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MenuHow might one find a good tech startup writer for a few articles per week?
Obviously, the guys with skills are at WIRED / TechCrunch / etc..., but there must be some solid talent out there that isn't locked away full-time at a big media house. What's a good way to find and potentially hire these guys part time?
Answers
Find someone on Elance.com for a fast hire. LinkedIn.com for a more targeted approach at someone looking for a full time job... but expect a standard recruiting/hiring cycle time-wise. TextBroker.com will get you through in the meantime with pay per word writers on demand.
Scan the comments section.
You've already identified venues where the in-house writers have the experience and skill set of interest. Well, in many cases you'll find amateurs and knowledgeable experts who already care enough about those subjects to voluntarily troll the internet looking to post their viewpoint below the official article.
Find someone whose tone is collegial rather than adversarial, who seems to know his stuff, and whose natural written style requires little babysitting. Hire that person!
Seek out "contributors," "guest writers," or "freelancers" who write for the publications you've identified as relevant. These writers are often freelancers with a little extra time to write. Your offer must be compelling, though, because writers tend to enjoy writing for large publications, not startup blogs. That is, unless the topic is a huge interest of theirs in the first place and the pay is good.
If you have a budget, you could also consider checking out Contently, a network for highly talented freelance writers. They serve large brands for the most part, though, and are often over-priced for startups.
One of the best places to look for writers is Problogger. It costs you $50 to post a job but you will find one of the best talents over there.
You can hire great freelancers on oDesk and Elance but you need to know how to search for them. They will cost you less for sure. Look for people who have written in your specific niche and ask them to write you a post or 2 to see what they are capable of.
Right now I'm teaching people especially about how to find, hire & manage freelancers. I have hired more than 100 freelancers so far so If you want to learn more about how to do it, feel free to schedule a call.
Elance.
Don't stop taking massive action.
Best of Luck,
Michael T. Irvin
michaelirvin.net
My books are available exclusively through Amazon Books. Check out my book "Copywriting Blackbook of Secrets"
Copywriting, Startups, Internet Entrepreneur, Online Marketing, Making Money
Odesk/Elance is good.. As a web content writer myself, I usually get found by clients as they invite me to apply to their job (usually related to, for instance, my forte: health/nursing/psychology/internet marketing, etc.). From there, the client selects the best bidder (from the proposed rate, experience, and even some specific tests to determine if we are really a good fit). Hope this helps!
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Is anyone know where I can find a perfect writing service?
I need to do my essay and have a lack of time!
Hey. I think there is no perfect essay writing service, since I tried a lot of them in my student years. What can I tell you, choosing a good service is not difficult if you pay attention to three components: price, quality and reviews. The latter is especially important, as you should see real results from real students like you. So first of all, look at the reviews. I myself can advise reading reviews here http://papercoachreviews.com, since I already took work from them. Good luck with your training!EV
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What is the best way to go about outlining a fiction book?
When it comes to writing a book, there's some groundwork that needs to be done beforehand. There are even a few things you need to know before you begin to outline. Every good story is comprised of... 1.) A protagonist 2.) main goal/conflict of the book 3.) multiple tries and fails to accomplish said main goal and overcome main conflict 4.) satisfying resolution There are obviously more moving parts to this outline, but that would take a really long time to get into, and I'd rather have you go watch the video tutorial I did on how to outline a novel since it's free, it isn't too long, and it will break up the process of outlining a novel into actionable steps that make sense and are easy to understand. You're welcome! https://youtu.be/rlQDW9n0NyECA
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Why do some romance novels fail?
