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Freelance Writing Income Goal: SEO Copywriter Asks, “Is It Possible to Earn $1,250/Day?”‏

December 28, 2010

About a week ago, I received the following email from a fellow SEO writer.

As an aside, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about SEO writing lately, especially about SEO copywriting rates and how to grow this business. This is good, for it means many are taking the plunge and doing quite well, as tomorrow’s post on SeoWritingJobs.com will illustrate.

An SEO writer wrote in wanting to know when and how to raise his rates because he’s doing so well at his current rate (there’s more detail in today’s newsletter and stay tuned for tomorrow’s newsletter). Now, back to today’s post.

QUESTION FROM A FELLOW SEO WRITER

Hi Yuwanda,

First let me say thank you for answering the question about U.S.P’s). It was very helpful.

On other news, I know you are a big fan of researching if you can’t find the answer to a question. I usually research answers, and if I can’t find/like the answer that’s when I reach out. And this happens to be the case, and to give the last question of the year from me(Lol), Here it goes:

Your last newsletter stated about setting and reaching goals. I am going to be 30 in 2011, and the biggest birthday gift I want is to be able to break that six-figure mark by my 30th birthday. So, I guess the question is…. Is it realistic to set a high quota and meet it.

I’m very analytical , so I broke it down into a few scenarios. I won’t go into too much detail here ( I need to learn how to ask a short question). But, anyway, I would like to make $1,250 a day. I can raise my rates and write 12 articles, or I can outsource to a team of 4 writers ,where I keep $750 and then the rest will be pay-outs. I would have to meet a sales quote [sic, should be quota] of 38-40 articles on a daily basis if i have a team of writers.

So, I guess my question is: is it feasible to produce 38-40 articles on a consistent basis when you have a team to help you? From your personal experience, what would you say is a realistic goal to aim for? Any insight will be helpful! Thanks a million!

MY ANSWER

There are actually a few questions here to be answered, ie:.

Question #1: Is it realistic to set a high (SEO article writing) quota and meet it?

Question #2: From your personal experience, what would you say is a realistic goal to aim for?

Question #3: I would like to make $1,250 a day. I can raise my rates and write 12 articles, or I can outsource to a team of 4 writers ,where I keep $750 and then the rest will be pay-outs. (Although this wasn’t asked in the form of a question, there is a point here that I want to address).

The answer to Question #1 is . . .

You must be a subscriber to read this post in its entirety. See the sign-up box to the right (top of column) on every page of this site. Once you subscribe, you will immediately be emailed this post, as well as all previous posts where a subscription is required.

Submit a Guest Post: This site and its sister site, SeoWritingJobs.com, accepts guest posts. Get the guest post submission guidelines.

Write and Sell Ebooks Online in 2011: 6 Reasons It’s Easier Than Ever to Make a Real Living as a Self-Publisher

December 22, 2010

I write and sell ebooks online for a living. This year, over half of my income came from e-products (e-classes and ebooks) I created. I published my first ebook in 2004. To date, I’ve written and self-published 18, and plan to almost triple that number within the next year. And, anyone who wants to can do the same thing.

Why/how?

The Changes in E-Publishing: Why It’s a Good Thing

Because what I call the “eSelf-Publishing” world has advanced a lot since I first entered it six years ago.

One of the biggest changes to come along in a long time in the publishing industry has been the explosion of the popularity of e-readers like Amazon’s Kindle, Apple’s iPad and Barnes & Noble’s Nook, to name a few. These mobile reading devices have made reading on the go more popular than ever. And, this is only the beginning of this phenomenon.

Furthermore, there are more places to distribute self-published ebooks than ever.

Ebook Publishing: What E-Readers Means for Those Who Want to Write and Sell Ebooks Online

In short, opportunity, opportunity, opportunity! One of the things I attribute my success as an SEO writer to is the ability to spot – and capitalize on – trends.

I made money within the first week of entering this niche in freelance writing, wrote a best-selling ebook on how others  could duplicate my success as an SEO Copywriter, and have become a go-to source for info on SEO copywriting. All of this happened because I was an early adopter – I spotted the trend, then took action to capitalize on it.

