Now, if you are a full-time writer, don’t stop reading. Chances are you could use a little help focusing your writing time on the most effective tasks, too.

Gretchen Roberts is a full-time mom and a part-time writer, yet she brings in a full-time income. I’ve heard of other writers who manage this, including Linda Formichelli. In Full-Time Income in Part-Time Hours, Roberts gives you quick tips you can implement to increase your income without increasing your work hours.

I read this book in one night, and in a lot of cases, I consider that a problem. For this book, though, it is a testament to its concise nature and focus on helping time-strapped writers.

In her 22 tips, Roberts offers some that go against the typical advice for writers. One that made me do a Scooby-Do-style “Huh?” was not to go after reprints. Typically, writers love to sell reprints to increase the amount of income they generate from a single article. Roberts argues, however, that the time spent on marketing reprints could instead be spent on generating higher-income assignments. Total income for the year is the most important factor.

Many freelance writers figure that they need to earn at least $100 per hour to make a living. For a part-time writer, that per hour rate is even higher. If you put in 20 hours a week, you need to net $200 per hour. If you are in the 15-hour range, even more. This means that you not only need to be fast, but that you also need to spend your time chasing big bucks and fast assignments rather than the pittance you can make on reprints.

Roberts has written a fast-reading book with easily implementable business advice for writers who have limited time to devote to writing or who just want to amp up their income without amping up their hours. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Buy your copy from Amazon: Full-Time Income in Part-Time Hours: 22 Secrets to Writing Success in Under 40 Hours a Week

The Business of Writing

• Adventures in Self-Publishing: A great look at the pros and cons of self-publishing by John Sundman, author of Acts of the Apostles, Cheap Complex Devices, and The Pains.
• E-books as the New Mass-Market Paperbacks and Don’t Be Buridan’s Ass: Bob Mayer shares his reaction to New York’s realization that e-books aren’t the devil.
• An Author’s Guide to Book Birthers, Book Shepherds, and other Consultants: Liz Alexander gives tips to help you pick the right independent contractors for your book.
• Amazon Advantage Blamed in Borders Liquidation: We’ve all heard about the demise of Borders, and I’m avoiding including a lot of the stories about it here. But this one is a nice look at what the future might hold for bookselling.
• How Long It Takes to Sell a Novel: Nathan Bransford has reposted this piece, and it continues to have value. Novels are a long-term enterprise, and anyone looking for fast riches is looking in the wrong place.

Craft

• Top Ten Blogs for Authors: Shelley Hitz provides her favorite blogs. Do your faves appear on her list?
• Wrangling with Copy Editors: Lev Raphael shares some not-so-positive experiences with copyediting. How can we learn from his experience as both writers and editors?
• One Woman’s Writing: HOW Many Words in Print? Elizabeth Moon, whose work I love, talks about how much she writes in comparison with other authors in her genre. Haven’t heard of Moon? Start with The Deed of Paksenarrion. If you like fantasy with strong women characters, you won’t be disappointed.

Fiction

• The Best Books on Writing Fiction and Creative Nonfiction: Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen collects her favorite writing books. What are your favorite books?
• Style Blunders in Fiction: A handy cheat-sheet to help you self-edit.
• Fresh Ink: An Interview With Debut Novelist Samuel Park: A nice look at the writing and revision process from a newly published author. He shares the lessons he learned from publishing this first novel.
• If I Could Just Do It Right the First Time: Are you a one-draft writer? Rachel Vincent (author of YA and adult paranormal) talks about her writing process.

Freelancing

• When Are You Ready to Freelance?: Get prepared for everything a freelancing career will bring before you quit the day job.
• 80 Great Ways to Become a Better Freelancer: A nice list of tips to improve your freelancing career both from an income standpoint and from a perspective of personal satisfaction.
• The State of Full-Time Freelancers’ Work: Kelly James-Enger shares some stats on what we writers are doing to earn a living.

