Mike Reuther's Blog, page 6
June 21, 2019
How Amazon Destroyed Publishing. Or Did It?
Then, Amazon came along and turned everything upside down. Including typewriters!
In my previous post, How Amazon Destroyed Barnes & Noble, I explained how Amazon (alone) could not be held responsible for the bookstore’s troubles.
This post addresses another common complaint, that Amazon has destroyed publishing.
Again, things are not as black and white as that. Yes, Amazon is a shark. But it was the publishing industry which made blunder after blunder, allowing Amazon to take advantage of their mistakes.
Let’s take things from the start.
A Brief History of 20th Century Publishing
As Kristen Lamb points out in her must-read post, Goliath has Fallen & What This Means for Writers, publishing worked in a pretty standard way for over a century. Writers would take their books to publishers. If their pitch was successful, the publishers would then sign them on, publish the books, and distribute…
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April 27, 2019
Becoming an author means taking charge
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
The It
People constantly post online about becoming writers.
They write about their fears of rejection, whether what they have to say has any relevance, if all the sweat and energy and time they’ve put into their writing is worth it.
Believe me, I know those feelings. I’ve lived with them for most of my life.
I’ll be sixty-two next month, and guess what? Despite knocking off words and writing stories all these years, I still haven’t made “it” as a writer.
If you’ve been writing for a few years, and you wonder when it is going to happen, you’re not alone.
When I talk about it, of course, I mean, becoming a traditionally published author. It’s that glorious day when some agent, or better yet, publisher, responded to one of your query letters with a big thumbs up.
The it is what I…
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March 10, 2018
Writing a book
Why Do You Want to Write a Book?
Why do you want to write a book? Do you dream of seeing your name emblazoned on the dust jackets of novels? Of seeing your book sitting in bookstores or flashing on Amazon’s pages?
Perhaps you have a dream of being interviewed by talk show hosts, of literary parties in Gotham where you rub shoulders with the likes of James Patterson or that Fifty Shades of Grey author.
Maybe you’ve loved to string words together since you were a kid. Perhaps a book you read many years ago fueled a desire of the written word and a need to write your own book. We all have different reasons, and perhaps some of the aforementioned ones, for wanting to be an author.
What about you?
Dreams are fine. Without dreams we merely slither through life like reptiles, looking for our next meals…
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March 4, 2018
March 3, 2018
December 28, 2017
December 9, 2017
Make money writing
So you want to be a freelance writer?
You envision a life of no bosses, no clock, working when and if you want.
It all sounds pretty cool. Doesn’t it?
And it can be.
But beware. Freelance writing, while a wonderful way to make a living, is not the easiest gig in the world. In fact, it takes a lot of work.
Okay. I hope I haven’t lost you just yet. Still, read back that line from above: It takes a lot of work.
It does require work. No question about it. But it’s probably no more work than a lot of professions out there. Freelance writing, make no mistake about it, is not for the faint of heart. Sure, you can go into freelance writing with the idea of just knocking off an article or two now and then, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that.
What I…
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Make money writing
So you want to be a freelance writer?
You envision a life of no bosses, no clock, working when and if you want.
It all sounds pretty cool. Doesn’t it?
And it can be.
But beware. Freelance writing, while a wonderful way to make a living, is not the easiest gig in the world. In fact, it takes a lot of work.
Okay. I hope I haven’t lost you just yet. Still, read back that line from above: It takes a lot of work.
It does require work. No question about it. But it’s probably no more work than a lot of professions out there. Freelance writing, make no mistake about it, is not for the faint of heart. Sure, you can go into freelance writing with the idea of just knocking off an article or two now and then, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that.
What I hope to get across in this book is the message that freelance writing offers opportunities for making money, whether you’re looking for some extra change to spend for nights out with the girls or cash to put away for that long-awaited trip to Bermuda.
Many of you are seriously considering becoming full-time freelance writers. Perhaps you’ve had it with the day job and the routine of reporting to work at the same time five, six times a week. Maybe it’s a job that doesn’t pay well. You want a job that offers a degree of creativity and freedom. Perhaps you’re just ready for a change.
As far as I’m concerned these are all fine reasons for wanting to go the freelance route. But I think the big question that has to be answered is: Do I want to write? Or, do I like to write? Let’s face it, to be a freelance writer, you’d got to be willing to string words together, or better yet, enjoy writing.
Some of you may have dreamed of being the next Ernest Hemingway or Stephen King. Maybe you’ve always envisioned yourself as a novelist. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Perhaps you’ve turned to this guide after years of knocking yourself senseless with frustration trying to write. If you’re ready for something different and willing to perhaps change course and give up those dreams of becoming the next best-selling writer, keep reading.
Freelance writing is not all about poetry and dazzling prose, although there are certainly such markets for showing off one’s writing chops. For the most part, it’s about putting out solid information. It’s about sticking one’s fanny in the chair many hours a week and writing. That’s really what the gig is all about.
What else do you need to be a freelance writer? Well, persistence for one. Let’s be frank. Not everyone wants or needs a freelance writer. You’ll find yourself getting rejected by editors and other people you may approach for jobs. The good news is you can find the markets out there if you’re willing to beat the bushes a bit. There are countless markets for writing which I’ll cover later in the book.
As with anything else worth doing in life and being successful at it, you need a good attitude. Frustration comes with any job or endeavor in life. I like to use baseball as an example. A batter may only get a hit three times for every ten times he comes to the plate, but he’s still a .300 hitter. You won’t get everyone to agree to hire you as a writer for a project – be it for business copy, newsletters or articles.
On the other hand, with pluck, determination and, above all, a good attitude, you can start making money and find yourself busy with writing projects in your first weeks of being a freelance writer.
Are you ready for a job that can bring you rewards, including monetary, a gig free of the drab nine-to-five routine, bosses and office politics, a job that allows you to steer the course of your own ship? No doubt the answer is yes.
Read on. I think you’ll find some eye-opening information in the upcoming pages. Better yet, you’ll soon be launching your own freelance writing career in no time at all.
FROM THE BOOK, FREELANCE WRITING FOR BEGINNERS BY MIKE REUTHER
June 13, 2017
Lessons in advertising my eBook (what worked, what didn’t)
How many books do I need to sell to make a bestsellers list?
Every author at some point has Googled a variation of that question. Because let’s face it: most of us want to see our name on The New York Times bestsellers list right above or below whichever 50 Shades book is befouling that list, and there’s no shame in admitting that. (Yes, technically it would be nice to be #1, but you’ve got to start somewhere.)
So how do I get on the bestsellers list without cashing out my 401k and buying 9,000 copies of my book? (I read somewhere that 9,000 is the number of books you’d need to sell in a week to get on the NYT list. Whether that’s true, I have no idea. God bless what you read on the Internet.)
My point is you need people to buy your book. And for a…
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August 3, 2016
Free book, freelance writing
FREE
Freelance writing can be fun, rewarding and even lucrative. Yes. There is money to be made from freelance writing. Longtime journalist, author and freelance writer Mike Reuther reveals some of the ways to get started as a successful freelancer. Learn about writing for publications and businesses. Reuther shares some of his experiences and provides insights into this exciting world. A helpful book for anyone considering doing freelance writing as a career or part-time gig.
FREE thru Aug. 4, 2016
