1. Editorial

Hello again, and thank you for being a valued E-Writer
subscriber!

It's been another busy month for me, which (among other things)
has seen me reviewing online bookmakers for a new gambling
website and preparing descriptions of antique beds for a company
which sells them on the auction site eBay. Writing for the
Internet forms an ever-growing proportion of my work these days,
and even some of my 'traditional' print-based clients are now
commissioning me to prepare material for this medium as well.

Incidentally, both of these jobs came in as a result of personal
recommendations. I was recommended for the gambling site job by
a regular client with another publishing company, and I was
nominated for the 'antique bed writing' job by a fellow writer
who had been offered the work himself but was too busy to take
it on. This kind of thing happens a lot in the freelance writing
world, and means that these days I seldom have to actively
market my services.

I've also been liaising with my colleagues at WCCL, the
publishers of my "Write Any Book in Under 28 Days" and "Quick
Cash Writing" courses, about several new projects. I can't tell
you about all of these yet, but one thing I can reveal is that I
will shortly be launching a writing 'blog' and a writers' forum.
WCCL will be providing the technical expertise behind these
projects, and I will be providing most of the written content.

I'm really excited about these new initiatives, as they will
provide much greater opportunities for interaction between
readers and students of my courses than would ever be possible
through the E-Writer newsletter alone. In particular, the forum
will provide an opportunity for writers to interact with other
writers, set up collaborations, share ideas, and so on. Don't
worry, I'll let you know as soon as the new sites are up and
running!

This does mean that the format of E-Writer is likely to change
in the coming months. Rather than a monthly (or thereabouts)
mailing, I will post news and market information on the blog as
I receive it, along with articles, reviews, and so on. Rather
than duplicate this content unnecessarily, I plan simply to send
out an email to E-Writer subscribers letting them know that new
information has been published on the blog, with a link of
course included. This will also have the benefit that on the
blog I can use full HTML formatting. It will also reduce the
risk of copies of E-Writer being intercepted by spam filters (an
increasing hazard for all legitimate e-newsletter publishers).

And I'm not the only one launching a new writing website. I was
pleased to hear recently from E-Writer subscriber Dawn Copeman
about her new site at http://www.newbie-writers.com. As the name
suggests, Dawn's site is targeted at new writers, and aims to
reveal "all you need to know to start your new career as a
writer."

Dawn's site is crammed with information and resources, but one
thing I especially recommend is the Newbie Writer's Resource
Book, which can be downloaded free of charge from the homepage.
Dawn twisted the arms of several professional writers, me
included, to submit articles for this, and the upshot is a
substantial guide covering most things a new freelance would
want to know. Dawn could easily charge good money for this e-
book, so I recommend going and grabbing your copy now before her
festive season generosity wears off!

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2. Article: Writing for a Living

One question I get asked a lot is, "What's it like being a full-
time writer"? So in this E-Writer article I thought I'd talk a
bit about my working routine, and also about the pros and cons
of writing full-time (for a living, in other words), versus
writing part-time.

I've actually been a full-time freelance writer for 15 years
now. For ten years before that I had a variety of full-time
jobs, and wrote in whatever spare time I could find.

I'm lucky nowadays to have my own office (I definitely see it as
an office rather than a study), in an extension we had built a
few years ago above our double-length garage. In general I work
normal office hours, though if Jayne is around during the day
the hours sometimes end up being a bit more flexible.

One thing I try to avoid, however, is 'burning the midnight
oil'. I know some writers swear by it, but personally I find
that if I work late at night my mind is still buzzing when I go
to bed. As a result I don't sleep well, meaning I am less
productive the following day.

Anyway, I start most days by checking my email and replying to
any queries that have come in from editors, clients, colleagues
and buyers of my writing courses. After that, I'll spend the
rest of the morning working on whatever project is currently
occupying my attention. This time is usually the most productive
for me - I'm definitely a morning rather than a night person -
so I try to schedule my more demanding tasks for this time.

I take a fairly late lunch - typically at around 1.30 to 2 p.m.
- then do another hour or two in the office. After that, I
usually go out for a walk. Often this takes me to our local
supermarket, where I'll buy something for our evening meal. I
visit this place so often I have been mistaken for a member of
staff there! Still, I think it's important to fit a bit of fresh
air and exercise into the day, and a walk to the local Morrisons
fits the bill nicely for me.

When I get back I'll do another hour or so in my office,
generally finishing at around 6 pm.

That's my basic daily routine, though obviously there are
variations. Some days I may be giving talks to writers' groups
or conferences, for example, or attending a book launch.
Equally, some days I might go out somewhere for the day with
Jayne, or meet up with a friend for a swim or a pub lunch. OK,
so it may not be the most glamorous of lifestyles most of the
time, but it works for me!

So how does this compare with working part-time? Well, I can
only speak from my own experience, but I find that working as a
full-time writer has many advantages. The most important to me
is that (obviously) I have more time to devote to writing, and I
can also allocate my 'best' hours to it, rather than trying to
write in the evening when I'm pooped.

