Happy Holidays

R. Dodge Woodson

Happy Holidays!

Writers: Sell Your Life Experiences.

Writers: Sell Your Life Experiences.

Have you ever read an article or a book and found the writing style to be awkward? Did it appear that the author was standing outside the circle of knowledge and simply reporting facts? This is too often the case when writers gain their subject matter solely from research.


Authors who know their subjects convey that confidence in their writing. Far too many novice writers seek publication through topics that they do not have a full grasp of. There is no need for this. You can do very well by writing about what you know.

People have varied backgrounds. While I might write about fly fishing, you may be more comfortable publishing a piece on skiing. It would not make much sense of us to swap topics to write about. Both pieces would come off as cold research.

When you know your subject matter first hand, your writing can be conversational and informative at the same time. This is a sign of an accomplished non-fiction writer. What is your favorite hobby? Why not write a compelling article about it? You could write about your job, your experiences in college, or your love of gardening. Stick to what you know and your writing career is far more likely to blossom.

Writing a Book

Writing a book is a big undertaking. If you have not been published previously, I believe that you should cut your teeth on articles. It is much easier to prepare a manuscript of 2,000 words than it is to prepare one of 100,000 words for a book.

Book authors are expected to be experts in their field. If you do enjoy expert status, a book project might be right for you. There are a number of different opportunities in authoring a book. You can go for a book that will be published by a mainstream publisher. Expect this to be a difficult deal to make. Competition for large publishers is immense. Your credentials for writing a book have to be outstanding in order for a publisher to offer you a contract.

Many large publishers will not work directly with writers. These publishers want to deal with literary agents. The problem a budding author faces is that agents want published authors to represent and publishers want agented writers to publish. If you write how-to books for consumers, you are far less likely to need agency representation.

Modern technology makes it possible for writers to self publish themselves with either Ebooks or Print-on-Demand (POD) books. There is a lot more to this than just writing a book and sending the manuscript to a printer or burning a PDF.

Good books require professional editing, page composition, proofreading, art manipulation, indexing, and cover design. Most individuals cannot afford to pay for all of these professional services. But if you cut corners on your publication it will show.

Books are big-ticket items. Articles are much easier to break into and much more accessible to unknown
writers.

Articles

Articles used to be published mostly by newspapers and magazines. It could take a year to see your work in print with a magazine. With online articles, you can be up and running as a published author in one day. The credibility is not quite the same, but published is published, and it all helps. New writers need examples of their work and online articles are a great place to get your feet wet.

Article length generally ranges from 750 words to 2,000 words. Magazines seem to be paying an average of ten cents per word. Some magazines pay thousands of dollars for articles with photos included, but the heavy-hitting pros are pounding this market.

How much will you make from an online article? You are not likely to see much income from your writing effort. However, the exposure these articles bring to your name and your web site can be quite valuable. This is a side benefit of gaining experience and adding to your portfolio of sample works.

Life Experience

Whether you choose to write articles or books, concentrate on your strengths through life experience. Make your readers feel as if they are sitting across a table from you exchanging information. Endear yourself to your readers. Believe in what you are writing. It will show in the finished work. Concentrate your efforts on topics that you have a passion for and tell your stories from the heart. Don't make the writing too flowery. Remember that you are talking in a normal conversational tone to an old friend on the other side of your words. You are not writing a press release for the Department of Tourism.

Okay, Where Do I Sell My Work?

Selling your work and seeing your work published are two very different goals. Magazines are known for "paying" rookie writers with copies of the magazine where the article is published. This doesn't put food on the table, but it is a strong step in building a foundation for yourself as a published author.
You can do online research to see which magazines are buying articles and what they are paying. For example, if you are into fishing, check out all the fishing-related magazines for opportunities. Don't hold out for big bucks in the beginning, be happy with getting published.
Online articles might not pay you a penny for your submission, but the exposure can be very valuable down the road. These articles tend to be short and you can get some much-needed experience while seeing your byline on articles almost right away.

If you have a full book project in you, check online for publishers who publish the types of books that you want to write. You can do this at online book stores. Type in "fishing" and look to see who published the books listed. Then find the publishers and learn about their submission guidelines. Expect a lot of rejection here, but one win is an awesome experience.

