Reprint Dos and Don’ts – or, Why a Link is not Enough

stealing-content-is-illegal

A friend of mine posted a cool image on his blog recently. I asked where he found it, thinking maybe he had a lead on a royalty-free image resource I didn’t know about. His reply? “Oh, I just Googled what I was looking for.” Another woman, this time a client, patiently explained to me that “anyone” is allowed to reprint the articles she’s written for a major blog network, as long as they link back to the original. One quick look at the site’s terms made it clear that under no circumstances was it okay for another site to reprint their content – attribution … [Read more...]

Should You Write for Free?

Working for Pennies Image

One of the hardest jobs freelance writers face is setting rates. Judging your own abilities, especially when you're new, is hard. Plus, the competition is tough. So tough, in fact, that you might be tempted to write for free (or next to it) just to gain some clips and testimonials. I know several beginning writers who choose to advertise on Fiverr for example, and justify it by saying that once they gain a few clients they'll raise their rates. Unfortunately, that rarely works out. Those clients who are looking for $5 articles are not the type to recognize quality and stick with you through … [Read more...]

How to Write Better

how-to-write-better

Chances are you learned to write somewhere around age seven. From those first short sentences, through the rambling essays of a pre-teen, to the dessert-dry research papers of college, you've undoubtedly had a lot of practice. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't take steps to improve. Next time you write a blog post or an article, keep these tips in mind, and see if it makes a difference in your writing. Make Every Word Count Ernest Hemingway never wrote a Tweet or sent a text message, but if he had, I bet he wouldn't have run up against the character limits. Whether he really did write … [Read more...]