As a freelance writer, you'll need to be aware of the legal protection your work enjoys so you don't sign away rights that you should retain. This is a guide to some key aspects of UK copyright law.
As a freelance writer, ideas are your bread and butter. Getting a commission means revealing your idea for a great article to an editor or someone else. There's no way around it, but how can you prevent people from ripping you off? Here's what you need to know about UK copyright law.
In the UK, copyright is an automatic and unregistered right. That means there's no need to apply specially or fill in any forms. Copyright takes effect as soon as certain works (this term applies to all copyright protected material) are created and there are nine types of work that enjoy this automatic protection. These are literary work (including newspaper articles), dramatic, musical, artistic (photos, drawings, diagrams, maps etc), sound recordings, films, broadcasts, cable programmes and published editions of works. All of these are known as intellectual property. Intellectual property is a bit like real estate - it can be bought, sold, transferred and inherited, though only with your written permission.
The key thing to remember as a writer is that ideas themselves are not protected but the way ideas are expressed is protected. So if you think of an idea for an article, that isn't protected; when you write it, it is. It's the information you select and the way you arrange that information that makes it unique.
In order for material to have copyright protection it has to result from independent intellectual effort. In other words, you must have put some work into it. You'll need to be able to prove this if challenged, so although it's not obligatory, you can protect yourself by sending a copy of your work to yourself by recorded delivery and leaving it unopened. Recorded delivery post is date stamped so you'll be able to prove that your work existed on a particular date.
Copyright lasts for the duration of the author’s life plus 70 years for literary, dramatic or musical works. Different periods apply for films (70 years after the last to die of the director, screenplay authors and musical director), sound recordings (50 years) and published editions (25 years). People are allowed to publish excerpts from your copyrighted work for the purpose of news, review or criticism. This is known as fair dealing. Works used in this way should be properly acknowledged.
When you give someone the right to publish your work, you are assigning that right temporarily (a bit like renting out your house). As a writer, you'll want to avoid signing away any of your rights permanently. Instead, be clear on what rights you are assigning. First serial rights are normal. This gives the publisher the right to publish your material first in whatever country or region (for example, the UK or US) the rights apply to. Once the material has been published, all rights revert to you. Some publishers will also request online rights and the right to keep your work in an online archive. You'll want to make sure these rights are for a limited period or are non-exclusive, so you can make the most of your material.
A key term to be aware of is moral right. This is the right to be credited as the author (have a byline) and to object to alterations or errors which might damage your reputation (known as derogatory treatment of your work). It also includes the right not to have work falsely attributed to you. In other words, no one should say you wrote something if you didn't.
So what do you do if someone tries to pass off something you've written as their own work? If your copyright has been breached you can take the infringer to court but beware. There are two things that could damage your case. The first is if the person commits innocent infringement, which means the person genuinely didn't know you owned the copyright; the second is if you have previously allowed someone to use copyrighted work without complaint. This is known as acquiescence.
Summary
So there you have it: the lowdown on UK copyright law. In essence, freelance writers need to be aware that their written work enjoys automatic copyright protection, that they are entitled to be credited as the author of any work they right, that they should only assign limited rights to their work and that they have the right to sue if their copyright is infringed.
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Novel Writer Magazine
Writers Online Courses
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Get Paid MORE to Write - PageRank
wrote a series of articles at DivaNetworking on page rank. The three page ariticle in the blogging 101 section is designed to help bloggers and work at home professionals learn how to build inbound links - and how to network - to increase their pagerank.
Increasing pagerank increases both traffic and the amount you make from Google AdSense clicks. The diva networking program does work well, but most people do not understand how important it is to network between good websites and pull up the page rank.
Take a look at the series and let me know what you think?
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Increasing pagerank increases both traffic and the amount you make from Google AdSense clicks. The diva networking program does work well, but most people do not understand how important it is to network between good websites and pull up the page rank.
Take a look at the series and let me know what you think?
