I don’t think I will make it to 50 K

I started off well in my pursuit of 50 K words, but then I had two large projects (paying ones) that I had  to complete. One was 40K on my new water storage book and the other was 5k on a weight loss manual. So between them, they sucked up 45K- not much time or energy to complete 50K of fiction- however, I will continue to write on that story as it is going well.

The Dead Bronte Society

 

Ok, maybe my standards are too high. Maybe my vision of what a bunch of writer’s meeting would look like may have been lofty and idealistic- but when I walked into Panera Bread tonight, what did I find? One adult and a bunch of adolescent girls. Really? This is the local NANOWRIMO write in?

I just could not bring myself to join the group. It would felt, I don’t know, creepy. So I ate my sandwich, drank my coffee, wrote some novel type words and listened.

“Who here has read Harry Potter?”

Hands raised. And no I am not kidding.

“Who cried when Dumbledore died?”

More hands raised- still not kidding.

My disappoint was vast, my writing was prolific, so I guess it balances out? Right?

Day #2

It is the second day of NANOWRIMO, and I have about 500 words. Not my best effort but I had a symphony rehearsal yesterday, although I did some writing before the first downbeat.

For me, when I am doing creative writing, handwriting it first flows so much better and then I will type it. The keyboard for some reason does not allow for my creative MOJO as much.

Tonight, I plan to go to meet some other local authors at Panera Bread in Lewisville. Log on to nanowrimo.org for more details.

I think I have a good start. We shall see.

NaNoWriMo is here

What is NaNoWriMo? It is National Novel Writing Month. It is the time aspiring writers write 50,000 words in a month in a type of online marathon. Everyone that completes the task is a winner.

 

The website is:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

 

Signing up is free and they offer support, a cool blog of famous writers and even a cool store (yeah I just bought the T-shirt and other gear.)

There is also a local group I intend to try out of other novelists doing the same thing. I was not too lucky with a writer’s critique group before, but I intend to remain optimistic.

I have a novel I have played around for awhile, but it is a new idea that I intend to write about- a first story account from a cat who solves crimes involving the paranormal. Sounds weird right? I wrote a short story involving this cat, and my wife says I just have to roll with it and create a full length novel with the cat as the title character. We shall see!

On other news- I will be teaching a class on getting your book published in February in Hickory NC. If anyone is interested it will be a full day event (I think $100 per person) and it should be informative and fun. If you are interested, feel free to contact me or watch for updates here.

That’s about it I suppose. I am thinking hard about a plot with a cat that talks to a gypsy fortune teller that can actually communicate with him.

Back in the Proverbial Saddle

It has been quite sometime since I have written on my blog, although I see that people are still coming to read my meanderings. So quick update:

 

How To Open & Operate A Financially Successful Personal and Executive Coaching Business: With Companion CD-ROM (co authored)

eBay Income: How ANYONE of Any Age, Location, and/or Background Can Build a Highly Profitable Online Business with eBay REVISED 2ND EDITION

 

Both of these books are supposed to hit bookshelves before the end of the year.

 

The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Hops, Malts, and Brewing Herbs: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply (Back-To-Basics)

This title I believe just came out this week. I need to verify that!

 

In the meantime I have been doing a ton of freelance work on Gluten Intolerance, NLP, Hypnosis, and real estate. Friends have told me that I need to go on Jeopardy with all of the information crammed in my head. I’d probably just freeze up and drool.

 

So my new book is:

 

The Complete Guide to Water Storage: How to Use Tanks, Ponds, and Other Water Storage for Household and Emergency Use

It is actually much more exciting than it sounds. I have a good friend working with me who is an expert, so we can drink homebrew and compare notes.

 

The other thing I have started is Book coaching. I will talk about how this started in a later Blog, because it is an interesting story and turn of events.

So if you are interested in having me look at your manuscript or need someone to help motivate you to write and help you along the way- I am your man- send me an email.

