Category Archives: resources

freelance money, gear

Freelance Income Diversification – Now Easier With Square

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Square Payments by iPhoneby Joe Wallace

For a couple of years now, I’ve been supplementing my freelance income–diversifying my income portfolio, you might say–by selling vinyl records, custom silkscreened tees and other fun things. I sell hard-to-find records on Discogs.com, eBay and at conventions like Flashback Weekend, Cinema Wasteland and elsewhere.

Basically, I wake up, work all my freelance clients by day, and transition into the selling after the day’s work is done.

Lots of my fellow freelancer friends do this on Etsy, eBay, etc. But now the income diversification game just got a whole lot easier–especially for people doing book tours, conventions, in-person speaking engagements, anything a freelancer might do to train, teach or sell.

Square is a credit/debit card reader which plugs into the audio port of an iPhone or Android. There is no monthly fee to sign up, the reader is free, and Square takes a small percentage of each sale as the fee for using the service. In short, you can accept credit cards or debit cards (as credit cards) anywhere you have a cell phone signal.

I just received mine and will be using it at my vinyl record booth at an upcoming convention. But Square has much more potential than just selling crafts, t-shirts, vinyl or other merchandise. Imagine what would happen if you showed up for your next teaching gig “Freelance Writing 101” with the ability to collect your teaching fee right then and there? Or sell your latest set of teaching materials for that class? Or sell a promotional tee for your blog?

You could take Square with you to the workplace–imagine being able to offer a client the option to pay you on-site with a company credit card the next time you are asked to do a consultancy, training, or team building. Fiction writers can benefit, too–try taking a book tour to a local convention and selling your book with Square. No need to go cash-only.

There are too many creative things you could do with this portable credit card reader–which even accepts Amex and Discover at no additional fees–to boost your freelance income. The possibilities? Endless.

advice, editorial, resources

Freelance Job Sharing

Freelance Job Sharingby Joe Wallace

I can’t help it, I like to play matchmaker. I have friends who are up-and-coming in their freelance careers, and others who have been around the block a few times but suddenly find themselves in a situation where the work has dried up and they’re in search of any gig whatsoever.

I don’t like seeing my colleagues going through this, to be sure, but I do love the opportunity to help where I can. So I pass along any freelance job related intel I can get my hands on to my friends struggling between gigs.

In the past, I’ve made the mistake of just assuming people know to look at places like ProBlogger.net, JournalismJobs.com, Indeed.com and elsewhere. And naturally those resources only scratch the surface of what’s out there, but many of my freelancing friends say they’d never looked there before I had mentioned it.

It’s easy–for me, at least–to just sit there and think surely everyone knows about these places, but they don’t. So now I just pass along everything and hope I’m not insulting everyone’s intelligence by doing so regardless of the source. If I see an “editor wanted” posting on Cat Juggling Magazine or Chicken Plucker Quarterly, my out-of-work pals are getting it and never mind the groans.

My days of just assuming “everybody” knows about the really good resources out there, especially when it comes to freelance gigs, are over!

Which reminds me–if you know of a good freelance job resource you’d like to share, please feel free to put them in the comments section or even contact us here at FZ about doing a guest blog post on the ones you think are most useful. We’d be happy to consider it.

Joe Wallace is a freelance editor and writer. His recent projects include editing a book on the voice over business, video game scripts, and he’s the snarky vinyl record expert at Turntabling.net. In his spare time, Wallace sells rare vinyl online and at film conventions. He is currently available for book editing projects and accepts writing assignments on a limited basis. Contact him: jwallace (at) freelance-zone (dot)com.

editorial, featured, fiction, resources

What’s New With BigDifBooks

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BigDifBooksSince starting up a little more than a year ago, BigDifBooks.com has come a long way.

You may remember our early plugs for the site.  We think it’s a great place for kids and parents to find really inexpensive or absolutely free original eBooks.  Just as important from a Freelance-Zone perspective is the opportunity that BigDifBooks gives writers to share their work.

