Writers Unbound

Having trouble deciding on a fee for a project? Want to find information about federal government spending? Need advice on blending your photography skills with your writing prowess? Bookmark WriterBiz.

Erik Sherman doesn’t really need to find more places to publish his work. His credits include Newsweek, New York Times Magazine, Fortune, Inc., Advertising Age and many other national and international outlets. Sherman has two recent books out. He has authored six books total and co-authored one. He’s working on a new book and he also teaches classes online. He’s a veteran full-time freelancer and photographer. So why would this guy take time to blog about the writing business?

Sherman had been editor of Contracts Watch at the American Society of Journalists and Authors for more than five years. He had done much of the contract reviewing for the ASJA Contracts Committee. “I knew I was stepping down from the committee at the end of June, 2007,� he says. “But I still consider it important to try and be of active help to others.�

Sherman also perceived a broader word canvas. “I saw the blog as a way of addressing some issues at greater length than I could post at a writer’s forum.â€? In addition he’d taught business planning and marketing online. His latest book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Canon EOS Digital Cameras, is a concise, easy-to-understand guide. With such a diverse perspective, Sherman thought blogging would offer a means to address a wider range of issues.

WriterBiz covers tools, practices and resources for the writing business. One useful post, “Great tools to track politics and money,� features a collection of timesaving links to sites like those with information about where federal money goes, the status of bills and committee action, and campaign donations. Another post gives tips on analyzing a client before you commit to provide writing.

Sherman says there are benefits from blogging he didn’t anticipate. “When you spend time trying to explain ideas to others, they become clearer to you,� he notes. He says he also enjoys addressing topics, issues and stories that he might not cover for a magazine or book in the manner he’d like to cover them. With a blog, the buck stops with the writer. “I become my own editor and publisher,� he says.

Sherman has also found that blogs can lead to assignments. For example, he recommended a blog entry to an editor he’d met, telling her he thought she’d find the topic interesting. “She did,� he says, “and immediately asked me to write a 900-word assignment.�

Sherman sees the future for freelance writers as “micropublishing.� He says this will allow writers to “create your own publishing outlets on specific topics that will draw audiences that might be too small to catch the attention of an editor, but that might offer the basis of a business model.�

And for advice along the freelancer’s way, WriterBiz is a great place to visit.

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Ed. Notes:
Erik Sherman does several other blogs besides WriterBiz. Visit his Web site for links to his blogs, publication clips and other information.

Sherman’s books Canon EOS Digital Cameras and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Pizza and Panini are available at amazon.com.

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