1. Say something useful. Or funny. Or at least mildly entertaining. Don’t spam, and don’t make every post about driving people to your site, getting them to join your affiliate network, buy your e-book, etc. Twitter users can spot spam a mile away, and they’ll drop you right away if you come off like that.
2. Follow others. In general, you won’t get many followers if you’re not willing to follow people. You don’t have to follow everyone who follows you, but I do to start. If you turn out to be a spammer, or worse, I have no problems un-following you though. Be careful, following hundreds (or thousands) of people hoping some will reciprocate is a great way to get labeled a spammer.
3. Make it easy to follow you. Provide a link to your twitter profile in your post, on your sidebar, somewhere.
4. Ask! Ask people to follow you. That may seem obvious, but I often have success posting something like “I need X more followers to hit YYY. Please follow me.”
5. Ask for retweets. When you post a particularly useful tweet, ask your followers to retweet it. This will get you more exposure.
6. Give retweets. If you posts of people you follow that you think YOUR followers would like. Your followers get good information, and the person you retweeted is more likely to follow you and retweet your material too.
7. Use the hash (#) tag. If you write a lot about basketball, then you’ll want to use #basketball in your tweets. Think keywords, and preface each with #. This will help people find you when they search for those topics on twitter.
8. List yourself in twitter directories.
   • twellow
   • wefollow
   • tweepz
   • Justtweetit
9. Be patient. It takes time to build a twitter following. Take your time, enjoy posting and getting to know your followers, and the followers will come.

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Ralan.com is a good place for speculative, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, etc. He keeps the site up-to-date, and there are hundreds of listings there, divided up by pay amount, so it’s easy to find something in the level you’re looking for. Ralan is free to use.

Duotrope is another free online market database. It includes most genres, not just speculative. It has a good search feature so you don’t have to go digging.

Writers Market is another one I use. It’s not free (about $40/year). It has searchable market listings, although the search features here aren’t as good as those on duotrope! One nice feature is the ability to input your submissions and track when you sent them out, to whom, and when you should expect to get a response. I think that’s worth the $40/year price, not including the market listings. They do offer a monthly payment plan if you don’t want to commit right away.

Which comes first, market or story?

O.K. you have an idea and a few markets, what’s next? Do you write the story and then search for a market to fit the length, genre, and other specifics? Or, do you find a market and tailor the story to fit?

If your primary goal is getting published, then tailoring to the market is easier in my experience. Some markets have very off-the-wall requirements, so you’re better off working that into the story from the beginning if possible. I know purists will turn up their noses at that, but I said if your goal is being published, writing to the market is easier. If your goal is art, then by all means, write first and market later.

I’ve done both successfully, and for me it just depends on the story. If I have something more or less fully worked out, I write that and try to find a market that it will fit. And, honestly, that can be tough. Often I’ve found a great market for it just to realize that it’s too long, too short, should have taken place in Maine or on a pirate ship, etc. Having a great story and nowhere suitable to send it is frustrating, to say the least, and one reason that I tend to make sure I have a market in mind before I put in too much work.

Submissions

You have a story, you have a market, you’re all set. Right?

Not quite. Not yet at least.

First off, put the story away for a week or two. You need time away from it to do a good job editing and proofreading. Here are a few other tips I use for editing my work before it goes out.

• Read it out loud. Nothing will help you pick up on awkward construction like hearing it.
• Get someone else to read it. This person should be someone who can help you proofread and edit.
• Make sure characters’ names are different enough that they’re not easily confused.
• Read each characters’ dialogue to make sure everyone doesn’t sound alike. No, the forty year old mom should not sound just like her seventeen year old teenage son.

Next, you need to look at the submission guidelines for the market you’ve chosen, and follow them. Follow them to the letter. You want your work to stand out because it’s good, not because you ignored what the editors asked for. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot!

If you don’t know how to format your manuscript, then this search for “manuscript submission format” will help. Sometimes markets will have their own guidelines that conflict with these, if so, do what the market says.

