After my first article about earning big as a ghostwriter on FundsforWriters, the next obvious question so many writers asked was where to find clients that pay well for ghostwriting jobs. Following you’ll find seven high-paying markets for ghostwriters. While there are plenty of websites and portals that offer ghostwriting gigs, most of these do not pay well. It seems counterproductive to give away your hard work for a pittance and not even have the right to claim it as yours. The good news is that not all websites are created equal, and places exist with well-paying projects with the potential for long-term work. Bypass the Obvious Sites Dig beyond the usual freelance websites like Upwork, Freelancer or Fiverr. The average gigs here are short term and in the low-to-mid range. Moreover, stiff competition drives down the on-going rates further. Upwork features an Enterprise Program for selected freelancers while Fiverr offers you to apply for Fiverr Pro if you meet their criteria. The gigs there are well-priced, but unfortunately, they are not open to all. Seven Better Places to Find Profitable Ghostwriting Jobs 1. LinkedIn ProFinder– This is a new service launched by LinkedIn. At the moment it is available More
10 Ways to Blog Your Book to Increase Sales Without Being Pushy or Annoying (Part 1)
/ 2019-05-04A lot of people think that once a book is written, the work is done. Often times, especially if you are a self-published author, the work is just beginning. After the brainstorming and drafting, writing and revising, editing and publishing comes the… selling. There are only so many times you can say, buy my book! But the fact of the matter is, you need to continue placing your book in front of your audience if you have any prayer of selling copies. To help, I’ve come up with a list of ten ways you can blog about your book. I am breaking this article up into two parts, so read on for the first five suggested ways to blog about your book and then check back in next week to learn the second set of ways to increase your book sales through your blog without being pushy or annoying. The Inspiration Every story has to start somewhere. If you write about the inspiration behind the story, you don’t even have to wait until it’s published to engage your audience. Readers will feel like they are getting a behind the scenes sneak peek at your work in progress and endear them More
10 Ways to Blog Your Book to Increase Sales Without Being Pushy or Annoying (Part 2)
/ 2019-05-04Last week I shared the first half of a list devoted to blog post topics that will let your audience know about your work in authentic and engaging ways. I will finish sharing those post ideas with you today in hopes that you’ll be able to spread the good word about your book and increase your sales without making your family and friends and social media followers want to run the other way. (Click here for Part 1) Let’s jump back in! Book Launch Party One of my favorite parts about promoting my books is planning and executing the book launch party. Making my fictional piece of art an experience for others to encounter feels like literally bringing my story to life. After the party, I often write a post sharing the details and a plethora of pictures. Readers who weren’t able to attend due to conflicting schedules or distance can catch up on all the action and of course buy a book through a clearly provided link. Behind the Scenes Facts Once your readers have had a chance to experience your story world and come to know your characters, give them some bonus material. Creating a list of behind More
Correcting Other People’s Grammar
/ 2019-04-12By C. Hope Clark A suggestion . . . don’t do it. Every once in a great while, a typo or grammatical error appears in the newsletter. I have a wonderful proofreader, and, between us, we comb the newsletter each week. But hey, sometimes when the stars align and we both have a bad week, an item slips by. And someone will inevitably, gleefully correct us. There is little more insulting than for someone who never offers positive feedback, to smugly tell someone that their grammar is wrong. Let me explain why. 1) Once the words are said and/or published, they cannot be taken back, regardless of how noble the criticism. “You did wrong,” becomes more the message. 2) Rather than educate the person (as the critic often states is their motive), they’ve insulted them. Unless the critic is personally close to the individual, their criticism will be considered critical, not enlightening. 3) The critic is remembered as a critic. They are burning a bridge. 4) The mistake might be a one-time thing. Better to wait and identify a trend rather than pounce on a happenstance slip. Critics will often begin their assessment with one of the following remarks: 1) I More
10 Tips for Crowdfunding a Novel: Practical Ideas and Pointers from an Unbound Author
/ 2019-04-12By Dan Brotzel I’m the co-author of a new comic novel, Kitten on a Fatberg, which is currently crowdfunding on Unbound. Unbound uses a different model to the traditional publishing one. Essentially, a book’s author(s) have to raise a certain amount of through pre-ordered copies before the book goes into production. Once that happens, Unbound handles promotion and distribution. And because the publisher has covered its costs up front, the payment deal isn’t a royalty percentage but a 50:50 profit share. Another advantage of this approach is that the publisher gets to see what sort of demand there is for a particular title, and who the market is. At the time of writing, we’re currently 31 percent funded. Here are some of the many things we’ve learned along the way… Don’t mistake crowdfunding for vanity publishing. Getting accepted by Unbound is just as tough as getting accepted by a conventional publisher. You need to make sure that your submission is as ready as possible. Understand your potential base. With crowdfunding, you have two target audiences – those who know YOU (family, friends, co-workers) and those interested in the book (who may not know you at all). Focus your efforts on More
