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I just saw another crowdfunding campaign where the author is asking for money to be able to do what they love to do…write. These types of campaigns are usually not successful, and this is why: 1) Everyone has a dream. Why should the world pay for your dream? 2) A lot of people, millions as a matter of fact, wish they could write and publish a book. 3) A lot of people, millions as a matter of fact, ARE writing and publishing books without asking for money. 4) There are ways to publish without paying to publish. I’m known for suggesting to fledgling authors who intend to self-publish (paying to publish) or hybrid publishing (paying most of the publishing cost), that they consider a crowdfunding campaign. But: 1) Most don’t want to pour their heart into the campaign. 2) Most post a campaign and do not work it. 3) Most write the campaign about themselves instead of the mission of the book/magazine/anthology they need money for. Crowdfunding is not about you. Most err in asking for money for themselves, and that’s not very palatable to the people out there who wish they had money, too. Crowdfunding is about funding a More

There are almost 31 million small businesses in the United States, and a freelance writer who understands how to serve and communicate with small businesses—and their special needs and restrictions—can open up a whole new world of opportunities, relationships, and steady income. As a small business owner, advocate, and consultant, someone who has worked on both sides of this equation for over three decades, here are ten tips for working with us. 1.     Know that small businesses need writing help (templates, letters, newsletters, website content, blog posts, social media posts, press releases, marketing materials, manuals, books, and more), but we likely don’t know it. How will it help us? How much will it cost? Will it save me time and money and bring in new business? 2.     I’ll say it again: 31 million. That translates into an endless stream of potential clients for any one writer. We are not being contacted as often as you’d think by freelancers (rarely, in fact)—and not with compelling offers that speak our language. Fix this and you’re ahead of the minimal proactive competition. 3.     We are everywhere, starting with outside your front door and in the personal networks More

I’ve put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant, and that’s the only way of insuring one’s immortality.   ~James Joyce I grinned at this quote. Do you remember in English Lit class when the teacher spent days dissecting a novel on what the author really meant between the lines? What were the hidden meanings? What was the symbolism? What metaphors spoke to the issues of the time? Even as a fifteen-year-old tenth grader, I found it audacious and pretentious of a school teacher to claim to understand what a creative mind thought when alone at a table penning a tale. And when a teacher deemed a student off-the-mark in their interpretation, well, the less I thought of the teacher. Who knows what an author meant but the author? Of course some stories are clear in their intentions, such as Orwell’s 1984 or his satirical allegorical novella Animal Farm. His intentions were in-your-face and purposeful. Others, however, are just telling a deeply felt story. I once attended a book club where they discussed Murder on Edisto, the first in the Edisto Island Mysteries, and an outspoken member More

As a teacher, I know firsthand the value of using visuals to catch my students’ attention and move them from the printed word to a higher level of engagement. Therefore, as I pondered ways to attract potential buyers of my debut novel, The Bottle House, it occurred to me that brief videos could interest and engage potential readers. Short videos on Facebook ads work well, but I wanted to get the most “bang for my buck” when it came to buying advertisements. The lessons I learned were these: Choose a video-making website   As a classroom teacher, I have used PowerPoint for video work, but I found some places that made video making simpler. Needing a company that could help me produce videos in a download form; one that would not have to be hosted on YouTube, I found InVideo. I chose this company for a few reasons. They have great tutorial videos both on their site and on YouTube. They have many templates that allow you to change pictures, movements of words, graphics, and music tracks that you can upload into your video. You can sign up for one of two different plans to make videos and the monthly More

Most of you will say both, but that is not true. You may not even realize it’s not true. Truth is, we all start writing with a purpose in mind. . . to either make money writing, or to have our work loved. And whether you admit it or not, you favor one mindset over the other. This is going to be a very opinionated piece, so buckle in for the ride. The biggest frustration to most writers, any type of writer, is not being read. Whether that means being read to earn royalties or commissions, or being read to be loved for the art of the story, the bottom line is you write for words to be appreciated. You love the thought of words being powerful. But when you think you’ll make a million dollars with cozy mysteries, or your beautiful talent will be appreciated in a blog post about buying the best earbuds, you have your priorities become mixed up. You become your own worst enemy. First, if your main desire is to earn a living as a writer (whether you have to or want to, doesn’t matter), then accept that and look for writing niches that earn More