Last step, send it out. It’s all too easy to get carried away editing and preparing and never get anything submitted. It’s something I think most writers struggle with, so set yourself a deadline and get the story out. Even if it’s rejected, you’ll feel better about yourself for trying.

Pays 10 cents per word for Sci Fi, Horror, Fantasy. The site is worth visiting just to read the list of what they don’t want.

Strange Horizons

Pays 5 cents per word, $50 minimum for speculative fiction. They also have a list of what they don’t want.

The Paris Review

There’s not much information on the site as to what they buy or pay, but from the look of the magazine, I’m guessing literary.

Bent Magazine

Pays $5 flat fee for romance and erotica.

Chapman

Publishes literary fiction and non-ficiton. There’s no mention on the site of payment.

Descant

There isn’t much information on what they accept. However, it takes up to twelve months to hear about a submission and another twelve for publication and payment…. of $100 per story.

Cobblestone and Cricket

Several children’s magazines are listed, along with their submission guidelines.

GlimmerTrain

Publishes literary fiction. See the site for specific monthly themes. There’s no mention of pay that I could find.

Elance is a good option. As of today, there are 705 jobs listed under Writing and Translation. Here are a few breakdowns for you, keeping in mind that some jobs fall under multiple categories.

• 372 eBooks
• 441 Creative Writing
• 963 Web Content
• 298 Academic Writing

To get started on elance, you’ll need to register and complete your profile. This can be a bit time-consuming, but buyers will use this to decide whether to hire you. One of the toughest things for me was putting together a portfolio, or having any samples to offer when bidding.

I’m not sure if this is the best solution, but it has worked out for me. I use blog posts as samples for potential buyers. I also have copies of articles I’ve sold elsewhere online that I can attach for samples. The whole idea is to give the buyer something of yours to look at that’s similar to what they’re purchasing.

Don’t be tempted to under price yourself. You’ll be tempted to bid low, particularly when you’re just getting started. Charge a fair amount for your work. Underbidding can backfire by making buyers think that you’re not worth any more than you’re asking for.

When bidding, write a custom bid for each job.  Address each question or requirement that the buyer has, and provide samples of work that demonstrate your ability to deliver what’s needed. It’s helpful to explain how you arrived at your fees so buyers can compare what you’re offering and charging to others’ bids.

When you have the job, deliver what you promise, well done, and early if possible. Communicate frequently and clearly with your client. Don’t outsource the work to someone else unless the client approved it before you bidded. Often a client is looking for a long-term relationship, so doing a good job on the first project will mean you get the first offer for subsequent projects.

Job Boards are another viable option, but one that I don’t use, so I can’t speak to them specifically. Here are some options for you to explore.

• Problogger job boards
• Freelance Switch job boards

The same rules apply as with Elance. Provide a custom quote for your services and relevant samples of your work to land the project. After you’re hired, communicate with your client and provide what’s asked for professionally and on time.

Other

If you’re looking to make money from your blogging or writing, then check out some sites that pay you to do so. You’ll write articles and sell them through their sites. You won’t get rich, but you will learn what sells well and what doesn’t. You’ll get feedback on your work (sometimes), and you’ll have some articles to add to your portfolio of published works.

• Constant Content
• EHow

I’ve had some success with Constant Content. It’s a nice way to sell some articles that you don’t have a place for. However, if you’re writing something that’s close to your blog topic, I think you’re better off posting it on your own site and gaining the traffic. Just my opinion…

Anyone care to share other sites for writing jobs, freelancing jobs, etc.?

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Paperback Writer has a great post today listing some writing opportunities.

That reminded me that I haven’t done a market post in a while, so here’s some tips and market information that you might find helpful. With the holidays approaching and higher gas and food prices, earning a few bucks from your writing sounds pretty good, huh?