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
You Can Become a Famous Writer
It always amazes me how people appreaciate good writing, whether it appears on a blog, in an article, or in a novel. The thing is, anyone can write well. You can write something that receives hundreds, even thousands of views. You can write a novel that sells thousands of copies. The secret is to write something that people want to read, by writing about life.
Take a look at two blog posts I wrote that received top hits, despite the fact they are on a blog community, www.communati.com, that has hundreds of great writers on the site.
My first article received almost 500 views in less than a few hours. Within 4 hours of being written, it was on the ‘most popular list.’ Gladiolas, Dahlias, Pear Trees and The Secrets of Life . This is nothing more than a look at a quiet summer afternoon that I spent with my family, and how it touched me, and also touched my readers. The writing is not literary and flowery. There is nothing poetic about it. I just wrote it in a way that made readers look into their own lives. This is the secret of great writing, making people look at their own lives instead of forcing them to see life through your eyes.
The second is a tutorial on saving time. I did not tell people to save time. Instead, I showed them how I save time. There is a big difference between talking about what to do and how to do. The world is full of tutorials that tell people what to do, but never gives them the tools to help them do it. How Much $$ Does Multitasking Costing You?
You’ll also notice that I made some great titles. Are titles important? Yes. They are so important that I have even returned to my blogs and changed titles. In some cases, the hits increased.
So, next time you write, don’t just put words on paper. Think about your readers. “Take care of your readers and they will take care of you.”
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Take a look at two blog posts I wrote that received top hits, despite the fact they are on a blog community, www.communati.com, that has hundreds of great writers on the site.
My first article received almost 500 views in less than a few hours. Within 4 hours of being written, it was on the ‘most popular list.’ Gladiolas, Dahlias, Pear Trees and The Secrets of Life . This is nothing more than a look at a quiet summer afternoon that I spent with my family, and how it touched me, and also touched my readers. The writing is not literary and flowery. There is nothing poetic about it. I just wrote it in a way that made readers look into their own lives. This is the secret of great writing, making people look at their own lives instead of forcing them to see life through your eyes.
The second is a tutorial on saving time. I did not tell people to save time. Instead, I showed them how I save time. There is a big difference between talking about what to do and how to do. The world is full of tutorials that tell people what to do, but never gives them the tools to help them do it. How Much $$ Does Multitasking Costing You?
You’ll also notice that I made some great titles. Are titles important? Yes. They are so important that I have even returned to my blogs and changed titles. In some cases, the hits increased.
So, next time you write, don’t just put words on paper. Think about your readers. “Take care of your readers and they will take care of you.”
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Freelance Writing: Get Started PT2
The desire to write is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because it taps some of our most creative resources and forces us to find a way to express ourselves in the symbols we call words.
It’s a curse because getting it right, or even close, can be agony. Ah, but when it works, its sheer bliss, no matter how we get there.
Writing is also a blessing because it gives us the opportunity to share our ideas with others - potentially thousands, even millions of others. Not many ever get the chance to inform, influence and entertain that many people. Of course, that’s part of the curse too, because we have to find and reach our audience.
We all want an easier, softer way to write, and to get published and to earn money through our writing.
Sound obvious? Good. It should be obvious. Or were you expecting some magic? Some get rich quick scheme? Not here. Let's explore a bit and see where the truth is.
Write
Nothing can happen if you don't sit down and write. There's no escape; if you want to be a successful freelancer you must get words on paper. The trick is to write and to write regularly, whatever that works out to be for you. It might be every day, or three days a week; it might be X number of words a day or even a complete chapter a day. The nature of the schedule you evolve - and it will change over time - isn’t nearly as important as writing consistently.
Rewrite
Once you’ve written, you’ve got to rewrite. Okay], rewriting is usually no fun at all. But it’s essential. Rewriting is where clarity and conciseness appear. It's in the rewriting that our personal style begins to shine through, setting us apart from others and making our work salable.
