This past week I was awarded a book project from a new client. I live in Minnesota, the client lives in Washington. We have never met. We have no mutual acquaintance or colleague who connected us. Neither of us had heard of the other. My proposal for her book project was one of 27 she received. Yet, when she contacted me to discuss the project and ended the conversation by giving me the assignment, she told me there was ONE thing I did that none of the other respondents bothered to do. It got her to pick up the phone and RUSH to hire me before I was offered another project. What was that one thing? Read the rest of this entry

Can you get your book published by a traditional publishing house without using an agent? The short answer is, “yes”…but both your chances and potential profits will be smaller.

Wait a minute… profits would be smaller?

How can using a “middle man” who takes a cut of your book deal actually make you more money?

If you are an author new to the publishing game, here are a few things you need to know about getting published with—and without—an agent. Read the rest of this entry

As a freelance writer, you are asked—and expected—to be able to write a variety of materials, ranging from buzz-word laden sales sheets, to customer-attracting direct mail, to problem-solution case studies, to white papers, multi-faceted media kits and on and on ad infinitum.  Perhaps the most misunderstood yet heavily relied on publicity tool is the unobtrusive press release. But did you know that some writers make a living SPECIALIZING in writing press releases?

How?

They learned how to capitalize on the “new rules” for writing them. Here’s a quick overview of how you can turn the press releases you write into powerful promotional tools for you and your clients: Read the rest of this entry

Last week I posted three ways to find businesses and individuals who respect the worth of a freelance writer, paying well for the contracted work. However, if you want to land those projects, you must put in more effort than a generic two-sentence response with your standard resume attached. Here are three keys to increase your chances of landing lucrative freelance writing projects: Read the rest of this entry