Last week I wrote about Ray Connolly, who is publishing his story in serial form on his blog, and is making it available for inexpensive immediate download. It was his choice to try this little experiment, but other writers are eschewing traditional publishing in favor of the ebook for different reasons.

Sometimes, no matter how good your story, publishers might not be willing to take the risk to publish it. Perhaps it’s too controversial, or they are concerned there may not be enough potential buyers in the targeted niche. In the case of Jennifer Lawler, the story was just too damn sad for any publisher to back it.

“Many of you have also asked why I don’t write a book about my experiences with Jessica. I have. My agent, the indomitable Neil Salkind, has been trying to find a publisher for it since last August. We have received many rejections, mostly on the grounds of ‘it’s too painful; it won’t find an audience.’ ”

“I have never believed that, and your response to ‘For Jessica’ is my validation. People want to read the truth, even if it is raw and makes them cry. They want to be moved, to feel that there is more to life than just another bathroom to clean or a new pair of shoes to buy.”

So she put the manuscript up on e-junkie.

More and more, ebooks are becoming a popular alternative to the long, drawn out process of finding an agent, shopping your book around, and hoping your publishing house sets aside enough cash for decent promotion. In the case of ebooks, you do your promotion yourself, but you eliminate the middleman costs – no 10% to the agent, no paybacks to the publisher. It’s all yours – or maybe you share a little with affiliates who help you with your marketing.

If you are a writer struggling to have your story read, frustrated with the whole agent/publisher setup, why not go it alone? It’s really a lot less scary than the daily rejections from agents and publishers that the average writer receives, and the marketplace will tell you how good your book is.

The Sticky eBook Formula will help you get the book written, formatted, published and marketed in record time. Like Jennifer Lawler, take matters into your own hands and tell your story, no matter how timid the publishing houses might be. They care about their own bottom line – shouldn’t you care about yours?

Darren Rowse is the ProBlogger. In fact, he’s THE ProBlogger! And today he released another fantastic resource for bloggers – The Copywriter’s Scorecard for Bloggers.

Totally ignore the price on the banner – Darren is taking $5 off for the next two weeks and selling it for $9.97, just like he did with 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, which I and many of my readers benefited from.

The Scorecard will help make your blog posts more compelling, plus give you the skinny on SEO to better monetize your blog.

Whether you’re new to the blogging world (Welcome!) or an old hand at it, getting your blog ducks in a row is essential to building the traffic and creating the income you desire from your blog.

Brian Clark of Copyblogger has this to say about Darren’s Latest:

“I’ve built a multimillion dollar business not only by teaching the intersection of blogging and copywriting, but by using it. The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers provides clear guidance on how to put this powerful combination to work for you, too.”

Try The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers and see the difference it can make for your blog.

Kindle, iPad, ebooks, audio books… the way we “read” has changed a lot since Gutenberg. Last week I told readers on Twitter that I was in the middle of an awesome book, Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin: Writers Running Wild in the Twenties. Five of my fellow tweeters bought it via my Amazon link – all of them on Kindle.

Now Kindle is coming to Canada, and book lovers and gadget whores are salivating to get their hands on one. Plus there’s the Sony reader, and Chapters/Indigo has their own version, too.

Ebooks have become big business, as there is little overhead and lots of solid profit. It’s starting to make the big publishing houses nervous that authors are choosing to self-publish and self-promote instead of giving everything over to them.

An article in the Guardian last week caught my eye. Author Ray Connolly has decided to serialize his new book, The Sandman, on his website. Readers who become hooked on the story and want to read the whole thing at once have the option of downloading the book immediately for £5. That same book through a publishing house would be sold in stores for around £12, to cover printing, promotion and profit. In Connolly’s case, he gets all the profit and it costs almost nothing to distribute and promote.

Most of the how-to business manuals I’ve bought in the last few years have been ebooks, too. They’re so convenient – instant gratification, easy to store (no messes – my nightstand is a testament to what happens when there are too many books in the house!), and dirt cheap.

Ray Connolly and Kindle have shown us that books don’t have to be non-fic to have an e-market.

So if you’re one of the millions who have a story built up inside them just busting to be told, this is the right time to tell it. Whether you want to impart knowledge in a non-fiction book, or pull us into a world of your making with a work of fiction, get started writing. Publish online, use your blog, Twitter, Facebook and email to promote it, and keep the profits to yourself. Publishing ebooks no longer has the stigma of “vanity publishing” that it once had – the big guys are paying attention to online publishers who are pulling big numbers.

Sticky eBooks can help you get started with writing, publishing and marketing your ebook. Naturally it’s an ebook, and therefore inexpensive and immediate. See how convenient that is??

As with any kind of book, article or essay, the hardest part is sitting down and just writing the damn thing. All that information, floating around you head, not making any sense… it’s tough. But just sit your ass down and get started. You’ll be amazed at the market out there on the internet, just waiting to download your opus.

