Reading For Writers

ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett

2009-06-10T19:02:00.000-06:00

It had been way too long since I updated this blog, so I decided it was about time I read another writing-related book. (Believe it or not, I have a whole shelf full of unread how-to books on writing and related topics.)

This book is ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett, two highly successful bloggers. Of course, it's highly unlikely that your blog will become the next ProBlogger network, but even so this book has a lot of good tips for both writing and monetizing a blog.

ProBlogger has a little something for everyone. It doesn't go into major detail about how to write and maintain a successful blog, but it does provide some information about optimizing a blog for search engines, writing posts, cultivating a strong readership, etc. It's a pretty straightforward rundown of all the basics, and definitely information worth noting.

The book also talks about the different ways to monetize a blog. One way is, of course, advertising. The authors aren't big fans of AdSense — their message seems to be that a successful blog can do much better with advertisers that they contract with directly. They also mention affiliate programs, such as Amazon's affiliate program, where you earn a commission for products you sell via your blog or website.

Obviously I'm no stranger to either approach, as I use both AdSense and Amazon ads on my blogs. But I also appreciated that the book addressed another way of earning money from your blog: by using it to attract customers or clients for a product or service that you offer. (Examples: Doll Stringing Extravaganza, which I use to attract potential buyers for my short ebook, and my writing blog, which is connected to my professional website and helps to build my reputation as a writer and a blogger.) Selling products, services, or even selling yourself as a ghost blogger are often overlooked, but no less valid, ways to monetize your blog.

The book also has a chapter on buying and selling established blogs, but I skipped and/or skimmed most of it. I have no plans of doing either right now. I enjoy my blogs too much to part with them, and I have no interest in buying someone else's!

Overall, this is a great book. It has everything you need to know about maintaining and monetizing a blog, whether you are a newbie or a seasoned blogger. It is also written in a very blog-like style — short, to the point, and easy to read. Of course, not everyone who reads this book is going to go on to earn six figures — in fact I'd say it's highly unlikely — but at the same time, it does give you the information you need to develop a decent blog and earn a respectable side income if you so desire.

Start Your Own Freelance Writing Business by Entrepreneur Press and George Sheldon

2008-06-14T17:50:00.005-06:00

Weeks ago, when I was browsing the business section at Tattered Cover, our biggest independent bookstore here in Denver, I ran across this book: Start Your Own Freelance Writing Business and More, by the Entrepreneur Press and George Sheldon.

Although I'm not really a startup freelancer anymore, I thought this book might be of interest to some of my readers. It's a pretty handy guide to freelance writers who are just starting out. It covers a lot of topics that newbies often ask me about, such as:

* Getting started
* Daily schedules
* Finding work
* Querying
* Marketing
* Expenses

The book also talks a bit about copyediting and proofreading, and provides a chart with standard copyeditor's marks (something you'll need to know if you want to get into copyediting).

What I found really interesting was what the book had to say about magazines. The author adamantly insists that you should NOT write for markets that pay on publication, because they can hold your manuscript without publishing it or paying you for however long they want. For a discussion about this hardline approach, please see the post about pay-on-publication markets on my regular blog.

If you are a newbie freelance writer, or just wanting to break into the business, this book does a good job of painting a well-rounded picture of everything you need to get started.

Tax Deductions A to Z for Writers, Artists and Performers

2007-12-25T12:41:00.001-07:00

With 2007 coming to a close, I'm already thinking about tax time again. So when I happened across this book — Tax Deductions A to Z for Writers, Artists and Performers — in my library's online catalog, I went ahead and placed a hold.

Anne Skalka's book is a great overview of the tax deductions you can take as a writer. Unless you have something specific in mind that you want to look up, I think it's best just to skim the entire book to get an idea of what deductions are available. Remember, as a freelance writer you are self-employed — even if you still maintain an hourly or salary "day job" — so your business expenses are deducted from your self-employment income on 1040 Schedule C.

As a side note on this book, it's great as an overview, but isn't incredibly detailed. When you actually sit down to do your taxes, you will probably want a book that goes into a little more detail about things like the home office deduction, amortizing home office equipment, and other more complex expenses.

