Excellent Writers' Resource

If you haven't visited http://www.writersweekly.com/ yet, I highly recommend it. This site is a wonderful resource for freelance writers of all kinds - from journalists to marketing pros and novelists -- all can benefit from Angela Hoy's helpful information. Her Whispers and Warnings column has been particularly helpful in my quest to expose a couple deadbeat publishers (and hopefully get paid some day).

R U Serious? Is Proper Grammar Passe?

You're probably familiar with the lexicon of texting - sending text messages through your cell phone, Blackberry, iPhone, etc. However, should the abbreviated terms, OK for text messages, be used in copy writing for publication in newspapers, magazines, newsletters, websites, e-mails, etc.? In my opinion, proper grammar and punctuation never goes out of style but occasionally does need to be updated for the times. Let me know your thoughts on this!

Getting Noticed On A Tight Budget

I just attended a PR seminar by Tina Pugliese, Pugliese Public Relations, that I found quite valuable. Tina shared a great number of excellent ideas on marketing and promoting your business during a recession including ways to get publicity, cheap marketing and PR tactics, sales tips and more. The key is to get out there and stay out there in the public's eye during a recession so even if you aren't getting sales now, when the market turns, the customers will know who you are. I highly recommend her programs, CDs and e-books for more information. Check out www.pugliesePR.com for more details.

Watch Out For Unscrupulous Publishers

Be on the lookout for fly-by-night publishers who hire freelance writers, photographers, designers, et al, and decline/refuse to pay for services upon publication. We've become aware recently of several publishers who fall into this deadbeat category. Due to their inexperience in publishing and/or lack of funding, these publishers have been unable to get the advertising revenue to cover their costs and have stiffed their employees and freelancers. They claim it's the result of the poor economy but in reality, it seems to be their modus operandi: to hire unsuspecting hard working individuals and take advantage of them with no intent to pay for their services. A simple way to protect yourself from these unscrupulous characters: Do a simple Google-search before you start working!

If your publisher is very new to the process, you might not find a lot out there on the web. However, in some cases, you'll find a host of rip-off reports, scam alerts and other red flags to warn you about doing business with these deadbeats. Some publishers in South Florida have turned out to be out-and-out criminals with long histories of felonies and crimes against others. For example, publisher Barry Katz of Hollywood Magazine has continued to publish his magazine despite not paying his former editors, writers, graphic designer and printers. In addition, Howard Needle, Cravings Palm Beach publisher, also stiffed his writers and editor to the tune of thousands of dollars. Needle has a long criminal history of dating back more than 20 years with stints in prison for securities fraud, DUI and more. Numerous reports of their unethical business practices are all over the Web.

Protect yourself and conduct due diligence on every client before you start working for them. You may also ask for a deposit up front so you're never completely exposed on a project. The last thing you want is to wind up dozens of hours into a job with no hope of getting paid. Keep on plugging!