Well, I believe that’s where we are now with ebook publishing. For those who are ambitious and hardworking enough, starting an online business writing and selling ebooks can be one of the most lucrative enterprises of the 21^st century.

Need more convincing? Read on.

6 Reasons 2011 Is the Perfect Year to Write and Sell Ebooks Online

The following changes highlight why there are more reasons than ever to write ebooks and self-publish them if it’s something you’ve been wanting to do.

I. Ebooks Outselling Hardcovers: In July 2010, online bookseller Amazon.com reported sales of ebooks for its proprietary Kindle outnumbered sales of hardcover books for the first time ever during the second quarter of 2010, saying it sold 140 e-books for every 100 hardcover books, including hardcovers for which there was no digital edition. [Source: Wikipedia.com]

II. Ebooks Getting Their Own Bestseller List: In an acknowledgment of the growing sales and influence of digital publishing, The New York Times said on Wednesday that it would publish e-book best-seller lists in fiction and nonfiction beginning early next year. [Source: Times Will Rank E-Book Best Sellers, 11/10/2010]

III. Exploding Sales: U.S. consumers are projected to spend $1 billion in e-books this year, with sales surpassing $3 billion by 2015. [Source: “The New York Times” to Launch Bestseller Lists for E-Books, Mashable.com]

IV. Free to Publish: When I first looked into publishing my ebooks on Amazon back in 2007, having an ISBN number was a requirement. The cost to get one was somewhere in the $125-$150 range I believe. I put it on my “to do” list, but of course never got around to it.

Now, it’s absolutely free to publish an ebook on Amazon. No ISBN number is required. This means no upfront expenses required to publish to a worldwide audience.

How cool is that?!

V. No Need for Traditional Publishers: Not only is it difficult to get picked up by a traditional publisher, they take the bulk of the profits . . . and as the author, you’re still responsible for doing most of the promotion (eg, book signings, trade shows, radio interviews, etc.).

How the Money Shakes Out with Traditional/Mainstream Publishers

In traditional publishing, an author gets around 17% of a book’s cover price – yes that little (some even less). Usually, publishers get in the neighborhood of half and distributors get another 25-30%. So, it leaves you, the writer/author, with very little.

And you still do the bulk of the work . . . and you wrote the darn thing!

Not that publishers don’t work for their money. But you have to sell a helluva lot more books when you sign with a mainstream publisher than if you self-publish.

One of my best-selling ebooks (the one on SEO writing linked to above) sells for $39.95. I use mostly free forms of advertising (article marketing and blogging), and pay just $15 a month to e-Junkie.com, my digital download service provider (that’s for all of my ebooks). These are my “production costs.”

That’s it.

I keep all of the profits, which means that I don’t have to sell that many copies to make a very good living . . . which brings me to my last point.

VI. You Can Make  a Helluva Lot of Money Selling Ebooks: As I said in the beginning of this article, this year, more than 50% of my income came from ebook sales. And, that is consistently rising as I write with this in mind and put out more titles (I have 32 titles planned for release next year).

When this is coupled with distributing via more outlets, eg, Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, etc., I’m more excited than ever to be a self-published author; especially an “ebook” self-published author.

What I hope you take from all of this is that if you want to write and sell ebooks online for a living, now has never been a better time to take the plunge!

Freelance Writing Goals for 2011: What Are Yours? Don’t Know? Here Are Some Ideas

December 21, 2010

It’s that time of year where many are setting goals for next year – for our personal as well as professional lives.

I’ll leave the personal goals to you, but as for your professional life, if you’re a freelance writer and don’t have any goals or are a little fuzzy about exactly what you want/need to accomplish, maybe reading my list will toggle your brain cells so you get on the right track with your freelance writing career.

My 2011 Freelance Writing Goals

This year, I worked hard on making the transition to writing for myself, as opposed to writing for clients. My goal was to step into a purely managerial role at New Media Words, my SEO writing company. I’m 90% of the way there.

I only write for a few clients and spend the bulk of my time creating my own products (ebooks and e-classes). This has set me up nicely to accomplish this year’s goals, of which there are only three, listed below.

FYI, this is the value of having a life plan . . . eg, where do you want to be in a year, three years, five years? Once you crystallize your vision, making decisions and setting goals becomes so much easier. Now on to my 2011 freelance writing goals and some specific tips for how to go about setting yours.

Goal #1: 50 Ebooks on Amazon

By 12/31/2011, I will have at least 50 of my ebooks published on Amazon. On my website, I will have at least 100 e-products for sale. Why the disparity?

Remember the ebook writing tournament back in October? During the tournament, I had a eureka moment for how to write and sell ebooks online that could exponentially increase your sales. I told you to . . .

You must be a subscriber to read this post in its entirety. See the sign-up box to the right (top of column) on every page of this site. Once you subscribe, you will immediately be emailed this post, as well as all previous posts where a subscription is required.

Submit a Guest Post: This site and its sister site, SeoWritingJobs.com, accepts guest posts. Get the guest post submission guidelines.

Holiday Deals and Discounts on Freelance Writing Ebooks & Eclasses

December 14, 2010

I don’t discount products often, but I’ve received close to half a dozen emails in the last few weeks from some who are struggling in this economy. It’s tough out there; there’s no doubt about it. 

I was researching a piece I was writing for an article marketing campaign yesterday, and ran across an article that said it’s taking the average unemployed worker almost 8 months to find a new job.

I was like, “Wow!” No wonder people are running through their savings and losing their homes to foreclosure.

This is one of the main reasons I’m a huge advocate of always, always, always having something going on on the side because there is no such thing (in my opinion) as job security anymore. I’d even argue that freelancing is the new job security in this global economy.

At any rate, following are the holiday discounts you can take advantage of to get your freelance writing and/or internet marketing career off the ground — whether you’re looking to start full-time, or just want a side gig to bring in a few hundred dollars/month to get that 6-8 months of savings in the bank most financial experts are touting everyone should have now.  

Inkwell Editorial Holiday Discounts

2 for 1: Right now if you buy an ebook, you get a second one of your choosing absolutely free. 

50% Off: The two freelance writing e-courses we offer are 50% Off right now.

In January, the price of both of these ecourses will increase by at least $100, so if you’ve been eyeing them, now’s a good time to get the best deal. Get details on both offers.

Here’s to those struggling getting on their feet,
Yuwanda

Submit a Guest Post: This site and its sister site, SeoWritingJobs.com, accepts guest posts. Get the guest post submission guidelines.

Freelance Writers: One Thing that Can Help You Write Marketing Copy that Will Presell Your Services

December 14, 2010

Recently, I received the following question from a fellow freelance writer. And it really got me to thinking … mmmm, maybe this is something I need to clarify for my business.

She asked about how to develop a USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Don’t worry if you don’t know what this is, I’ll explain it below.

QUESTION FROM FELLOW FREELANCE WRITER

I’m having a difficult time crafting my Unique Selling Point.   There is so much information overload with so many “gurus” saying that they can get traffic to any site in a matter of minutes.   So, I’m asking myself what makes me “different” than them. 

The only thing I can think of  is….  I learned SEO the hard way, by learning, implementing, trial and error, etc.   All the strategies I teach, I actually perform myself.   ( I do more than writing).   I think the issue is, I’m too close to my work that I can’t see the  Uniqueness, because most of the things I do come easily to me.    I know a mentor can probably help me with this, but as I stated before, my budget is tight.  I have a SCORE mentor, but he just gives me basic advice ( I love him though). 

So, I guess the question is,  how can you discover your U.S.P  on your own (emphasis added).  Is there a  certain formula you have or an article you can point me to.

Luck Can Only Go So Far

The reason it got me to thinking is that I’ve been lucky in my freelance writing career. I started out in publishing, and so had contacts to give me jobs.

I say all this to point out that I’ve never done a full-fledged business plan for my freelance writing business. Sure, I’ve done marketing assessments and what I refer to as “mini” business plans, but never a full-blown one. And, this is usually when you come up on marketing speak like “crafting a USP.”

So like I said, it got me to thinking. USPs are important because everything you do to market your business will stem from it. And, if you’ve given some in-depth thought to it, it can practically sell your freelance writing services before prospective clients ever contact you.

Following is what a USP is, and how it can help you land more freelance writing jobs.