Platform

• Maximize Social Media Traffic to Your Blog: Awesome tips to leverage the power of social networking to get people to your site and build your platform.
• Make Life Simple: Consolidate Your Sites: Angela Wilson has begun consolidating her blogs into one, with an emphasis on keywords and categories to ensure her readers find what they need. I did this earlier this year, folding my Ed Tech Jen blog into this one. Of course, then I went and started Mom-amo. Can you simplify your online world, too?
• Benefits of Short-Form E-books: Jennifer Mattern shares her thoughts on writing and selling short e-books as a means of building your expertise and reach.
• Success on Twitter is how strongly you can stand in the stream of popular opinion and still express something contrary because it’s true for you: An interview with platform guru Christina Katz on how and why she uses Twitter. I am a big fan of Katz and have taken two of her classes and read her books Writer Mama and Get Known Before The Book Deal.
• How Google+ Will Transform Search and Search Marketing: This article gives some interesting ideas of what Google+ will mean to us. Have you tried it yet?

Money

• Feeling Desperate and Panicked About Money? Three Steps to End the Desperation and Increase the Cash Flow: Monica Shah offers tips to help you react calmly with clients, even if you feel desperate for income.
• Expenses You Can’t Afford to Cut: Looking to cut expenses? Look elsewhere than these, because if you aren’t advertising yourself and giving yourself the tools to do you job, you won’t be able to earn more money.

The Business of Writing

• Amanda Hocking, Storyseller: A nice profile of Hocking and her success.
• Book Expo’s Sorry Turn: This person thinks book’s are dying. Do you agree?
• A Literary Father’s Day Weekend: Stories from writers and their kids.
• Can’t Shake the Devil’s Hand and Say You’re Only Kidding: Why one Seattle shop has said “no thank you” to books published under Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer mystery imprint.
• Ebook Sales Down? Are you freaking out that there was a dip in ebook sales? JA Konrath isn’t, and neither should you. Unless you bet three year’s income that ebook sales would be up in June.
• What If Those Pesky Agents Don’t Bite? First, I have to say how sad I am that I missed Randy Ingermanson’s talk at the Willamette Writer’s meeting this month. I would have to do much more finessing to be able to get baby home to daddy and get to the Old Church on time that I have been able to handle so far, but this one would have been so good! Anyway, here is Randy’s advice if agents aren’t jumping over each other to sign you after you present your novel.

Craft

• Courage to Write: Tips from an Anxious Bestselling Author: If you are nervous about writing, print this post and keep it on your bulletin board to keep you motivated.
• A Good Reviewer Sees Things in Your Writing That You Might Not Have: Kim Falconer shares her response to a review of her work. I am awaiting some reviewer feedback on one of my short stories, and I can’t wait to see what I can learn from it.

http://allfreelancewriting.com/2011/06/24/freelancing/making-money/think-twice-about-writing-for-revenue-share/

• All Superheroes Know Their Strengths: A nice look at how self-assessment tools such as the Strengths Finder can help us improve as writers. I have done the Strengths Finder, and it has given me the power to focus my energy on what I am good at (Strategic, Intellection, Empathy, Ideation, Learner) and look for support for those I am less strong in. (See, “less strong” not “weak.” Our words have the power to life us or crush us. Use your words especially carefully when you are talking to or about yourself.)
• Tricky Words: Past/Passed, Except/Accept: Straight from an English teacher, this advice will help you use the right words.

Fiction

• On Character Authenticity: As part of their Pride Week series, Dear Author has interviewed some LGBT writers about creating true characters. Great advice here.
• Five Openings to Avoid: Okay. I will be honest. My novel WIP currently opens with a wake up. But it works–I swear. Actually, I will probably kill the actual waking up. It is a crutch for me, and it is unnecessary.

Freelancing

• Why Accountability Is Important for Freelance Writers: Do you feel as if you are living up to your potential? If not, here are some steps to keep yourself accountable for growing your business, not just to your current clients.
• 5 Advanced Google Search Tips for Freelance Gig Hunting and Niche Research: Harness the power of Google to increase your career. (Was the cliche enough for you?)
• New Writing Forums: Introduce Yourself: All Freelance Writing is a great resource. See if you can participate in these forums and learn a little something from your fellow freelancers.

Platform

• 5 Twitter Profile Mistakes Writers Should Avoid: The upshot? Be authentic on Twitter and other social media tools.
• The Science of Social Timing, Part 1: Metrics on the best times to post on Facebook and Twitter. This is especially useful if you use a tool such as Social Oomph to schedule updates.