Changes in the Internet, Ebooks, PODs, and other new technology has created tremendous change in the old-fashioned style of publishing. If you are just starting out, this could be the perfect time for you. Old grey-beards like me have trouble transitioning from traditional publishing to modern publishing. Fortunately, you will be getting in near the ground floor and with enough effort and ability your writing future should be quite bright.

Now stop reading and start writing.

Employment Statistics for Writers

Employment Statistics for Writers

Authors, writers and editors held about 281,300 jobs in 2008. Writers and authors held about 151,700 jobs and editors held about 129,600 jobs. About 70 percent of writers and authors were self-employed, while 12 percent of editors were self-employed.
Among the 30 percent of salaried writers and authors, about half work in the professional, scientific, and technical services and in publishing (except Internet) industries. These industries include advertising, public relations and related services and newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers, respectively. Other salaried writers and authors work in broadcasting, professional and social organizations, and the motion picture and video industries.
While 51 percent of salaried editors worked in the publishing, except Internet industry (half of those for newspapers), a large number of editors were also employed in other industries. Business, professional and social organizations, information services, and educational institutions employed editors to work on their publications or Web content.
Jobs are somewhat concentrated in major media and entertainment markets—Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC—but improved communications and Internet capabilities allow writers to work from almost anywhere. Many prefer to work outside these cities and travel regularly to meet with publishers and clients and to do research or conduct interviews in person. As a result, job location is less of a requirement for many writing or editing positions than it once was.
Employment of authors, writers, and editors is expected to grow 8 percent, about as fast as the average for all occupations, from 2008 to 2018. Employment in salaried writing and editing positions is expected to increase slightly as jobs become more prevalent throughout the economy. Companies in a wide array of industries are using newer multimedia technologies and online media to reach a more technology friendly consumer and meet the growing demand for Web-based information. Online publications and services are growing in number and sophistication, spurring the demand for authors, writers, and editors, especially those with Web or multimedia experience. Businesses and organizations are adding text messaging services to expanded newsletters and Web sites as a way of attracting new customers. They may hire writers or editors on either a salaried or freelance basis to contribute additional content. Some publishing companies however, especially those that rely on advertising revenues and sales receipts to support large staffs of writers, will employ fewer writers and editors. But many experienced writers and editors will find work with nonprofit organizations and associations in their public relations offices, or in the public affairs departments of large companies or agencies. Others will find freelance work for newspaper, magazine, or journal publishers; some will write books.
Competition is expected for writing and editing jobs as many people are attracted to this occupation. Competition for jobs with established newspaper and magazines will be particularly keen as many organizations move their publication focus from a print to an online presence and as the publishing industry continues to contract. Writers and editors who have adapted to the new media and are comfortable writing for and working with a variety of electronic and digital tools will have an advantage in finding new work. The declining costs of self-publishing and the growing popularity of electronic books and book readers will allow many freelancers to get their work published. Some job openings will arise as experienced workers retire, transfer to other occupations, or leave the labor force.
This information was derived from: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Authors, Writers, and Editors, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos320.htm

What is Stock Photography?

What is Stock Photography?

What is stock photography? To many photographers it is a path to profits. Other photographers find it to be a hole of frustration. Realistically, stock photography is somewhere between these two extremes.

There are three ways to look at stock photography. The first is the view that photographers have of it. Stock agencies will see stock photography differently.  Buyers of stock photos are sure to have their own impression of what stock photography is.

I am assuming that most readers here will be looking at stock agencies through the viewfinder of a photographer. Still, to be successful at stock photography you will need to understand all three angles of the business.

All three views share some common elements. We will start with these shared views as stock photography secrets are revealed.

Is Stock Photography A True Business?

Is stock photography a real business? Many people involved in it will agree that it is very much a business. Some photographers see it as a place to warehouse their mediocre photos. For them, the business element is unlikely to come into play.

Stock photography consists of existing photographs that can be used for various purposes ranging from advertising to educational uses. The concept for buyers is that it is much less expensive to buy a stock photo than it is to commission a photographer for a specific assignment to create similar photos.

Stock Photography As Seen By Buyers

Stock photography is very appealing to buyers. This has never been more true. The creation and growth of micro stock agencies have changed the face of stock photography for everyone involved.

