Writing for Residuals

Still Working on the $50 a Day Challenge

2011-05-31T15:36:00.000-05:00

As I stated in my previous post, I am taking the $50 a Day Auction Challenge. Right now, I am still getting my products together. So far, I have 7. It is taking me anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to put together one product. I don't think that's bad at all. I just wish I had more 20 to 60 minute time blocks in my day. But until our homeschool is over in 2 weeks I will ust continue to try to put together at least one product each night after the children go to bed.

It really isn't that hard to compile ebooks for the CDs that I will be selling. I label folders on my desktop, one per subject. Then I search for that subject and put all of the ebooks that I find in the appropriate folder. I found a few great public domain sites to use from The $50 a Day Auction Challenge ebook. There are even some videos explaining how to the most beneficial ones. Once you know where to look you can start gathering material right away.

I started keeping a list of possible subjects for ebook CDs. I'm just working my way down the list as time permits. Right now I am just writing down whatever topics come to mind that are of interest to me or that I believe are of interest to others. The list is already getting surprisingly long.

Anyway, I'm still waiting on my seller's permit so hopefully I'll have my goal of 10 - 15 products completely ready to list on eBay by the time it arrives. I'll keep you posted.

I'm Giving the $50 a Day Auction Challenge a Try

2011-05-19T12:46:00.000-05:00

As I've stated before, the first place I ever earned money writing online was on Associated Content. But the first place that I ever earned money on the internet - period - was on eBay. That was back in 2002. I started selling a few CDs that I no longer wanted. And eventually my husband and I were running a christian bookstore on eBay. We were pretty much clueless about the right way to go about things. But in the beginning we still made a little bit of cash despite our inexperience. However, eventually the bookstore did not seem profitable enough to continue operating it. So we closed our doors in 2004.

But I recently started thinking about eBay again once my residual income streams started to dry up. I enjoyed selling on eBay until it became unprofitable and a big headache. But I know that many people sell there and are quite good at it. So I started doing some research into how I might be able to run a successful eBay business. And that is when I came across The $50 a Day Auction Challenge.

Seriously?
The premise of the challenge is to take the necessary steps so that you can earn approximately $50 a day on eBay from selling books, images, video, and audio that are freely available in the public domain. I have been using PD materials for years to homeschool my children. But the thought never occurred to me that people used these resources to make money! That concept was completely new to me. But it makes sense to do because works in the public domain belong to the public (you and me) and we are free to use them in any way we please.

It's Not Complicated
The Auction Challenge ebook teaches you step-by-step how to set up and run your own successful PD business on eBay (and other auction sites are listed as well). The instructions are very thorough and easy to understand. And there are even videos that you you can access to walk you through several of the steps that you'll need to be successful.

So Far So Good
Right now I am in the phase of my business where I am putting my products together. I have decided to focus on selling compilations of ebooks on topics that are of interest to myself and many others. As soon as I got The $50 a Day Auction Challenge I wanted to start selling products right away. And you pretty much can be up and running within a very short time after reading the book. But in my state you need a resellers license to sell products. I haven't sold physical products in years so I had to reapply for mine and I am waiting to receive it in the mail.

In the Meantime
Since it will take about 2 to 3 weeks before I will be legit, I have set a goal for myself to have 10 - 15 quality projects ready to go by the time my license gets here. I'm already halfway there. I'll keep you posted once I actually start some auctions.

My Opinion of the Ebook so Far
I like how Steve Poke does a great job of explaining what the public domain is and how you can profit from it. Once that concept is explained the book immediately gets down to business, no fluff involved. The one downside is that several of the sites listed for PD works are UK ones and I had difficulty accessing the books on those. But their were enough sites listed that I can use to get me started.

Of course, I will not know the true worth of The $50 a Day Auction Challenge until I actually start selling on eBay. But the steps in the book have given me the confidence to give selling public domain books on eBay a try.

Residual Income has Trickled to Pennies

2011-05-19T11:02:00.000-05:00

In just a few months time the majority of my residual income from writing on the internet has vanished. About 2 weeks ago, eHow finally completely did away with payment for the Writer's Compensation Program. Google made changes a few months back and my adsense earnings dropped to under $1.00 a day. And last month Yahoo Contributor did away with the Featured Contributor program. So the earnings that I reported in January has been reduced down to just a few dollars a month.

