Articles

Win Assignments to Cover Breaking News By John K. Borchardt

Published on June 9, 2010

How can freelancers get assignments to cover important breaking news stories? During most of my freelancing career I felt I was on the outside looking in as magazines and newspapers assigned their staff writers to cover breaking news stories. It's often difficult for freelancers to get assignments to cover important breaking news stories. Many, if not most, don't even try. The query submission and review process takes time. Most assignments are given to newspaper and magazine staff writers because of time constraints. However, freelancers can surmount this problem and win rapid acceptance of their queries, or sidestep the querying process completely. The ongoing BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico provides interesting case histories on how freelancers can win breaking news story assignments. …

The Malicious Reaction of a Resentful Copyright Infringer By Ruth Barringham

Published on May 26, 2010

The Malicious Reaction of a Resentful Copyright Infringer By Ruth Barringham

I recently had a bizarre run-in with a copyright-infringing web site owner who went crazy when I found that they'd illegally published one of my articles. But their extreme response taught me a valuable lesson that I now want to share with you. It's a lesson about making sure you keep your private information private - always. …

Getting Pooped Upon…and Six Other Reasons to Reject a Client By David Geer

Published on May 19, 2010

Editors and clients come and go who want too much for too little, have never before hired a writer, do not pay, or are otherwise too difficult for you to waste your time. By quickly recognizing and rejecting these people, you can move quickly on to customers who will pay handsomely and are a pleasure to work with. …

Building Your Construction Magazine Sales By John K. Borchardt

Published on May 12, 2010

Some construction magazines are benefiting from the federal government economic stimulus package. This is resulting in more opportunities for freelance writers. Government funding includes large sums for repairing and expanding the nation's infrastructure. Projects include repairing bridges and roads plus building new high-speed rail lines between cities and light rail commuter lines. Much of this activity is just starting. …

Why I’d Rather See My Book in a Public Library than a Large Bookstore By Stephanie Ann

Published on May 5, 2010

When I developed my marketing strategy for my book, The Cheap Diva's Guide to Frugal and Fabulous Living: How to Shop Smart, Look Your Best, Decorate with Style and Have Fun for Less Money!, I decided I was better off focusing on getting my book into public libraries than on the shelves of large bookstore chains. I am happy to have my book available through popular bookstores that want to order copies of the book one at a time for customers who have requested it, but I don't rely heavily on bookstores to sell my books. If every copy of the book doesn't sell quickly (without aggressive promotional efforts by the bookstore books by a not-so-famous author aren't likely to go flying out the door), bookstores more concerned about the bottom line that the brilliance of my prose might choose not to reorder my book in order to make room for newer titles. …

How to Determine if a Ghosting Project is Right for You By Ami Hendrickson

Published on April 28, 2010

Much of the work that keeps me busy as a full-time writer comes from ghostwriting and co-authoring. Being willing to ghost is what helped me make the jump from article writing to book authoring. Whenever I am faced with a potential project that will involve putting my words to work for someone else, I take the time to analyze it from several different vantage points. I essentially apply the following filter of "Six P's" to the project. These filters have served me well. If you are considering ghosting work, I suggest that you first answer the following questions... …

Food and Photography Can Equal Sales By Joan Airey

Published on April 7, 2010

Food and Photography Can Equal Sales By Joan Airey

Everyday projects can be used as new ideas for articles to sell, from house renovations to cooking meals for your family to photographs of everyday life on the farm or anywhere you live. …

Landing Local Web Copy Jobs By Lisa Tiffin

Published on March 24, 2010

It's been a lean year for many, but there is hope on the horizon. Many businesses are revising and reworking their Websites to stay current, gain relevance or grab a larger share of revenue. All of this can translate to dollars if you follow these tips to land Web copy jobs. …

