New Print Book Circle 8 Writers! Check it out!

The newest book by the Circle 8 writers is now out. This one is titled ‘If”.  Stories that are more exciting are coming your way once you purchase the book. The stories of If: Amy Browne: "And So It Begins: the Birth of Paisley" Short (Paisley)story: The kingdom rejoices at the birth of a new princess. If only grandma had been more careful, the baby would not have floated up, up and away. Andi Caldwell: "Saint Theresa" Short Story: Theresa had something in common with her namesake Saint Theresa: seeking terrible vengeance on those closest to her. If only she had known then what she knows now--that the saint was no saint in her young life, either. Angel Sharum: "As If You Cared" Short story: If Robert hadn’t been so alienated by his wife’s manic depression, maybe the cure wouldn’t have proved so deadly. "If You’d Only Listened" Short story: Nobody ever listened to Will, not his mother, not even his best friend Dale—NOBODY! If they had, maybe Will wouldn’t have decided it’s time for Judgement Day.  "I’m Sorry" Flash story: Sorry, Charlie. "I Want You Back" Flash fiction: If only Nathan would’ve washed his own dirty shirts. LL Darroch: "Artemis Unbound" Short story: A scarlet ribbon always around her neck. Oh, dear, if poor Henry had only known or had guessed why his beloved never took it off. "The Bracelet" Short story: If Mattie can only conjure up fake spirits, how can one that keeps taunting her with a bracelet prove to be too real.  "UserError" Flash fiction: If you’re going to use a computer to cheat, don’t drink coffee. “Green Cheese” Flash Fiction: Green Cheese: What if the moon really was made of green cheese? "Fortress" Poetry: If the past is a dead thing, should a tombstone marks its grave? Brittany Joy Chadwick "IF" Short story: If Frank could only believe in his Imaginary Friend. Robert L. Arend "Snow Globe Short story: If only Ralph hadn’t been so ambitious, greedy and selfish, he and his family might not be homeless and struggling to survive the harsh Philadelphia winter. If only he could change their present by changing his past.  "The Andre Peterson Conspiracy" Short Story: If Sirhan Sirhan didn’t kill Robert F. Kennedy, who did? Time will tell. ~~Goals do not happen as life does. You must work hard to make goals a reality!~~ http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Browne/e/B004EW761G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/amybrowne https://www.facebook.com/authoramybrowne https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-8-Writers/163212760355932 http://amyjob.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/#!/AmyBrowne http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amy-browne/1a/936/495

Got a Nook buy a Book

Here are some links to the collection of eBooks I have currently for sale on Smashwoords—books are available in other formats as well. Nonfiction 3x Heart Attack Survivor 14,710 words for $2.99 USD This book contains  my personal story. I share how mine felt and share how I work each day to prevent more heart attacks from occurring. Readers can learn how to prevent their own here as well. Bipolar Patient’s Guide to Symptoms and Coping Price: $0.99 USD. 3090 words. Published on July 18, 2012. Nonfiction.  I wrote this guide for newly diagnosed bipolar patients. I am not a doctor or therapist, but I am the wife of a patient. I have learned a lot about this illness and I want to share that knowledge. You are not alone; many people have this illness. I share coping tips, and I share where you can find treatments and support groups. A best friend’s guide to Inflammatory Breast Cancer Price : $0.99 USD. 4610 words. Published on January 3, 2012. Nonfiction.  This e-book is for friends who are watching helplessly while their best friend undergoes treatment for inflammatory breast cancer. I discuss the treatments your best friend will undergo and give you ideas on how to help them on this tough road. Fiction Cheaters Never Prosper Price: $2.99 USD. 7150 words. Published on December 13, 2011. When a spouse or someone you are dating cheats on you, first, you get mad and then most of us at least think about getting revenge. In these three short stories, women take that step and get their revenge. Revenge on a cheater comes in many forms. Merry Christmas  Darling Price: $0.99 USD. 1740 words. Published on December 6, 2011. .  Nurse Hollister strolls into work one night and sees the perfect opportunity for her long awaited revenge. The man, who broke her heart years ago, was a new patient in the ICU. Whatever is a girl to do? Why of course she does whatever comes naturally. This short story does contain mild adult situations. In Plain Sight  Price: $0.99 USD. 2540 words. Published on November 20, 2011. .  Elmer is a nursing home resident who has dementia and terrorizes the other patients on the floor. Elmer is reliving his younger days in his mind and goes hunting, in reality he is hunting on the nursing home floor. Ralph’s Karma Price: $0.99 USD. 4360 words. Published on November 19, 2011.   Ralph is a con man who has spent his life taking whatever he wants. He is the type of man who takes justice into his own hands, no matter the costs. In the end it all catches up to him. His punishment by Saint Peter and God show they both have a sense of humor. This short story lets us see how karma comes around and bites us in the butt when we least expect it. Paisley Series The Gift Price: Free! 5710 words. Published on July 25, 2012. Fiction.  Paisley and Joe are two old friends, who love each other deeply and have for decades. Her royal heritage forbids her from acting out any form of love with a mortal man. Readers will see she often breaks the rules when it suits her, because her heart leads her astray. In this edition of the paranormal romance series, they have a gift exchange straight from the heart. Sacrifice Price: $0.99 USD. 4700 words. Published on July 25, 2012. Fiction.  Paisley noticed Joe is not his usual self, what is she to do? Her herbs and poultices can only do so much to help. She spends time some time with a client named Sarah, while contemplating Joe’s condition. When she realizes the extent of his condition, she makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to cure him. A Paisley Christmas Price: $0.99 USD. 4390 words. Published on December 26, 2011. Fiction.  Its Christmas time and Paisley is headed home for the Yule festival. Her special friend awaits her, and truthfully, she is more excited about seeing him than she is her family. She is nervous that Joe might be mad at her for saving his life. Come and celebrate Yule in the Eternals with Princess Paisley and her family. ~~Goals do not happen as life does. You must work hard to make goals a reality!~~ http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Browne/e/B004EW761G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/amybrowne https://www.facebook.com/authoramybrowne https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-8-Writers/163212760355932 http://amyjob.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/#!/AmyBrowne http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amy-browne/1a/936/495

