A Writer’s Guide to the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
Have you ever heard a writer referred to as a “brother of the quill?” Do you ever wonder where the term “kick the bucket” came from? Or how about the origin of words like punk or fly? It may surprise you to find out that these terms, along with many other commonly (and not so commonly) used slang actually originated back in the 1700s. According to this fas...
September 25, 2019 READ MORE
Rewriting: What to do when you have to rephrase someone else’s words
One of the things freelance writers are often called upon to do is rewriting. That is, they’re charged with finding new ways to present information that’s already been written about elsewhere – sometimes because the original format is not suited for the target audience and sometimes to avoid copyright infringement. This isn’t always easy. Sometimes, the source m...
September 19, 2019 READ MORE
Amazing Foods That Help You Write Well
As writers, our greatest tools are our minds. And when our minds are not functioning properly, our ability to produce quality work is greatly affected. While things such as getting enough sleep and reducing stress are important for our brain function, equally important are the foods that we are eating. But, what foods are the best choices to help nourish both our bodies...
September 17, 2019 READ MORE
Thou Shalt Not Remove Buildings by Writing on Them and Other Strange Laws
There is a proverb that states that the pen is mightier than the sword. And I am sure that many writers would agree with that sentiment. Apparently the state of Maryland feels strongly about it, too. So strongly, in fact, that they seem to think the pen is mighty enough to remove a building, simply by writing on it. The law actually states that a person may not deface,...
September 11, 2019 READ MORE
Why we procrastinate when we have an approaching writing deadline
Have you ever had a deadline you needed to meet, but found yourself doing anything and everything, except for what you are supposed to be doing? You know you should be writing that final chapter of your book that is due in a few days, but instead you are making yourself busy by cleaning out your closets. Yep! Procrastination. We are all guilty of it at some point(s) in ...
September 5, 2019 READ MORE
Time Zones Cheat Sheet For Writers
As a writer who works remotely, and occasionally travels for different genealogy and family history projects, calculating time zones is always an issue for me. I live in the Mountain time zone, but the majority of the writers I work with go by Central time. And with clients all over the world, scheduling conference calls can become quite challenging. Thanks to one o...
September 3, 2019 READ MORE
11 Weird Habits That Writers Can Relate To
We writers are a funny breed. I don’t know if it is the fact that a lot of us work from home, and spend most of our time in the sole company of our own imaginations (and a strong cup of coffee), or if it is because our livelihoods depend on our ability to find the inspiration to put words to paper (which is not always easy to do, when you’re staring at a computer sc...
August 29, 2019 READ MORE
Have you read a memoir lately? Chances are good that you have, or at the very least you’ve noticed a few making a splash on the best seller lists. Everyone from political figures to pop stars and even ordinary everyday people seem to be writing one these days. Maybe you’ve considered writing one yourself. But what exactly is a memoir? Who would even read it anyway? ...
August 27, 2019 READ MORE
How to Write Business Emails that Sound Friendly
In today’s technologically advancing world, email has become the official choice for communication within businesses. The lack of face-to-face communication can cause a lot of issues and misunderstandings, though. Because of this, it is important that business emails convey a clear message, elicit the desired response, and, above all, not offend in any way. But ho...
August 22, 2019 READ MORE
8 Incredible Stories To Inspire Writers
Anyone who has ever tried to publish a book knows that being an author is not for the faint of heart. Getting a reputable publisher to even look at your book can be a challenge, and finding one to represent you can seem impossible. Unless you are an A-list celebrity or a millionaire heiress, getting your book published takes a lot of hard work and a good amount of pure ...
August 20, 2019 READ MORE
Is Your Favorite Writer an Undercover Ghostwriter?
If you grew up in the late 1980s or early 1990s, you are almost certainly familiar with the insanely popular teen book series, The Baby-Sitters Club. But, did you know that the books in that series were not all written by Ann M. Martin (who is credited as the author on all of the books)? It turns out that many of The Baby-Sitters Club books were actually written by Pete...
August 8, 2019 READ MORE
Enhance Your Writing With These Great Descriptive Foreign Words
Language is a fascinating and beautiful thing. As a writer with a passion for learning foreign languages, I am always on the hunt for perfect descriptive words in any language. Throughout my many travels, and attempts to learn languages along the way, I have found that there are some great words and phrases in other languages that simply have no equivalent in English. ...
August 6, 2019 READ MORE
Library Bucket List for Writers
It has been said that the very best writers in the world learned their craft by reading the works of other great writers. After all, just as you could never truly learn a language without hearing it, it is impossible to know what good writing looks like without reading it. And what better place to read than a library full of books? Not all libraries are created the sam...