Writing sometimes sucks

I have been working hard to finish my current book on beer gardens. It is complete. At this stage the publisher, fact checks, checks for plagiarism, spelling, grammar and they will comment on content. They will then return my poor butchered manuscript back for corrections.

This is tough and sometimes it just sucks. No one likes criticism, especially writers. I have a good friend who is writing a book and she does not want me to read it because she is afraid I might criticize it.

My true feeling is that writers need ALL of the criticism they can get. it is was makes a perfect copy not only top publish but also to send around to get a publisher or agent in the first place. This process makes it more likely someone will read it, because I can tell you sometimes my grammar sucks. I need someone objective to look at my work and shred it to make it better and me a better writer in the future.

Elance Upgrade

I was a little shocked when I logged onto my account on Elance. For those of you that do not know what Elance.com is, it is a marketplace for buyers and freelancers to get together.

 

Buyers place jobs that freelancers bid and and then the buyer chooses the best candidate and the work begins. This is where I get at least half of my work from. Elance charges high fees for bidding credits and then they charge a fee when you get paid.

After a job is completed, the buyer (and freelancer) have the ability to leave feedback and a score. The average of the scores for the past six months, the number of jobs and even lifetime average used to be displayed with my name when I bid on jobs.

Now they have created a level system. It is too complicated to describe here, but it includes how quickly I am getting jobs done, my feedback scores, and so on.

One of the GREAT things is that they are now penalizing freelancers for low balling bids. This creates price erosion and I think it is a great addition. It helps the average freelancer to make a decent wage.

 

I have not mentioned coffee in awhile, but I just bought a new “kit” for my coffee press. it contains a stirrer (dog ate it, grrr), a glass beaker that is graduated, a cleaning spatula (dig out the grounds), and a four minute timer that attaches to the press. I cannot find it online, only in the stores. If you have a press it is a great kit.

This is the press I use. Click and buy one. They are durable and keep your coffee hot. They make about 4 regular sized cups of coffee at one time.

Not all Work is Worth It

As I look for freelance jobs, sometimes there are jobs that seem like they pay a lot, but when I read the fine print I find that there is much more to it.

 

A perfect example is a job that lists a fee range of $1200 for articles. That sounds like a nice pay day right?

Often these types of jobs will have you write 400 articles. Yes, I said 400. So now you are working for $3 per article. These must be 500 + words, with keywords, all original and all the rights go to the client. Now how lucrative does it seem? Always ask for details before agreeing to a job.

The other type of job that can be misleading are the jobs advertising for an eBook. The job says they will pay $1000 for it. There are two areas that I look at before agreeing to this type of job. If there are 30 pages, which is the average size of an eBook, then this is a great paying job. If however it is over 200 pages, then I will be doing a whole of of work for about $5 a page.

The second thing I look at are the terms of payment. If an eBook is to be drug out over 3 months, then I will be waiting a long time for a payment, which means that the client has no money and is planning on trying to sell the book, before paying me for it. Do not work this way. The likelihood of you ever getting paid is slim.

Look carefully at the jobs before you bid or accept them. It can save you time, which means more money in the bank.

 

Have an Inky day!

Find Other Work To Do

These past few weeks I am reminded why I need many skills to be able to continue as a freelance writer.

 

I am able to do a number of things in a pinch to continue the money flow when things slow down- and last month it was slow.

I use the skills I learn while doing my jobs. One of the greatest skills I learned was WEB 3.0- which essentially is using social media (blogs, Twitter and Facebook) as marketing tools. I have a number of clients that I increased their sales (and I got paid) by being able to upgrade what they had.

The other thing that I learned to do was set up accounts to sell books on Amazon and create Kindle books for sale on Amazon.

Everything I learn from creating articles and ebooks for clients I tuck away, because you never know when that information might pay the rent.

 

Have an inky day.

Finished the Next Part of the Beer Book

I sent in my next 20k words to the publisher Friday. May not sound like a lot but let me break it down for you.

