2015 Writer's Market

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

 

          Each year the Writer’s Market contains contact information for publications, literary agents, and contests & awards as well as helpful advice on a variety of topics.

One of the most useful chapters in the 2015 Writer’s Market is “How Much Should I Charge?” by Aaron Belz. He gathered his information/rates from 17 writers’ organizations. (See the list of organizations on pages 115 & 116.)

          On his well-organized, easy to read Rate Table on pages 117-131, Belz lists Hourly, Project, and Other (including per word) rates across the top breaking them into High, Low, and Average.

Down the left side of the chart, he lists categories of writing including:

·        Advertising & Public Relations

·        Book Publishing

·        Business

·        Computer, Internet & Technical

·        Editorial/Design Packages

·        Educational & Literary Services

·        Film, Video, TV, Radio, Stage

·        Magazines & Trade Journals

·        Medical/Science

·        Newspapers

·        Nonprofit

·        Politics/Government

In total, these 12 categories are broken down into 165 specific assignments like press kits, ghostwriting, paid blogging, web editing, copyediting, proofreading, rewriting, grant writing, and speeches. Now it is easier to charge clients a fair rate for your time and expertise especially if it is a new type of writing project for you.

Unfortunately, writing is an underrated talent. Non-writers do not realize how much time it takes to write well plus proofread, rewrite, and edit to make sure the project is letter perfect (or as close as we can make it). Time is money so we need rates that cover all the work we put into our assignments.

There are many other useful chapters like “Pitch Like A PR Pro: Turn the Blinking Cursor Into Cash” by Dana W. Todd on page 40;  “Earn A Full-Time Income From Blogging” by Carol Tice on page 50; “Balancing Your Writing and Your Platform in 8 Simple Steps” by Krissy Brady on page 132, and "Author Platform 2.0" by Jane Friedman on page 169.

If you want to be a professional, well paid writer, the 2015 Writer’s Market is an essential investment.

 

Brown-Nosing to Increase Your Writer's Social Media Presence

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

I have a small confession--I'm a social media junkie.  There--I said it!  To those closest to me, this is of absolutely no surprise.  As the passionate mother of eight kids, I openly admit that I love posting, tweeting, and pinning family related items (respecting their privacy on sensitive topics!) that I either think will be of interest to my friends and followers or just as importantly ideas and thoughts that I feel are interesting and I simply want to share.

As a writer, blogger and professional pod caster, I wholeheartedly believe that social media can benefit my craft in a multitude of ways, primarily offering exposure of my work to hundreds and many times thousands of audience members that I wouldn't otherwise meet.

Social media, however, isn't within everyone's comfort zone, and that's perfectly fine.  The beauty of these tools is that individuals can use them to the fullest of their potential or limit how often they reach out to others on line and in some cases, choose not to go this route at all.

For someone like myself who desires to mingle with these social media avenues on a regular basis for professional reasons, I think one of the most important things to keep in mind is to consistently stay active so that my followers can count on regular content and updates (regardless of how in depth they are).  

This not only requires commitment on my part, but it's also imperative to find new ways to interact with existing followers and continually attract new ones.  To me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of facebook, Twitter and Pinterst is the engaging banter that takes place after I post, tweet or pin a thought, upload an article or ask for feedback on a particular topic of interest or one that is trending such as the popular ALS ice bucket challenge.  You never know who will respond or what inspiring ideas you will glean from this type of interaction.

Because I am always looking for ways to reach out and attract new followers, I enjoy reading posts from fellow social media junkies about this subject.  Recently, I read a clever article from Randy Ross called Marketing for Writers:  3 Tricks for Facebook, Twitter, Meetup which offered some quick and easy tips to promote social media sites.

The article offered ways to brown-nose your way into getting more followers and while that may sound a bit pathetic in theory, I found his ideas to be practical and definitely worth giving a shot.

If you are looking for ways to increase the traffic to your social media sites, I highly recommend you click on the link above and read Ross's article for yourself.  If you like what you read, you can give his tactic a try and do a little brown-nosing of your own by leaving a comment or two on this blog!  

Creating Great Content

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

Pneumonia!  All I can say is--it stinks!  I haven't been this ill in ages, and after nearly two weeks of coughing and struggling to find the energy to simply sit up in bed, I think I'm finally starting to feel human again.

Though this has been an extremely rough stretch, there are two good things that have come out of it.

1.  I will never take my health for granted again!

2.  I discovered a wonderful new creative blog that has completely inspired me for when I'm feeling back to my old self, and today I'm going to share it with you.