Crazy summer, but I am back on track!

It has been a crazy summer for me and not particularly a good one. However, I must say with hard work and determination things are now moving in a more positive way. Life sure does get crazy when you are focusing on work and family and sometimes you forget about the more important things like living. This year I have been so driven on creating the multiple streams of income with my eBooks, that I pretty much left the writing sites where I make decent money alone. I realize now in hindsight what a huge error that was. I need to find a way to work on everything during the day so that nothing is left out.  The only way to do that is to write a list in a spreadsheet and follow it daily.  I simply made a list of all the web sites that I do something on in a column of the spreadsheet. As I do something on that site, I can just simply add a number of articles or ratings I did for it and simply move on to the next. I have also left time at the end of the day for the creative writing, which I love to do. This should keep me focused.  ~~Goals do not happen as life does. You must work hard to make goals a reality!~~ http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Browne/e/B004EW761G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/amybrowne https://www.facebook.com/authoramybrowne https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-8-Writers/163212760355932 http://amyjob.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/#!/AmyBrowne http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amy-browne/1a/936/495

I am overworked and under paid

Freelance writers are seriously overworked and under paid, that is something everyone in the business can agree to.  Do you know what is worse? It’s when the freelance writer is trying to support a family and pay the bills on those wages.

It has gotten so bad, that as a single mom I have been looking for a job in the real world since early 2012. Without a car, even in this small town it is hard to get a job within walking distance. I am willing to walk a mile or two each day to make the money but there is nothing.  It seems silly for these places to insist you have a car, when it’s within walking distance.

Walking is healthier for you and its way better for our environment BUT business owners just do not seem to car.  Anyways that is not the point of this post.

The point of this is to show you the types of things a freelance writer does on a daily basis  in order to bring in that income.  Granted, every writer does not do what I do, but I know I work hard for the peanuts I get.

I begin my day about 6 am, writing for a content farm or some other website that tries to sell my articles for more than I would get at a content farm.  For the biggest content farm on the internet I could write 10-15 articles a day which would take hours. Sad part is the articles are 3 to 4 a piece and take ½ an hour or so to write up. Imagine working all day for 30 to 45 dollars for 10-12 hours a work but many of us do it because we need to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads.

I also spend some time writing on different sites where I hope to snag a private client, that will pay me 20 bucks for 500 words, but those clients are so hard to find. 

I also write blogs which make money. Sometimes I have a private client ask me to advertise for them on one of my blogs but it does not happen nearly enough.  Of course, I have ads running on the blogs which may bring in some money but its a few pennies far and few between.

Then after I have earned my pennies on the web, there is housework or yard work depending on the day and season.  I keep reminding myself I am only one person, and not everything is going to be done in any given day.

New eBooks Paranormal Romance series Paisley is published

In the summer of 2008 I wrote a short story for a contest. That short story gave birth to my favorite character, a white witch named Paisley. Since that time, on and off between writing content, a part time job and living life I have been writing her life stories  as I found a few spare hours.    I decided long ago to make these a series. Much like Amanda Hocking did with her books.  Jennifer Malone Wright who I have known for a few years also made her Vampire Hunter’s Daughter story into a series.     Like their series, mine is paranormal as well.  How could a portal jumping white witch story not be paranormal?  Once Paisley meets Joe, it turns into a romance of sorts. She loves him and without a doubt he loves her.  Will they ever get together in that special way that lovers do? Your guess is as good as mine. Like you I am simply watching their tale unfold.   The Gift is the first part of the series. Paisley and Joe are two old friends, who love each other deeply and have for decades. Her royal heritage forbids her from acting out any form of love with a mortal man. Readers will see she often breaks the rules when it suits her, because her heart leads her astray. In this edition of the paranormal romance series, they have a gift exchange straight from the heart.     Purple Flames is the second adventure.  This story is based on the one that was submitted to that contest, so you might say this started it all. Paisley noticed Joe is not his usual self, what is she to do? Her herbs and poultices can only do so much to help. She spends time some time with a client named Sarah, while contemplating Joe’s condition. When she realizes the extent of his condition she makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to cure him.   A Paisley Christmas is the third adventure in the series. This one is based on the one I wrote for the Dark Christmas book the Circle 8 Writers group published, but I revised it.  Its Christmas time and Paisley is headed home for the Yule festival. Her special friend awaits her, and truthfully she is more excited about seeing him than she is her family. She is nervous that Joe might be mad at her for saving his life.  Come and celebrate Yule in the Eternals with Princess Paisley and her family.   The first book is free, so please go over and download it (link is up there) and leave a review. Have a great day.