Rewriting may actually be part of your writing or it may be a separate activity done before or after generating something new. It may be done in bits and pieces or you may sit down to a marathon editing session. However you do it, rewriting must be done.
By the way, it’s worth noting that some of your pieces will need more rewriting than other pieces. The more we practice writing, the better we get at turning out clean copy, at least most of the time. Even when you’ve been writing successfully for years, however, some of your writing will need major rewriting. It’s a fact of the writing life.
Market
The need to market is the bane of every writer's existence, but it's an absolute must if we are to be successful. Peter Bowerman, in his excellent The Well-Fed Writer, says, “The bad news: marketing yourself is a continuous process.” He also says that if you market yourself consistently (emphasis mine) we’ll be something like 95% ahead of the competition. My own experience confirms this and I like to spend at least a third of my time marketing me.
Part of marketing is researching potential markets, but that doesn’t count if you’re not out there contacting the publishers or others who may buy your material.
You just must find a way to become your own best sales person. Bowerman suggests cold calling potential clients, which can work if you’re looking for corporate, non-profit or business writing. If you want to be published in magazines, you must send queries or even articles on spec. Putting together book proposals counts if you get them in the mail.
It takes a while to get all three elements of successful freelancing working well together. But once you do, you’ll find you are well on your way to becoming a successful freelance writer.
Write well and often!
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
It’s a curse because getting it right, or even close, can be agony. Ah, but when it works, its sheer bliss, no matter how we get there.
Writing is also a blessing because it gives us the opportunity to share our ideas with others - potentially thousands, even millions of others. Not many ever get the chance to inform, influence and entertain that many people. Of course, that’s part of the curse too, because we have to find and reach our audience.
We all want an easier, softer way to write, and to get published and to earn money through our writing.
Sound obvious? Good. It should be obvious. Or were you expecting some magic? Some get rich quick scheme? Not here. Let's explore a bit and see where the truth is.
Write
Nothing can happen if you don't sit down and write. There's no escape; if you want to be a successful freelancer you must get words on paper. The trick is to write and to write regularly, whatever that works out to be for you. It might be every day, or three days a week; it might be X number of words a day or even a complete chapter a day. The nature of the schedule you evolve - and it will change over time - isn’t nearly as important as writing consistently.
Rewrite
Once you’ve written, you’ve got to rewrite. Okay], rewriting is usually no fun at all. But it’s essential. Rewriting is where clarity and conciseness appear. It's in the rewriting that our personal style begins to shine through, setting us apart from others and making our work salable.
Rewriting may actually be part of your writing or it may be a separate activity done before or after generating something new. It may be done in bits and pieces or you may sit down to a marathon editing session. However you do it, rewriting must be done.
By the way, it’s worth noting that some of your pieces will need more rewriting than other pieces. The more we practice writing, the better we get at turning out clean copy, at least most of the time. Even when you’ve been writing successfully for years, however, some of your writing will need major rewriting. It’s a fact of the writing life.
Market
The need to market is the bane of every writer's existence, but it's an absolute must if we are to be successful. Peter Bowerman, in his excellent The Well-Fed Writer, says, “The bad news: marketing yourself is a continuous process.” He also says that if you market yourself consistently (emphasis mine) we’ll be something like 95% ahead of the competition. My own experience confirms this and I like to spend at least a third of my time marketing me.
Part of marketing is researching potential markets, but that doesn’t count if you’re not out there contacting the publishers or others who may buy your material.
You just must find a way to become your own best sales person. Bowerman suggests cold calling potential clients, which can work if you’re looking for corporate, non-profit or business writing. If you want to be published in magazines, you must send queries or even articles on spec. Putting together book proposals counts if you get them in the mail.
It takes a while to get all three elements of successful freelancing working well together. But once you do, you’ll find you are well on your way to becoming a successful freelance writer.
Write well and often!
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Freelance Writing: Getting STarted
The life of a writer appears to have many perks. The uninitiated envisions us working in our pajamas while writing fluff about far away places, beautiful people, and spectacular adventures. After chuckling, we patiently explain how many hours it can take to research an article, or the number of times an article is submitted before it sells.
