How to Start a Home Based Writing Business 5th Home Based Business Series

How to Start a Home Based Writing Business 5th Home Based Business Series

A front-page byline in The New York Times! A People magazine cover story! A travel assignment in Katmandu! Dream on. “This is a book,” says author Lucy V. Parker, “about commercial writing, business writing, nonfiction writing. It is a book about obtaining practical, often unglamorous assignments that can pay the bills.” Sure, celebrity profiles and investigative journalism can be thrilling, but so can paying the rent. Besides, someone has to write all those newsletters, brochures, press releases, speeches, instructional manuals, and articles for employee magazines. With Parker’s help, you can write a business plan, form a business, market your services, learn what to charge (and how to collect your due), and deal with taxes and contracts. Parker even tells you how to cope with the loneliness inherent in running a solo venture. Hint: online chat rooms are OK, but “people breaks” are better. With profiles of 10 successful professionals from a variety of specialties and a list of 60 key assignments for home-based writers. –Jane Steinberg

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars A mixed bag of advice and information quality
This wouldn’t be the first book that I would recommend for reading by a beginning freelancer. The author presents all potential writing opportunities (e.g., magazine and corporate writing) with equal emphasis, and the result is an overwhelming set of ideas and worksheets that are more likely to confuse newbies than to help them. Particularly baffling to me was the author’s choice of a model business plan, which is much more suitable for a large company than a one-person freelance business. I was also very surprised that the author did not discuss web sites as a critical part of a freelance writer’s promotional efforts. Although commercial web sites may not have been important when the first edition of this book was published, they are essential today — along with blogs and other forms of online marketing that also aren’t covered in this book. And although some of the author’s recommended resources are a bit dated, the book does contain topics, profiles, worksheets, and resource lists that aren’t covered in other freelancing guides and that will be useful to writers who have some experience in working on their own.

5 Stars A completely up-to-date instructional reference
A previous edition of Lucy V. Parker’s “How To Start A Home-Based Writing Business” was recommended by the staff of Midwest Book Review to anyone aspiring to earn a living through their writing as being “A superbly presented, complete-in-one-volume manual. An invaluable user-friendly, highly recommended ‘how to’ guide specifically for freelance writers.” Now in a newly updated and expanded seventh edition, that original assessment has been further strengthened and justified. Featuring a jargon-free, eminently practical, informed and informative text of instruction, advice, and commentary, “How To Start A Home-Based Writing Business” is enhanced with the inclusion of Business-Success Worksheets, Prospect Information Forms, Estimate Forms, Job-Log and Job-Control Forms, a Checklist of Key Client Types, Profiles of Success Stories, Guidelines for Software Selection, Business Resources, and a Source Directory making it a completely up-to-date instructional reference that will prove enduringly valuable to anyone seeking to establish a career writing be it with fiction, non-fiction, or any combination of the two

4 Stars Home Based Writing Business
My writing has become more focused since reading Ms. Parker’s book. It is a detailed work on writing a business plan and planning a business. It guides the reader into his/her specialty and since my writing lacked focused, this book is on point.

3 Stars Good Overview
This book is a very good overview of the business of writing from home. Just don’t expect to see much indepth information here.

A good book for those just starting out and looking for information on the generalities of home-based work as well as some marketing ideas for the writing business specifically.

If your brand new to this area then I highly recommend this book. If you already have a home-based business or know most of the information needed for starting one up then I suggest other more specific books for your writing business.

5 Stars All writers need this book
I love this book! If you ar are writer it will teach you hundreds of great tips. I highly recommend this book-Rick Frishman- Pres. Planned TV Arts (NYC) Co- author GUERRILLA PUBLICITY and GUERRILLA MARKTING FOR WRITERS.

Buy/More Info