The pay rates for multiple-choice questions that you write for a textbook or a student study guide can vary greatly. I recently answered the following forum question inside the Freelance Writers Den: “I have a potential opportunity to write 250 multiple-choice questions about a topic I know well, but I have no idea how long […]
Does Your Freelance Writing Niche Have Busy Seasons?
Many freelance writing niches have particular times of the year when there’s more work available. You need to determine the seasonal rhythms of your niches so you are front and center of your existing clients and potential clients when it’s time to hand out those choice assignments. Freelance Writing Niche Seasons: Examples Freelance writers who specialize in […]
Writing College Textbook Supplements, Third Edition, Is Here!
I’m pleased to announce the release of the third edition of Writing College Textbook Supplements: Developing Test Questions, Quiz Questions, Instructor Manuals, Lecture Outlines, and Other Curriculum Components. Most long-time readers know that this has been my main freelance writing niche for over two decades. This expanded and completely up-to-date edition details everything a freelance […]
Curriculum Development Companies: College and K-12
Curriculum development companies hire many freelance writers and curriculum developers to create supplements/ancillaries (test questions, lecture outlines, study guides, and much more) for textbooks at the college, high school, secondary, and primary levels. This post is based on Chapter One of my ebook Writing College Textbook Supplements, third edition, which discusses in-depth how to get […]
Major U.S. College Textbook Publishers That Hire Freelance Curriculum Content Creators
College textbook publishers have a great need for freelance writers to develop curriculum components such as test questions, quiz questions, lecture outlines, instructor manuals and student study guides. My ebook Writing College Textbook Supplements, third edition, describes in detail how to create these ancillary materials, and how to get hired by college textbook publishers and […]
New Edition of Writing College Textbook Supplements Coming Soon, Plus a Survey
This summer I’ve been working hard on the third edition of Writing College Textbook Supplements, the ebook that details how to succeed in my main niche, which is creating test and quiz questions, lecture outlines, instructor’s manuals, and student study guides for college textbooks. Already Bought a Previous Edition? Great! You’ll be getting a free copy […]
Your College Textbook Supplements Income: 11 Crucial Factors
You can make a good income writing instructor’s manuals, student study guides, test questions, Internet exercises, and many other types of supplements for college textbooks; I make at least $50 per hour, and often more. However, you have to know the right formula for getting those high-paying assignments from editors, and getting those same editors […]
College Textbook Publisher Financial Health: Pearson Higher Education
Major college textbook publishers like Pearson Higher Education are the ones that hire the vast majority of freelance writers to write supplements and other curriculum components. Pearson Higher Education/Prentice Hall Now it turns out that Prentice Hall, an imprint of Pearson that you are likely familiar with, has given me a lot of work since […]
Revise The Existing Textbook Supplement or Just Redo It?
Many of the textbook supplement projects you’ll do as a freelance curriculum creator involve updating a supplement to reflect changes between an old edition and a new edition. I have several such projects right now. The big question: when should you just revise the existing material and when should you just start over and treat […]
Test Bank Revision Problem I See the Most
I’ve written many thousands of multiple-choice questions, true- false questions, and essay questions in my 20-plus years as a freelance writer for higher education publishers. Frequently I’m hired to revise an existing textbook supplement, often a test bank. This occurs when a new edition of the textbook is issued and test questions have to added, […]
Download My Podcasts About Writing Textbook Supplements
Writing supplemental materials for college textbooks has been my main freelance writing niche for over twenty years. I love the intellectual stimulation, plus I’ve made a decent income that has allowed me to live wherever I want, including three years on Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. This post shares two podcasts… My Interview with the Text and Academic […]
30 Rules for Creating Good Multiple-Choice Questions
Multiple-choice questions are one of the most widely used methods of testing students’ knowledge. If you are a freelance writer for higher education or K-12 companies, you could be creating student assessment questions for a test bank, for a student study guide, or for a student companion website — or you may be a teacher […]
When a Freelance Writer Gets Only Silence from an Editor
One unfortunate aspect of freelance writer/editor relationships is dealing with rejection, and also dealing with silence, which sometimes means rejection but often does not. Here’s an e-mail I received recently from a purchaser of my ebook Writing College Textbook Supplements who was diligently applying my advice on how to connect with editors at textbook publishing […]
How I Chose My Freelance Writing Niches
Choose the best freelance writing niches for your skills and interests and you’ll have a more interesting and financially rewarding career as a freelance writer. Here’s how I chose my niches… Why Focus on Freelance Writing Niches? Because you’ll get a higher rate of return on the total investment of the time you spend marketing […]
My Nightmare Freelance Writing Client
I’m a higher education freelance writer who creates supplementary materials for college textbooks. Here’s my nightmare story about working for an education-content project management company… An Education Content/Project Management Company Contacts Me An editor working at one of the dozens of education content/project management companies finds me on LinkedIn and sends an e-mail. Her company […]
Profitable Freelance Writing for Nonprofits
Many freelance writers don’t give much thought to writing for nonprofit organizations, but some nonprofits pay writers quite well. Here’s my story… Freelance Writing for a Higher Education Nonprofit I’m primarily a higher education writer. I create various materials for college-level textbooks and courses, typically test questions, instructor’s manuals, lecture outlines, student study guides, and […]
How to Get More Freelance Writing Assignments
As productive freelance writers, we want to get many high paying jobs and get them done as efficiently as possible. Winning multiple assignments is a great way to do this. Two Main Ways to Get More Freelance Writing Assignments First, you get multiple assignments for the same topic. In the second, you get multiple assignments […]
My Interview With Carol Tice About Freelance Writing
Last July I was interviewed by Carol Tice of the Freelance Writers Den about my main freelance specialty — writing college textbook supplements and other educational materials — and also about my best productivity techniques for writers. I wrote back then that I’d eventually provide you with the audio interview, and now I’m fulfilling that […]
Just Released — The Second Edition of My Writing College Textbook Supplements E-Book
Most of you who visit ProductiveWriters.com know that my main niche is freelance writing for college textbook publishers. Today I’m proud to announce that I’ve just released the second edition of my e-book that details everything a smart freelancer needs to do to be successful in that niche: Writing College Textbook Supplements: The Definitive Guide […]
Download my Podcast on Freelance Writing for College Textbook Publishers
I had a great time yesterday being interviewed by Kim Pawlak of the Text and Academic Authors Association about how I’ve made a successful career by writing for higher education/college textbook publishers. Right-click here to save the podcast to your computer or mp3 player for later listening. If you are serious about about this freelance […]