We possess an intangible element, which prevents us from taking the well-worn route. A regular paycheck with benefits is attractive. I even tried it once, and almost died inside. Face it, we are not free to enjoy an easy life while others toil, writers must write.
The life of a freelance writer is burdened with unpaid bills, deadlines, and rejection letters. But, there are a few blessings outweigh the heaviest burdens, like the joy of being published in a national magazine, studying a truly fascinating topic for a client, or enjoying the spiritual journey only a writer can understand.
Still, it is nice to be paid.
The initial lack of income is where most new writers give up. They soon believe the desire to write is a prank their muse is playing on them. It doesn’t have to be this way.
View the world of freelance writing as a forest. On one side is the writer; on the other is a client willing to pay to have something written. All a writer needs to do is climb through the scrub and deadwood to find the elusive client. It isn’t hard, it just takes a different method of thinking, and a little caution.
The number of companies intent on ripping writers off is daunting. There is no way to avoid every scam. Writers sign with organizations that promise to locate work, only to find they must pay and bid against other writers. We all signed up for at least one newsletter that promised to help us earn a living, only to learn it is only a clever marketing tool to sell products.
Making a living shouldn’t be this frustrating. There are paying jobs out there. There are clients willing, even eager, to pay a professional writer. It just takes a little skill to find them.
Make a Client
This can be fun. There is only one rule, never confess what you write. Many small businesses are more than willing to pay a writer for a good press release, especially if the writer submits it to the newspaper too, but only if the business is named as author.
Each writer can find their own niche’. Some writers find untapped potential as speechwriters, others as copywriters, and still others as business plan writers. It may not be as fun as writing fiction, or magazine articles, but it does pay the bills.
Web Marketing is a booming business. This creates a vast wealth of work for writers. Web designers can make a good website, but they are not good writers. This causes a problem, because search engines want to see text content. A clever writer can convince webmasters to hire them to add articles.
Research Clients
I spend two hours a week looking for work. This results in one new client a month. This may seem discouraging, but good clients are repeat clients. The easiest way to find work is to surf the web. Most of the communities and periodicals listed are scams, but there are dozens of legitimate sites that work hard to promote their writers. But, there is a catch 22 with these groups. The good sites cannot have amateur, unmotivated, writers swamp their clients so they are usually harder to find, and harder to join.
Advertise
A freelance writer is a self-employed professional. No one would expect a lawyer to sit at home and wait for work to drop into their lap. They advertise, promote, and network, without thinking of advertising as a waste of time or money. It is just another part of business. Successful writers share a similar professional mindset. They love their lifestyle and are willing to fight for it, no matter what.
I love being a freelance writer. True, I accept some jobs to pay the bills, but then one request arrives that seems to be custom made for me. The prospect of landing that one assignment keeps me writing late into the night. And, the excitement of opening my PayPal account, or inbox, gets me out of bed in the morning.
Yes, there are downsides to freelance writing, but face it, true freelance writers will never surrender their passion for any other job - at any salary.
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
We possess an intangible element, which prevents us from taking the well-worn route. A regular paycheck with benefits is attractive. I even tried it once, and almost died inside. Face it, we are not free to enjoy an easy life while others toil, writers must write.
The life of a freelance writer is burdened with unpaid bills, deadlines, and rejection letters. But, there are a few blessings outweigh the heaviest burdens, like the joy of being published in a national magazine, studying a truly fascinating topic for a client, or enjoying the spiritual journey only a writer can understand.
Still, it is nice to be paid.
The initial lack of income is where most new writers give up. They soon believe the desire to write is a prank their muse is playing on them. It doesn’t have to be this way.
View the world of freelance writing as a forest. On one side is the writer; on the other is a client willing to pay to have something written. All a writer needs to do is climb through the scrub and deadwood to find the elusive client. It isn’t hard, it just takes a different method of thinking, and a little caution.