I enjoy the freedom of working for myself, and in general
pursuing my own interests. One of the big attractions of being a
freelance is that you get paid to find out about things that (by
and large) really do interest you. On a more mundane note, it's
nice to be able to arrange your own schedule, take time off when
you want to (deadlines permitting), and be around when the
gasman or the plumber needs to call!

What about the down-sides? Well, yes, there are some. Writing
for a living means that, unless you are lucky enough to have
some other 'private income' (I don't), you always have to focus
on paying the bills. That means that you can't take on too many
speculative projects, such as novels that may or may not get
published.

Writing for a living also means you are likely to spend a lot of
time on your own. I can cope with this better than most, but
even I miss the camaraderie of working with other people from
time to time. I do think it's very important if you are planning
to go full-time to be aware of this, therefore, and try to build
some 'people time' into your schedule. Keeping in touch with
former work colleagues can help a lot too.

If you are thinking about becoming a full-time freelance, I
would also strongly recommend ensuring that you have at least
some 'guaranteed' source of income to get you through the first
few months. If you can get commissioned to write a series of
articles or (even better) a regular column or two, that will
help greatly.

But even an unrelated sideline can grease the wheels of your
journey into full-time freelancing. When I left my last salaried
job, working as information officer for a national charity, I
had a sideline selling copyright-free artwork packs. From my job
I knew that lots of charities and similar organizations needed
artwork tailored to their requirements, so I commissioned a
cartoonist to draw one for me. I advertised the packs through
mailshots and print, and over the years sold several thousand.
Nowadays I don't sell them any more - computer clip-art has
taken over everywhere - but in my first few years as a full-time
freelance I was very grateful for the extra income from my
artwork packs to help pay the bills.

Of course, nowadays a great source of sideline opportunities is
the Internet. So, by an amazing coincidence, the last article in
this newsletter spotlights a few such possibilities...


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3. Market Info - Miscellany

Here are a few more potential markets for you...

STIMULI is a new, US-based culture/lifestyle magazine, focusing
on urban design, fashion, music, arts, film, technology and
travel. They are looking for new writers and associate editors
who (as they put it) "want to be part of something engaging,
large and slightly different in the magazine genre." They ask
would-be authors to email them at info@stimuli-magazine.com with
any queries, ideas, resumes or questions. They are hiring on a
freelance basis as well as looking for a few part-timers.

The website Time Travel Britain reopened in December for
submissions of articles about interesting places in Britain.
They say that articles should cover both the historical
background of a location (e.g. what happened there, what makes
the site significant), and what the visitor can expect to see
there today. There are various slots, including "All About the
Town", "Days Out", and so on. Payment ranges from $75 to $250
per article, depending on length, quality, photos, and so on.
For more information, see their website at
http://www.timetravel-britain.com/adm/guidelines.shtml.
Incidentally, E-Writer subscriber Dawn Copeman, who runs the
Newbie-Writers.com website mentioned earlier, is a columnist and
contributing editor of Time Travel Britain.

A couple now for the romantics among you. The website Romantic
Short Love Stories is seeking love poems, romantic short
stories, true love stories, love letters, "how we met" stories,
romantic date stories, and wedding proposal stories. True
stories can be anything from romantic, embarrassing, to just
plain funny. All types welcomed, with payment of $3 per poem,
$15 per true love story, $25 per short story, plus one year free
subscription for all contributions. Non-US writers are welcome
and will be paid by Paypal. The following shortcut URL should
take you to the full writers' guidelines:
http://tinyurl.com/7784r 

Also, Harlequin Romance (www.eharlequin.com) is actively seeking
submissions for two new lines, Harlequin Everlasting and SPICE.
Everlasting books will be contemporary romances of around 75,000
words. They will follow the life and relationship of one couple,
and span a longer period than most romance series. SPICE is a
new erotic fiction imprint aimed at the modern woman. Stories
will range from highly sensual love stories to witty, humorous
tales, to gritty, slice-of-life stories about sex and the modern
woman. To see the guidelines for both series, go to
http://www.eharlequin.com and click on Writing Guidelines near
the bottom of the screen. You may need to scroll down to get to
this.

Still on a romantic theme, Bonmarche Magazine is a UK-based
publication paying 100 UKP (about 150 USD) for romantic short
stories of 600 to 700 words. The magazine is available in
clothing stores across Britain. Send your stories by postal mail
only to: Romantic Fiction, Bonmarche Magazine, River Publishing
Limited, Victory House, 14 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BZ,
UK.

Talebones is a quarterly American magazine of science fiction
and dark fantasy. Each issue is 88-92 pages, with a full-colour
glossy cover. They say they are looking for "entertaining,
literate stories that straddle the edge of the dark, with three-
dimensional characters." Manuscripts should be no longer than
6,000 words, and payment is one to two US cents per word.
Manuscripts should be submitted by postal mail only. For full
guidelines, see their website at http://www.talebones.com.

