While I'm on the topic of job-listing websites, check out The Write Jobs. For a fee you can place a Writers on Call listing - basically a classified ad for work. That's nice, but I prefer the free job listings. You can either click a link from here to go straight to the main jobs listings, or scroll down past the Google ads to view jobs sorted by a number of criteria.
Writing/journalism/media work of all sorts crops up here, but there are many more salaried and high paying jobs than I am used to seeing on freelance-outsourcing sites. There's also a page of career resources for writers.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Writerfind.com
I participated in a 3-day intensive workshop over the weekend, and didn't check my e-mail once. It was a real pleasure to be able to focus on one thing instead of the constant multi-tasking that has become my life.
The downside of taking a break is that when I emerged from the workshop on Monday, I had an enormous backlog writing newsletters to sort through. Today is Wednesday and I am still sorting. Yes, there are that many newsletters out there, just waiting for writers to read them.
One of them, from the folks at Writerfind.com, comes out so rarely that I had to visit their website to see what they're about. The newsletter is mostly notices and information for "Kiwi" authors, paired with a helpful interview/article.
The website is of interest - no matter where you are located - because if you click on Find Jobs beneath the Freelance Work heading, you'll find a list of available writing work. The job postings are recent (no more than 30 days old) and work location is clearly noted beneath each active link, along with other miscellaneous information. This makes it much easier to weed through the listings quickly, and pick out what's of interest to you.
This site is a little different from most of the freelance sites I've seen. It's not an outsourcing mill; the work often pays decently or better, and you'll find a number of job/work offers based in New Zealand/USA. There are also periodical, blog, and anthology calls for submission at times.
The downside of taking a break is that when I emerged from the workshop on Monday, I had an enormous backlog writing newsletters to sort through. Today is Wednesday and I am still sorting. Yes, there are that many newsletters out there, just waiting for writers to read them.
One of them, from the folks at Writerfind.com, comes out so rarely that I had to visit their website to see what they're about. The newsletter is mostly notices and information for "Kiwi" authors, paired with a helpful interview/article.
The website is of interest - no matter where you are located - because if you click on Find Jobs beneath the Freelance Work heading, you'll find a list of available writing work. The job postings are recent (no more than 30 days old) and work location is clearly noted beneath each active link, along with other miscellaneous information. This makes it much easier to weed through the listings quickly, and pick out what's of interest to you.
This site is a little different from most of the freelance sites I've seen. It's not an outsourcing mill; the work often pays decently or better, and you'll find a number of job/work offers based in New Zealand/USA. There are also periodical, blog, and anthology calls for submission at times.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Ivory Tower - Market Listings
For those who aren't members of the Paying Writers Jobs e-mail list, here's a new market listing resource that I nabbed from a recent PWJ edition: The Ivory Tower.
They announce themselves as 100% contest free, and have organized their market listings by category: Adventure, Horror, Literary, Youth, etc. Their links are supposed to take you directly to the active submissions page(s) of each publication listed, and a bit of clicking around showed this to be consistently true.
This is very handy for getting quick information, but don't forget that one of the best ways of getting your query accepted is knowing the publication. So, start at the submissions page, but don't stop there. Make sure to explore the entire publication - if you can't do it online, check bookstores, libraries, or find out if they offer a sample issue.
They announce themselves as 100% contest free, and have organized their market listings by category: Adventure, Horror, Literary, Youth, etc. Their links are supposed to take you directly to the active submissions page(s) of each publication listed, and a bit of clicking around showed this to be consistently true.
This is very handy for getting quick information, but don't forget that one of the best ways of getting your query accepted is knowing the publication. So, start at the submissions page, but don't stop there. Make sure to explore the entire publication - if you can't do it online, check bookstores, libraries, or find out if they offer a sample issue.
Friday, February 22, 2008
The Freelance Zone
Looking for an almost continuous parade of inspiration, resources, reminders, and tips - about everything from how to resolve unpaid contracts to ways of reducing writer's stress? Check out The Freelance Zone Blog.
They post frequently, often multiple times a day, so it's nice that they have organized their posts by category - advice, books, editorial, gear, lifestyle, resources & blogs, travel - all accessible with just one click from the right sidebar.