350 words per page. So that is about 57 pages. I had about 9 days to do it, so it was about 6.3 pages a day. When you are creating a non fiction book you must do research and so while a little over 6 pages may not seem like a lot there is time to research, and then create things in a logical order that fits with what the rest of the chapter and book is about. There are considerations like placement of the information, illustrations or graphics that may go along with it, and defining new words both in the text of the chapter and as a word to place in the glossary. I have to update the table of contents, edit, re edit, proof, re edit, write a little bit more and edit, re edit, re edit, proof, re edit. You get the point.

So I am left with at best creating 1 page per hour of solid submitable work. In between I have to eat, walk the dog, communicate with other human beings and do other things that life requires. I end up working between 10-12 hours a day. This is not all at once, it is broken up between 7:30 AM- 11:00 PM or later.

This is not a post to complain, rather it is a testimony of the reality of making a living as a writer.

New Product- Speed Reading

My wife and I have been working hard with a world renowned speed reading instructor to create this new product called

11 minute Speed reading

It has been months in the making, but the result is an awesome product that costs less than $20. For that you get 4 books, 2 audios, and speed reading software. Try buying even one book these days for less than $20 let alone a whole system that helps you speed read in mere minutes.

These courses are used worldwide by over 100,000 students in several languages in many parts of the globe. We've researched just about every course ever written, printed, or computer-based and we've put them to the test.

On our main website, www.speedread.org we list the ones we've created (now there are over 30 of them) and some of the best courses from other developers that we found and trust.

We also have live seminars taught on weekends around the US and video seminars by America's leading speed reading instructor for your family, and your business.

Research: We did the research, 16 years of it, with successful results, and we are recognized throughout the world as the nation's leader in speed reading research and as an internet authority on the subject.

Dr Jay Polmar (Speed Reading Instructor) :

“It was early 1980, and I needed to complete my doctorate by late 1981. I had to support a family of four, while working 60 hours a week as an intern therapist. It was quite a task for me. But I did it by learning to accelerate my reading and learning skills.
By 1982, I redeveloped the techniques that worked for me and had them evaluated by school psychologists, principals, and reading teachers. Then, I went out and taught more than 8,000 students in Universities around the Continental U.S. and out to Hawaii.”

Records and analysis class by class demonstrated that students in live classes averaged a 311% improvement. We then shortened the courses for home study.

Later we created a new Readers' Digest type version, an ultra fast method, and students finished it in 28 minutes and doubled their reading speeds. In fact we did a test on three - 11 year old students from a New Mexico Junior High School and they finished our one hour course in 28 minutes flat. In 2004 we began creating the 11 minute program.

RESEARCHED FROM: 8,000 live students in classes!

There is not a person alive that cannot benefit from this system- you need to buy this product right now.

11 minute Speed Reading

Stage 2 of Beer Book

This is the stage things begin to fill in. (I have 15k words to write by next Thursday. say a Prayer for me!)

I am also seeking out people to participate in the book as case studies. I am looking for homebrewers, gardeners, and especially homebrewers that garden. So if you or someone you know fits one of these categories and you want to see you name in bold print in my book, please feel free to contact me at drjohnnd@hotmail.com.

I sent out a call on HARO. (Help a Reporter Out) I guest blogged on two sites (see my last two entries here for links). I will let you know the response!

 

Have an Inky day!

 

 

You can preorder on my site. Just click the book above!

Guest Blog

Please see my guest blog on Write It Sideways. It is about hiring through HARO.

 

 

http://writeitsideways.com/help-a-reporter-out-a-valuable-research-tool-for-writers/

Trains and Romantic Notions

It may seem like a romantic notion to be writing on a train. I have to admit that this is my first time out on Amtrak; my trip is taking me  from Raleigh, NC to Ft Lauderdale, FL. I am 8 hours into a 19 hour trip.

