Writing Seminar

You Can Make Money Writing Seminar

What’s a Freelancer?

The derivation of the word freelance goes back to medieval times when knights of courage sold their services to fight under any flag for a price. They were not bound to any lord, king or kingdom. They were 100% mercenaries willing to demonstrate their courage and fight and die, if the price was right. To survive, the modern-day freelance writer must be willing to do the same thing. Courage is the key and the willingness to fight for a story and the courage to live knowing that you’re only as good and you’ll only make as much money as you can produce from your next battle.

Thousands of newspapers, magazines and websites will pay you to write for them.
* Have you ever dreamed of being a writer but don’t know how to get started?
* Do you have some ideas that you think are marketable as stories or books, but don’t know how to sell them?
* Are you looking for a part-time or a full-time income and wondering if becoming a published writer may be the answer?
* Have you always wanted to be published but never have known the steps to get there?
* Have you always wanted to learn how to break in to the lucrative market of freelance writing?

Now you can learn the secrets of the writers who make a full-time or part-time living in this craft. With more than 30 years as an award-winning full-time freelance writer, John Phillips has produced and sold more than 10,000-magazine articles, 20,000-newspaper columns and 30 books, and provides Internet content for 9-different companies. John’s wife, Denise, has been involved in the editing and business side of Night Hawk Publishing and is an accomplished writer in her own right.

As the executive editor and managing editor of “Great Days Outdoors” magazine, the Phillipses deal with writers and photographers on a daily basis and know how to help you get published, sell your work, learn to deal with editors, find out what magazines, newspapers and book publishers will buy, and teach you how to meet the ever-growing need for writers for Internet content.

For more information on the seminar, you can contact John Phillips at nighthawkpub@mindspring.com. For motel reservations, contact Alan White at alanw@gdomag.com.

You Can Make Money Writing Seminar
When: Saturday, February 7th, 2009
Where: Gulf Shores, Alabama - Microtel Inn
Cost: $125 per person

The Microtel Inn is holding rooms for participants who wish to stay there. John will hold question-and-answer sessions on Friday and Saturday nights.

Because there is limited space, this seminar is being offered on a first-come basis, and a 50% deposit is required to hold your reservation for the seminar.

WRITING SEMINAR CONTENT

Night Hawk Publications
John E. Phillips, President
4112 Camp Horner Road
Birmingham, AL 35243
205-967-3830 (office)
205-967-7185 (fax)
nighthawkpub@mindspring.com; john7185@bellsouth.net
www.nighthawkpublications.com

Several people have written and wondered how the writing seminar will be handled. Once I understand what my students want to know, collectively and individually, then I try to provide that information in a useable form. I don't generally have set times for these because I like to see what people want to know. But all of these ideas will be covered. I do have hand-out materials and a course outline for attendees. Once we have a list of students, I usually ask them to send me questions that they hope to have answered at the seminar. I don't review or edit anyone's manuscripts, but we will show you how to prepare manuscripts that sell. Denise also will be on-hand to answer any of the English/grammar, style or formatting questions someone may have. I've taken the best ideas that I've gotten from my writing friends and some of the most-financially-successful writers the past 4 decades and rolled them into this seminar. I could have jump-started my career by 3 to 5 years, if I'd had this seminar when I first started writing.

Besides the Friday and Saturday night answer sessions that are free, we usually start off with:

* Why do you write, and what do you write because many people have reasons other than making money for writing.
* What's required to become a money-making writer.
* What advantages you get as a writer.
* How to learn your craft.
* What are some successful formulas for writing.
* How to build a writing career.
* How and where to get story ideas.
* How to view your writing as a business.
* How to write for any magazine, using a can't-miss formula.
* How to market what you write.

The two-most-important aspects that most writers never figure out are how to market what they sell and how to run a successful business as a writer. So far, I haven't learned of any school - college or university - that teaches students how to sell what they write, nor have I found any courses on how to set up and operate a writing business and manage the cash flow needed. Yet, in my opinion and from my experiences with other writers, these two are the most-critical ingredients for anyone to make a good parttime living or a successful fulltime living as a writer. I try to tailor the course so that students can walk out of this seminar and start making money building a writing business the next day.

Other aspects of a writing business that will be covered include:

* How to make money writing for the Internet, which I believe to be one of the most-critical aspects of the course. This way writers can start making money in their hometowns almost immediately. Most of the information people access today comes from the Internet. Therefore, the need for Internet writers is tremendous and is an aspect of writing that will continue to grow.
* How to use flash video, and how to make it happen, which is the next logical step in Internet-content providing. It's easy to do, once you know how, and more than likely I'll have my Internet guru with me. This step is one my company just has taken and one that I think holds the future for many journalists - regardless of your subject area or your computer knowledge.
* How to sell photographs. What kind of equipment do you need? How to get great pictures that sell.
* How to edit your work.
* How to determine what an editor will buy.
* What is an editor/writer relationship?
* How to play the mental games a writer must play to keep checks coming in every week.
* How to write a book, and why cutting grass for a living may be more lucrative.

By the end of the day on Saturday, there shouldn't be anything anyone wants to know about making money writing that they haven't learned. John