By Nick Daws – Author of Write Any Book in 28 Days – Or Less!

If you’re a writer and don’t have your own website to advertise yourself, you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities. How do I know? Well, I’ve had my own site for about seven years now, and during that time it’s brought me dozens, possibly hundreds, of work opportunities. Here are just a few which came my way as a result of people seeing my site…

* Hamlyn Publishing (UK) wanting me to write a couple of two-page spreads for a proposed book.
* A retired gangster living in Ireland wanting me to help write his memoirs.
continue reading "Nick Daws: Why Every Writer Needs a Website"

Alec Greven is working on becoming another John Gray (MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS), at least for 3rd graders. In 2007, his class had a writing competition to raise money for charity, and his book was so popular, it was picked up by HarperCollins for mass publication.

Not bad for a Castle Rock, Colorado 9-year-old whose advice in HOW TO TALK TO GIRLScontains such gems as:
continue reading "Move Over MEN ARE FROM MARS"

Whenever people find out I’m on eBay selling books and other stuff and have been for almost 8 years, they invariable ask me how to sell on eBay. Even though millions of people are already buying and selling on eBay, I still run into quite a few who haven’t tried the service out yet, either from fear or from just not knowing how to get started. Or I talk to people who tried it once or twice, but couldn’t figure out how they could make much money at it, much less replace an existing job, doing it either full-time or part-time.

While you can use trial and error to figure out how to use eBay, or try to learn eBay using their help guides (which aren’t really that helpful in my opinion), I find learning from someone who’s already done what I’m thinking of doing and who shows me concrete examples how to succeed is easier and much more productive in the long run. (This, after bumbling along on my own for the first few years or so before I decided to get some REAL help through books and videos – now I’m a PowerSeller and doing better all the time at something I enjoy and can actually make money doing!)

Depending on what level you think you’re at – absolute novice, sometime user who would like to do a bit better or aiming for PowerSeller as quickly as possible – there are quite a few good books and guides to get you quickly where you need to be:

JUST GETTING STARTED ON eBAY:
eBay Income: How Anyone of Any Age, Location, and/or Background Can Build a Highly Profitable Online Business with eBay by Cheryl L. Russell
Three Weeks to eBay Profits: Go from Beginner to Successful Seller in Less than a Month by Skip McGrath
eBay For Dummies by Marsha Collier
Sell Books and Videos on eBay

IMPROVING YOUR eBAY BUSINESS:
How to Buy, Sell, and Profit on eBay: Kick-Start Your Home-Based Business in Just Thirty Days by Adam Ginsberg
eBay: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks (Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks) by Julia Wilkinson
What to Sell on eBay and Where to Get It by Chris Malta
Make Money Tearing Up Old Books & Magazines And Sell Them On eBay

eBAY POWERSELLER ADVICE and RESOURCES:
eBay Powerseller Secrets: Insider Tips from eBay’s Most Successful Sellers by Debra Schepp
Titanium eBay: A Tactical Guide to Becoming a Millionaire PowerSeller by Skip McGrath

Global Product Sourcing Just Got Way Easier – SaleHoo!
Build A Niche Store – Make Commissions on Anyone’s eBay Sales
Become An eBay PowerSeller In 90 Days
Auction Inspector – Find Items with Low Competition/High Selling Prices!
The Powerseller Assassin – IPod, XBox, Ps3, And Mobile Phone Sources

Spending $10-$50 now on a little ‘informed’ help will probably save you 10 times that or more over the course of your eBay career (or using any service while trying to earn money online…) I know it’s helped me!