August 1, 2019 READ MORE
Unique Museums Writers Can Appreciate
As writers, we have a great appreciation for the arts. Be it the art of the written word, visual arts such as painting and photography, or musical arts and dancing—we just love creative expressions! But, is all art beautiful or good? The answer to that question can be found in the basement of the Somerville Theater in Sommerville, Massachusetts. Although currently ...
July 30, 2019 READ MORE
Famous Artists Who Moonlight As Ghostwriters
It’s no secret that there’s a ton of money in the music industry. In fact, two musicians (Jay-Z and Diddy) recently made it onto the Forbes Top 10 Wealthiest Celebrities list. It takes a lot of hard work (and luck) to get even close to that kind of success, though. And just like with any profession, most musicians spend years paying their dues and working their way...
July 25, 2019 READ MORE
6 Free Templates to Get Your Blog Started
Blogging is hard. There! I’ve said it. For some people, the idea of sitting down and writing a blog from scratch seems incredibly daunting. For starters, how do you choose a topic to write about? And how do you format your blog so that it keeps your readers engaged throughout? These are things that even the most seasoned writers struggle with. So, why bother w...
July 23, 2019 READ MORE
How Google Followed Me Through My Travels For Genealogy Research
I have been very fortunate in the past few years to have had several writing projects that have allowed me to travel. From doing genealogy research in Scotland, England, and Germany to doing interviews in Mexico for a nonfiction ghostwriting project, my passport has gotten quite a lot of use. One side effect that I have discovered from working in so many different ...
July 18, 2019 READ MORE
Best Ways To Use Your Company Wiki
For some, the term wiki conjures up images of an online encyclopedia. For others their first thought is of leaked documents, exposed government secrets, and confidential information. The word itself is actually a Hawaiian term that simply means quick. But, if you have a business with offices in multiple locations, or you utilize remote workers, you should get to know the w...
July 8, 2019 READ MORE
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): What are They and Why Do We Need Them?
Just about any business that relies on procedures being done the same way, by different employees, can benefit from having well written SOPs. Companies or organizations that must ensure customer safety are fairly obvious examples of the need for standard operating procedures. Health care organizations, automobile manufacturers, and government entities like the FDA and ...
July 5, 2019 READ MORE
Inspirational Thoughts from 35 Writers to Improve Your Nonfiction Writing
Even the most seasoned writers have days when they lack drive or just can’t seem to come up with new and fresh ideas to put on paper. During those moments when writer’s block feels like it is never-ending, it always helps to have a bit of motivational inspiration from authors who have made it big in the writing world. From poetic advice to quotes from world-famous ...
July 3, 2019 READ MORE
10 Ways for Writers to Avoid Distractions and Improve Productivity
Do you ever sit down to work, only to realize hours later that you have gotten very little done? You feel like you have been busy all day, yet you have not made much progress in the manuscript you are writing, and have not even started the newsletter you are supposed to send out. If you answered yes, you are not alone. With the ever growing and changing presence of ...
July 2, 2019 READ MORE
What Nonfiction Writers Can Learn From Fiction
Have you ever read a fiction book that you just couldn’t put down? The author probably used some techniques to make it a page-turner. The thing is, while fiction books are known for keeping people up all night because they have to get to the end, nothing says that a nonfiction book can’t be just as engrossing. But if you’re going to write a nonfiction book that pe...
July 1, 2019 READ MORE
What is the Difference Between a Nonfiction Ghostwriter and an Editor?
With so many different terms used in the process of writing a book, it’s easy to see how someone might get confused. In our previous blog, we explored what a ghostwriter is and what they do. But, how does their job differ from that of an editor? And can a ghostwriter and an editor be one in the same? First, let’s definite exactly what an editor is. An editor i...
June 28, 2019 READ MORE
The Dos and Don’ts of Email Greetings
In this day and age, it is not unusual to communicate with a client almost entirely by email. Emails are a quick and easy way to relay messages and keep track of important information. Figuring out how to start an email (especially when you are sending it to someone you don’t know very well) can be a bit of a challenge, though. You don’t want to come off as too i...
June 27, 2019 READ MORE
150 Surprising Facts About Famous Writers
It’s no secret that many writers have led very interesting lives. After all, the fascinating themes for their books have to come from somewhere! But, did you know that Irish novelist, James Joyce, was fluent in five different languages? Or that Mary Shelley was only 18-years-old when she started writing Frankenstein? How about the fact that before Louisa May Alcott...
June 19, 2019 READ MORE
Is Screenless Internet the Future of Writing?