But I do not see this as a time to be discouraged. I am so happy that I ACTUALLY made several thousand dollars between 2009 and now, strictly from writing for residuals. And I have learned a lot about how to operate in a profitable way online. I know that money can be made on the internet because I have done it! And I know that I can continue to do it. I just need to change to a different business model that is profitable now and that will continue to be for years to come.

I actually have already started working on doing just that and I will share step-by-step what I am doing to continue to earn money online.

Info Barrel Glitches - Why I'm Not Putting All My Eggs in One Basket

2011-02-04T18:39:00.002-06:00

Photo by Tamás Schauermann

A few days ago Info Barrel updated their site and launched their 2.0 platform. Overall, I like the new interface a lot and I think that it is actually going to make posting articles on IB a lot easier.

Glitch Time
Of course, with most technical changes come some glitches. And to their credit, the admin at Info Barrel has been working diligently to work out the bugs. They even have a thread in the forum where you can list any issues that you are having. And admin is posting all of the bugs in the first post of the thread and also posting when a particular issue has been resolved. So, I feel very confident that IB is working hard to get the site running smoothly again.

I posted a few glitches myself on the thread and am holding off on posting anymore articles until the bugs get worked out. I write my articles in batches and then post them all at the same time. And I didn't realize there were any issues until I went back and tried to edit some of the articles I had just published. But, no biggie. I'll just check the thread on Monday and see if the issues have been resolved.

Adsense Earning Plummeted
Most of the issues are minor as far as I'm concerned. But while on the forum I did read a few posts where people stated that their top earning Info Barrel articles have disappeared from the front page of Google. When I checked Adsense this morning my earning were very low but I didn't think anything of it since it was very early. But after I read those posts I went back and checked my Adsense account again, and sure enough, I had no earnings from any of my Info Barrel articles.

So, I checked Google and none of my articles are showing up there either. Needless to say, this will probably make for a pretty low earnings day for me since currently most of the money that I make on Adsense is from Info Barrel. I have been reminded that it is definitely NOT a good idea to put all of my residual income earnings into one "basket."

Temporarily Moving on to Plan B
I am hopeful that the Info Barrel staff will figure out the issue and that it will be resolved as soon as possible. But in the meantime I am moving on to experiment B, The HubPages Experiment. I will give the details of that one soon. It's funny because I just thought about focusing a bit on HubPages yesterday before I realized that there were issues with IB. Maybe that unction came from the Lord. So, on Monday I'll start working on my HubPages articles and allow time for the Info Barrel issues to get worked out.

January 2011 Earnings from Residual Online Income

2011-02-02T12:10:00.005-06:00

January 2011 is one of the highest earning months that I have had in awhile. Hopefully by being faithful with my Info Barrel Experiment, I will see even higher earning next month.

I will always list my earnings for Yahoo Contributor Network (formerly Associated Content) and eHow although I don't write for them anymore. I don't write for YCN any longer by choice (not worth my time) and I don't write for eHow any longer because they did away with their Writer's Compensation program. Actually, I had stopped writing for them long before that because they treated writers unfairly. But that's over with now.

This year, I am focusing my efforts mainly on Info Barrel and I'm going to see how far I can go with it. Anyhow, without any further ado here are last month's earnings.

Adsense - $109.67 ( combined earnings from Info Barrel, Xomba, Hub Pages, She Told Me, and my blogs)
Chitika - $12.29
eHow - $199.90
Yahoo Contributor Network - $8.65

The money from YCN is always around the same amount. For the first time in several months the Chitika earnings went down by $10. Normally, they're always around $22. eHow usually isn't more than $150. And, this is only the second month in a row in a long time that I have made payout for Adsense in just one month. Hopefully, that trend will continue.

So, I'm looking forward to February and to see how things go. How did you do with your earnings in January. Feel free to leave a comment about your earnings. Or, you can leave a link to a blog post about your earnings if you have one.

Have a blessed day!

I Got Preapproved on InfoBarrel Today

2011-01-24T20:45:00.000-06:00

Well, after publishing 16 articles I was finally preapproved on Info Barrel. That means that I no longer have to wait for my articles to be reviewed before they can go live. I'm not sure if 16 is a good number or not. I have read in the forums that it takes some writers more articles and some less. But either way, I'm happy about it.

I didn't mind the review process that much. I'd prefer my articles get checked and approved up front, rather than looked at after the fact and then deleted. But I have to say that it does feel nice to know that the Info Barrel staff feels that I'm trustworthy enough to fly solo. I hope not to disappoint.

According to Info Barrel, one of the criteria to be preapproved is that your articles need to have diverse subjects. I looked back over mine and this is how the subjects break down:

coupons - 5 articles
health - 2 articles
beauty - 2 articles
music - 4 articles
finance - 3 articles

Those are categories that I just made up. I'm not sure if that's exactly how Info Barrel categorized them or not. But, you get the point.

Here are the official guidelines to get preapproved on Info Barrel. Most of the steps are very easy to accomplish. 1, 2, 5, and 6 are very straightforward. I think that 3 and 4 are probably where people get hung up in the process. But with a little time and effort those challenges can be overcome.

Today was definitely timely in getting preapproved because I recently started my Info Barrel Experiment. And not having to wait for authorization of my articles will allow me to track my progress a little quicker. Speaking of progress, at the beginning of February I will post my January earnings. I plan on doing this each month so I can get an accurate picture of how my Info Barrel Experiment is working.

Make sure to sign up here if you are interested in writing for Info Barrel as well.

Resources

2011-01-23T20:50:00.005-06:00

Here is a list of resources that I use for my online writing. I only recommend resources that are tried and true. And all of them are free except for the ones marked otherwise.

Calendar
U.S Holidays for this Year - This is a great resource if you plan on holiday themed articles. It's a good idea to write those a month or two ahead a time so that the articles will already be in place by the time people start searching.

Do Follow Link Information
Dofollow Sites - good list with a lot of sites

HTML
Using Basic HTML in Squidoo Lenses - This article is written specifically for Squidoo users. But basic HTML works the same on most sites, I think. Anyway, I've used the code for Blogger, Info Barrel, and other sites with great success.

Keyword Research
Live Keyword Analysis - This is a keyword density calculator. I copy and paste my articles into this tool to check the KW density before I post them live.
Nichebot - This is a paid keyword research site but the tutorials alone make it worth the small investment. Plus, over time the income that you generate from proper keyword research should more than pay for the monthly fee.
SEO Chat's Keyword Density Tool - I paste my URL into this tool to check the density after I've already published my article. The density goes down a bit once you publish the article because the other words that are on the page besides your article count toward the total number of words on the page.

Word Processor
Google Docs - I learned the hard way to write and save all of my articles there. That way you will still have them if a site ever decides to delete my work or if the site itself disappears. You can pull up Google Docs on any computer. And it also doesn't insert junk into your articles if you copy and paste them onto a site, unlike Microsoft Word.

My Views on Affiliate Marketing

2011-01-23T20:45:00.002-06:00

I actually have a few things to share about my personal experience with affiliate marketing. More info coming soon. :)

SEO and Info Barrel

2011-01-23T20:42:00.001-06:00

I have a great post coming soon on this topic.

Monthly Income Reports

2011-01-23T20:28:00.001-06:00

January 2011

How Do I Make Money at Home on the Computer?

2011-01-23T20:21:00.000-06:00

Answering Questions
AnswerBunch.com
WebAnswers.com

Online Searches
Swagbucks

Writing
Associated Content
Constant Content
Info Barrel

Contact Info

2011-01-22T21:47:00.002-06:00

You can contact me at Writing For Residuals at yahoo . com.

About Me

2011-01-22T21:41:00.000-06:00

Hi. I am a stay at home mom of 4 who homeschools my children. I became curious about earning residual income in early 2009 and began dabbling in it. This blog is to document my journey of earning passive income online.

I'm Writing for Info Barrel Again

2011-01-22T19:50:00.006-06:00

I was so back and forth in 2010 about what direction I was going to take with my writing. I don't think I've ever vacillated that much in my life. And as a result, the year went by with very little productivity from me. But I have forgiven myself for my indecision and I have come up with a plan that (hopefully) I'll stick with for at least the first several months of this year.

