an unsolicited book from an author who hoped I'd review it for my 250-plus newspaper and magazine clients...…
When Book Editors Err… By Dr. Marlene Caroselli
There are two types of people in this world: Those who can edit and those who can't... …
Take Your Writing Skills into Schools for Extra Earnings! By Kate Williams
As a writer, you have special skills - and a passion for language, too! Oh, how teachers would love you in their classrooms, inspiring their pupils to write, and guiding them with your expertise! So how about sharing your specialist knowledge and infectious enthusiasm with the youngsters in your local schools, and building up your earnings as you go? …
Fantastic Memoir Tips! Obtaining Material, Organization, And More! By William Pepe
You tell yourself, "Someday, I'm going to write my memoirs" but "Someday" never comes. Perhaps this short narrative telling you how I have cluttered my children's homes with hundreds of pages of my memoirs will help you get started... …
From Corporate Cubicle-Monkey, To Whistleblower, To Successful Freelance Writer! By Brian Penny
In 2006, I was spending my weekend sitting in a cubicle with four elderly women arguing about the proper step-by-step process every representative should be trained...…
I’m Not A Woman, Gay, Or Chinese But I Write For Magazines Serving Those Readers! By Peter Garland
Just as train tracks cross so can your interests intersect with those of many other "lines" in the publishing world. You must make the connection! …
The Scam That Got Its Dirty Little Hooks In Me By Sam Priddy
I have written as a ghostwriter a few times and usually the contract that I enter into is held with respect by both parties. In this instance it was not. Watch out for scammers that will literally steal your work! …
Rock Your Book Talk! Do’s, Don’ts And Tips By Susan Sundwall
These days writers must sell themselves, it's a given. We've got to look for and latch onto any opportunity to self promote. Book talks are an excellent way to do it. Senior citizen groups, local service clubs, libraries, schools, and writers groups all have a frequent need for speakers and we must serve - if we want to sell, that is. Of course the first step is informing everyone by phone call, letter or email of your availability to speak. Then, as the dates pile up, you'll need a plan... …
From Vacation To PAYcation: Writing and Selling Your Travel STORIES By Eric D. Goodman
If you're like me, you love to write in part because you love to explore. One of the few things I enjoy as much as exploring new territory in my fiction and nonfiction writing is exploring new places in the world. I love to travel almost as much as I love to write. Years ago, I decided to combine these two passions.…
From Bartering To Cash By Victoria Grossack
The problem with editing for a family member is that you generally can't ask for money... …
13 Mistakes To Avoid While Writing Your Bio By Devyani Borade
Biographies are invaluable to a writer. A strong bio makes a strong impression and is a powerful tool to advertise and sell the writer's writing skills. A good bio can lead to repeat business with editors whose attention is captured, a loyal readership whose interest is retained and new clientele whose imagination is piqued, which is great for your business and credentials. And writing a good bio should be a piece of cake for a wordsmith. Yet writers often stumble at this important task. …
Are Bloodsuckers Trying To Steal Your Writing Talent? By Tom Douglas
The recent Writers Weekly article, Great Writing Gig Or A Scam?, got me thinking about all the deadbeat editors I've met in my long freelancing career and how I've answered some of their "scams." …
How Do I Get Magazine Editors To Respond To Me?! By Logan G. Harbaugh
As writers, many of us feel the same things as we try to get the attention of the editors we believe would be a perfect fit for our submissions. As someone who's been doing this for more than 20 years, and has also worked as an editor on occasion, I'd like to offer a little perspective... …
A Writer’s Revenge: A Dish Best Served Cold By David Wilkening
As an underpaid adjunct English-Journalism professor, I always looked desperately for concrete examples to enlighten my students why good grammar was not just a theory in principle but actually paid off. Little did I know then that I would need to heed my own advice. Not only did my own suggestions help me avoid cheats but I also got some revenge (a mild dish served sort of like a cold turkey sandwich)... …
How To Turn Life-Changing Events Into A Niche By Teresa Bitler
Niche never crossed my mind in the ICU waiting room. At the time, I could barely understand what had happened. Old people had strokes, not 49-year-old, otherwise healthy men, and certainly not my husband. Whatever had just happened, I told myself, it was a temporary thing. He would heal and we would go on with our lives. Unfortunately, that's not what happened... …
Tax Tips For Freelance Writers By William Pepe
In my 40-plus year career as an income tax preparer, all too often I would find that clients who were trying to earn money as self-employed, or as freelancers, but were not successful did not realize that they could deduct their expenses (losses) against their other income... …
Great Writing Gig Or A Scam? 10 Red Flags! By Melissa Rudy
Here's how to spot 10 of the most common red flags telling you that great gig you're thinking about is really a scam... …
How To Use “Comment Marketing” To Land Clients! By Jennifer Brown Banks
Comment marketing. That's right. You see this "dream client" materialized as a result of a simple, thoughtful comment I placed a while back at another blogger's site. Impressed and intrigued, he followed my link and the rest is history... …
5 Digital Products That You Can Create And Sell By Reginald Gates
You're dragging along as a writer and you're doing pretty well. You're making a comfortable living from your skills - and working hard for every cent. But, wouldn't it be nice to start earning some passive income? Wouldn't it be great to create something with the skills that you already possess (writing) that will keep on generating income month after month? Maybe you're not at the point in your career where you're able to just write up a full-length book. That's okay because there are some low-or-no-cost digital products that you can make right now, and sell on Amazon, your blog, your website, or wherever else... …
Are You Too Hard on Yourself? By Katherine Swarts
Writers are dealt a tough hand. We see little early correlation between effort, talent, and profit; we slave over details until our eyes water, just to expose ourselves to criticism. Small wonder that Googling "writers as masochists" returned more than 3 million results. But, are you more of a masochist than necessary? Are you criticizing yourself more than the critics, demanding more of yourself than any editor would? …
QUERYING QUERIES? What To Do When Editors Fall Silent By S.E. Batt
It's a problem that plagues a lot of new freelancer writers and many are unsure about how to tackle it. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with an unresponsive editor. …
IS THERE TOILET TISSUE ON YOUR VIRTUAL SHOE? 10 Embarrassing Things Readers Won’t Tell You About Your Blog! By Jennifer Brown Banks
Let's face it: as a writer competing with millions of blogs, in a very crowded niche, the last thing you want to do is stand out in a bad way! And, many of us are too close to the problem to be truly objective... …
Authors! Create An Audience In Five Easy Steps…By Hunter Liguore
Every author needs an audience, and there's no reason why you can't start building one right now in your own backyard. What follows are five easy steps to get you started... …
From Baseball To Barnyards: Land A Contract Writing Children’s Non-Fiction Books! By Tyler Omoth
You've seen them lining the shelves in the kids' section of your local library. Perhaps your own children read them. Simple books that teach, explain, examine, and enthusiastically describe the world to children one simple subject at a time are everywhere. Luckily for us, someone needs to write them... …