I entered the stock photo arena back in the old days. You know, back when photos were taken with the use of film. Now we have digital cameras, electronic photo manipulators, and micro stock agencies. Old grey beards, like me, can feel very intimidated by all of the changes in the business.

Back in the film days it was common for stock agencies to send out original slides for potential buyers to review. Now photos are uploaded and emailed and shown in online galleries. The selling process is very different. Stock photography today is instant gratification.

It used to be important to choose an agency that was well known and that had strong connections in the buying world. This is still true, but it is not nearly as important as it used to be. Now if you can get your photos to come up in searches on the Internet, sales can be made. Hell, you don't even need an agent these days.

Buyers are looking for specific types of photos. They don't care if they come from a photographer or a stock agency. If you have the picture that the buyer wants, you have the power.

We will talk more about agencies in a later chapter. This chapter is meant as an overview, not a detailed description of what your options are and how to take advantage of them.

In short, buyers are looking for high-quality photos of specific subject matter that can be licensed for a reasonable fee. It boils down to the picture and the money. There is no loyalty between buyers and stock agencies. Yes, times have changed.

What Are The Basic Goals Of Stock Agencies?

Stock agencies exist to make money. Few agency owners do what they do as a hobby. It is all about the cash. If you can make money for an agency, they will be interested in you and your work.

There are many differences between agencies which we will discuss later. For now, it is enough to simplify the issue by saying that agencies what to represent photos that will sell often and for high prices. You can bet your best lens that agencies see what they do as a business.

Stock Photographers

Stock photographers come in many forms. Some are more serious than others. Photographers often look at stock sales as beer and peanut money. Other photographers make their entire living shooting and selling stock photos.

What type of stock photographer do you want to be? How much money do you want to make from your photos? Will you be happy to see your photos published even if you don't make a lot of money? Since this book is expected to be of the most interest to photographers we will spend more time on this topic.

What do you want?

What do you want from your stock photography? Is your main goal to see your work in print? How important is the income from stock sales to you? Only you can answer these questions, and they must be answered.

If you are looking to make a lot of money, you should look at other means of income. It is surely possible to make big bucks with stock sales, but far more photographers make less rather than more.

Stock photography can provide many things to photographers. The list below identifies some of them:

• A goal to shoot for
• Something worthwhile to do with your photos
• A source of unknown and unlimited income
• Critical assessments to make you a better photographer
• A chance to see more of your work published
• Legitimacy for your camera business tax deductions
• The excitement of being notified of a sale that you didn't know about
• The hope of  using stock photography income as part of your retirement
• The thrill of competition

There are, of course, other benefits to be had from stock photography. You will know what is right for you when you try it.

An Opportunity

Stock photography is an open opportunity for all photographers. Your existing credentials don't count. It doesn't matter if your name is famous in the industry, although this never hurts. As long as you can produce high-quality photos on a consistent basis, you can be a stock photographer.

It used to be common to be an exclusive photographer for one agency. This type of arrangement still exists, but it is now common for photographers to be represented by multiple agencies at the same time. This can increase sales considerably. Most photographers in the digital age choose non-exclusive representation.

Themes

Some themes sell better than others for stock photographers. I love to shoot macro photos, nature, and wildlife subjects. These types of photos are sometimes purchased from stock agencies, but they are far from the best-selling categories.

Weddings are usually the main moneymaker for local photographers. People photos are the key producers in the stock market. Models have to sign releases, but the work can be simple, easy to plan, and you can produce a high volume of photos in a short time.

Photos that can be used as backgrounds for advertisements are another popular seller through agencies. These can be anything from photos of clouds in the sky to colored pebbles. Creative photographers excel at these pictures.

Food is a very popular seller with most agencies. Shooting a bowl of fruit in a studio might not be your idea of glamorous photography, but it can pay the bills quite handsomely.

Objects are another fairly popular category. This could be a jar of candy, a hammer, or a toaster. Avoid trademarks in this type of photography. If it exists, there may be a request for a picture of it at some time.

It's What You Make of It.

Stock photography is what you make it. Some photographers consider it a waste of time. A lot of photographers use it for supplemental income. Photographers occasionally make great livings shooting stock. What will you make of it? Well, your feelings now may change considerably by the time you finish this rare, unveiled look at what stock photography really is and what it means to photographers.

Examples

Here are a few examples of successful stock photos:

R. Dodge Woodson

R. Dodge Woodson

R. Dodge Woodson

50 Fast Ways to Waste Less Time

50 Fast Ways to Waste Less Time

Are you always fighting the clock? Is there never enough time in the day to complete your projects? Have you tried time-management techniques that didn't work. Do you feel you don't have time to make a viable time-management plan? If so, you are not alone.

Business owners and managers are constantly racing against time. Mistakes are often made when working in haste, and mistakes only put you further behind your deadline. Is there anything you can do to change these problems? Yes, and you have taken the first step to finding valuable solutions to all your time management problems.

The Time Terminator attacks everyone. This evil creature sneaks into your day and steals your time. It is a wary adversary and one that deserves respect. If the Time Terminator is terrorizing you, you need help, and you need it fast.

What can save you from the terrible Time Terminator? There is only one sure cure: better time management skills. But good time-management skills elude you as you battle the Time Terminator. Only one super-hero can help you beat the beast: Time Checker.

That's right, the terrific Time Checker can save the day, and much of the time lost during it. What is this mystical Time Checker? Never fear, for you are about to find out.  Welcome to the world of better time management.

Getting To Know Time Management

Time-management skills are critical for running a successful business or a busy personal life. It doesn't matter whether you own the business, are an executive, a middle-manager, or an employee, good time-management skills make your work easier and more productive. The same rings true for busy parents.

Everyone benefits from organized time management. Customers appreciate dealing with people who are efficient and punctual. Supervisors pay close attention to the time-management habits of workers, and business owners draw clear correlations between time management and profits.

Time is money. Whether your time is charged out by the hour or by the job, time is money. If you waste time, you are wasting money. When it is not money, you may be giving up quality personal time due to a sloppy schedule at home.

To get the most out of your productive hours, you must develop strong time-management skills. Everyone complains how there is more to do than there is time to do it in.  This is generally a cop-out from people with poor time-management skills. Do you find yourself complaining about the ratio of duties versus time available? If you do, you can improve your productivity with what you are about to read.

Do you rush around to get everything done, only to be frustrated that you didn't accomplish your goals? The lack of good time management is usually a factor in these circumstances.

Making Time

Making time for the tasks at hand is a skill than can be learned. While you can't put more hours into a day, you can get more out of the hours you have to work with. Don't allow yourself to become a victim of the Time Terminator, set your sights on realistic goals and achieve them.

Get an Earlier Start

If you get an earlier start on what you have to do, you can get it done sooner.  Try getting up an hour earlier each day.

Getting out of bed is easy for people who are energized and excited about what their new day holds for them. People who are frustrated with their lives or bored with life find it difficult to face a new day. Learn to change your attitude about what you do with your time: your life.

Getting out of the bed an hour early isn't likely to harm you, but it will give you extra time to work with. Once you become acclimated to your new schedule, you will no longer feel that you are getting up earlier; you will just be getting up on time.  This is one sure way to put more time into your productive day.

Goals

 Goals are an essential element to effective time management. If you don't have a predefined goal, you will have no way of knowing if you are getting your work done on time. 

Goal setting seems foolish to some, but it is an important piece of the time-management puzzle. Write your goals on paper. Written goals are more authoritative and are less likely to be ignored than mental aspirations.

Budgeting Your Time

 How well do you budget your time? Many people have trouble setting time budgets.  These individuals may do a fine job of budgeting their money and a terrible job allocating their time. They react rather than act. This is a major mistake.

 Let's draw a comparison between acting and reacting with time management to professional sports. 

 Look at professional athletes. The ones who get off their mark first or are in place to recover a rebound are the winners. They are winners for a reason. They act, rather than react.

In boxing, the person who throws the first punch has a better chance at victory than the opponent who is forced to defend himself.

If we still lived in the age of gunfighters, would you wait until your challenger cleared leather to draw your gun? While business isn't a gun fight, poor planning and slow reactions can end your career just as quickly as a speeding bullet.