How I Convinced a Potential Deadbeat to PAY UP! By Angie Garcia

Published on March 10, 2010

It all started in October, when I answered an ad for a freelance writer. I was to write articles and blog entries. The pay was alright, $75 for articles and $50 for blogs. The editor had me working daily; I was thrilled. She was full of praise over my pitches and articles, and made comments such as, "Work your magic." …

My Experience Of Traditional vs. Self Publishing By Mel Menzies

Published on March 3, 2010

Traditional publishing versus self-publishing is a big issue. I have experience with both. My first book was taken up by a mainstream publisher in 1983 and was swiftly followed by others. Within ten years I was "head-hunted" by Hodder and was commissioned to write several books. One of these, The Last Mountain, became a Sunday Times No. 4 bestseller. …

Kindle: Amazon’s Shooting Itself in the Foot By Charles W Orton

Published on February 24, 2010

In October 2002, Jim Wier, CEO of the Snapper lawn mower company, paid a visit to Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. Wal-Mart had been selling Snapper lawn mowers for three years, so Wier's reason for making the trek to Big Box Mecca wasn't to put on the usual dog-and-pony show that so many manufacturers reduce themselves to in an attempt to get the world's largest retailer to carry their products. His purpose was the exact opposite: Although his contract with Wal-Mart was worth tens of millions of dollars, he wanted to tell a Wal-Mart vice-president in person that Snapper would no longer sell its product through Wal-Mart. …

To Kindle Or Not To Kindle By George English

Published on February 17, 2010

Whenever a discussion about e-book formats comes up, it's a sure bet Amazon's Kindle will be mentioned. Because the Kindle is produced by the largest online book retailer, some seem particularly enthralled with it, and many have rushed to convert their manuscripts to Kindle format. But, being recognized does not mean being the biggest or necessarily the best, and since Amazon has refused to share sales statistics, consumers are left to speculate about its popularity, or lack thereof... …

Blogging For Money By Kelly Wilson

Published on February 10, 2010

I recently read an article that detailed how to make $30,000 annually by writing and maintaining a blog. Much of the article included abbreviations - like CPC and EPC, among others - that I still don't understand after two years of blogging on my own website. I'm not sure I want to understand what they mean. I got into blogging to write and market my work, not to be a corporate advertising portal. However, I do need to feed my family, and my chosen way to accomplish this necessary goal is to write for money. It turns out that you really can make money blogging. …

For What It’s Worth By Ami Hendrickson

Published on January 27, 2010

Talking about both time and money is difficult for many writers and other artists. The difficulty is not one that only newbies face. …

Tickler Files Increase Your Success By Robert Moskowitz

Published on January 20, 2010

There are many differences between successful and unsuccessful freelance writers that have nothing to do with their relative abilities to write. One of the most important is how well they manage the critical business functions that are essential to surviving in the writing game. …

Web Copy Writing Pays By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

Published on January 13, 2010

It's smart to stay nimble in the freelance writing business. When one revenue stream dries up, it helps to have another (and another!) to replace it. That's one reason I began writing corporate Web page copy. With strong demand, good pay and rapid turn-around, branching out into writing Web copy makes plenty of sense. …

Promoting Your Book with Twitter By Steff Green

Published on December 16, 2009

Promoting Your Book with Twitter By Steff Green

Twitters, Tweeters, Twits and Twitterers - whatever you choose to call them, the internet is abuzz with people using Twitter - the latest in social networking tools. Twitter functions like a micro-blog. You have 140 characters to write a post, or "tweet" and publish it on your twitter feed. You can follow other tweeter's feeds, and they can follow you. …

I Was Sucked Into Content Mill Writing By Anonymous

Published on December 9, 2009

I was sucked into content mill writing early on in the game. As a fairly new writer, I was eager to get my feet wet and several content mills were willing to let me take a dip in their pool. Being offered compensation for my work made me feel beyond elated, regardless of how little the compensation may have been. …