Indie Authors & Books: New eBook Release The Lost Diadem

Indie Authors & Books: New eBook Release The Lost Diadem: Title: The Lost Diadem A Rogue's Tale Part I Release Date: August 1, 2012 ... Author: Saoirse O'Mara Cover Illustrator: Svenja Li...

Indie Authors & Books: Bipolar Marriage eBook by Alice Madison Young

Indie Authors & Books: Bipolar Marriage eBook by Alice Madison Young: ‘I love you I hate you; a Bipolar Marriage’ by Alice Madison Young is a great eBook for anyone who is in a relationship with a bipolar pat...

Paypal Blocked Thanks Hackers and YCN

I wrote about my experiences of being one of the almost half a million YCN contributors who got hacked when my email address and password were publically displayed for the world to see. Do those clowns at YCN really realize how bad their slack of security has hurt their writers?  Honestly I do not think they have a clue. In their apology email they suggested we change our passwords, (no chit did that long before your email). However, changing the password is not going to help with some things. Well let me tell you, it was not as simple as changing a few passwords. The email address that was publically displayed is my main email. Even though, I did not use the same password for all those 100+ websites the email was used on 99% of them.  Like many writers I have passwords to writing sites, promotional sites, websites which pay me to do advertising or blog posts on my own blogs. That does not even include the other professional websites that I belong too. When people tried to unsuccessfully log in my accounts and failed after a number of times, my account was blocked. With some accounts it is fine but others it is just a huge pain in the ass. Like my Paypal. Imagine getting blocked out of your bank, and your money taken by bandits. My Paypal account was hit over and over, at least eight times within the week following the snafu. I am grateful there is a zero spending limit on my account with Paypal, because the thieves cannot steal my money. However since most of the money I earn is paid through Paypal, I am effectively without money until the spending limit is lifted.  Imagine what the clowns at YCN would do if their paychecks were held up for a week or more.  ~~Goals do not happen as life does. You must work hard to make goals a reality!~~

Snafu email/pass posted online affected the writers more than YCN

By now, everyone has heard about the big snafu with a hacker releasing the emails and passwords of 450,000 freelance writers over at the Yahoo Contributor network. I was one of those writers whose email and password was publicly posted online for millions to see. Most of those affected including myself, were notified by friends who shared the news reports by various websites. It was not until 2 days later that YCN sent their emails to those affected writers. By the time YCN notified us, writers had changed passwords on various websites multiple times. Every time we fixed one, an attempt would be made on another of our accounts. I changed my face book and twitter accounts so many times it was unreal. It is a giant cluster smuck because some hack wanted to teach YCN a lesson. Who is really suffering here? Sure YCN is suffering because some writers trust the site even less now. They lost money because they had to fix the mess they made when an employee posted unencrypted emails and passwords on line. To me paying an employee their hourly wage to fix their chit is not suffering. The people who really suffered here were the writers. Many of us whose emails and passwords were posted rarely write on YCN anymore because the pay is very low. Instead we sought out private clients, other lucrative websites, and other forms of income making opportunities. I spent the better part of 12 hours changing account passwords on over one hundred web sites that I use on a monthly basis for some aspect of work. Granted not all are money making sites, there are research sites and other typed of depositories and forums. As I mentioned earlier some of those sites required the password be reset multiple times as different hackers got them locked down. This slowed my work right down. It caused me to spent time I should have been writing for income  on changing passwords. I would have much rather spent the time writing to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads. Some may wonder why I used the same email and password combo on so many websites. The answer is simple, it is ease of use. Can you imagine having to keep track of several hundred passwords? You can bet all my accounts have different passwords now, I keep them all on a spreadsheet on the other computer. A hacker may snatch control of my Twitter but since my Facebook or Email passwords are different he will not grab control of the others without a lot of hard work.

Freebie Weekend Amazon eBooks

Indie Authors and Books is a group of great Indie Authors. On Friday July 13, 2012 we will begin having a free book weekend. This is our second event and we invite you to join us.     Humor Spaztastic Zombies  Tammy Lee Morris (July 14)   Fiction: Dark, Twisted Short Stories DestinySteps In (when bad things happen) Theresa Leschmann (July 13 and 14) Creepy Bits Tammy Lee Morris (July 13) Devil's Playground Mercy Meyer (July 13 and 14) Collection of Dark Short Stories Amy Browne (July 14 and 15)   Non Fiction Content to eBooks Amy Browne (14 and 15) I love You, I hate You- A Bipolar Marriage Alice Madison Young (July 13, 14 and 15)   Erotica Restraint Erica Chilson (July 13 and 14) Anticipation Sarina Asheford (July 13 and 14) 911 I need Help! Felicity Freedom (July 13, 14, and 15) If you are an Indie Authors who would like to join our Facebook group, please click this link. We formed this group to learn from each other and to help each other grow. We are very laid back, but we will not tolerate rudeness in any form. Join us to discuss all topics concerning indie publishing ~~Goals do not happen as life does. You must work hard to make goals a reality!~~ http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Browne/e/B004EW761G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/amybrowne https://www.facebook.com/authoramybrowne https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-8-Writers/163212760355932 http://amyjob.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/#!/AmyBrowne http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amy-browne/1a/936/495

Good reads at .99 USD!