Marie Forleo is a dynamic, vivacious, clever, and very entertaining entrepreneur, author, video blogger and much more.  Her professional bio is shared on her website  www.marieforleo.com and to give you a little sample, here you go:  

Professional Bio

Marie was recently interviewed by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation. Her mission is to help you realize your greatest potential and use your unique talents to change the world. She reaches over 250,000 readers in 191 countries worldwide and leads dynamic training programs that teach individuals to succeed in business and life. She’s the creator of the award-winning show MarieTV and has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, Glamour Magazine, Self Magazine, Forbes.com and The New York Times among others. Marie has been interviewed by Tony Robbins as one of the world’s leading lifestyle and online marketing experts and mentored young business owners at Richard Branson’s Centre of Entrepreneurship in South Africa. Her bestselling book, Make Every Man Want You: How To Be So Irresistible You’ll Barely Keep from Dating Yourself is published in 13 languages. Through her Change Your Life, Change The World® initiative, each for profit training program is tied to a non-profit partner who supports women, the environment and entrepreneurship.

I share this with you in today's post for the very simple reason that I find her not only inspiring, but full of very useful and clever information that we as writers can definitely benefit from and as readers we can feel energized and excited about life in general.

Her latest post How to Keep Coming Up With Ideas for Content is both hilarious and amazingly useful. 

I don't like the fact that I am recovering from pneumonia, but I can honestly say that I may have not discovered Marie Forleo if I hadn't been stuck in bed for so long, so I guess I'll let this be my silver lining, especially because I'm full of new inspiration to generate some fresh and fun new content for the many writing projects I'm so grateful for that await me.

Where do you find ideas for new content? 

YouTube for Writers

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

As much as I love getting lost in a great read and just allowing myself  the abstract delight of drifting off into another world entirely, there are also many things in my life that lump me into the category of a "visual" learner.

For instance, there is no way I could've ever learned to tie a man's necktie if it weren't for the patient and endless repeated visual directions my father gave me years ago.  Now that I think about it, I can't possibly remember why at the age of 17 I was so desperate to learn such a thing, but I did and after a few very trying days of visual direction and explanation, my father successfully helped me achieve this very lofty goal.

Speaking of learning to tie a necktie--did you know that the most popular video on You tube is that exact thing--learning to tie a necktie?!  That's right!  According to a You Tube poll at the end of 2013, the most viewed YouTube was "How to Tie a Tie for Beginners" with over 16 million views!  So, why on earth would I bring up such a thing in a writing blog?  Because not only can you learn the double windsor tie knot on You Tube, but as a writer, you can view hundreds of wonderful you tubes on all things writing.

So while I consider myself an abstract Goddess overall, there are plenty of times I just love sitting back and watching as well as listening to some great advice--especially when it comes to my passion of writing.

If you haven't checked out You Tube lately, I suggest you take some time to visit and surf the thousands of titles available on everything from how to manicure the perfect lawn to sitting in on some very creative writer's workshops.

Here's one of my favorites--J.K. Rowling--Writing for Grown ups 2012

Just one warning--don't head over to YouTube to check out the hundreds of writing videos unless you have some extra time on your hands--it can be very addicting.

Have you ever visited YouTube for advice on writing--if so, what are some of your recommendations?

Stuck on Pinterest

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

Those who know me well know that I'm a little bit addicted to social media.  I'm not saying I need a constant social media fix or I can't perform my writing and other computer duties without it, but I am admitting that I really enjoy the ability to share "chosen" information with friends and family members, writing colleagues, and even professionals I admire but don't know personally thanks to this venue.

Although facebook has ranked #1 in the world of social media for several years now, there's  a relatively new social networking site that allows users to create online image collages, then quickly and easily share those collages — called “pinboards” — with other Pinterest users. 

As explained on www.pinterest.com, Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the interesting things you find on the web whether it be for your home and family life or your professional life. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. 

People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, share their favorite recipes, quotes and hobbies, and as a writer you can share favorite authors, favorite writing blogs (say like The Writer's Crate), tips about character and plot development and so much more.

As a busy mom and a gal who loves to tackle home projects, Pinterest is a Godsend.  As a passionate writer, however, Pinterest is a must, and I'm going to share several reasons why:

1.  Pinterest has nearly five million users, and is rapidly growing. Nearly 1.5 million unique users visit Pinterest daily, spending an average of 15 minutes a day on the site.

2.  It allows you the opportunity to share your name on your profile for maximum exposure.

3.  When you create a new board, get creative by coming up with interesting board names. They get shared whenever you pin something, so make them enticing. But try to  keep your board names short. There isn’t a lot of room for long descriptive titles, but this makes it a fun challenge to make your words count.

4.  Tag other Pinterest users in your pins by using “@username” in your descriptions. Network with other professionals and authors in your field by using this feature. Not many people are doing this yet, so it’s a great way to build your following and stand out.

