Corinne McKay is something of a miser, so when she decided to write a book, she studied all the options before picking the one she thought would make the most money. McKay, a freelance translator who lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband and 6-year-old daughter, ultimately opted to self publish. Not only that, she […]
US News, CSM join parade of pubs going online only
Add US News & World Report and the Christian Science Monitor to the list of publications that are dropping their print editions and going online only. According to this report from the Washington Post, US News will continue to publish a print once a month, but the issues will be consumer guides, like its popular […]
How to write queries that sell
The need to market my writing business just got more urgent – a relatively new client that I’ve loved working with just announced drastic cuts that will effectively doom the relationship. As a result, I’ve got a couple works in progress that now need new homes and openings on my calendar that I need to […]
Make it easy for readers to understand the hard stuff
The current financial crisis has been tricky for even veteran business writers. How do you explain difficult concepts like collateralized debt obligations or the London interbank lending rate in language that the now-famous Joe the Plumber will understand? It’s not easy. But it is possible, as a handful of writers have shown, including some with […]
Tech cliches we never want to hear or write again
The computer industry loves jargon. Think about it. Engineers and programmers get into designing computers and writing code because they’re good at math and conceptual thinking, not necessarily with words. Consequently, stories about computer and Internet are cluttered with words and phrases nobody ever uses in real life. I’m tired of hearing them, and work […]