Okay, let's do this. I'm going to keep a log down the side of this blog that will show how many hours I worked each week and how much money came in. The hours work don't always correspond to the money, I mean, not immediately anyway. You know, you work your butt off one week and it looks like you average ONE dollar per hour, but then all the money starts rolling in in a couple of weeks and it makes your stats look GREAT, like $100 per hour! Same for me. I can't think of anything negative coming out of this since I report all this income on my taxes and all that. People are always asking me how much I make writing and this will put it to rest. Keep in mind this includes writing for the regionals, business writing and ebook income.
Happy log-reading ... try to beat me every week!!!!
Kerrie McLoughlin
- Kerrie
- I'm pretty lazy. I homeschool my 5 naughty kids, write stuff, do dishes, put away laundry, cook stuff and give unsolicited opinions. I stay young-looking by eating lots of food with preservatives.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Take a Writing and Internet Sabbath
To get a picture of my "real life" (as opposed to my "writing life"), look no further than my blog, The Kerrie Show. I really only spend 10-15 hours per week writing, and much of that is done early in the morning or when my kids are otherwise occupied. I know that doesn't sound like much time, but it yields enough money right now so we can, say, go on a close-by vacation this summer with family when last year we just couldn't swing it. I can't really pinpoint where "my" money goes ... it quickly turns into "our" money and gets eaten by groceries, bills, the every-now-and-then treat like a family dinner out of the house.
Still, even with writing so little, I need a day off each week. I need a day when the kids know they won't see me making out with my laptop. When my husband knows I'm totally there. When I can catch up on things like laundry and paperwork without checking email all day. When I can just play with my kids and be fully present and not running through writing projects in my mind.
Let's be honest here, too: I spend too much time on Crackbook catching up with my homeschool group, family and friends. Then there's Twitter and my blog and now Pinterest ... sheesh! I'm sure I spend less time online doing these things than I would if I had to rely only on the telephone. Imagine calling 27 Cub Scout parents instead of sending ONE email!
For me, my Writing and Internet Sabbath naturally falls on Sunday. The morning isn't exactly spent in a leisurely manner, but once we get home after church (around 1), the day is usually free. We try to not spend money on Sundays and have done this since we were married. We try not to go places where other people have to serve us. Now I try to also make it a laptop-free day.
When Sunday comes around, I feel lighter and have a good time. When Monday comes, I'm fresh and ready to go.
When do you take a break?
Still, even with writing so little, I need a day off each week. I need a day when the kids know they won't see me making out with my laptop. When my husband knows I'm totally there. When I can catch up on things like laundry and paperwork without checking email all day. When I can just play with my kids and be fully present and not running through writing projects in my mind.
Let's be honest here, too: I spend too much time on Crackbook catching up with my homeschool group, family and friends. Then there's Twitter and my blog and now Pinterest ... sheesh! I'm sure I spend less time online doing these things than I would if I had to rely only on the telephone. Imagine calling 27 Cub Scout parents instead of sending ONE email!
For me, my Writing and Internet Sabbath naturally falls on Sunday. The morning isn't exactly spent in a leisurely manner, but once we get home after church (around 1), the day is usually free. We try to not spend money on Sundays and have done this since we were married. We try not to go places where other people have to serve us. Now I try to also make it a laptop-free day.
When Sunday comes around, I feel lighter and have a good time. When Monday comes, I'm fresh and ready to go.
When do you take a break?
Thursday, January 19, 2012
$100 Per Hour as a Writing Parent from Home?!?!
Carol Tice's Make a Living Writing blog has really opened my eyes. It's made me think about how much time I spend writing in relation to how much money I make. I don't expect to get rich writing for the RPMs, and I don't claim you will, either. It's a nice extra income, though. And it can lead to huge projects. And it gets you WRITING and THINKING and reworking pieces to sell again and again. According to Carol, we should be making $100 per hour like she does.
