(Paperback - REV)
Whether you're just starting out, considering going full-time, or are already a successful freelance writer, you'll find the information and insights needed to take your work to the next level in this smart, thorough guide. Compiled by the prestigious American Society of Journalists and Authors, the book's twenty-six chapters cover the business from every angle, tackling the topics every freelancer needs to master in order to make it today.
Chapters cover: planning a writing business * generating fresh ideas * the secrets of a successful magazine query * the latest research tools and techniques * writing for the Web * developing areas of specialization * promoting yourself and your work * op-eds, essays, and other ways to leverage your knowledge * contracts * taxes and deductions * working with editors and agents * going full-time * key lessons you won't have to learn the hard way * and more.
Written by twenty-six of the top freelancers working today, this indispensable guide provides trade secrets that others have learned the hard way, inspiration to take your work where you want it to go, and a revealing view into the minds and working habits of freelance writers at the top of their game.
Timothy Harper, ASJA member and former Associated Press national writer, has been a full-time freelance writer since 1984. An adjunct faculty member at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a writing coach and consultant, he has published stories in The Atlantic Monthly, Reader's Digest, Delta Sky, and elsewhere and is the author of eleven books. He lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey.
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February 10, 2007: i went to a b&n store to find a good book on the business, and this is what i came home with. as i look to expand my career in writing, this is one of the meatiest books i've seen. i've got a lot going for me, great reviews, but if i don't know the markets and the ins and outs of the business, it's a struggle. this book really delivers what it claims - it is a lot like times i've sat down and had coffee with working writers. actually, it's better, because they weeded out the ones who like to gripe and talk about themselves!
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February 10, 2006: This book is useless to anyone who has ever taken a basic course on feature writing or the business of freelance writing. And if you haven't taken a course like that yet, you're better off paying a couple of hundred dollars for a 9-week course (where you'll get some one-on-one attention and feedback from the instructor) than buying this book, which consists of insultingly cliche, generic advice. Notice, I did give it two stars instead of one. That's because much of the generic advice is still true. Here's a pat on the back for regurgitating what every writer already knows about freelancing. I expected far more from the ASJA...