I took a well-earned week off to relax and enjoy the heat wave we were having in Toronto. I spent a lot of time on the beach, and gardening in my gentleman friend’s backyard. Bliss. I also spent a lot of time reading, both fiction and non-fiction.

I was pleased to see that Jenn Mattern of All Freelance Writing is starting a book club for freelancers. Summer means that client projects drop off slightly, since so many decision-makers go on vacation. As freelancers and small business owners, we can take this time to hone our craft and better educate ourselves. That’s the sort of important learning that often falls by the wayside when we’re busy meeting client deadlines.

The first book in Jenn’s series is Peter Bowerman’s The Well Fed Writer. This is a book (e-book) I bought last year, and devoured in a weekend. It was one of the rare occasions that I emailed the author and thanked him for providing such a great resource, and he actually wrote me back! That’s the thing I’ve noticed about the freelance writing community – no one is inaccessible. Most writers are happy to help each other out with information, leads, tips and more.

If you want to join the summer book club – or just follow along on your own – grab a copy of  Well Fed Writer today. Consider it a business investment, for Bowerman’s advice is solid.

Click here for more info about Jenn Mattern’s book club series.

Darren Rowse of ProBlogger put up a great post last night about the evolution of his blogging life. From hobby blogger to macdaddy of the blogging world, Darren built his empire one post at a time.

I had to laugh when he revealed that his degree is in theology (would you like fries with that? and bless you!), as it is as helpful in the job market as my lack of post secondary education.

Darren doesn’t just sit around making money and laughing at the little guy – he has spent the last few years dragging the smaller bloggers kicking and screaming into success. He offers his knowledge mostly free of charge over at ProBlogger, proving that his theology degree wasn’t for naught – he’s giving of his own knowledge to help others succeed. He’s spreading the gospel of pro-blogging.

Well, the Book of Darren  – ProBlogger, the book (that’s Darren’s affiliate link, not mine) – is being re-released with updates and new information. After all, the tech world moves at an unprecedented pace. Originally released in 2008, the ProBlogger book is already old news, and Darren felt it was important to update the basic knowledge in the book with the latest technology tips and tricks.

I’ll be honest, I don’t have the ProBlogger book. I’ll probably pick up a copy, but I’m currently swamped with books I need to get through. Books are lots of knowledge crammed into small print on a tightly bound tome. These days I need lists and bullet points in order to absorb anything.

Thankfully, Darren has me covered there, too.

One of the most helpful products I’ve picked up in the past year has been the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook (my affiliate link). Last Spring, Darren had a month-long challenge at ProBlogger which included daily emails, tips, tricks and action points. When it was all over, he took the whole e-course and made an easy-to-follow e-book out of it.

The way I use the 31DBBB book is random. I open it up to any day, and implement the lesson on one of my sites. One day it might be keyword density, the next it might be list posts or guest blogging. Though I don’t use it as a 31 day resource, I refer back to it whenever I need a dose of inspiration for bettering my blogs.

Congratulations to Darren on the 2nd edition of ProBlogging! And if any of you are looking for ways to improve your blogs and increase traffic, pick up a copy of 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook and get started today!

Being a busy freelancer is wonderful. The dream is to make a good living from your freelance writing business, and being busy is a badge of honor.

But are you making time for your own projects?

As long as you are freelancing, you’re still working for someone else. No, it’s not as bad as corporate whoredom in a cubicle cage, but the work you do isn’t for you.

Many freelancers have the goal of creating their own products – info products, e-books, books, etc – and reaching those goals means dedicating time to your own projects.

Recently I’ve spent an hour a day optimizing old, forgotten websites. Does this give me billable hours? No. However, in the long term these sites will pay off – they’re already generating 1/3 more ad income than they were a couple of months ago. Two of them have good affiliate potential, and two of them have room for info products like reports and e-books.

In addition, I have just completed an e-book I began some time ago for one of those sites, and it is just being polished now. Writing an e-book isn’t a sure thing for income, but any income you earn is off your own work for your own products. It’s something you are passionate about – not something you’re being paid to care about, like you do for clients.

Client work is the bread and butter for all of us freelancers, at least in the beginning. But there comes a point where we may want to transition over to working for ourselves, and at that moment, we need to make room in our lives to accomplish those goals.

An hour or two each day. Is that really going to set you behind on your work schedule? Where can adjustments be made?

• Use a DVR to record your favorite show while you work on your project
• Hire a sitter for a couple of hours once a week
• Get the family more involved in household chores and responsibilities
• Wean off low paying clients (especially those that pay little for time consuming work)
• Use a portable voice recorder to keep track of ideas and flesh out passages while you’re on the go

What methods can you incorporate into your freelance writing business in order to make more time for your own projects?

Related: The 14-day e-book challenge starts today! Are YOU ready?

Seems like there’s a bootcamp for everything these days!

Darren Rowse is considering a 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Bootcamp (forget about saying that 3 times fast – I can’t even say it once, slowly). Seems though hundreds have people have recently picked up the 31DBBB workbook, not everyone can make it all the way through without a little motivation in the form of Darren kicking their ass.

