Articles

When Snobby Authors Pretend to Be Traditionally Published By Forthcoming Fred

Published on July 23, 2008

I belong to a very active writer's association that oversees and sponsors a number of writing groups and workshops in the area. My involvement in the local group has been limited in recent months, only attending meetings when a guest speaker visits to discuss a topic of specific interest to me. This may sound a bit selfish, but I prefer to avoid a handful of pompous, published blowhards whenever possible. Recently I discovered a little secret about a pair of these folks that could send both of them rushing off to therapy, but no names or associations will be mentioned. …

Profiting from Pets: Writing for Animal Magazines By John K. Borchardt

Published on July 16, 2008

Profiting from Pets: Writing for Animal Magazines By John K. Borchardt

Animal magazines target pet owners and animal businesses and cover a wide spectrum of animals and topics. These range from common pets such as dogs (Bark, Dog Fancy, etc.) and cats (Cat Fancy, I Love Cats, etc.), to fish (Aquarium Fish International, Tropical Fish Hobbyist), to less usual pets (Reptiles, Miniature Donkey Journal) to quite large animals (The Horse, Equus, etc.). Some magazines note in their guidelines they are not pet magazines but are intended for people breeding and selling animals. …

Getting Started With Grant Writing By Marjorie Asturias-Lochlaer

Published on July 2, 2008

Grant writing can be a lucrative side business for freelancers seeking to supplement their income. Be forewarned, though: this isn't just a matter of slapping together a few words about how great a particular agency is. Today's donors are an especially savvy lot, with many demanding more measures of accountability than mere feel-good anecdotes. …

Media Kits: Perusing for Profit By Christine Venzon

Published on June 25, 2008

As writers, we naturally check a market's writer's guidelines before submitting material. And they usually answer all our questions regarding content, story length, and (ahem) payment. But not every publication is so kind as to share its guidelines on its website, or even for the asking. Even when it does, you may need more information to fine-tune a query or decide between one market and another. It could even be a new venue, without a stack of back issues or archives to read as market research. Writers are members of the media. Why not check the publication's media kit? …

NEW SALES FOR AN OLD BOOK: How to Breathe Life into Your Book By Mara Reid Rogers

Published on June 11, 2008

"I just sent your Press Release out to over 500 Editors by email a couple of minutes ago. Within three minutes of doing so, I have been getting requests for review copies every minute since." Wouldn't any Author LOVE to hear those words? And those words from a BIG Publisher? Yes! Any Author would. And I did, just last week. …

Follow the Money By Shaunna Privratsky

Published on May 28, 2008

Do you want your writing career to flourish? Then follow the money. This may sound shocking to the purists out there that believe writing is solely a creative expression. Yes; writing should fill you with joy and fulfillment. Yet I know we all believe in being rewarded for hard work and commitment.... …

How to Cash in on Crafts By Ruth Schiffmann

Published on May 21, 2008

How to Cash in on Crafts By Ruth Schiffmann

Down time, we all have it, whether it's a lull between major projects or the quiet before a creative storm. The next time that eerie silence stalls your productivity, turn your energies in a new direction and get ready for the winds of creativity to start blowing. While selling your original craft ideas won't land you in a monetary windfall, with a small investment of time you can punch out a project with the potential for a nifty little return. …

Want to Write a Travel Guidebook? By Barbara Hudgins

Published on May 14, 2008

So you've decided to write a travel guidebook! Perhaps you are a travel writer with a sheaf of articles about your trip to Australia and you feel you have a good enough angle to support a full book. Perhaps you're a travel editor who is fed up with the books coming across your desk since you feel none of them have really brought the reality of the place home. Or you could be an outdoor editor who notices there are more and more inquiries about mountain biking in your area but there is no guidebook on the subject. Of course you may not be a writer at all... …

When Audience Questions Come From Left Field, Get Ready To Catch! By Juliann Wetz

Published on April 30, 2008

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

Published on April 23, 2008

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... …

Fill’er Up! – Paying Filler Markets By Jacquie McTaggart

Published on March 19, 2008

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

Published on March 12, 2008

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

Published on March 5, 2008

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

Published on February 27, 2008

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

Published on February 20, 2008

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

Published on February 13, 2008

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

Published on February 6, 2008

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. …

Ghostwriting: Know Your Clients By Rich Mintzer

Published on January 16, 2008

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

Published on January 9, 2008

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

Published on January 2, 2008

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

Published on December 26, 2007

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

Published on December 19, 2007

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

Published on December 12, 2007

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. …

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