The number of companies intent on ripping writers off is daunting. There is no way to avoid every scam. Writers sign with organizations that promise to locate work, only to find they must pay and bid against other writers. We all signed up for at least one newsletter that promised to help us earn a living, only to learn it is only a clever marketing tool to sell products.
Making a living shouldn’t be this frustrating. There are paying jobs out there. There are clients willing, even eager, to pay a professional writer. It just takes a little skill to find them.
Make a Client
This can be fun. There is only one rule, never confess what you write. Many small businesses are more than willing to pay a writer for a good press release, especially if the writer submits it to the newspaper too, but only if the business is named as author.
Each writer can find their own niche’. Some writers find untapped potential as speechwriters, others as copywriters, and still others as business plan writers. It may not be as fun as writing fiction, or magazine articles, but it does pay the bills.
Web Marketing is a booming business. This creates a vast wealth of work for writers. Web designers can make a good website, but they are not good writers. This causes a problem, because search engines want to see text content. A clever writer can convince webmasters to hire them to add articles.
Research Clients
I spend two hours a week looking for work. This results in one new client a month. This may seem discouraging, but good clients are repeat clients. The easiest way to find work is to surf the web. Most of the communities and periodicals listed are scams, but there are dozens of legitimate sites that work hard to promote their writers. But, there is a catch 22 with these groups. The good sites cannot have amateur, unmotivated, writers swamp their clients so they are usually harder to find, and harder to join.
Advertise
A freelance writer is a self-employed professional. No one would expect a lawyer to sit at home and wait for work to drop into their lap. They advertise, promote, and network, without thinking of advertising as a waste of time or money. It is just another part of business. Successful writers share a similar professional mindset. They love their lifestyle and are willing to fight for it, no matter what.
I love being a freelance writer. True, I accept some jobs to pay the bills, but then one request arrives that seems to be custom made for me. The prospect of landing that one assignment keeps me writing late into the night. And, the excitement of opening my PayPal account, or inbox, gets me out of bed in the morning.
Yes, there are downsides to freelance writing, but face it, true freelance writers will never surrender their passion for any other job - at any salary.
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Do You Use Drupal or Wordpress?
Running an online business is frustrating. I know that there are several people here running IT businesses that can add their own horror stories to this blog post.
Building a web platform (website) on a software program that promises to do 10 times what you need, and then only produces half of what you need - and that is with continual updates, bug reports, and a multitude of widgets and plug ins. We did that this year - twice.
Then there are programmers. I can say one name Bxxca and a cold child will run down the spine of any TE at www.inspiredauthor.com who was with us about 15 months ago. Yes, the programmer who did half the job and then demanded more money than my car is worth to finish, that is after we found porn running out of the back end of our server. That hit our Page Rank hard for a good long time.
I have been trying to hire a programmer for months at places like ifreelance. Most of the time I get people who want to be paid to learn their trade. When asked, they don't know the software program - but that is no problem..they are use to being paid to learn. I can't afford that. I doubt many of you can.
Then comes a good day. You find someone that actually knows what you are talking about. I found someone like that in Sheldon www.gamedevguru.com who is not expensive, because he doesn't need to spend fifteen hours figuring out the software before he gets started. He did more on my www.inspiredauthor.com in 2hours than anyone else I've met.
I wanted to let you know about him, one - because he not only knows Drupal but he is great with Worpress, too. I know that many of you are on wordpress - which is a good content management system (as Sharon HH has taught me :).
So, next time you are stuck, want to do something new, want to fix a bug. Don't panic - there is someone who can help you at: www.gamedevguru.com
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Building a web platform (website) on a software program that promises to do 10 times what you need, and then only produces half of what you need - and that is with continual updates, bug reports, and a multitude of widgets and plug ins. We did that this year - twice.