In celebration of good old summer time, I have lowered the prices of some of my eBooks on Amazon!  There truly is something for everyone! FICTION If you are in the mood for some short stories I have a collection of six short stories! In these six you’ll read stories in which Karma plays a big role. There is a nasty know it all man who lets his snake handle his dirty work,  a single mom who has the world by the balls until she becomes a victim in a deal with the devil, while another woman gets away with murder! What really happens in a nursing home when dementia patients are mixed in among the healthy and frail patients, Elmer deceives everyone?  http://www.amazon.com/Collection-Dark-Short-Stories-ebook/dp/B006SYBXT4/ref=l... Fiction  The Devi’s Playground is a collection of short stories which all center around murder, deception, and of course lies. There is the crazy teacher at a private school who spikes the brownies and two innocent young girls are in the mercy of a sadistic big sister and her friends.  Shiner’s diner has the best sandwiches but what happens when the  guys who lay the big pipes for the natural gas begin to disappear?   Chloe and her 2 best friends found a way to get rid of the men in their lives long ago. On her death bed as an old woman one tells how they got away with murder for over fifty years. http://www.amazon.com/The-Devils-Playground-ebook/dp/B006LWJ1KG/ref=la_B004EW... Fiction  Cheaters never prosper is a collection of short stories of three women who were cheated on by lovers. They all get revenge in unique ways, but only one pays the ultimate price.  http://www.amazon.com/Cheaters-Never-Prosper-ebook/dp/B005OGZSSY/ref=la_B004E... Kindle Single Story Fiction  A short story about the  revenge of a  nurse with an axe to grind with an ex boyfriend.  http://www.amazon.com/Merry-Christmas-Darling-ebook/dp/B0069Z362O/ref=la_B004EW761G_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1340293704&sr=1-12  Kindle Single Story Fiction Paisley is a portal jumping white witch who lives in two realms. It’s fantasy with a bit of romance tossed in.  http://www.amazon.com/A-Paisley-Christmas-ebook/dp/B006UC7H8U/ref=la_B004EW76... GAMES Bingo Blitz is a fun game on Facebook. This eBook gives some hints and tips to new players. http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Bingo-Blitz-ebook/dp/B005NU3KLI/ref=la_B004EW761G_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1340295333&sr=1-13 True Story For the fellow heart patients out there, I offer my 3x heart Attack Survivor eBook. I describe what happened to me and how I made the changes within my life so I cold be here for my kids and grandkids. http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Attack-Survivor-Amy-Browne/dp/1470029332/ref=la_B... Medical When your BBF gets a diagnosis of Inflammatory Breast Cancer, you need to educate yourself about the illness so you can help her remain positive.  http://www.amazon.com/Friends-Inflammatory-Breast-Cancer-ebook/dp/B00632M7UK/... ~~Goals do not happen as life does. You must work hard to make goals a reality!~~ http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Browne/e/B004EW761G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/amybrowne https://www.facebook.com/authoramybrowne https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-8-Writers/163212760355932 http://amyjob.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/#!/AmyBrowne http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amy-browne/1a/936/495

Top 3 ways blogging beats content writing

Blogging beats writing content for editors who are slow to offer upfronts.  It is also more profitable and fun. When we content writers write articles, we sometimes stifle ourselves to appease the editors in hopes that they will give us a higher payment.  When you blog for yourself you have more fun. You search for the best key words and phrases and let the words flow from the fingertips.

Another way blogging beats writing content is you can schedule blog posts. With that content crap, you have to write every day to keep your portfolio updated.  If you are trying to engage a private client, sending them to a niche blog is way better then setting them to a scattered content writing portfolio.

Another way blogging beats content writing is the profits are only shared two ways instead of three.  Content writing at a content mill means you are sharing profits with Goggle, the site and then you get your tiny cut. I have seen click through rates of some of these key words and phrases trust me with 42 views and 1 click through at the rate of .25 cents sure beats that  1 or 2 cents you’d make at a content site. 