I'll close with a couple of opportunities for UK-based writers.
First, Waitrose Ltd is looking for freelance copywriters with a
succinct way with words, experienced in writing for packaging
and point of sale. They say that writers will work with Waitrose
buyers, food technologists, designers and external suppliers in
the creation of descriptions for product packaging and point of
sale. A minimum of two years' relevant experience and a flexible
approach are required, and a working knowledge of food labelling
standards would be useful. To apply, e-mail your CV and samples
of work to freelancewriters-at-waitrose.co.uk, or send by post to
Freelance Writer Applications, Publications, Waitrose Ltd, Waite
House, Doncastle Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YA. Only
short-listed candidates will be contacted. The closing date for
applications is 28 December 2005.

And finally, Icon UK Publications Ltd is looking for freelance
writers on fashion and related topics. Sorry, I don't have any
more info than that at present. To apply, in the first instance
e-mail your CV to editor-at-iconmagazines.com. The closing date for
this one is also 28 December.


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4. Article: Sideline Income Opportunities

As mentioned earlier in this newsletter, a sideline income can
be very useful for a writer, helping to even out the income
peaks and troughs most writers typically experience. In this
article I thought I'd therefore mention three current web-based
opportunities that may merit your consideration.

Let me start close to home then. If you have your own website -
and all serious writers really should - did you know that you
can make a good sideline income selling my writing courses to
visitors to your site?

My publishers operate an affiliate program that anyone with a
website is welcome to join. You simply place one of their links
or banners on your site, and every time someone clicks through
and orders a course you get a nice wad of commission. Even if
they don't buy immediately but some time later, you will still
get the commission, courtesy of a 'cookie' placed on the
customer's computer.

Not only that, once you have signed up as a WCCL affiliate, you
can also sell any of their other products as well. Apart from my
writing courses, these include utility software, e-books, self-
help manuals, subliminal messaging CDs, money-making guides, and
- their latest - self-hypnosis scripts and CDs.

I belong to a few affiliate programs, and I have to say that
WCCL's is one of the best going. It's very easy to join, get the
banners and links you need, and install them on your site. Then,
every time you make a sale, you get an email to let you know,
followed by the commission 30 days later (as long as no refund
has been claimed). All payments are made via the online payment
service Paypal.

If you'd like to know more about signing up as a WCCL affiliate,
the following link will take you to the sign-up page for
affiliates for my "Write Any Book in Under 28 Days" course:
http://www.writequickly.com/author/affiliate.aspx?afl=6785 

Once you have signed up as an affiliate here, as I mentioned,
you can sell any of WCCL's other products as well.

And by the way, even if you don't have a website, WCCL are also
happy to let you sell their products as an affiliate using
Google AdWords or other pay-per-click services, as explained in
E-Writer issue 2 - http://www.nickdaws.co.uk/ew002.htm.

Next up, a word about the World Limited Partnership Program
(WLPP). I mentioned this program in last month's E-Writer. It is
a new type of venture capital organization that offers its
members the opportunity to invest in businesses of all types
across the world, including companies, franchises and websites.

Joining WLPP is free, and you then get to hear of new investment
opportunities as they come on stream. If you like the sound of a
business on offer - and full details are published on the site -
you can buy a stake in it for as little as $50. You will then
receive a share of that business’s profits for as long as you
own it.

Anyway, I know several E-Writer subscribers signed up to this
interesting program. Those that didn't might be interested to
know that the first business is now up and running - it is a
health food website called Vivamin (www.vivamin.com). I bought
four units in this business, and especially like the fact that
those of us who are now 'owners' of Vivamin can support it by
making purchases through the site and signing up as affiliates
to promote it. Unfortunately it is now too late to invest in
Vivamin, but if you have any interest at all in this type of
opportunity, I would recommend joining now to be notified when
the next new business comes on stream.

It's free to join WLPP and membership entitles you to access to
the members' area, which contains thousands of dollars worth of
downloads, scripts, e-books, etc. that you can use and even
resell. You also get updates, free marketing advice, special
deals for members only, and more free downloads as they become
available. If you’d like to find out more, the following
shortcut URL will take you to the main information page:
http://tinyurl.com/bjwap.

Finally, here's another great sideline opportunity if you have a
website. Have you seen those 'Ads by Google' boxes on lots of
websites (including some pages of mine)? They are actually
supplied by Google as part of their Google AdSense program.

The way this works is that website owners apply to Google to run
AdSense ads on their sites. If they are approved - and most
people are - Google supply them with some HTML which they simply
paste into their website code in a suitable place. Google then
automatically pipes in adverts relevant to the topic of your
site (their software can detect this). Every time someone clicks
on one of these ads, you get a share of the advertising revenue
generated.

Google's terms of service don't allow website owners to reveal
how much they make from AdSense, but from my own experience I
can say that it provides a very handy, and entirely hassle-free,
stream of income for me. If you'd like to find out more, just click on
the button below.

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