Then there are programmers. I can say one name Bxxca and a cold child will run down the spine of any TE at www.inspiredauthor.com who was with us about 15 months ago. Yes, the programmer who did half the job and then demanded more money than my car is worth to finish, that is after we found porn running out of the back end of our server.
I have been trying to hire a programmer for months at places like ifreelance. Most of the time I get people who want to be paid to learn their trade. When asked, they don't know the software program - but that is no problem..they are use to being paid to learn. I can't afford that. I doubt many of you can.
Then comes a good day. You find someone that actually knows what you are talking about. I found someone like that in Sheldon www.gamedevguru.com who is not expensive, because he doesn't need to spend fifteen hours figuring out the software before he gets started. He did more on my www.inspiredauthor.com in 2hours than anyone else I've met.
I wanted to let you know about him, one - because he not only knows Drupal but he is great with Worpress, too. I know that many of you are on wordpress - which is a good content management system (as Sharon HH has taught me :).
So, next time you are stuck, want to do something new, want to fix a bug. Don't panic - there is someone who can help you at: www.gamedevguru.com
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Compare Web Hosting Services
Many writers maintain multiple blogs, web pages, and even start critique groups in forums. It can be difficult to manage. Myself, I have more than 10 blogs, 3 websites, 2 forums, and a newsletter. That is why I decided to discuss web hosting today.
One question most new web owners tackle is the hosting problem. Trust me, I've been on every level. From buying into a great marketing campaign, only to find that the company is a reseller and doesn't know what they are doing, to owning virtual server space and hiring a programmer to run things (expensive!).
I've been through several hosting companies. Now I use siteground. I can host all of my sites from one dashboard. The service is great. In fact, in a year I only heard of them failing to fix a problem once, and that was a programming problem.
They install scripts free, from wordpress to moodle. And they have alwasy fixed my small problems - like when a script stops working. In fact, they are so good at fixing problems, I've only paid programmers $100 this year! And that was for improving, not fixing.
All of this for a cost of $70 a year for my first site, and about $50 a year for the rest of the sites.
I haven't moved to a dedicated server yet, because my bandwidth allotment is more than it was on the dedicated server, and I have less 404 messages - meaning that the system isn't clogging with traffic. In fact, at one site that claimed to be one of the top 10 in the country, I had 20% 404 messages!!!
They use Cpanel, with excelent stat information, more than 30 scripts for blogs and websites, chats, newsletters, forums, etc - everything you need.
There is a good reason why this site is the #1 hosting site for many of the top ecommerce scripts.
Most important, I have never been hacked, but at the same time, there is no probelm with search engines. I found out - the hard way - that many resllers or 'amateur' hosting services work through Internet companies which make it difficult for search engines.
In fact, our response from Google changed from 2 - 3 months, to days, after switching from the other 'big host' to siteground.
However, to be fair. Godaddy is a better place for newbies. You can phone about everything, you can get 'instant' websites, and they will help you with problems - but they are more expensive. While siteground does offer a domain service - I still manage my domains through godaddy. One thing I did learn, is that many resellers work for godaddy-which gives them the right to say they are the biggest.
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
One question most new web owners tackle is the hosting problem. Trust me, I've been on every level. From buying into a great marketing campaign, only to find that the company is a reseller and doesn't know what they are doing, to owning virtual server space and hiring a programmer to run things (expensive!).
I've been through several hosting companies. Now I use siteground. I can host all of my sites from one dashboard. The service is great. In fact, in a year I only heard of them failing to fix a problem once, and that was a programming problem.
They install scripts free, from wordpress to moodle. And they have alwasy fixed my small problems - like when a script stops working. In fact, they are so good at fixing problems, I've only paid programmers $100 this year! And that was for improving, not fixing.
All of this for a cost of $70 a year for my first site, and about $50 a year for the rest of the sites.
I haven't moved to a dedicated server yet, because my bandwidth allotment is more than it was on the dedicated server, and I have less 404 messages - meaning that the system isn't clogging with traffic. In fact, at one site that claimed to be one of the top 10 in the country, I had 20% 404 messages!!!
