Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Freelance Writing by Marcia Yudkin ISBN: 0-06-273278-1 Publisher: HarperResource Pub. Date: 01 January, 2005 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.93 (14 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Good SOLID, realistic advice -- it'll HELP YOU!
Comment: It's hard to find books on freelancing that offer solid advice but don't promise you the world. In the early 70s, after graduating journalism school, I freelanced overseas in India, Bangladesh and Spain for newspapers and magazines and learned about "the realities" first hand. Yes, I did write for some newspapers (Chicago Daily News, Christian Science Monitor and various other publications) and even did some contributions to National Public Radio (All Things Considered) from Madrid. (Then I dashed it all in 1990 to become a fulltime ventriloquist....but that's another story!)
I wish I had read THIS first!
True, this book is NOT a primer for that kind of freelancing (which may not be possible now anyway given the shrinking "news hole" for foreign stories in the American media). This book is geared, as the cover states, "for educated people whose primary motivation for trying to get into print is the wish to effectively communicate their ideas, skills and discoveries in appropriate publications." But there's a wealth of helpful stuff crammed into this tightly-written book.
Marcia Yudkin uses personal examples and anecdotes where she feels it's necessary and offers sound, solid, advice on not only the nuts and bolts of becoming a successful freelance but setting yourself up as a business -- and doing it with integrity. The words "journalism" and "integrity" are not always linked these days...so her approach is to lift the craft and develop the craftsmanship.
Even if you don't totally like her approach, she includes a list of annotated resources for freelance writers that's worth the cost of this book. Many of these resources are additional how-to magazines and books. So her book is the perfect starting point since it'll get you off and running and guide you quickly to places where you can learn more.
The basics on query letters, targeting an audience, interviewing are all there...but I especially liked her chapters on the importance of revision and maintaining integrity. Integrity: What a refreshing concept these days! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating: 5
Summary: No Nonsense Guide for Article Writing
Comment: Marcia Yudkin is a writer/journalist with integrity and this virtue permeates her book. Unlike countless other writing books that promise the moon but but deliver the doldrums, Yudkin's advice is sound, practical and relevant. The subtitle -Breaking In Without Selling Out- summarizes the theme of her book. Her chapter on Informational Interviewing is timeless. After numerous articles and interviews, some good, some bad, some disastrous, I read her chapter on interviewing and found a kindred heart. Many of her experiences and observations are the same as my own. One example of this: "You can often trace mistakes in articles based on interviews to a reporter's failure to ask for clarifications." As true a statement as ever made about the need for clarity in interviewing. In chapter six - Constructing an Article - Yudkin resists the temptation of so many writing teachers who o-v-e-r t-e-a-c-h, who don't allow room for growth and a writer's own discoveries. She states, "... the general structure for magazine and most newspaper features run like this: lead-backgroud-development-close. She discusses each aspect, but doesn't overwhelm with opinion nor irrelevant information. Several other chapters: Productive Work Habits, Building Momentum, and Succeeding As A Writer are well written and provide timely advice. I have read countless books on magazine and newspaper article writing, and none of them, including those weighty volumes with 200-300 pages are more practical than Yudkin's Work. For new, aspiring non fiction writers, I recommend putting it next to your copy of The Elements of Style, your dictionary, and thesaurus.
Rating: 1
Summary: Doesn't Even Begin to Skim the Surface
Comment: I bought this book for 25 cents at a used book store without opening the cover. Now I know why it was there.
Yudkin's book doesn't even skim the surface of what freelance writing requires. Market and marketing information is sadly lacking, as well as information on the publishing industry, research tools, and the psychological brick walls encountered by those who embrace this often solitary profession.
On the other hand, I highly recommend that those who wish to thoroughly explore a freelance writing career purchase Michael A. Banks's HOW TO BECOME A FULLTIME FREELANCE WRITER: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SETTING UP A WRITING BUSINESS AT HOME (ISBN is 0-87116-197-4). I found Banks's book easy to understand, thorough, and a delight to read from cover to cover. All of the questions that Yudkin's book ignores, Banks's book covers in great detail.
Contrary to what the title would have you believe, Banks's book is perfect for the experienced writer who is contemplating a jump to fulltime freelancing, as well as for the new writer who would like to explore the idea of taking the first steps toward a freelance career. Spot-on advice abounds for the fiction and non-fiction writer alike in Banks's book. Check out the reviews on Amazon. They speak for themselves!
 |
Title: 2003 Writer's Market by Katie Struckel Brogan, Robert Brewer ISBN: 158297120X Publisher: Writers Digest Books Pub. Date: August, 2002 List Price(USD): $29.99 |
 |
Title: Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How to Make $85,000 a Year by Robert W. Bly ISBN: 0805047603 Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc. Pub. Date: August, 1997 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
 |
Title: The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency As a Freelance Writer in Six Months or Less by Peter Bowerman ISBN: 0967059844 Publisher: Fanove Publishing Pub. Date: September, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
 |
Title: 2004 Writer's Market by Kathryn S. Brogan, Robert Lee Brewer ISBN: 1582971897 Publisher: Writers Digest Books Pub. Date: August, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.99 |
 |
Title: Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles by Sheree Bykofsky, Jennifer Bayse Sander, Lynne Rominger, Jennifer Basye Sander, Lynne Romiger ISBN: 0028638352 Publisher: Alpha Books Pub. Date: 08 June, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
