AGAIN WITH THE EROSION OF INCOME

Tired of hearing about how writers are not getting paid? I imagine the writers needing to eat from that income aren't. I had a quick unsubscribe of 19 readers within 30 minutes of releasing last Friday's newsletter. Some people do not want to hear that writing on the cheap is not a good thing, because it's all they know how to do. 

People, listen. When pricing is the only factor, you will likely not have a long term relationship with someone. That means editor or reader. When people want to buy you cheap, that's their driving force. There is no LIKE in the factor.

Don't make cheap a habit or that becomes your brand.

Here are comments from readers that showed they understood the severity of this issue:

"I agree wholeheartedly that as writers we need to support one another's efforts by not selling ourselves short. Every minute I spend writing is a minute I spend away from my family, and I need to make it count toward my family's financial support."

"If more writers ignored these requests (**from editor for free writing), those markets would either have to find the funding to pay writers properly or realize that if they can't, then maybe they need to look closer at how well they run their businesses."

"When you give away your work - or go for the easier low pay ones - you subconsciously tell yourself that you are not good enough to get paid. Worse, getting into the poor or non-paying markets offers a false sense of success. The result of all of this is that you don't have any reason to improve your skills, which would get you into better paying markets."

"So, I was feeling a little under the weather, and gave my doctor a call. I asked him if he wouldn't mind seeing me for free, since it wouldn't really take much time and he was just fitting me in last minute anyway. Can you believe he turned me down? Claimed he'd spent eight years in school, worked his ass off as an intern, was still paying off med school bills, yada yada yada. Well, I've got options. I go down to the corner drugstore and ask my buddy the manager to give me some free meds. And he starts this whole rant about costs and staffing and insurance and he wouldn't give them to me. I figure, what the hell, I'll just suck it up and get to work. I call up one of my authors and tell him he's booked for a signing, and I promised twenty copies at author's price to the group. Told him I won't be paying him royalties on those. I mean, I can't work for nothing, right?"

"Thank you for this! I've turned down fabulous projects because of ridiculously low pay and said no to fabulous money because of ridiculous contract clauses. I would never treat anyone that poorly. It's up to each of us to do the right thing and say no. We're saying no for ourselves and for all writers. When we all say no, the low pay and egregious contract clauses would disappear overnight."

"Good smackdown, Hope. I'm with you. If you give your work away, that's what your work is worth. In a race to the bottom, everyone drowns."
 
"I was reading an online article from The Guardian this morning on the widening gap between top earners in our industry and the rest of us (http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/15/earnings-soar-for-uks-bestselling-authors-as-wealth-gap-widens-in-books-industry). It was interesting, but much more interesting were the comments, which appear to have been from readers rather than writers. Not only do they not care, but they also think writers are in the wrong in complaining about how much (or rather, how little) they get paid. Definitely an issue for us to resolve in private rather than in public, Philip Pullman's recent action notwithstanding."  

(NOTE: Regarding that last comment, in case you didn't know, Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass, stepped down as patron from the Oxford Literary Festival because they were not paying writers to make appearances. Good man.) 

A festival organizer asked an acquaintance of mine for names as presenters. She gave them mine. But without me saying anything, she told me she understood my stance about being compensated, and she'd let me have that conversation with them. Like I was the exception, but I'll take that reputation all day long.

Wouldn't you like to be known as a decent writer who expects payment for their services, or rather someone who gives it away and can be easily had for free?

Joel has created coupon code FFW35 for FFW readers. When you use FFW35 at BookDesignTemplates.com shopping cart, it will give you a 35% discount on anything on the site.

NOTE FROM HOPE: I've used these templates for ARCS, review copies for Edisto Jinx and fell in love with them!

How to Use Twitter Fiction to Build Your Audienc

By Ian Chandler

If you're a writer in 2016, you're most likely on Twitter, and for good reason: It's opened up opportunities for connecting with publishers, editors, and other writers. But after a while, it seems like there's only so much you can do. You can keep up a constant Twitter profile and still not get enough attention.

Enter Twitter fiction. While it's not a legitimate genre (yet), it's a format that's been played around with in the past few years. It's gained some serious attention, partially due to the likes of David Mitchell and Philip Pullman experimenting with it.

In a nutshell, you use Twitter's 140-character constraints to create a narrative through a series of compelling, bite-sized story segments. Think Ernest Hemingway's six-word biography: "For sale, baby shoes, never worn." String several together, and voilá, you've got a piece of Twitter fiction.

Because this is a brand new medium, you might find yourself on the receiving end of some elite attention. Novelist Teju Cole received worldwide acclaim for his Twitter storytelling experiment, using retweeting to create a short story. Cole used the unorthodox method of asking others to tweet his story for him, and the experiment was featured in The New Yorker, NPR, Slate, and more.