They use Cpanel, with excelent stat information, more than 30 scripts for blogs and websites, chats, newsletters, forums, etc - everything you need.
There is a good reason why this site is the #1 hosting site for many of the top ecommerce scripts.
Most important, I have never been hacked, but at the same time, there is no probelm with search engines. I found out - the hard way - that many resllers or 'amateur' hosting services work through Internet companies which make it difficult for search engines.
In fact, our response from Google changed from 2 - 3 months, to days, after switching from the other 'big host' to siteground.
However, to be fair. Godaddy is a better place for newbies. You can phone about everything, you can get 'instant' websites, and they will help you with problems - but they are more expensive. While siteground does offer a domain service - I still manage my domains through godaddy. One thing I did learn, is that many resellers work for godaddy-which gives them the right to say they are the biggest.
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
The New Online World
It is impossible to learn how to become a freelance writer without becoming an expert on the web. Not only do you need 'net' tools to deal with clients, but you also need to familiarize yourself with tools that other writers use.
One that you'll become familiar with quickly is web and video conferencing. At first, web writers thought this new Social Media would hurt their careers. However, they have improved the web writing world. Writers are now needed to supply better dcontent. The 'evergreen' content is now posted on videos, web writers are now supplying the in-depth, cutting edge knowledge.
It won't take long before you find yourself in a web conference. It is an interesting experience, talking to someone with video and audio feed, as if they were in the next room.
One that you'll become familiar with quickly is web and video conferencing. At first, web writers thought this new Social Media would hurt their careers. However, they have improved the web writing world. Writers are now needed to supply better dcontent. The 'evergreen' content is now posted on videos, web writers are now supplying the in-depth, cutting edge knowledge.
It won't take long before you find yourself in a web conference. It is an interesting experience, talking to someone with video and audio feed, as if they were in the next room.
Pro Bloggers - Diva Networking
I've finally stepped out of the 'newbie' teaching arena and into the pro market. More than three years ago I started to teach people how I make enough money to launch a magazine, publishing company, buy a house, and be the only income earner in the house.
I've posted hundreds of free articles for new writers, encouraging them, and helping them learn that a) it can be done b) they can do it, and c) there is money.
Now, the mentoring group is growing, but so is the network of bloggers and freelance writers who I work with. I am learning as much from them as they learn from me.
The next step is to help everyone increase their PR rating. This gave birth to a new site:
Diva Networking
This base site will be a place of resources and news.
A few months ago I ran a project for bloggers, exchanging links, and helping each other with our PR rating. This worked, so I decided to make a group for bloggers who are interested in becoming full time bloggers - that is, making $1000 a month or more.
Blogger Promotion
I have set it up so that we can work toward improving our PR ratings, with only 1 hour a month invested. I also want to create an opportunity for people to earn money posting blogs to search engines, building links, etc.
I am not interested in this being a 1000 member group. Instead, I would rather have 50-100 great bloggers, who are dedicated to creating a strong network.
----------------
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inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
I've posted hundreds of free articles for new writers, encouraging them, and helping them learn that a) it can be done b) they can do it, and c) there is money.
Now, the mentoring group is growing, but so is the network of bloggers and freelance writers who I work with. I am learning as much from them as they learn from me.
The next step is to help everyone increase their PR rating. This gave birth to a new site:
Diva Networking
This base site will be a place of resources and news.
A few months ago I ran a project for bloggers, exchanging links, and helping each other with our PR rating. This worked, so I decided to make a group for bloggers who are interested in becoming full time bloggers - that is, making $1000 a month or more.
Blogger Promotion
I have set it up so that we can work toward improving our PR ratings, with only 1 hour a month invested. I also want to create an opportunity for people to earn money posting blogs to search engines, building links, etc.
I am not interested in this being a 1000 member group. Instead, I would rather have 50-100 great bloggers, who are dedicated to creating a strong network.
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
How Much $$ Does Multitasking Costing You?