Money

• Mortgage Challenges for the Self-Employed: Jenn Mattern shares her concerns with mortgage shopping as a successful self-employed businessperson. Have you had successes or challenges getting financing without a full-time gig?
• Think Twice about Writing for Revenue Share: Jenn Mattern gives a great list of why content writing for revenue share is a bad deal for writers. If you are being lured by a revenue share deal based on promises of unlimited earning potential, print this out and keep it posted where you can see it.

The Business of Writing

• Ask Daphne: About Book 2: A nice discussion of how an author and agent might work together on the second (and third and so on) books.
• The 10 Most Powerful Women Authors: Do you agree with the list? Who is missing–or who do you think comprises the next rung? What does it mean that these women hold so much power in publishing?
• A Heckuva Book Pitch. That’s Putting It Mildly: The story behind the popular book Go the F@#$ to Sleep. I so need to read that book, but it has been hard to fit reading in because I’m so tired because my little one does not like to go to sleep!
• Why Some Indie Authors Are Successful and Others Aren’t: What can you do to ensure that you are successful at marketing your project to the powers that be and then to the readers?
• Briding the Gap: An Interview with Harlequin Books Associate Editor Adam Wilson: What does the future hold for Harlequin? And what does that mean for you?
• Good Day Sunshine for Writers: Why writers are in control in this climate.

Craft

• What Is Writer’s Voice? The Key to Writing a Good Story: Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen gives tips to help you let your voice shine through in your writing.
• The Things That Almost Passed Me By: Natalia Sylvester discusses how being open to the little details around you can help your writing.
• Cliched Writing: Avoid It Like the Plague: Jody Hedlund lists some of the common cliches we writers can fall into.
• David Crystal: How the Internet Is Changing Language Today: How do modern changes in language affect us as writers? I’d love to hear your thoughts after you watch this video.

Fiction

• When Setting Is Characters: How do you incorporate the setting into your writing?
• Writing a Killer Thriller, Part 2: Some keys to a good thriller. (Read part 1 here.) How can you incorporate those tips into your story, even if you aren’t writing a thriller?

Freelancing

• 5 Ways to Be a More Confident Blogger or Freelancer: More from Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen. Here she gives tips for finding or regaining your confidence. The frequent rejection and criticism that is inherent in our creative field can get a writer down, but lack of confidence usually leads to lackluster pitches and few sales.
• Storytelling Your Author Brand: Stories have the power to transcend many marketing techniques to create the sales you need. How are you telling your story as a freelancer?
• New Writing Forums: Introduce Yourself: All Freelance Writing is a great resource. See if you can participate in these forums and learn a little something from your fellow freelancers.
• Like Pulling Teeth: 5 Steps to Freelance Success: Great tips to help you achieve more success.

Platform

• How Blog Comments Can Help Sell Books or Products: Commenting on other blogs and sites is a great way to drive traffic to your own site. The key, though, is not to comment just to drive traffic. You need to add to the discussion.
• Domain Names: Author- or Book-Based? For me, it seems as if the answer is simple for a freelancer–use your name. But it is trickier for a book author. What works for you?
• Four Ways to Grow Your Blog through the Power of Experts: How can you incorporate expert’s voices and advice into your blog?

Money

• Blogging, & Handling Corporate Inquires & Monetizing your Online Brand: A quick video that contains tips for making money with your blog.
• You’ll Be Happy Your Were Money Smart: I’ll admit, I haven’t been as money smart as I would like to be. This poat is a nice reminder of why it is important, especially for the self-employed.

The Business of Writing

• Erotic Romance Writer Outed: Did you hear about Judy Mays? She is a high school teacher, and some parents found out her pseudonym and decided she wasn’t fit to teach their kids. Most disagreed, and she is still doing her thing.
• 5 Tips to Be Interview Ready: The essential information you should know before you are interviewed for your book, blog, website, etc.
• From Blog to Book Via Twitter: Kerri Sackville’s success story.
• How to Format a Query Sent By Email: Don’t just copy and paste a printed letter into email. Design for the medium.

