If you have never had an article published, that first gig can be the most difficult one to land. If you’ve got many bylines under your belt, landing freelance writing assignments gets easier and you are likely to get paid something for most, if not all, of them. So, how do you get that first byline, or more of them,…
Read More
As part of my ongoing planning for 2014, I want to find ways to better address my readers’ needs and interests. That means your needs and interests. I want to improve this blog and make it more relevant to you. To accomplish that goal, I need to know more about you. So, I have created a 2014 Reader Survey. I’d…
Read More
Some writers begin with an article idea and then find a market, or publication, to fit the idea. Others begin with a market and then develop an idea for a particular magazine’s readership. No matter which method fits your personality, you will need to learn how to research markets for your ideas. By finding the best markets for your work…
Read More
Prior to the beginning of the year, I wrote about branding for nonfiction writers and authors. However, branding constitutes a huge topic, and I don’t claim to be the expert on it. That’s why I asked branding pro Judy Baker to write this guest post. She explains how your brand identifies you, your book and so much more. You might…
Read More
Nonfiction encompasses a broad range of forms. That’s good news for a versatile writer with many interests. You might find you can become quite well versed at more than one of them, thus earning your keep by producing a variety of nonfiction work. Or you can hone your skills and become an expert in one particular area, such as restaurant…
Read More
Some nonfiction writers don’t aspire to write books. They simply want to become journalists and write for publications. Maybe this describes you. I started out wanting a career as a magazine journalist. Other nonfiction writers do want to write books. However, they need the ability to write articles just as much as their more-journalistically inclined counterparts. Writing about the subject…
Read More
It’s January 1. The New Year has arrived. Will it be any different than last year? You can make that decision right now. Today. This moment. It’s easy to say the decision depends upon editors, agents, spouses, any variety of conditions… In fact, you, and only you, make the decision. You decide in an instant to change. And you make…
Read More
This month I’ve written a lot about how to achieve your goals in the coming year. I’ve discussed such things as creating business plans, branding, setting goals, and taking action. Today, in this last blog post of the year, I want to pull all of these concepts together. In fact, I want to give you one piece of advice that…
Read More
This is the last nonfiction writing prompt of 2013. As such, it’s my final chance to assign an exercise that might help you achieve your nonfiction writing goals in the coming year before the year actually arrives. The assignment has one word: Act. Sounds simple, right? Yet, some people find it difficult to do this. Let me explain. You Can’t…
Read More