BAM: Book a Month by Cyn Mobley

2007-09-27T12:47:00.001-06:00

I ran across BAM about a month ago in the Writers Weekly newsletter. As a past NaNoWriMo participant, I immediately thought of how useful this book might be for other NaNo-ers.

Before I say too much, I want to make it clear that I did receive a complimentary review copy of BAM so that I could review it on my blog. However, I also want to point out that very few (if any) of my posts are harsh or critical, so I am not in any way going out of character by raving about BAM. I loved this book, and it has nothing to do with the free copy — in fact, I told Cyn Mobley that I would be buying her next writing book, First Pages, which is due out next week.

But now, down to the review.

BAM is based on the premise that in order to be able to write quickly, you first have to have a thorough outline to follow. Some writer — I don't remember who now — once said that writer's block, in her opinion, was the result of not having thought the story through well enough before beginning to write. That's basically what BAM is circumventing.

I always thought I outlined well enough, but after reading BAM I know I was wrong. My outlines were not nearly detailed enough. Nor did they address the critical elements every good story must have. Instead, I was pretty much winging it.

BAM basically walks you through a formula for creating an outline for your book. It's not just a skeleton outline, though, like the ones I used to work off of — you plan the book out, act by act and chapter by chapter. BAM also makes sure you work certain important elements, such as conflict, into your outline, thereby making sure it all gets into the right place in the novel.

That alone is probably not all that unique. Plenty of writing books tell you how to outline (although I honestly haven't come across any that are as no-nonsense or effective as BAM). What is unique is that BAM shows you how to do all this — outline and write your novel — in one month.

I'm not going to give up Ms. Mobley's secrets — you'll have to pay the $12 for those — but as someone who has written a novel in a month, I can tell you that it would have been much easier had I done it the BAM way.

The Milk Memos by Cate Colburn-Smith and Andrea Serrette

2007-09-14T15:02:00.001-06:00

I read this book about a month ago, actually, and blogged about it on Livre du Jour. Although the book is primarily for mothers who work out of the home, it does have a small section on working from home while you are breastfeeding.

I have noticed that many of the members of the online freelancing community are mothers. Many of them say that they have to juggle their writing duties with their responsibilities as a stay-at-home mom; some even chose to freelance because it would allow them to be at home for their children, too. In light of this, I thought some of my fellow writers might be interested in this book.

Like I said, this book is written primarily for mothers who work away from home. However, there are a few tips for juggling motherhood and working at home. There are also some amusing stories that many of my fellow freelancers will relate to, including stories of babies crying during conference calls, and even a story of nursing during a conference call!

Publish & Prosper: Blogging for Business by DL Byron and Steve Broback

2007-06-27T14:32:00.001-06:00

I spotted Publish & Prosper: Blogging for Business at the Apple store. Although I am a writer first and a blogger second, I was immediately interested; after all, blogging does involve writing, and does help my writing business.

I was amazed by how helpful this book really is. It's written for any level of blogger, whether you haven't even begun yet or you've been in the blogosphere for years. I've been blogging for about a year and a half now, but there are still things I learned from Byron and Broback's book.

Publish & Prosper starts with a pretty basic explanation of blogs: the short version of how they evolved, how they work, etc. The book also goes into more detail on various feature you can utilize, how to make your blog work for your business, etc. Some of this stuff I already knew, other things I did without understanding why it seemed to work so well, and still other things I didn't know at all (but plan to try out on my own blogs).

Whether or not you are a writer, if you have a business to promote online Publish & Prosper is the perfect resource on blogging!

The Renegade Writer by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell

2007-06-26T17:24:00.001-06:00

First of all, my apologies for not having updated this site recently. I have had some paid book reviews to write, and as a result my "pleasure reading" time -- yes, books about work are pleasure reading for me -- has been seriously diminished. I was finally able to read The Renegade Writer thanks to a plane trip and an inconsiderate passenger who leaned her seat back into my lap and made it impossible for me to pull out my laptop and write.

