Comments on: How do you make money on the side?

By: What you do for a living | Single Mom Seeking

What you do for a living | Single Mom Seeking — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:29:15 +0000

[...] drama, I can genuinely say: I love what I do. Great, right? Well, going into the writing field isn’t as lucrative as say, being a lawyer or a doctor — unless you’re a New York Times best [...]

By: Is Technical Writing the ideal job for Single Moms? | I Heart Tech Docs, Ivan Walsh, Technical Writer

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:26:47 +0000

[...] http://singlemomseeking.com/blog/2009/02/how-do-you-make-money-on-the-side/ [...]

By: Single Mom

Single Mom — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:27:03 +0000

I work at home on the computer, writing articles and reviewing products. Pay is pretty good- especially since I can stay in my pjs when I want to.... Single Mom´s last blog post...Easy Money- over $650

By: kerry on

kerry on — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 04:04:19 +0000

In the ‘poverty breeds creativity’ vein, I realized after Le Divorce I was going to have to support myself and I had an epiphany! Numerous friends had commented on my uncanny ability to juggle, hearth, home, parents, teens and soon to be X.
I have a background in Convention Planning for a Fortune 500 company and am used to coordinating limos, buses, florists, a huge staff, A/V guys and a host of others. I realized I was a Great Wife!
I started a business in San Francisco called “You Need a Wife- Personal Assistant”. My clients are vast and varied. I love what I am doing and I am doing what I love. Tomorrow I am going to an art conservator to pick up a painting, researching ECO organic beds, dashing through Target to get home supplies and completing an Earthquake preparedness Kit for a family of four. Last week I over saw the painters, the electrician and the window washer.
In my spare time I’m writing a book called “Sex in he City for Girls over 50″- an irreverent romp in the shallow end of the Internet Dating pool. http://suddenlysingleminded.wordpress.com

kerry on´s last blog post…Savvy Solutions to simplify your life

By: make money from blogging

make money from blogging — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:37:37 +0000

I dont think you can kill loneliness . May be go out and find a gf.

By: Joel Schwartzberg

Joel Schwartzberg — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:01:05 +0000

First I’m a Divorced Dad, so I have a bit more time than your average Mommy, but still hold down both a full-time job as an Online Director for a TV newsmagazine and a writing career.

Here’s how the writing thing happened for me:

I wanted to write — and knew I could — so I asked my local small community newspaper if I could write a weekly humor column for free (expsure is everything at this stage). After reading my only two samples in the world, the managing editor agreed. A year later, I had 50 or so decent-to-not bad clips.

In the audience of the newspaper was the editor of NJ monthly, who asked me to write something for their Mother’s Day issue. I agreed immediately. BIG CLIP #1 (plus 600 clams)

Then I took a writing course through mediabistro with Sue Shapiro. My first essay for that class I later pitched to The New York Times Magazine. They bought it about a year later when it matched their cover story perfectly. And to think I would have happily sold that essay to a local newspaper for 25 bucks. Serendipity.

With those clips, my confidence grew, so I pitched my state newspaper (The Star Ledger), The New York Post, and The New York Daily News, and eventually got in all three plus Babble.com. I later sold a piece to Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Somewhere in the middle I acted on an internal dare and bought a database of editors of regional parenting magazines (you know these paper magazines — the free kind at the library and in pediatric offices?). It cost me $75. The key is that they buy reprints happily. I’ve sold to roughly 50 of those magazines since 2007 for everywhere from $25 to $75 each. One paid me $400. It’s basically do-it-yourself syndication.

A few months ago, I looked at all I had written and thought it could be combined into a collection of essays under a central theme of parenting. Most agents and publishers told me to forget about it, but one small publisher of light mommy memoirs wanted some Dads in her roster. Again, good timing. So now “The 40-Year-Old Version” is hitting a book website near you. See: http://www.divorceddadbook.com. The success iof the book will fall on my aggressiveness in marketing it.

That brings me to now — still pitching magazines and newspapers. My advice would be first, to write. Don’t wait. Write now. Then, use your detective skills to get the email addresses of “article/story editors” of your favorite magazines or the “editorial editors” of your local newspapers. Then send your 600-1000 word piece and wait. Don’t submit the same piece to two at the same time, unless they accept reprints.

If you’re as good as you think you are, you can earn a little side cash and a lot of self-affirmation. Each will help you to the next sale.

Oh, and running a successful and wonderful blog helps. But Rachel knows more about that.

Good luck!

Joel Schwartzberg
http://www.jesttokill.com

By: SDMktg

SDMktg — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 03:16:12 +0000

I've been thinking about freelancing for a long time. I need to work on my web skills. I write a lot and edit photos, layouts, etc. I barely get everything done as it is though so I'm not sure where I'd find the time to work for anyone else. SDMktg´s last blog post...Who would make a worse tailgate party guest...Christian Bale or Alec Baldwin?

By: How to Party with an Infant

How to Party with an Infant — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:00:08 +0000

Sounds great–I have no idea how to write for magazines and all that, but I’d like to. Will check it out.

By: Erica

Erica — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:43:28 +0000

I'm not a good enough writer to freelance, so my money-on-the-side-job is a therapist to kids with autism. They don't care that I write nonsense with the eraser end of a pencil up my nose. Erica´s last blog post...Dirty Thirty & Good-bye

By: Amy Sue Nathan

Amy Sue Nathan — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:25:57 +0000

I find that many people are not forthcoming with help on freelancing because they want the work themselves. I get that, yet it makes me reluctant to do so. I don’t have enough freelance work to sustain me, so I have about 6 months and then I’m going to have to get a “real” job — if there are any.