Craft

• Advice from Johnathan Franzen: Franzen looks at writer’s block. Is your block trying to tell you something?
• Exploring Place: Finding Yourself and Your Story: Remember, you don’t always have to travel physically to a place. You might be able to find enough photos or videos to immerse yourself to some extent.
• 10 Best Books for Aspiring Writers: There were a few I hadn’t heard of here, and it is missing my fave, On Writing by Stephen King.
• Writers and Others: Stop Preparing! I agree wholeheartedly. I know that I can get caught in the preparation/reading/research cycle without ever getting into the all-important writing cycle.

Fiction

• How Sci Fi Makes Us More Open to Strange Forms of Sex and Sexuality: I think this is an interesting look at the differences between sci fi and fantasy and how the two genres deal with sexuality and the other. That was something I always liked about Star Trek–it blazed trails that led to more racial integration (or at least more acceptance of interracial relationships) in the media.
• Better Than Renting Out a Windowless Room: The Blessed Distraction of Technology: Is your novel still languishing unfinished? What can you do to be more disciplined and get it done?
• Meet Aimee Carter: Aimee Carter shares the back story of her new book, The Goddess Test.

Freelancing

• What You Need to Know to Survive in a Rapidly Changing Freelance Marketplace: Is freelancing like orienteering? A little.
• Using Quora to Boost a Freelance Writing Career: I will admit that I don’t always jump on the new social media tools–I’ve seen too many come and go–but it sounds as if I’m missing out with Quora.
• The Print Industry: Realistic Expectations: Nice points!

Platform

• Paid versus Free Book Marketing Activities: This post helps you decide whether to commit financial resources to marketing by laying out the options you have and comparing them with those that cost you only time. Do make sure you adequately value your time, too!
• How to Create a Free Author Website on WordPress: Good, easy step-by-step process. The process will be similar if you choose Blogger, you’ll just start at blogger.com.
• To Blog or Not to Blog: Before you follow the steps in the previous post here, make sure you know what oyu want to accomplish and share by blogging.

Money

• Is Couponing Worth the Trouble? I sure hope so, because I’m working on an article on the topic!
• Why You Are Worth More than a Penny a Word A reminder that writing is a professional skill, and you are a professional.

The Business of Writing | Craft | Fiction | Freelancing | Platform | Money

The Business of Writing

• Ads Open a Fresh Chapter in the New World of Publishing: Will you, as a reader, stand for ads in your books? Would you, as a writer, be willing to drop a name or two in exchange for a little cash?
• 17 Great Information Sources for eBook Authors: A set of sites that will help you self-publish your book.
• On Agency Agreements: Info about the contract you will sign with your agent.
• Writing versus Publishing: Why do you write? And why do you seek publication? Are the two intertwined?

Craft

• What Inspires You to Write? Johanna Harness discusses how applying our creative selves to another art form can help us as writers.
• Watch That Tone of Voice, Missy: A good discussion of tone and how to set it.
• 30 Days of Writing Tips, Day 2: Read It Out Loud: You will find different types of errors and areas for improvement when you experience your writing in different formats.
• Beyond the Book: Thea Harrison on Where She Gets Her Ideas: I always love reading stories about how published authors get their ideas. It is fun to see the similarities and differences in all of our processes.

Fiction

• I Write Romance Novels, So I Must Be a Pervert: Is your fiction you, or are you able to separate your work, even when it contains unpleasant or difficult topics, from your life? Do you think the parents were justified in being unhappy that Judy Mays is teaching their high school age kids?
• Better Than Renting Out a Windowless Room: The Blessed Distraction of Technology: Is your novel still languishing unfinished? What can you do to be more disciplined and get it done?
• 30 Seconds to Grab Em or Die: How can you ensure that your first few lines capture the attention of editors, agents, and readers?
• If You’re a Writer, Read This: What a nice reminder that we need to persevere, even when we feel as if every word we type is pure, unadulterated crap.

Freelancing

• Short-Term Money Is Killing Me: How do you balance your short-term client work with long-term projects and your own projects?
• Shh, Mommy’s Working Now: A nice look at how to work while you are caring for your kids. Do you get up early? Stay up late? Or work while they entertain themselves?