What Is a USP?

As stated above, USP is the acronym for Unique Selling Proposition. In layman’s terms, it’s simply what makes your freelance writing business different from the one zillion and one other ones out there.

In more professional terms, a USP is defined this way on About.com:

USP is your unique selling point. Also called your unique selling proposition, it is what sets you and your business — or you as an individual — apart from your competition. It can be an actual fact or a perceived difference or specialty.

Now that you know what a USP is, following is how I responded.

You must be a subscriber to read this post in its entirety. See the sign-up box to the right (top of column) on every page of this site. Once you subscribe, you will immediately be emailed this post, as well as all previous posts where a subscription is required.

Submit a Guest Post: This site and its sister site, SeoWritingJobs.com, accepts guest posts. Get the guest post submission guidelines.

The Copyright Infringement Ebook of Action for Content Producers: What to Do If Someone Steals Your Content and/or If You’re Falsely Accused of Stealing Theirs

December 12, 2010

Only $99 cents! [See all Inkwell Editorial titles that help you "Live the Freelance Life!"]

Why I Decided to Write This Ebook

I decided to write this ebook for three reasons.

The first reason is I was absolutely stunned at how easy it is for someone to file a complaint and have your site taken offline – even when you’ve done nothing wrong, as my story will detail. So I guess I needed to digest the situation and make sense of it. Writing does that for me.

The second reason is, as a freelance writer, I make my living completely online. So when my websites are down, my income basically comes to halt. I know a lot of other online entrepreneurs are in this situation as well.

Hence, I want to share my story so that others who make a living on the web can become more aware of how to avoid this situation altogether.

And, if that’s not possible and someone does file one of these notices (copyright infringement) against you/your site, you can have an immediate plan of action to refer to so you don’t feel so helpless, which is how I felt.

The third and final reason I wanted to write this ebook is that content theft/libel/slander and plagiarism are going to happen a lot more as more and more people start to do business online. Proof?

Read Plagiarism and Stolen Content: A Growing Web Problem.

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot out there about what to do if a copyright violation notice is UNJUSTLY filed falsely against you. There’s tons on what to do if someone steals your work (ie, if you file a copyright notice JUSTLY AGAINST someone, like Ruth, the co-author of this book did).

But if you’re on the other side of the coin like I was, the amount of info on the web about what you can do is paltry in comparison. And yet, YOU will be the one penalized. YOUR site will be the one offline until it is all resolved.

And, this is what immoral people count on. They continue to profit while you’re left fighting to get your site(s) back online.

Now that you know my reasons, following is an explanation of exactly what a copyright violation notice is, my story and what you can do if this happens to you (here’s hoping that it never does).

Sincerely,

Yuwanda Black
Publisher/Author
InkwellEditorial.com

Following is a complete Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Authors, Page 2

Introduction, Page 2

RUTH’S STORY: Page 8

In the Beginning: A Little about Me, Page 8

My Terrible Encounter with MSIBA.ORG, Page 8

The Inkwell Editorial Ebook Writing Tournament, Page 13

What Goes Around Comes Around, Page 14

How to Track Your Work Online, Page 16

Why You Should Have a Copyright Notice on Your Website, Page 16

Google Alerts, Page 17

Copyscape, Page 17

What to Do When Someone Steals Your Content, Page 18

How to Find Out Who Owns a Specific Website: How to Do a WHOIS Search, Page 20

How to Understand WHOIS Information, Page 20

What Is a DMCA Notice and How to Submit One, Page 21

What Happens after You File a Copyright Infringement Notice (DMCA Notice), Page 23

Lessons I’ve Learned, Page 25

It’s Not All Bad News, Page 25

YUWANDA’S STORY: Page 27

Why I Decided to Write This Ebook, Page 27

Copyright Infringement Defined, 28

Why You Don’t Need to File Papers to Protect Your Copyright, Page 28

Why Many Who File Copyright Infringement Notices Do So Wrongly, Page 29

How Easy It Is for Someone to Get Your Site Taken Offline, Page 30

My Copyright Violation Saga: How It All Began, Page 30

Fraudulent Copyright Violation Notice Filed, Page 72

Account Deactivation Notice Received from Bluehost.com on 11/3/2010, Page 72

How Many of Your Sites Can be Affected by One Hosting Account Being Disabled, Page 74