Red Alert: 10 Signs You Should Avoid That Freelance Writing Client
/ 2019-04-12By Carol Tice When you’re a hungry freelance writer, it can be hard to say no to a prospective client. But not every freelance-writing job is one you should take. Some clients are simply a nightmare. The good news is, you can often tell you’ve got a PITA (Pain In The A*) client before you ever get started. After more than 20 years of freelancing – and 7 years coaching 12,000 writers in my Freelance Writers Den support community online — here are my warning signs. 1. The freebie request Based on what I’m hearing, there’s been a resurgence of the ‘free sample’ scam. If you have portfolio samples, there’s no reason to do a custom, unpaid piece as a tryout. These clients rarely hire writers. They just tell you no, and then use all the free-tryout posts and ideas they get. 2. Buy-to-work offers Ever get what sounds like a big-name client who’s dying to put you to work, as soon as you write a check for the computer or supplies they insist you need to do their job? Yeah – that’s a popular scam. Even if they send you a check to cover that cost, it bounces. 3. More
Chasing The Grant
/ 2019-03-29Most major cities offer artist grants for those of us involved in the arts. In my town there’s an annual drive for locals to apply, and back in 2014, I gave it a go. According to the rules, anyone in the arts field, including literary arts, was eligible. “Hot dog, I’m going for it!” I said. I followed the guidelines, crossed my Ts, and dotted my I’s. I was rejected. I applied again in 2015 and was rejected, 2016 rejected, 2017 rejected. If you’re reading this, you are a writer. Rejections are commonplace. You’re told “don’t take it personal because this is a subjective business.” Applying for grants might fall into that “subjective business” category, but by now I’d reached a state of frustration. Then in 2018 I applied again, told myself that if I didn’t win, I was done. The process was simple enough: submit an application with writing sample, letter of recommendation (at one point the Director of the Local library system wrote the letter because several of my titles are in the Public Library), and a request of how the funds would be used. I submitted and told myself to move on. Looking back it never dawned More
How Film Producers Analyze Your Screenplay
/ 2019-03-15When an actor reads a script, he’ll think about how to approach his character, his motivation, his arc. When a cinematographer reads that same script, he’s thinking about lighting, camera angles, and what cinematic style to employ. The art director thinks about how to use design principles and visual techniques, while the editor assesses how everything will cut together. But what about the producer? After all, she’s the creative gatekeeper who has committed to bringing all these people together to turn your script into a movie. What does she look for? In short, everything. (Albeit from a macro level.) Because if she doesn’t understand what the script needs, how will she assemble the right team for it? Moreover, how will she find its audience? Below are six main areas that a good producer will consider when reviewing your script. Story The producer wants fleshed-out characters, dramatic tension, coherent theme, and appropriate narrative structure. These are the underpinnings of viable cinematic storytelling. The story should resonate with your target demographic – whether through comedy, drama or thrills – ultimately offering a two-hour journey that encourages the willing suspension of disbelief. Bottom line, you can take a great story and make a More
Write the Nonfiction Book Proposal Before Writing the Book
/ 2019-03-15I finished a manuscript, set it aside for a month, then read it again. But I never even tried to publish it. Why not? Because as brilliant as it was (well, I thought so and so did my mother), it was doomed because it had no point. The book, overflowing with insightful arguments and powerfully constructed sentences, was like a new pencil whose value lies not in what it is but in what it will do for a buyer. Without a point, neither pencils nor books have much reason to inspire their purchase. I should have considered that before I wrote even one chapter. The commercial value of what we write must not be an afterthought. That is why nonfiction publishers require a book proposal and why you should, too, even when you’re the publisher. We write a book proposal to convince our publisher (and ourselves) that this book is a good idea and promises to be a good seller. The details, features, and benefits of the book discovered while writing the proposal will be the core components of your marketing campaign, so it accomplishes two things at one time. Looking at our idea through the lens of reality, the More
Query Letter vs. Letter of Introduction
/ 2019-03-15By C. Hope Clark The shortest, most blunt email anyone receives from me is “The guidelines are on the website,” and I send that email many times a week. The online guidelines at www.fundsforwriters.com/submissions clearly ask for articles on spec. Or if a writer isn’t sure, they can pitch ideas, and if one is selected, they then submit that piece on spec. But still, I receive letters of introduction. The difference between queries and letters of introduction are simple. QUERIES pitch specific topics or might even pitch the article in its entirety, especially in our situation where the articles are so short (500-600 words). They are as close to publish-ready as a writer can make them and show that a writer understands the publication. They might even write on a topic recommended in the publication’s guidelines. A LETTER OF INTRODUCTION is when a writer sends a brief bio and links to samples of their work. An LOI might be more fitting for someone pitching copywriting work or to a magazine seeking a stable of writers to assign writing to in the future. An LOI outlines your qualifications for that particular publication or corporate entity. Neither of the above can be generic. More