Blogging for Dollars By Julia Hayden

Published on December 2, 2009

Blogging has become standard operational management for local real estate agents. A recent Internet search engine request for "real estate+blogs" turned up more than a million listings. Firms now routinely maintain a blog as part of their website, attempting to attract the attention of people using search engines for information. The more often the blog is updated with fresh material, and the more frequently specific key words and phrases are used, the more readily that website and blog will turn up in results. A blog associated with a business serves as a kind of net to draw in viewers. As a side-effect, it also offers an opportunity for a freelance writer. …

Avoid Writing for Content Sites That Demand a Template! By Laura Bell

Published on November 24, 2009

Most of us think of a template as specific guides to where and how text will be laid out. It can also be anything that serves as a guide or pattern for any kind of materials. I went to dictionary.com to get this expanded definition. In this last experience it was strict adherence to a style sheet. …

SCRIBD.COM – Is Copyright Infringement Their Business Model and Are You a Victim, Too? By Wilfried F. Voss

Published on November 18, 2009

There has been a great deal of commotion about Google's controversial and potentially anti-competitive plans to digitalize millions of books, or the pricing war going on between Walmart, Target, and Amazon. It is surprising that only little attention has been paid to an even greater threat to authors and publishers by Scribd.com, a web site allowing the distribution of copyrighted documents, including digitalized versions of popular works such as J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard. …

How Free Will Some Freelancers Go? By Dawn Josephson

Published on November 11, 2009

I am so tired of perusing freelance job boards and sites only to see listings that insult me and should insult every other professional writer out there. Just the other day I was on what is supposed to be a reputable site for freelance opportunities, only to see someone advertising that they're seeking a freelancer to write their monthly newsletter. This is an ongoing assignment and they'd like 3-4 articles per newsletter, with each article being 4-5 paragraphs. And of course, they want "an experienced writer with a proven track record for results." The pay? $7 per newsletter. No, that's not a typo. I didn't mean to say "per article," although that too would be insulting. And I didn't forget a number or two... …

Out With Old Publishing, In With The New By Nick Usborne

Published on October 28, 2009

What we are witnessing today is the most dramatic fragmentation of the publishing industry to occur within the last 500 years. And when established industries fall apart, something has to rise out of the ashes. Both nature and business abhor a vacuum. As traditional publishing falls apart, a vacuum is being created. People still want to know the news, and they still want to find out how to get hold of a squirrel-proof bird feeder. …

Before You Sign That Publishing Contract…By Diane Craver

Published on October 21, 2009

I've had a few author friends complain recently about their traditional publishers. It's important to know as much as possible about your new publisher and what they will offer you before signing the contract. When you get the contract offer, your excitement might cloud your judgment. If the contract isn't going to work for you, then you need to turn it down. I had to do this a couple of times. It wasn't easy because I was anxious to have a publisher for my last two books. A sick feeling might be in your gut when you have to say no but you have to make a commitment to yourself and your career path. …

Cancer Survivor Living a Double Life! By Mary Beth Hall

Published on October 14, 2009

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, a very good friend went looking for a book to teach her how to help me through the cancer ordeal. She inquired in bookstores, went to the Internet, asked relatives and friends, and tried every avenue available in her quest for information. She came up empty handed each time. After a year of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, I sat down and wrote the book she was looking for. I titled it Lessons from a Bald Chick: How to Help Yourself or Someone You Know Through Cancer. …

Thinking Beyond The Book: How Authors Can Maximize Their Audience And Revenue With One Simple Change In Mindset By Melanie R. Jordan

Published on October 7, 2009

Thinking Beyond The Book: How Authors Can Maximize Their Audience And Revenue With One Simple Change In Mindset By Melanie R. Jordan

From the time I was a kid, all I wanted was to be a published author. I think I was strongly influenced by the Peanuts comic strip that had a recurring storyline where Snoopy was writing his "it was a dark and stormy night" book. I achieved my goal of becoming an author in 2001, but I didn't reach the level of success I had planned until I made one simple change in mindset a few years later. …

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