5.  Become an information curator for your writing niche. Gather the newest and best resources on your boards. Become a trusted source of information on Pinterest, and your following will grow by leaps and bounds.

Have you checked out Pinterest yet?  How do you use it to enhance your writing?

Thoughts on Social Media For Writers

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

The world of social media--facebook, Twitter, and the increasingly popular Tumblr, has dramatically changed communication in the 21st century.  When I was first introduced to facebook several years ago, I thought it was the most ridiculous waste of time a person could spend.  I actually forced myself to post just a couple of status updates during the first few weeks I opened my account, and then something happened to change my pessimistic outlook--my facebook friends started commenting on my posts, I began getting dozens of friend requests, and before I knew it--I was hooked!

We all have reasons for loving or hating the use of social media in our lives, but even if you are still skeptical of the benefits of these high-tech communication tools in your personal life, as a writer there are some well thought-out reasons why you might want to consider becoming more active with sites like facebook and twitter.

I recently read an interesting article on Mashable.com that referenced 10 Prop Tips for Writers Using Social Media.  While I found the entire piece helpful, here are five of my favorite tips:

 

1. Interact and Engage — Enthusiastically

It's easy to forget that part of successfully using social media is actually being social. While linking to things you like and adding commentary are part of the whole deal, it's important to engage with followers in order to keep them. As a writer wanting to gain a following, you have to try to keep everyone interested in you.

John T. Edge, food writer, columnist for The New York Times and author of Truck Food, uses Twitter "like a madman" when he's traveling. "I use it as a kind of diary to track things I saw, music I heard, food I ate." Edge combines his genre with interesting tidbits that aren't necessarily related to his writing. Your social media account doesn't have to be all writing, all the time.

With Facebook, it's all about pacing yourself. Allison Winn Scotch, author of the bestselling Time of My Life and the forthcoming The Song Remains the Same, says, "I think Facebook users get annoyed if you post too many status updates, so I'm careful to only post at most once a day, and more realistically, a few times a week."

Make sure your personality shines through all platforms. Karen Palmer, author of the novels All Saints and Border Dogs, says that readers are drawn to a writer's voice more than anything. "The most interesting folks are those with curious minds, oddball insights, passion and humor."

Overall, it's important to remember the golden rule. Tao Lin, author of Richard Yates and Eeeee Eee Eeee, makes sure to use social networks "without feeling like I'm doing things I wouldn't want other people to do to me...or that I'm doing things that will alienate people who, based on experience, I like being friends with."

2. Make Valuable Connections

Use social media's endless networking possibilities to your advantage. "Have fun with it and engage with other authors you admire," says Winn Scotch. "I follow a slew of writers whom I don't know personally but whose observations on pop culture, for example, I find funny as hell. And you never know where that connection can lead." She says that those connections are important not just for aspiring authors, but for seasoned authors as well.

That said, it's important to be somewhat selective when choosing your followers. "I also find that following too many people can lead to chaos in my feed," Winn Scotch adds, "so I don't follow everyone."

3. Consider Privacy and Comfort Levels

You might be hesitant to join these global virtual communities in which your information and viewpoints are available to anyone, but it's all about focusing on what you're comfortable with in a public sphere.

"I found social media hard to navigate at first, because I’m a private person," Hindley says, but she soon found topics she felt comfortable discussing, such as books, history and her writing process. "Every so often, you should review your tweets to see what you’ve been talking about. Ask yourself if you’re comfortable with the image you’re projecting. If not, make some adjustments."

At the other end of the spectrum, Lin is very open about his contact information with those who follow him on social networks, and he even gave out his phone number when someone asked for it in an HTMLGIANT comment thread. "I've never had problems — that I can remember — from people having my contact information," he says. However, proceed with caution.

4. Aspiring Writers vs. Seasoned Writers

You may be wondering if there are different ways up-and-coming writers should use social media as opposed to those whose work is already established.

"Social media is an extension of your voice," says Orlean. "For aspiring writers, it's a chance to practice miniaturization — how to say something interesting in a very concise way — which is, in itself, a good writing exercise. Seasoned writers might look at it as an ongoing book tour, or at least the Q&A part of the book tour."

Lin, on the other hand, doesn't think there's a difference. "I feel like what I try to do myself has remained somewhat constant throughout my time having these [accounts]."

So it's up to you how to present yourself, but you should be honest with followers about your work's progress.

5. Don't Force It

It's alright to admit that social media isn't for you. "If after experimenting for a while, you find you don’t really enjoy it, don’t do it," Palmer advises. "It’s obvious to others when your heart isn’t in it. And should you come to find you like it a little too much, use social media as a reward for doing your real work — writing."

Do you think social media benefits your writing?