Platform

• 5 Keys to Promoting Your Book with a Blog: Julie Isaac gives some great ideas to help you invigorate your blog posts and engage your readers in the act of promoting you.

Money

• Confused by Your Book Royalty Reports? Chip MacGregor helps you decode your royalty reports.

But you can leave a longer lasting impression and convey your level of professionalism with custom stationery and a few carefully selected promotional items. (Yes, these tips seem to make the most sense for business writers, but magazine writers can stay top of mind with their editors if they send out engraved pens or post-it pads.)

What do you need for a complete business system? Your basics are stationery/invoices, matching envelopes, and business cards. Freelance Folder has a nice free package that includes business cards and matching stationery. Download it here.

When deciding which pieces to print and which to keep as electronic only, think about the types of businesses you are working with. If you are a magazine writer, you will likely be fine going online only, but if you are a copy writer focusing on your local clientele, you will likely need a small amount of printed stationery and envelopes.

Once you have the essentials, you can really kick your marketing up with a few more purchases, if your budget allows:

• Custom promotional pens. These are a low-cost tool you can send to editors, leave in local establishments such as banks and grocery stores, and drop off at client (and potential client) offices. Who doesn’t need an extra pen?
• Customized post-it pads. Sticky notes fall into the same category as pens, and you can pass them out at local chamber of commerce events for a little extra marketing oomph.
• Your own business T-shirt. Cafe Press lets you design your own items and offer them for sale. (I don’t have a Writer Mama T-shirt or hoodie, but I want one!) If you want to just have them as giveaways, just about any promotional product vendor can give you a custom designed shirt at a great price.

Do you have a professional business system? Do you have any success stories of using custom giveaway items to build your writing business?

Because making money doing what I love is my goal, I have learned to look beyond craigslist to find jobs.

1. Network in person. Attend local networking events to meet people, hand out your business cards, and put a face to a name. That personal connection can help you be top of mind when the business owners you meet need a writer.
2. Look at non-journalism job boards. There are a lot of non-specific job boards you can use to find writing work. For example, if you have expertise in a field that has a nonprofit associated with it, you can look at job boards specifically posting nonprofit jobs. Search for your field to find associations tied to that field or generalize a little with a search for “writer” or “freelance.”
3. Use postings for full-time jobs to help you find markets to query. Typically, a person gives two weeks notice when they leave a job. Unless there is a succession plan in place, the company takes at least four weeks to replace the person. During that time, they may need a little extra contract help to get them through the hiring process and the first month or two of the new employee’s tenure. If you do a stellar job, you may be able to get regular work even from a company that didn’t plan to use contract help in the long term. You can find these opportunities in the local paper or local online classifieds.

Where do you go to find work?

The Business of Writing

• Brainstorming Non-Bookstore Sales: If you don’t sell your book in a bookstore, where can you sell it? And why?
• Publishing Your Book Digitally: Some things to think about when you consider self-publishing.
• Book Publisher Challenges: Discounters: How can a small publisher–with a thin margin–handle discounting?
• 99 Cent Ebooks and the Tragedy of the Commons: Last week, I pimped Jane Friedman’s new book as a good deal and $1.99. Here, Nathan Bransford discusses the effect on the 99 cent ebook on our economy as writers.

Craft

• 20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire You: A little lesson in the difference between similes, metaphors, and analogies, followed by some examples from great literature. Do you have any faves from this list or from another written work?
• Writers: Are We Always Honest with Each Other? A look at our ability to give feedback to our fellow writers.
• A Foolish Consistency: If you have spent any time on the site Television without Pity, you know that fans of your work do not find consistency foolish–they find it essential. Of course, it is not just essential in fiction. Consistency helps all writing read better.

Fiction

• Deep POV: How to Avoid Head hopping: The final installment on a primer in deep point of view.
• Where Do Ideas Come From? Is it the muse? The energy of the universe? Or your own writer brain generating your livelihood? Kelly Boyce discusses her process.