At any rate, I was glad I had the chance to read this awesome little book. It's short, so a fairly quick read. The writing style is conversational and even humorous at times, which also makes it go quickly.

Despite what a quick and enjoyable read The Renegade Writer is, the meat of the book is quite substantial. Basically, it presents a list of rules about freelancing that are not as hard and fast as you might think -- and that, actually, would hold you back if you followed them. Some of these rules I've learned to break on my own (or never learned that they were rules in the first place), and others I've been following. Still others are news to me -- such as the idea that you can't break into features for magazines if you start out writing shorts. (The authors debunk this myth, which I never even knew existed.)

My favorite rules to break:

* "Start at the bottom."
* "Be familiar with the magazine before querying it."
* "Don't quit your day job."

I completely agree with Formichelli and Burrell on all of these. There's nothing that says you have to start at the bottom or epitomize the starving artist in order to prove your passion and dedication. And, while researching a publication before querying it is handy and even necessary, I think many writers over-research to put off the actual querying part. (Afraid of rejection, I guess?) As for quitting your day job -- well, I did it! You definitely need savings or a sympathetic significant other to cushion you for the first few months, but if you dedicate your time to honestly looking for freelance work, it shouldn't take long to start generating income.

The Renegade Writer covers pretty much the whole realm of freelancing -- everything from breaking in and querying to rights and contracts. This would be a great book to have on your shelf, whether you are a newbie or old hat!

Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer, by Jenna Glatzer

2007-03-01T15:16:00.001-07:00

I picked up this book, Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer, and started reading before I knew who Jenna Glatzer was. Partway through the book, I realized that I knew of her site - I haven't spent much time on it myself, but I've heard about it from other freelancers. Frankly, it's not all good. As a result, this review will be divided into two parts: what I think of the actual book, and my reflections on it after the fact (knowing what I know about AbsoluteWrite.com).

The book itself:

Quite honestly, I have read few books that I think are as helpful to beginning freelancers as Glatzer's book. What sets this one apart is the "insider's secrets" - she tells you things that you would only otherwise learn by freelancing for the top magazines for years and years: tips such as that writer's guidelines are always negotiable once you have already written for the publication, "no email queries" doesn't always mean that, and the sections of a magazine that beginning writers will have the easiest time breaking into.

Of course, the book also covers all of the usuals, such as how to write a killer query and how to conduct an interview. However, I think Glatzer addresses even these oft-covered topics with more detail than they are usually given - and better advice.

Finally, what I like best about Glatzer's book is the conversational style. It's easy to read and understand - no snoring sections or paragraphs that make you say "What...???"

Putting it all into perspective:

And now for the big picture. While I was reading this book, I was trying desperately what I had heard about Glatzer's site. I kept thinking it was something about the hypocrisy of it all - that Glatzer and her site's members all bitch about low paying gig, while AbsoluteWrite.com is, itself, a low-paying market.

I checked this morning, and sure enough - AbsoluteWrite.com only pays $5 per article from experienced writers. After reading an entire book where she talked about jobs that pay several thousand for an article, it's insulting. One of her site's competitors, Writers Weekly, offers $50!

The moral of the story:

It's amazing what people will say when they have a book deal. A book about how to land top-paying gigs will sell better than a book about how to land average-paying gigs, yet the writer of this wonderful book pays her writers worse than low.

I think that Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer contains a lot of excellent advice for writers at any stage of their career. However, considering who the writer is, I would take it with a grain of salt - especially the part where she repeatedly says that a beginning writer may have to write for free in order to get started. I have never found that to be the case.

The Little Book of Plagiarism by Richard A. Posner

2007-02-07T13:33:00.001-07:00

One could argue whether Richard A. Posner wrote The Little Book of Plagiarism for writers, but the book definitely is of interest to writers. This brief (109 pages) read is nevertheless packed with information.

Starting with the controversial story of Kaavya Viswanathan, Posner leads his readers through a very organized tour: first discussing high-profile plagiarism cases, then discussing the broader definitions of plagiarism and copyright infringement, and finally narrowing the definitions down in order to try to determine exactly what it is about plagiarism that gets everyone so upset. The underlying theme here is that true plagiarism attempts to pass itself off as originality, when in fact it's anything but.

