The Latest From AngelaHoy.com

by Angela Hoy

This article may be reprinted/redistributed as long as the entire article and bio are included.

The next time you see someone seeking writers for no pay, don’t hesitate to respond to their lame excuses for non-payment!

10. We’re a non-profit…

Non-profit doesn’t mean you don’t make any money. It simply means you have to spend it before the end of your tax year. The utility companies, web hosting firms and even printers don’t give their services for free to non-profit publications. Why should writers be asked to do so?

9. We can give you great exposure!

Any publication that is new and can’t afford to pay writers isn’t going to offer writers any exposure. Likewise, anyone who’s been around awhile who doesn’t have any ad revenue (the main reason they can’t afford to pay for content) is also too small to offer any exposure. If you have an impressive circulation, you can afford to pay writers.

8. Lots of editors read our magazine…

Editors are NOT looking in other publications for writers, especially non-paying publications! They can hardly keep up with their own slush piles as it is. Please don’t insult writers by trying to trick us into believing this common deceptive tactic.

7. We aren’t looking for “writers”, we’re looking for “hosts” (or “contributors”, etc.)

Hosts that write are writers…and those writers have families to feed just like everybody else. Twisting words around to try to fool writers only insults writers.

6. This will look great on your resume!

The real magazine editors know which publications don’t pay. And they don’t want to pay a writer who’s been giving their work away for free. Why should they pay for what others are getting for free? And, writing for free devalues a writer’s worth. Editors know…you get what you pay for.

5. Free stock/stock options to all contributors!!

I’ve never met a writer who traded their services for stock options that ever amounted to anything more than just a piece of cheap paper in a desk drawer. Companies that have no money have worthless stock. And, companies that have no working capital quickly fail. All their “stock option” victims walk away with nothing.

4. We are a prestigious publication and it’s an honor to write for us.

Prestigious publications have WORKING CAPITAL from which they pay their writers.

3. We are a literary magazine and therefore don’t pay writers.

Just having the word literary in your product description or name doesn’t give you license to scam writers out of their much-needed pay. If you can’t afford to pay writers, you shouldn’t be in business.

2. Writing is easy! Why should anyone expect to get paid to write?!

If you think writing is so easy, why are you asking me to write for you? Please, go ahead and write it yourself and then tell me how “easy” it is to research and write compelling, factual and educational or entertaining copy for publication.

And what’s the number 1 excuse offered by non-paying pubs?

We can’t afford to pay writers…

You paid for your computer, your electricity, your phone line, your Internet connection, your software, your website hosting service…heck, you even paid for that coffee steaming next to your computer. If you’re paying everybody else, why should you expect me to work for you for free?

Angela Hoy publishes WritersWeekly.com, the free marketing emag for writers featuring new freelance jobs and paying markets every Wednesday. Subscribe at: http://www.writersweekly.com

This article may be reprinted/redistributed as long as the entire article and bio are included.

by Angela Hoy

I used to think I had seasonal book selling fluctuations all figured out. November and December were always pretty busy because of the holidays. Things would drop off in January and February. Revenues would pick up in the Spring, but drop off in July and August when people were on vacation. They’d pick back up again in September because school would be back in session and people would be getting back to business, and so on.

Major news items like 9-11, the start of the Iraq war, and even the recent hurricanes affected us, but in a very minor way and for only a day or so.

But, this summer, all my theories were proven wrong. August, previously and consistently one of the slowest months of the year, was our biggest month in the history of the company. And, September is looking like it just might surpass August. I’m dumbfounded and I can’t explain it. Perhaps people are more confident in the economy than they have been in the past few years. Maybe people have more money to spend right now. I don’t know and I probably never will.

A common assumption some authors have is that, when sales of their book drop, interest in their book has stopped. Too often, I see authors aggressively market their book and then stop at the first sign of lower sales. This is a huge mistake. There are fluctuations in every industry and they’re often caused by seasonal factors and the economy, not necessarily on one product’s current popularity, or lack thereof. If you notice a drop in sales of your book, don’t stop marketing your book to the masses! If you continue to market your book, you’ll notice an increase in sales, and another decrease later on, and another increase after that.

These fluctuations are common in all industries. And, while it’s hard to determine exactly why 100 people will buy a book one month and only 5 the next month, followed by 80 sales, 140 and then 10, there are reasons…and sometimes it’s impossible to find those reasons.

What I do know is that if your marketing efforts are constant, your sales will go up and down, but they won’t go all the way down. Never let a dip in sales tempt you to give up on your book!