Bloomberg says Ban SODA, I say Ban added Salt

Michael Bloomberg who is the Mayor of New York City recently announced a ban of soft drinks in cups larger than a sixteen-ounce cup. He believes the citizens of New York City consume too much sugar. People across the nation are voicing their opinion and here is my opinion. I am a woman who is over the age of forty who enjoys soft drinks as much as the next person does. I have been known to walk into a fast food restaurant or convenience store and purchase the largest drink. As long as I can afford it, no one should tell me that I should not purchase it. If I was purchasing the soda with money given to me by the government then yes, I can see limiting this purchase. However, when I pay for the soda with money that I earned, no one should tell me that I should not purchase this soda. If I needed to limit my sugar for health reasons that is one thing, but I am not a diabetic and I am not morbidly obese. If I was a diabetic, who purchased these sugar-laden drinks and it increased my need for insulin, which is paid for by government money that is a different story. However, diabetics should be alert enough to limit their sugar on their own. If they do not well that is their own problem, as they will suffer the health consequences. If those diabetics are consuming excess sugar, and are living on welfare, need more insulin to keep their health in check, limit their soda by removing it from the items, which are approved for purchase with a welfare card. Those of us who do not make the laws can understand that no brainer. As a heart patient who does watch my sodium intake, I would love to see a ban put on the added salt restaurants add to food they serve. I do not eat at many places outside of my house because the foods prepared in restaurants and food that is made at convenience stores is salted before they are served or when they are prepared. Too much sodium pushes up blood pressure, and can cause a heart attack. This is what should be limited for the good of everyone, and not the soda! Heart attacks kill more people in any given year then consuming sugar does for the average person. Too much sugar does harm diabetics but for the rest of the population excess sugar makes them susceptible to other illnesses if they are predisposed to those diseases including obesity and diabetes. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention lists heart disease as the leading cause of death in the nation, while diabetes is the seventh leading cause. Almost 600,000 people die each year from heart disease while 68,000 die in that same year from diabetes. Those facts should speak loud and clear to any rational person. These statistics can be viewed on the CDC website.  Mayor Bloomberg I encourage you to read those statistics yourself when you make proposals that effect the citizens in your city. If you were simply trying to create a media stir, then you have done that. I am sure there are more pressing matters you can fix within your city, than sugar consumption. ~~Goals do not happen as life does. You must work hard to make goals a reality!~~ http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Browne/e/B004EW761G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/amybrowne https://www.facebook.com/authoramybrowne https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-8-Writers/163212760355932 http://amyjob.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/#!/AmyBrowne http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amy-browne/1a/936/495

My first self published book

Self publishing a photo book is easier than you think. I have done it myself in the past so I know it can be done. I am not going to lie to you it was frustrating to do.  Yet, the drive to accomplish the goal kept me pushing forward until I did it.  

The photo book I wanted to create was one of photographs of a flood that wiped out 2/3 of my hometown. It was a photographic essay of the damage. Here is a link for it on Amazon. 

I tried to compose it in MS word, but was unable to do so, so I downloaded open office and went that route.  I had to move all the images in one directory, and saved the open office file there as well.  In that word processor, I was able to insert, resize and format the photos the way I needed to. I wrote the text in MS word and then copied and pasted it into Open Office. 

After it was all exactly as I wanted it to be I saved it as a pfd file and uploaded it to Createspace, I choose to use that website to handle the self publishing of the photo book because I had created other books there. I knew it would be a low profit margin but I wanted the book to get out there so people could buy it. Because it was in full color, the profit margin was low.  I had to make it twenty bucks, so that I could make at least a $5 dollar profit on it. I was splitting that $5 bucks with my community.

Would I take this route of self publishing a photo book again? Sure, I would because even with the low profit margin the book has merit. People want this book because it is a part of local history. 

Self Publishing is Easy

Self publishing is easier than you think. I have done it with print books and eBooks.  I am by no means an expert but I can do it. Trust me if I can do this so can you. Self publishing a book is easy if you follow a simple plan, stay on task and do the work.

First type up the book in MS Word or Open Office, both have their benefits and downfalls. If it is a textbook stick with MS Office as a doc, but if it has a photo book go with Open Office as a doc then a pdf.   Once you have edited, checked and rechecked the file for errors and you consider it all done upload it to either Creatspace or Lulu.

I prefer to go the route of self publishing my books on Creatspace, as it just seems easier and the profit margin seems more to me.  No matter which web site you use to make your dream a reality, it will cost you in the end.  Createspace does not cost you to upload files or selling your book, instead it keeps a bigger share of the profits than the give you.

If your dream is to write a book and agents are not biting, perhaps the business of self publishing is for you. 

Dealing with Deadbeat Clients

Dealing with deadbeat clients is an unpleasant fact as they surround us all. They simply want a free ride in life and well it is not fair. Here is how I dealt with a deadbeat client. In early January of 2012, I won my first bid on one of those freelance writing websites. I was commissioned to create a wordpress blog for 30 dollars for a man who owns a web site that gives virtual tours of a famous place. He wanted one post and a few links to his website. He wanted a 400-word blog post, and I gave him an extra 400 words free. Now he had the two-blog posts, which came up high in the search engines. I snagged the most popular keyword phrases to help him gain rankings. I sent him the URL, and he said he approved it. I am a nice person and trusted that he would pay me. I sent him the password to the word press blog and the newly created g-mail account. I invoiced him and he ignored it. After a week, I wrote him back and I asked for my money. Life happened, and somehow in the following months I forgot about him. I wrote hundreds more articles, blog posts and even some eBooks. Winter, turned into spring and as a working freelancer I just threw myself into work.  On May 17, 2012, I finally remembered the work once more. It really made me mad that a man expected to get something free from me. Perhaps he thought I was one of those rich Americans. Yes, I am a rich American, rich in family and friends but not money. So I logged in to the accounts I created for him, the blog site and the g-mail both. I changed the passwords and resumed control. I then went ahead and removed his links from the blog posts. Some people might say why not simply delete the posts from the blog, and be done with it. The answer is simple It comes up high in the search engines, and draws attention away from his web site. Some people may think this is mean spirited. Yeah some may say it is, some will say it is well-crafted revenge of a deadbeat client. I call it job satisfaction.

There is a good reason for self publishing my own books. In a world where the tight economy exists, I have to make every penny count.  I do not have money to print off copies of my baby and pay to mail them to an agent.  I do not have the time to waste sending a file of my book and have it sit in an editor’s e-box for months. I need to make money now, now five months from now. I need to pay bills and support my children.

