Change The World With Words

I’m always recommending books for writers. I have a whole page (The Reading List) here at Change The World With Words dedicated to books about writing, and I even set up an Amazon aStore full of books on writing, publishing and world-changing, plus a bit of fiction and non-fiction I thought readers might like. (Check out the store here. You can shop from it using your usual Amazon account).

Recently, I’ve come across several Kindle ebooks about writing being offered for really low prices. All the following are currently being offered for under $3 on Amazon. They’re amazing value and well worth the (very small) investment if you use a Kindle as your main reading device.

Books About Writing in the Kindle Store

The Moonlighter’s Guide to Online Writing For Immediate Income by Connie Brentford $2.99

1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More by Brian Cohen $2.99

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K M Welland $2.99

Telling Your Tale Workbook: A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction for Print and eBook by Angela Benson $2.99

Writing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook by Daniel Mega $2.99

Writing for Change: journaling and reflecting through creative writing by Jacqui Malpass $2.99

How to Write A Book In 48 Hours by Jack Marrow $2.99

200 Writing Prompts by David Stoddard $0.99

Plotting Simplified: Story Structure Tips for the Break-out Novelist by Eddie Jones $0.99

250 Things You Should Know About Writing by Chuck Wendig $0.99

A Writer’s Workshop by A K Alexander $0.99

So You Want to Write A Novel by J P Kurzitza (usually $0.99, currently free)

Write Good or Die edited by Scott Nicholson (usually $0.99, currently free)

Pricing in the Kindle store is subject to change, and freebies don’t often stay free for long. If you like the look of any of these I recommend you get them quickly.

Of course, different books will suit different people. Feel free to click through, have a look at each one, read any reviews and use the Amazon “look inside” feature. You’d have to be a pretty versatile writer to be interested in all of them. Then again, you could buy the whole list and still have spent less than $25. When you look at the prices of many online writing courses and ebooks, that seems like a bargain to me.

If you don’t have a Kindle yet, you can buy one here.

I’ll check these links regularly, but if you’re clicking through and finding the prices have gone up please let me know via the comments. Appreciate it.

Image by Tina Phillips at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This year I’m partnering with a couple of cool organisations to bring you some useful resources for writers and authors. Some of them are free, some of them aren’t. If you’re at a stage in your writing career where you want to start investing in yourself, you can choose to buy through me and support this site at the same time (see what that means here).

If you’re not, that’s fine too. All articles here at Change The World With Words are free and always will be. (I also get a real kick out of sharing other free resources I find, and I seem to find a lot – maybe it’s Karma sending me free writing goodies because I always pay them forwards. Feel free to subscribe if you want to know about new free writing resources as I find them.)

If you’re a writer looking for affiliate programs to join in order to offer your readers valuable resources and create an extra income stream for yourself, I recommend these programs.

In 2012 I’ll be working with an organisation called My Help Hub.

Why?

They have really high quality products for writers, mainly ebooks and online courses, that cover different types of writing and other skills related to writing and getting your work published.

Their paid products are reasonably priced, often come with bonuses and offer a money-back guarantee.

They have a good mix of products that will appeal to different readers (we’re an eclectic mix here at CTWWW), from The Wealthy Writer online course to their Writer’s Block CD to the Novel in a Month course. Perhaps my favourite E-product purchased last year was their excellent How To Write A Children’s Book.

Like me, they like to be generous. They offer a huge selection of free resources for writers through Writers Giveaway, that you can start downloading right now if you want (click here).

If you’re a writer with your own blog or site and you’d like to partner with My Help Hub to offer some of their products to your readers and followers, check out their affiliate program here.

I’ll also be working with the lovely Shelley Hitz from Self-Publishing-Coach.com.

Why?

Shelley also offers great products, albeit in a narrower range. Most of her products are aimed at helping writers develop specific skills in the area of self-publishing and book marketing, though her book marketing and promotion resources are also excellent for traditionally published authors looking to build their brand and sell more books.

These products are very affordable. Shelley is known for over-delivering and offering far more (including bonuses) than you would expect for the price she charges.

The range of products covers almost everything new and aspiring authors need to know (and lots of things more experienced authors should know but don’t). Products include Ebook Publishing Success, Get Your Kindle Ebook Done, and Twitter 101 For Authors.

