Writing Green to Make the Green By Susan Sundwall
Even though the calendar says its spring, I'm sitting here at my keyboard next to a window watching the snow come down…
Articles
When Audience Questions Come From Left Field, Get Ready To Catch! By Juliann Wetz
Public speaking - book talks - author readings. If you're lucky, you'll get the chance to showcase your writing in a public forum. What a thrill and boost to the ego it is to stand in front of a group of people who are hanging on your every word; people who spend their free time immersing themselves in your thoughts, ideas and expressions. …
Earn Extraordinary Income Writing Web Sites By Karen Di Prima
Writers know that nothing can match the thrill of seeing your words printed and bound between the pages of a national glossy, or better yet, perched on a bookshelf in a full-color wrapper. Unfortunately, for many of us, those experiences - and the resulting financial rewards - are few and far between... …
Increase Your Web Writing Gigs by 50% or More with These 6 Simple Tips By Rebecca Jacoby
Frustrated because you aren't receiving your share of web writing work from sites like Craigslist.org, Getafreelancer.com and others? Try making some modifications to how you sell yourself. Your assignments could improve substantially if you follow the tips below... …
Writing about Home and Garden: Paying “Shelter” Markets By Kelly James-Enger
Whether your home is a showplace or you're simply the king of DIY (do-it-yourself), an interest in decor, gardening or home repair can net you assignments from the lucrative "shelter" market... …
Science Writing: A Lucrative Niche (with Paying Markets) By John K. Borchardt
Science writing is not about writing glittering prose. It's about clearly explaining scientific discoveries to your readers. Many of my 1,100 published articles are science stories. …
Multiply Profits with Advertising/Editorial (Advertorial) Columns By Kay Kennedy
One of my favorite and most profitable writing ventures has been producing short weekly newspaper columns for business owners and professionals... …
Fill’er Up! – Paying Filler Markets By Jacquie McTaggart
Does "one hour of writing time can increase your weekly income by at least $150" sound like a lyric from The Impossible Dream? Well, it isn't - not if you write fillers. Writing fillers is an excellent way for beginners to break into print, or for established writers to boost their income. …
The Mathematics of Freelancing: What’s Your Hourly Rate? By Rich Mintzer
As I sat completing an article for $700, I realized that it had only taken me seven hours to write, or a hefty $100 per hour. Later that day, following an editor's notes, I completed a $100 article, which had also taken me seven hours, or a not so hefty $14.29 per hour. After reprimanding myself for taking on the assignment, I once again recalled my promise to no longer take on those poor hourly rate projects unless there was the potential of something much bigger and better to follow... …
Reading Your Work Aloud By Eric D. Goodman
In many cases, writers tend to be introverts. We sit in solitude, our most beloved companions of the workday being our computers and coffee, laptops and latte. Our playmates are pens, pencils, and paper... …
Secret Marketing Tips for Your Book By Scott Rose
If you think I'm trying to hit you over the head with sarcastic, ironic subtlety regarding the use of keywords in online book promotion, don't think again! And sometime, you'll simply have to ask me about my recipe for key(word) lime pie. Book book book. Secret secret secret... …
Magazines That Pay for Letters and More By Ann Goldberg
I recently received a check for $150 for a 90-word letter and a photograph in a British magazine. It's the best payment I have ever received, for one article but I regularly receive checks for between $40 - $100 for letters and tips I send to publications... …
Why Beginning Writers Need an Editor By Rickey E. Pittman
One of the most satisfying moments in a new writer's life occurs when a book-length manuscript is finished. This is usually followed by a moment of tension, perhaps bordering on horror, as the writer ponders about how to get it published. …
How Writers Can Score Press Trips By Roy A. Barnes
For writers, the challenge of taking trips and hoping to recoup the cost of their expenses with sales of their articles is very daunting indeed. Writers can save much if not all of their expenses (and thus, net more from their writing while getting new ideas) when they participate in group or individual press trips (also called FAM {for Familiarization} Trips), where the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) of a city or region (or the Public Relations firm who handles their account) pays some or all of the writer's trip expenses, like air, hotel, attraction fees, and meals, or gets the local venues to "comp (make it complimentary)" the charges. These organizations do this to encourage writers to write about the sights and activities they are proud of and want the world to know about via the travel articles they hope to see published. …
