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Someone pitched me an article this week, and while the idea sounded decent, I declined based upon his online presence…or lack of one. He told me he could send his CV and a list of articles he has done, but they were not online. He had a handful of articles with links. The problem arose when it came to demonstrating who he was. His photo looked like a blurred thirty-year-old passport photo. His only presence was on LinkedIn and even then only had 42 connections. His page graphic was a stock photograph, having nothing to do with who he was or what he did. Very very generic. These days, that looks very very scammy. I tried to explain to him that when my readers read his writing, it reflects on me in having chosen him. When they click on his link and reach a questionable presence, that reflects on me. Keep in mind that writing an article is more than just about the topic matter. It’s about the reputation of the writer and the reputation of the publication. The following are the considerations of an article being selected: 1) Is the article well written? 2) Is the topic pertinent to More

Ethical AI uses machine-learning for data analysis and research—rather than using generative artificial intelligence to replace the human artist, writer, or creative. While generative AI “creates” content from sometimes plagiarised input, general artificial intelligence can ease the burdens of research. Here’s how artificial intelligence can be put to (good) use. Visualization I’ve heard from many authors who visualized their characters using games like The Sims Character Creation tools. Artificial intelligence can create a simple visual or “mock-up” as a way to personally visualize an idea. As someone visually inclined, if I wanted to see my lead character—balding, 50s, comfortable wear—I could use OpenAI or Pixlr to ease my writing process. AI could also create a mock-up image of the character’s workplace. As long as you don’t push towards commercial use (or claim something created with artificial intelligence is yours), AI can help authors see their creations easier. Generative AI versus Artificial Intelligence Dall-E, Adobe Firefly, and ChatGPT can produce audio, images, text, and video using machine learning—however artists like Scott Sava discourage artificial intelligence replacing human artistic effort. Artists and writers risk being replaced when clients choose generative AI over actual creativity. Machine-learning data—like a song that sounds exactly like Michael Jackson, or a poem that could have been Sylvia More

I follow a lot of groups, usually remaining silent, reading, taking note, hoping to find some nugget to use myself. . . or to use as a learning tool in a future FundsforWriters newsletter. As you probably know from your own experience, it’s amazing what people write for the world to see that leaves scars on their reputation. They believe because they are in a group that none of their readers will read what they are saying about publishing or being a writer. For example: How can they make a buck with sales quicker, easier, better? Amazon sucks. (They forget that readers like Amazon.) Where can they find a quality editor for cheap? (Editors love reading that, I’m sure.) What’s the cheapest/easiest/best way to format/design a cover/edit without hiring someone? I love this one. Do you make any money with anything but Amazon? I’m not familiar with many bookstores or libraries who like ordering their books through Amazon. But then, if you don’t expect your book to be in bookstores or libraries… A week ago, I watched a discussion about using AI. Some were using it. (Again the thing with making a buck quicker, easier, better.) They were using AI not just More

Social media promises writers a way to reach a large number of potential readers. The problem is, the possibilities are rather limited. X is a dumpster fire of partisan politics. Bluesky will probably follow. I don’t know anyone who gets many sales through Instagram. Tiktok works only for extroverts and the app’s future in the U.S. is uncertain.   That leaves Facebook, the world’s largest social networking site with an estimated three billion monthly users. That’s a huge audience, and one that skews older, the very demographic that tends to read more.   Our personal page is not the best place to push our writing. Our friends aren’t our customers! Instead, start a Facebook author page solely devoted to your work. From your existing account, click on the menu button on the upper right. Under “create”, click “page”. You’ll then go through a few steps similar to making your personal page. It only takes a few minutes. Create a banner featuring your books, a profile photo of yourself, and links to your website.   But how do you get people to join? List the page wherever your books are listed such as your Amazon author page, website, sig line, etc. More

I’m back from my annual writing retreat in Maine where I help facilitate writers in their dreams to bring their work alive and get it published. All week I attend and assist in a class a day. The rest of the day, attendees are supposed to write. I’m on call around the clock to answer questions, give advice, and offer feedback on their writing. We are all friends by the end. It’s amazing watching how difficult it is for some to write that much for that long. There is no television. There’s only nature all around, from the ocean on one side and woods on the other with wildlife everywhere. A fire at night. If there’s a time to write, this is it. Funny how it takes diligence to write when that’s all you have to do. A true test. I love the simpler retreats like this. Days full of classes fry a person’s brains. Why not attend a retreat where the guidance is occasional or as needed, instead of all day long? Some think the more they pay the more guidance they need. To me, the CHANCE of very SPECIFIC guidance beats classes all day long. That’s what this More