My reasons for self-publishing my own books may be different from yours. Really though behind every one who goes this route, the bottom line is we all want money sooner.  I write it is my job first, sure, there are some things I enjoy writing more than others. However, money is always the bottom line here. I write to pay the bills and live.   

My fiction books are my passion. I love to write fiction. There are no agents banging on my door, so self publishing my books is my way of finding them.  I have been watching so indie authors and they gave up on the agent thing. Instead, they created their own files, found the audience and then the agents and publishers came calling. 

Dating Losers, EWW Stop me Now

Dating is rough. I hated it before marriage and now that I am single once more, I hate it even worse! Men say women are full of drama etc, ladies have you ever dated a know it all? They are full of drama and a lot of BS. I am not a man hater. I simply hate some of the personalities they harbor! I know I have a bad personality where some men are concerned I am one of those women whose kids come first and then work does.  I keep meeting men who do not know the meaning of commitment or they want me to support their lazy butts.  Any man I date has to take a third place unless he is willing to help to support me so I do not have to work as much. See so simple, yet so hard to attain. Anyways back on track here. If you want to read some of the personality types which men have that make them the worst dating material, check out this article.   Ladies, have you meet a man on a dating web site that you think might be dating material? How can you check him out quietly? Trust me there are several ways to do this, without them knowing. I am going to share my methods with you ladies, right here in this article. Ladies, when you are on the dating websites, it seems that you attract the wrong type of men. It happened so much to me that I was seriously thinking of giving up dating game. How can we change this? Find out how I did it.  ~~Goals do not happen as life does. You must work hard to make goals a reality!~~ http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Browne/e/B004EW761G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/amybrowne https://www.facebook.com/authoramybrowne https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-8-Writers/163212760355932 http://amyjob.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/#!/AmyBrowne http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amy-browne/1a/936/495

Bipolar eBook I love you I hate you A Bipolar Marriage

Bipolar is a mental illness, which affects the moods of the patients affected with the disorder. Sometimes that makes these people hard to live with. There is help out there for the people who are in a relationship with a bipolar patient. Here is a great book on the subject.   Alice Madison Young published ‘I love you, I hate you, A bipolar marriage” in March of 2012. This eBook shares her personal insights of being married to a man with the disorder.   If you are on the fence about staying in the relationship her story may help you.  On June 2, 2012 this will be a free eBook, but it is available other times at an everyday low price of $2.99 (USD), on Amazon. You can purchase the English version here, while readers from the UK can purchase the eBook here. ~~Goals do not happen as life does. You must work hard to make goals a reality!~~ http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Browne/e/B004EW761G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/amybrowne https://www.facebook.com/authoramybrowne https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-8-Writers/163212760355932 http://amyjob.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/#!/AmyBrowne http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amy-browne/1a/936/495

Self Published Authors 411

The goal of any novel writer is to get a book published and there are two main avenues to do this. Writers can go the self-publishing route or the traditional route of getting an agent. Which is better for profit, ease of use and reaching the ultimate goal? Read more here.   Creating an eBook Any freelance writer who types content for a living can turn to eBooks with ease. We already have the skills, we simply need the inspiration and to be pointed in the right direction. Read more here. One question, I am routinely asked is how do you set up Microsoft word so that it formats text eBooks correctly. It is easy just follow these systematic instructions on setting it up to format correctly. Read more here. There are many options when it comes to your book cover. All of these options work for eBooks as well as any size of print books. Some of these options are free while others are options, which require a payment of some sort. Read more here. If you are selling your eBook, you may wonder what the best pricing model is. Everyone has their own opinion, but there are some standards. The pricing models also seem to vary by website, type and genre of eBook. Read more here Self-publishing eBooks for the Kindle or Nook is easy. I have my eBooks available in many places on line and I am sharing my knowledge here. Read more here. Selling your eBooks on Amazon and Smashwords is a great idea for indie authors who want to sell eBooks. I have been doing both since October 2011 and am finding good success. Read more here.   Marketing   Create a Facebook event to help move your free eBook. This is a great way to promote your eBook and hear from your fans. It is marketing on steroids for independent authors. Adding in a few author friends will ensure you have a variety of eBooks to offer. Read more here   Selling your eBooks on Amazon is profitable but you can become a ‘bestseller’ by giving away eBooks freely. The trick is not breaking any rules so you do not jeopardize your Amazon account. Read more here. Self-published authors have a distinct advantage over traditional published authors as we control the marketing of our books. Some self-published authors may think this is a disadvantage, but it really is not. There are ways to promote your book free. Read more here. Firsthand experience with KDP program Recently I had the opportunity to talk with Alice Madison Young, who wrote the book ‘I love you, I hate you a bipolar marriage’. This eBook, which is sold exclusively on Amazon, is doing quite well for a new book. Read more here Many people wonder what the Kindle Select program will do for them. I was one of those people, who wondered about it, then I dived in and put an eBook into the program on February 7, 2012 and I am so glad I did. Read more here. ~~Goals do not happen as life does. You must work hard to make goals a reality!~~ http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Browne/e/B004EW761G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/amybrowne https://www.facebook.com/authoramybrowne https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-8-Writers/163212760355932 http://amyjob.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/#!/AmyBrowne http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amy-browne/1a/936/495

