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E-Writer Issue #8 6 August 2004 http://www.nickdaws.co.uk E-mail: ewriter-at-nickdaws.co.uk "Hints, tips and tricks for wired-up writers" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >>> In This Issue <<< 1. Editorial 2. Article: Another Great Way To Get More Writing Work 3. Market Info: Miscellany 4. Style File: Who, Whom, Whoever and Whomever 1. Editorial Hello again. And thank you for being a valued subscriber to E- Writer! I've had some nice feedback from readers in the last few weeks - it's always good to hear about what you like (or dislike), and sorry I don't always have time for more than a brief acknowledgement in reply. Anyway, one of my 'local' Lichfield-area readers, Lorraine, says she particularly likes to hear about what work I have been doing recently - so here's the lowdown. Apart from my regular round of articles for newsletters and magazines (and some Kwickee.com editing), I've had commissions to write several novelty books and items (as mentioned in last month's editorial). One of these involved writing costume/character suggestions and recipe adaptations for two party packs, Bingo Party Night and Race Night Party. The first part involved coming up with some likely characters for each of these scenarios (cheesy bingo caller, jockey, dodgy bookmaker, and so on) and deciding what they might wear. The second job involved adapting some recipes I was supplied with so that they would fit the theme of the party concerned - so for the racing party we had First-Past-The-Post Pizza and Saddle-Up Salmon Baguettes, while on the menu for Bingo Night were Winning Line Hot Dogs and Top-of-the-Shop Swordfish Salsa. It was a nice little job, and I even got to discover some recipes I may try out sometime! I've also just finished writing another quiz book, Wild Planet. All the questions in this book concerned natural phenomena - volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and so on. It's not a topic I knew much about before - I was never terribly enthusiastic about geography at school, possibly because it always seemed to be taught by the PE (physical education) teachers ;-) But I really enjoyed researching this book, and learned all sorts of interesting things - from how many tons of space dust are estimated to fall on the Earth each year (3,000), to which two metals make up the Earth's inner core (iron and nickel). Of course, jobs like this are made much easier by the wealth of resources on the Internet. Indeed, without the net, I suspect the job would have taken me at least three times as long, and the end result would probably still have been inferior. The only real problem I find is that there can be a surprising amount of variation between the 'facts' reported on different websites. I had to junk some potentially interesting questions as I simply did not know which authority to trust! Even the websites of universities and professional organisations seemed to differ quite widely on some points. So that's what I've been doing since the last E-Writer (along with some rather more serious-minded editing work for the Learning & Skills Council, which I'll tell you about some other time). I'm off to North Wales for a short break holiday later today, but I was determined to get this issue of E-Writer done before I go! 2. Article - Another Great Way To Get More Writing Work In a previous E-Writer I talked about the benefits for a writer of having your own website. This month I thought I'd talk about another strategy I have personally found very helpful in building up my freelance career. It's actually a range of methods which fall within the general category of networking. What do I mean by networking? Broadly, I mean building and cultivating a network of contacts within the writing world. Networking is probably the single most important way I get work nowadays. One obvious method of networking is to build good relations with the publishers and editors you write for, and other writers you meet and work with. This can pay off in all sorts of ways. First, if they like your work, there is every chance they will come back to you for more in future. The company for whom I write quiz books (mentioned in my editorial this month) is a good example of this. I started off writing a short story for them six years ago, and since then have written copy for a series of humorous recipe books, two internet guides, two entertainment CD-ROMs, a drinking games kit, four novelty packs of cards, and many more. I now work with four different editors at this company, each of whom has their own portfolio of projects, so at times they keep me very busy indeed! Second, editors move on to new jobs and projects, and naturally they like to take their favourite writers with them. One example: around ten years ago I wrote some articles on business-related matters for an editor I'll call Vanessa. That went pretty well, then she got a job as editor for a newsletter called Personal & Finance Confidential, and she asked me to write regular articles for them as well. That went on for several years, and in fact I still write for PFC today, having seen off at least three other editors since Vanessa's day. Then Vanessa went freelance, and one of the assignments she got was writing a series of travel books, including Living & Working in the USA and L&W Canada. While she was working on those, the publisher asked her if she knew any other writers who might be interested in writing a L&W book, and she put my name forward. The upshot is, I ended up writing the books L&W Germany & L&W Italy. Of course, networking is a two-way thing, and it works best if you can reciprocate. So I was pleased to be able to put some work Vanessa’s way with one of the mail order publishers I work for, and I also subcontracted work on one of my business books to her. Other methods of networking including joining writers' organisations and groups, and attending meeting and conferences. For example, I belong to a UK organisation called the Careers Writers Association, and through being listed in their directory of members I’ve obtained a number of careers-writing commissions (e.g. I recently received a £250 fee just for reading and reviewing the Times 100 Careers Guide). I also belong to four other writing organisations, including the Society of Authors. The latter has been helpful in getting my books reviewed in the Society's magazine, and although it hasn’t directly led to any work offers yet, I’m sure it’s just a matter of time! To sum up then, to build your writing career, cultivate your network of writing and editorial contacts. Join writers' organisations and go along to meetings and conferences. Keep in touch with clients, even (or especially) if you haven't done any work for them for a while. And be generous about passing on contacts and opportunities to other people. Not only will your generosity redound to your credit in the next life (maybe), there is every chance you will benefit in this one as well! -------------------------------------------------------------- Advertisement Every writer should have their own website, to promote themselves, communicate with their readers and (perhaps) generate additional streams of income. But what do you do if you're a complete newcomer to website building? The Newbie Club First Website Builder could be the answer. It's a four-volume guide to creating, writing, designing, automating, uploading and promoting your own website, in fully illustrated e-book format. As well as the four beautifully written e-books, you get loads of free software, including the Super Easy Mini Site Wizard, which will build a basic site for you in literally minutes. Check out everything on offer at http://tinyurl.com/2syw8. Even if you eventually decide to hire someone else to build your website, the information here will help you to assess what is possible and maintain and update your site once it is running. -------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Market Info - Miscellany Here are a few more potential markets for you... I mentioned last issue that UK distance learning college The Writers Bureau (http://www.writersbureau.com) were looking for someone to create a course on freelance copywriting skills for them. Well, they are also looking for part-time, home-based tutors to work with their students on fiction and non-fiction assignments. Their ad goes on to say that applicants must be able to work with students via e-mail as well as post. Previous tutoring experience is not essential, but you must have good knowledge of current markets. To apply, send your CV and samples of your work to Diana Nadin, Director of Studies, The Writers Bureau, Sevendale House, 7 Dale Street, Manchester, M1 1JB, UK, or by e-mail to diana-at-writersbureau.com. Incidentally, I worked as a freelance tutor for The Writers Bureau myself some years ago, and can therefore vouch that they are good people to work with. You won't earn a fortune as a tutor for them (obviously) but the work can provide a useful sideline income for anyone starting out as a writer. My colleagues at Kwickee Bitesize, the new service which will be providing articles, stories and other material via mobile phones, are still looking for a writer for one of their text- based soaps. This will be set in the present day, and be a ‘pacey’ continuing drama set in the financial district of down- town Hong Kong - home to hundreds of fast living UK and American expats. The rest is up to the author. Usual Kwickee rules apply - max. 5,000 characters, good teaser, etc. If you are interested in this vacancy, drop them a line and they will send you more information. The person to contact is Nick Hirst (Kwickee's Managing Editor) and his e-mail address is nick.hirst-at-kwickee.com. See also www.kwickee.com and www.kwickee.info.
Tor Books are actively seeking well-written, novel-length
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