In case you had not noticed, America is getting older. And while that might cause alarm for some people, for freelance writers, it is time to dance a jig. Why? Because with the so-called “graying of America,” the opportunity to write for health markets has “exploded and reached an all-time high.” And it will continue to grow and grow and grow. Here are five tips to keep in mind when writing for the health markets: Find the latest health and fitness news. Think like an editor, who is always trying to think like a reader. What is happening in the world of health and fitness, and why is it newsworthy? Find a timely topic in the health world, and you are one step closer to landing an assignment. There are thousands of websites that are devoted to health and fitness information. A good place to start is the Federal Government’s own site, the National Institutes of Health. Visit them at http://www.nih.gov and you’ll find every health topic and late breaking bulletin there is. Target your audience. Know the audience of the magazine, newsletter or website, and your job as a health writer will be a lot easier. For example, does this More
Platform – It’s About Making Friends
/ 2018-08-11Who you know and how far you can reach. That’s pretty much the definition of platform. But so many people are writing that the competition is fierce. And there’s so much competition for entertainment that books aren’t everyone’s first choice. Which means putting a book on Amazon will not sell it. Someone told me their book was in Barnes & Noble, and they were excited. I asked if they were in the stores, and they said, no, not that they knew of. But they were online at the website. Sorry, but everyone is there. Jane Friedman, publishing guru and previous editor of Writer’s Digest and Virginia Quarterly, states that your platform is measured in three ways: Ability to reach new readers Ability to engage existing readers Ability to mobilize super fans At a recent conference, I changed this to read: Ability to reach new friends Ability to engage existing friends Ability to mobilize super best friends When you stop and consider that you are asking people to invest money and loads of time reading your work, it gives you pause. How do you convince these strangers to buy your stuff? But if you consider them friends, the effort has a More
Would You Write Daily If You Got Paid For It?
/ 2018-06-29A new UK company has launched offering aspiring novelists an alternative to publication: a salary from £2,000 per month to write novels. De Montfort Literature (DML) will pay writers a salary to write novels which DML will then design, print, publish and promote. After salary, production and marketing costs, authors will receive a 50 percent share of the book sale profits. https://www.thebookseller.com/news/start-publishing-venture-offer-aspiring-novelists-salary-793601 Imagine having to report to work every day, sit at your desk, and produce a certain amount of work. To earn a full-time writing income, you have to write full-time. A lot of people don’t like that. They think the rigorous schedule takes the fun out of writing. Well, guess what? When a hobby becomes a job, there are days you don’t want to come to work. Just because it’s writing doesn’t mean it’s exempt from a work ethic. Income success correlates with work production. Write every day. You get better. You get stronger. You get faster. You build confidence. You become dependable. You get to the point that whenever your butt hits the chair, your brain kicks into gear and your fingers itch to write. It’s called habit. It’s teaching your body what to instinctively do. And More
The Biggest Mistake You’ll Ever Make as a Children’s Author
/ 2018-05-27Every so often, a friend will hand me a children’s book manuscript and ask if I would review it and offer an honest opinion. I’m always delighted to do so, but, over the years, I’ve discovered that almost every one of those potential book projects suffers from a critical and quite frequent mistake. When I ask them about it, they will often hang their head and sheepishly admit that, yes, they are guilty of breaking this rule: If you are going to be a successful children’s author, you MUST read children’s books on a regular basis! Interestingly, many novice writers think that just because they’ve raised some children or read a book to their grandchildren, they are ready to write their own children’s book. Unfortunately, that alone does not adequately prepare one for writing juvenile literature. Prospective authors need to soak themselves in the culture of children’s literature, regularly! They need to know the language, the themes, the concepts, the tenor, and the presentation of children’s literature. And, the ONLY way to do that is to read children’s books on a regular basis…every day…every week…every month. If you are not reading children’s books, then you are putting yourself at a More
The Ins & Outs of Corporate Ghostwriting
/ 2018-03-21While I’m known as a journalist, writer and editor, I’ve also done a lot of corporate ghostwriting behind the scenes. It’s a potentially lucrative market for writers who don’t mind skipping the by-line. Here’s how to track down your clients. Defining Corporate Ghostwriting “Corporate ghostwriting” can include website content (blog posts or static pages), press releases, articles for print, advertorials and even inter-office letters. You are hired to turn source material – gathered through interviews, researched or sent by your client – into a shining end-product. Finding Clients through Referrals The key is contacts. Most of my corporate jobs were referrals – from previous clients, referrals or people I’d previously interviewed who needed something written. Build a library of writing clips and get to know your editors; sometimes sources will also pass on a good lead – but you have to ask, or nobody will know you’re looking. Job Boards When not referrals, clients are often hiding on job boards, message boards, forums, and newsletters. MediaBistro, All Indie Writers, ProBlogger, Freelance Writing, Writers’ Job Board, Craigslist, Indeed and Journalism Jobs are some up-to-date ones that I’ve met clients on. Other times, cold pitch a company by contacting them with some writing More
