You’ve read the ads, same as I have. They go something like:

“We are looking for a freelance content writer who can start immediately. Our monthly requirements are more than 500 articles and we need 20 articles per day. We are ready to pay $1 per article of 400 words.”

I wish I were exaggerating but, the truth is, I found the above ad online just yesterday. Even if you could knock out one article every 20 minutes, that’s a full day’s work for a whopping 20 bucks—less than $3.00 an hour. If you live in the U.S., that $500 monthly income for freelancing won’t pay the rent for more than a cobwebbed cubby hole in your parent’s basement with your regular meals coming from the drive up window at a fast food restaurant.  No, wait. You’d need to have a car and pay for gas to get there. Better plan on doing a lot of walking.

So, what is a freelance writer to do? Read the rest of this entry

Lately, I have had a surge of requests to write book proposals. While self-publishing continues to be a growing trend, there remains a strong market to write proposals for people who do not want to be in the book publishing business. They want to avoid dealing with the business end of producing a book or paying the layer upon layer of costs associated with self publishing like book design, page layout, establishing a publishing identity and securing ISBNs, printers and distribution outlets. It’s true that it is difficult to get an agent or publisher’s attention, but there is a protocol to writing a book proposal that, once you know it, significantly increases your chances of finding a traditional publisher.

Whether you write a proposal for a client or for a book of your own, knowing exactly what to include and how to approach agents and publishers will dramatically increase the chances of your book idea being taken seriously—and getting published. Here a few secrets to writing a winning book proposal: Read the rest of this entry

I know very few writers who consider themselves great marketers. Even some of the really great copywriters I know can produce a whiz-bang marketing campaign to attract buyers and clients for their customers, but are lousy at attracting new business for themselves. Here is an easy, simple, and subtle tool for marketing your writing services or business:  Read the rest of this entry

There are three things successful writers must do to get new or more writing projects from existing clients. Nearly all writers do the first one. The majority do the second. But about 90% don’t even have the third one on their to-do list. Here is your three-pronged tip sheet to ignite a spark for more writing projects: Read the rest of this entry

I often tout the profit potential of niche writing—specializing in a specific topic or type of writing—but I have to admit that the lesson for me was learned and recognized only in retrospect. Here’s the short version:

I worked in the marketing department for an automotive parts manufacturer. I wrote the employee newsletter, sales presentations, employee policies manual and technical reports. I eventually helped write copy for ads and brochures. For eight years, I wrote “all manufacturing, all the time” including pieces on machining, prototypes, and CAD capabilities. I helped get articles placed into manufacturing-related magazines and bylined a few in both regional and national publications. When I left the manufacturing company and started freelancing a few years later, I thought I could also leave behind the manufacturing writing and realign my sights on new and more exciting topics. And therein lies the lesson: Read the rest of this entry