Posting an Article in Many Places is Easy

Freelance writers and authors are you looking for a program that allows you to post one article to multiple places at once. It is very tedious to post a link to your Facebook, and then to twitter! There is a program to combine the two of them, but I am talking about a service that allows you to post that article to a blogger blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, WordPress, Tumblr and a few more. Better yet, it allows you to post to multiple accounts on each of those social networks. The program or service that allows you to do this is called Posterous. Short and sweet! Simply write a blog like post and email it to your Posterous account. Write it as if you were emailing a friend, include the links in the body of the post or add them at the end. The subject of your email becomes the title of your post. Once you send the email it automatically posts to your page over on Psterous along with any of the accounts you post to. When it hits twitter, the title of your email will be used as the post and the URL of your blog follows it. It appears the same way to your Facebook profile but it posts the whole thing on blogs   This post is going to http://twitter.com/AmyBrowne (title and url) http://www.facebook.com/authoramybrowne (title and url) http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amy-browne/1a/936/495 http://amyjob.blogspot.com/ (whole post) http://writingishardwork.blogspot.com/ (whole post) https://amybrowne.wordpress.com/   http://posterous.com/ sign up for a free count today   Promotion of our work is hard and time consuming and I am so guilty of skipping promotion because I need to write for upfront payments. I am a very active content writer, something writing 200-300 smallish articles a month for various blogs. I also am a published author who needs to promote both print and digital copies of my work. Posterous account allows me to do this. Plus when I send a posterous post to a blog it updates the blog!   ~~Goals do not happen as life does. You must work hard to make goals a reality!~~ http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Browne/e/B004EW761G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/amybrowne https://www.facebook.com/authoramybrowne https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-8-Writers/163212760355932 http://amyjob.blogspot.com/ http://twitter.com/#!/AmyBrowne http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amy-browne/1a/936/495

Indie authors

I have been watching self-publishing Indie authors who are getting the writing success they deserve.  Like a little fly on the wall, I have silently been following their careers and have been learning a lot.  I may not ever see their success but the only way I will never know unless I try here.

Most of these people gave up on the traditional route of finding an agent. The agents might send your manuscript to a publisher if you are lucky. The agents have tons of manuscripts on their desks, and it your book does not catch his or her eye into the slush pile it goes.  Sorry but my baby deserves better than a slush pile either the physical kind or the virtual kind.  I do not have the money to piss away coping and mailing my manuscript to numerous agents.

Therefore, I choose to go the self-publishing route and I am seeing positive returns. It is nothing to live off yet, but I am not giving up on my dream of being a successful author. I have only been self publishing since October of 2011, but it only took me two months to get my e-books and print copies to where they were more profitable than the meager page views I received from half a dozen content sites where I have been pouring my time in for the past four years.

My drive and determination are fueling me to push harder for that self-publishing success I seek. I may never see millions of sales like Amanda Hocking, but I never will if I do not try my hardest.  

Writing your own book

Writing books filled with short stories or writing a novel that brought smiles to the faces of millions is something that I have always wanted to do.  Rather than spend lots of time and money on trying to find an agent that felt the same about my work I decided to self publish my short stories and books.  I do not want to be one of those authors who waste my life wishing I had the balls to take the chance. I took fate in my own hands and made my dream a reality.

If your desire is to be writing books, I suggest doing it. You can always find time each day to focus on writing your book if the desire is strong enough. Heck even if you set aside an hour or two a day to write 1,000 words within  2 months you will have enough words to fill a nice size print book.  If short stories are more your cup of tea, you can write one a week and have enough to fill a book sooner than you think.

Keep these goals in mind while writing your books:

Mirco fiction is less than 50 words

Flash fiction is less than 1000 words

A short story is less than 10,000 words

A novella is up to 20,000

A novel is 60,000

You will never reach your dream of writing books if you do not take the time to write it. It’s simple logic. 

Content Farms Headed Out

Sometimes I am glad Google let loose with the Panda updates. It hurt my business a bunch.  What business is that you ask? Well I am one of those former content writers for a whole bunch of web sites.  When the panda updates hit I seen, my income drop a bit but as the updates continued I seen my income dropping further and further.  On one web site where I have written since 2007, I seen the biggest drop and it’s caused me to stop writing on that site.

Last February I got 200 dollars for page views, I rounded out the year with 30.07.  That is a drop of almost 170 bucks amonth. Not only did Panda hurt but also the web site ran every article on one page, where before if they were long enough they were two or three pages long. They pretty much cut out any upfront payments unless you go a beat.

All of the content sites are facing similar fates.  All of them are drying up which is hurting the former content writers, myself included.  Some of us have found private clients to write for, or having taken a job in the real world. More than fair share of us have begun to write eBooks and publish that novel we have been writing. 

I am a former content writer for those so called content farms.  I will stick with my blogs and fiction writing for now and pray for the best. 

Writing content for one of the sites, which pay upfronts or give page views, may seem like a great idea at first.  Trust me it may appear like a good plan on first thought but as many content writers have learned, content sites dry up quicker than you will believe and there goes a stream of income.  

I have written for Associated Content long before it was Yahoo Voices or the Yahoo contributor network,  been writing for pennies on Helium, Mahalo, eHow, Demand Studios, and Bukisa.   I used to make good money on all of them, until Panda hit.