Freelancing

• Query Critique Week: Shyness Query: Have you made some of these missteps in your own queries? How can you use James-Enger’s tips to make your queries dazzle?
• Magazine Writing Questions Answered: A look at some of the big questions about writing for magazines from an experienced freelancer.
• Self-Employed? Home-Based Business? Tax Info from an IRS Spokesperson: If you are still working on your taxes, well get off the Internet and get to it! Seriously, though, here are some tips that can help you finish things up today and help you prepare for next year.

Platform

• Building a Global Author Platform with Social Media: Does your platform need a boost? These tips can help you grow to where you need to be.
• 5 Innovative Poets to Watch and Learn From: How can these poets work inspire you to invigorate your own writing?
• The Importance of Branding: Do you have a brand?

Money

• I Heart Tax Prep: Did you learn anything about your spending patterns when you did your taxes this year? Did you enact some changes for this year?

The Business of Writing

• Guest Post by Mark Coker, Creator of Smashwords: J.A. Konrath hosts the creator of Smashwords. Coker provides some interesting insight into self-publishing.
• The First Ever Write It Sideways Blogging Contest: Here is a nice opportunity to get some publicity and some feedback on your blog or website.
• Top 10 Blogs for Writers: Do you visit these blogs regularly? Which ar your favorites? I’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments.
• An Interview With Jane Friedman About “The Future Of Publishing: Enigma Variations” E-book: Jane Friedman shares her predictions for the future of publishing. Have you bought her book yet? At only $1.99, it is a darn good deal. (I bought it, but it is still in my virtual TBR pile. I’ll be posting a review when I finish.)
• Sell Your Books to Organizations: Does your book have appeal to a large organization? If so, this post can help you find the right ones to approach.
• Book Distribution in the Digital Age: The New World Order Emerges: What lessons can we learn from the digital shift in the music industry?

Craft

• Grammar’s Dirty Little Secret: I love the Fake AP Stylebook Twitter feed. And they are right: grammar is simply a construct. Certain rules apply over multiple style guides, but many differ. This really makes grammar look like smoke and mirrors to those who don’t work in publishing in some way!
• Does Pro Editing Pay Off: This is a nice look at when you should spend the money on an outside editor and when you should keep plugging away on your own.
• When You Hate the Book You’re Writing, Part 1: Are you sick and tired of your book? If so, you can commiserate with Lynette Benton and, I hope, get some tips to help you fall back in love.

Fiction

• Why You Need to Make Yourself Completely Unavailable: This post, which argues that sometimes we need to completely disconnect to enhance our creativity, makes me think of Stephen King’s suggestion of writing with the door closed for your first draft. The Internet, TV, even family members can distract us from our creative processes.
• Just Write the Story: Quit tying yourself up in knots and just write. You know, back to writing with the door closed. Turn off your inner editor and get that first draft done.

Freelancing

• 6 Great Ways to Use Email Marketing to Find Work: Is email part of your marketing plan? If not, this post might help you integrate it successfully.
• Carve a Niche and Create Your Own Demand with “Query-Free Freelancing”: How would your freelancing business change is you didn’t have to spend so much of your time pitching and querying?
• Marketing a Key Component of Freelance Work: The SCORE counselors discuss marketing tips.
• When (and How) to Leave Your 9-to-5 for the World of Freelancing: Do you have a day job? If so, do you know when (or if) you will leave it to devote your entire work time to freelancing?

Platform

• 30 Inspiring Ideas to Develop Content for Your Blog: A great source of inspiration when you are struggling for blog topics.
• The Aspiring Author’s Blog Isn’t Just about Platform: Are you blogging? What are you hoping to gain from it? This post will help you focus on what is important, especially if you are a newer author.
• Author, Sell Thyself: An interesting look at the importance of marketing ourselves as writers, not just the books we produce.
• How to Grow a Blog Community with Social Media: A nice video with tips to create more engagement in your blog.

Money
I’m going to send you to the entire money week discussion on Nathan Bransford’s blog (remember, I mentioned it in Friday’s post). He did a great job of looking at the different financial issues we need to think about for our futures.

• Self-Publishing versus Traditional Publishing: Which Will Make You More Money?
• How to Make Money from Your Web Presence
• How to Use Kickstarter to Fund a Self-Published Book
• How Will Authors of the Future Make Money?