It’s hard to remember a time when computers were tied to dial-up land-lines, and cell phones were devices used solely for the purpose of making calls. In fact, it seems that nowadays, everywhere you look, people are shackled to their internet-enabled cell phones, tablets, or laptops. With ever-evolving technology, the dream of working remotely has become more and mor...
June 18, 2019 READ MORE
9 Great Nonfiction Books for Your Book Club
With the popularity of book clubs once again on the rise, more and more people are searching for the perfect, discussion-worthy books. While it’s easy to defer to the classics of authors such as Shakespeare, Jane Austin, and Charles Dickens, nonfiction books are a great way to shake things up and provide some real-life, thought-provoking material. These 9 t...
June 14, 2019 READ MORE
The Writer’s Art of Eavesdropping
I’m nosey. I’ll be the first to admit it. But, when you spend multiple hours each day in a public coffee shop, it’s hard not to be. As a writer whose home office is frequently overrun with noisy kids, I do a lot of my work from my favorite Starbucks. It’s really the perfect setting. I get free refills on my coffee (which every writer knows is a necessity), and h...
June 13, 2019 READ MORE
Formatting your book for publication: So many choices
The Digital Revolution has had a disruptive effect on many businesses, and publishing has certainly not been immune. With the advent of desktop publishing software and online self-publishing options, there is now plenty of room for aspiring authors to put their own books together and make a splash on the market without ever signing a contract with a major publishing house....
June 12, 2019 READ MORE
The Truth About Emotional Spoilers For Books and Movies
When Avengers: Endgame premiered in theatres throughout the country, there was a huge uproar about people spoiling a major plot twist. Those who were not able to see the movie on the night it premiered felt like they were cheated when the death of a certain well-loved hero was revealed by their friends on social media. Spoilers like this are a common thing when it come...
June 11, 2019 READ MORE
How to Test an SOP Before Rolling It Out
If you’ve recently completed a Standard Operating Procedures document (SOP), you may be tempted to roll it out without testing it. After all, you put a lot of hard work into it, right? And there’s no way you made a mistake by failing to recognize a skipped step or issuing unclear instructions. But the truth is, it happens all the time. You see, when we get too close...
June 10, 2019 READ MORE
Copywriter Q&A: Carissa Lamkahouan on the Art of the Pitch
Carissa Lamkahouan has two decades of professional writing experience and has been published in a wide range of newspapers, magazines, and online publications. At The Writers For Hire (TWFH), Carissa is our in-house authority for all things journalism. In this installment of our Copywriter Q&A series, we talked about the process of pitching an article. Carissa’s ...
June 7, 2019 READ MORE
Nonfiction Writers Who Prove That Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction
It has been said that truth can be stranger than fiction. But, there are some nonfiction authors who take that idea to the extreme with their unbelievable true life stories. In a quest to find the most incredible nonfiction stories, the writers at Off the Shelf sat down with author, Sara Gran, and compiled a list of some of the most engaging nonfiction books out there....
June 6, 2019 READ MORE
Essential Questions to Ask Before Starting Your Non-Fiction Book
According to an article published in the New York Times, 81 percent of people say they feel they have a book in them and want to write it. Another statistic floating around the internet is that 97 percent of people who start a book don’t finish it. I can’t find the original source for that statistic, but I wholeheartedly believe it. Why? Because writing a book is ha...
June 5, 2019 READ MORE
12 Little-Known Punctuation Marks to Make Your Writing More Interesting
It is common knowledge that most sentences end with a period. We are all familiar with the often overused exclamation mark, and we all know that question marks help indicate that a phrase is interrogative. But, have you ever heard of an “interrobang?” How about a “certitude point?” This fascinating article from Readers Digest introduces 12 little-known punct...
June 4, 2019 READ MORE
While the finale of the Game of Thrones left many fans feeling upset and disappointed, there is one thing that we can all agree on: Ser Davos being dubbed “Master of Grammar” by Bronn was pure magic! As writers who are frequently accused of being “grammar police,” we found this title to be perfectly fitting. And, it turns out we are not the only ones. Ever s...
May 31, 2019 READ MORE
How to Successfully Self-Edit Your Nonfiction Book
Your book draft is finally finished! Congratulations! Give yourself a pat on the back and a much-needed break—at least for a few days, anyway. You accomplished something most people will never do! But the work isn’t over yet. It’s time to move on to the next stage of the process—the editing. What’s the difference between editing and proofrea...
May 30, 2019 READ MORE
5 Reasons Nonfiction is Important for Children
We all know that learning to read is an important step in brain development and language acquisition. Whether it be a novel or a fashion magazine, reading of any kind helps us to understand the world we live in and learn how to function in everyday life. Unfortunately, though, there are many countries in the world where learning to read is a luxury, reserved for only th...
