How to Make Money From Your Writing

About This Course

You really can make money with your writing. Whether you want to create your own business, add to your income, supplement your retirement, or boost what you're earning as a writer, you'll find the how-to's here.

In just six weeks, I'll share secrets, methods, and tips to help you generate income with your writing. This class includes all the practical information that so rarely gets taught in writing classes.

Now I know in most courses and social groups it's taboo to discuss money . . . but not here. We'll embrace it! Making money is the focus of the lessons.

You'll explore a dozen genres that can help you establish a sometime, part-time, or full-time career as a writer. Along the way, you'll learn methods to work faster, suffer less rejection, and bring home more bacon (even if you're a vegan like me).

You'll get facts on ghostwriting, collaboration, writing for the Web, writing for new technologies, copywriting, article and essay writing, and novel and nonfiction book writing, plus I'll give tips for finding publishers and agents. And you're going to practice different writing techniques in a safe environment as I mentor you.

Please join me for this course. Fulfilling (and lucrative) writing work is waiting for you!

About The Instructor

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Eva Shaw.

Eva Shaw, Ph.D. is a full-time working writer of 1000 articles, essays and short stories. She’s the ghost or author of 70 books including: Ghostwriting for Fun & Profit, Writeriffic: Creativity Training for Writers, Write Your Book in 20 Minutes (a DVD), Shovel It: Nature’s Health Plan, What to Do When a Loved One Dies, The Successful Writer’s Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles, Writing the Nonfiction Book, Insider’s Guide to San Diego, The Sun Never Sets, and more. Eva's work has been featured in USA Today, San Diego Union Tribune, Shape, Woman’s World, Country Living, Costco Connection, Publisher’s Weekly, Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and others. She has won several awards, including the Book of the Year Award from the American Journal of Nursing, the Benjamin Franklin Award, and the Woman of Merit Award. An expert on time management for writers, Eva stays on top of market trends to sell her own work and to help emerging writers focus on quality writing and publication.

Syllabus

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week 1

Wednesday - Lesson 01

Where do great ideas come from? How do best-selling authors get to be that way? What makes writing so very scary, intimidating, delicious, and wickedly wonderful? How are words pulled from nothingness and zapped to the screen or printed page? What makes writing nearly addictive to one group of humanity and yet an overwhelming task for others? Are there born writers? Can anyone learn to write? Why do some people get published and others fail? Today, we'll start answering these questions and begin the journey to becoming a better writer.

Friday - Lesson 02

Have you ever heard that to be a writer, you only need a pen and paper? That's true. Yet, too many writers throw in other requirements—from a year of unfettered time, to a trust fund that will keep them in caviar until the royalties come flooding in. In this lesson, we'll delve more deeply into the writing life as we expose some myths about writing.

Week 2

Wednesday - Lesson 03

Today we'll discuss self-editing and researching. Self-editing and researching are both skills you'll want to learn so you can sell your work. It's highly unlikely you'll ever sell a first draft, and it's equally as unlikely that you'll sell something you didn't research. So join me in this lesson, and I'll teach you some simple tricks to make your work shine!

Friday - Lesson 04

Today's lesson could be called Magazine Writing 101. If you've written for magazines before, then today's lesson will be a refresher or a nudge. If you haven't written for magazines and would like to, today you'll find out indispensable information that will get you going. With this info, you could find your niche and begin making money as a freelancer, possibly while you're working on your novel.

Week 3

Wednesday - Lesson 05

In the previous lesson, we focused on writing nonfiction articles for popular magazines. But you won't find every magazine that uses freelance work in your grocery store or big super bookstore. There are magazines, publications, and periodicals with otherwise large distribution that never even get to these places. And these magazines are looking for short works such as short stories, columns, essays, and poetry. Today we'll talk about how you can sell your short works to magazines and newspapers.

Friday - Lesson 06

Some writers just love to write long fiction and have a story that is burning to get out. If you fit into this group, or just wonder how one goes about writing a novel, then this lesson should speak to you. You'll find out why some of us need to get that book out and what it takes to do so. By the end of this lesson, you'll have a working knowledge of the genre possibilities and what it takes to write a novel. You'll learn how stories are found, how some famous novelists were discovered, how to stay motivated, and what has stopped a few hopeful writers from writing.

Week 4

Wednesday - Lesson 07

Now it's time to give the nonfiction genres a turn. Adults are infatuated with nonfiction and it sells better than any other type of book. There are scads of different genres in nonfiction books. In this lesson, we're going to focus on the types of nonfiction writing and how to get a project started, written, and noticed by publishers and agents. Nonfiction books concern real people, places, events, information, or situations. Whether you're addicted to reading nonfiction, or just want to learn all you can about writing, this lesson will give you valuable information that will help you better understand the world of publishing.

Friday - Lesson 08

What does it mean to be a ghost in the literary world? This lesson will give you the scoop on this lucrative business. If you have a talent for emulating peoples' voices, and if you're fast, efficient, and good with people, this might be the field for you. Today we'll talk about how to advertise and find clients, how to select appropriate clients, and how to maintain a good working relationship so you can produce the best book possible.

Week 5

Wednesday - Lesson 09

Today, we're going to talk about the roles of editors and agents. Specifically, you'll find out what each of their jobs includes and why you need to know this information. If you're currently writing a novel or a nonfiction book, gathering a collection of poetry or short stories, or maybe just dabbling in the idea, you'll want to read this lesson carefully. Find out how agents interact with editors at publishing houses and how you can interact with agents and editors.

Friday - Lesson 10

Attend any writing conference or sit with a group of published writers, and you're bound to hear words like: self-publishing, POD, copublishing and e-publishing. In this lesson, we'll discuss the options that are often called alternative publishing. If you're serious about joining the world as a writer, you should be aware of these options. They're not for everyone, but the information I'll give you today will help you make sound career and financial decisions.

Week 6

Wednesday - Lesson 11

This lesson is all about the legal side of writing. Today, you'll see sample agreements and contracts that should keep you in good stead as you become the writer of your dreams. We'll also talk about royalties, advances, and the scoop on that lovely green stuff that pays the bills.

Friday - Lesson 12

Saturday comes, finally. The house looks like a disaster hit. The kids need shoes, the dog has a vet's appointment, and you swear that the health department might condemn the car. Unlike Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, you can't seem to click your heels hard enough to make it all disappear. You've got a yearning, a deep burning to write, but the clutter, the mess, the hours spent doing things for others (okay, and procrastination) are eating at your heart. What does all of this have to do with creativity? Check the clock, because it's all about time management, and that's what you'll learn in this vital lesson.

Requirements

Completion of Eva Shaw's Writeriffic: Creativity Training for Writers or The Craft of Magazine Writing. Internet access, e-mail, and the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser.