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Comment by Lori Lowe on June 22, 2009 at 11:06pm

Nice to see some activity in this group again. I'm currently working on a book, doing blog writing and corporate writing/communications work. Look for me on Twitter @lorilowe. "Friend me" on SI if you'd like to connect. Cheers!

Comment by Elaine Whitesides on June 17, 2009 at 6:11pm

Karen, thanks for the idea and I meant to include you in the greeting on the previous post.
Cheers!

Comment by Elaine Whitesides on June 17, 2009 at 6:10pm

Robby,

It was a good thing finding Smaller Indiana. Not much discourages me from writing. I find myself doing it at different hours and for different reasons. Sometimes I have to move from one thing to another to keep length in check!!

I know there is the section in Writers Market about how much to charge, but having moved from a large metro area (Chicago) to a smaller market in MI (Lansing) and then to Indianapolis, I see how cost of living and pay rates vary.

Two things - one, I am not accustomed to negotiating my pay rate (as a teacher it was scaled like in the military or government) and two, I don't have any feel for a range. Too high is bad, too low is worse. My work would be contracted or sub-contracted so I do have to have some sort of idea.

I think I have a pretty good idea for small niche publications which is another venue I have in the works.

Thanks for all the replies,
Cheers,

Comment by Karen E Farley on June 17, 2009 at 5:36pm

Hi Elaine.
I am new to Smaller Indiana. In the front of the Writer's Market Guide is a "How Much Should I Charge" section. Hope this helps.

Comment by Robby Slaughter on June 17, 2009 at 5:29pm

Hi Elaine---good to see you here on Smaller Indiana!

I would say that there is no such thing as a market rate for freelance writing. So much writing these days is done for free (like this comment) that it's hard to establish a baseline. That's not to say there aren't many professional freelance writers in the city, just that most of the writing you are likely to see online was not done on a specific contract for that piece.

I hope that doesn't discourage you. Keep writing!

Comment by Elaine Whitesides on June 17, 2009 at 4:53pm

Okay, so I admit being astonished with the changes in the business world brought on by the Internet while I was secluded in the Ivory Tower of an elementary school with thirty restless fourth-graders. I also admit being that age where technology and Internet savvy-ness is not instinctual, but more of a skill that must be practiced daily for retention. I used the technology I needed simply to accomplish whatever task was at hand.

But now I have the time and inclination to explore and I often find myself confounded by the sheer volume of it all. No longer can I journal (Yes, I know.) my thoughts but they must be connected somewhere else by some other website, blog, feed, network, whatever! I long for a simple pencil and sheet of cool, clean paper. I fight the temptation to hoard pencils and continue to explore, always looking for others on the same journey.

I am new to Indiana and writing for business and spend a good portion of my time feeling around aimlessly online and getting lost on the roadways. I have several people interested in hiring me to do some writing, but I need to determine what the market pays here. Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

While writing for fun and diversion, I had a column in a MI paper and have published several other pieces in magazines and books, but have never written for websites, blogs, etc., which is what I am being asked to do as I pursue writing more seriously here in Indiana.

Just looking for like-minded souls willing to share their knowledge, insight and love of the lyric world of words.

Comment by Brian Herbert on May 18, 2009 at 4:35pm

Any writers out there looking for some accountability? I am trying to get back on the wagon again (writing wise) and I am looking for an accountability partner to keep me motivated and writing regularly. I have found that writing groups can serve this function, but they very often serve more to socialize and less to keep the words flowing onto the page. If anyone is interested, contact me. I work full-time, am in graduate school full-time, and a father of 3 kids so I am not looking for a huge time commitment. We can even handle things through phone and email for convenience. Just the occasional kick in the pants would be good and I am happy to return the favor. Any S&M writers out there, don't contact me just because of that last sentence. :)

Comment by Anita Martin on May 6, 2009 at 10:44am

New to this group.

I am an amateur writer. I have written/published/distributed my own newsletter a few years ago, however I have not written in quite some time.

I'm looking forward to all of the fresh, creative ideas that I'm sure flow through this group, so that my passion for writing will be renewed.

Comment by Jake Roesler on May 4, 2009 at 2:52pm

I'm looking for a nonprofit advocate with writing skills to become a regular blog contributor. Celebrate Philanthropy Indiana is looking for news, stories and insight about the good happening in Indiana communities. Friend/message me here on SmallerIndiana w/your interest.

Comment by Robby Slaughter on May 1, 2009 at 9:09am

Lynda, I would not suggest reviewing successful cover letters as a tactic to get noticed by publishers. The ratio of winning to losing cover letters is so astronomical, you are not likely to get a meaningful sample. If anything, the writing style in a a successful cover letter will tell you more about the character of that particular author and editor than it will about the magic formula for a cover letter.

Instead, I suggest you get some of the books written by industry professionals explaining what they want in a cover letter. This will enable you to produce a letter that meets their criteria, not your interpretation of their criteria based on a literary post-mortem.

Best of luck!

@robbyslaughter

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