May 29, 2019 READ MORE
MANAGING THE RFP PROCESS — BEST PRACTICES FOR WRITING PROPOSALS
Congratulations! The RFP seems like a perfect fit. Your company has decided to submit a proposal, and you’re the project lead. Whether you’re managing the process in-house or working with a team of professionals like The Writers for Hire, here are some tips to help you maneuver the process successfully. FIRST, DO YOUR HOMEWORK Read the RFP from top to bottom, end...
May 28, 2019 READ MORE
How to Schedule Your Nonfiction Book Project In 4 Easy, Practical Steps
Now that you’ve decided to write a book and have identified your book’s angle, the real work begins! Make this work easier by using the four steps below to create a clear schedule for your project. Schedule Your Book Project in 4 Steps Step 1: Identify what needs to be done and how long it will take There can be many variables involved when deciding on t...
May 27, 2019 READ MORE
8 Great Ways To Find Time To Read
You wish you could read more, but you just can’t seem to find the time. Does this sound familiar? According to this article from Harvard Business Review, you actually do have time to read. In fact, a study done by the University of California shows that the average person is actually reading more than 100,000 words per day. The trick is, though, to stop readin...
May 23, 2019 READ MORE
How to Effectively Roll Out an SOP
Rolling out a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a big deal. You are, after all, changing the way employees handle the processes in your company. A successful SOP rollout includes testing the SOP and troubleshooting it, training your employees, and updating it as needed. As complicated as the process can be, nearly every growing company occasionally has to c...
May 22, 2019 READ MORE
In Writing, The Adverb Is Not Your Friend
If you ever played Mad Libs as a kid, you probably have a fond recollection of adverbs. They are the words (usually ending in -ly) that modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs: slowly, contemptuously, angrily, mysteriously… Well, according to famous horror author, Stephen King, adverbs are NOT our friends. In fact, King believes that adverbs, like the passive voic...
May 21, 2019 READ MORE
Lost in a thicket: How to avoid overwriting
In 1964, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart acknowledged that certain words and concepts – in this case, pornography – were difficult to define in a precise manner. He hastened to add, though, that he could rely on his gut feeling, declaring: “I know it when I see it.” Likewise, defining overwriting is not simple. It’s a phenomenon that readers encounter oft...
May 20, 2019 READ MORE
Finding the Best Angle for Writing Your Nonfiction Book
Whether you’re writing a how-to, biography, memoir, or even a family history, you want your nonfiction book to stand out and be successful. And, most importantly, you want it to be interesting and enjoyable to your target audience. One of the first steps on the road to crafting an engaging, enjoyable, informative nonfiction book is to find a great angle for your book...
May 17, 2019 READ MORE
A Flashback to 1993 and the Information Superhighway
I belong to that technologically in-between generation. The first half of my childhood I spent time locating library books using card catalogs, calling my friends using our home’s land line, and learning to type on an electric typewriter. By the time I reached middle school, though, computers had taken the place of typewriters. And by high school, most households had an ...
May 16, 2019 READ MORE
Beyond Books: How a Ghostwriter Can Help with Any Writing Project
Ghostwriting isn’t just for celebrities or high-powered CEOs looking to publish their autobiographies, memoirs, or advice. While it’s true that many ghostwriters do specialize in writing books for the famous and wealthy, it’s a myth that ghostwriting is strictly for celebrity tell-alls or corporate memoirs. There are plenty of ghostwriters out there who specialize in...
May 15, 2019 READ MORE
7 Unusual Ways To Improve Your Writing
As with every form of art, we writers are constantly working to improve our craft. From reading the works of great writers to attending writing workshops and checking out the latest and greatest grammar rules and regulations, we try very hard to stay at the top of our writing game. In our never-ending search for interesting new ways to help us grow as writers, we ca...
May 14, 2019 READ MORE
Preparing to Write Your Family History Book: How to Draft an Outline and Organize Your Research
If you are like many people tackling the project of writing your family history book, you probably have a mountain of old paper documents, photos, and information you printed from online sources. Does this sound familiar? You know the hard copy of the family tree on your mother’s side is around somewhere, but it might be buried beneath the notes you took while ...
May 13, 2019 READ MORE
Designing an Effective Editorial Calendar You Can Stick With – Part 2
In Part 1 of this blog, we shared some strategies and best practices for creating an editorial calendar that you’ll actually want to use. In this installment, we’ll continue the discussion by taking a look at some common stumbling blocks to avoid in the process. We’ve identified seven common pitfalls that can derail even the most carefully planned editorial calend...
