Customer Reviews

102 Ways to Earn Money Writing 1,500 Words or Less: The Ultimate Freelancer's Guide

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4 star:		(3)
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Unlike so many books about writing that try to be "The Definitive Guide to Being a Writer," this book does not overreach. Instead, just as the title suggests, it offers 102 project ideas and business avenues that writers can explore. This "cut to the chase" approach makes the book more useful than other writing books that waste paper and time with a lot of boilerplate material about bookkeeping, taxes, time management and other stuff that's mostly common sense or, if not, can be looked up easily in any general business reference book.

The ideas presented here are broken down into broad categories, such as magazines, newspapers, and corporate writing, with each specific "gig" numbered and given its own writeup that includes an introduction as well as detailed advice in a question/answer format. The Q and A sections answer such questions as how to get started, whom to contact, and how much to charge for a writing job. Other helpful advice is provided where appropriate, often in the form of interviews with writers or editors who specialize in the type of work being profiled as one of the book's 102 featured writing jobs.

For someone who actually wants to make money writing, I recommend this book over most any other writing book on the market. It's readable and well organized, and it contains many ideas that a motivated writer can use to get his or her material into print.

I.J. Schechter really does present exactly 102 ways for the freelance writer to earn income from writing, and the book announces loudly each one with large, bold, white-on-black numbers. The cleverness continues. The "102" puts the number of goodies one higher than the more humdrum 101 (...Ways to ..., Cook Artichokes, Do Your Laundry, etc.). The "1,500 Words" tells the serious writer that Schechter's ideas are each large enough to weed out the duffers, but short enough so that a good writer could secure many, many gigs for pay.

Choice of title aside, "102 Ways" ranks at the top of writers' how-to books. The author's straight-shooter style sometimes gets called "non-nonsense," but one will find enough humor sprinkled throughout the text to make the book flow smoothly. In fact, most of the book's charm lies in the matter-of-fact way which the reader sees that writing for income is quite a do-able thing. Chapter 4, "Corporate Writing," is easily worth the price of the book just by itself.

The author plainly states what "102 Ways" does, and does not do. The book does detail what each of the writing area topics entails as to whom to contact, what to offer as service, how much effort usually goes into it, etc. The book does NOT name what specific gig charge rates should be. Schechter tells us to find this crucial current information in several places, e.g., Writers Market - excellent, excellent approach. Most books are vulnerable to criticism, or at least a few cautionary words. This one does not. "102 Ways" gives you plenty of money's-worth. Buy the book.

I found myself totally engrossed right from the first page of the introduction to the last paragraph of suggestion 102 "Grant Writing. "At first glance I thought "this is not what I expected from the book. So I was amazed when I found that the very first suggestion tied in directly with a project I am working on.
I have already picked up on several suggestions tailor made for my writing style, whims, and work in process.

The book is divided into five sections: Magazines, Newspapers, Literary Outlets, Corporate Writing, and Everything Else under the Sun. I love Schecter's sense of humor.

Each of the individual "ways to earn money" includes suggestions on where to start, who to contact, and what to charge. The index itself is an excellent "brain storming exercise" for experiencing "aha" moments.

Five Stars and Two Thumbs Up for I. J. Schecter's "102 Ways to Earn Money Writing 1500 Words or Less."

I've been a professional writer for many years, but mostly within government agencies and my own home health business. Recently, I have "gone freelance" and am looking for ways to make a good living with my writing as an independent contractor.

I. J. Schecter has done an outstanding job of targeting people like me in providing an informative snap shot of the many avenues available in building a successful freelance career. He covers magazines, newspapers, literary outlets, corporate writing, and "everything else" which should address the interests of most readers. In fact, I sat down with "102 Ways" to learn more about corporate writing but, after reading the book, I now realize that I don't have to limit myself to just one genre. I'll be exploring other types of writing in the coming months which has expanded my horizons and enthusiasm for freelancing.

"102 Ways" is written in an easy, optimistic fashion that caught and maintained my interest. It's also clear that I. J. Schecter really knows the freelance writing field and environment which made it a credible and enjoyable read.

I've read numerous books on freelance writing over the past year and I rank this among the best. You won't go wrong by buying "102 Ways" if you want to learn more about the many ways to become a successful freelance writer.

This item came used, and seemed a bit worn, but perfectly functional as books go. The information is slightly out of date as computers and internet have made such a difference in how we writers submit things and find things and etc. But it has good ideas and reminded me of opportunities I'd forgotten about, so it was worth a few dollars to get a boost in creativity.

This book is great in that it provides specific job titles within markets, and how to get involved in those markets.

The only downside is that when trying to do it myself (such as find magazines I could send queries to) I found myself a little stuck on exactly the best way to decide WHAT magazines I fit or article ideas, etc.

If you're just looking for job ideas, this is the book -- but unfortunately you have to do a little more personalizing to figure out your advantage with a certain newspaper/magazine/company and the best way to address that.

If you enjoy and have certain skills as a writer, this is an excellent resource giving you numerous ways to profit from your passion. There are a number of ways which you probably already know about. And there are some that you may have never thought about.

The book is well organized and presented in a very logical fashion. The book follows a pattern. First there is a brief description of a particular type writing assignment, followed by a "How do I get this gig?", "Who do I contact?" and for most types of assignment there is a brief discussion of "How much do I charge?"

While there are 102 different specific types of writing that you can engage in, a lot of the information is redundant. One key lesson which was repeated numerous times was: Do your homework. If you are looking to submit an article to a magazine, do your homework. Research the type of articles they feature. Research who you should sent the article to. Do not engage in mass, indiscriminate mailings.

Some other lessons which were repeated numerous times was check everything twice before you send it out. Check for spelling and grammar.

So much of what is in this book is common sense. But if you are unable to sell your work, then you would do well to pay attention to the advice in this book. You should be solving the editor's problem, not writing to please yourself. Doing your homework, understanding what each venue is looking for seems to be more important that writing with a certain flair.

The book is short and very easy to read. It is well laid out, contains some valuable interviews scattered throughout the other material.

There is some very basic, sound advice in this book. However if you approach selling your writing with the attitude that your creative writing ability is all it takes, you will probably be disappointed. You must look at writing as a business. You must try to sell what the market wants. There is a very good underlying message - do your research, find out what the market wants, research who the buyer is and give them what they want. It is fairly simple and straightforward. If you approach things any other way, you are going to be fighting a losing battle.

I had the pleasure of editing this book. Even wonder how to bring in a little extra cash or build a freelance business. This book tells you how. IJ Schecter shares from his success and gives you step by step information to pursue. I love his creative ideas and encouragement!