Shelley also loves a freebie. You can pick up over 200 free tools for authors over at her site Self-Publishing-Coach.com or download a couple of her free reports, Book Marketing on a Shoestring Budget: YouTube Strategies for Authors and Book Marketing on a Shoestring Budget: Guest Blogging for Success right here at CTWWW.
 

If you’re looking to invest in yourself in 2012, please consider some of the products mentioned above or listed on the resources page (or check out the reading list and online book store for good-value books about writing and publishing). And if not, go ahead and download the freebies mentioned above.

If you haven’t already seen our Win an iPad2 or Kindle Fire contest, you might want to check it out. You’ll need something to read your new Ebooks and online course materials on:)

Regular readers here know how much I love a freebies. A while ago I signed up for FreeEbooks.net, a site where you can download up to five free ebooks, in basic PDF format, every month. (If you want to download more or access them in fancy formats for your ereader or phone, you can pay a monthly fee for a premium service – also great value.)

The trouble is, some months I get so busy I forget to download them. I’ve decided to commit to downloading each month and blogging about what I’ve found. That should keep me on track and help you, the readers, by letting you know about the freebies available. This is what I’ve downloaded today.

20 Ways to Improve Your Writing, by H R Morgan

The day I no longer feel the need or desire to improve my writing will, and should, be the day I stop doing it. I’m committed to doing something every week to improve my writing, whether it’s taking a course, or reading a great blog post. This week I’ll be reading this ebook, and applying what I learn.

Purely by coincidence, I actually wrote a post a while ago called Twenty Ways to Improve Your Writing, but that was, of course, just my thoughts on the matter. I love reading other writers’ thoughts, almost as much as I love writing. (More, if I’m having a procrastination issue – as we all do from time to time.)

A Cheap and Easy Guide to Self-Publishing eBooks 

Like most writers, I’m aware of how fast the publishing industry is changing and I predict that I WILL be involved in self-publishing and/or ebook publishing at some point in the future. Every tip helps, so I’ll be looking for a few in here.

147 Killer e-publishing Strategies

As above!

Photography Tips for Beginning Photographers, Amateur Photographers & Experienced Amateur Photographers

I fall firmly in the “amateur’ category. I love photography, and I aspire to be good at it, but I’m not there yet. My work is hit and miss, meaning I have to take a lot of photos in the hope of getting a good one. I’d really like to take the guess work out of my photography.

Being able to take good photos is a valuable skill for most writers, especially those who, like me, do a lot of travel writing. It’s time-consuming to learn photography, but so is sourcing photos for travel articles.

 According to the blurb, this book will help me:

“Gain valuable advice to help boost your enjoyment of photography, as well as useful tips to help you along if you are contemplating making money in it.”

That sounds like a step in the right direction.

A Plum In The Syrup

I love this book. I actually downloaded it earlier this month. I’d read it a while ago, but no longer had it. I suspect it was on the hard drive of my old lap top that I passed on to my son and that sadly died either of natural causes (old age) or due to  human error (don’t ask!). Now I’ve found it again, and for free. When I re-read it, I remembered exactly why I enjoyed it so much the first time round. Definitely worth the investment of $0.

You can download all of the above at this link:

FreeEbooks.net

I read my ebooks on my Kindle. If you don’t have one yet, and want one, consider ordering your Kindle here, and supporting Change The World With Words at the same time (see my disclosure page, to find out how you’ll be supporting the site).

Image courtesy of photostock.

If you’re a regular here at Change The World With Words, you’ll have noticed something – I’m cheap. I love a freebie, and I love to share them. Here is a round-up of some of the free ebooks for writers and bloggers I’ve come across lately, along with a sample tip from each and my own personal take on why it’s a good one.

Write Good or Die

Available free for download from Amazon.

Sample tip:

“Discipline gets the job done. As Malcolm Gladwell noted in his controversial book Outliers. The musicians who put in more practice hours have more success than those who put in fewer hours. Same with athletes and same with writers and almost everyone else in the arts. Both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama spent more time on the campaign trail in their initial successful Presidential bid than any of their opponents did – both in hours per day and days per week.”

Why I like it:

It’s one of the few things I know is true when it comes to writing. You have to put the hours in. There are no short cuts. There is no four hour work week.

Smashwords Book Marketing Guide: How To Market any Book for Free

Available free for download from Amazon.

Sample tip:

“Although your book is competing against millions of other books, your fellow authors are not your competition. They are your partners.”

Why I like it:

This paragraph goes on to advise you to contribute to the success of other authors, share ideas and experiences, and do joint promotions with them. Great advice, and for one very good reason. Lots of people never buy books. Those that do tend to buy lots. Someone who buys another author’s book is not a ‘lost sale’ for you. He is a potential client. Think about this when you connect with other authors, both online and in real life.

The Writing Book by Gurmeet Mattu

Available free from Barnes and Noble.

Sample tip:

 “Is the pen mightier than the sword? Can words have so much power? Consider the Bible, the Koran, Das Kapital, The Wealth of Nations. Only words, and yet they have moved nations and destroyed empires. Words are powerful beasts and the ability to control them makes the writer extremely powerful. If you are a writer you are a dangerous entity. If you are a good writer you are a positive menace.”

Why I like it:

It’s exactly what I mean when I talk about how words can change the world. We’re powerful people, as writers. It just doesn’t always feel like it

How To Earn Even More Money From Your Writing by Ruth Barringham

Available for free download right here at Change The World With Words.

Sample tip:

“You can create even more money from writing for magazines by recycling your work. This means that if an editor likes the article or story you’ve written and publishes it, there’s nothing to stop you re-writing it from another angle and offerering it somewhere else.”

Why I like it:

I’m a big fan of recycling past work (and research) to increase your writing income. I covered this strategy in more detail in my previous post Twelve Ways To Earn More Money From Your Freelance Writing.

40 Ways To Market Your Writing by Carol Tice and Anne Wayman

Free when you sign up for blog updates (also free) at Make A Living Writing.

Sample tip:

“Public speaking – There are lots of community groups that want speakers. Speaking to these groups about the writing you do – maybe one a month – is a great way to hone your speaking skills and get your name out amongst the people who can hire you.”

Why I like it:

It’s tough advice, for lots of us. Public speaking can be terrifying and many writers and authors just don’t enjoy it, which is why it’s a great skill to cultivate. If you can do it, it not only helps you market your writing, it gives you an additional marketable skill. Some authors earn more (eventually) from speaking engagements than they do in royalties from their books.

201 tips to Rock Your Blog By Leo Babauta & Mary Jaksch

Free when you subscribe (also for free) at Alist Blogging Boot Camps.

Sample tip:

 “Deliver the goods. When you sit down to write, ask yourself why readers come to your blog. What are they hoping to find help with? Now, write a post that delivers those things.”

Why I like it:

A huge misconception about blogs is that they’re all about the blogger. Bad ones often are. Good ones are about providing the reader with what they need, albeit with a healthy dose of the bloggers personality thrown in.

Blogging Basics

Free download from Grow With Stacy.

 Sample tip:

 “What are your blogging goals?  Do you want to spread the word about something that means a lot to you, such as the importance of saving the planet or getting sugary foods out of schools? Do you want to make money? Do you want to inspire others toward better living?”

Why I like it:

Two big reasons new bloggers lose motivation and stop posting is that they don’t know what their blog is about (no clear topic), or they don’t know why they’re blogging (no goals). Setting blogging goals is almost as important as picking a topic.

Plum in the Syrup by Daniel Herzner

Available from FreeEbooks.net

Note: You have to sign up for this site, but for the basic (free) sign up you get 5 free downloads a month, in basic PDF format. (For unlimited downloads and fancy formats, you can upgrade to their premium package.)

Sample tip:

 “It’s important you understand that the market place will always pay you what you’re worth and never a penny more. If you want to make more, then you must become more.”

Why I like it:

This is a book about business, creativity, and productivity. It’s not just for writers, but it works well for writers – like this snippet of advice. Learn more, work more, produce more, master more skills – get paid more. As I’ve already said, there are no shortcuts.

Looking for something to read all these free books on? I recommend the Kindle. I resisted getting an e-reader for so long, and I still read,  buy and love ‘real’ books, but I also love my Kindle. It means I can go traveling and take along 100 books. It means I can carry all those books in my purse or a big pocket. It means I can download free ebooks and read them anywhere I want. If you’re convinced, consider ordering your Kindle here.

If you have a favourite free ebook (including your own) please share in the comments. The usual spam rules will be slightly relaxed. Just please make sure the book is about writing, blogging or something very closely related

See my other “freebies for writers” posts here.

Image by Nuttakit via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This really is the biggest mass giveaway of writers’ products I’ve ever come across. It’s all on one site and all you have to do is sign up for the Smart Writers’ Newsletters and start downloading the freebies.

 I’ve even experimented for you by signing up, downloading some freebies and then unsubscribing (I didn’t want to recommend a site that sent out spam or made it impossible to unsubscribe). The unsubscribe worked just fine, but it’s a sign of how good this site is that I’ve just signed up again. They’ve actually added some more freebies since I unsubscribed, plus I’ve fallen in love with my new Kindle, so reading all those free Ebooks and reports just got a lot easier.

What you’ll find for free download at this site:

 Ebooks, reports and online courses:

The Art of Writing (by Robert Louis Stevenson)

 How to Structure Your Short Story

Writing Success Secrets

The Guide to Writing Dialogue

12-Step Inspiration Program

Becoming a Successful Writer

Why Every Writer Needs a Website

How to Sell EVERYTHING You Write

Writing Synopses

Writing for Local Businesses

Writing Collaboratively Using the Net

Software

Rough Draft Writing Software

Mind Mapping Software

Novel Writing Software

WriteSparks Software (Haven’t used this yet, but apparently it generates story ideas, first lines and ‘what if’ scenarios – which sounds like a lot of fun, though potentially more likely to distract me than help me get any work done).

There are also a few audio files, mainly Interviews with bestselling authors.

Bonus download for screenplay writers:

I don’t write screenplays but know some writers (and readers of this blog) who do. This sounds like a pretty useful resource:

25 Screenplays – A compilation of 25 big hit screenplays for you to read and study at your leisure.

To be honest, you’d have to be a very versatile writer to need every one of these freebies, and you can of course pick and choose. Even I haven’t downloaded absolutely everything, and I am a freebie addict and ebook hoarder (I persuade myself that because Ebooks don’t take up any physical space it’s not really hoarding).

If you use this site and either love, or have any problems with, any of the software or other products, please let me know, preferably via the comments on this post so other readers can get the full picture.

Thanks for stopping by and here’s the link:

WritersGiveaway.com

Image courtesy of photostock.

I’ve just finished re-reading the ebook 25 Ways To Write for Money by David Goldsmith. It’s one of those books I try to go through at least once a year because, surprisingly enough, by the time I’ve taken the author’s advice and produced, say, 10 very different pieces of work, I tend to forget about the next 15 types of writing I could be doing, especially as the first ten pieces will have found favor with editors who may well be asking for my next (similar) piece of work.

25 Ways to Write For Money is not a free ebook. There are plenty of those around and I love them. I regularly talk about free ebooks and writing resources here at Change the World With Words, but if you really want to progress with your writing, spending a little on quality resources will be a worthwhile long term investment.

Here are some reasons this ebook is a regular re-read for me:

I like to diversify.

I write a lot of fairly serious articles on a range of topics, from travel to parenting: from coping with an elderly parent suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, to saving the environment. Sometimes I almost forget that I also like to write short stories, and humor, and opinion pieces. I know I want to write more personal essays and try my hand at writing a screen play. I know I have plans floating around for novels, non-fiction books and children’s stories.

This ebook reminds me of all the different writing I could be doing and inspires me to diversify, which is personally and creatively satisfying.

I like a challenge.

I’ve read this book a handful of times now, and each time I decide to try a completely new type of writing. Something I’ve never tried before. I love the challenge of learning more about a particular genre and trying it out. Sometimes I produce a saleable piece of writing. Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I create something that I think I can work on in the future and I put it to one side for a while. Whatever happens I enjoy the challenge, the learning process and the break from my normal writing routine. More often than not I discover a new income stream that can be implemented either now or in the future.

I like a step-by-step guide

Each of the 25 chapters in this book covers a specific type of writing, and while it’s impossible for each chapter to be a comprehensive guide to a whole new area of writing, each chapter does provide simple easy-to-follow steps to get you started.

Depending on the type of writing highlighted, you’ll find definitions, Frequently Asked Questions (eloquently answered), exercises, “What you’ll need” lists, necessary skills, tips, techniques and markets to sell your writing to.

I like a range of easily accessible resources

Each chapter ends with a list of additional resources such as websites, training courses, books and market databases. Each chapter, in short, ends at a point where, if you’d like to explore this type of writing further, the next steps are made easy for you.

Admittedly, some of the additional resources are ebooks, books and courses that you will have to pay for. I’m all for investing in your writing, but I also encourage you to build your freelance writing business slowly, investing in one resource at a time and using those resources wisely to make money that can then be re-invested in your writing career.

Having said that, I have a shelf full of writing books (and increasing a hard drive full of ebooks about writing). And I’ve invested money in taking several writing courses over the past decade or so. I do believe in spending money to make money. I just encourage you to take your time and invest in the right resources as and when you can afford to do so.

I like to mix it up.

The great thing about this book is that it encourages me to vary my writing routine. It reminds me that when I want to take a break from a big, heavy-on-the-research project I can write a filler, or poem, or humorous opinion piece. It encourages me to indulge my playful side by writing for children, or my competitive side by writing for contests, or my frankly quite weird side by writing some quirky sci-fi or fantasy based fiction.

 Most importantly, as a professional freelance writer who is, after all, trying to make a living here, this ebook gives me a way to make money from each and every piece I write. The combination of ‘how-to’ advice combined with solid information regarding editors and publishers willing to publish that particular type of writing means I always have a plan to get the writing done AND sold.

If you have a favorite writing ebook (or print book)  that you re-read on a regular basis, feel free to share in the comments or email me to let me know about it. I’m always looking for writing related books to read, review and share with other writers.

I’ve partnered with freelance writer Ruth Barringham to offer you a completely free, no strings attached, no sign-up required copy of her Ebook,  How to Earn Even More Money From Your Writing. It really is free. You won’t have to hand over your email address, your personal information or anything else. Here at Change The World With Words, we like to do world changing writing. But we also like to make a living. Thus the tag line: Make art. Make money. Make a difference.  If you can do all three of these things at the same time you’re living a pretty good life by my standards.

Will you make more money from your writing if you read this book? Well, not just by reading it, no. You’ll have to read, absorb, and take action. If you continue to take action you will greatly increase your chances of making good money from your writing. Which brings me to a wonderful and (as far as I can observe) deadly accurate observation by Daniel Herzner:

“…money is neutral. Money won’t make you bad and money won’t make you good. What it will do is make you more of what you already are. If you’re a kind and generous person then having more money will enable you to be more kind and generous. If you’re an asshole and you become wealthy then chances are good you’ll be an even bigger asshole.”

If I were you I’d consider this carefully before you download

If you want to be more of what you already are, and you want a genuinely free ebook that will help you make more money from your writing, click on the link below:

Free Ebook for Writers – How to Earn Even More Money From Your Writing

Update: Looking for more freebies for writers? Check out WritersGiveaway.com.

Happy Holidays to all my readers and here are a few free gifts for you all. If you haven’t already seen my previous posts, Free Ebooks for Bloggers  and Two Great Free Resources feel free to check them out.

Then pop over to this link and pick up a range of free ebooks, from Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, to  Law of Attraction and Making Time Work for You.

Finally, stop by The Art of Non-Conformity and pick up your free copy of 279 Days to Overnight Success. Make 2011 the year that all your years of hard work pay off and you too become an ‘overnight success’.

The above are great books for writers and bloggers but also valuable to anyone working in a creative field.

I LOVE sharing free resources with other writers and bloggers. Please re-tweet, share, forward and generally spread the word. We could all use a little ‘free’ this time of year

Wishing you all a happy holiday season and a prosperous 2011.

I recently came across two (genuinely) free ebooks that I needed to read right now – I guess when the student is ready the free resource appears

They both relate to focus and efficiency. Cutting out the time consuming extras and focussing on doing the really important work.

The first is The Minimalist Workday: 50 Strategies for Working Less by Everett Brogue, blogger at Far Beyond The Stars, and author of ebooks such as The Art of Being Minimalist, and Minimalist Business. It’s a good read for writers, bloggers and anyone who lives and works in a creative field, and is available for download at this link.

The other is Focus: A Simplicity Manifesto in the Age of Distraction by Leo Babuta, blogger at Zen Habits and author of previous ebooks such as Zen to Done and The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life.

This book actually comes in a free and premium version. You can download the free version and decide whether you want to invest in the premium version. Download for free at this link.

Both ebooks are genuinely free. No sign-up required – simply click on the links and download. They’re great books for writers but useful for any online entrepreneur. Please share with other deserving students who may be ready for their free resource to appear!

Before you leave check out the newly updated Freebie page for more free ebooks.