Looking for insight about the real world of online writing? You've found the spot. Join us as we shine a light on what it means to succeed as a writer online. Read on to find the notes in the margins - how writers get started, what they're reading, the best tips and tricks, and notes from writers at work...
Posted by Marci Hotsenpiller
Anne Wayman has been a freelance writer for over 30 years. In that time she has been able to acquire enough knowledge about the industry to become a self-supporting freelancer who lives solely off her writing income. Her blog, About Freelance Writing, shares tips and resources with other freelance writers and freelance writer hopefuls. We caught up with Anne recently and asked for her thoughts about succeeding as an online freelance writer this year.
In your posts you mention how the writing market has changed over the past while. What are your predictions for how online freelance writing will change in 2010?
I don't know that we'll see a ton of change in 2010. I suspect that before too long search engines will find a way to deliver good results without using SEO and those jobs will disappear or be changed. Writing with ebook readers is coming on strong. I suspect we'll find we do need to write differently for the readers than print. The screens are better but not great. Blogging will continue to grow.
What tips would you give a writer who is trying to build an online writing career today?
Have your own blog/website - use Wordpress to put it together so you can change it easily. You don't need to be a blogger but you need an online presence. Twitter is great and I'm so far behind on the rest of social media I should ask you! Pick a specialty or two and develop some credibility online. Don't overlook offline work as well. So much depends on what you really want to write, now and in the future.
You are an expert on e-book writing - Do you think more freelance writers should create e-books to market their writing?
Oh yes. I don't know that e-books are great for marketing as much as the shorter almost e-reports. More and more we're going to have to be available for multiple platforms and it ain't simple.
Here at Suite101 we’re discouraged when people use the phrase “content mill” to describe ALL writing sites. We know that editorial standards, how we treat our writers, and our commitment to publishing quality articles sets us apart. How do you think other sites will fare this year?
Ultimately the sites that treat their writers poorly will lose the good ones. And I strongly suspect if they don't treat writers well they don't treat readers well either. I think the cream is already rising to the top.
And finally, can you offer writers some inspiration by sharing your most popular writing tips?
My favorite tip is "bookending" - calling a friend at the start of a work period (doesn't have to be writing), stating how much time you're planning to spend, then closing it up when you've done it or need to report you haven't.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens until we put words on paper (or the screen). To do that regularly takes discipline. What that discipline looks like will vary tremendously and will change over time. But without it there's no chance of success as a freelance writer. Another way to state it is you don't get worse at something you practice.
Don't wait for your muse - just write. Then rewrite. Finally, market. It takes all three. Freelance writing is a great career; if it's for you you'll work it out.
Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh
We started off the New Year with two writer challenges to get Suite writers back into the swing of writing. Our "Kick-Start Writers Challenge" challenged writers to publish 14 articles in 14 days for an opportunity to win one of three prizes each valued at $101.
We also wanted to prepare Suite writers for the month of love by challenging them to publish their best Valentine's themed articles in the "Sweetheart Writers Challenge". Be sure to check out these winning articles when searching for some unique information on Valentine's day.
Winners "Kick-Start Writers Challenge" & Final Challenge Article:
Caffeine Overdose: A Hidden Problem
Ann Burnett
Ayr, Ayrshire, U.K.
Contributing Writer, with Suite101 since June 2009
Larry Darter
Arlington, TX, USA
Contributing Writer, with Suite101 since December 2009
Young and Dangerous HK Gangster Movie
Lynette S.K. Webster
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, U.K.
Contributing Writer, with Suite101 since November 2007
Winners "Sweetheart Writers Challenge" & Winning Articles:
Elizabeth Beeson
Lafayette, IN, USA
Contributing Writer, with Suite101 since July 2009
Simon Davies
Norwich, Norfolk, U.K.
Contributing Writer, with Suite101 since February 2007
The Romantic Story of Layla and Majnun
Paula I. Nielson
Culver City, CA, USA
Contributing Writer, with Suite101 since December 2009
Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh
To celebrate the month of love, we've decided to feature our favourite writer couples to find out how, and if, they can stay focused when their beloved is working alongside them.
Last week we featured UK/Ireland Feature Writer Mike Gerrard, and this week we'll be shining a spotlight on his loving, and equally talented, wife Donna Dailey. Donna is the Feature Writer for SW U.S./Hawaii Travel. In this interview, Suite101 finds out more about Donna's traveling history and how she and her husband, Mike, work so well together.
Suite101: Both you and your husband, Mike Gerrard, cite the Pacific Coast Highway as “one of the most beautiful drives in America”, what is it about this road trip that has enchanted you both so much?
Donna Dailey: The stunning scenery of this road as it winds between the coastal mountains and the sea makes it a thrilling drive. But there's so much more to explore beyond the pounding surf at Big Sur. We love veering off on the side roads to visit wineries and cheese shops, watch wildlife or just hang out in the beach towns and cities.