My assessment? I am sipping my Starbucks coffee of course. (All I had to do was ask for hot water and I was good to go!). It is 7 o'clock in the morning. I have one word- BUMPY. I guess I never thought about it, but rails are not completely even, and there was a bad storm last night so there is debris on the tracks. I made sleeping in seat that is much like and airplane seat rather tricky.

I am sitting in the lounge car, which is not bad. They have outlets so my electronic devices, such as this computer will not run out of power anytime soon.

So maybe I can get a little work done, who knows. There is no Internet, so I am actually writing this to be posted in the future. ( at least I will not be distracted right?)

The sun is coming up and people are waking up. I have secured my spot and I have high hopes of what I can produce in the next 10 hours.

Have an inky day.

Guest Blog

today I have a guest blog at http://loriwidmer.blogspot.com/. It is about how to find sources to interview for a book or article. Check it out!

One of the contributors to last wine book, Pablo Solomon.

 

I received a terrific email from one the contributors to my 101 Recipes for Making Wild Wines at Home: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Herbs, Fruits, and Flowers. This is Pablo Solomon, Internationally known artist, designer and yes wine lover. Thanks Pablo! Here is a link to his site. http://pablosolomon.com/

Book Tour Dot Com

I found this site because I was looking for ways to promote my upcoming books. There are a number of sites in which you will spend a lot of money to do virtual tours. I am not sure I am there yet.

This site-www.booktour.com has two main functions. First it allows you to look up an author or geographic area to see who is doing book tours. The caveat here is that only tours that are listed are the ones that authors or their publishers post on the site.

The other part is authors. You can plug in your book, put down when you want to do a tour and in what area and a number of places appear that would be potential places for book tour. A template appears after you choose the places you are interested in and you write a letter to each of these venues through booktour.com. Then you wait to see if any of the venues are interested. I am still waiting, so I will let you know. Here is a LA Times story about a couple that did their own book tour. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/07/entertainment/la-ca-book-tour7-2010mar07?pg=3. This is important to think about as an author because less and less publishers are sending authors on book tours unless you are a big name. The smaller publishing houses like mine just di not have the funds- so I have to be creative.

I recently did an interview for another blog- http://www.nonfictionink.com/. Check it out and leave a comment. Look around- its a pretty cool blog.

Observations about Hair and Beards

I am never one to do things in order- so when I got my new license in the mail today and looked at myself in the mirror I mused whether I had some unknown writer’s affliction.

Back up two weeks-

I looked at my license- it expired two months ago on my birthday. How could I have forgotten, it was on my birthday. My big 4-0. I had not forgotten, I had procrastinated. I would have moments of clarity during my writing sessions in which I thought- you know I should really get my licensed renewed. The next thought- I have a deadline tomorrow on chapter 3. The license went to the “not as important as writing” file.

So two weeks ago- I had a free afternoon. At least I made it a free afternoon. I got ready and looked in the mirror. Sasquatch was looking back. Hair 2 months overdue for a haircut-check.  Beard and mustache totally out of control-check. It was the perfect day for a license picture.

I arrived at the jammed packed license office and was handed  my number- 645. Yeah I was going to be there awhile, and I was totally unprepared.

The sign at the desk caught my eye- checks or cash only. Crap. I took my chances and  left came back with my $20. After yet another 30 minutes I took the relatively simple signs test. ( I admit I cheated. They have this machine you look in and have to identify blank road signs. Was I supposed to study? For God’s sake there were 16 year olds all around rattling them off. WAIT- there were teens that had studied proudly yelling out the answers. I did what any 40 old scary monkey man struggling writer would do- I repeated what what the nearest teen said. 100 percent pass, Genius) So the woman held out her hand- $32 please. What? Crap- I ran to the bank again, and back.

I paid- sat, took picture. They are now apparently mailing them. So I waited a couple weeks. What did I do in the meantime? Well a hair cut and beard trim of course.

I literally sit in sleep pants for days- with coffee as my only companion. Who really sees me? Days turn into weeks into months. I eat, I make love, I sleep and start over again. Am I the only one afflicted with this almost antisocial affliction? Does Neil Gaiman look all hairy and scary after a book? Was he the number suspect after a sighting of the wolfman upon the completion of Coraline?