May 10, 2019 READ MORE
2019’s Best Productivity Tools For Writers
One of the biggest challenges that writers face is time management. We often have several projects going on at once, which can leave us feeling like we are running around like a chicken with its head cut off. While there are many different productivity tools out there that promise to help with time and task management, many of them end up being more time consuming and ...
May 9, 2019 READ MORE
Designing an Editorial Calendar You Can Actually Stick With – Part 1
Are you new to content creation? Having trouble keeping tabs on projects with multiple deadlines and lots of moving parts? Still looking for a good way to organize all your projects? Designing an easy-to-use, effective editorial calendar is the key to creating consistent, successful content for yourself, your business, or your clients. It might also be the key to keepin...
May 8, 2019 READ MORE
33 of the Best Free Font Downloads for Writers
As writers, we are generally limited in the fonts that we can use. While a fancy font may seem more fun and exciting than the basic Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri, we have to be sure that the fonts we use can be easily read and understood. Every once in a while, though, we have the opportunity to color outside the lines and use a font that has a bit more pizzazz. O...
May 7, 2019 READ MORE
Copywriter Q&A: Jennifer DeLay Talks Cultural Differences and Editing Work By Non-Native Speakers
At The Writers For Hire (TWFH), our client base includes companies from all over the world. We love meeting and working with clients from other cultures – but collaborating on English-language writing projects with non-native speakers can definitely be challenging. In this installment of Copywriter Q&A, the talented, multilingual Jennifer DeLay explains how to ...
May 6, 2019 READ MORE
15 Great Nonfiction Books You Can Read In A Day
Reading, in general, has a lot of benefits. And the benefits to reading nonfiction are even greater. For one, nonfiction books can teach you valuable life lessons and ways to deal with adversities in your own life. Nonfiction books can also help to expand your vocabulary and improve your concentration. But, let’s face it; sometimes it’s hard to find the time i...
May 3, 2019 READ MORE
How Your Language Is Shaped By The Places You Have Lived
It’s common knowledge that if you are from New York or New Jersey, you have a particular accent or way of talking that’s stereotypical of the region. And if you are from Georgia or Alabama, your slow drawl is certain to give your southern roots away. But, did you know that the actual words you write or say (as well as the way you pronounce those words) can not only...
May 2, 2019 READ MORE
8 Great Movie Adaptations of Memoirs
If you are anything like me, you cringe when you find out that your favorite memoir is being made into a movie. It’s not that there are no good film adaptations of memoirs out there—it just seems that, for some reason, they are hard to come by. Maybe it’s because the story-line and emotions of the subject get lost in translation when being converted from first-per...
May 1, 2019 READ MORE
The Great Reading Debate: E-Readers Vs. Paper Books
I love the smell of a new book. The sound the fresh, crisp paper makes when you turn the page. The feeling of the book’s weight in my hands. The knowledge that those 500 pages filled with raw emotions and heart-stopping suspense are all mine to unfold. To me, there is nothing better than a full bookshelf (or, better yet, a library or book store full of books). Th...
April 30, 2019 READ MORE
15 Writers Who Prove That Life Is Stranger Than Fiction
As Mark Twain famously said, truth is stranger than fiction. While that may not ring true for everyone, it seems that many writers and other creative types, such as Twain, have led some pretty fascinating lives. This entertaining blog from bachelorsdegreeonline.com dives into the lives of 15 famous writers whose lives have been more interesting than fiction. From Ernest...
April 29, 2019 READ MORE
14 Top FAQs About Ghostwriting and Hiring A Ghostwriter
Some people might not know this, but many famous books were actually written by ghostwriters and not by the authors listed on the book. The French classics of Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, are said to be collaborative works done with ghostwriters. After the death of author V.C. Andrews, ghostwriters were hired to continue her work...
April 26, 2019 READ MORE
TWFH Team Reveals Our Favorite Nonfiction Books
Every writer knows that the key to honing their craft is to read, read, and then read some more. After all, the only way to know what good writing looks like is to study the works of good writers. So, in order to find out where our writers get their inspiration, I sat down with some of the team from The Writers For Hire, to find out what nonfiction books are on their �...
April 25, 2019 READ MORE
Words That Were Brought To Us By World War I
Language is a fascinating and ever-evolving thing. It has been said that the average person speaks upwards of 16,000 words per day. And the average book is somewhere between 50 and 100,000 words long. Yet, we rarely stop to think about the words we use and how they came to be. In honor of the 100th anniversary of World War I, CNN published this thought-provoking ...
April 24, 2019 READ MORE
The 15 Biggest Mistakes Male Authors Make When Writing Female Characters
One of the biggest challenges for a writer is the task of trying to authentically write from the perspective of the opposite gender. After all, it is nearly impossible for a woman to know exactly how a man would feel in a certain situation, and vice versa. While there are definitely some authors who are well skilled at capturing the opposite sex, some are infamously kn...