I asked your husband this, so it’s only fair to get your response too, what advice do you have for wives who work closely with their husbands?
We were both successful travel writers before we met, and we're lucky in that our interests and ways of working blended quite naturally. My advice for couples working together would be to let your individual strengths complement each other's, keep any criticism positive and constructive, and above all keep a sense of humor and enjoy your work.
You won the “Best Overseas Feature” award from the British Guild of Travel Writers for an article on Alabama’s Unclaimed Baggage Center … What was the story behind this article?
I can't recall how I first heard about the Unclaimed Baggage Center, but when we found ourselves on a trip to Alabama we went out of our way to visit it. It was such good fun! Most of the lost luggage from airlines and buses that can't be traced to its owners ends up here, where it's sold off at bargain prices. Imagine the stories behind the unclaimed wedding dresses, or the shrunken head in the store's museum. We came away with a cart full of bargains, including a still-favorite blazer and brand-new jacket. Sadly, I had to forgo the emerald ring, even if it was half-price at $14,995.
In your profile, you tell a charming story (pardon the pun) about a charm bracelet given to you by your aunt with trinkets from all the places she had visited while traveling Europe, have you managed to travel to all those places? Where are these places?
The charms included a tiny Eiffel Tower from Paris, a miniature statue from Florence, and a little cowbell with an Edelweiss flower from Switzerland. Yes, I've visited them all and I love sharing travel stories with my aunt, who is now in her 80s.
In your opinion, what are some essential pieces of advice you could pass on to emerging travel writers?
Travel may be fun, but good travel writing still requires hard work. Learn the basic craft of writing well and keep seeking to perfect it. Avoid clichés and trite phrases and look for a fresh perspective that will make your stories stand out above the rest.
Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen runs a series of "Quips and Tips" blogs. Among them is the Quips and Tips Blog for Successful Writers, winner in the Top Ten Blogs for Writers 2009/2010. She is also Suite101's Psychology Feature Writer.
Jeff Jarvis (Buzzmachine, What Would Google Do?) has developed a philosophy known as entrepreneurial journalism. It's a concept that, at its core, sees journalists and freelance writers as self-run businesses.
That's why it's important for freelancers to stay on top of their finances, but those writers who aren't quite savvy with numbers may be wondering "Should Freelance Writers or Bloggers Hire Bookkeepers or Accountants?" That's exactly the question Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen asks in her latest Quips and Tips blog post. With tax season so close on our heels, this blog post will certainly come in handy.
Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh
The advent of the iBooks app, accompanying the launch of Apple Inc.’s latest gadget, the iPad, has sparked controversy over the price of eBooks. Recently, Amazon and Macmillan entered into a very public “war” over the price of eBooks, with Amazon taking unkindly to Macmillan’s proposition to introduce variable pricing and move away from the $9.99 standard price that Amazon has set for all its eBooks. Should Amazon have seen this coming given their long, successful history in the digital book industry?
Apple’s decision to introduce variable pricing in the digital books industry was a well-learned lesson they applied from negotiations with major record labels over iTunes prices last year.
In April 2009 Apple announced that they were going to vary the prices of songs, moving away from the 99-cent standard, after negotiations with four major record labels. The price of more popular songs rose to $1.29, while the price of “oldies but goodies” were dropped to 69 cents. Debates arose about whether this would spell disaster for iTunes, causing consumers to turn elsewhere in order to purchase and download music. In this Digital Media blog post Harvard economist Anita Elberse suggested that “even if some consumers are not willing to pay the higher price, it is unlikely that all consumers will refuse to pay more – particularly the most avid fans of an artist.”
Though Apple agreed to the terms of variable pricing, they did so in exchange for the rights to sell songs that are stripped of copy protection software. Removing DRM (Digital Restrictions Management) from iTunes songs would allow consumers to freely move their songs between PCs and other digital devices. In negotiating this exchange, Apple was able to leverage the strength of their brand to ensure that customers would continue to use iTunes as their primary resource for downloading music, despite rising costs.
Based on the fact that Apple immediately employed the variable pricing strategy when it came to digital books, one can safely assume that they’ve learned their lesson. Not only that, but in agreeing to this system from the beginning, Apple has created an alliance with major book publishers by showing that they too have a vested interest in protecting the interests of, what Scott Westerfeld of The Guardian so elegantly described as, an “ancient industry with many arcane traditions that's in a state of technological flux”.
Although Amazon has since decided to relent to Macmillan’s offer, it’s unfortunate that they were too shortsighted to successfully leverage their position as the reigning monopoly in the world of digital books. Rather their over-confidence gave way to a rather rash, and embarrassingly public, dispute over an offer that should have been given longer and more serious consideration.