List your normal activities and see which ones can be reduced or eliminated. Document all of your duties and assign time segments for each to be completed in. Monitor your time budget daily. How are you doing? Expect it to take a couple of weeks for you to get fully into the swing of things. Once you do, your goal of enjoying more personal time is closer at hand.

Stop Wasting Time

The first step to making more time is to stop wasting time. Do you know when you are wasting time? Effective time management requires you to know what you are doing with your time. If you don't know how your time is being spent, you can't know if you are wasting time that could be put to better use.

How can you determine how much time you are wasting? One of the best ways to pinpoint your wasted time is to spend time making a time log. The log can expose how and where you are losing time. 

A daily log of your activities will reveal more about your actions than you may want to know. However, creating a time-checker is one very effective way of putting your finger on the pulse of your Time Terminator.

I know you don't have time to make a time-checker, right? Well, let me show you how to do it with minimal effort.

The time-checker can be as simple as an appointment book. You can even record your time patterns on a tape recorder. Keep track of your actions on your PDA.  None of these methods consume much of your time. Use your daily entries to create a full-blown log or spreadsheet that makes it easy to see where your time is being spent.

To be used as an effective tool, your time-checker must be accurate and complete. This means tracking your time from the time you crawl out of bed until the time you shut down for the night. You should include not only your business activity, but also your personal behavior.

Track every activity you undertake. Whether it is combing your hair, taking out the trash, going to the coffee shop, or making business calls, enter all of your activity in the time-checker.

Make your entries for at least two weeks. When the two weeks have passed, review the time-checker. Examine your entries for wasted time. There will probably be more occasions when you wasted time than you would have imagined. It can be downright embarrassing.

How long did you spend on each of your business calls? If you talked on the phone for more than five minutes in most of your communication you were probably wasting time. What were you discussing? Were the calls complex, or do you recall rambling about the sports page?  Some business calls deserve thirty minutes or more, but most can be accomplished in five minutes or less.

Dig deep into your time-checker for clues. The answers to your time problems are there, if you kept it accurately and thoroughly. How much time did you spend in the coffee shop? Do you remember all the time you spent talking to the regulars at the counter? Sure, networking is a part of business, but were the people you talked to for so long in the coffee shop people who will help your business or career?

Many people have habits that steal their time. Most of their routines have little importance in their lives, but the routines continue, because they are habits. Bad habits can be broken, but first they must be identified

Bad Habits

Bad habits are easy to get and difficult to rid yourself of. Any habit that has existed for long will be hard to break, but you can break it. Your time-checker will help expose the bad habits in your life. It doesn't take long when looking through your entries to find plenty of occasions when bad habits broke into your day and stole your time.

Appointment Pointers

How you set your appointments has much to do with your success in effective time management. With the proper appointment protocol you can see increased time in your day.  Extra time can be converted to money. The time you generate with efficient appointments can be pledged to hobbies or being with friends and family. The bottom line is: you will have more time to do with what you like.

How can you make your appointments more efficient? You can set them by arranging your meetings in logical order and by scheduling as many of the meetings as possible in your office.   Some positions require individuals to make meetings outside of the office.  This could be the case for a contractor giving in-home estimates or a real estate broker showing property.

In-office appointments are the most efficient.  You save time and gain control when meetings are scheduled on your own turf. How do in-office meetings save time? They do so because you can continue to work on projects in your office until the party you are meeting with is present.

 It is not uncommon for people to arrive late for meetings. If you are sitting around waiting for someone to show up, with no ability to be productive, you are losing time.  However, if you can proceed with your work until the scheduled party arrives, you have no downtime. Over the course of a year the time saved by scheduling in-office meetings could amount to a pleasurable vacation.

On occasions when you cannot arrange meetings in your office, take a project with you to planned meetings. At least take something to work with, so you can record your thoughts while you are waiting for your meeting partner. If you plan your meetings carefully and always have some worthwhile work to do while you are waiting for others, you will waste less time.

           

Lost Time in the Office

Lost time in the office may go unnoticed until you create your time-checker. It is truly amazing what you can learn from reviewing a documentation of how all your time is spent.

Many people believe that if they are in their office they're working; this theory doesn't always hold water.

Delegating duties is something of an art.  Some people are very talented at it, and others lack the ability or confidence to delegate effectively.

