Customer Reviews

The Freelance Writer's Bible: Your Guide to a Profitable Writing Career Within One Year

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Sub-Title: Your Guide to a Profitable Writing Career Within One Year ==This book is divided into four major parts. The first two deal with writing. That is, the mechanics, the work of sitting down and writing something.

More than two thirds of the book, however, deal with selling what you have written. The good part of this section is that the writer speaks with authority on all different kinds of writing, far more than you could ever imagine. For instance about about writing the little announcement sheet that comes with your electric bill. Some writer somewhere gets paid for writing that. Then there are annual reports, and pages that someone wants to put on the web. There is a lot you will never think of by yourself that might give you a career.

Writing is never going to be an easy business. As Mr. Trottier points out, you need to realize that it is a business and you need to treat it as a business. It will not be easy, but neither is going to work every day.

The book claims to mentor you, and it does just that. I felt as if I were having a conversation with the author throughout. The book is best suited to writers who want a full-time or part-time writing careers. Beginners will benefit immensely. That's because the book guides you through the steps to becoming a better writer. Most importantly, you become a much more informed writer in terms of how to sell your work in 17 key writing areas. In fact, this books is for writers and wannabes who want to sell what they write. I benefited immensely from the practical advice and positive direction.

The "Bible" is both readable and immediately useful. The marketing information is specific and applicable. I was surprised that Mr. Trottier could get so much helpful information into this book. Not a paragraph is wasted. Besides the marketing information, I found the section on fears and blocks extremely helpful. I have since broken through and can hardly wait to complete my marketing plan for my career, as described at the end of the book. The Freelance Writers Bible is a true inpsiration, and Mr. Trottier is a true mentor.

David Trottier is a successful freelance writer and writing teacher who since 1998 has had hundreds of his articles published in magazines ranging from 'Writer's Digest' to 'Road and Track'. he has also authored several successful books (including "The Screenwriter's Bible"), written and sold several featured film scripts, worked as a business writer, copywriter, and newsletter editor. In "The Freelance Writer's Bible", David draws upon his considerable experience and expertise to create an invaluable compendium of information, advice, instruction, tips, techniques, illustrations, anecdotes, and more about just what aspiring writers seeking freelance careers must know and be able to do if they are to be successful in their chosen field. from discovering and developing a creative vision, to achieving higher and higher levels of creativity and improved writing excellent, to selling in seventeen key writing markets, to creating a strategic marketing plan, "The Freelance Writer's Bible" will prove to be a reliable instructional guide and 'user friendly' manual. Readers will learn how to set up a writing business, make that business profitable, deal with writing bocks, write effective query and proposal letters, enhance their writing income, and so much more. With a great deal of 'fill in the blank' forms, this must be considered something of a 'consumable' title and therefore not a good selection for a public library collection. But if you aspire to becoming a professional freelance writer, regardless of the genres or media you intend to work in, then you need to give a careful and personal reading to your very own copy of "The Freelance Writer's Bible" by David Trottier.

This book has changed my writing life! I not only feel empowered, but I am confident I will succeed. Read this book and you will find your "voice." Also, the large section on key writing markets is jammed with specific information that will help you sell what you write. I saw opportunities I hadn't previously considered. Thanks to this book, I now have a marketing plan and am ready for the new year.
Tom Wall

Writing is an excellent way to build a career working from home. The Freelance Writer's Bible is a great first step into discovering the type of writer in you and how to make money at it within 1 year. It guides you through setting your goals, learning about the different ways to earn a living at writing, and creating a plan. You'll probably still want to invest in books that target your specific writing type (magazines, copywriting, books, etc), but in terms of getting focused and organized to start a writing career, this is a good resource.

David Trottier has done an excellent job of compiling some great resources and references to help launch a successful writing career for the beginning writer and to revitalize that of the professional writer.

The book is set up as an interactive workbook that not only leads the writer down a path of technical know-how in getting writing jobs and getting published, but helps one to form a positive image of self as a writer and to develop a set of personal writing and life goals. It also gives some advice, encouragement, and other things you can do as a writer to keep yourself motivated and focused on your writing career goals and aspiratons.

Trottier details 17 different "fields" or "categories" of writing and shows how any serious writer can make a living by writing within any one of them or a combination of them.

This is an essential book for the career writer or anyone who wants to have a go at making a living being a writer. If you have the perseverance and drive to put this book into action, you will be a successful writer.

Marketing is the part of a writing career that is often overlooked and yet is one of the most important job requirements. This book offers helpful insight.

Impersonation of Trottier: "Wow I'm so excited! I'm going to pretend to be full of enthusiasm so that you'll have a good impression the book you've purchased. This way, you'll ignore the fact that the first quarter of this book has no substance. In fact, I'll ask you stupid questions like: 'Why do you write?' and 'What's important to you' and 'If you had to write a letter to your son and you knew you'd never see him again -- what would write to him?'"

There are so many pointless littls sessions throughout the first quarter of the book... it's just FLUFF!

He asks you all sorts of questions and you're supposed to answer them -- then he says: "Those questions are specifically designed so that you can see what your most important values are."

But what he doesn't realize is that most people already KNOW what their values are and already KNOW what sorts of things they're going to be writing about, based off of those important values.

If you don't know what you're going to write about, and why your writing it, then you have no business trying to write!

I like Trottier's book on script writing, but man! ... this book irritates the hell out of me.

Granted, after the first quarter of the book -- it FINALLY has substance, but if you're going to start a book out with poinlessness then you're going to piss off your readers -- I happen to know that -- MOST PEOPLE know that -- so what quallifies him to be teaching us anything?

I don't care if he has a good writing career -- if he's going to "teach" none-substance material, then he's not teaching.

I'm sorry -- but I can't stand books like this. It's as if the excitement in the wording is going to inspire you, motivate you, and get you to do all sorts of things even though you haven't read a single word of substance.

For the first two pages, the excitement it contagouse -- it's a good hook, but that "hook" lasts and entire quarter of the damn book. How long can you possibly be expected to tollerate that garbage?

This book could have been brilliant without that first quarter. That's not just an opinion. That's a damn fact.

This is one of the worst "How to improve your writing" book I've ever seen.