20/6/2009 - Rates for Content Writing

If you're one of the many writers who scour the Internet looking for paid work, you're probably dismayed by the rates you see being offered for content writing work.  With some writers and even writing services offering 600 word articles for $2 - $20 you're no doubt thinking that you can't compete because you aren't prepared to work for a few dollars an hour.  Here's the thing - many professional marketing firms who require a lot of written content won't go near those cheap services. It ends up costing them a fortune - they often get poor service and articles they have to either edit themselves, or pay another writing service to rewrite. All of that delays their client's project.  If a firm needs 20 - 100 or more items every week, and they want good quality items, they simply can't "afford" cheap content!

These companies, many of them in the USA, are not posting jobs on freelance sites - they're looking online for quality writers and asking others in their profession for referrals.  If you want to work from home writing at good rates, it may take you a year or two to establish yourself to the point that those firms will come to you. In the meantime, there is plenty of work out there that will get you from $20-40 or more per hour.

29/5/2009 - Article Czar - Learn About Content Article Writing

If you've recently realised just how much opportunity there is to make money online from your writing, but you don't know how to go about it, there's an eBook I can thoroughly recommend.  Peter Nisbent of Article Services in the Uk has written a fabulous 137 page eBook all about article writing, affiliate marketing and making money blogging.

He's written it in an easy to understand and well ordered manner. I knew quite a bit before reading it and I learnt more.  I actually printed off the 137 pages so I could re-read it at my leisure.  You'll learn how to writing marketing articles, about article directories, submission services, links, keywords and Google indexing, blogging for money and much more.

I liked it so much I signed up as an affiliate!

It will cost you $57 and it'll be worth every penny. Additionally, when you get to Peter's site, there are other very usefull goodies you can download for free. Now there's plenty of stuff you can download from the web for free - it's just rare to find anything as useful as what you'll get from Peter.  Enjoy.

Get the Article Czar eBook!

28/5/2009 - A Writer's Dream Lifestyle

I suppose I can't speak for all writers, but my dream lifestyle involves working from the comfort of home and being able to fit my "work" in around the rest of my life. I enjoy cooking and get a kick out of it when my partner can arrive home from work and follow his nose from the front door to the kitchen to find a huge pot of something delicious simmering away on the stove and ready to eat! I like having the energy to get up early and make sure he takes a decent lunch to work.

I like to have my dogs beneath my feet as I work, have time to chat when a friend rings, and occasionally decide that I will go shopping for the afternoon instead of working.

Going out to work means being tired every evening, rushing out the door each morning leaving things not done at home, and having to tidy them up when we return. It means preparing a quick ordinary meal that fills the stomach but lacks the taste, texture and smell of one that has simmered for hours. Rather than being a time to enjoy, weekends become a recovery period for us both and there is little energy left for entertaining friends. When you do make the most of your weekends you pay it by being a little less energetic the following week!

In our forties, we've decided that somehow, we have to turn things around in our favour. I am currently building my income from content writing and often now working from home. My partner is considering a career change to graphic design so that he too can work from home.

My dream lifestyle is beginning to become reality.

27/5/2009 - Writer Found!

That was quick!  Less than 24 hours after posting the previous "writer wanted" post I've found the perfect candidate. Catherine has been blogging away herself for some time without earning a cent.

I'll post again next time we're hiring.  Meanwhile, if you want to get paid for writing from home, keep looking! There is plenty of work out there. There are several article and content writing sites that will consider you and many freelance writing sites you can join.  I'm working on a list of sites to post here for you so check back soon.

27/5/2009 - Writer Wanted!

Writer wanted.

If you're an Australian based writer, and you'd like to have a go at blogging for an income, drop me a line - along with a writing sample. I have a seriously large regular blogging job about to commence so I need a writer who can write quickly, hand in error free work, and write regularly.  It's not imperative that you have blogging experience - if you're a good writer you'll be able to blog.

If you're ready to work from home blogging, get in touch with me through here or Article Writers Australia.

25/5/2009 - What is PLR?

PLR stands for Private Label Rights. Article and eBooks are the most common PLR products. PLR articles are sold in packs of 10-15 for around $20 a pack - $2 an article.  The catch is that the same PLR article pack is sold to around 200 people (sometimes many more) which means that online marketers who purchase these packs must edit and alter the article content to avoid having their websites penalised for carrying duplicate content.

What does PLR mean for writers? I think some ingenious writer developed the PLR concept as revenge on all those marketers who place jobs on freelance sites demanding high quality unique articles be written for $2 a piece. I mean really, that's a joke. Common sense would suggest you are not going to get a high quality unique article for $2 when it will take the writer an hour or so to do it. Even a quick article of moderate quality is going to take 20-30 minutes. I digress - if a writer sells 200 packs of the same 10 articles they actually earn $400 per article.

So, are writers making squillions out of this? Some seem to be doing quite well - but you can't believe everything you read online.  I'm currently developing some of my own PLR articles so I'll get back to you on whether it's a worthwhile enterprise for a writer!

If you'd like to see what PLR is all about, there's an affiliate  link to a PLR company  on my business website.

If you're interested in earning income online but don't quite understand how it all works, you might like to look at my other blog Sell on the Internet for some really basic information to get you started.

