Introduction to Internet Writing Markets

About This Course

You may have heard that every day, another traditional writing market disappears. Don't let that discourage you from writing! Instead, discover the thousands of lucrative publishing opportunities that await you on the Internet if you understand Internet marketing. Whether you're just taking your first steps toward that dream of getting published, or you have a dozen books to your credit, this course will show you how you can start earning income on the Web right away. You'll learn how to make the Internet work for you from a writer who has spent years exploring its potential. You'll find out how to sell e-zine articles, write for Webzines and online magazines, create a blog, sell manuscripts to an e-publisher, and self-publish your own work as an e-book or a traditional book using print-on-demand (POD) publishing.

You'll also find out about the unlimited opportunities to make income from your writing through advertising revenue. You can achieve that either by adding advertising to your own Web content or by letting a revenue-sharing site take care of the technical details for you. We'll explore both options. Then you'll learn how to query and submit your writing electronically, how to understand electronic submission guidelines and online contracts, and all about the future of Web writing.

So, get ready to publish whatever you want, whenever you want, and make good money in the process!

Course Revised May 2013

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 Linda Aksomitis.

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

The Internet grows every day, and so do your opportunities to publish on it. In this lesson, we'll begin by exploring Internet publications that most resemble traditional print publications. We’re going to look at three specific types: Web magazines, Webzines, and e-journals. By the time you've finished this lesson, you'll know how to find out which publications have the most traffic or are the most popular sites on the Web, so you can select the best markets. And to make sure you have all the tools you need to begin publishing on the Internet, you'll learn about querying by e-mail and get to read some of my electronic queries that have landed assignments.

Friday - Lesson 02

In this lesson, you'll learn what makes e-zines, or electronic magazines, different from the Internet publications we talked about in Lesson 1. Rather than relying on Web visitors, e-zines look for subscribers. We’ll spend some time looking at real simple syndication, or RSS, feeds, which are the easy way for readers to get your content on the Web delivered to them. Of course, you'll get some of my best e-zine writing tips, too! You'll also see how to prepare and submit content electronically after an editor asks to see your work.

Week 2

Wednesday - Lesson 03

Today, just about every business has a website. Some use them as self-service sites that answer basic customer questions, while others use them to sell directly to customers. Today, you'll learn how to write content for all these types of sites. When you write for a business, you're likely to have a payment agreement in which the business owns the copyright to the content, not you. After this lesson, you'll understand the various ways you can license or sell your writing.

Friday - Lesson 04

The majority of websites you find when you're surfing aren't Web publications, e-zines, or business sites. Instead, they're content-focused websites. From your own experiences reading online content, you know that some content or information sites are easier to read and navigate than others. In this lesson, you'll learn how to write content that will capture the attention of the average online reader, who stays less than a minute on a Web page. That's right—you have less than a minute to draw your reader in, and today you'll discover some key writing techniques to help you do that! We'll also cover the key contract points to look at when you're selling your writing to an Internet market.

Week 3

Wednesday - Lesson 05

In this lesson, you'll learn the deepest, darkest secret of the Internet—how websites make it into the top 50 listings with search engines. Your writing style has a big impact on search engine ranking, so we'll go step-by-step through how to improve the focus and keyword density in the content you create. Even the way you organize your content makes a difference, and after this lesson, you'll know various strategies to make you an effective Web writer. You'll also find out how to make your Webmaster's job easier by paying attention to the keywords and headings that search engines notice.

Friday - Lesson 06

Did you know that there are around 30 million tweets, or short blog entries, made every day? Blogging is hot, and in this lesson, we'll explore how writers are using blogs—some to make their big publishing breaks. In fact, one previously unknown writer landed a $300,000 book deal after just three months of blogging! However, blogs are much more than online journals these days, so we’ll also examine how businesses use them as marketing tools. Then, we'll take a tour of your options for starting to blog and examine the different ways you can use blogging platforms.

Week 4

Wednesday - Lesson 07

Maybe you're interested in writing about a niche area. If so, then publishing your own Webzine or content site could be the best direction for you. I've gone that route myself a few times! Today, you'll discover exactly what it requires to self-publish a site on the Internet. You'll learn about Web hosting, selecting domain names, Web publishing software (some of it's even free), using images, and registering your online copyright. Even if you're not planning to publish a Webzine or content site, you'll find the information useful when it comes to creating a personal website or writing content for a start-up business.

Friday - Lesson 08

This lesson is a student favorite. Who wouldn't want to know dozens of ways to earn money from their own Web content? You've already learned about blogging and starting your own Webzine—now you'll learn how to turn blogs and Webzines into profitable writing opportunities. Take all that content you have archived on your computer, and turn it into revenue-generating online content just by signing up with the advertising or affiliate programs of your choice and adding computer code to your Web pages. Publish what you want—when you want—and let your content earn money for years to come without doing another thing.

Week 5

Wednesday - Lesson 09

Thousands of writers have found that working with content publishers is the best way to get established and promote themselves. In this lesson, we'll start with non-paying article banks useful for self-promotion, then we'll move to content farms that buy hundreds of thousands of articles every year from writers. Finally, we'll look at revenue-sharing publishers, where you add content to their sites and split the revenue you earn monetizing your content. These markets are great if you want to get started publishing, but you don't have the time or the technology skills to commit to a blog or content site of your own.

Friday - Lesson 10

E-book sales have now surpassed paperback sales. If you’ve always wanted to publish a book, now is the time to jump on the runaway e-book train! From publishing with an established house to self-publishing your own book in electronic and print-on-demand paper formats, this lesson has the information that may launch your e-book publishing career. Self-published e-book authors have earned more than $100,000 a month selling their own e-books on Amazon, so I know you’re going to find this lesson inspiring.

Week 6

Wednesday - Lesson 11

Today, we'll look at Web 2.0, the intelligent Web, and see it in action. From blogging to wikis to open source licensing, Web 2.0 is all about putting publishing power in the hands of the creators. We're going to explore neat developments such as tagging and services like Flickr and Diigo, and you'll see how these tools can help you promote your writing. You'll also get some tips about writing for Web 2.0 publishing opportunities—tips that get you ready for the marketplace.

Friday - Lesson 12

In addition to being the intelligent Web, there's another aspect of Web 2.0—it's the social Web. The number-one activity on the Internet is social media, and I’ll introduce you to dozens of tools that will help you harness its power as you develop your Internet writing career. Whether you’re looking for multimedia to enhance your Internet published writing or a virtual world where you can connect with other writers, you’ll find it in this last lesson of the course. From free screencasting tools to free animation tools, the Web offers you a world of opportunity—join me to discover it all.

Requirements

Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).