The year taught us that the norm can quickly change if not disappear, leaving us wondering what the heck do we do next. The year taught us that conforming can be good and bad. We learned that there are options to our lives with many throwing themselves in new directions. Some made bread, others read, others worked out, others protested, but the point was to take the gift of time we’d been given and mold something from it. I admit that when COVID first started, I saw it as two to four weeks of quarantine and time to rest and recoup and maybe write a little more. But when what might be seen as a long vacation turned into a serious, international, mind-blowing event, I had to realize what mattered to me. It didn’t come easily. I lost a parent then lost a congenial relationship with a son, both of us probably lost in the midst of pandemic behavior we couldn’t wrap our heads around. I lost touch with the audiobooks I did for the blind since I could not go in to record. I could not see people I wanted to see. So I decided to wake up. As More
Four Ways to Build a Business Case for Your Content Writing
/ 2020-12-19While content is a multimillion industry for big brands worldwide, there are still many business sectors – especially smaller businesses – that don’t see that content as worthwhile. They’re not necessarily against content; they may in fact quite like the idea of having a blog or publishing regular articles or ebooks. It’s just that their marketing budgets are finite, and they aren’t sure how paying a freelance writer like you to write content for them will yield a decent return on their investment. Here are some key ways to help you build a business case when selling your content work. Content is essential for SEO These days, by the time a potential customer gets in touch with a business, they will already have done a lot of their own research online. They will be looking not for sales messages, though, but for answers to real questions: How does a first-time mortgage work? If I buy a rabbit, will it get on with my cats? What’s the best way to migrate my accounting records to the cloud? Companies with a commercial interest in reaching the people asking such questions (e.g., mortgage providers, pet stores, cloud providers) can win favourable attention by More
Are You Zoomed Out?
/ 2020-12-19Whether you like it or not, Zoom (and its cousins) will be the gateway to appearances for a while. Very few bookstores, libraries, and other public venues will venture to host public events for quite some time. Some have grown accustomed to Zoom, and prefer the mode of communication. My question to you is this. . . are you tired of Zoom? I belong to a local book club, and they refuse to use it, preferring social distancing, masks, and face-to-face. I cannot decide if I want to attend with everyone sitting so far apart, mouth covered, such that they cannot hear each other, or prefer to be on my computer seeing them as they normally are. Per Psychiatric Times, “There is robust evidence on how eye contact improves connection—faster responses, more memorization of faces, and increased likeability and attractiveness. These tools that make interactions organically rewarding are compromised over video.” Per Wired.com, “Other things that might help to fight off Zoom fatigue are to block off times before and after meetings to catch your breath, and limit nonurgent calls to one or two per week. For short or informal conversations, you can even make a suggestion to switch up More
Selling to a Publisher
/ 2020-12-11A major reason many self-publish is control of the publishing process. Another strong reason is the long, hard experience of rejection from traditional publishing houses. Sometimes I think writers profess the former when the truth is more likely the latter. Rejection is painful. A lot of writers fuss about the arrogance of traditional publishing, or the unjustified ignorance of debut and novice authors by traditional publishers, as if traditional only likes certain types of personalities. These complaints ring hollow to me. Traditional presses want a book that generates serious money. In other words, they buy and sell to make a profit. The items being bartered just happen to be books. But they don’t give new authors a chance. . . or so many say. If you hire someone to fill a vacancy in your business, you seek experience. If you are a small enterprise, you might need someone more niche experienced, or you will accept someone with fewer years in the business. If you have a strong brand and a larger enterprise, you can be more selective. You have the power to choose those most seasoned, most awarded, and most talented. Writing and publishing are no different. Sure there is More
How to Use Google Alerts to Get Assignments and Build Your Career
/ 2020-12-11People might think of Google Alerts as something once upon a time helpful but not anymore. I’ve been using Google Alerts for quite some time. It’s enabled me to find submissions I wouldn’t ordinarily find, follow some successful authors, and make contacts to further my career. By customizing Google Alerts, you can be notified for . . . well . . . just about anything you crave to know that will help build your career and your wallet. Once you are logged into Google, go to Google Alerts (https://www.google.com/alerts) and get started. Set up alerts for publishers and sites that are closed to submissions. When they open, you’ll get notified quickly, and won’t forget to check back. I followed several publishers and sites and was able to sell a guest post to a blog often closed to outside submissions because I had an alert set for an open submission period. You can simplify the alert with something like “The Writer submissions” or “Re:fiction open submissions,” so when the publisher updates the submissions page, you’ll get an alert. Alerts can let you know when there is a special call for submissions at your dream publisher. For instance, you’re trying to publish a young More
Writers and Singers
/ 2020-12-11You hear a singer. Instantly you picture them, maybe recall that song or others they have sung. You remember where you were when that song impacted you. You know that singer is not like any other. You might not even remember their name, but in this day of smartphones, you instantly look it up. That is the type of writer you want to be. Someone reads something you’ve written and remembers you as being original . . . or leaving a mark on their life. It isn’t about the number of books you’ve published . . . or how you published . . . It’s about the mark those words leave on the world. It’s about being original. It’s about being memorable. It’s about taking time to mold your phrasing into its best form. You don’t want people to have just read you. You want them to absorb you such that they are thankful they took the time to take in what you’ve written. You want them to remember that impact well enough to keep your book on their shelves, tell their friends, and want to reread those words over again.
Seven Commercial Writing Job Titles Explained
/ 2020-11-21If you’ve looked at any recruitment pages recently, you may have noticed a lot of jargon creeping into job titles. Here we strip the acronyms and buzzwords away to reveal the – often quite straightforward – roles that lie underneath. UX Writer UX stands for user experience. What a UX writer does is craft the little bits of copy that steer users through key journeys on an app or website – opening a bank account, for example, or completing an insurance quote form or upgrading your access to a product. You’ll be writing the little bits of “microcopy,” such as button names, navigation labels, and calls to action. This is a growing specialty and often involves working alongside specialists who are testing customer behaviour, but a lot of it is common sense for the right kind of writer. More here B2B CRM Copywriter B2B just means business-to-business, so you’ll be writing for a company that sells to other businesses (rather than individual consumers). For writers, CRM (customer relationship management) generally means email. You’ll be providing the words for sales and marketing emails, plus landing pages: the page that people land on if they click on a link in the email. Bid More
Training Your Writing
/ 2020-11-21I learned some time back to write in snippets no matter how small. Made myself write 500 words in a day. Doesn’t sound like much, but it became habit. . . but it also was easier to justify in my busy day. Think about it. . . sitting down and pounding out 500 words and then being allowed to get up and return to your life. But you know what that turns into? Writing 1,000 words. Because once the 500 words become entrenched, you find the urge to throw a few more in there. Soon you feel like you didn’t brush your teeth or your hair that day when you miss your 500 words. You can write 500 words before bed, during lunch, waiting in line somewhere in your car. . . even with a meal (like breakfast) at your left and your keyboard in front of you. This morning I ate my omelet at my keyboard while editing three chapters. It’s a matter of squeezing in the short times, because once you become eager to reach that daily goal, you push to find those moments. As for family. . . they can throw you on a guilt trip, for More
How to Find Freelance Clients in a Recession
/ 2020-11-13I panicked when I lost my job earlier this year. The current jobs market is not exactly stellar amidst COVID-19 and the resulting recession. In the last few months, though, I’ve grown my freelance business from a side-hustle to a sustainable, full-time source of income. I love it and can’t see myself returning to traditional employment. Contrary to understandable fears, 2020 does not have to be a terrible time for freelancers. Here are four strategies that have helped me find freelance clients during this period of recession. Feel free to use them to find yours. Join a networking group Many business networking groups are meeting online during the pandemic. I joined a regional group that hosts weekly Speed Networking sessions via Zoom, and have gained one regular client and several one-off jobs. Check out large organizations like Business Networking International, look for relevant meetings on Eventbrite, or use LinkedIn and Facebook to find smaller groups in your region. Visit a few groups to see which one works for you. Many will let you attend as a guest for free before you commit to joining. Expand your focus: think global One of the biggest mistakes freelance writers make is only targeting prospective clients in More
Amazon Reviews Can Be a Treasure Trove
/ 2020-11-13Many hate Amazon, and some small enterprising companies have tried to take a chunk out of it, a mouse trying to nip the beast, so to speak. I am not for or against those small entities doing something they feel the need to do. I, however, have always been an Amazon fan. Why? Because I remember a world without it. Whether reader or writer, imagine not having Amazon. You might cope just fine, but you know what? You’d be coping. So, instead of fighting it, consider using it to your advantage. In this essay, let’s consider using its reviews to assist you as an author. 1) Reviews can tell you what worked in a book. If readers repeatedly mention the same strengths or same weaknesses in the story, you now know what readers prefer or hate. . . to either adopt or avoid. 2) Look for repetitious keywords in the reviews. They can help you find like books or properly keyword your own. They also might help you identify with certain styles, certain subgenres, certain settings so that you can use those words for readers to find your book better. 3) Do the reviews show a book heavy in plot, character, or More