How My Sites Were Kept Offline for Almost Two Weeks, Page 75

Counter Infringement Notice I Filled Out & Sent to Bluehost, Page 76

What Bluehost Customer Service Rep Told Me After I Filed a Counter Notice, Page 78

The Hunt for a New Web Hosting Company, Page 81

Why & How I Chose a New Host Company — HostGator, Page 83

How I “Met” Ruth, My Co-Author, Page 84

Taking Action: What You Can Do If a False Copyright Infringement Notice is Filed Against You, Page 87

How to File a Copyright Infringement Notice: Actual Notice I Filed, Page 87

How to Find Out Which Company a Website is Hosted With, Page 90

How Web Hosting Companies Respond to Copyright Infringement Notices, Page 91

Immediate Suspension/Takedown of Site: Web Hosting Company Policies, Page 91

What Is the DMCA?, Page 91

The Way It’s “Supposed” to Work: Host Company Rules for Taking Down a Site, Page 91

Host Company that Gives Notification before Suspending/Taking Down a Site, Page 92

How HostGator Handled It When a Copyright Infringement Notice Was Filed Against My Site, Page 92

How to Find Out a Host Company’s Takedown Policy before Signing Up with Them, Page 94

When a Host Company is Required — by Law — to Take Your Site Down, Page 95

Things to Consider if a Copyright Infringement Notice Is Filed Against You, Page 97

Does the Filer’s Claim Have Merit, Page 97

File a Counter Notice Immediately, Page 97

How to Decide Whether or Not to Remove Content, Page 98

File a Civil Suit, Page 99

You are Not Helpless, Page 100

Lessons I’ve Learned, Page 101

How to Check a Web Hosting Company’s Takedown Policy before Signing Up, Page 101

Back Up Your Hard Drive, Page 101

Use More Than One Host Company, Page 102

Check Your Websites Daily, Page 103

Use Multiple Email Addresses, Page 103

Use an Email List Management Service, Page 104

Cease Corresponding with the Other Party, Page 104

Save All Correspondence, Page 104

Don’t be Bullied, Page 104

Reach Out for Help, 105

Maintain Your Dignity, Page 105

Acknowledgements, Page 105

Why Freelance Writers (and Other Content Producers) Must Learn How to Protect Their Copyright, Page 108

VISIT THE AUTHORS ONLINE, Page 109

I realize this is a growing trend and might one day need the info here.
Only $99 cents! [See all Inkwell Editorial titles that help you "Live the Freelance Life!"]

How to Become a Freelance Writer: 4 Things You Can Do Today

December 7, 2010

I was looking through questions from readers this morning trying to decide what to write on. And, as I kept flicking through my email box, one question that kept popping up over and over again is a variation of “how to become a freelance writer.”

Even though I’ve answered this question a few times, I wanted to answer it again now because this time of year, a lot of people are thinking about quitting jobs, starting new businesses, starting something on the side, etc. And with the economy the way it is . . . well, it seems that more than ever freelance writing is appealing to many.

4 Reasons Freelance Writing Appeals to So Many . . . Especially in This Economy

It’s easy to see why this type of career appeals to so many. I mean:

(i) There’s a low bar of entry: You don’t need any type of official training to start (even though that doesn’t mean that everyone can do it well);

(ii) It’s cheap and easy to start: If you have a laptop/computer, you’re basically good to go as far as equipment;

(iii) You can start making money almost immediately: Sure, some of it may be luck, but you can literally start marketing one day, and land your first writing gig within a few hours, a few days or a few weeks; and

(iv) You can work from anywhere: If you have a laptop and an internet connection, this is a portable career. I’ve worked everywhere from an internet café in New York, to a beachside bar in Jamaica, to my living room couch in my fuzzy slippers watching some crazy reality show on TV (my all-time fave).

There just aren’t a lot of careers out there with all of these things going for them.

So no wonder how to become a freelance writer is such a popular question. If this is a work-from-home career that appeals to you, following are four things you can do – today – to get the ball rolling.

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