We’re stuck at home and sick of Zoom. How do we tell the world we are open for business as commercial or freelance writers or editors? We start at home and work out from there. Meaning, we start with who knows us, who lives near us, and who understands where we come from. This is […]
A Letter to a Friend and Fellow Writer
/ 2020-08-15Tom – Let’s put this into perspective. Yes, it’s difficult to sit across the table from your friend and be exposed to his success while you struggle. Hearing how much he pays for editors and the travel he’s able to do is difficult. But your friend didn’t start off hiring line editors for $7,000 when […]
When You Have an Editor’s Ear
/ 2020-06-12Editors juggle a lot of balls in finding literary material for publications. They have multiple deadlines for multiple editions and all the administrative nuts and bolts that come with putting a publication together. When finally obtaining the ear of an editor, keep your moment(s) brief, because others just like you are vying for that editor’s […]
The Race to the Bottom
/ 2020-05-03The problem with freelance sites where you compete for work is that the low price usually wins. Same goes for pitching to magazines and customers . . . the lower you value yourself, the more likely you’ll get stuck with that price. Not only will you get paid for less than you are worth, but […]
Nine Unusual Ways to Make Money from Writing
/ 2020-04-10Look beyond blogs and ghostwriting for unusual assignments that may be a match for your skills. Editing stories of popular writers on Medium You can make money by writing posts as part of the Medium Partner Program, but in this fascinating article , writing coach Nico Ryan describes how he makes more by fine-tuning the posts of Medium […]
Finding Time to Write
/ 2020-03-13Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you. ~Zadie Smith You find the time to write by discarding something else in your life. I mean, I have to assume you think your day is full, right? Isn’t that what we […]
10 Ways to Turn Rejection Into Acceptance
/ 2020-03-06For writers of all kinds, dealing with ideas and words that get rejected is an everyday reality. But there are sometimes ways you can turn a No into a Yes… So you get your commission, you send in your copy – but the editor or client says they’ll pass. Or you send in a bunch […]
Six Ways to Rethink Rejections
/ 2019-12-27For obvious reasons, writers often find rejection difficult. Even the word feels unnecessarily harsh. When that dreaded notification arrives, most forget that it’s only a collection of your words – and not you yourself – that’s been turned down. Here – from a serial rejectee – are some ways to reframe the concept of rejection […]
Simplify Your Writing Life
/ 2019-11-23I don’t know about you, but in my attempt to keep up with publishing changes, my stress level often rises. My email box posts roughly 200 emails daily, the majority of them telling me how to best edit, publish, market, and partner with influencers. How to work Amazon. . . how to hate Amazon. How […]
Writing for University Publications
/ 2019-10-24Universities produce tremendous amounts of written material—magazines, newsletters, websites. These publications rarely post guidelines for interested freelancers, but some investigation can pay off. First, dive into the institution’s website. Links for “alumni” and “alumni relations” will lead to alumni magazines. To find the institution’s regularly updated news site, try “university news” or “public affairs.” Search […]
Five Pro Tips for Killer Email Subject Lines
/ 2019-09-05When you email an agency or editor to query new work or chase a submission, the subject line is almost as important as all the other elements of your email put together. Here, based on 20 years of working with email agencies and the CRM teams of big brands, are my tips for writing a […]