April 22, 2019 READ MORE
How To Pitch Your Nonfiction Book To The Right Publishers In 4 Easy Steps
You’ve put your heart and soul into your book, and it is a great achievement to celebrate! But now that you have it completed, what do you do with it? Your book is written and edited to perfection…now what? Most likely, you will want to get it published and have it become successful, whether to help you establish yourself as an expert, teach others, entertain, or bu...
April 19, 2019 READ MORE
How to Create a File-Naming System that Works
If you needed to find a specific document on your computer, in less than a minute, could you do it? Consider this scenario: You are sitting at your desk, hard at work on your team’s latest project, when the boss walks in with a panicked look on her face. She needs the final version of a new-business pitch for a former client that was written before you joined the comp...
April 18, 2019 READ MORE
Amazon Author Rank: The What, the How, and the Why of This Pursuit
Amazon Author Rank is a listing of the top 100 titles overall or the top 100 titles in a browsing category. A book’s “Product Details” section is where it lists its Amazon Bestsellers Rank. A #1 means that the title is selling more copies than any other in that category, on that storefront. You see, this internet giant has localized storefronts around the g...
April 16, 2019 READ MORE
What Have You Learned Today? How Learning New Things And Writing About Them Can Improve Your Health
It has been scientifically proven that learning something new every day can improve both your brain function and your overall well-being. After all, our brains are muscles, and just like all other muscles, they must constantly be used and strengthened. Whether it be through learning a new language or working on becoming a better writer, it is imperative that we keep ...
April 15, 2019 READ MORE
Use the BOSS System to Save Time and Reduce Frustration When Writing Your Next RFP
Writing a Request for Proposal (RFP) doesn’t have to be stressful. No really, stick with me. Some corporations and all governmental agencies issue RFPs when they are looking for a company to fill a need. For example, a city may issue an RFP when they need medical staffing companies to create and bid on emergency operation plans in case of a natural disaster. Or a corp...
April 12, 2019 READ MORE
Copywriter Q&A: Suzanne Kearns Talks the Ins and Outs of E-Book Publishing
The Writers For Hire (TWFH) team member Suzanne Kearns is our very own e-publishing guru. She’s written and ghostwritten more than a dozen e-books and her extensive list of published works includes a variety of genres, from how-to and business books to Christian fiction. In this installment of Copywriter Q&A, Suzanne answers all of our burning e-book questions an...
April 11, 2019 READ MORE
Pen Names and The Famous Writers Who Use Them
If you have ever read a book and found yourself thinking that the style and way of writing seemed very familiar, it is possible that the book you are reading was actually written by your favorite author —only under a pen name. A pen name, also known as a nom de plume or a pseudonym, is an assumed name used by an author, in place of their own name. Some authors wri...
April 10, 2019 READ MORE
The Ghostwriter’s Guide To Working With SMEs
Imagine walking into a small conference room where a dozen engineers, all experts in technology design for the heavy equipment business, are seated at two rows of tables, looking like the world’s most disgruntled jury. Their company is launching a thought leadership program and these women and men are tasked with coming up with the copy—something that’s likely way ou...
April 9, 2019 READ MORE
How To Find A Book When You’ve Forgotten The Title
Have you ever tried to find a book you read years ago, only to discover that you have no recollection of the book’s title or author? Unfortunately, books are not categorized by storylines or characters (you know, the things that we CAN easily remember). They are categorized by the titles and authors— the very things that we cannot seem to recall. So, how can you...
April 8, 2019 READ MORE
Before You Record an Interview, is it Legal?
In the era of smartphones where an audio recorder is often a standard device function, recording a conversation, an interview, or a business meeting has never been easier. A quick thumb swipe over that red record button gives us a resource to fact-check what we just heard. It can help us engage with the people who are speaking to us rather than furiously taking notes wi...
April 5, 2019 READ MORE
I Shot the Serif: Is Font Choice Important?
When I married a man with the very Italian surname of Iacullo, I had no illusions about the spelling and pronunciation mishaps that were likely to follow. I knew I’d have to endure a certain amount of ribbing about the surplus of vowels in the old country and make endless attempts to explain that yes, my new last name really did begin with the letter “I” followed by ...
April 4, 2019 READ MORE
5 Books Every Aspiring Writer Should Read
The well-known author, Stephen King, famously said: “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” As with any profession, the more writers can study their craft and learn from professionals, the better they will be. But, are all books treated equally? Or are there certain literary works that are more beneficial t...
