8 Tips to maximise your freelance writing earnings

If only we didn’t have to pay tax! Now that would maximise my meagre earnings as a writer by as much as 20% – a significant growth indeed. Luckily for us, though, there are some simple ways in which we can ensure that we are squeezing as much value out of the dollar as the law of the land will allow. 

1. Stay away from non-paying markets Bit obvious, really. It’s a lose-lose situation for you and a win-win situation for them, so why should you even bother with markets that cannot compensate you for your work? Forget the ‘for the love of literature’ and ‘amass glory and prestige’ rubbish. If you wanted...

Read the full article in the December 2013 post of Freelance Writing

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1095 words
Nonfiction
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"I enjoyed your article... I enjoyed reading your articles at your website which focused specifically on the freelance writer."

Brian Scott

Editor

Freelance Writing

"This one looks right for us."

Dana Cassell

Editor

Freelance Writer's Report

5 Quick and easy ways to know your market

‘Know your target market!’ is an oft-repeated piece of sage advice offered to novice writers. Makes sense, really. You can’t work for or with someone without knowing what kind of work they do and what they are trying to achieve. But how do you go about it exactly?

Knowing your market means knowing who your customers are, who their customers are (age, gender, usage habits and the values they hold dear), and what needs they are trying to satisfy. It also means knowing if their business is expanding or declining, where they get their funding from, how large a subscriber base they have, what the current...

Read the full article in the December 2013 issue of Author

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670 words
Nonfiction
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"Thanks, this looks great. I would love to publish the piece in our December issue."

Bill Kenower

Editor-in-Chief

Author Magazine

The tale of the tantalizing title - The Whats, Whys, and Hows of titling manuscripts

I was counting the other day and it turns out that nearly 20% of my stories have been published under a title different from the one I had originally submitted. I don’t know what the figures on this phenomenon are globally – and in a world inhabited by a gazillion writers of every language and description, I don’t know how anyone would undertake a poll on such a large scale – but I reckon the trend is not uncommon.

If a story is a cake, then its title is like the icing: it is the pièce de résistance of one’s literary chef-d’oeuvre, the crowning glory, so to speak. Whether you’re christening a painting,...

Read the full article in the December 2013 issue of Writing Tomorrow

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Words from the Wise

"I enjoyed reading it and you make good use of some prominent authors."

Jonathan Telfer

Editor

Writing Magazine

"I like the piece"

Zachary Petit

Associate Editor

Writer's Digest

"I'd love to have it available for our December edition."

Miranda Kopp-Filek

Editor

Writing Tomorrow

"Nice read... the writing is good, the advice is essential."

Daniel D'Angelo

Editor

Writer's Chronicle

"We enjoyed reading the piece"

Susan Karwoska

Editor

Teachers & Writers Magazine

Meeting Minerva's messenger

There’s not much to do when you are bed-ridden with only the bed bugs and mosquitoes for company, other than to stare at the ceiling, count the cracks and calculate exactly how much time the square inch of paint will take to peel right off and fall on you. So when the doctor ordered complete bed rest for an excruciating back pain recently, this is pretty much all I did.

Of the bed bugs and mosquitoes, there’s precious little to tell. They visited me often and at all hours of day and night, the bed bugs whispering local gossip into my ears and the mosquitoes bringing tidings from far off places. The paint ...

Read the full article in the October 2013 issue of Portland Monthly


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1200 words
Humour
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"This was fun to read"

Lorna Loveless

Editor

BackHome

"Lovely story"

Nicola Ross

Editor

Alternatives

"A clever and feisty tale - and a nice reminder that we should not underestimate how clever and nimble our fellow creatures truly are."

Erica Dorpalen

for the editor

Orion

"Your story is written in an interesting style - very expressive. The unusual situation of having an owl sitting on your toilet bowl is a great image."

David Peters

Editor

Fried Fiction

"This author has a knack for dry humor layered into complex language. There are many nicely-turned phrases in this piece"

Anonymous

Manuscript Reader

Quality Fiction

"It has merit"

Veronica Ross

Manuscript Reader

Antigonish Review

"We very much enjoyed reading it"

Tim Kroenert

Associate Editor

Eureka Street

"Interesting concept, an owl in the toilet"

Anonymous

Editor (1 of 6)

Flashquake

"I enjoyed reading the opening paragraph"

Anonymous

Editor (2 of 6)

Flashquake

"There are some lovely touches about your owl companion"

David Seideman

Editor

Audubon

"It’s an interesting piece"

John Hassell

Communications Manager

Ontario Nature

"(It) proved to be enjoyable... I consider my time reading your story as time well spent. I related to the fight-for-freedom theme and the characters' parallel determinations came across as entirely believable. It held my interest. As an editor, that's the best I can hope for and I found your story a pleasant distraction from my normal work. Thank you for your story."

Troy Swauger

Editor

Outdoor California

"Thank you for sending your lovely essay. I enjoyed it immensely. I envy the editor who gets to run your piece."

Tom Dickson

Editor

Montana Outdoors

A writer bites back

So you have gone through the pains of thinking up an original ground-breaking idea, wrecked your keyboard thrashing out the story, laid waste to the Dictionary searching for the most appropriate adjectives, run Spell Check, counted words, proofread till your eyes hurt, racked your brains for an attention-grabbing title and trawled through numerous resources to find the one perfect magazine to which to submit your masterpiece. Except that they want you to do it in a certain way. ‘Please follow our Submission Guidelines outlined below,’ they announce cheerfully. You’d love to, only...

Read the full article in the October 2013 issue of Writing

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1320 words
Humour
UK publication

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Words from the Wise

"I like the work (it’s an intriguing concept and table-turner)"

Zachary Petit

Assistant Editor

Writer's Digest

"This definitely made me chuckle!"

Moira Allen

Publisher

Writing World

"I like this"

Jonathan Telfer

Editor

Writing Magazine

"Very clever, and I think it has potential to be a hit among writers"

Brett Popplewell

Editor

Feathertale Review

Returning to work - How to cope with a new world after a hiatus

‘I’m having a baby!’ I announced at work.

After the initial wave of congratulations had subsided, conversation turned to the inevitable question. ‘Are you planning to return to work?’ asked my colleagues, some with amusement, others in tones more anxious. ‘I don’t really know at this point,’ was my truthful answer. What I did know was that it was going to be an important, serious and potential uncomfortable choice to make, and one that could be life-changing.
 
A year later, as I neared the end of my maternity leave and the manic feeding-changing-sleeping frenzy settled into a regular and...

Read the full article in the September 2013 issue of Cairns Parenting Companion

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1415 words
Nonfiction
Australia publication

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Words from the Wise

"I liked the piece very much"

John Feister

Editor-in-Chief

St. Anthony Messenger

"It's a great article"

Melody Tan

Associate Editor

Sign Of The Times

"That kind of article is perfect for our website"

Lydia Stone

Director Editorial Content

Together Moms

"It is well written, covers an important topic and provides helpful tips"

James D. Standish

Editor etc.

Record

"I'd love to publish this"

Sandy Pedrogao

Editor

Oh Baby!

"It looks quite interesting!"

Kristy Pillinger

Editor

Nurture Parenting

"We really like your article, and we'd love to publish it. It's an excellent article"

Jill Snider Lum

Associate Publisher

Canadian Newcomer/Settlement Roadmap

"We find your ideas and your article to be quite interesting"

Nina Kruschwitz

Managing Editor

MIT Sloan Management Review

"It contains some useful ideas"

Bill O'Sullivan

Senior Managing Editor

The Washingtonian