Without jumping through the hoops of the traditional publishing world or paying big money through self-publishing or eBook distribution outfits, BigDifBooks allows writers to share a story for young readers – and maybe even make a few bucks from it.  If a book is accepted at the site, the author retains all copyright and decides whether to share it for free or offer it for $1.99.  The author is paid a 50 percent royalty ($1.00) for each $1.99 book sold.

We checked in with Tom Watson, the site’s founder and asked him to catch us up, as well as highlight a few of the latest books available:

How’s it going at BigDifBooks?

It’s going great.  We’re not quite Amazon, but we like our little niche.  We have about 80 books up and available.  And we really like the way our selection is balanced.  About half are offered for free.  About half are $1.99.  There are a bunch by professional writers, a bunch from adults who simply want to share a story for fun and a bunch by kids themselves.

What else is new?

We have several classroom books available now, which is something we really like.  A teacher out in Utah, Christy Frazier, worked with her class to put up a book called Animal Advice, which is terrific.  Christy is an author and contributor herself.  One of her books, Once There was a Snow Bear, is one of my favorites.  Another class from the Chicago Public School system in Pilsen, contributed five or six titles.  They worked in small groups to write original stories and do the illustrations.  They did a great job.

How about a new set of book descriptions?

You got it.

The Argument

by Annie Harmon

Annie Harmon is a talented author and award-winning illustrator.  Her second book with us is a gem.  In the story, the rain, sun and wind compete to prove who is the most powerful.  They also brighten the day of Emma, who is experiencing the wonder of the outdoors.  It reminded me of a folk tale and is illustrated beautifully with bold colors that kids will love.

I Want to be a Superhero

by Mike Winn

What child hasn’t dreamed of being a superhero?  Mike’s new book turns that dream into reality for one little boy.  It has everything – a bright costume, a space alien to fight and parents to tuck him into bed after a long day battling crime.  It’s illustrated with Mike’s great watercolors.  He is an art teacher in Chicago.

Anne Louise – The Adventure Begins

by Soo Mullen

Soo is a terrific storyteller from Cincinnati. Her first book with us, “Anne Louise – The Adventure Begins” revolves around some real winning subjects for young readers – birthdays, girls and puppies.  Kids will identify with the illustrations and writing style.

Annie Fannie

by John Schmitz

This book is all about  a little boy and a sickly puppy with a remarkable gift. It’s this talent that the puppy uses to rescue the boy when he really needs it.  Utilizing charming characters, a clever story and a longer-form narrative, this book is great for the 7 – 12 age group.

A Children’s Book of Very Short Stories

by Pauline Saul

As she says herself, Pauline Saul is ’95 years young.’  Her first book with us is about a lifetime of experiences with animals.  Often told from each animal’s perspective, the stories include heroic rescues and daring adventures.  Included are dogs, cats, a mouse, a rooster and more.  We think it’s great.

Animal Advice

by Christy Frazier’s grade school class.

Christy Frazier is one of our favorite authors – and now she’s helped her third-grade class write and illustrate a terrific book.  In “Animal Advice,” each student provides first-hand guidance from a specific animal. The monkey says, “Go bananas.” The Peacock offers, “Show your true colors.” The frog says, “Hop to it.” We love that it’s kid-written and kid-illustrated.  It’s good fun.

For more information on how to get involved with BigDifBooks, or to see all the current offerings take a peek at their website.

advice, resources

A Few Resources For The Writer…

Catherineby Catherine L. Tully

Hey there! Today I’d just like to share a few good resources with my fellow writers…things that might help you out here and there. I stumble across these from time-to-time and stick them in a folder until I have several to post.

Here are the latest for you to peruse:

Citebite – Link directly to quotes in other webpages with this cool little resource. Just paste text and the URL and get a link – it’s simple!

The Quote Garden – I use this site all the time–it has some really terrific quotations for a wide range of subjects. Handy.

Poynter – Great reading and good resources for the writer.