So if you're up for the challenge, here are four steps to ensuring a successful piece of Twitter fiction:

1. Spread the word.

Let people know about your story before it goes live. If you don't have a substantial follower base, reach out to those in writing communities and ask for their support. Chances are they'll share your story, and you'll get a steady stream of new followers.

2. Set a date and time.

By airing your story at a specific date and time, readers can "tune in" and watch the narrative unfold. If you're going for a nonlinear approach, make sure your readers know. The most important aspect is to make sure that people can see your work in a sea of other Tweets.



3. Make a collection.

Twitter allows you to make collections of Tweets that will all show up on one page in chronological order. If someone missed the original "airing," they can visit the collection and read it all the way through. This is also ideal for publicity and reference. You can learn how to make a collection on Twitter's site.

4. Consider submitting to a magazine.

Though Twitter fiction is a brand new idea, there are already publications devoted to publishing it. Nanoism, 7x20, and Escarp are three such places. This is another good way to expand your audience and get the attention of a different reader base than you'd normally reach.

There's also the Twitter Fiction Festival. It ran mid-2015 and will most likely run again this year. No matter what you do, promote your Twitter story even after it's been published. 

BIO - Ian Chandler is a professional writer and content marketer based in Kent, Ohio. His work has appeared on Multiply Authority, The Penny Hoarder, HowlRound, TechGyo, and more. He specializes in creating professional yet approachable content about writing, technology, and men's fashion/lifestyles. Read more about him at http://ianchandlerwriting.com/.

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT, SUNSET MAGAZINE
https://timeinc.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Careers/job/California---Oakland/Editorial-Assistant--Sunset_JR0002081-1
We’re looking for a creative individual with a digital editorial background and great attention to detail to work closely with Sunset’s Editor-in-Chief and cross-report to our Digital Editorial team. Our Editorial Assistant provides support across departments and platforms by contributing to reporting, research, and digital storytelling as well as assisting with scheduling and documentation. This is an opportunity to learn about both the Editorial and Business sides of an iconic magazine brand while contributing to and influencing our brand’s digital growth. Location Oakland, CA. 



NIGHTIME EDITOR/WRITER, HEARST NEWSPAPERS
https://hearstnewspapers-hr.silkroad.com/epostings/index.cfm?fuseaction=app.dspjob&jobid=205251&company_id=16095&version=1&jobBoardId=1112
The Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise, a Hearst newspaper, seeks a versatile editor/writer for its entertainment and nightlife magazine and website, cat5. 
 

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21-Day Creative Writing Challenge

When it comes to creative writing, do you have so many ideas it's difficult to choose one to write?

Love responding to prompts but have a hard time turning what you write into a finished piece?

Join the WritingStrides 21-Day Creative Writing Challenge. Award winning writer Alissa Johnson will guide  you through picking an idea and writing a draft from start to finish. Each step is simple and inspiring, designed to fit writing into your daily life. Starts February 1.

http://writingstrideschallenge.instapage.com/















44 Key Questions about Your Story

Hi, I’m copywriter Alex Limberg and I blog on www.ridethepen.com to  boost your fiction writing skills; we dissect famous authors (works,  not bodies). I put together a short, free manual so you can check your  story yourself.

This ebook is the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to self-assess  your story:

-    No need to pay for consultation or bug people for feedback; just  answer these questions honestly
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-    Feel confident that you have a good story at hand – or that you need  a revision
-    Know exactly what you need to change to make your story intriguing  (if anything)

If you want a free copy, just click the ad.











How are you feeling about yourself and your writing as we round the corner on the first month of 2016?

In control?
All over the place?
Maybe wishing you had a clear view of what you wanted for the year and how to get there?

Join Leigh Shulman for Creative Revolution's first free webinar of the year on January 28.

She'll be talking tools to create your writing goals for the year and ways to make meeting those goals manageable. 

Space is limited! Sign up today! 









Houston Writers House Novels Contest by Genre 

$500 for the CRÈME DE LA CRÈME
PLUS: $100 first place in each genre

Submit no more than 15 opening pages of a manuscript 
$20 per entry - Deadline March 30, 2016

The Categories
1) Mystery/Thriller/Adventure
2) Sci-fi/Fantasy/Horror 
3) Historical or Contemporary Women's Fiction / Romance
4) Middle School and Young Adult Novels 

Request rules and/or send entries via email: rpaulding@sbcglobal.net  
or at www.houstonwritershouse.com where you also see the 2015 winners










Note: 15 percent discount if you found me at FundsforWriters!
 
Looking for a freelance book editor?
Katherine Don, “The Book Don,” welcomes all genres.

Services include:
 
- Developmental editing and copyediting
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- Queries and proposals
 
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A new software program automates scheduling and tracking tasks for book projects, particularly great for indie authors. It's called Book Planner, another Joel Friedlander product, so that alone sells me on it. ~Hope







 


 

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