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... …
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... …
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... …
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... …
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? …
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. …
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... …
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... …
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... …
We have all been there. We have poured over websites for writers, submission directories like Writers Market, and WritersWeekly.com to find that next freelance opportunity. There are many magazines to write for, both online and off, especially now that the Internet has blossomed and bloomed, but the trouble comes in when writers try to find actual paying work... …
A couple years after creating my garden service, I spent a long, dormant winter crafting and conniving an effective means of training my clientele to eventually take over my job one day. What better way to insert my opinion and unsolicited advice than a complimentary newsletter? It was brimming with the most basic, practical information... …
Is it worth the effort spending two hours covering an event, two hours on the road driving, and time to write the piece? Yes, if you can write more than one article from the experience. Most periodicals want something fresh, so if you take the same theme but approach it from a different angle, you're golden... …
A friend/colleague/stranger announces they have written something. A song, a story, an article for the school newspaper. And, not only have they accomplished this feat of scribtacular virtuosity, but...they want to know what you think of it. Cue the dramatic horns of horror... …
Reverse sticker shock hit me at the rise of freelance blogging. Were online publishers serious about offering just $10 - 20 per article? …
Unless you’ve been living under a rock since 2006, then you probably already have a Twitter…
Ernest Hemingway said that it is in the editing process that most writers break down. Hemingway was ruthless in editing his own work. One biographer I read said Hemingway edited everything he wrote up to thirty times. I have taught freshman composition for many years. I tell my students that good writing is rewriting, refining, and finding those little demon typos and errors that can damage the quality of what is written. Don't be discouraged or surprised if your POD publisher encourages you to hire an editor.…
We have all heard that there is a potential book within each one of us, just waiting to be written. But, what about the book that you have ALREADY written? That book could be hiding in your hard drive, ready to be copied and pasted into a folder of its own.…
What encompasses more than half the battle of getting a book published? Obtaining a reputable agent. Some would argue those are kind odds about the reality of the game. I'm here to impart that it is a game, of the shell variety, a three-way chess match in which the unaware writer is the pawn...…
The summer morning started with a frenzy of packing paper goods, dashing to the ATM for…
Starting a freelance writing career can be challenging. Creative careers often attract individuals fueled by passion, without the business acumen to sustain their efforts. Learning how to attract and retain clients, while remaining fulfilled by your work, is a delicate balance that can be achieved by avoiding these common beginner mistakes... …
Trawling through the web for websites that give you the opportunity to earn money writing about culture-related issues can be like trying to find a word in a manuscript...amongst a hundred pages. …
A few weeks ago a writer friend suggested that I check out one of her favorite publications. On the surface it looked promising. The journal presented itself as a socially conscious, humanitarian outfit. However, the writers' guidelines told a different story... …
Has someone recently told you it's okay to grab, alter, and republish someone else's material from Pinterest or another website? If so, you should be very wary of that individual's ethics and so-called expertise... …
As I look back, I am stunned that the ignorant inquiries I made to my traditional publisher and literary agent did not create waves of guffaws and rollicking cackles. Upon the release of my first book by a traditional publisher, during a conference call, I queried the publisher and her henchmen about their promotional plans. Would there be some sort of tour maybe? A round of book signings in a few large cities perhaps? A few flights and hotel stays, at the publisher's expense, of course, in the pursuit of boosting book sales? Silly me. The nerve! A publisher spending money promoting a new author's book? Ha... …
Your byline is important, not just in its frequency of appearance, but also in how it affects your income. Some writers operating writing businesses use a name other than their own if they pen web copy or advertising, for example. But for some types of writing, such as periodicals and books, your name is your brand identity... …
Every writer has certain tools they rely on daily, from reference books to cached webpages, to stacks of notes, to file templates. When those tools are unavailable, productivity can plummet, and with it, a writer's income, unless you take careful steps for the time you must spend away from your office. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, for just a few days, or a longer trip, it is possible to keep working no matter how far away your office is... …
I learned the concept of the Rule of 5 at a seminar, "The Rule of 5 for Leadership," by John Maxwell. Since then, I've heard the Rule of 5 for just about everything. The Rule of 5 is a list of the five key things that you must do every day in your business, in your writing, or whatever goal you may be pursuing... …
Having just completed another very successful "book signing" in a large venue setting, I would like to offer some pointers for authors that have had limited or no success in selling their books at the various library or local artist sponsored book signing events.…
If I make it, will they come? It's a question a lot of writers have when they're working toward establishing an online presence. …
I used to think that Print-on-Demand (POD) publishers sold their services only to desperate writers not good enough to win a contract with a traditional publisher. I learned differently when I explored the publishing world more closely. …
One way to increase income is to write and sell more. But, how do you overcome inertia? Consider what excites you... …
Story opportunities are as densely packed as the crab traps that blanket Florida Bay. For the nautically minded writer, opportunities abound wherever mariners are enjoying their boats - or not enjoying their boats, i.e.: treating stinky waste-holding tanks, fixing balky engines or extricating the entangled lines of those pesky crab traps from propellers... …
A friend had recommended me to a curriculum publisher. Could I revise workbooks for fifth-grade science? I said that I would give it a try, and soon a big box appeared on my porch. I eagerly delved into the materials: course samples, manuals on how to design curriculum, workbooks to revise, and the fifth-grade science textbook. The cover art featured a wise-looking owl. Was I wise enough to rewrite ten science workbooks? …