Please ring in this one. Or is this blog just part of my daily delusion of reality that writing lures me into with promises of making it big and someday actually driving a car in which I might need a license for?

Been busy

I have not been keeping up here. I have been working on a Tinnitus project, 2 marketing projects, beer book (with the publisher for editing), wine articles, law of attraction articles, and a book on natural health.

This has kept me slammed packed. One of the issues that has come up is one I wanted to share. I have a client that I did not require a deposit from because they were highly recommended and top in their field.

I wish I had not done this because now, the project is at a standstill. I have no money from it, but plenty of billable hours. They really do not know what they want, and they do not communicate very often. Their line of work keeps them busy, but I am busy too.

So I had a dream about this and have learned to follow my gut and intuition:

I was online chatting with the client- I could talk and type. (we were on Skype). I told the client that they were too attached to the older version of the book (this job was to update the book). I told them that he needed to let it go.

He responded that the book was still selling a little. (trickle). I told the client fine, then allow me to create a brand new book with the most updated information available.

At this point a lot of other people got online in the chat and were all talking at once. I told him this was part of the problem as we could no longer communicate clearly. I told him that he needed to just allow me to create the new book and not listen to all of the other chatter. He agreed and the chattering stopped.

So I wrote him a letter today outlining my concerns, the need for a deposit and my thoughts on creating a new book for him. I have not heard back yet, so we will see.

Time to relax with some coffee and get typing!

Learn while your write

One of the things I like about being a freelance writer is that I get to learn about many different subjects as I research them. I am actually getting paid to learn.

One of the bigger projects I am working on is PR writing and placing items on Amazon and Kindle. I have totally become an expert in those fields and I got paid to learn them. Now I am using those skills to make extra money- I am putting other people’s books on Kindle and Amazon and I am using the skills in PR writing and marketing to start new websites for passive income. It is a win- win situation. What is your experience with learning a new skill while you write?

 

Weaving a Book

I mentioned earlier that I am working with two life/executive coaches on a book that deals with shifting your focus to a more holistic view of success. They are the thread, I am the weaver.

Every week we meet on Skype- which is wonderful because we can all talk for free from anywhere. We use Google docs to manipulate what we are working on because we can update and add to it in real time.

I am the pusher, the motivator, the focuser. They are the creators, the collaborators and really the experts. It is fun and for the most part a productive set up.

One of the things we discussed early on was our roles in the book, and even more importantly the business part. By this I mean we came up with what each person would be contributing and what part of the proceeds we would receive once the book is published. This is SO important, because if these things are not hammered out early on, it can really become a problem and even destroy a project later on.

Take the time and WRITE it out. Do not rely on just verbal agreements, because if you are like me, what I said yesterday and even last week may be replaced with other things I cram into my head on a daily basis.

There are so many exciting parts about this process and book, that I will share them through the coming weeks. However, if you want to know what is actually in the book- then I encourage you to buy a copy!

I love my readers

One of the readers of this blog asked me if she could print out my blog posts or was I using as parts of an upcoming book. To that I thank the reader- but alas no there is no book idea yet.

But the question inspired me to write this post. If you are serious about getting an article, short story or book published- resist the temptation of placing it on a blog or website. Many magazine and book publishers will not touch work that has been posted publically on a website. The reasons are various but many of them surround copyright issues. So resist the temptation unless you have no intention of publishing the piece anywhere else.

You can express that you are working on a project or what some of the ideas that are contained in it, or even the process you are going through to create- but the work itself should stay with you until you are ready to approach someone to publish it.

 

Have an inky day!

 

Check out this resource.

 

Word Counter

Many of my jobs require that I write a certain amount of words. Here is a cool little app. that can help you with this.

 

http://allfreelancewriting.com/wordcount-tracker/

 

Look around, they also have an advanced version.