As you can guess from the categories, the content is varied, but it's almost always relevant to a writer's life. It's nice to find the unexpected, then realize that it does apply to you. And it's nice to see a writer's resource that goes beyond the standard (and appreciated, don't get me wrong) roll-call of markets.
They post frequently, often multiple times a day, so it's nice that they have organized their posts by category - advice, books, editorial, gear, lifestyle, resources & blogs, travel - all accessible with just one click from the right sidebar.
As you can guess from the categories, the content is varied, but it's almost always relevant to a writer's life. It's nice to find the unexpected, then realize that it does apply to you. And it's nice to see a writer's resource that goes beyond the standard (and appreciated, don't get me wrong) roll-call of markets.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
One of the best market research tools...
Are you caught in the hamster wheel of online market research, following your nose from one market listing to the other? Make sure you don't forget one of the best market research tools out there... the bookstore's magazine shelf. I hear tell that libraries have magazines, too. How about that?
Flipping through magazines first-hand helps you get a sense of what's made it into print, and you might encounter a few publications on the shelf that are new to you. After all, not everyone's guidelines are readily accessible online.
That's all well and good, but in my mind the best thing about thumbing through magazine after magazine is that I'm hit, rapid fire, with examples of other people's creativity. Seeing how others have fashioned a unique approach to seemingly mundane topics inspires me and gets my own creative juices flowing in a way that browsing online just cannot duplicate.
Don't forget to take a notebook along when you visit the magazine aisle - you'll need it to write down all the ideas you get once your brain is rolling.
Flipping through magazines first-hand helps you get a sense of what's made it into print, and you might encounter a few publications on the shelf that are new to you. After all, not everyone's guidelines are readily accessible online.
That's all well and good, but in my mind the best thing about thumbing through magazine after magazine is that I'm hit, rapid fire, with examples of other people's creativity. Seeing how others have fashioned a unique approach to seemingly mundane topics inspires me and gets my own creative juices flowing in a way that browsing online just cannot duplicate.
Don't forget to take a notebook along when you visit the magazine aisle - you'll need it to write down all the ideas you get once your brain is rolling.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Writing for DOLLARS!
Who wants to write for cents? I do... but I'd rather write for dollars. Maybe that's why Writing for DOLLARS! caught my attention.
From this site you can easily access an extensive database of writer's guidelines, searchable by a number of criteria such as subject, pay rate, and what kind of material the market seeks (fiction, non-fiction, filler, etc).
They also publish a twice-monthly newsletter that includes a feature article and a number of paying markets. Back issues are available online, and over ten years worth of articles -- that's over 400 -- have been archived here.
It's nice to have newsletters like this dropped into your inbox every so often. They're like an automatic reminder: Hey, have you been inspired lately? No? Have a look at this collection of markets, you're bound to see something new!
And yes, it's all free.
From this site you can easily access an extensive database of writer's guidelines, searchable by a number of criteria such as subject, pay rate, and what kind of material the market seeks (fiction, non-fiction, filler, etc).
They also publish a twice-monthly newsletter that includes a feature article and a number of paying markets. Back issues are available online, and over ten years worth of articles -- that's over 400 -- have been archived here.
It's nice to have newsletters like this dropped into your inbox every so often. They're like an automatic reminder: Hey, have you been inspired lately? No? Have a look at this collection of markets, you're bound to see something new!
And yes, it's all free.
Freelance Writers and Editors group
Ever fret about seemingly simple questions - How much are others charging for the same work and why? How do I get started with a new type of writing?
I did. Then I realized that having questions doesn't make me any less professional. Getting the answers I need helps me to be a better writer... especially on the business end of things.
The Freelance Writers and Editors discussion group is a great resource when you've got a question to ask or just want to know what others are up to. The stated purpose of this Yahoo Group is to "talk about what's important to you as freelance writers and editors." Recent topics have included what to charge for a rush job, what it's like to work for various freelance websites, and software to help you organize your book-in-progress.
The list is moderated, so there's no spam. If keeping up with lots of individual e-mails is too much for you, choose 'digest mode' and the day's discussion will arrive batched in just one or two e-mails per day.