Yes, let that one sink in for a moment. At first I thought she was smoking crack, but then I realized it can be done if you have your fingers in enough pies, if you catch my drift. And I don't have to work 40 hours a week to make that happen. She says that if I can only devote 10 hours a week to writing, I should be making $1,000 per week. Dang, that would certainly cover some bills ... and then some.
Since I can't figure out how to make my Excel spreadsheet that I made up fit on this page in a coherent manner (but I've left my effort on here just in case), I'll describe the darn thing for you:
The first column is for the date I worked. I set up 8 rows per week (7 days and a line for totals). I like to see how I do from week to week, to see progress.
The next column is called Writing Time and I log time throughout the day in that spot.
The next column is for Actual Received Income. That's for what I got in PayPal from ebook sales or writing projects that day or checks I received in the mail.
The next column is called Per Hour, and I've got a little formula where I divide income by time. Some days I make zippo. But in the TOTAL row, it all works out. Some days it looks like I make two bucks an hour and some days I might get a few checks and work only one hour and it looks like I made $50 per hour.
The next column is just for my information and includes projects I worked on that day.
The final column explains where any money came from that day.
Let's all aspire to $100 per hour on all our projects combined! (yes, I previewed my little table below and it looks like a mess on the blog, but I wanted you to get the idea). And sorry about the freaking little marks ... Blogger won't let me delete them. Grrr, Blogger. Bad Blogger.
Yes, let that one sink in for a moment. At first I thought she was smoking crack, but then I realized it can be done if you have your fingers in enough pies, if you catch my drift. And I don't have to work 40 hours a week to make that happen. She says that if I can only devote 10 hours a week to writing, I should be making $1,000 per week. Dang, that would certainly cover some bills ... and then some.
Since I can't figure out how to make my Excel spreadsheet that I made up fit on this page in a coherent manner (but I've left my effort on here just in case), I'll describe the darn thing for you:
The first column is for the date I worked. I set up 8 rows per week (7 days and a line for totals). I like to see how I do from week to week, to see progress.
The next column is called Writing Time and I log time throughout the day in that spot.
The next column is for Actual Received Income. That's for what I got in PayPal from ebook sales or writing projects that day or checks I received in the mail.
The next column is called Per Hour, and I've got a little formula where I divide income by time. Some days I make zippo. But in the TOTAL row, it all works out. Some days it looks like I make two bucks an hour and some days I might get a few checks and work only one hour and it looks like I made $50 per hour.
The next column is just for my information and includes projects I worked on that day.
The final column explains where any money came from that day.
Let's all aspire to $100 per hour on all our projects combined! (yes, I previewed my little table below and it looks like a mess on the blog, but I wanted you to get the idea). And sorry about the freaking little marks ... Blogger won't let me delete them. Grrr, Blogger. Bad Blogger.
| Date | Writing Time | Actual Received Income | Per Hour | Projects | Received Income Sources (ebook, articles, blogging) | <><><><>
| 12/27/2001 | <><><><>2.00 | <><><><>$ - | <><><><><><><><> | Ebooks, Jordan helped | <><><><><><><><> |
| 12/28/2011 | <><><><>3.50 | <><><><>$ - | <><><><><><><><> | Tater tot and declutter ebooks, NTK blog posts @ $25 each; Dunn Bros 2 hours; the rest while Sam slept on me | <><><><><><><><> |
| 12/29/2011 | <><><><>3.75 | <><><><><><><><> | <><><><> | Get Published ebook for January launch, tedious email loads! Ntk posts. While sam slept and early morning, TKS best of ebook! Idea from carol tice article | <><><><><><><><> |
| 12/30/2011 | <><><><>1.25 | <><><><>$ 25.00 | <><><><><><><><> | articles, new slumber parties piece for wilmington parent, ebook stuff at mcd's | <><><><>Peekaboo Arkansas Only Isn't Lonely January 2012 | <><><><>