Here I Go Again
I am submitting articles to Info Barrel again. The majority of the residual income that I earn through Google Adsense, after eHow, is from the articles I have posted there. So, it makes since to me to use that site as a vehicle to start earning more residual income online. Admittedly, I was extremely burned out and discouraged after so many of my articles were deleted from eHow in 2009. So, I was reluctant to use another site similar to them. But I'm finally over all of that and I'm back in writing mode.

A Good Sign
Tonight I found this article that is an interview with one of Info Barrel's owners. What Ryan McKenzie said is very encouraging. It was a bit of confirmation that I'm on the right track.

Making Some Changes
I am making a few changes regarding writing on Info Barrel, though. I am changing direction with my keywords. I am now writing articles about subjects that have a higher estimated CPC than what I used to write. This will require more research on my part. But I believe that the benefits will far outweigh the extra effort.

Quality Over Quantity
Also, I am beefing up the quality of my content. Before, I acted on what I now know to be unwise advice and I wrote articles mainly to be clicked into and clicked out of very quickly. Today I am not proud of those articles. But it was my choice to use that advice. However, now I know that quality content is really what's king. I want to write articles that give the reader useful information, whether the end result is monetarily beneficial to me or not. And, I don't want to have to answer to God for not giving my best in all areas of my life.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Col. 3:23 -24 NIV

I'll Just Do My Best
So, that's the game plan. I don't want to set unrealistic goals for myself by saying that I will write a certain number of articles per day or week. Caring for my family and homeschooling the children are my top priorities during this season of my life. It will be great if I can write 30 articles a month. But if it's far less than that then that's great too. The main thing is that I will try to write something or promote my work in some way as much as I am able to.

If you're interested in writing for Info Barrel too then you can sign up here.

Ask a Question Websites - Another Way to Earn Residual Income

2011-01-09T21:10:00.001-06:00

WebAnswers.com... Hmm...
Tonight I found out that you can earn residual income from an ask a question website called WebAnswers.com. There are a few ways to earn money there. One is to post answers to questions. If your answer is chosen as the best then you will receive ad revenue sharing for that page. Also, you can ask questions and receive money from ads clicked on for those pages as well. The third way to earn money from this ask a question website is through their referral program. You will receive 10% of the earnings for each person you refer.

I just signed up for WebAnswers.com tonight so I can not personally speak of the earning potential there.This is another site where you are paid through Google Adsense. So even if you don't earn much, it all counts towards the $100/month you need to get paid by Google. So, it might be worth investing some time into it. Just keep in mind that you cannot add your Adsense Publisher ID number to your account until you've answered at least 10 questions.

AnswerBunch.com is Another Possible Earner
Another site that seems to work a lot like Web Answers is AnswerBunch.com. But it looks like you can only receive earnings from pages where you answer questions. There does not appear to be a referral program at this time. But what makes this ask a question website look appealing is the fact that the minimum payout is only $5 via Paypal.So it may be possible to cash out in a short period of time if you provide some quality answers with good tags that generate traffic.

My Plan for These Two Sites
I have spent a little time tonight looking over the questions asked at these two sites. And really, most of them I don't think I would bother answering. Some of the questions are worded so poorly that I'm not sure what is being asked. And some of the questions seem like they are coming from students trying to get answers to their homework. But I guess it's pretty much like that with all ask a question websites.

When I have some free time I plan on answering some questions (worth answering) and see if there is any earning potential there. It looks like the key to earning is to provide really good answers that get a lot of page views. Because high page views ultimately result in ad revenue.

To Be an Examiner or Not to be an Examiner

2011-01-07T18:06:00.003-06:00

I became the San Antonio Homeschooling Examiner in April of last year. At that time, I was extremely excited about the opportunity. I diligently researched to find homeschooling topics with a local interest. I tried to make sure that most of the events that I wrote about were free, because our family attempts to homeschool as economically as possible. I added interesting pics to my articles and I linked to my other Examiner articles to increase my page views. I published at least three articles a week for two months straight.

Burnout, Baby
Then I was COMPLETELY over Examiner.com. I had written all those articles and had yet to receive payment. But I know that it takes time for residual income to start coming in, so that wasn't really the issue. What was really bothering me was the fact that I was doing so much work to find topics that might help fellow homeschoolers and hardly anyone was reading. So, I felt like I was wasting my time. I did post two more articles in August but I didn't feel compelled to continue on after that.