How to Connect with Book Clubs
/ 2018-03-12It can be difficult to find sources that allow authors access to book clubs. Clubs often like to choose their own books. So what’s an author to do if she doesn’t have a Top 5 publisher promoting her to clubs? Here are a few proven options that use a variety of methods and budgets to reach book clubs, plus free tips if you can’t afford the cost. For Book Club Lists: Where Writers Win Shari Stauch is CEO and creator of an online marketing site for emerging writers, Where Writers Win. The site puts authors in charge of their own marketing for a reasonable annual fee. “Winner Circle is a place where you can find a list of vetted book clubs that you may approach and pitch your book as a book club selection.” The clubs on this site are up to date and open to pitches, and a template for querying clubs is provided. Writers such as William Lobb and J.C. Sasser have used it successfully. Both were picked up by multiple book clubs, and Sasser’s book was selected for the popular Pulpwood Queen’s Book Club. Stauch is offering a discount: $20 off the first year of membership; use code More
Making Six-Figures as an Indie Author
/ 2018-02-24It may seem like a pipe dream, but indie authors can make serious cash. I know quite a few who bring in six-figures, and by next year I should join them. But how do they do it? What’s their marketing secret? After much research and observation, I’ve come up with seven key things needed to bring in the big bucks. 1. Treat writing like a job. If you want the money, you have to put in the time. All of the authors I know making six-figures have many books in their backlist. Most have thirty books or more. To get there, you need to be writing every day. Make a daily word count goal and make yourself accountable to it. It might seem impossible to publish as much as they have, but don’t cut yourself short. Writing is a skill. The more you do it, the faster and better you’ll get at it. 2. Stay positive. It’s going to take a lot of motivation to publish thirty books. Just remember, with every book you publish, you’re adding to your monthly paycheck. Don’t expect to get rich on one book. Take a more measured strategy and go for the long tail. More
How I Funded My Mission, Wrote My Book and Made Bulk Book Sales with Grants
/ 2018-02-03I started with a heart centered mission and a newly published book, How to Raise Respectful Parents: Better Communication with Teens and Parents. Like all new authors, I was proud of it, but I soon learned writing and publishing a book are only half the journey. I had to market, and I wanted to market it to those who needed my message the most. Grant writing is my day job. I knew funds were available for the kind of materials and workshops I wanted to offer. Often authors think that they can only apply for grants directly to fund themselves as writers to write their book. While that is possible; it’s rare and highly competitive. I sought a large entity/business with which my mission aligned with theirs: the school district. I offered to write grants for school programs for FREE. Yes, for FREE! In exchange for this service, I requested that I be allowed to write my workshops and books into the grant budget. School programs hurt for time and dollars. Since there was no expenditure of time and effort on the part of their personnel, they agreed. First Grant to Write the Book I interviewed the parent engagement coordinator More
How Do I Find Money to Write a Book
/ 2018-01-27People love to ask this question, a frequented question in my email, but I understand that every day new people decide to become authors. Folks who love reading, or have this burning story inside them, and want to see their work in print. Oh, only if that was all there was to it, right? Many of these sweethearts ask me where to find money to pay for that book. First, I tell them to seriously research whether to self-publish, hybrid publish, or traditionally publish, and if they don’t understand the differences, then they are not ready to publish. Writing is only half the job, but then you’ve heard that before. That and it really costs nothing to actually write the book. Then we talk where money can be found. While this tiny editorial cannot begin to go into detail on each financial availability, it can list the possibilities to at least let you realize your options. One day I’ll write a book on all of this. Places to gather money to write a book: 1) Save from your other income. Tithe to your book fund. 2) Take out a loan. If you really believe in yourself and your writing, why More
Five Steps to Blogging for Businesses You Frequent Anyway
/ 2018-01-27Even successful freelance writers find themselves in lulls at times, their pitches readily declined. By making some simple choices, however, writers can access long-term clients without competing with a large pool of freelancers on a job board. By following these five steps, you can gain clients by showing them how your services will benefit them before they even know they need you. 1. Find businesses – The ideal company will either have a small, underdeveloped blog or no blog. Select businesses you already care about: brands you love or businesses operating locally. Consider businesses connected to your writing niche as well. If you know someone personally at the company, take advantage of that connection. In the past year, I pitched a start-up health and fitness company, a phone application company, and a local brewery for blogging work. 2. Make first contact, but expect mixed responses – Search the website for a contact form or email. Send a quick, clear message stating that you avidly use the product or service. Mention you are a freelance writer and link to some of your closely related published work. Occasionally, you will catch a company at a point where they want to expand their web More