| 12/31/2011 | <><><><>0.00 | <><><><>$ 125.00 | <><><><><><><><> | <><><><> | North Texas Kids 5 blog posts from Nov/Dec 2011 | <><><><>
| 1/1/2002 | <><><><>0.50 | <><><><><><><><> | <><><><> | articles | <><><><><><><><> |
| TOTALS | <><><><>11.00 | <><><><>$ 150.00 | <><><><>$ 13.64 | <><><><>last week of 2011 | <><><><><><><><> |
| <><><><> | <><><><> | <><><><> | <><><><> | <><><><> | <><><><> |
| 1/2/2012 | <><><><>1.25 | <><><><>$ 19.85 | <><><><><><><><> | articles | <><><><>1 ebook | <><><><>
| 1/3/2012 | <><><><>2.25 | <><><><>$ 83.55 | <><><><><><><><> | accepted to Contently!!!!! Ebook edits while sam sleeps | <><><><>3 ebooks, Houston Family $25 | <><><><>
| 1/4/2012 | <><><><>2.50 | <><><><><><><><> | <><><><> | re-send VD Traditions, ebook emails 6 a.m., Slumber Party sent, ebook, 5 possible Slumber sales today! Ebook emails | <><><><><><><><> |
| 1/5/2012 | <><><><>1.50 | <><><><><><><><> | <><><><> | st. patrick's day article written, researched and sent (1), bedwetting chiro, retyping TSA TKU and appeal letters so I can put them on blog as part of my portfolio of writing | <><><><><><><><> |
| 1/6/2012 | <><><><>1.00 | <><><><>$ 40.00 | <><><><><><><><> | 7:15-8 ebook work,estimated 6 more hours of work? | <><><><>Auburn and Mobile, 2 I found Googling myself | <><><><>
| 1/7/2012 | <><><><>1.50 | <><><><><><><><> | <><><><> | nonprofit letter retype, ebook editing | <><><><><><><><> |
| 1/8/2012 | <><><><>0.25 | <><><><><><><><> | <><><><> | answering emails about reprints | <><><><><><><><> |
| TOTALS | <><><><>10.25 | <><><><>$ 143.40 | <><><><>$ 13.99 | week 1 of 2012 |
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Nonpaying: Chic Mom.com
This is a very cool website, but they don't pay writers. You will, however, get exposure and a publishing clip.
quarterly chicmommagazine.com
Guidelines: We LOVE to support mama writers and creative types, however, you do not have to be a mother to write for Chic Mom. If you have a penchant for writing, creative writing, poetry, art or other creative endeavors, we want to be your outlet. We like good writing, and if we can help you grow your talent, get exposure or just be in your corner, we’d LOVE to. Our articles are organized into three categories: your chic family, your chic home, and your chic self. We welcome essays, opinion pieces, and articles on the following topics: relationships, sex and marital issues, family life, fashion, humor, spirituality, nutrition, exercise, and self-improvement. Our readers are smart, introspective women who appreciate good writing. Articles should help readers navigate their busy lives so they can rediscover themselves and continue to grow as mothers and women physically, spiritually and emotionally. What we like at chic mom magazine: a little edge; grounded; honest and real; humorous; thoughtful and complex.
Autism Notebook Submission Guidelines
The Autism Notebook is a free publication for parents and caregivers of children
who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder. We offer areas for education, services and
inspiration for parents who have children with Autism, Aspergers, PDD-NOS or other related
disorders. Since this is a unique and specified target market, personal stories to
inspire, family acceptance and other life skills and story development would be great
articles to submit for publication. All editorials submitted must be original work, not
duplicated, and be considered for publication, not offered to other publications. Since this
is a special field, we do not want the works for our publication elsewhere. If we have a
writer who we utilize and offer continuous work, he/she will be a part of our expansion,
opportunity for web-based articles and have a long lasting relationship with our team.
We are launching with one edition and plan to have several throughout the state in a short time,
and then onto the next geographical location.
Please submit only editorial that would be associated with an autism spectrum disorder, such as autism, aspergers, and PDD-NOS. This includes auditory processing, sensory integration, vision processing, social skills, etc.
6 times a year...Feb/March, April/May, June/July, Aug/Sept, Oct/Nov, Dec/Jan issues.