There are several reasons a romance novel fails, and that always has to do with the development of the romance between the two love interests. Every character in a story is going to have a main goal and something they want or need. In romance novels, this ends up being the relationship that ends in a happily ever after. Most of the time. That darn Nicholas Sparks! Obviously, romance sub-genres will have plot layers if mystery or suspense is involved, but when we're talking straight romance, it's far more noticeable if the development of the relationship is off. Here are just a few issues I've seen in romance novels. 1.) Love in a vacuum: nothing is happening other than the characters suddenly falling in love for no discernible reason. 2.) Purely Physical: the romantic tension relies on nothing more than the physical aspects of the relationship, preventing any development of emotional attachments taking place. (Note: erotica is a whole other subject, and its readership generally expects there to be explicit content when forming the relationship. Nothing wrong with that if that's the kind of readership you are aiming at. Just know your audience and write accordingly.) 3.) Little or no romantic tension: romantic tension involves wanting without fulfillment. Even the anticipation of a simple kiss can cause enormous amounts of tension if the two love interests are always close to succumbing but never quite get there. 4.) Weak sources of conflict: Are the obstacles that prevent the love interests from coming together superficial and unbelievable? Consider what each character wants and what they need, and put those wants and needs in opposition to one another, causing their relationship to seemed doomed before it even starts. 5. The reader doesn't care: are your characters likable, easy to relate to, or people we can admire? If they don't have any redeeming qualities, interesting backstories, and quite possibly some deep, dark secret that prevents them from moving on and falling in love, then you might end up with characters who fail to inspire readers or pique their interest. There are three things every romance needs. !.) An emotional connection between characters: they can't just be really attractive. Lust does not build a connection. Emotional connections require interaction and time. There also needs to be an emotional connection for the reader. They need to see the strengths and weaknesses of your character. No one can relate to a perfect person. There needs to be a compelling reason for your couple to be together. This helps with avoiding: the love vacuum, reader caring, cliche characters and plot. 2.) Need fulfillment: what does the character need? The deeper the need the deeper the connection. So figure out what your character needs in a significant other. This helps with: the love vacuum, weak source of conflict, cliche character, and no foundation for the love. 3.) Unique connection: the couple is something to each other that no one else is or can be. If the connection isn't unique, it will lack impact and will not be satisfying to your readers. This is why their connection must go beyond love at first sight, infatuation, or physical pleasure. This helps with poor reasons for miscommunication or no communication, the love has no foundation, little or no romantic tension. I'm always happy to answer questions on the fundamentals of fiction writing if you would like to discuss romance or any other genre in greater detail.CA
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In a Non-Fiction Book can you mention a story told by someone else?
Hi There - I'm a development editor and literary agent with over ten years experience in the industry. Saw your question and thought I'd chime in. You can mention the story in your book, yes, but you do need to reference Malcom Gladwell's speech or whomever said it and wherever it came from. It doesn't have to be formal, but something like, "When Malcom Gladwell was speaking at xxx, he told a story about ....." Then after that you'd connect the story to the point you're making or it's possible the story serves to support a claim you made beforehand. If you're interested in hopping on the phone feel free to reach out. All the best, CynthiaCK
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What is the most efficient way to have a steady source writing/blogging/tweeting ideas?
A few approaches I'm currently using: 1) StumbleUpon Once you create an account, add in some interests. These can be general (e.g. "Technology") or more specific (e.g. "User Interface"). Then, at the top of the page is a big dropdown that by default says "All Interests." Pop that open then poke on the interest you're looking to get ideas for. Start stumbling and see what comes up. 2) Facebook Create a new Facebook page for yourself. It doesn't need to be public. Then, when on that page, open the "Edit Page" menu at top and choose the last item, "Use Facebook as PAGENAME." Then, use search or whatever means to find pages that post like-minded content to what you're looking for and "Like" these pages. {NOTE: Because you are "acting as" your page, YOU are NOT liking these pages, your page is liking them.} Okay, so now you should have a page that you're acting as, and you've liked some other pages. Now if you go to the FB homepage, you'll see a custom newsfeed of posts from JUST those pages that you liked (plus ads). Over on the left (in today's interface at least) there's a little arrow next to Newsfeed. Click that and switch to most recent. Voila, the freshests posts from the pages you like. You can switch back to "Use Facebook as YOURNAME" using the arrow at the very top right of the desktop interface. 3) Sharegrab.com This is from the EdgeRank Checker people. Basically, you log in and create Pods (read: groups or lists) of FB pages. Then, you can choose a pod, and a date range, and it'll show you the most "shareworthy" posts from those pages. Hope this is helpful. Please feel free to reach out to me if you need any assistance implementing these ideas, or creating a custom blended RSS feed (which is still a fantastic way to achieve your goal). https://clarity.fm/toddlevyTL
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