This book may not tell you how to write, or why you should write, but it definitely shows you what you shouldn't do: copy someone else's work.

How to Be Your Own Literary Agent, by Richard Curtis

2007-02-05T17:20:00.001-07:00

I found it: the book that gets the prize "Most Useful for Freelance Writers." And it's not a book that tells you how to write - it's a book that tells you how not to get screwed when you publish what you've written.

Although Richard Curtis wrote How to Be Your Own Literary Agent for book authors, I think it helps regular freelancers just as much. If you have to negotiate a book deal, read a contract, or even sign a contract, you ought to read this book first.

How to Be Your Own Literary Agent basically translates the contracts between writers and publishers into language that you can understand. It breaks down every step of the book deal, explaining how the wordy "legalese" in your contract can result in significant gains - or losses - in your career.

As a freelance writer who deals with contracts regularly, I thought I knew a lot about them. I quickly found that I don't know as much as I will need to when I get to the point in my career where I'm publishing books. The basic point is that publishers area always out to take advantage of writers so that they can maximize their profits, and unless a writer knows better (or has an agent who knows better), he or she could get screwed out of tens of thousands of dollars.

Although Curtis's book was written primarily for writers who want to sell their book without the help of an agent (i.e. do-it-yourselfers like Yours Truly), I think it's also a must-read even for writers who plan to use (or already use) an agent. What Curtis says is true: there are absolutely no standards in place for those who wish to call themselves agents. In other words, no matter how careful you are, your agent may simply not have the knowledge or ambition to protect your best interests. Knowing your own way around a contract will protect you from getting screwed by your agent and the publisher.

Here's a sampling of the subjects that How to Be Your Own Literary Agent covers:

* How to get your submission noticed by the editor even if you don't have an agent

* Fair royalty rates and how to avoid common pitfalls that cost you some of your rightful income

* Reserving rights for yourself such as electronic (ebook) rights, movie and TV rights, etc.

* Ensuring that your publisher sends detailed, accurate royalty statements

* Protecting yourself from getting stuck with a crappy publisher

* Making sure the rights to the book revert back to you in a timely manner after the book goes out of print (or doesn't get published during a reasonable amount of time)

* How long the publication process takes and what to expect

* Ways to promote your own book (and why in most cases you can't let the publisher handle it)

* The ups and downs of collaborations

* All about book packagers (you know, those companies who give an author an outline of a book and a flat fee to write it)

* Handling an auction for the right to publish a book (and why you're better off letting an agent handle this)

* Taxes

* The influence of book superstores (i.e. Barnes & Noble, Borders)

* Writing titles (and dealing with it when your publisher rewrites them)

* Advice on nontraditional publishing methods such as small publishing houses, self publishing, ebooks, etc.

As you can see, this book offers advice on more than simply how to negotiate a contract with your publisher - it tells you how the world of publishing works, so that you won't be taken advantage of for not knowing. Regardless of what kind of writing you do or whether you plan to have an agent, this book is a staple to have on your shelf!

Stephen King's On Writing

2007-01-13T00:17:00.001-07:00

I have a confession to make: I have only ever read one Stephen King novel, and I hated every minute of it, even though I forced myself to finish. However, I've heard that he writes very well about writing, so I decided to read his book On Writing.

I loved the book, but it also demonstrated to me why I don't like his novels. I'll start with the reasons why I loved it.

The first part of the book is extremely engaging. He describes his memories, from the earliest to as recent as when he published Carrie - but in a choppy style, as that's how he said he remembers his life. The memories are delightful - he has a wonderful wry sense of humor. It is also fascinating to see how his memories dance around, and finally converge on, his destiny as a writer.

King's sections about writing are also very well written. He has a gift for organization, that much is certain - each discussion is separate, yet flows easily into the next. He doesn't bore the reader with unnecessary how-to advice or proselytizing, but gets his point across succinctly and easily.

