As someone who has been writing on the social publishing platform Medium for over five years — ever since it started — I, along with many, many other writers, can say that Medium is the best thing that ever happened to me. I know that might sound inflated, but when...
When I stepped into the wonderful world of freelance writing years ago, I naturally had a ton of questions. How do I find clients? What should I charge? How do I build a personal brand? How do I get started?! Now, years later, with triumphs (and naturally, a couple...
Most essayists agree that the most difficult part of writing essays is finding the right home for their work. The truth is, even a fantastic personal essay won’t sell unless it’s relevant to a magazine’s readership. So where do you start? How do you market your essays...
How do you write faster with fewer errors? No matter how long you’ve bonded with your keyboard, it’s almost impossible to avoid errors, typos and grammatical mistakes. While working with an editor is usually the best option, it’s not always in the budget. And even if...
How much would you pay to get your hands on names and email addresses for editors that accept personal essays at 130+ publications? You can access essayist Amy Paturel’s database — the best one we’ve seen for the personal essay niche — for just $325. Why...
It’s clockwork-level predictable: I say I’m a writer, and the first question I get back is, “Ooh, so you write novels?” And while I’m definitely not knocking you fiction folks, I straight up can’t do it. Every time I try, I just end up with thinly-veiled...
Cha-Ching! You just got your first paid freelance writing assignment. Edits go smoothly, the publication date is set, and there’s just one last thing to do. “Shoot me over an invoice and I’ll submit it to accounting,” your editor says. That’s when the frantic Googling...
Do you write novels for kids and teenagers? If so, are your novels middle grade (MG) or young adult (YA)? I write YA novels myself, and I often hear writers say that they don’t know which category their own novel falls into. This is an important distinction to make....
Are you sending off query letters to magazine or blog editors, but never hearing a peep back? It’s a common problem. Often, the problem has to do with your headline. And, if you’re sending pitches that don’t mention a proposed headline, this might be your first...
“Oooh, you’re a writer? So have you written a book yet?” This question features right up there with “Where do you see yourself in five years?” and “Where should we go for dinner tonight?” on the list of questions I really, really don’t want to answer. And as a...