Do you feel there is no one available who can do a job as well as you?  Many managers and owners feel this way. Unfortunately, this is a bad attitude to have.

While you may, in fact, be the best qualified person to do the job, you may not be the right person for the job. How can this be? Your time might be more valuable in another function.

Fifty Fast Ways to Waste Less Time

Can you think of fifty ways to waste less time? Do you believe there are fifty ways to reduce wasted time? Well, this chapter is going to show you a full fifty ways to improve your productivity and waste less time.

1) Plan your day in advance.  Make a schedule for every day and live by it.

2) Learn to delegate duties to competent people.

3) Resist temptations for long, drawn-out gossip sessions.

4) Keep your business calls brief.

5) Respond to correspondence with quick notes, often written on the same paper you received in the correspondence.

6) Discourage drop-in visitor while you are working. People wandering in and out of your office will break your concentration and increase lost time.

7) Organize your work space.

8) Avoid long lunches.

9) Make a time-checker, and use it.

10) Schedule appointments in your office, whenever possible.

11) Never be without something productive to do when waiting for someone.

12) Keep a cell phone with you.

13) Carry a tape recorder with you at all times.

14) Schedule dental appointments and similar out-of-the-office appointments near the end of the                                          day.

15) Act--don't react.  

16) Work smarter--not harder.

17) Set goals for yourself, and put them in writing.

18) Get out of bed earlier each day.

19) Adjust your attitude to reflect a positive outlook on each new day.

20) Learn to say "No," with the confidence to maintain your position.

21) Prioritize your work.

22) Continue to refine your time-management techniques: they are never perfect.

23) Use a Things-To-Do list to document, schedule, and perform all of your tasks.  When a task is complete, draw a line through its listing on the list; this will give you a sense of satisfaction.

24) Don't procrastinate.

25) Develop decision-making skills to reduce time lost pondering problems.

26) Don't overload your schedule.

27) Match your workload to your body's production clock. Some people perform better in the morning, while others do their best work in the afternoon. Do your repetitious, mundane chores during your weak periods and concentrate on high-energy work when you are running at full speed.

28) Stay focused and don't allow distractions to throw you off schedule.

29) Assign each task a specific period of time for completion.

30) Avoid answering your own phone if you have an assistant who can screen your calls for you. Have the assistant take messages for the non-critical calls.

31) Set aside specific times for returning phone calls, and don't go beyond the time limits you have set for your daily quota of phone work.

32) Plan ahead for all you work.

33) Don't linger on projects you have completed. Being a perfectionist is a sure way to waste time. Do the job right. Then move on to another task.

34) Have an assistant screen your mail. If you don't have an assistant, sort your mail into different categories. Put priority mail in one stack, secondary mail in another, and semi-junk mail in another. Read and handle your mail based on priorities and keep your time within the boundaries you establish for each day.

35) Plan your travel routes for maximum efficiency. 

36) Avoid meetings that do not have a direct impact on you or your responsibilities.

37) Keep your office door closed, it discourages drop-in visitors.

38) Use an alarm clock, timer, or watch with an alarm to time your work segments.

39) Communicate with notes and email: they are faster than phone calls and personal talks where you are likely to get caught in long-winded conversations.

40) Don't become known as the person who will help anyone with anything. Let people do their jobs so you can do yours.

41) Use a speakerphone in your office. You can write, work, and talk at the same time.

42) Avoid paper piles. Organize your paperwork with in-out baskets, files, and file folders.

43) Don't abandon tasks until they are complete. In the case of lengthy projects you should work until a reasonable stopping point is reached.

44) Listen to instructional and educational materials on your way to and from the office.

45) Time and plan your commute to avoid traffic congestion. This may mean getting to the office a little early and leaving a little late, but this quiet time in the office will be some of your most productive time.

46) Cut office clutter to the bone.

47) Create a portable office in your briefcase that can be taken on the road for increased productivity during unexpected waits.

48) Take a break. Working for too long without a break is non-productive. Keep the breaks short, but take them.

49) Overcome crisis interruptions with preliminary planning and execution that avoids them.

50) Most importantly, take time for yourself and your family.

Act, Don't React

            If there are just two points that you remember from this they should be: act, don't react and delegate duties wisely as often as possible.