 

LiveJournal Tags: word counter,writing,books

Getting that next job

I never sit idle and wait for the next job to come after completing a project. I stack them up and so when I complete one project, I already have the next one waiting.

I spend time each day looking for new projects. I do this in a few different ways:

1. Contact old clients with a friendly email to remind them i am still out there. This works a lot of the time.

2. Look on job boards. The one I use the most and have had the best luck with is Elance.com. Even though there is a monthly fee, the quality of the clients and the customer service when you need assistance cannot be beat.

3. Go through my list of topics I want to write about and send out query letters to magazines and publishers.

I work on this everyday, and I have kept a full time job of freelance writing going for almost three years. Trust me, don’t wait and have lag time unless you are independently wealthy.

Time management

Ok so here I am bloggin’ instead of writing on my book, but I needed to say that time management is very important.

I have come to the conclusion that I may be slightly ADD as I am extremely distractible. I have shut off twitter, Facebook and email to get real work done. I have to take breaks every hour and shift gears and shift back, but I can only sustain about 6 hours a day of solid writing time and that is a productive day.

I do find when I drink coffee I can stay focused longer. I also do better first thing the morning and then my production starts to waver about 3:00 PM. So I plan and pace myself.

My suggestion is to take a stop watch and time how many minutes a day you are actually typing. Do this for a few days- just hit the timer when you are typing, and when you go on to something else stop the time. See what your productivity is like and remove things that are sucking your time.

I qualify blogging as writing as it helps me focus on what I am doing and how to do it better.

LiveJournal Tags: writing,time management,coffee,starbucks,writers digest,freelance

Explorer - On the Beer Trail in Vietnam - NYTimes.com

As I am creating my beer book, I will hope share interesting information as I come across it!

 

Explorer - On the Beer Trail in Vietnam - NYTimes.com

Roll with it

LiveJournal Tags: coffee,book,publisher,editor,coautor,cinnamon dolce latte,starbucks,coaching,executive coaching

I recently finished writing a book that was actually my second run with it. This has been going on for two years and encompassed 2 contracts and a multitude of editors.

So I got the message after turning in the final manuscript that the publisher has decided that they wanted more from the book and decided to hire another to co author the book.

I thought about it. I was going to get paid the same and my name was going to be on the book. I did however stipulate that I wanted to actually look at the book before it went to print. If my name was going on it, I wanted to make sure that it in some way resembled something I would have written, and they happily agreed.

So I rolled with it, and did not get upset or angry, because I want to do future work with this publisher and in the end I still got out of it what I wanted and am hopeful that the book will be even more improved with a co author and be a smashing success.

Since now you know I am a total coffee addict I wanted to add that I am trying desperately to find the right combination of coffee, milk and syrup to make my own cinnamon dolce latte at home. Any suggestions?

Be careful of the fine print

I am working on some articles about winemaking, but remembered my contract for my two wine books that states I need permission to write about similar subjects. I did get permission, but it is very important that you read your contract carefully.

 

If there is something you do not agree on, deal with it up front and negotiate the contract before signing it. Once it is signed it takes a lot to get it changed, if you are able to change it at all.

But do not play ignorant and count on no one catching you, because they will. In these days of Internet communication, news travels fast. Look at this link below about an artist.

http://hidenseek.typepad.com/come_out_come_out/2010/02/cannot-chase-paperchase.html

Freelance Writing Rate Calculator - Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator | All Freelance Writing

 

Freelance Writing Rate Calculator - Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator | All Freelance Writing

I thought this was a very cool calculator. I can put in how much I want to make, how many hours in a day I want to write, and even how many vacation days I want a year and it calculates how much money I should be charging per hour for my work. The good thing is that I was only .75 cents off from what I really do charge. Check it out.

LiveJournal Tags: writing,freelance,cacluator,hourly,rate

 

 

 Freelance Writing Rate Calculator - Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator | All Freelance Writing

Wine Book Coming out soon!!

