As one of the most omnipresent entities on the Internet, Google has faced a slew of allegations from industry experts and competitors alike about its purported monopoly of the search engine business. While it has not yet been found in violation of monopoly laws, Google has yet another battle to fight, this time regarding Google’s plans to make an online database of books. 
 
Google’s $125 million settlement with several book publishers concerning copyright issues has raised several eyebrows. Antitrust supporters worry that Google’s plans to make an online database of out-of-print books would make Google the only supplier of these books, thus giving it a monopoly on these products.
 
Authors and publishers of books to be added to the database will have the final say on whether or not their works will be included in the project. Google would receive 37 percent of the revenue of book sales made through the project, as well as a cut of the revenue taken in thanks to advertisements running within the project.

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(www.thegoldenpencil.com)

The other day a writing buddy of mine called. He was tempted to take a writing gig that paid way less than half of what she normally gets. True, it was a rather unique opportunity with a major trade publisher. If he did this job well he’d have an excellent contact which might lead to more lucrative work in the future. It wasn’t, however, a book, nor did it earn royalties. In my mind, the “might lead to more lucrative work” some day, some time down the road is, well, most often futile.

We’re close so I asked him what was really up. It turned out he was feeling cash poor. I asked if he had any savings, and he said he did, but he didn’t want to dip into them.

I understand not wanting to spend savings - it’s hard enough to get the money saved and horrid to see it disappear. I finally realized, however, that I have to have a savings account I’m willing to use to smooth out the ups and downs of my freelance writing income. Once I opened a savings account (I use Ingdirect.com) that I created just to smooth income I no longer worried as much when I had to use it for that. After all, I earned a bit of interest and often found I didn’t have to use it right away. I call it my Prudent Reserve account.

It took awhile to build it up to the point it actually helps fill in dips in income, but once it was big enough to do so, it made my life and my pricing so much easier. Now I rarely feel pressured to under price myself.

Of course, my Prudent Reserve account isn’t my only savings. I regularly put 12% in a retirement account and a tax savings account as well. I don’t always manage to stick with these percentages, but often enough so it works.

What I hadn’t anticipated is how secure that savings account would make me feel when I was setting prices. Because of that account, I’m free to turn down poorly paying work, or work I simply wouldn’t like. That’s freelance freedom.

Write, and save, well and often,

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Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

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(www.thegoldenpencil.com)

Joe Wikert does it again, this time by pointing to a new blog called Self Publishing Today. The author is Ray Robinson who is with Dog Ear Publishing, a company that offers a variety of self-publishing services.

The blog looks good. For example, on August 25, Robinson posted Self Publishing Hits - The Lace Reader, Brunonia Barry and Lorna Page. He tells the story of self-published fiction that went mainstream with a 2 million dollar advance. But he does more than just report that fact. If you read the whole entry you’ll find all sorts of marketing hints.

On August 19th, Robinson took a post of Wikert’s, and reworked it (with credit) into Ten Things Editors and Agents Hate - applied to Self Publishing. It provides valuable insights every author even considering self-publishing should memorize.

I’m subscribing to this blog and suspect you should too.

Write well and often,

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Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

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Writer Mark Hurst, author of Bit Literacy which as he puts it, he ended up self-publishing, has a post over at Good Experience called Secrets of book publishing I wish I had known.

I found the post through Joe Wikert’s Publishing 2020 blog in an article called: An Author Shares His Secrets. It’s worth reading both. Mark is horribly unhappy with traditional publishing, and he spells out his reasons clearly. He’s also got some book marketing tips.

While Joe doesn’t exactly say that Mark is wrong, in fact he points to places Mark is right, Joe is far more comfortable with traditional publishing than many. He makes valid points.

Between the two posts you’ll get a good overview of the differences, pluses and minuses of both working with a traditional publisher and self-publishing.

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

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Hmmm. I thought the key phrase how to write would bring up a bunch of blogs that might fall under the rubric of getting the writing done. Not so. After 45 minutes of messing around, these three are the ones I found that make any sense at all.

• ReadWriteWeb - not exactly about how to write, but lots of tech tips, many of which writers will find useful or interesting.
• Writing to Done, professional writer Leo Babauta’s blog about writing. I like this one and have subscribed. And sometimes I think I understand the title
• Keen To Write A Business Book? at Home Biz Notes - actually, you’ll find lots about writing as a home business here… including how to write tips and tricks.

I think I’ve found a key phase to add to my tags!