However, there were a few things I don't agree with. He talks about how writing for a paper was such a revelation for him, and how he learned to leave out unnecessary words. I think that is a valuable skill, but I also think that a lot fewer words in fiction are unnecessary than in newspaper writing or copywriting. Fiction requires more words to create vivid description. I also don't think that adverbs (you know, the -lys) should be banned quite as religiously (ha! see?) as he recommends.

As I was discussing my disagreements with my fiance, I realized what it is about Stephen King's (fiction) writing style that rankles me so: it's his lack of description, his inability to make me feel a part of the story. It's the cold nakedness of his prose. My favorite writers are ones like Anne Rice, whose description could be aptly called "lush" or "heady." That's what I'm looking for in a novel, and I'm afraid Mr. King just doesn't quite deliver.

When writing about writing, though, he does beautifully. Ironically, he talks about how difficult writing the book was for him, how painful he found it to write nonfiction. 'Tis a pity, because I think he did a beautiful job of it.

Lucrative List Building - A handy little book on Internet marketing

2006-12-30T17:27:00.002-07:00

If you read my regular blog, you know that my interests have lately turned toward ways to promote myself and my site online. Although I hadn't looked at it yet, I've had this little book, Lucrative List Building, out from the library for a couple of months; I was quite glad today that it was so accessible.

Lucrative List Building, by Glen Hopkins, is a fabulous little book. Short and to the point, it can easily be skimmed in about an hour or so, yet it is packed with valuable information on Internet marketing. The book explains how to build an email marketing list through the use of squeeze pages, opt-in lists, articles, AdWords, and other techniques. Hopkins also talks about what to do with the list once you have it: autoresponders, newsletters, etc. Also included is a brief appendix on writing effective sales copy.

This book gave me lots of good ideas, and I truly look forward to putting them to good use. I highly recommend Lucrative List Building to anyone who wants to add some oomph to their online marketing!

'Surviving a Writer's Life' by Suzanne Lipsett

2006-12-24T16:35:00.001-07:00

Writing how-to books are helpful from a professional standpoint, but the writer in me loves to hear about what other writers' lives are like. I love chatting with other writers, whether online or in person, comparing stories and talking about our work. Maybe it's because as a writer, I work alone, without co-workers to befriend; but regardless of the reason, this craving for the companionship of other writers means that I also love memoirs by writers.

This particular book is Surviving a Writer's Life, by Suzanne Lipsett. The book is fairly short, addressing the major turning points in her life with engaging yet rapid prose. Surviving a Writer's Life isn't just about writing; it's about all of the events of her life that conspired to turn her into a writer, before she even knew it herself.

And believe me, this author went through a lot. The book is very inspirational for this reason: it makes you think, "If she made it as a writer despite all this, then I can too!" Surviving a Writer's Life is an easy, quick read for any writer or aspiring writer who needs a little lift!

The Immigrants' Daughter by Mary Terzian: An inspirational memoir for writers

2006-12-20T17:24:00.001-07:00

The Immigrants' Daughter, by Mary Terzian, isn't about how to be a writer or how to hone your craft. Rather, it's an inspirational memoir about how determination and perseverance helped Terzian eventually realize her dreams of being a writer.

The Immigrants' Daughter tells the story of Terzian's childhood and coming-of-age, and how her determination to achieve an education made her career as a writer possible. The book tells of how, during her difficult childhood, she found solace in reading, and how she felt pressured to always be a good student. Above all, it's about one woman overcoming oppression - due to both her nationality and her sex - in her struggle to make what she wanted out of her life.

The Immigrants' Daughter is available through Booklocker.com, the POD publishing company run by the publishers of Writers Weekly. I bought the ebook version of the book, and I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed reading the book on my laptop. Of course, the traditional print version of the book is available, as well. I highly recommend this book as an invigorating, inspiring read for anyone who has ever dreamed of being a writer!