Here is the next book coming out- I do not have a definitive date yet. My favorite part of this book was an interview with John Langley. He was the producer of the show COPS and a number of other police themed shows and he has also down some films. (TIPTOES is my favorite.)

He was extremely nice and humorous. He has a winery down in Argentina called Urraca Wines. I got some samples to try that were out of this world. He runs this winery with his children, and is utilizing a award winning local vintner and wine maker that is familiar with the grapes that are grown in the region.

Urraca is the name for a magpie, which is a name John’s wife gave to him.

His wines can be bought through distributors or online through his website. If I had to pick a favorite it would be the Familia Langley Reserva. It is a blend of a Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet, and a Cabernet Franc. It is great with a red sauce pasta, and reminds me a good Merlot. It is heavy in the berry and grape tastes.

Try the wine, order the book and read the interview. (click the book above).

del.icio.us Tags: winemaking,wine,John Langley,Urraca,Atlantic publishing,new book,how to make wine

This is what Happens

When you buy your wife Cinnamon Syrup for her coffee, you may end up with this!

Visit her blog to find out more about her creation-http://itsakettleoffish.blogspot.com/

 

and then buy some for yourself. Now some people say that you can buy the syrup at the store – BUT you do not get the free pump.

Writing Gifts Part 3

Ok so some sales and coupons have come my way. If you missed out on giving your writer something cool for Valentine’s day- check these out. I know I will! (Are you seeing this honey!)

Save up to 50% on Beautiful Cross Fine Pens during our Winter Clearance Event. Free Shipping on $50+.

Save 20% and get a free $35 Weekender Wallet with the purchase of a Johnston & Murphy Business Case.

Business & Laptop Case Winter Sale. Save up to 73% on Top Brands- Kenneth Cole, Zero Haliburton, McKlein, Siamod and more!

Save up to 70% on Top Brand Leather Writing Pads and Covers. Shop the Winter Clearance Sale at Executive Essentials.

These Waterford Fine Pens are Now on Clearance up to 50% off. Plus Get Free Shipping on $50+ at Executive Essentials.

This is the Best Time to Own or Gift a Historic Faber-Castell Pen. Save 20% with code Faber20 Plus Get Free Shipping on $50+

Copywrite vs Copyright

Some people are confused by these terms. There is the word COPYRIGHT which means you are reserving the rights to something- like a book or even music.

 

Copywriting- is the process of writing copy. This is writing words to that can promote a person, idea or business. This can take the form of advertisements, emails, brochures and even websites.

 

I do a bit of copywriting for clients wanting to promote their new books or small businesses. I write a lot of sales copy and content for websites. These are very lucrative jobs that are often quick to do and pay a lot more than magazine articles of ghost writing books.

Below are some books you can click if you are interested in Copywriting.

 

 

Traditional Magazine Freelancing

The boards are abuzz with magazines closing left and right. This has freelance writers very nervous. In addition, the magazines that are left are holding payments, killing articles or they are not hiring anyone, because there just is not any money.

People are talking about getting $1 a word. Depending on the size of the article, this is may could mean a payment of between $200 maybe up to $1500. That may sound great until you consider that most magazine pay much less than a $1 a word and some writers are waiting months or never getting paid.

Freelance writers, like myself, have to adapt. It is the Internet where the real money is these days. I get all of my jobs from the Internet through sites and word of mouth. I write books, eBooks, ghost write, create articles, and the lists go on. I have clients all over the world.

To those troopers trying to hold onto the dream of making a living as a magazine writer- it is time to adapt or find a new line of work. The days of the paper magazines are limited indeed.

del.icio.us Tags: writing,freelance,magazine writing

 

Writing Gifts Part 1

So Valentine’s day has come and gone and there are some other holidays coming up like Easter, ect… So what are good gifts to get the writer in your life.

 

Well if you are like me – anything coffee

mugs

travel cups

flavored syrup

Coffee beans

Coffee Grinder

Coffee Press