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

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Mary Emma Allen who blogs at HomeBizNotes is focusing July on how writing and publishing fits in as a home based business. She’s done considerable writing herself and I, for one, am going to keep an eye on her blog to see what she’s up to. I’m bound to learn something.

Today her post is titled: Thursday Thirteen - 13 Home Based Writing Businesses

I added commercial writing in the comment section… what else did the two of us miss?

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

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Let’s see… no particular focus this morning, at least not at the moment.

1. Contract Worker, a b5media blog, almost always seems to have something relevant for freelance writers and editors. Take, for example: Why Self-Promotion is a Must
2. 
   Copyblogger is another mainstay, even if you’re not writing copy. In fact, I can’t think of a genre that wouldn’t often benefit from this blog.
3. Georgianne Nienaber, investigative environmental writer is just flat amazing. Her work almost makes me which I’d become an investigative reporter.
4. Chris Garrett who writes about “The Business of Blogging and New Media.” often has interesting and valuable things to day to freelance writers, like: How to Create a Deeper Connection With Your Target Audience
5. Joe Wikert’s Publishing 2020 Blog is a must-read if you have any interest in what’s going on in the world of book publishing. Consider Why TOC is a “Must-Read” Blog a post about a blog I want and even need to read, but wouldn’t have found on my own.

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

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Just in case I haven’t been clear, if you want to be a freelance writer, go for it. Ignore the naysayers; it’s worked for me and it’s worked for others.

Liz Strauss over at Successful Blog has a two parter that demonstrates the point. The first, The power of survival stories, saying “damn it all” and tuning out the “no” noise by J.C. Hutchins is the story of how Hutchins turned his long, long science fiction novel into a series of free podcasts that resulted in a book contract with St. Martins Press. It’s an inspiring story and I’m starting to wonder if I shouldn’t do the same thing with my so far only self-published Powerfully Recovered!

The next part is Hutchins’ own screed on Your Personal Tale of Survival — and Success. Go ahead and read it for yourself… you’ll find truth, sometimes hard truth, plus some great suggestions. It’s an outstanding post.

Write well and often,
http://www.b5media.com/media/5/annesig.gif
Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

Hey Anne,

I’m writing a memoir. Some people know that, some don’t. I blog about it from time to time. Anyway, I spent a couple of hours last night with my nose buried in 2007 Writer’s Markets. Read up on literary agents, made note of those who represent memoirs, and studied the examples for good and bad nonfiction book queries.

My problem is, I don’t really understand the chain-of-command, so to speak. How it all works. Do I query a literary agent about my memoir, or a publisher? What about an editor - where does s/he fit into all this? Luckily, the literary agents listed in 2007 Writer’s Markets give very thorough specifications about what they do and don’t want writers to send - so I understand how ready I and the memoir must be for each agent. But, is querying the agent the first thing I need to do? Will an agent take care of the publisher for me?

Thanks bunches!

Alicia
www.WritingSpark.com

Hey yourself Alicia

This is yet another of those “it depends” answers. Or maybe a better way to say it is, you get to choose. Querying an agent and a publisher is roughly the same process – cover letter, market survey, sample chapters. The effort is about the same too.

Both agents and publishers are interested in only one thing: will the book sell well?

The agent represents you and your memoir (or other book) to publishers she has in her rolodex. The 15% you pay is essentially for the agent’s contacts. And it can be well worth it, assuming the agent loves your book and can sell it, you’ll often get a higher advance and a better contract.

Or, you can represent your own book to publishers you feel are appropriate, except to those publishers who won’t deal with anyone but an agent. You can usually tell from the listings.

Interestingly, the first book I sold I sold directly to the publisher, who then put me in touch with an agent. That agent did the negotiations and I think it was probably worth the 15%, although it was long enough ago I’m not really sure.

If you decide to go direct and are not successful, then try to find an agent, the agent will want to know exactly what publishers you submitted to and when. If it’s been recent, it may turn the agent off.

Now, as far as editors go. An agent may recommend an editor to do some pre-submission polishing. The publisher who contracts for your book will have in-house editing. (Actually, the publisher may hire freelancers… but that’s another story. At a minimum you’ll have at least a copyeditor, and it’s likely you’ll have another editor who will suggest changes in your manuscript aimed at making your book easier for the publisher to sell.

Clear as mud, right? I prefer to go direct to publishers unless I’ve got a solid contact to an agent, but that’s just my preference. Like so many things in this freelance writing business, you pretty much can do it any way you want and/or any way that works.

Got a question about freelance writing? Email me and put Q&A in the subject line.

Write well and often,

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