Editorial deadline submissions are the following*:
Feb/March issue: December 1st (Launch issue- Best Practices for Better Outcomes)
April/May issue: February 1st ( Awareness & Acceptance - Green Living, Chemical Free for our ASD Kids)
June/July issue: April 1st ( Safety, Travel, Nature)
Aug/Sept issue: June 1st ( Back to School)
Oct/Nov issue: August 1st ( Sports & Activites)
Dec/Jan issue: October 1st ( Holiday, Winter Camp)
* Editorials do not have to reflect themed issue, it's just a guide if wanting to follow for particular interests.
** Compensation will be 15 days past publication date. IE: April issue will be paid on April 15th. Writers are requested to supply an invoice for payment (at least 2 weeks in advance of expecting payment.) Kerrie says pay is $25 and up.
Note from Kerrie: She isn't online yet, so check out this magazine on Facebook for now and don't forget to LIKE it :-)
Monday, January 16, 2012
Nonpaying: Parenting Special Needs
Parenting Special Needs Magazine Submissions:
Parenting Special Needs Magazine is interested in connecting with like-minded individuals, professionals or not, caregivers, advocates, Mothers and Fathers who share a similar vision.
Email Submissions
Writers, photographers, contributing editors, and all related general submission inquiries, feel free to contact us via email with your information or virtual press kit.
Articles should be about 400 - 1000 words clearly written to provide useful, objective, and interesting information for our readers. We accept previously published articles. If possible, please provide graphic images and photographs relevant to article. This is not necessary, but, does add to the articles.
To be added to our Contributors page, please include a 100 to 150 word biography with your name, the name of your business or organization, and your background/expertise. Please include a way for the readers to reach you, such as your phone number and/or email address. Please include contact information only if you wish to be contacted. If you are more comfortable, we can change/edit your name to provide anonymity.
We reserve the right to edit all articles, and can't promise that your article will be published. However, we do keep submissions for possible use in the future.
We are not able to provide any monetary compensation at this time. However, you will receive extensive exposure in our community.
To submit your articles, columns, and graphic images, email them to submit@parentingspecialneeds.org. Please submit your article in a Microsoft Word document, and photos/images in JPG, TIF, Or PDF format, with a minimum of 150 dpi.
Parenting Special Needs Magazine is interested in connecting with like-minded individuals, professionals or not, caregivers, advocates, Mothers and Fathers who share a similar vision.
Email Submissions
Writers, photographers, contributing editors, and all related general submission inquiries, feel free to contact us via email with your information or virtual press kit.
Articles should be about 400 - 1000 words clearly written to provide useful, objective, and interesting information for our readers. We accept previously published articles. If possible, please provide graphic images and photographs relevant to article. This is not necessary, but, does add to the articles.
To be added to our Contributors page, please include a 100 to 150 word biography with your name, the name of your business or organization, and your background/expertise. Please include a way for the readers to reach you, such as your phone number and/or email address. Please include contact information only if you wish to be contacted. If you are more comfortable, we can change/edit your name to provide anonymity.
We reserve the right to edit all articles, and can't promise that your article will be published. However, we do keep submissions for possible use in the future.
We are not able to provide any monetary compensation at this time. However, you will receive extensive exposure in our community.
To submit your articles, columns, and graphic images, email them to submit@parentingspecialneeds.org. Please submit your article in a Microsoft Word document, and photos/images in JPG, TIF, Or PDF format, with a minimum of 150 dpi.
Nonpaying Publications
So I'm trying to weed out all the nonpaying publications I can from the 4th edition of the ebook. It's a process, and I'm certainly not hearing back from everyone. So you can be sure that if there's no pay listed by a market in the 4th edition, I've not worked with them and don't know for sure that they pay. I'm leaving some in, anyway, though, and my dream is to have everyone contact me back before the 5th edition!!! That being said, I still want to list the nonpaying ones who have asked to be listed SOMEWHERE, so some will get their own tag here. So if you're writing for credits, be sure to check the label "nonpaying but we still love them".
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