April 3, 2019 READ MORE
Copywriter Q&A: Repurposing Marketing Content with Merrisa Milliner
The Writers For Hire (TWFH) team member Merrisa Milliner has a background that makes her uniquely suited for content creation: She got her start as a magazine editor, where she honed her skills developing content and maintaining an editorial calendar. From there, the self-described “big-picture thinker” moved into a series of corporate communications and marketing posi...
April 2, 2019 READ MORE
15 “Must Read” Autobiographies
Autobiographies can be fascinating to read. Discovering intimate details about someone’s life, as seen from their own perspective, can give you insight into who that person truly is and what makes them tick. Not all autobiographies are award winning, or even worth reading, though. Luckily, we have found a great article from lifehack.org, that lists the “15...
April 1, 2019 READ MORE
The Executive Summary: Your Proposal in Two Pages or Less
You have completed all of the requirements for your RFP, and are almost ready to submit it. But, you’re wondering if you need to include an executive summary. While not all RFPs call for an executive summary, some do —and some will even provide you a template for the summary. However, if the RFP does not specify any guidelines or requirements, you may still decide ...
March 29, 2019 READ MORE
As word enthusiasts, we constantly try to stay up-to-date on the evolution of language. After all, we found great delight in the list of 25 words that were added to Webster’s dictionary last year. But, as much as we love learning new words and discovering what they mean, we feel it is important to remember words of the past, that are no longer commonly used in today�...
March 28, 2019 READ MORE
What’s the Scoop Behind Best-Sellers?
In 1895, the literary journal The Bookman launched the first “bestseller list” in the United States. The small monthly magazine stopped running its lists in 1918 and then went under in 1933. By which point The New York Times had already begun to fuel the flames of our fascination with bestsellers. Today, few have likely heard of The Bookman – but we’d be hard-press...
March 27, 2019 READ MORE
What Is A Ghostwriter And What Do They Do?
What Is A Ghostwriter And What Do They Do? To some people, the term “ghostwriter” conjures up images of some kind of covert, undercover secret agent who writes novels under a pen name, never revealing their true identity. The reality, though, is a whole lot less mysterious. So, what exactly is a ghostwriter, and what do they do? Ghostwriters are writers who are hire...
March 26, 2019 READ MORE
Is “You’re Welcome” in Danger of Becoming Extinct?
What ever happened to saying, “you’re welcome?” With terms such as “no problem” and “of course!” gaining popularity in today’s society, it seems that “you’re welcome” is becoming a phrase of the past. But, why is that? Are people nowadays more rude and inconsiderate? Are we, as a society, lacking in proper etiquette? According to this interes...
March 25, 2019 READ MORE
What is the Difference Between a Biography and an Autobiography?
In our previous blog, we discussed the difference between an autobiography and a memoir, but what is the difference between an autobiography and a biography? Well, both are written accounts of a person’s life. There are some big differences that set them apart from each other, though. A biography: Is the story of a person’s lifeIs generally written by a perso...
March 22, 2019 READ MORE
A Vending Machine to Promote Literacy
Move over candy and soda; there’s a new vending machine in town! A school in Buffalo, New York, has rolled out a great new program to help promote literacy among its students. After fundraising for a year, the school installed a book vending machine, filled with over $1,000 in new books. Each month, a random selection of children will be given a gold coin, which they ...
March 21, 2019 READ MORE
The Proposal Cover Letter – Your Chance to Brag a Bit
The proposal is done. You’ve addressed all the requirements of the RFP, filled in the forms, and attached appendices. Now the only thing left to do is the cover letter. Yes, it’s best to leave it to last, allowing time to reflect back on your proposal and why you are responding to the RFP. Unlike for the RFP itself, there may be no instructions for what to include i...
March 20, 2019 READ MORE
10 Famous People Who Used a Ghostwriter
If you have visited a book store or a library lately, you have probably noticed that just about every celebrity and politician out there has come out with some kind of “tell all” about their lives. But, are these celebrities actually sitting down and writing their own books? Or are they employing ghostwriters to help them get their stories onto paper? Finding the...
March 19, 2019 READ MORE
If you spend any time on the internet or on social media, you are bound to notice that there is an ever-evolving plethora of new words being created all of the time. What you may not know, however, is that the editors at Miriam-Webster keep track of all of these words. In fact, just last year they added over 840 new words to their dictionary. From “adorbs”...
March 18, 2019 READ MORE
How to Write the Perfect Nonfiction Book Proposal: Tips for Pitching Your Book and Getting Published
Can you secure a book deal before you even finish writing the book? Sounds too good to be true, but if the book is nonfiction, it’s in the realm of possibility. It all starts with a book proposal. As an expert, you know your subject and have plenty to say. Writing a nonfiction book is the way to do it, but you may wonder how to turn your ideas into a book on the shelf...
