Become a Writer Today

Writers sometimes forget that those who don't practice the craft daily find it exceptionally difficult to communicate in the written word, but if you are listening to this podcast episode, you already understand how to communicate in the written word. Chances are, you know how to hit writing deadlines. You know how to research articles and how to publish them. So, rather than just doing it for someone else and letting them reap all of the rewards, and you get paid 5 cents or 10 cents per word, why not build something for yourself that can become much more valuable?These days, here's what my writing day looks like. I usually get up and write an article for one of my content sites about a topic I'm interested in.When I've written the article, I'll either edit it myself using some software like Grammarly or I'll give it over to another editor on the team who will fix any mistakes for me, then I'll publish it on the site. So I still feel like I'm writing regularly.Then, I'll typically spend the afternoon assigning articles or researching articles that I want to brief to the freelance writers for the sites I run. This way, I can scale up content production for the site, but I can also continue to learn more about the topics in question because I'm researching them.The benefit to doing all this is that writing for myself and a site that I own is ultimately more valuable and more profitable than writing for a client or somebody else's site. Freelance writing is fantastic because it can get you experience and your name out there, but when you build something you own, you can earn more and still accomplish your creative goals.In this episode, we discuss: Freelance writing vs. creating your own content websiteWhat precisely a niche content website isHow to build and develop content websitesBuying and selling content websites for profitResources: Become a Writer Today Source Links for Further Information:https://becomeawritertoday.com/become-a-freelance-writterhttps://podcast.becomeawritertoday.com/1055644/8554444-turn-your-hobby-into-a-saleable-niche-website-with-mushfiqhttps://podcast.becomeawritertoday.com/1055644/3579640-how-to-build-a-niche-website-that-earns-six-figures-a-year-with-jon-dykstraJohn Dykstra's Blog fatstacksblog.comWebsite Flipping thewebsiteflip.comSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

What are your limiting mindsets around money and freelancing?Like many writers, I’ve had some limiting beliefs around money, which have held me back over the years. I guess I was telling myself I don’t deserve to get paid to write.Later on, when I started getting paid as a copywriter for a British software company, I said things like, “I should be content with what I have because lots of other people I know are worse off."Even later, in my 30s, I used to say things like, “It’s really hard for writers to make money or to earn a living today because perhaps it’s harder to sell books or people don’t read as much as they used to.” I still encounter these types of limiting beliefs around money from time to time, so I haven’t unwound them all. Do any of these strike a chord with you? In that case, I’d encourage you to dig a little deeper into why you think you don’t deserve to earn money for creative work or feel like you should be content with what you already have. Or perhaps even limiting beliefs like, “I’m just not good with money,” because the thing is, you can get paid for creative work and still pay the bills.This week’s interviewee is Austin Church. He’s a brand consultant, and part of his work is helping freelancers or new freelancers overcome these types of limiting beliefs.In this episode, we discuss:The different strategies Austin offers to overcome limiting mindsetsTips on branding for writers and creativesImagining and realizing your brandDiversifying your personal brand vs. your professional identityResources:Website: https://freelancecake.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinlchurch/Support the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

Years ago, I worked as a freelance writer producing my content exclusively. These days, I still write articles for the websites I run, but I also employ several writers to create content for me on topics outside my areas of expertise.To scale a content website, you need to publish more articles and blog posts, and it's impossible to write them all yourself.When you dive into a niche, you'll quickly find many untapped keywords, topics, and ideas on which you should publish content to scale up your traffic and hopefully increase your revenue.Your options include hiring freelance writers using a service like Upwork or perhaps advertising on the ProBlogger Jobs board, or outsourcing to a content agency.One agency that I've used for my content websites is called wordagents.com.For context, at the time of recording this interview, you could order 1,000 words, about the length of a standard article, for $114 and 10,000 words for $810. The more you order, the greater the discount.If you're running a website and need content on topics you're not an expert in, I'd encourage you to consider using an agency like WordAgents.I wanted to understand a little more about how they produce content and help writers understand what it's like working for a company like WordAgents.So this week, I caught up with David Peterson. He's based in Boston and is the Chief Operating Officer of WordAgents.In this episode, we discuss:How WordAgents produce contentHow many writers WordAgents employWhat it's like to work for a company like WordAgentsThe role of AI in content publishingThe value of a writing portfolio vs. academic qualificationWordAgents' new money-back guarantee if they don't produce your content in 7 days (per 10,000 words)Resources:Website: WordAgentsSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