Access to TV/film producers and directors has never been easier through direct access pitching. It is made possible through a variety of online venues (below) that have sprouted up over the years in an effort to bridge the gap between screenwriter and TV/film decision-makers, with the prospect of getting it produced. While traditionally securing a film agent can offer you advantages—like better access to opportunities—direct access pitching offers shorter wait times and the chance to create one-on-one relationships with producers, that can ultimately lead to selling your work. Whether you’re a professional screenwriter, newbie, or looking to build your credits, direct pitching can offer you opportunities to expand your portfolio to include short scripts, TV, web-series, or even podcasts. More often, when submitting to producers through a direct pitch, you’re connecting with someone who not only has a budget in place to pay you, but is reading for their current production slate, or one in the very near future, increasing your chances of success and securing a paid contract. Since you are directly pitching a decision-maker, if you receive an outright ‘no,’ you might be able to ask what they are more apt to say ‘yes’ to—they may also return More

The publishing industry is never going to settle into a norm. Frankly, it never has, it’s just we, as members of different generations, enter the business at different times, with different books, in different genres, with different styles of publishing, and with different concepts of marketing, and as a result we establish our own sense of norm. However, serious change occurs almost monthly, at least seasonally, so if you enter this profession, get used to change. The adaptable types wind up the most successful. In other words, no hand-wringing and crying about how things are not fair. In still more words, you chose this gig. On to the changes of late: 1) Library lending through OverDrive is up 16 percent. Partly due to the infusion of federal COVID funds and partly due to the increase in library patronage. Publishers appeared more sympathetic to libraries in terms of costs. 2) Reading was up around the world last year, but it’s sluggish this year. 3) Print sales were up in 2021, with adult fiction the primary catalyst. 4 )The majority of sales in 2021 were due to backlists, justifying why an author always ought to be writing on the next book. 5) More

It’s difficult providing estimates and proposals for creative writing services. As writers, we often sound vague when walking the client through the scope of our writing work. It seems sketchy to tell them that we curate, create, collate, read, mull over, write, rewrite a million times, edit vigorously and then only reluctantly submit. While reality plays in the back of your mind, you find it a daunting task to quote the right price and obtain quick client approval. Invariably from the client side there are negotiations, promises for future work, repeat orders, and similar such.  Hear them out and heed them but make your own decision.  As an independent writer for the last six years, I have had countless good and bad incidents when it comes to ‘quoting well and getting paid.’ Here’s a three-pronged approach that helps you get more projects that pay, if not handsomely, at least decently. Cement the Work Scope Everything starts and ends here. In your initial client informational call ask probing questions to understand what exactly he or she means when they seek writing support. Is it editing, rewriting, creating, or just collating? You must nail this, because when a client says ‘improve this More

Work every day. No matter what has happened the day or night before, get up and bite on the nail. ~Ernest Hemingway For months, maybe years, you write on a project. Then you publish it. We won’t get into the pros and cons of self-publishing versus traditional, but let’s just say you have some say-so into how much your books are sold to the public. You price it down, in hopes of snaring eager readers for whom that matters. A few months go by, and you get impatient at your book sales and decide you need to offer something for free. After all, so many blogs out there talk about the catalyst of a bait sale, where you entice someone for free so that they’ll buy your other work. Since you have more than one book for sale, you hope it balances out . . . give away one to sell one, or two, or three if you have a series. But you have forgotten the impact of a sound first impression. You started out with a lower priced book. You followed up with a free one. The first impression of a reader, bookstore owner, or librarian is that you More

Your freelance writing business works well offering one-off services and monthly retainers, but your earnings haven’t changed. Of the many techniques I’ve used in my business, the best results came from adding a few additional lines to my proposals. This effortless technique is what I call the art of the upsell. 1—The Deadline Upsell   When we book clients, we don’t always give them the absolute soonest date we can complete the project. Adding in some cushion allows us work on other projects or create a safeguard should any obstacle or emergency get in the way of completing the project on time. But, as you know, many clients would prefer to receive their projects finished yesterday. Take advantage of their immediate need to add a rush fee on top of your normal project costs. This can increase your earnings exponentially, depending on how quickly they prefer to finish the project. 2—The Revision Upsell  Most freelance clients will want to make changes to the first draft, and some clients might want to make even more revisions. If your main project fee only calls for two rounds of edits or writing, this work lands outside your contract. You can solve this challenge More