Authors Access » Blogging

Ernest Dempsey – Earn Extra Income Freelance Writing for the Web

Victor Volkman — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:26:25 +0000

On February 19th, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with fulltime freelance writer, proofreader, and editor Ernest Dempsey. He shared encouraging information on how you can get started in the fun and profitable art of freelance writing. In addition to having written 4 books, he is now the editor-in-chief of the literary magazine Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing and also works as the country editor for Pakistan on the celebrated Internet news channel Instablogs.com. He shared with us on the following points:

Where are some places that I can go to look for freelance web writing?
Is it “ghost writing” or does sometimes my name get shown?
What about being a Foreign Correspondent for a news organization in another country?
How does getting paid work?
How do you manage personal time, schedules, and deadlines?
What types of writing projects are available: interviews, reviews, tutorials and how well does each pay relative to the others
How have you improved your knowledge of English by writing over time?
How does freelancing compare to a “regular job”? Do you get to travel more?

Ernest Recommends for finding gigs: Writer’s World

Karim Khan, pen named Ernest Dempsey, hails from Hangu, a small town in Pakistan. As a child, he enjoyed two things: The joyful company of his brother and Khan’s best friend, Shais; and making airy castles with lots of characters in his mind. At twelve, he started writing detective stories, horror, thrillers, and humor. He has a Masters degree in Geology and one in English Literature.He has authored four books including his latest The Blue Fairy and other Tales of Transcendence and, in just the last few years, seen the publication of his poems, essays, short stories, and literary reviews worldwide. Khan is now looking forward to completing his first novel.

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Dana Lynn Smith – Twitter, Tweeting, and Re-tweeting: Twitter Book Marketing

Victor Volkman — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:10:44 +0000

On January 22nd, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with book marketing guru Dana Lynn Smith about exploiting the potential of Twitter for marketing your books. Dana Lynn Smith, owner of Texana Publishing Consultants, LLC, has 15 years of experience in publishing and 25 years of marketing experience. She specializes in developing marketing plans for nonfiction books and teaching authors how to promote their books online. She is the author of The Savvy Book Marketer Guides, a series of ebooks on book marketing topics. Talking points include:

How does Twitter work
Why do you think Twitter is a valuable tool for authors?
What common mistakes do you see authors making on Twitter?
Twitter profile for a minute – what suggestions can you offer?
Can you give us some tips for attracting followers on Twitter?
A lot of people who use Twitter wonder what they should be tweeting about. Can you give us some suggestions?
I know there are several different types of messages that can be sent on Twitter. Can you explain the difference between Replies, Mentions and Direct Messages?
How often should authors tweet?
How can Twitter work with FaceBook or MySpace?
How can I run a contest with Twitter?

Dana ‘s professional background includes:

Overseeing book production, marketing, fulfillment, and bottom-line profitability at Hoover’s Business Press, with distribution channels including direct sales, library sales, online bookstores, and retail bookstores.
Writing search engine optimization content for a group of travel web sites.
Managing and promoting conventions and tradeshows for the Texas Restaurant Association, Texas Hospital Association, and other associations.

She has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing, and is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association and the Writers League of Texas. A fifth-generation Texan, Dana enjoys exploring Texas and the world, and she writes a Texas travel column for Examiner.com. She and her husband live on a small ranch near Austin, Texas, where they raise cattle and goats

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Authors Afterburner – New FTC reviewer’s guidelines for bloggers explained

Victor Volkman — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:25:52 +0000

Authors Afterburner is the post-game show where we get to talk about whatever’s on our minds. Please note dear listener that this is not the regular Authors Access show and we don’t promise anything much except to present our news and views of interest to authors and publishers. So let’s light the afterburners and see what’s on our minds tonight….

Irene and Victor consider the firestorm surrounding the new FTC guidelines about bloggers and product reviews. Irene cuts through the hype to deliver a thoughtful consideration about what it all means.

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Technorati.com: What EVERY blogger must do

Victor Volkman — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:59:43 +0000

www.Technorati.com is the authoritative source of information on Blogs, think of it as the Yahoo or Google of the blog world. Yes, it’s that important. Everyone with a blog should sign up for a free Technorati account and “claim” their blog. This involves simply pasting a cookie in your blog one time to proove that you are indeed the person who is posting the posts. Then you get to add a description of your blog, understanding your rankings, and see what other people are writing about your blog ( example: http://technorati.com/blogs/authorsaccess.com?reactions )

You also get a cool widget you can add to your website or blog showing your most recent posts and demonstrating your “authority”.
You also can add keywords to your blog for your most common themes so new people can find your blog.

1) Technorati State of the Blogosphere Survey

Over the years, Technorati has been tracking the State of the Blogosphere. Our annual study investigates how blogging is growing and changing, as well as its impacts on current events and the bottom lines of businesses and bloggers. Please share your perspective by participating in our survey.

We think you’ll find the survey interesting. It should take just 15 minutes of your time, and of course your answers will be completely confidential. Please feel free to send this link to other bloggers you know. And be sure to check back on Technorati in October for a summary of the results.

2) Become a Technorati Writer

Technorati is entering into the next phase of our evolution: original content. Beginning in October, Technorati will feature original content on the site written by bloggers just like you! This is an amazing opportunity to give your writing vast exposure, become known as an expert in your field/s of interest, and to join a vibrant writer community.

Get in on the ground floor by signing up via the Technorati Contact Page. Select the “New: Technorati Writer Signup” option from the “Message Type” drop-down box. You will receive information and writing instructions as we get closer to launch date. We very much look forward to working with you!

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