March 15, 2019 READ MORE
What is the Difference Between an Autobiography and a Memoir?
What is the Difference Between an Autobiography and a Memoir? Autobiography and memoir: two terms that seem to be constantly confused and used interchangeably. While the confusion between the two is definitely understandable, there are a few differences that can help you identify whether it is a memoir you are writing, or if it is actually an autobiography. Autobiography ...
March 14, 2019 READ MORE
Breaking “The Curse of Academia”: Subject Matter Expertise and Writing for a General Audience
You are an industry expert. You know your stuff. You wrote the book on it - literally. But when tasked with stepping outside of your industry-specific box -- for example, if you’re asked to contribute copy to a sales brochure or draft an editorial for a customer-facing web copy -- you often find that it’s easier said than done. Why? It’s not a lack of expertise. ...
March 13, 2019 READ MORE
Discovering your family history can be a wonderful and fascinating journey. Whether it is simply out of curiosity, or for the purpose of preserving history for future generations, there are a lot of benefits to finding out where we came from. Top 10 Reasons to Learn your Family History 1. Genetic health concerns Learning about any medical conditions that our ances...
March 12, 2019 READ MORE
Why Can’t we Remember the Books we Read?
You know you read the book. You can even remember where you bought it, where you were when you were reading it, and what the cover of the book looked like. What you can’t remember, though, is the actual book itself. But, why is that? This fascinating piece by The Atlantic explains how our brains have a “forgetting curve” when it comes to retaining detai...
March 11, 2019 READ MORE
Five Common Web Writing Mistakes to Avoid
Web copy can be tricky to master: It has to sell, but it can’t feel too salesy. It has to be packed with useful, relevant information, but it needs to be succinct and easy to scan. It has to differentiate your company, product, or service -- but at the same time, it can’t feel like it’s “all about you.” We’ve found that there are a few common web writing mis...
March 8, 2019 READ MORE
When you hire a ghostwriter, chances are, you won’t like everything they write. That’s okay. We may go so far to say, to some degree, it’s even expected. The author-ghostwriter relationship is a collaborative one, and one that works best when you (the author) are honest and clear with the feedback you have for your partner (the ghostwriter). Now, we kn...
March 7, 2019 READ MORE
How Can a Ghostwriter Help Write My Family History?
Have you ever considered writing a book about your family’s history, but don’t know how or where to get started? Perhaps you have a great concept in your mind, but are struggling to put the words on paper. Or, like many people, you would love to have your family story written, but you just don’t have the time to do it yourself.Whatever your reasons may be, it is lik...
March 6, 2019 READ MORE
When to Leave Your Ghostwriter . . . and What To Do Next
Choosing the wrong ghostwriter can be a really miserable experience. Like most new relationships, you both entered into the project with the best intentions – hopes high for a happily ever after. The prize of the perfect manuscript seemed just months away, easily attainable with just a little elbow grease and a few hours of entertaining interviews. Now that the ...
March 5, 2019 READ MORE
The Editor’s Guide to Capitalization after Colons
When it comes to proper punctuation and grammar, editors have a lot of rules to keep track of. And to make things even more challenging, the rules tend to change or differ, depending on which guide you are following. One rule that constantly comes into question is whether or not the word following a colon should be capitalized. Luckily, this happens to be something ...
March 4, 2019 READ MORE
Are There Any Synonyms for Synonym?
Whoever created the English language must have had a wicked sense of humor. Why else would they have used “monosyllabic” to describe a word with just one syllable? And why isn’t the word “long” actually long? Perhaps the most interesting of these questions is: Why are there no true synonyms for “synonym?” This great article from Mental Floss poses that...
February 28, 2019 READ MORE
Celebrating Ten Years with Kathy – A Woman of Many Hats
Ten years ago, Kathy agreed to help her best friend with some paperwork. She had no idea that the bag full of accounting receipts she tackled that day would turn into a full-time job that includes things like project management, accounting, and client interaction on a typical day. On top of all that, Kathy works on a range of projects, from Wikipedia to genealogy to web de...
February 27, 2019 READ MORE
Here’s Your Chance to Re-Write the Classics!
If you have been considering re-writing a classic book or putting your own spin on an old movie, then 2019 is your year! For the first time in 20 years, a whole year’s worth of copyrighted works has been released into the U.S. public domain. Under the terms of the Sonny Bono Copyright Act, these works, which were first published in 1923, are now copyright free. So,...
February 26, 2019 READ MORE
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