The bottom line is if you are writing content for any of the content mills, your income is suffering. You are lining the pockets of the sites and those who run it. On the most profitable site, I make $2 bucks per every 1,000 views.  Sometimes I made $300 or $400 there a month, before changes came about.  Now that site is down to about 30 bucks a month.  I am struggling these days to make decent money. In my struggles, I have learned one thing.

If you have adsence you could be writing blogs and making more money than you do at those on those writing content sites. As long as your blogs are focused, you could see big profits.   I suggest opening a blog in your niche, use Google adwords to learn the best keywords. Begin writing these posts.

You will still be writing content but instead of the pay being split between the site, google and yourself, the profits will go to you and Google. Splitting profits two ways is always moiré profitable for you.  Now imagine if you had five or more profitable goals running. 

Becoming a blogging success

Becoming a blogging success is much easier than you might think. If you have been in the content writing game for more years then you will admit then you have found your niche. Take your niche and turn it into a profit stream. 

If you have a few niches, this will work well, I Know because I am doing it.   Here is how to successfully run seven or more blogs in your niches.

Get your blogs set up on Blogger.com.  Click on the earnings tab, set them up one at a time, and add it to your adsence.  Then copy the url of the blog into your adsence information area.

The begin writing on your blogs. For this one here, which is focused on content writing, I will create a document of 2,000 words.  Each 200 words or so will be a small section focused on a subject.  I will turn it into ten blog posts of 200 words.  I just look on adwords for the right key words or phrases and take off.

Once your little blog posts are written, paste them in one at a time into the blogger interface. Schedule them to appearance once a week. This on updates on Mondays, so I schedule the other nine posts for successive Mondays.  Blogger will then publish them on the chosen date and to everyone it appears as if your blog is getting new information on a weekly basis.  That is successful blogging my friends and is more cash in your pocket.

Set up each blog to update on a different day of the week, and with 10 posts on each blog you will be set for 2 months. 

Pre-writing Your Blog Posts

Prewriting your blog posts for weeks in advance has many benefits, and the most oblivious one is updated blogs on a regular basis. Blogging is fun and rewarding but it also has to make some money for the owner or it is not worthy of your time. It also needs to help those who need it, so make sure you figure out what people need help with and write your post around it.

I run more than seven different blogs and I write multiple posts for each blog one day. I then schedule a different one to be published each week. Prewriting these blog posts makes me appear to have lots of writing time, which I do not have. In one day I can create up to ten blog posts that will be published over two months time.  If I spend one-week prewriting, these blog posts I can have enough so that I do not have to write for two months on each blog. 

Many successful bloggers do this exact same thing, you write one day and schedule the posts for weekly publishing. They are making a large profit at it, and I want some of that money. As I have learned, I will teach you how to do it.   Prewritting blogs is time saving and profit building.  

How to Profit off a blog

How to profit off a blog is something I have learned how to do, and I share that knowledge.  As a former content writer at the content, mills I saw the beauty of blogging long ago. When you update a blog often, you earn more money if it is the right niche. Visitors will return often because you update often and more visitors equal more money. 

Make sure the information is relevant and helpful so people will return. If you have good information, they will return repeatedly. Maybe they will post it on Facebook, or email a friend about your web site. Every bit of traffic helps if you are trying to profit off a blog.  Find the right keywords in your niche and write up the posts.

Add fun stuff, make your blog helpful or entertaining and they will return.  More visits means more profits for you and if that is your goal update often.  Updating often does not mean writing daily, although you could do that. The smarter blogger pre-writes posts and schedules them to be published a week at a time.  That is how to profit off a blog!  I hope this short blog post will help you on your road to profits or at least gave you food for thought. 

Pimping Content Page Views

If you are sick of pimping page views for articles, you have written on the content mills, this is the blog post for you.  Take that anger and make something positive happen. Begin to get profits off blogging. Get an adsence account and put your articles on line.  Of course, you need to make sure your posts are SEO’d or you will be writing for free, and that is a bad thing.

Every niche out there has a golden key word or key phase that will bring in the visitors, which means more visitors to your web site.  Find that golden key word or phrase and you will be set to begin profiting off your blog. Chances are if you are interested enough in a topic to write about it, then these are others who also enjoy that subject. Make your content engaging and people will return and perhaps bring a friend.

Of course, not all the visitors in the world will mean anything if your blog is filled with typos and grammar mistakes.  Type all posts in MS word to insure they are typo free, write good content, and keep the blog updated often. If you do these things perhaps, you will begin to see profits off your blogs.

A Contest, Win an Autographed Book

I belong to a writer’s group called the Circle 8 Writers and we have been publishing Anthologies since September 2010. I love writing fiction and have been doing it since I was a teenager.  The best way to relax for most people is curling up with a good book. The best way for me to relax is sitting down and writing fiction.

 I have a favorite character I often write short stories about and her name is Paisley. I am in the process with the Circle 8 editor Robert Arend to make Paisley a short story anthology I am honored that they think so highly of my character that they think she deserves her own book! So far four of my Paisley stories have appeared in the Circle 8 Writers group books.

I am blessed to be in a group with such awesome writers I consider friends. There is currently a contest where the visitors can win an autographed book by the founder of the group, Angel Sharum.  Check out her blog for more information. 

Angel's Blog http://www.angelsharums-storyboard.blogspot.com/

Hey also check out the group's Facebok Page.