24/5/2009 - Guest Blogging

If you are just starting out on your journey to become an online writer, there are a couple of things you can do that will help you on your way. One of them is guest blogging.

Some website owners advertise for guest bloggers. It's a way of adding content to their website for free. Find blogs that blog on topics that you know a bit about or are particularly interested in. That way, you'll enjoy writing the posts and that will be reflected in your writing. While you won't be paid for the posts, most sites that accept guest blog posts offer a link back to your site in the post - which can bring additional traffic and potential clients to your site.

If you can't find any requests for guest bloggers on topics you feel comfortable with, just find the blogs and email the blog owners. You can always ask.

There are three main advantages to guest blogging. There are the "link backs" to your own website which can assist your SEO (search engine optimization) efforts. You'll have samples of your work on display on other websites - so you get to take advantage of their traffic. And last but not least, it gives you an opportunity to build up relationships with other website owners - who may need paid content at some time.

23/5/2009 - Write from Home for a Living

Are you a writer wondering if you can write from home and earn a living from your writing? You can, but it's likely you'll have to begin slowly and build up your clientele.  There are several ways writers now make money working from home:

1. There are many freelance writing websites where you can bid on jobs.  The rates tend to be quite low, but it's a start.

2. Writers who learn web writing skills can earn money by blogging, writing web content pages, or writing marketing articles. You can apply to one of the many online writing services for work. The pay isn't fantastic if you're working on contract for someone else - but you can certainly make a living from it. Once you've developed your skills you can set up your own writing business and earn better rates.

3. There are many bloggers out there who make absolutely nothing - but there are a few professional bloggers who make an excellent living. Most of the big income earners have spent several years developing their business. The catch here is that you have to put a great deal of time into your blogs before you are likely to see any income at all.

4. Some writers develop websites designed for affiliate marketers, fill them with written content, and sell the sites.

Not all writers are suited to online writing. The stumbling block for most is that they find it difficult to write quickly. To earn a decent income, you need to be able to write about 500 words in 20-30 minutes. It can be done - it just takes practice and persistence!

If you're just setting out on your journey to earn an income online and would like more information on the different ways people do it, visit my blog Sell on Internet.

23/5/2009 - The Wonders of the eBook

I love eBooks - especially eBooks I can download for free!

Over the past few years I've done quite a lot of online research. As you probably know, a lot of the information available on the Internet is of questionable quality. Yet, every now and again, I find a fabulous eBook packed with information that teaches me something I want to learn about. I don't mind admitting to being a bit of a scrouge here - I've never paid for an eBook.

Why do people give them away? Simple. They're a great marketing tool. There's nothing like helping someone out and giving them a free gift to create a favourable impression of your business. Of course, affiliate marketers have an even better reason to give them away - their eBooks contain links to products the reader can purchase, and the affiliate marketer receives a commission when that occurs.

Even a traditional business owners can use eBook giveaways as a marketing tool. Why not create some goodwill and a great impression by offering prospective customers a free eBook related to the product or service they're intersted in?

Of course, not all eBooks are giveaways. Many people make a living out of publishing and selling their eBooks.

I'm part way through writing my own eBook. I'm quite busy writing for others but it will get finished eventually!

23/5/2009 - What Exactly is a Ghost Writer?

In a nutshell, a ghost writer is someone who writes something on your behalf and allows you to put your name on it as the author.  We're very useful creatures for entrepreneurs, wesbite owners, affiliate marketers and people who have a great idea or personal story but cannot write it themselves.

Ghost writers have enjoyed a boom time since the arrival of the eBook. If you've been scouting around on the Internet you've probably noticed how many website owners have "written" eBooks to share their knowledge.  Many of these eBooks have been written by ghost writers. A website owners pays the ghost writer a one-off fee to write the book and then either sells the book online or gives it away as a promotional tool. Similarly, businesses that use article marketing as an online advertising tool often have the article ghost written.

If you are looking for a ghost writer, feel free to get in touch with me. I'd be delighted to assist you.

23/5/2009 - An Australian Blog Site!

How wonderful to come across an Australian blog hosting service. When it comes to all things Internet, we are miles (I should say kilometres!) behind many other nations.

I first began to explore the marketing potential of the Internet just a few years ago, from the position of a small business owner wanting to establish an online presence. There were few people who could answer my questions so I embarked on my own research. It has been an amazing journey - one that led me from a traditional business into one that was almost entirely based online - Article Writers Australia. I've even started to dabble in affiliate marketing!

Along the way, one thing became obvious. Many small business operators are in the same position as I was just a few years ago - they can see that the Internet is a powerful marketing tool but don't know quite how to make the most of it. I take joy in being able to assist small business owners to gain an understanding of online marketing and how they can use it to their advantage. If you're interested in finding out more about exactly how people make money online, I've set up a blog on how to Sell on the Internet. It's aimed at people in my age group who know the opportunity is there but feel they have lost touch with Internet technology. It is after all my age group who can benefit the most from the Internet - to increase their business turnovers and even set up passive income streams to enable early retirement!

The content of this blog will be largely related to writing.  Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions you think I may be able to answer.