For new and seasoned writers alike, online job boards are indispensable. They're (usually) free, accessible, and provide leads you can't find on your own without spending hours on places like Craigslist, Indeed.com, and Monster.com. As it turns out, however, the convenience provided by job boards is a double-edged sword... …
After I started publishing content online, I got emails from visitors telling me how much they liked my websites. I smiled, sometimes responded, and hit "delete." Later, subscribers to my email newsletters sent complimentary comments as well. I smiled, sometimes responded, and hit "delete." It was almost two years, after I started putting websites and e-books together, before I realized I should save these testimonials. I then added the appropriate language to the "terms of use" pages on my sites, allowing me to use a few lines from any email received, and I set up files to sort the e-mails worth saving. From that point on, I carefully saved hundreds of testimonials, and even used a few once in a while.…
If you create anything from marketing collateral to blogs to journal articles, then you are a commercial writer. And, the commercial writer's playground is LinkedIn when it comes to social networking... …
When my book, The Secret S*x Life of a Single Mom, was just a manuscript, a few people (including two literary agents) told me they thought it would make an awesome movie. I took it with a grain of salt, assuming every author thinks the same of his/her work. Nonetheless, when my publisher, Seal Press, bought it, I held onto 100% of the movie rights "just in case"... …
No matter what type of writing you do, you can find a writer's conference that will help you learn more about your craft. While the price tag on some of the conferences may seem daunting, keep in mind that the impact of a writer's conference can continue far beyond the few days the conference lasts... …
Possibly the most exciting thing to have happened to me in my long life is knowing that my historical novel, The Pomegranate Pendant, was to be made into a movie. Despite having written 13 books, I never expected one of them to be shown on the silver screen... …
Building a strong portfolio, networking with other writers, and reaching potential clients are the usual tasks that freelance writers continually focus on. Accomplishing these used to mean hours of unpaid work, especially for budding writers. Fortunately, it's now possible to earn money early on in your writing career, or when you're in-between clients, through guest blogging... …
Millions of writers are pursuing their dreams by self-publishing. While I wouldn't discourage anyone from chasing their dream, I would like to encourage you to think about your dream in a different way... …
Despite a declining economy, my writing revenue climbed more than 32% last year. I credit much of that success to adjusting my marketing sails and capitalizing on social media netweaving, with a focus on Twitter and blogging... …
For a number of reasons, blogging has become the de facto marketing platform for businesses serious about online marketing. This has created a rich opportunity for serious freelancers to capture residual income by managing commercial blogs... …
How do you as a writer get the golden goose of being published in today's social media market? Become a Belieber... …
When I walked away from my corporate career to become a writer, I not only walked away from a steady income, but I walked into a field I knew nothing about... …
Most authors quickly discover that simply writing a good book and getting published are just the first few steps. All of us are required to quickly learn how to promote and market their work as effectively as possible. Book trailers are one way to do this... …
"I kicked Barbie to the curb. Everything must go," the online auction headline said. Intrigued, I read on, amused at the tale of Ken and Barbie's "divorce." Just because the description was so amusing, I almost bid on the grimy plastic dollhouse - of dingy furniture and frizzy-haired dolls. At a garage sale I wouldn't have paid $10 for it all, so I was stunned to see it go for $50... …
Scoring top-name interviews adds some serious clout to your portfolio and helps you obtain assignments with better pay. But, at times, it can feel like well-known people live in an ivory tower slathered in Crisco. Here's how you can scale those slippery walls.…
Writing is a valuable craft. Writers can and do earn a lot of money from books, television shows, and speeches, as well as other types of written and oral content. Almost every website, video, or product has some type of written content so there should be plenty of opportunities for writers to find decent paying work. However, many writers complain that the keep running into low paying clients and content mills online... …
I can see the headline now: Struggling freelance writer catapulted into a deadly game of fraud and foreign assassins... …