I use to be an amazing multitasker. I can still hold up to six IM conversations while checking my emails.
However, I have learned that multitasking increases stress, drains me so that I do not want to spend time with 'life' at the end of the day, and it actually decreases my productivity.
It can be difficult to conduct a business without multitasking. Many freelance writers find themselves working on several projects at once. Work at Home professionals are forced to promote, manage the home, manage their business, and have a life - all at the same time.
However, multitasking costs time, and is money.
It took me about two years to learn how to organize my time, reducing the need for multitasking, and improving my productivity.
There is no secret. Everyone must find their own comfort-zone. I can give you some tips though.
1. Plan to do one job a
day - if possible. When done that job, then start a second task.
2. Open your emails, etc. first thing in the morning - then don't go back that day unless you finish your work.
3. Turn MSN and the telephone off when you have a major task to complete in one day.
4. Set a time limit for research. Do not research until you have 'enough.' A time limit will force you to work faster and smarter. When you have reached the end of your time limit, start writing. When finished, decide then if you need more research. Or, write your project in parts.
5. Do not do housework in 'work' time.
6. Expect your family to assist in house cleaning, laundry, etc...as if you worked out of the house. OR, tell them that the business money is business money. Hubby cannot dip into it because he is low this month. Business money is not bill money. If the family wants it, they help around the house, if not - then you can write off a maid (in Canada and the USA) and it is part of the business expenses.
7. Have a set number of work hours.
8. Learn to say no.
9. Do not let your emotional state control what you do. I've noticed that many work at home professionals make comments like 'I don't feel well', 'I didn't feel like it.'
10. Keep track of how many hours you devote to each task. Over time, this will teach you to work more productively, and it will help you determine how much time you really invest in a week.
One woman I talked to was frustrated. She had tried to get into freelance writing for seven months, but was still not making any money. After writing down her week, she found she only 'actively' worked for 19 - 22 hours. So, I told her she hadn't 'worked' for seven months - but if she considered a 40 hour work week, then she only worked for about three months.
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
However, I have learned that multitasking increases stress, drains me so that I do not want to spend time with 'life' at the end of the day, and it actually decreases my productivity.
It can be difficult to conduct a business without multitasking. Many freelance writers find themselves working on several projects at once. Work at Home professionals are forced to promote, manage the home, manage their business, and have a life - all at the same time.
However, multitasking costs time, and is money.
It took me about two years to learn how to organize my time, reducing the need for multitasking, and improving my productivity.
There is no secret. Everyone must find their own comfort-zone. I can give you some tips though.
1. Plan to do one job a
day - if possible. When done that job, then start a second task.
2. Open your emails, etc. first thing in the morning - then don't go back that day unless you finish your work.
3. Turn MSN and the telephone off when you have a major task to complete in one day.
4. Set a time limit for research. Do not research until you have 'enough.' A time limit will force you to work faster and smarter. When you have reached the end of your time limit, start writing. When finished, decide then if you need more research. Or, write your project in parts.
5. Do not do housework in 'work' time.
6. Expect your family to assist in house cleaning, laundry, etc...as if you worked out of the house. OR, tell them that the business money is business money. Hubby cannot dip into it because he is low this month. Business money is not bill money. If the family wants it, they help around the house, if not - then you can write off a maid (in Canada and the USA) and it is part of the business expenses.
7. Have a set number of work hours.
8. Learn to say no.
9. Do not let your emotional state control what you do. I've noticed that many work at home professionals make comments like 'I don't feel well', 'I didn't feel like it.'
10. Keep track of how many hours you devote to each task. Over time, this will teach you to work more productively, and it will help you determine how much time you really invest in a week.
One woman I talked to was frustrated. She had tried to get into freelance writing for seven months, but was still not making any money. After writing down her week, she found she only 'actively' worked for 19 - 22 hours. So, I told her she hadn't 'worked' for seven months - but if she considered a 40 hour work week, then she only worked for about three months.
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
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