Musings of a Writing Life

2006-10-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

I ran across another blog for writers today: Julia Temlyn's Musings of a Writing Life. She apparently has not had this blog for long, as she mentions in an early post that she recently made the transition to blogging with Wordpress on her own site. (I should mention that Blogger also allows you host your blog on your own site, and I like my setup very much.) She seems to blog about once a week, and her blogs are usually pretty relevant to writers. However, as a warning, individual posts seem to have some formatting issues, so don't click on individual post titles and expect to read them that way!

Also, through Julia's blog I came across the Book Lust site. It seems pretty interesting, and the What is Nancy Reading? page reminds me a little of a blog I keep on myspace, Livre du Jour (Book of the Day). Except I think Nancy's page is a little more commercially-oriented (whereas mine is just a discussion of whatever I'm reading currently).

In any case, I always love adding more writers blogs to my "Favorites" list! I hope you enjoy adding these as much as I do!

2007 Writers Market

2006-10-25T23:19:00.002-06:00

First of all, I need to apologize to my readers - it has been far too long since I posted on this blog. I'm sure by now most of you have found your own books for writers, without my reviews. :o)

Good news, though - tonight I'm stealing a little time away from my other pursuits in order to blog!

The 2007 Writers Market is out. In fact, it has been out some 6 or 8 weeks - I picked it up about a month ago, I think. Apparently, publishing the Writers Market is like selling cars or holiday decorations - it gets earlier and earlier every year. I guess I can't complain, though. After all, it's my neurosis that makes me buy it as soon as I see it sitting on the shelf at Barnes & Noble.

In any case, I spent this evening reading the articles at the beginning of the book. There are all the normal ones - how to format a manuscript, how to write a query letter, how to decide how much to charge. There are also the "fun" articles that vary each years: profiles on and interviews with different freelance writers and authors. Honestly, though, I read the "how to" materials more closely, and just skim the success stories. It's enough for me to just know that somewhere out there, writers are making it on the weight of their words alone.

I also glanced through the publisher listings. It's always comforting to know that my $30 (well, $20-something with my B&N discount) wasn't wasted, and there are new (and deleted) listings contained within the book's many pages. Actually, I don't know if all writers are like this, or if it's just me... But having the newest Writers Market is like having a really heavy, square security blanket. It's like I couldn't actually be a writer without that book sitting on my shelf.

In any case, I have too much work at the moment to consider it, but before long I should start going through the Writers Market listings (as well as the websites I've saved) and start querying for more work.

Content Done Better Blog: Another good blog for writers

2006-09-21T16:00:00.000-06:00

Here's another blog I found via Deb's freelance jobs list: Content Done Better Blog. This one is also controversial (I love controversy!). I especially love his post, "Will Write Articles for Links...When Exposure Matters and When It Doesn't". He challenges all of us who have been griping about the prevalence of unpaid writing gigs to consider when writing for "free" might be worthwhile. His point: if you're donating articles that will be printed and reprinted throughout the Internet, with a backlink to your site each time, then you're not really writing for free - you're getting valuable exposure. However, if you write for these stupid obscure sites that try to use exposure instead of payment, there's really no advantage, because they're taking all rights (usually) and only providing you with the one backlink to your site. Not very useful.

In essense, Carson is saying about the same thing I always say (along with many other professionals in the field): don't write for those gigs that only offer exposure. If you want to write for exposure, check out his post for some better ideas.

An Unpopular Opinion: A great new blog for writers!

2006-09-21T14:03:00.001-06:00

I posted on Swan's Blog about a new blog that I'm following: An Unpopular Opinion. I found it on Deb's freelance jobs list, a job site that I check regularly.

This new blog is definitely worth referring! Written by a fellow writer, it rails against things like paid forum posting (I can't believe people call that being a writer!), underpaying writing gigs, and cliquish writer's forums - the kinds of things that Angela Hoy of Writers Weekly warns writers about, and the kind of things that I have written about in my blog as well. That's all the writer has so far, but judging by the quality of these posts, there will be plenty more good stuff to come!

Barbara Ehrenreich's 'Nickel and Dimed'

2006-09-07T10:35:00.001-06:00

This book, I am well aware, is not a book about writing or being a writer, per se; however, the book had a powerful impact on me as a writer, so I thought it should have a place on my blog.

In Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, the writer Barbara Ehrenreich decides to find out what it's like to work minimum wage jobs in America. In order to do this, she goes undercover in three different cities, working as a waitress and a housekeeper at a hotel in one, working for a maid service (The Maids) in another, and working at Wal-Mart in the third. In each scenario, she finds it virtually impossible to squeak by on her earnings: affordable housing (at least, affordable housing for someone making $6 or $7 an hour) is difficult to find, not to mention unsafe and unsanitary when she does find it. In two of the three cities, she tries working two jobs, and still is barely able to pay rent, utilities, and food - and of course, working two jobs leaves her mind-numbingly exhausted.

This portrayal of the lowest class is definitely something to think about, especially since Ehrenreich was a single woman - think of all of those with several children to support, trying to do it on $7 an hour! Our culture is so judgmental of these people, yet it's almost our fault they are where they are: we keep repealing welfare assistance, saying that it's these people's own fault that they are poor, because all they would need to do is go out and get a job. Well, Ehrenreich has shown that is not the case: the minimum wage jobs available cannot even pay the bills, much less pull someone out of poverty.

Ehrenreich also talked about how the system - especially in places like Wal-Mart - worked to keep the poor in their place. Management who doesn't let employees "gossip" (i.e. talk amongst themselves at all), threatenes to fire them for discussing their wages (which, as I learned in this book, is actually illegal according to the National Labor Relations Act of 1935), constantly makes them feel they have no rights by invading their privacy (through tactics such as reserving the right to search their purses, instituting random and pre-employment drug tests, and asking questions about one's personal life in interviews or on pre-employment questionnaires), and belittles them in a thousand other little ways - these tactics are engineered to make the poor feel even more worthless and subhuman than they already do, trapping them emotionally as well as financially in the world of poverty.

The reason Ehrenreich's book and its "discoveries" made such an impact on me as a writer is because, for one thing, I have experienced these manipulative, you-are-the-scum-of-the-earth jobs - as I am sure everyone has. I know what it's like to feel that belittled, and I have also seen that it makes people very catty and nasty to each other when they live and work in that type of world. However, I have also - as she has - escaped most of those issues by working for myself, as a writer. Although I don't consider my income to be in the top 20% of the population by any means, as she does, I do realize that I have spared myself many of these dehumanizing experiences.

This book was a reminder to me of why I should appreciate my writing life, even when I am slammed with deadlines and have no time for myself, or experiencing a slow period that hurts my finances. I would recommend this book to any writer who is in or out of the labor force, both for the revelations it offers and for the reminder of what it is like to be poor.

Helping writers to find good laptops

2006-08-28T12:56:00.000-06:00

Personally, I think a good laptop is a writer's best friend. For that reason, I was thrilled to find the article "A Guide to Laptops for Writers," by Graeme Houston. This article walks writers through the main points of selecting a laptop, so that you can make sure you don't leave out anything vital. I can't imagine a worse mistake than spending hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on a laptop that doesn't suit your needs as a writer. After all, your livelihood depends upon that little contraption.

I think the only thing I myself would have added to the article is size. As a writer who writes "on the go" quite a bit, I find that size is very important. I don't care how big the screen is, how cool the graphics, or anything else of that sort - I don't want to lug around an 8-pound laptop on my shoulder! My laptop weighs 3 pounds; my fiance's weighs 5, I think, and I wouldn't ever want anything heavier than that. Personally, I think my 3-pounder is perfect, as it leaves room for a book or some paperwork in the case without weighing it down too much.

In any case, if you are planning on buying a new laptop, be sure to read this article - even if you have considerations of your own, you can make sure you're not overlooking anything important!

The Writer's Confidant Blog

2006-06-25T13:49:00.000-06:00

While Googling for my pen name - something I do occasionally to make sure that no one is misusing my name or my work - I came across a mention of my blog (Swan's Blog). I didn't recognize the source, a blog called the Writer's Confidant Blog, so I decided to take a look.