Hope something here works for you. As always, if you have a good resource to add, by all means, do so! Having the right things at your fingertips can make a huge difference in terms of productivity!

editorial, featured, lifestyle, resources

Review: Mobo For The Writer

Moboby Catherine L. Tully

I was admittedly skeptical when someone from Mobo offered to let me try out this ergonomic workstation. I have a pretty fantastic office chair and I doubted that this would make things any better. After all, when you sit at a desk for 7 or 8 hours (or more) a day, pretty much nothing is comfortable, right?

Wrong! I have to say that I really got into this, and it felt terrific. My hubby set it up, so I can’t tell you how difficult/easy it was, as I am a truly helpless human being when it comes to putting things together. (He didn’t seem to have any difficulty though.) Everything you need is included, with the exception of a Phillips head screwdriver.

Once I was settled into the chair with my Mobo on, I felt like Captain Kirk. Talk about a modern workstation! It was comfortable, practical and sturdy. I use a laptop, and it fit nicely on the Mobo (the keyboard surface measures 22?x12-1/2). I do admit the one thing I would change is the fact that there is no way to lock down the middle part to make sure you can’t accidentally flip it. (Still, I doubt that is very likely to happen. But I can be clumsy, so….)

I loved the fact that everything was supported, and it was extremely comfy. It definitely felt better than working at my desk. Nothing felt cheap about it, and the company states that the device is made from “high quality industrial polymers (polycarbonate and ABS)”.

Without a doubt, the best part of the whole thing is the fact that I felt cool in the chair with the Mobo attached. It really seemed like a “modern” way to be a writer. I would have to say I’d recommend it–despite my initial hesitancy. I don’t use it every day–I like to mix things up, as I believe that helps keep the repetitive stress injuries at bay, but when I really need to settle in for a marathon day of writing, it’s the Mobo that I turn to–not my desk.

So there you have it. As writers we are at a particularly high risk of getting Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs), so something like a Mobo can really be helpful. I wouldn’t recommend it if I didn’t like it–but I do. The regular price is $89.95, but it is on sale (don’t know for how long though) right now for $79.95.

reading, resources

Eat Your Serial

Today we have a Q&A with Shawn Abraham – one of the people behind the site Eat Your Serial. We thought this might be of interest to our readers….check it out!                  – Catherine

EYS Logo High ResQ: What kind of website is Eat Your Serial?

Eat Your Serial is a new online platform designed to connect up and coming creative talent with a hungry audience. Stories are released as serials, with a new chapter every week. At the moment, we have five concurrently running serials in a variety of genres and styles.

Q: Who are the people involved, and what are their backgrounds?

The team at Eat Your Serial is comprised of a group of dedicated and diverse individuals. The founder and President worked for Random House, the largest trade-book publisher in the world. The rest of our staff has experience in: online marketing, talent management, education, sales, and service. For more information on our team, you can visit http://eatyourserial.com/the-team/our-staff. Eat Your Serial also boasts a talented editorial staff who work closely with our authors to ensure the strongest possible end product.

Q: Can you tell readers how the idea for this site came about?

There seems to be a misnomer floating around about how nobody reads anymore. The original idea for the site stemmed from thoughts and conversations about how off the mark that is. People are reading more than ever. It’s just the mediums that are changing. People spend a remarkable amount of time reading and absorbing content on blogs, social networking sites and more. So we felt like there was a niche waiting to be explored with easily digestible portions of creative content. Serials are a tried and true method of content delivery, and we feel like audiences will respond well to our model.

Q: What types of work do you publish?

We publish work in all genres. From sci-fi and fantasy to romance and introspective semi-autobiographies. Some are funny, some are sad. We want to make sure there’s something for everybody, and we have many pieces waiting in the wings that will further diversify our list.

Q: How can writers or readers who are interested learn more about how this works?

The best way is to visit www.eatyourserial.com, and click around. Read some of the serials, leave comments, and enjoy! We’re always on the lookout for new talent, and our submission guidelines are up on the site.

Q: What are your upcoming plans for the site?

We don’t want to tip our hat too early, but we have a lot of exciting plans in the works. Looking ahead to some of the books we’re going to be publishing, we’re really proud of what our authors have been creating. But beyond that, all I can say is that I’m pretty sure there’s more to serials than just text and prose. Some of the most popular TV shows of all time were serials…