Book Videos Sell Books: How to Make Them By Diane Craver
The latest way to promote your book is with a video. Book Trailer …
Crank Up That Computer – Virtual Book Tours Are Here to Stay By C. Hope Clark
You stand by your table, book in hand, smiling at the mother dragging a toddler as she walks into the bookstore. She smiles and moves to the children's section. She's in no mood to chat about a grown-up book. Then a teen strolls by, sees you wrote a mystery and turns away …
Ghostwriting: Know Your Clients By Rich Mintzer
The concept of ghostwriting makes perfect sense. It allows for those who have expertise in an area, but are not the most proficient writers, to express themselves in well honed, well written books and articles. It also allows for writers to make money behind the strengths of well known names, since celebrities and experts can sell books based on their name recognition and, or, expertise in a field. …
AFTER THE LEAP: 10 Ideas For The New Full-Time Writer By Melanie Bowden
Last June, I took the plunge. After eight years of freelancing part-time, I chose to pursue a full-time writing career. Was I nervous? You bet. Has it worked out? Better than I ever hoped. The following are tips I've learned along the way, with additional advice from successful full-timers... …
Go Beyond Editorial: Make Advertorials Among Your Best-Paying Gigs! By Nicole Rollender
If you're a die-hard editor, journalist or freelance writer, chances are you balk at the word "advertorial." You know what basic advertorials are - they're either a full page or half page of promotional copy facing a full-page ad or sitting over a half-page ad. You may feel like you're a sell-out if you're writing marketing or public relations copy, but guess what? Advertorial writing fees can really add up for you. …
Breaking into Business Magazines and Newspapers By John K. Borchardt
How can you improve your chances breaking into highly competitive national business publications such as "Fortune," "Forbes" and "Business Week"? These magazines require their freelancers to have business writing experience. How can you get those all-important business article clips to persuade national business magazine editors to give you an assignment? Writing for local and regional business publications can enable you to get these precious clips and the needed experience. …
Do You Have a Purpose and Platform in Place? By Patricia L. Fry
Most of us, the first time around the publishing block, have a clear vision of life as an author. We see ourselves holding our new books in one hand while raking in thousands of dollars in royalties or profits with the other. What a shock to discover that your wonderful book - the manuscript into which you poured your heart and soul - isn't flying off of bookstores shelves into the hands of eager readers. The fact is that you may not even find it in bookstores at all. …
BOOK CONTESTS – IMAGE MAKERS By C. Hope Clark
Contests are everywhere for short stories, poetry and essays. One almost has to wrack his brain to name others. But to a novelist or book-length author, such competitions are rare; for self-published writers they are practically nonexistent. Everyone knows that using "award-winning" after one's name may make someone take notice. But where does one find book contests? Not many people award self-publishing authors, but the few that do, do it quite well. …
Unfinished Manuscripts: Training Tips By Cyn Mobley
"You're not done with that book yet?" My husband's voice was less than patient. I'd been regaling him with the difficulties of finishing The Last Casualty. I'd been working on the book for five years, on and off, and it simply refused to get written. As frustrating as it was to him to hear about my lack of progress, it was infinitely more painful for me. After all, I wasn't a novice. By that time, I'd had ten books published by major New York publishers, including a few on the USA Today bestseller list. I had four more books under contract... …
How NOT to Waste Money & Time When Promoting your Book By Marion Cuba
When I self-published my historical novel, SHANGHAI LEGACY, many things I did to promote it WERE very successful. In fact, I've sold many books, spoken many places, and continue to. But my bottom line - both in time and money - does not completely reflect that (yet!). Here is what I would NOT have done. …
