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 […]