1. Don’t forget about online sites like Constant Content or Associated Content. Neither will make you rich, but they can be a good way to build a portfolio.
2. Online freelancing sites like elance, guru, getafreelancer are options if you’re willing to take the time to join, put together a portfolio, bid, etc. Be careful not to get caught up in the process and underbid yourself.
3. Many large blogs that focus on freelancing or blogging also have job boards. Freelance Switch and Problogger are two to check out.
4. Ralan.com is a fantastic resource for where to sell and publish your stories.
5. StoryPilot is a good resource for fantasy, science fiction and horror writers. There’s a search feature that lets you narrow down by many factors: genre, writer’s experience, pay, length, etc.
6. Duotrope is another search site for markets, but it includes most genres, not just the few that StoryPilot does.
7. Writer’s Market is a for-pay site that provides market listings and tools to track your submissions.
8. If you have a Christmas story or article, then you’d better get it out now. It may already be too late for many markets.
9. Now is a good time to think about Valentine’s Day stories or articles.
10. Writers Weekly is a good place for market listings. They also offer something many sites don’t — a listing of markets that are a little questionable and to be avoided.
11. Literary Markets offers some listings for both online and paper publications. Unfortunately, the site is a bit out of date, but it’s still useful.

Constant Content

After registering, you’ll submit your work for approval. You can submit content that matches up to a previous request, or you can write whatever you like. After the content is approved, it’s up for sale.

Pros: You can write about what you want and charge what you want. Writers can typically get more from Constant Content than from other sites.

Cons: Your writing skills need to be a bit more polished than other sites might require; otherwise, your content is likely to be rejected. Your content may not sell for quite some time, or ever. In my experience, most of the content sold here will sell for full rights, meaning that the writer gets no byline or credit for the piece. Writers will need to accumulate $50 in earnings before being paid.

Associated Content

Associated Content is similar to Constant Content. Associated Content has different payment categories, some of which pay up-front and others don’t.

Pros: You can get paid something for just about anything you’ve written. Even if they offer no up-front payment, you’ll get paid a small amount for each article based on its page views, so your articles can continue to earn for months or even more. Even better, Associated Content will begin paying you about a week after your first article is bought. Beginning writers will find their work more readily accepted here. Because writers can claim their works publicly, Associated Content also makes a much better portfolio than Constant Content does.

Cons: The pay is pretty low, sometimes only $3-7 per article. Priority is given to content that is unique to the site.

Helium

Helium allows you to post whatever content you want, like Associated Content. However, Helium is unique in that members rate articles, and those ratings determine which articles move to the top of their categories and get the most page views.

Pros: You get paid something for your work, but it may be a small amount since Helium pays a percentage of the advertising revenue the article earns. Helium also has a marketplace where buyers can ask for particular articles, but in my experience there are usually few options there.

Cons: The pay is low. You’ll need to accumulate $25 or more before you get paid.

Suite 101

I can’t speak to the pros and cons of this site since I’m not a member. Unlike the other sites listed here, Suite 101 requires writers to apply to write for them. From that point, they sound a lot like Helium; they pay a percentage of the ad revenue your articles earn.

Xomba is another site that works very much like Helium or Suite 101.  The revenue model for many of these is the same, you earn a share of adsense revenue.

You may be asking, why would I use any of these sites that share their ad revenue when I can write for myself and get all the ad revenue? That’s a good question, and I think it depends on what your ultimate goal is. Writing for your own site will build your blog or website and, over time, increase its traffic. However, you’re likely to earn very little if anything in ad revenue for some time. Sites like Helium can provide you with better initial traffic, and higher earnings. If you’re allowed to put links back to your own site, you can also drive some traffic as well (check the TOS first).

This is what I do. If the content would work well on one of my blogs, that’s where I put it. If it’s an article that I’m interested in writing but that doesn’t fit with my blogs, then I sell it.

Note that I’ve deliberately eliminated sites that pay you to write advertisements and reviews on your own site. Those are a bit of a different animal. I also didn’t include article directories that don’t pay but that drive traffic back to your site. I also didn’t include freelancing sites like elance or guru.  All those are for a future post.