I've spent a lot of time thinking about the future of content publishing online.When you run a content website, you must understand a couple of strategies to build an audience.If you're focused on attracting traffic from Google, you need to figure out search engine optimization. Alternatively, if you're looking for traffic from Facebook, you need to understand social media marketing and paid advertising. And if you want to build a relationship with your audience, you need a way of connecting with them over email.With some of those methods, you're not always in control of that relationship. And in fact, I know many creators that run content publishing businesses and have seen their sites plummet in traffic and value after a Google algorithm update.In other words, you're at the mercy of Google for how your website will perform over time. There are similar issues with Facebook, Twitter and Amazon.As a content creator, you must play within the walled garden of whatever platform you use.Web 3.0 could change all of that.One way you can own a relationship directly with your audience, readers, and fans is by creating a non-fungible token or NFT.This week's guest may help you understand how creators can use NFTs in the future. His name is Julien Genestoux, and he's the founder of Unlock Protocol.Even if you're not quite ready to create your first NFT or even to purchase an NFT, it's worth figuring out what this technology can do because I guarantee in a few years, we will use NFTs in some way on the online platforms that we take for granted.In this episode, we discuss:What Unlock Protocol isUsing NFTs for your online businessThe advantages of Web 3.0 toolsMembership NFTsCarbon neutral blockchainsResources:Unlock ProtocolSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

Over the years, I've produced, recorded, and outsourced various audiobooks based on works I've written.For my first book, I narrated it myself using a microphone at home. Later, I commissioned a narrator, also known as an ACX, and asked them to rework the entire audiobook.They did a better job than I did.For subsequent books, I outsourced production by hiring narrators, and I paid between $1,000 and $2,000 for a finished audiobook.More recently, when I wrote my parenting memoir, I Can't Believe I'm a Dad!, I decided I wanted to narrate this book myself, so I rented a studio nearby.Each chapter ranged between 1,500 and 2,000 words and took about half an hour to narrate. I'd have to stop and rerecord a sentence for pickups or get the right tone, speed, and pace. The radio producer often asked me to go back and rerecord certain sections.After several hours of recording, my voice would crack and dry up, which would be it for the day.The whole process took a lot longer than I thought. But you don't have to go and rent an audio studio for your audiobook; there are multiple services available to help you break down the process. One excellent service to consider is Findaway Voices.I use Findaway Voices to distribute the audio files I recorded for I Can't Believe I'm a Dad!It enables authors to go wide with their audiobooks. Even if you don't have an audiobook that you've narrated yourself, you can use their newly launched marketplace to source a narrator who can record your audiobook for you.This week, I caught up with Scott Curry of Findaway Voices. He's also a self-published author.In this episode, we discuss:Using the platform if you're bringing your own audioUsing the marketplace to source a narratorScott also describes his writing process and how he thinks about audio production today. I think you'll love his tip about auditioning himself for his audiobook and why he didn't get the job!Resources:Findaway VoicesScott Curry as an Independent AuthorSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

How can you balance the analytical act of editing with the creative act of writing? I spend a lot of time thinking about editing and considering the best ways to take a draft and turn it into something publishable. That's probably because I spend some of the working days editing the work of other writers and because I've worked as a sub-editor for several newspapers over the years. I learned from editors far more talented than I am about how to take an early draft and turn it into something you can publish in a professional publication. This week, I caught up with a talented developmental editor. Her name is Tiffany Yates Martin. She runs FoxPrint Editorial and is also the author of Intuitive Editing: A Creative and Practical Guide to Revising Your Writing. Tiffany has spent nearly thirty years as an editor in the publishing industry, working with the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, to name a few.In the interview, I explained to Tiffany how I currently approach editing or self-editing first drafts of manuscripts and narrative nonfiction. She gave me a few practical tips to help me improve next time.We also discussed how to separate every editor's analytical approach. As an editor, it's your job to figure out what to take out, what to clarify, what to condense, what to improve on, and how to balance all of that with the creative act of writing.I started to explain how I sometimes consider using a template like Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet or the three-act structure when preparing a manuscript to write. Tiffany offered a different approach that could help me embrace the creative act of writing with the analytical act of editing.In this episode, we discuss: The craft of self-editingThe importance of soliciting feedbackThe best ways to get feedback from other readersResources: Visit Tiffany at:www.foxprinteditorial.com orwww.phoebefoxauthor.comSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

Meditation, mindfulness, and creativity, how do they work hand in hand? I like to meditate twice a day. It's a practice that took 8 or 9 years to develop. I first learned meditation using the app Headspace and took guided meditation courses. Then, I started taking some in-person meditation courses. I even went away on a meditative retreat.Because I spend so much time working alone, I find meditation helpful for mental health and learning how to focus and gain a bit of perspective.These days, I also use the meditation app Waking Up, which Sam Harris created. Sam interviews guests and experts about the topic of meditation and the different types of meditative practices that are out there. It's a good way of understanding how you can fit meditative and mindfulness practice into your writing, creativity, and overall life.This week, I caught up with Albert Flynn DeSilver, an award-winning, internationally published writer, speaker, and workshop leader. He's also a former Poet Laureate and has written several books, including a memoir and a book about writing, creativity, and meditation called Writing as a Path to Awakening.Albert hosts workshops whereby he teaches attendees how to develop a meditative practice and build a writing habit.In this episode, we discuss:How Albert got into writingHis fascinating writing journey to dateBecoming Marin County's first poet laureateHow meditation can help a writerHow he brings meditation and writing together in workshopAlbert would love to offer listeners to the episode a 30-minute FREE writing and coaching session on any aspect of writing, editing, or publishing. Please book a call at https://calendly.com/albertflynndesilver/30min or contact him via www.albertflynndesilver.com.Resources: Website: www.albertflynndesilver.comSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