Finally a Payment
Then in September, I believe, I finally reached the payout amount ($25) and the money was deposited into my Paypal account. But even that didn't make me feel motivated to start again.

Trying to Decide
Yesterday I read this comment on one of my Examiner articles.

. . . looking through your articles I've found things to do for both the young one (and making it fun, so he still feels like he's on vacation!!) and the older kids (19 and 25 and their significant others). So, basically, this is a long-winded and rambling (but heartfelt) thank you!!

Reading that made me start wondering about whether or not I will start writing for Examiner again. I am really leaning towards "yes". At the very least, the articles can serve as a my personal directory of different activities that I can take my own children to throughout the year. I think I'll look at it that way instead of worrying about how many page views I get. And if I do help someone along the way then that's great too.

Why I Write for Associated Content - in No Particular Order

2010-05-19T10:12:00.000-05:00

Associated Content is a website where you can submit articles for payment. You don't have to apply and then wait for approval. You pretty much just set up your account and then you can start writing.

Of course, there are many factors that determine how much you can make on AC. But there are many free tutorials on the site that you can use to learn how to write effectively online.

AC is the first place I ever submitted an article to. And below I have listed the reasons why after 4 years I'm still a contributor there.

1. Loyalty.
I know that this shouldn't really be a reason to write for a particular site. But I have a soft spot for AC since I earned my first dollar ($3 to be exact) there. I've left a few times since 2006 but I always wind up going back.

2. I Pick My Topics.
This one is huge for me. I have written for places before where I have to pick from a list of titles or keywords. Doing the writing felt like completing a high school writing assignment. And I never enjoyed those. On Associated Content I write about what I want. Keywords are important to getting page views. But again, I can write using whatever keywords I find interesting.

3. Being a Featured Writer means more money upfront.
In all the years I've written for AC I never received a $10 upfront offer. In 2006 I got close to that a few times. But over the years the upfront offers have gone down to dismal amounts. But now that I'm a featured contributor for beauty and education I earn $8 - $10 per featured article and I write 3 per month per category. Plus, I have to write one more article in each category that isn't for featured pay.

So, I went from being unhappy with my offers to being very pleased with the fact that I know for sure how much I'll make for at least 6 of the articles that I write each month.

4. I have a creative outlet that pays.
Yes, I know you're reading this on my blog. So AC isn't my only creative outlet. But currently, I'm actually making money by submitting my creativity to AC. I can't really say that about my blogging at this point.

5. They pay quickly.
I don't know what AC's payment schedule is. I just know that I'm always paid within 2 days of my article being published. That is wonderful. Most other sites pay monthly after you reach the minimum payout amount.

You can use the button below to sign up for Associated Content. Once you've set up your account make sure to check out the FAQ section and the forum to learn how to become successful on AC.

Goals for Week of May 17th

2010-05-16T06:00:00.001-05:00

Well, I guess that it's good that I set some goals or I may not have been motivated to do any writing at all this past week. I aimed for 5 Examiner posts and I got 3 done. My goal for AC was 4 - 5 and I completed a grand total of . . . 1.

But it's a new week.

Working to Maximize Blog Carnivals
Right now I submit my AC articles to blog carnivals to boost my page views. But this is starting to seem like a waste of time because it takes several PVs to earn a single cent. However, Examiner seems to be paying 1 cent per page view. So, it makes more sense to submit those posts instead. So, I'm making that change effective immediately.

Revising the Plan
I see now that trying to write 5 AC articles in a week is unrealistic. But I think that 3 is manageable. So, I'll write my 3 mandatory beauty articles this week.

I'm also going to stick with 3 Examiner posts. I don't really know that I have 5 titles in me each week. But I can come up with 3 good ones pretty easily.

Branching Out
I applied to be a featured local contributor on AC but received an email stating that I don't have a large enough local body of work there. I was encouraged to add some articles with a local slant and reapply. I think I'll hold off on that for now. I'm still waiting to find out about the other featured position I applied for.

I am thinking about applying for a 2nd title on Examiner. I found out that the requirements to apply are to: be in good standing, be a regular contributor, have proper grammar and spelling on my current posts, and pass the background check. I'm good on all those points. So now I have to submit 5 titles for possible articles and submit one writing sample.

