Book Description
Booklist
In this era of entrepreneurialism, Atlanta freelancer Peter Bowerman shows those timid (but talented) souls how almost anyone can forge ahead as an independent writer. His advice is good, couched in brassy prose that is easy to read. He anticipates every conceivable question and issue, including typical charges, marketing oneself, types of available work, and dealing with deadbeats. There are great common-sense tips, too, in the psychology of handling clients who think they're writers, those with limited budgets, and others demanding creativity. Personal anecdotes make the life of the freelancer real; the author includes samples of cold-calling scripts, thank-you notes, and a story or three about starting a writers' group and partnering with other professionals.
Book Description
Dream of being a well-paid freelance writer? Long to carve out an enviable lifestyle with plenty of freedom, flexibility AND healthy income? But wait a minute…aren't the words "starving" and "writer" forever joined at the hip? Not anymore.
How about a writing direction with plenty of work, strong and growing demand for good writers, hourly rates of $50-100+ ($60-75 average) and where all time is billed? No flat fees with vast, open-ended commitments of time. Translation? Less time working to pay bills and more time pursuing your writing passions.
We're talking about freelance commercial writing - writing for business entities, large and small - the subject of The Well-Fed Writer, and quite possibly the answer for all aspiring writers who want to turn their love of writing into their living. The book was a triple-book-club-selection (Book-of-the-Month, Quality Paperback Book and Writer's Digest) and earned several prestigious awards in 2001:
1) Second place in the ForeWord magazine Book of the Year Awards (Career Category)
2) Honorable Mention in the Writer's Digest magazine National Self-Published Book Awards
3) Finalist in the Publisher's Marketing Association Ben Franklin Awards (Best First Book).
Why commercial writing? In the past decade, two huge trends have sculpted the corporate American landscape: downsizing and outsourcing. Corporations are doing more with less: fewer people, less resources and smaller budgets. The workload is growing - especially with the exploding Internet - and many organizations rely heavily on freelancers to help them handle it.
Why do corporations hire freelancers? For good solid economic and creative reasons. With a freelancer, corporations don't have to pay salary, benefits, and vacation time. But they will pay a freelancer $60-80 (average) for their time. In addition, they pay only what they need when they need it. And with a network of freelancers, they get a broad spectrum of fresh talent (hard to get with in-house staff writers used to writing about the same topics day after day) which they can form-fit to their specific writing needs.
What's "commercial writing"? Marketing brochures, ad copy, newsletters, direct mail campaigns, video/CD-ROM scripting, speeches, sales sheets, proposals, web content, and so much more.
Veteran commercial freelancer Bob Bly, known as the freelance writing "guru" for his 35+ writing titles, says of commercial freelancing: "I know of no other arena of writing so lucrative yet so easy to get started in."
The Well-Fed Writer will take you step-by-detailed-step through, indeed, everything you need to know to quickly get your share of this exciting and highly lucrative arena of freelancing.
Customer Reviews:
Step by Step to Success.......2007-09-14
I checked out this book after reading much praise for it every time I searched for it. This is the real deal. I followed Peter's advice and his step by step processes and was earning money from writing within 2 months of reading his book. This is THE book for performing as a commercial writer in the freelance field.
Although I am a novice, I feel that I have a seasoned expert sitting at my side pointing out the pitfalls and steering me in the right direction all along the way. This book is, in a word, fantastic!
Highly recommended!
Roadmap for Success.......2007-08-17
I'm not a freelance writer, but I could be after reading Peter Bowerman's book, "The Well-Fed Writer. This well-written and engaging book is packed with all of the information that you need to gain financial self-sufficiency as a freelance writer. I was amazed at the depth of Bowerman's marketing knowledge and the amount of detail that he included in each chapter. He even had a terrific section on prospecting by phone. This book is a roadmap not only for writers, but for anyone looking to build a successful freelance business.
Cold Calling for Women: Opening Doors & Closing Sales
Bowerman knows his stuff!.......2007-07-04
Make fun of some of his techniques if you will, but this guy knows how to make a SERIOUS business. If you're writing as a hobby, this isn't practical. But if you want to be a REAL professional writer, I highly recommend it!
Go selling.......2007-06-03
There are other reviewers in this section that do a very admirable job of summarizing the contents of this work. The advice is solid. The chapters are well organized. The information is worth many more times than the cost of the book. So, let me get straight to the point. This is a book about selling your writing skills on a commercial basis. That means getting to the people in companies that make the buying decision and getting them to use your talents. It means cold calling, It means contacting 20 or many more for just one assignment and turning that assignment into a client. Premise of the book is very real. You MUST have the ability to sell yourself.
This book changed my life........2007-06-01
You read that right. I'd already been a part-time freelancer for several years, but didn't have the courage to quit my full-time job, even though it was killing me with stress and dissatisfaction. But I kept reading TWFW, and absorbing its wisdom and enthusiasm. I couldn't help thinking, "Hey, this guy isn't even a trained writer, and I am! If he can do it, I can," but still never made the leap. I did, though, follow the author's recommendations to sock away money to tide me over in case I did decide to do it. I also named my business, designed a logo and put together a brochure and a website -- all according to the book's advice -- which I quietly launched six years ago today.
Then one day, my boss made the situation intolerable. I thought over my options during my lunch break, made a few calls to some clients to see how much immediate work I could drum up, and went back to the office. I took a deep breath, thought about all the encouragement in the book, and resigned, agreeing to stay another 3 months to train a successor (I was, at the time, president of an ad & marketing agency).
In those months, I made cold calls (more advice from the book) from my cell phone over my lunch hours, made some more calls into western time zones where the business day was still going on after I got off work, and put more money away. I also purchased the more expensive equipment I'd need -- printer, reliable business-quality phone with headset, etc. -- while I still had a steady paycheck, more advice from the book.
Three months later, I woke up as my own boss and went to work in my home office for the first time as a Full Time Commercial Copywriter. That was in 2001. Last year I celebrated my fifth anniversary, and only one of those 5 years was my business in the red, and that's because my mom died and I was writing a book, which kept me away from the business.
Still, following Bowerman's advice, I maintained phone and email contact with my clients and did manage to get a few jobs completed just so no one worried that I'd fallen off the face of the earth. And when it was all over, I re-read parts of the book to help me get back in the groove and drum up some new business.
I'm sure I would eventually have launched my business without this book, but by then I could very well have been impaired by a heart attack or some other stress-related illness. Maybe I wouldn't even have lived long enough to do it on my own, because it was really, really bad.
Today I celebrate my sixth anniversary as a full time freelance writer, and I'm making a better living -- both satisfaction- and compensation-wise -- than I ever did as a freelancer before. I know that I can continue to get better at my craft and charge accordingly, limited only by my own willingness to work, which I learned from The Well-Fed Writer.
This book gave me hope when I needed it, sound business advice, and the courage to do what I really needed to do, WHEN I really needed to do it. I will be forever grateful.
Customer Reviews:
Satisfied Customer.......2007-09-27
I haven't completed reading this book, however, the introduction, which provides the author's philosophy, is excellent. The chapters that I've read (about half the book) are giving me the information I hoped for. In that I am looking for a piece of rural land on which to build an organic, family farm, it will take some time to apply all that this book has to offer. I am confident it will.
Greatest Book Ever Written.......2007-01-05
This is the greatest self-sufficiency book ever written. That's my opinion. :) I highly recommend this to anyone who wishes to become less impactful on the environment and to have more money in their pockets thanks to this style of living. You can do a little or a lot, depending on what you have to work with initially. This is an awesome, non-hippie/tree-hugger book about self-sufficiency free of all of the "lefty green" dogma you usually have to put up with. Great stuff!!!
Book Description
Imagine feeling completely at peace about your money—whether you're earning it, spending it, saving it, or using it to help others. On Unleashing the Soul of Money, world-renowned fund-raiser and "money mentor" Lynne Twist shares from her thirty years of global research into happiness and money to reveal a surprising truth: that the size of your paycheck has little to do with fulfillment—and everything to do with getting your money aligned with your deepest commitments, values, and desires. In this workshop, listeners uncover the insights about their own relationship with money, and learn how make the transformation to a life of sufficiency, contentment, and benefit to others in the world.
Customer Reviews:
"Exquisite Enoughness".......2006-12-11
I had not heard "Enough" being touted as exquisite or for that matter something for which to strive. We're constantly focused on "ABUNDANCE" - how to "get it", feel it, master it, believe it, go for it, etc.
Endless books, tapes, workshops, programs, inspirational teachers et al professing abundance is all around us - it's our birthright and ours for the taking. Manifest it, believe we deserve it, feel it happening and so forth. You know the deal... we've all been "trying" to get there, through visualization, affirmations, spending thousands of dollars, knocking our brains together, beating ourselves up when we still aren't any closer to the whole "abundant concept".
I don't want to sound like the billion other hypes that insist their book or CD series or workshop is THE one that will make a difference in your thinking, your relationships, really stand your life on end and change you forever. Yet, I don't want you to pass up this audio CD set or book. Lynne Twist knows what she's talking about with this "enough" business. As she says, abundance is the flip side of scarcity thinking, meaning it's just as negative and we don't need to go there. There is enough on our planet (whether you believe it or not) for each one of us to live a healthy, productive and happy life. Enough is a belief in ourselves, it's a simpler way to live, to focus on what we actually have in our lives and appreciate it, instead of flying past enough, not even seeing it, trying to get more, more and still more. The great scarcity myths: "there isn't enough", "more is better" and "that's just the way it is."
She captured my attention with her first few words... and when she said the fastest growing industry in our country is "storage units" - that we're building whole enclaves of storage facilities (to house the overflow of our "stuff") - instead of building homes for our millions of homeless citizens, she won my heart! I coach homeless people and I know how important it is for them to feel a part of our world, to be included. The image of storage units populating our country made me sick to my stomach.
I cannot do justice to the depth and content of Ms Twist's work, I can, however, attest to its authenticity and power already working in my life, after playing the CDs twice and recommending them to friends and clients. I am feeling better about what I have, letting go of the never-ending struggle for more and realizing we are all hooked in the societal messages that we see and hear each day about more being better. Whether it's more square-footage in your home, more sweaters, more food, more cars, more sex, more girlfriends, more money... we're all doing it.
I have not seen Lynne Twist in person, one of my coaching colleagues recommended her teachings after seeing her at the International Coach Federation annual conference. He suggested the audio CDs over her book, because as he said, her energy comes through so clearly. He is right - her voice is powerful, yet gentle and her message is heartfelt and absolutely what our global climate needs right now.
There is a guided meditation and a few exercises, in addition to suggestions for purging some of our unnecessary stuff, all of which are dynamic and extremely effective. I am doing the forgiveness exercise and have been using it with some of my clients and inmates I mentor in jail.
Please buy this CD set and share your thoughts and experience with me. Lynne Twist is making a HUGE impact, globally by ending world hunger and changing our thinking about money.
Pie Dumas - Author & Life Coach
Unleashing the Soul of Money.......2006-11-01
I have NOT heard this CD, so this is NOT a review of the material it covers. But when I wanted to read someone else's review, there was nothing at all, so I just want to say that I can't wait to listen to this CD. I heard Lynne Twist speak and am still strongly supported by the change of attitude toward money that she showed us. The insights we were given that day are OUTRAGEOUS! And I can't wait to see what she's got to say now! Her attitudes and insights into living with money without being chewed up and destroyed by it are essential for life in a global world. One of the best things I ever did was go to one of her fundraising seminars (Fundraising from the Heart). And not just for fundraising, but for recovery from 10 years in retail without the vision to see how to be nourished from my interactions with people through the medium of trade/sales, and how I can affect or nourish them. Money's not evil but people (and I) have not known better than to use it for harm. I'm so glad Lynne Twist is still coming out with new material and I can't wait to hear it.
Book Description
Written by a knowledgeable seagoing physician, this book addresses the medical layman. It is thoroughly illustrated and presented in a format that is easy to follow, even in an emergency. Covering a wide range of medical problems that may be encountered at sea, Dr. Beilan explains how to prepare medical histories of the crew before leaving on a voyage, set up a medical kit according to the type of voyage to be made, determine priorities in the event of a problem, make a tentative diagnosis and proceed with treatment, and provide aftercare for the patient until medical authorities can be reached. Next to having a physician in the crew, the best things a prudent skipper can have on board are a well-planned medical kit and this book. Don't leave port without it.
Book Description
This book describes the philosophy and methods of a holistic approach to limited space gardening that produces so much food that, within three years, you will be able to produce 85% of the food needs for a family of four on less than a quarter-acre, plus earn over $10,000 in cash annually - and you will be able to do this in less time than an equivalent job would require, netting the equivalent of $50/hour for your labor. Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started: buying seeds, saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, dealing with pest and disease problems, farm planning and much more. Since self sufficiency is the objective, subjects such as raising backyard chickens and home canning are also covered along with numerous methods for keeping costs down and production high.
Customer Reviews:
The Edible is Political.......2007-03-04
If you are new to mini-farming, this is the book to get. Markham grows a tremendous amount of food in a postage stamp piece of land, and he tells how to do it in this book. From planting the seeds to processing the harvest to a lesson on soil chemistry in between, this book covers it all in a folksy, easy to read style.
It is a very practical book, for people who need to grow gardens to save money and to provide their children with better diets. America is dividing along class lines, and one of the major class differences is food. The poor eat junk food and suffer obesity, diabetes, arteriosclerosis and heart disease; while the wealthier class eats real food -- that stuff that EVERYONE ate back in the old days.
The fact that junk food exists at all is a great injustice; junk food is "feed" for us "human cattle," if only it were as nutritious as what we give livestock! The fact is, you'd be better off eating alfalfa pellets and cracked corn with a bowl of water, than Doritos and Pepsi. That's right -- livestock feed has more nutritional value than so-called "fun foods," which are becoming more and more a staple of the American diet.
How many square feet of cropland is necessary to feed one person? John Jeavons put the number at 1250 square feet. Brett Markham puts the number at 700 square feet, based on his experience. If Markham is right, that means the average suburbanite can supply most of the food for their family. I think it's worth getting this book and giving it a try. I got the book, and I'm going to try it this year.
And if you have children, for heaven's sake, feed them right! I work in a health care related field, and I can tell you that we are seeing an American pandemic of diet-related diseases, all because we gave up our gardens and turned out food supply over to ConAgra and Archer Daniels Midland. Most of our food is basically the corn surplus in fancy packages. Partially hydrogenated corn syrup will KILL YOU! The next time you go shopping, read the labels of all packaged foods, and think twice!
Average customer rating:
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Farming for Self-Sufficiency: Independence on a 5-Acre Farm
John and Sally Seymour
Manufacturer: Schocken Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Agricultural Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
| Agronomy
| Animal Husbandry
| Aquaculture
| Bacteriology
| Biochemistry
| Biotechnology
| Chemistry
| Crop Science
| Economics
| Education
| Entomology
| Food Science
| Forestry
| General
| History
| Horticulture
| Insecticides & Pesticides
| Irrigation
| Marketing
| Soil Science
| Sustainable Agriculture
| Tropical Agriculture
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B0006C9V7U |
Product Description
Jerr Boschee's newest book covers the basic principles of social entrepreneurship, typical outcomes experienced by the pioneers in the field, some common stakeholder concerns, the single greatest obstacle for nonprofits adopting or expanding entrepreneurial strategies, and 14 critical success factors. The book also contains "A Practical Lexicon for Social Entrepreneurs" that defines more than 80 key terms (often in the form of mini-tutorials) and a selected print and electronic bibliography (the electronic entries are annotated).
Book Description
A field guide to primitive living skills
Customer Reviews:
Primitive Living, Self-Sufficiency, and Survival Skills.......2007-10-03
This book appears to be a duplicate by another publisher of Elpel's book Participating in Nature: Thomas J. Elpel's Field Guide to Primitive Living Skills, which I have reviewed. Elpel's own website does not list this title, but does list Participating in Nature.
Hard to read (for me).......2006-09-07
I bought this book to learn, not to hear about how a bird flew passed the author's path in the morning. For me, there was too much of the authors feelings and jabber about the how he felt at a given moment. The word skills in the title led me to believe there are things to learn from this book. For me this book is a let down and dificult to read.
this book is awesome.......2005-11-09
got this one from my sister-in-law last x-mass. i really like this book. it is well written and has all kinds of crap in it about eating bears with your hands, catching things on fire and wilderness cooking recipies including my favorite, 'ash cakes'.
Book Description
Successful cruising, according to the Pardeys, comes from a combination of the right people on board the right boat, and proper preparation, gear maintenance, and seamanship. A logical sequel to their The Self Sufficient Sailor, here are all the considerations for success analyzed by two genuine and very human experts.
Thirty-three chapters are grouped under general topics such as: Preparing to Go; Maintenance at Sea; Safety Aloft; At Anchor; Choosing Gear; Care of Self and Crew; Seamanship.
The Pardeys analyze disasters such as What happened at Cabo San Lucas, and what it means to all cruising sailors. They even discuss finances and how to pay your way as you voyage. In short, here is what every cruising sailor should know before setting sail.
The Pardeys now have a base in New Zealand from which they sail the world in Taleisin, which they built themselves in California.
The Pardeys make another important point: Marine manufacturers dont usually have a large enough market to enable them to test their products under extreme conditions, but the buyer stands a better than fifty-fifty chance of getting that opportunity. Obviously, some gear passes the test and some doesnt. Over the years the Pardeys have become a sort of one-couple consumers reporting service, and the most valuable portions of this book discuss boats, systems, and equipment that were given the ultimate test and how they fared. Photographs add immensely to this section.
Customer Reviews:
What can you say... they're the best!.......2003-06-07
World class advice from world class cruising sailors.
Concerns on Safety Equipment.......2002-06-03
I liked this book a lot and would highly recommend it apart from their attitude towards safety. Their advice on self-sufficiency is valid, but I feel their attitude on safety equipment is irresponsible. In particular their suggestion to do without an EPIRB. With their experience they may get away with it but most of the readers will be relatively inexperienced.
There should be no compromise on safety equipment. It is no use saying you don't want anyone to come looking for you if you get into trouble, because the SAR organisations have both a legal and moral obligation to do so. In addition there is the feelings of loved ones at home to consider.
Some countries are sensible enough to insist on minimal standards of safety equipment. New Zealand's "Category 1" standard provides a good guide to minimum requirements.
Concerns on Safety Equipment.......2002-06-03
I liked this book a lot and would highly recommend it apart from their attitude towards safety. Their advice on self-sufficiency is valid, but I feel their attitude on safety equipment is irresponsible. In particular their suggestion to do without an EPIRB. With their experience they may get away with it but most of the readers will be relatively inexperienced.
There should be no compromise on safety equipment. It is no use saying you don't want anyone to come looking for you if you get into trouble, because the SAR orhanisations have both a moral and legal obligation to do so. In addition there is the feelings of loved ones to consider.
Some countries are sensible enough to insist on minimal standards of safety equipment. New Zealand's "Category 1" standard provides a good guide to minimum requirements.
For anyone considering embarking on a cruise.......2001-02-10
According to expert and experienced small craft sailors Lin and Larry Pardey, successful cruising is the result of the right people on board the right boat, along with proper preparation, gear maintenance, and seamanship. The Capable Cruiser is a compendium of thirty-three informative chapters divided among such issues areas as "Preparing to Go"; "Maintenance at Sea"; Safety Aloft"; At Anchor"; Choosing Gear"; Care of Self and Crew"; and "Seamanship". The Pardey's analyze cruising disasters such as the Cabo San Lucas, discuss finances and how to pay your way on a voyage, and a great deal more relevant to anyone who has ever set sail on a cruise of their own. If you are considering embarking on a cruise with family or friends, begin with a thorough and careful reading of Lin and Larry Pardey's The Capable Cruiser.
Sound advice.......2000-02-24
The Paradays allways have a sound oposite view in a world of more and more technical cruising and sailing where everything is supposed to be bought ready to use. This book is a collection of articles that deal with real world problems for the long distance cruiser. For example: how long does varnish last? I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in more than a race around the bouys.
Books:
- Thomson Advantage Books: Sustaining the Earth: An Integrated Approach (with ThomsonNOW, InfoTrac® 1-Semester Printed Access Card) (Advantage Series:)
- Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
- Weed Science: Principles and Practices, 4th Edition
- World Resources 2000-2001 People and Ecosystems: The Fraying Web of Life (World Resources)
- A Dyer's Garden: From Plant to Pot Growing Dyes for Natural Fibers
- A Small Place in Italy
- Agricultural System Models in Field Research and Technology Transfer
- American Environmentalism: Readings In Conservation History
- American Horticultural Society Pests and Diseases: The Complete Guide to Preventing, Identifying and Treating Plant Problems
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Books Index
Books Home
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The Well-Fed Writer: Back For Seconds A Second Helping Of "How-To" For Any Writer Dreaming of Great Bucks and Exceptional Quality of Life
The Wealthy Writer: How to Earn a Six-Figure Income As a Freelance Writer (No Kidding!)
The Copywriter's Handbook, Third Edition: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells
Start & Run a Copywriting Business
The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success (The Renegade Writer's Freelance Writing series)