I was pretty impressed by what I read. The Writer's Confidant Blog is a lot like my own Swan's Blog, commenting on pertinent writing issues and recording the writer's personal experiences. I read posts about everything from the Freelance Work Exchange scam - something I blogged about myself - to the differences between a "real job" and freelancing. It's an excellent place to get another point of view about the life of a writer!

A quote for writers

2006-06-22T20:25:00.000-06:00

I decided that writing-related quotes qualifies as "reading for writers." Just very brief reading.

Behold:

A good many young writers make the mistake of enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope, big enough for the manuscript to come back in. This is too much of a temptation to the editor.

--Ring Lardner, How to Write Short Stories

The quote certainly seems all too true. I've manuscripts returned without even a note - like the editor opened my package, saw the manuscript and return envelope, thought, "Oh, okay," and mailed it right back to me.

The quote intrigued me, so I looked up a little information on How to Write Short Stories. Lardner's book was published in 1924, with the help of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Perhaps this book should be the focus of a future post!

Yet ANOTHER Boy Bly book on copywriting

2006-06-02T22:48:00.002-06:00

It's almost laughable: when I recently checked out a bunch of library books on copywriting, three of the books were by Robert Bly! Before we left for our vacation, I grabbed a few books to take with me, and one of them happened to be The Elements of Copywriting, the third book by Robert Bly that I've read on the subject. (This particular book is also co-authored by Gary Blake.)

Having read three books by Bly, almost right in a row, I've noticed many similarities between them. Certainly an aspiring copywriter shouldn't have to read all three. My favorite was the last book I reviewed, The Copywriter's Handbook, but The Online Copywriter's Handbook is useful too - just a little more outdated.

The Elements of Copywriting is also a tad bit outdated - it was published in 1997, almost a decade ago. The chapter about the internet is the most noticeably outdated.

The biggest benefit of The Elements of Copywriting is that it is more condensed than the other books - so if you just need to know the basics, you might prefer a slightly shorter book. However, I still prefer The Copywriter's Handbook, which contains some very helpful information for Internet copywriters.

'The Copywriter's Handbook' - another helpful book by Robert Bly

2006-05-25T00:04:00.002-06:00

About a week ago, I posted a review of Robert Bly's The Online Copywriter's Handbook. When I picked up the next of my stack of library books to review, I realized it was another of Bly's books: The Copywriter's Handbook. It's the third edition, just out last year.

If I was impressed by the previous book, I can't even begin to tell you what I thought of this book! It contained some of the same information, sometimes even word-for-word, but it also contained a lot of new information.

Oddly enough, I thought the chapter on writing for an online format was more helpful, in some ways, than The Online Copywriter's Handbook - although that may have to do with the fact that The Copywriter's Handbook is several years newer, and therefore more up-to-date. For instance, Bly tackles the relatively new realm of SEO writing, and gives some tips that you won't hear from anyone else online - particularly the article factories who want SEO articles.

Bly also goes into great detail about things that were not covered in the Online Handbook at all, such as writing ads, press releases, and direct marketing materials. Another chapter covers how to find a job with an advertising agency - oddly enough, Bly doesn't seem to think too highly of freelancing - and the final chapter tells non-writers how to work with copywriters. (I know of several past editors and employers of mine who need to read this...) All of the information is very thorough and helpful.

It's a great book to have on your shelf for easy reference - there are so many pages that I stared at for quite some time, desperately trying to memorize the information there for future reference. There was just too much to take in, though, so I'll probably be buying the book myself just as soon as I have a little extra money - and I'd recommend the same to just about any other writer.

Writers Weekly's article about signs you've been scammed!

2006-05-24T15:11:00.000-06:00

Angela Hoy is one of the strongest advocates I know of freelance writing contracts. She is always emphasizing the importance of having a contract to protect yourself. This week's article, "Top 10 Signs You've Been Scammed Into Writing for Free," is a quick-and-easy list of the most common excuses scammers use to keep the writer's they've scammed at bay. I haven't yet heard any of these myself, but I've heard enough horror stories to recognize the lines!

A definite reading must for freelance writers who think they might have been scammed, and a great warning for those who want to know what kinds of scenarios to avoid!