I haven't applied yet because I'm still trying to figure out if I can make all of my posts local or not. I don't see the value in writing for Examiner if I can't come up with material that will qualify for the local incentive pay. I think trying to keep it local will be tough with the title I have in mind. So, this week I'm going to read other Examiners with that title in other cities and see what approach they're taking with it.

Writing Plan for May 5th

2010-05-09T20:54:00.004-05:00

And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. Habakuk 2:2

I realize that it is not realistic to try to plan my schedule too far in advance since things are always subject to change. But I know that it is still good to have a plan regardless. So this is what I'm shooting for this week.

My Goals for Associated Content
I finished my 3 required featured articles for the education category. So, this week I will write the additional article needed in that category. Then I'll write my 3 beauty articles. And if time permits then I'll write the non-featured beauty article that I have to submit.

My Goals for Examiner.com
I plan on writing the maximum number of local posts this week, which is 5.

My Plan
So, that's 4-5 AC articles and 5 Examiner posts. So, here's the deal. Right now out of necessity I get up at 6 AM. After I take my youngest to the bathroom then I'm going to get ready for the day, pray, and read my Bible. After that I'll spend an hour writing my AC article. That's from around 6:30 - 7:30 AM.

While the children finish up breakfast I'll write and post on Examiner. That usually takes no more than 30 minutes.

While the children finish up lunch I'll edit the AC article.

Then while the younger two are napping and the older two are doing independent school work I'll do one final edit on the AC article and submit it.

Brainstorming
As long as I already have a topic in mind I should be able to follow the plan. I usually think of topics throughout the day. And when I decide which ones I will write about the next day then I try to think of the main points that I want to cover. I used to write all of it down. But now I just think about it for a few minutes before I go to bed.

Yes, I Changed My Mind Again

2010-05-06T11:00:00.007-05:00

Need I say that I have been going back and forth a lot lately about my writing? Previously, I posted two different writing plans that I was going to try. I scrapped the first one thinking that the second one would be better. But after talking with my husband and seriously counting the costs, I have to say that I'm not going to pursue my interest of freelancing for magazines at this time.

Back to that "Not Working Well Under Pressure" Thing
I completely understand that writing for magazines means answering to editors. And I know that I'm not up for that right now. In the past when I wrote under an editor or with strict deadlines I did very poorly. I started to feel the pressure of writing to earn money and it stressed me out. And I didn't give my family my best when I operated that way.

Doing What Works for Me
Writing for online sites like Associated Content gives me the freedom to write what I want when I want. That's what works for me right now. I did apply and get accepted to be a Featured Beauty Writer and a Featured Education Writer on AC. But having an entire month to complete the articles isn't overwhelming for me. Also, I can post articles that I own the rights to over at Constant Content any time I want.

And writing on Examiner has actually been kind of fun. I have to challenge myself to write posts from a local angle. It doesn't really take that long to find out what's going on in town. And I've found out about some educational places that I hope to take my children to one day.

What About the Money?
I have gone back and forth about the issue of making what I'm worth. And I'm back to my original conclusion. I blog about things for free anyway, so why not get paid a little bit from it? Of course, I realize that this mentally may not work for others. But it helps me to remember that I don't have the responsibility of earning a living for my family. That frees me to do the best I can as a wife, mother, and home educator.

Not Doing Affiliate Marketing
I stopped pursuing affiliate marketing before because it made me feel crummy inside. I felt uncomfortable promoting products that I hadn't actually used. I never lied and gave false testimonials. But I still felt weird taking so much time to put together sites, lenses, or hubs for products that I wasn't 100% sure about. And again, I started feeling pressure to "make money". So I quickly fizzled out in the 30 Day Affiliate Blogging Challenge. And hopefully once and for all I'll let the whole "affiliate marketing" thing go.

I have no problem offering my Swag Bucks link because I use Swag Bucks and have gotten over $100 in Amazon gift certificates from them. So, I have no qualms about giving my affiliate link for them or for Amazon or for any other site or product that I actually use.

Keeping my Priorities Straight and Going Slowly
So, I'm going back to looking at writing online as an ongoing journey and not as a money making adventure. I have a couple of hours set aside most days to write and I will make the most of that time. But when that time is up then it's up.

I have added writing to the priorities listed on the right side bar. I keep my priorities there and in my home management binder to help me stay on track.

Going Through the Writer's Digest

2010-04-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

I got the Writer's Digest on Wednesday. It was unreal how much I was anticipating the arrival of that book. Anyway, it's here. I have been reading through it and here are a few random thoughts I have had since I started reading it.

You Can Make Real Money Writing
Of course that statement is contingent on many factors. But some magazines and trade publications pay several hundred dollars per article. And some pay even more than that. That was news to me.

You Have to Be Determined
That's one of the main factors that will determine whether I'll ever get the high pay for my articles. I'm starting to mentally prepare myself now for the inevitable rejection letters. But I feel like if I just keep submitting and putting my best foot forward then I'll eventually get somewhere.

You Have to Just Go for It
Of course, it's important to learn how to write a good query letter or email. And of course being a good writer is important as well. But once all of that has been established I just have to do it. I have to submit. I have to keep submitting. I have to be hopeful. I have to shrug off rejection and submit again.

Poetry May be an Option
According to Writer's Market, poetry isn't really making people that wealthy. But I did find one greeting card company that pays $300 for poetry. If you write poetry then go to Blue Mountain Arts and request their writer's guidelines.

Of course, just because I submit doesn't mean my work will get accepted. But just knowing that it's a possibility makes me want to give it a shot.

Time and Chance Comes to Every Man
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor
the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men
of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth
to them all. Ecc. 9:11

Writing Plan for Examiner.com

2010-04-22T18:06:00.004-05:00

I like writing for Examiner.com. The posts are quick and I can link to my personal blot posts or to articles I have at Associated Content or other places. And the local incentive program is a plus. I also enjoy sharing articles that appeal to other San Antonio home educators.

Writing in Bulk
The articles don't take long to write but I'm trying to think of a way to streamline the writing process. So, I'm thinking about writing all five of my Examiner posts in one day. And then I can just publish one per day. I figure I can knock out a whole weeks worth in just two hours.

Categories
I also think that if I already have categories in mind then that will speed up the writing process since I won't have to brainstorm for what to write about. Here is what I have in mind so far:

field trip
free unit study
homeschool group
a weekend event
homeschool philosophies

I think I'll go with those topics for now. And I'll make Monday my Examiner writing day.

You can also become a writer for Examiner.com. When you sign up make sure to put San Antonio Homeschooling Examiner into the referral field.

Associated Content Again

2010-04-22T16:12:00.003-05:00

Before I said I was no longer writing for AC I had applied to their featured writer program. Well, today I was accepted as a Featured Education Contributor and as a Featured Beauty Contributor. According to the emails I received, I'll be assigned three $8-$10 assignments per month for each category. And I also need to do 1 other article per month that isn't one of the premium ones.

So that means I'm looking at writing 8 articles a month for AC. Let's go with the an average rate of $9 for the assigned articles plus the $3.50 that I've been averaging on regular articles (yes, I know that's low but stay with me). I'm looking at $61/month. That's $7.63 an article.

Hmmm. Still on the low side. But, I'll give it a go for May and see what happens.

Day 1 (Again) of 30 Day BAP Challenge

2010-04-22T16:02:00.005-05:00

OK, I'm a few days into Day 1. Hey, any movement is progress. I just got an acceptance email from Share a Sale. So I'll start working on picking out some products. Hopefully I"ll find something a good product. Otherwise I won't bother.

Day 1 of 30 Day BAP Challenge

2010-04-21T14:02:00.003-05:00

Share a Sale
I actually started day one yesterday but ran into a slight snag. I attempted to sign up with Share a Sale but my account is pending because I don't have an email with my blogging address at the end (i.e. ______@writingforresiduals.com). That's because I'm cheap and Blogger is free. But SAS sent me an email giving me 4 options for verifying that I own this site. I responded to the email today and I'm awaiting approval.

Max Bounty
Max Bounty doesn't let you use a free email account. I just admitted that I 'm cheap. So that one is a no.

Pepper Jam
My Pepper Jam application is being reviewed and it could be up to 48 hours before I hear back.

Never Blue
I don't feel comfortable giving out my phone number to internet companies. Never Blue contacts you directly by phone to complete the sign up process, so that's a no.

So due to extreme caution and extreme frugality, I'm down 2 nos and 2 maybes.