My best advice is to experiment with different sites. Join, write an article or two and see what happens. You may find some easier to work with than others. I tend to post most of my work to Constant Content. If an article doesn’t sell after several weeks, then I might consider placing it on Associated Content or even Helium. In short, try for the biggest payout first, and only later settle for one of the lower paying options.

I’m no expert, but I do have some additional tips that might be helpful if you’re looking to sell there.

Requested Content

Writing an article that fits a request automatically gives you an edge in selling it. You know you have at least one person interested in purchasing what you’ve written. Of course, there are dozens of other people who’ll also be writing articles for that same request. To better your chances, check for requests often and try to get an article posted as quickly as you can. You’ll have better luck if you already have an article approved to offer the potential buyer. Whether that’s possible is largely a matter of luck, however.

Recently Sold Content

Check this section out daily. It will give you an idea what types of articles sell regularly, and for what price. Both are important things to know if you plan on selling with any volume.

Most Prolific Writers

Look over the profiles of some of the most popular writers and see what they’re writing, and charging. Keep in mind that very popular writers may be able to charge more than you can, but this should still give you some ideas where to begin.

Choosing Your Topics

After doing your research on what topics sell well, think about what topics you’ll be able to write for. If Astrology is popular, for example, but you know nothing about it, it’s probably still a bad choice for you. Any topic that requires you to do a lot of research won’t pay well enough to warrant all the time you’ll spend putting your articles together. Add to that the fact that you’ll have a difficult time competing with writers who know the topic well and have a real passion for it.

Try to balance writing about topics that are popular with writing about topics that you know something about. If you can get $10 for an article that took an hour to write, you’re better off than if you sold one for twice as much but spent hours researching and writing.

Naming Your Price

You may be tempted to price your articles really low, but don’t. People will assume that a $10 article is of better quality than a $1 article, and you may be surprised that the $10 version actually sells better. Browse some articles on similar topics, of similar word counts, and price your article at a price that’s in the ballpark.

Be Patient

Patience is your best friend on Constant Content. I’ve sold articles weeks or even months after I posted them. Don’t lose hope if you post a few and get no response right away. Write some more, adjust your prices if needed, and see what happens. It’s no coincidence that the most popular writers have hundreds of pieces for sale.

Permuted Press

I found these guys because my husband bought a couple of their books. I read one this weekend, Day by Day Armageddon, and it was good. If you like zombie fiction, then it’s one you may want to check out.

It looks like Permuted Press is taking submissions for an anthology now, but not for novels.

Tales of the Zombie War

If you like to write (or read) zombie fiction, then this is a magazine you may be interested in. They don’t pay, unfortunately.

Dark Scribe

While not exclusively zombie, this magazine covers horror in general. If you’d rather write a review or some other nonfiction piece, then they may be for you. Plus, they’re a paying market!

Are you planning on writing any holiday or seasonal material? Now is the time to think about markets and find their deadlines. You might be surprised to find that you’re almost certainly too late for Valentine’s Day for most pubs. Mother’s Day? Maybe, but it could be close.

Ralan is a great source for market info, both paying and non-paying.

The West Virginia Writer’s yearly contest is getting underway.  I’ve been told that some of these categories get rather sparse participation, so it might be a good way to get a win under your belt.

I’m still seeing a good traffic boost from Entrecard. Visitors are also commenting more, which is terrific. Of course, the extra page views will be a good thing for Project Wonderful as well, so the two should work well together.

As a thank you to all those visiting, here’s a list of my top ten card droppers. Keep coming back, and don’t forget to subscribe to my feed!

1. Yimto Affiliate Marketing Blog
2. Shop Dog Diaries
3. Computer Tech News
4. Vigorous Writing
5. My Weight Loss for Life
6. Turnip of Power
7. My Internet Marketing Adventures
8. Bebo Author
9. About Every Little Thing
10. My Sense and Sensibility