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.
* A local video company, wanting my help scripting a training video.
* A US publishing house wanting me to ghost-write an exposé of malpractice in the insurance industry.
* A UK publisher, wanting me to quote for producing a series of city guides for publication on the Internet.
* And, not least, White Cliff Computing Limited, whose interest in my work led to me writing two courses for them, “Write Any Book in 28 Days – Or Less! and Quick Cash Writing.

I didn’t actually take up all of the opportunities mentioned above. Sometimes I was too busy with other projects (and I must admit the retired gangster scared me a little…). However, the point is that none of these approaches would have come my way without a website.

There are other benefits as well. If I’m applying for a new writing project or commission, I can simply suggest that the potential client refers to my website if they require any further information. It saves constantly sending out weighty CVs or résumés, and makes me look like a technologically aware, up-to-the-minute sort of guy (this becomes more important when, as in my case, you are no longer in the first flush of youth). The website also helps me keep in touch with readers of my books, and it provides me with an additional (if small) income stream through advertising.

OK, I hear you saying, you’ve sold me on the benefits of having a website, but I’m a writer, not a tech-head. I don’t know how to create my own site, and I don’t have the spare cash to hire someone to build one for me.

Let’s take the latter point first. Getting a website built for you need not be hugely expensive. Freelance writers really don’t need whizzy, cutting-edge designs with Flash animation, online databases, shopping trolleys, and so forth. A basic site which showcases you and your work should be more than sufficient. Try entering “website designer” in your favorite search engine and you’ll get hundreds of potential designers. Approach a few with details of your requirements and see what responses you get. You may well be pleasantly surprised by the quotes you receive. Website design is a very competitive field – and, of course, the designer you use can be based anywhere in the world.

However, if at all possible, I do strongly recommend that you consider building and maintaining your own site. This has all sorts of advantages. For one, you can update it yourself quickly and easily, and you can also create it exactly as you wish. You can add bits, take bits away, try out advertising, start your own newsletter, etc. etc. This is the route I have taken, and although my site is never going to win any awards for its design, it suits my purposes very well.

In my time, I’ve used various programs to create and maintain my website, starting with a program called the CompuServe First Web Page Designer (now, I’m sure, residing in software heaven). If I was starting again today, however, I would definitely invest a few bucks in the Newbie Club First Website Builder. This is a four-volume guide to creating, writing, designing, automating, uploading and promoting your own website, in fully illustrated e-book format. As well as the four beautifully written e-books, you get loads of free software, including the Super Easy Mini Site Wizard, which will build a basic site for you in literally minutes. Check out everything on offer in this product at http://newbieclub.com/builder/?hotproducts. I guarantee it’ll blow you away.

Even if you decide to hire a professional designer to create your site for you, the Newbie Club First Website Builder will show you everything you need to know in order to take over the running of your site and maintain and update it yourself. Incidentally, the Newbie Club, which is aimed at people new to computing rather than IT specialists, also produces a free email newsletter packed with hints and tips for newcomers to computing – you can sign up to it at http://newbieclub.com/?hotproducts if you wish. Although I’ve been using PCs for quite a while now, I still subscribe, and regularly pick up useful hints and tips I hadn’t been aware of before.

Nick Daws is a best-selling author living in Staffordshire, England.
You can discover his exciting course online at “How to Write Any Book in 28 Days – OR LESS!”

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:

– You’ll do better and be happier with a “regular girl” than a “pretty girl.” (Alec’s definition of a pretty girl is one who wear “fancy earrings, fancy dresses, all those shoes.”) According to Alec, “about 73 percent of regular girls ditch boys, 98 percent of pretty girls ditch boys.”

– If you’re shy, a talkative girl would be best for you.

– Don’t be the class clown.

– Impress girls with your skills but don’t be a show off.

– Call the girl but don’t keep her talking too long on the phone. (Two hours, for instance, is too long. Your mother will call you for dinner and you may have to hurt the girl’s feelings by abruptly breaking off the conversation.)

– If a girl ditches you, move on, life is hard. (This last seems a bit adult – wonder what his parents have been telling him…)

Alec says, however, given his own admittedly limited experience, his observations may only apply to his school, Soaring Hawk Elementary School and its play yard. I guess time will tell, eh?

One hit wonder or future top ten writer? Hmmm… (A sequel is already in discussions with the publisher even though the first book won’t be released until November 25th.)

(Already a little heartbreaker, isn’t he?)

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!