Imagine waking up in a beautiful setting where meals are provided, and your only expectation is to create. Or maybe you dream of using your writing to connect with a community, leading a journaling workshop or introducing readers to a piece of artwork or historic happening. Or perhaps you have a special project that you’re trying to figure out how to fund. A writer or artist residency might be one way to turn these musings into your job (at least for a little while). I live in a small city in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, and for the last three years, the Roanoke Arts Commission has named and funded several artist-in-residence programs for a variety of city agencies and organizations. There have been neighborhood groups with artists-in-residences, the housing authority has an artist-in-residence, our zoo has an artist-in-residence. The term “artist” is defined broadly and usually includes writers of all kinds. Additionally, regional leaders have (off and on since 2015) sought a writer who is paid to ride our city bus system and produce a book of poetry, essays, or stories from their residency. Our region’s hospital also pays visual artists, dancers, and writers to serve as “resource artists.” Maybe your local hospitals, museums, city More

I follow a site/newsletter titled Plagiarism Today. Jonathan Bailey ( @plagiarismtoday \ @mastodon.world \ mastodon.world \ plagiarismtoday.com ) has managed this site for decades, and he knows his stuff about AI, copyright, and plagiarism. I receive many newsletters. His I read. Recently he composed a piece entitled How Can I Prove That I’m Human?  As we all know, it has become challenging in schools and business to identify who is the legitimate author of a piece and how much AI they used to create it. The range can mean little more than using Grammarly to check grammar all the way to plugging a topic into ChatGpt and submitting the whole piece as your own. When I receive article pitches for FundsforWriters, at least half are pure AI. The authors argue with me when I claim their piece reads like AI. They are insulted, they say. My response is that if the piece reads like it even might be AI, I don’t want it. When I (or any other editor) purchases a piece, they want it to be original. They also want it to have a voice. They want a fresh idea presented in a fresh manner. If there is no voice, if More

Earning a living from writing is not as easy to wrap your head around as opening a coffee shop or becoming a tax accountant. The work writers do is often mitigated by a publisher. Thinking of what “goods” or “services” you provide as a writer and who your “customers” are can feel intangible and vague. But that doesn’t mean that writing isn’t a business or that writers should skip creating a business plan. This is a lesson I keep having to learn. In 2015, I launched a website, opened Twitter and Instagram accounts, and reached out to newspaper and magazine editors in the city where I lived. Before I knew it, I had writing assignments and deadlines, and soon enough, paychecks. But the path from a few paychecks to a profitable writing business hasn’t been as smooth as I expected. It wasn’t long until I received a notice from my city’s Treasury Department. It turns out that in Roanoke, VA, writers need a business license in order to work. Who knew? Filing taxes as a sole proprietor was a steep learning curve. One of the magazines I wrote for didn’t send my promised fee. When I reached out, the editor connected me with the finance More

Before I start, a few caveats. First, I really don’t know very much about AI. Also, I’m only really talking here about ChatGPT. And I’m only talking about the world of commercial content, not creative writing. I start with all that because pretty much everyone I know who is a creative type is violently against AI in all its forms. I get all that. But I also work in the very commercial world of marketing for brands and businesses. It’s not a very glamorous place, but it’s where many aspiring writers go for the bread-and-butter work that funds their creative dreams. And over there, nobody has any qualms about using AI tools at all. Let me give you a couple of recent examples: •    A client asks me to write an ebook based on a webinar about IT security they’ve recently delivered. They provide a version of the eBook done by ChatGPT with the expectation I will simply edit that. I listen to the full webinar out of curiosity. The AI version is well structured and covers all the key points. It misses out a few things I now add in, notably anecdotes and examples that help bring a rather dry More

A lot of people, particularly in person, tell me they “have this story” that they want to tell. They ask me how I write, then they ask how to publish. There is a mile in between, and I try to tell them what that mile consists of. Recently, a new author asked me why they weren’t selling books. I looked at the books on Amazon, the website, and their social media. The website was a freebie site that just posted the books for sale. No history. No clear definition of genre anywhere. Three reviews tops. Nothing about the author. I could find no reference to social media in the email or on the website. The book covers looked self-published, and when I read the free sample, I could spot someone who hadn’t studied the craft. When I talk to new writers, I generally say this. -Take classes on writing. Go to a conference if you can. -Read books on writing. -Define the genre. -Join social media groups and read blogs on writing. -Read lots of books in your specific genre to understand it as well as good writing. -Take several of those books and dissect then, marking them up on More