Give Thanks for your Writing By Eric D. Goodman
Sometimes we become so consumed by the writing tasks we have in front of us that we forget to celebrate the jobs well done. Taking a moment to reflect on what you've accomplished isn't a time waster. In fact, a new book indicates that it can help you. …
The Easy Way to Publishing Success By Patricia Fry
So you've finished your first novel (your memoir or a nonfiction or children's book) and you're seeking publication. You're ready to leave the solitude of your writing den and make yourself known in the publishing community. It shouldn't take long to snag a publisher. You've certainly worked hard on your book. And every relative and friend who has read it gives it a thumbs up. The hard part is over, right? It's down hill from here, isn't it? As the title of this article indicates, getting published is easy. Success is just a few decisions away. …
Letters of Introduction – A Profitable Alternatives to Queries By John K. Borchardt
Letters of introduction can be a powerful tool to increase freelancing income. Sometimes letters of introduction (LOIs) are an effective alternative to conventional query letters. One LOI, which I wrote last April to a custom publisher, resulted in four assignments for a total of $11,000... …
Write a book to promote a book. How’s that for irony? By Douglas Arias
It is a well known and widely accepted fact that ebooks - FREE ebooks - are one of the best weapons in a viral marketing campaign arsenal. Viral marketing is a marketing technique, similar to the spread of an epidemic, that reaches others through word of mouth to increase brand consciousness. Think about how a virus spreads from one person to another. One person gets sick and just by sneezing they can give the virus to many more people. Those people get sick and share their germs with everyone they know and come into contact with. Next thing you know, it's an epidemic. That is the very concept of viral marketing. …
Your Book Promotion Plan: One Size Does Not Fit All By Patricia Fry
As you enter into the world of publishing, you may ask experienced authors, "How do you promote a book?" or "What's the best way to promote a book?" When someone asks me that question, I typically answer, "It depends on the book and it depends on you." Anyone who responds differently could be leading you astray. …
That Only Happens to Other People! – When Tragedy Affects a Writer’s Livelihood By Karen Carver
"What if" you were in an accident or came home from the military missing one or both hands? "What if" you were diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Parkinson's Disease, Diabetes, or Multiple Sclerosis? And what if you were a worker who made his or her living solely from writing or data entry? What if an accident or disease were to dramatically affect or possibly cut you off from doing what you love - writing? And what about that loss of income? …
Paying Hunting and Fishing Markets By David Berlin
Magazines for hunters and fishermen have been around in North America for about as long as modern magazines have been around in North America, that is to say, a long time, since the 1850s-1870s or so. Hunting for whitetail, mule deer, elk, and wild turkey and fishing for trout, steelhead, bass, striper and marlin in saltwater was how landowners of that era fed their families. In the 20th century, sportfishing became popular and saltwater fly fishermen would fish for bonefish in the flats in Florida and the Caribbean. The bounty of the land has always been relatively plentiful, and many people still live off it to some degree, and a LOT of magazines cater to these folks. Learn to write for these mags and you've got some good, steady paychecks coming your way. …
Agents You Don’t Want By Melissa Mayntz
Novice writers often assume that if any agent agrees to review or represent their work, they have automatically entered the harrowing yet rewarding world of publication. In fact, however, there are many unscrupulous agents who seek to take advantage of unwary writers or who simply aren't familiar enough with the publishing world to do justice to a writer's work. Every writer should be familiar with these warning signs to avoid agents that may put their work six feet under instead of in a publisher's hands. …
How to Collect From a Deadbeat Company By Ben Paid
Freelancing was one of the most rewarding challenges I've faced in my career. I loved working for myself, in the comfort of my own home, where I had the advantage of selecting my own work, clients, schedule and pay rates. I'm back working for someone else now but I will always remember my freelance career with fond memories - save one... …