Is it necessary? well, apparently for some, it is. Though I found the book to be a great resource even if not completed in 31 days. Just randomly flip to a page and do that one thing, right then and there, and you will see improvements to your blog traffic.

Darren is a macdaddy of blogging, so I snapped up a copy of 31DBBB after having done the online course. I will admit right now: I did not do all 31 days, I did not do them in order, and it took me more than a month. Regardless, I did most of them and saw marked improvement in the function of my blog and my visitor statistics. Perhaps it should have been called 31 TIPS to Build a Better Blog – then people wouldn’t feel so pressured!

I would suggest clicking here to get a copy of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook, and decide for yourself if you need a coach. Whether you go the bootcamp route or not, you will see marked improvement on your blog – Darren guarantees it.

Oh, and you’ll find he refuses to overprice his web products, as many others do. He knows his market well – bloggers don’t like to spend money! So for less than $20, you can get started right away increasing your readership.

Freelance writers often have trouble organizing their workload. Most of us are right-brain thinkers who can’t deal with annoying things like directions, plans or – egad! – math.

So when I saw this post by Jessie Haynes over on All Freelance Writing, I just had to share it.

Even small, simple projects require at least some outlining and proofreading…it will only take a few more minutes and you’ll be sending a more professional piece of work in, rather than something sloppy. Yes, as professionals, we can “get away” with rushing some things or taking a few short cuts, but if we held ourselves accountable, would we? I think that when someone pays you to perform the core competencies of your business for them, you should provide your best work possible. After all, you should be asking for fair compensation for your work, so how about doing the work you’re being paid for!

Jesse includes a few free templates to help you map each writing job from beginning to end. Research, outline, and a checklist for ideas. Go grab them!

In Ali Hale’s The Bloggers’ Guide to Effective Writing, she stresses the importance of all articles having a beginning, middle and end. It seems straightforward and obvious, but many freelance writers struggle to put their ideas in order with a strong opening, an informative middle and a coherent end. If you have ever stared at one of your articles, lost as to why it just doesn’t seem to be gelling the way you need it to, check out Hale’s book.

I suppose things have changed a little since I went to school 20 years ago – notebooks have given way to netbooks, and agendas have given way to the BlackBerry. Still, I like to peruse the aisles at Staples every now and then, just to remind myself that there was something enjoyable about the education process.

School on the other hand was always a horror. In the week leading up to the first day back, my guts would cramp up with fear and tension. I wouldn’t sleep. I would beg, plead and try to cut deals with everyone from my parents to god to the devil just to avoid having to go back.

Things changed when high school was over (in my case it ended rather abruptly with an expulsion at 15 and a GED exam at 16). It was finally in my power to choose my educational path. No longer would I be at the mercy of some state-mandated curriculum, in a class full of people I loathed.

I began to enjoy learning, and I chose to continue. Not with a structured post-secondary curriculum, but on my own. French, history, accounting for small businesses (strongly recommended for everyone), political science, Arabic. Islamic history. Military history. Religion. I never stopped learning. Some courses were structured, others online. Some were one-on-one lessons with experts. I bought and borrowed thousands of books.

Here are some new media-related courses you might enjoy. They vary in length, set-up and price.

MediaBistro: New Media 6-session self-paced course $179

IttyBiz: Online Business School $397

BBC: Intro to Video Production and Microphones for Sound & Radio FREE

Blogs, Wikis and New Media: Full online new media & social networking course FREE

As always, I strongly recommend Ali Hale’s products products – I’m nearly finished combing through The Bloggers Guide to Effective Writing – and Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog.

These are both great e-courses you can take at your own pace.

Ali Hale, author of the Staff Blogging Course (which I loved, because it made me money), has just launched The Bloggers Guide to Effective Writing (which no doubt will also help me make money).

Ali Hale has turned blogging for clients (businesses, individuals, corporations) into a career, and her Staff Blogging Course helped me get started to do the same. I love blogging, and I wanted to make money doing what I loved.

With The Bloggers Guide to Effective Writing, Ali continues the lessons learned in Staff Blogging Course and builds on them. It takes and average writer and turns him or her into a great writer. An effective writer.

An effective writer gets the message across simply and efficiently. An effective writer can write an excellent message to blog readers without spending forever hemming and hawing over every semicolon. An effective writer writes what readers want to read.

For $29, The Bloggers Guide to Effective Writing will give you:

An 82-page ebook with fifteen chapters, which include the following:

• Why Good Writing Matters
• Coming Up With Ideas
• Writing At Different Stages
• Writing a Series of Posts
• Using Images
• Polishing Your Posts

PLUS: Templates for fast, effective blogging, AND, $10 off the Staff Blogging Course – did I mention I made money with it? So that means the Staff Blogging Course will only cost you $9. That’s right – nine bucks for a course that I made over $1000 with last year.

If anyone needs me, I’ll be curled up reading The Bloggers Guide to Effective Writing this weekend.

Click here to view more details about The Bloggers Guide to Effective Writing by Ali Hale.