There's more. Once you're a member of the group, you'll find an extensive listing of writer's guidelines for widely varied publications, an extensive database of articles about writing and editing, plus more. There's so much that I haven't had time to explore it thoroughly yet. It's all available at the group's website via 'Links' on the left-hand side.
I did. Then I realized that having questions doesn't make me any less professional. Getting the answers I need helps me to be a better writer... especially on the business end of things.
The Freelance Writers and Editors discussion group is a great resource when you've got a question to ask or just want to know what others are up to. The stated purpose of this Yahoo Group is to "talk about what's important to you as freelance writers and editors." Recent topics have included what to charge for a rush job, what it's like to work for various freelance websites, and software to help you organize your book-in-progress.
The list is moderated, so there's no spam. If keeping up with lots of individual e-mails is too much for you, choose 'digest mode' and the day's discussion will arrive batched in just one or two e-mails per day.
There's more. Once you're a member of the group, you'll find an extensive listing of writer's guidelines for widely varied publications, an extensive database of articles about writing and editing, plus more. There's so much that I haven't had time to explore it thoroughly yet. It's all available at the group's website via 'Links' on the left-hand side.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
CoolStuff4Writers
First up in the spotlight is CoolStuff4Writers. They offer a monthly contest, interviews, merchandise, articles and the CoolNewsletter4Writers.
The monthly newsletter features a nice blend of content. They have a little bit of everything - a short editorial, a helpful writing-related article or two, and a slew of announcements that include writing markets, author news, and contests. Past issues of the newsletter are archived online back to June 2005, and announcements can be viewed directly from the website via the 'Cool Announcements' link. Articles and interviews are also accessible directly from the website via links on the left-hand side of the page.
The contest features a new prompt and word count every month; winner receives a small cash prize. One of the things I love about recurring contests like this is that the prompts can get pretty creative. Even if you don't win the contest, you might be inspired to write a piece that sells.
All of this (except the merchandise) is free, and the website is simple and easy to navigate. That's pretty cool! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
The monthly newsletter features a nice blend of content. They have a little bit of everything - a short editorial, a helpful writing-related article or two, and a slew of announcements that include writing markets, author news, and contests. Past issues of the newsletter are archived online back to June 2005, and announcements can be viewed directly from the website via the 'Cool Announcements' link. Articles and interviews are also accessible directly from the website via links on the left-hand side of the page.
The contest features a new prompt and word count every month; winner receives a small cash prize. One of the things I love about recurring contests like this is that the prompts can get pretty creative. Even if you don't win the contest, you might be inspired to write a piece that sells.
All of this (except the merchandise) is free, and the website is simple and easy to navigate. That's pretty cool! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Welcome to the Writer's Resource and Information Blog
There are many wonderful websites for writers out there. With just a few button clicks we have market listings, advice from the experts, and job leads at our disposal. There are also discussion boards, contest forums, and critique groups just waiting for you to join. Most of these sites are free; some charge small premiums for extra-special content.
The problem? Finding those sites can be a bit like following Hansel and Gretel into the forest. You follow the trail of breadcrumbs from one newsletter to the next without a general overview of what's available.
I'm going to offer information about a new resource every Monday. If I start feeling ambitious I will update more frequently, so please check back throughout the week!
If you're looking for something special that you can't find here, let me know and I'll do my best to track it down.
The problem? Finding those sites can be a bit like following Hansel and Gretel into the forest. You follow the trail of breadcrumbs from one newsletter to the next without a general overview of what's available.
I'm going to offer information about a new resource every Monday. If I start feeling ambitious I will update more frequently, so please check back throughout the week!
If you're looking for something special that you can't find here, let me know and I'll do my best to track it down.
Hello World!
NEW BLOG LAUNCHES!
The Writer's Resource & Information Blog will feature weekly updates about websites for writers. Looking for market lists, job opportunities, or writing tips? We'll help you find them. Visit us at writerinfo.blogspot.com.
The Writer's Resource & Information Blog will feature weekly updates about websites for writers. Looking for market lists, job opportunities, or writing tips? We'll help you find them. Visit us at writerinfo.blogspot.com.
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