When pulling art or photography from the Internet, most authors know to be careful about copyright protection. Most of the work found online cannot be copied without the expectation of a DMAC take-down notice from an artist's attorney, so most writers focus their searches on stock photo sites instead. These sites, usually owned by massive multimedia conglomerates, sell licenses to photographs and vector artwork at reasonable prices. Professional and DIY cover designers alike rely on stock sites as a source of affordable, safe art. Unfortunately, not all stock art is trustworthy... …
One of the first things freelancers, self-employed professionals, and entrepreneurs have to learn very, very quickly is the art of closing the deal. The problem is, despite having worked in the business for years, many freelance writers still don't realize that they're responsible for being proactive about this and that this business term - closing the deal - doesn't just apply to other businesses, but to everything they do. …
Back when I was in high school, I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to write what I wanted, when I wanted. I wanted it to be informational, yet conversational. I wanted to control when and what I wrote about, yet still have a consistent job... …
We're used to hearing the term in relation to finances with visions of bulls and bears dancing in our heads. But, let's expand our definition of market share a little bit. Once you've cornered your niche market, figured out what what your readers love, and capitalized on it, you nonetheless should be exercising a flexibility that leads to growth. Think hard on the following points... …
Montecito, California, just outside Santa Barbara, is practically paradise. Today (and from what I am told, virtually every day) it is sunny and bright, not a cloud in the deep blue sky. Palm trees decorate the parking lot, and a cool breeze sweeps across the front of the bookstore where I am sitting in a high-back chair before a table of books. I'm about to begin the final book event of my west coast tour for Tracks: A Novel in Stories. Tecolote Books in Montecito is kind enough to host me. …
People ask me all the time how I became a travel writer. My answer is: travel... …
What do you charge for website copy? What about blog articles? Do you charge per page or per word? How about a sales letter? What are your rates for those? Those are typical questions for clients to ask a writer these days... …
Copywriting and copyblogging are two highly lucrative writing fields yet too many freelance writers continue to "grind it out" at small-time blogs, "mom-and-pop" businesses and non-profits. In some cases, these freelance writers assume that they don't have the right credentials to land a corporate gig. In other cases, they are intimidated by the corporate world and its profit-centric terminology such as ROI, KPI, sales copy, landing page, marketing collateral, etc. However, aside from being prefaced by the word "copy," copywriting and copyblogging still involve writing well for an audience... …
You borrow books, you scan magazines. What else can the library do for you as an author? Two things... …
In 2001, I began to write my first fiction manuscript. Three years later, I'd established a website, and began to upload information about the title. Imagine my surprise and excitement when, not more than two months after my finishing it, an acquisition editor for a good-size publisher read my web excerpts, and requested the full manuscript. I remember I was beside myself with anxiety as I received nothing back... …
As profitable and satisfying as full-time freelancing can be, a part-time freelancing business has its merits, too. For one, you have the security of a salaried position to make it through the inevitable lean season. Also, depending on the job, you'll still be covered by employee health benefits - something many full-time freelancers still struggle with... …
How many people would ask a contractor to remodel their kitchen (a $20,000 job, or more), and expect the contractor to agree to be paid when you sold your home for a hefty price several years down the road? More significantly, how many contractors would take such an offer, knowing that the real estate market could tank, leaving the seller with less money than they anticipated and none left to pay your bill? …
The more time you spend completing paid writing assignments and the less time you spend looking for them, the more your income increases because your number of billable hours grows... …
Sometime between my 105th sent resume and 35th rejection letter as a freelancer, I've become a cynical, hate-filled spinster who doesn't even have a cat to fill me with love. It's a perfectly sensible attitude to adopt when you're an unemployed writer looking for work on the Internet. I've been burned by an "employer" on Craigslist so, when I heard about oDesk from a friend, its double-checking system sounded pretty safe... …
It pays well and it isn't too hard. Even if you're used to writing for magazines, your skills are transferable to this type of work... …
At the end of 2012, NBC reported that freelancers (across industries) now make up almost a third of workers in the U.S. But, the MBO Partners State of Independence Report around the same time pointed out that 30% of these independent workers are still worried about their future as freelancers, and 40% are worried about where their next job will come from... …
