Sales Levels of College Textbooks From The Association of American Publishers

by John Soares December 27, 2009

As a freelance writer, I have specialized in writing supplements and ancillaries for college textbooks, but I also have two trade paperbacks on California hiking trails in print, and I do other writing projects.
So I follow with interest what’s happening in the publishing industry. Here’s the press release with the most recent data on book [...]

Read the full article →

My Niece Lands a College Textbook Supplement Project

by John Soares December 16, 2009

I released my e-book Writing College Textbook Supplements: The Definitive Guide to Winning High-Paying Assignments in the College Textbook Publishing Market a few months ago.  The first person who got a copy? My niece Dionne Soares Palmer. OK, her’s was free because she’s family.
I’m very proud of Dionne. She’s finishing her dissertation for a Ph.D. [...]

Read the full article →

Royalty Payments for College Textbook Supplements and Ancillaries

by John Soares December 8, 2009

I wrote last month about work-for-hire agreements for college textbook supplements and ancillaries. Now let’s examine the other payment possibility: royalties.
Royalty payments are rare for supplement authors. For royalties to be an option, you would typically need to create a supplement that would be sold to students, such as a study guide or a solutions [...]

Read the full article →

How to Get My New E-Book Maximum Productivity For Freelance Writers for Free

by John Soares November 24, 2009

It’s finally complete!
I’ve finished Maximum Productivity For Freelance Writers: Manage Your Time, Make More Money, and Get More Enjoyment from Life. It’s 180 pages, 8.5 x 11″, and over 36,000 words, all about how you can get the most out of your freelance career with more fun and more pay.
And here’s the best part: it’s [...]

Read the full article →

Work-For-Hire Agreements for Writing College Textbook Supplements and Ancillaries

by John Soares November 17, 2009

The vast majority of college textbook supplement projects use work-for-hire agreements. This means that you create the supplement, you get paid the agreed-upon amount, and the publisher owns what you created — entirely.
Important features of work-for-hire contracts and their products:

You do not own the copyright to what you have created, the [...]

Read the full article →

How to Make Your Interactions with College Textbook Supplement/Ancillary Editors Go Smoothly

by John Soares November 10, 2009

There are many things you can do to make your college textbook supplement/ancillary project and your interactions with the textbook supplement editor go smoothly. Here are 5 of the most important:
1. Ask for what you need before you need it. Examples can be the old edition of the textbook, photocopies [...]

Read the full article →

Freelance Writing Opportunity: Test Questions for a College-Level Business Textbook

by John Soares November 6, 2009

I heard today from a company that needs qualified freelancers to write multiple-choice, true-false, and essay questions for a college-level business textbook. I’m likely too busy with other projects to work on this, but perhaps you or someone you know wants to take advantage of the opportunity.
Here’s what Mark Mayell, the person in charge, has [...]

Read the full article →

Payment Schedules for College Textbook Supplements and Ancillaries

by John Soares November 3, 2009

Let’s examine the most common methods that college textbook publishers use to pay you for writing textbook supplements and ancillaries.
Half up Front, Half on Completion
This is my preferred method and what I get nearly all the time. However, you need to have a good track record in the business before editors will be comfortable with [...]

Read the full article →

Pearson Education Reports Increases in Textbook Sales

by John Soares October 27, 2009

Pearson Education, one of the major college textbook publishers and one of my best clients, has encouraging news about recent textbook sales. Here are relevant passages from an October 20 press release:
Our education business is performing ahead of expectations despite challenging conditions in US School publishing. In education we are gaining significant market share, with [...]

Read the full article →

My New E-Book Maximum Productivity for Freelance Writers: How to Get Your Free Copy

by John Soares October 20, 2009

I’m working hard these days to finish my new e-book Maximum Productivity for Freelance Writers. It has about 65 short chapters covering every aspect of being an efficient and happy freelance writer. Many chapters cover specifics of writing well and fast. Others cover ergonomics, setting goals for your writing, and how to get cooperation from [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →