Opportunities for aspiring writers

I was talking with a friend of mine on Twitter and we were discussing what writers can do now a-days to jump-start their careers. Compared to how things were even 10 years ago--writers have enormous opportunities at their fingertips to advance their writing careers. There are multiple sites that pay for content if a writer either wants a "copy writing" career, or simply wants to make a few bucks from home. There are single parents who make several hundred dollars a week just writing for content sites. This is also a great way to hone your writing skills.

 If you are more of a creative writer (stories, poetry, etc.) than there are a number of sites like “The Hubpages,” “Helium,” and others, that will allow aspiring writers to not only gain exposure and experience, but also get paid for doing what they love. These sites also offer opportunities for aspiring writers to meet and gain knowledge from more experiences writers and authors. The Hubpages is a fantastic community of writers and authors who are supportive of one another.

 Finally, if you are at a point where you`re ready to publish a book or an eBook--there are numerous sites available for indie authors that are free. I will give you two here: 1) smashwords.com--this site is an awesome place to publish an eBook for free and get great exposure. They also (provided you follow the strict guidelines) will send your book to Barnes & Noble, Sony, iTunes, Kobo, and other eBook retailers. 2) Createspace.com--this site is owned by amazon.com. It is very easy to use, and professional. The services and products (at the base level) are free; however, they do offer paid services as well for publishing your book or eBook. I will say from personal experience that if you`re planning to publish an eBook only--use smashwords.com. The amazon “kindle” eBook format is less than desirable--almost embarrassing to be honest. The eBooks I published through smashwords are excellent and professional looking books--not so with my Kindle eBook.

Well, that`s all folks—just wanted to share a few thoughts. God bless. WP