What should writers and content publishers know about using AI as part of their creative workflow?Over the past year or two, I’ve tested various content marketing tools, software, and so on. One tool that I use extensively is MarketMuse.About a year ago, the traffic on my main website, Become a Writer Today, dipped by 10 to 20 percent after a Google algorithm update. I was pretty stressed about the whole thing because I had just left my permanent job and relied on the site to pay the bills.When I dug into the traffic dip, I found a few issues. One was that competitors were reverse-engineering some of my top-performing content. But I had also missed opportunities to publish supporting content that would help and engage readers.It isn’t easy to figure out all of this yourself, and that’s where AI and content marketing tools like MarketMuse can help.Using MarketMuse, I analyzed all the top-performing content on my site and figured out what content was outdated and needed an overhaul to ensure a consistent journey for readers.I could have done some of this manually, but it would have taken me several months. An AI-powered tool like MarketMuse dramatically sped up the process. And as a result, traffic for the site corrected itself within a month or two and then grew.Whether or not you’re running a content website, consider how you can use AI as part of your writing workflow. Learn how an AI tool can help you write better headlines, SEO meta descriptions, and supporting copy for social media.And don’t worry, they’re not going to take the creativity out of writing because skills like understanding what readers want, storytelling, and driving engagement are something only writers can do.In this episode, I meet Jeff Coyle, the co-founder, and chief product officer for MarketMuse.MarketMuse primarily helps content marketers build topical authority by figuring out gaps in their content, but it’s also great for small content publishers and bloggers who want to take their site to the next level.In this episode, we discuss:How MarketMuse came aboutHow to create an effective content workflowHow MarketMuse can help content writers add more value to clients and land paid workWhere you can access free advice and support nowResources:Website: https://www.marketmuse.com/Support the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

How can you earn a living from your passion for the written word? When I started as a writer, it seemed exceptionally difficult to earn a good living from the written word. That's probably because I was trying to make a living as a journalist in Ireland, and as a pretty small country, there were few opportunities. But I quickly discovered that my experiences weren't unique. It's pretty tricky to earn a living from the written word. Or at least it was up until a few years ago.Now there are a variety of platforms and online tools that make it easier for writers to connect with readers and their audience. You can start a blog, you can build a following on Twitter, you can self-publish a book, and then you can create a companion course.There are a plethora of opportunities for writers today. It depends on where your passion lies, but finding time for all these projects and balancing creative work with earning a living can be challenging.In this week's podcast, I caught up with Adam Davidson. He's the founder of Planet Money and a former writer for publications like The New Yorker.He's also the author of the rather excellent book, The Passion Economy: The New Rules for Thriving in the 21st Century, which I recommend you check out. In the book, Adam profiles eight rules that people who are passionate about something can use and apply to earn a good living from whatever takes their interest, including writers. In this episode, we discuss:His next creative project and how it's more of a passion projectThe tension between doing something that pays the bills and doing something to build a businessCreating something just for you that you want to release out into the worldAnd what this scenario looks like for AdamResources:Adam on TwitterPlanet MoneyAdam on NPRSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

How can interviews help you if you are writing a non-fiction book?I spent a lot of time interviewing guests for this podcast and as a freelance journalist. Interviews can seem like they're pretty straightforward to do. But it can take almost as long to prepare for an interview, particularly if you don't know the topic well.Even if you're knowledgeable about a topic, it's still helpful to figure out an angle for your interview because it gives a strong structure.I have learned to use interviews in my non-fiction because they help add a third-party voice. If you're writing a non-fiction book about a particular topic, interviewing an expert in your niche adds credibility.One series of books that's made a significant impact on me is the Market Wizards series by Jack Schwager. He profiles day traders, investors, and various types of financial entrepreneurs who have made money in the markets.Now, I don't day trade, but I particularly like these books because they give a good insight into a different type of career. They also reveal commonalities between writers who spend a lot of time alone in a room writing and day traders who can do the same except in front of their terminals or computer screens.Jack uses interviews to craft a compelling argument throughout the chapters. The Market Wizards series extends over five books, and he's spent 30 years working on this particular series.So when I caught up with Jack, I had a stack of questions for him.I hope you enjoy my catch-up with Jack about his Market Wizards series of books. I recommend them even if you're not interested in day trading. They offer excellent advice about risk management and starting your own business, and they are a great read.In this episode, we discuss:How Jack gets ready to interview day traders, investors, and people who found success in the marketsHow Jack had sustained his interest in a topic for over 30 yearsHow difficult it is to find new angles and ways to talk about the same ideas or topics Resources:Website: https://jackschwager.com/Support the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!