contests

Help a Reporter Out

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No, I’m not talking about me. (Although I appreciate any offers of help. Especially those involving the ingestion of lots of rich, dark chocolate, or even the disposal of lots of rich, green money.)

Peter Shankman is a high-energy PR guy based in NYC whose pet project, Help a Reporter Out (HARO), has become the go-to place for journalists looking for sources and experts/ordinary people wanting to become sources. Are you doing an article for Cosmopolitan about the most popular sex toys in use among, uhm, fundamentalist Christian couples? (What? I’m just flying by the seat of my pants here. Cut me some slack.) Post a request on HARO, and he’ll get you in touch with tons of potential interviewees out there.

You can also participate by signing up and offering to be a source. All you have to do is submit your name and email address, and a couple of times a day you’ll get a list of HARO requests from reporters and freelance writers all over the country. You don’t have to be an expert in anything esoteric (although they welcome that, too); you can just be Joe Schmoe wanting to — say it with me, folks — Help a Reporter Out. This morning’s list, for example, a request from a reporter doing an article for Bloomberg for anyone looking to buy a used or new Toyota Prius, and another one asking respondents what they would love to see in their game room for the 2008 holiday season.

So that’s your good deed for the day. I don’t know Peter personally, but check out his Web site/blog/Facebook/Twitter account sometime. Seriously, the man doesn’t sleep. Or at least he doesn’t appear to. He’s a very strange but seemingly friendly man. And that’s good enough for me. 🙂

Oh, and don’t forget about my cool giveaway of Robert W. Bly’s Getting Started as a Freelance Writer Expanded and Revised Edition! The deadline is Tuesday, July 22nd, so make sure you post your comment to enter the contest!

Book Giveaway: Robert W. Bly’s Getting Started as a Freelance Writer

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Shai Coggins over at b5 Media had the fantastic suggestion to do a blog giveaway on our sites. I’m not a b5 member, but I have done some giveaways at my other blog and really enjoyed the feedback and participation from readers. I hadn’t thought about doing one for this site, but why not? Writers love getting free stuff! Well, this writer does, anyway.

So herewith, my first Interior Designs giveaway: your very own copy of Robert Bly’s new book, Getting Started as a Freelance Writer (Expanded Edition). A lot of you probably are already familiar with Bob Bly, he of the high-six-figure-income copywriting fame. This new Expanded & Revised version just hit bookstore shelves a couple of months ago, and already I’ve devoured it and its hard-hitting, practical advice on making a more-than-decent living as a freelancer. Bly offers tons of tips on everything from marketing and productivity to writing poetry. (I know. Bly writing about selling poetry? Wow.) He doesn’t really delve much into blogs, though, other than a three-page section titled, Do You Need a Blog? Still, anyone who makes a living writing — on- or offline — can benefit tremendously from Bly’s advice on how to be a more productive and high-earning writer.

The rules? Very simple. Just leave a comment below about your favorite writing book. It can be this one, or maybe Jenna Glatzer’s Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer, Naomi Wolf’s The Treehouse, or even Little Women (I think Jo March was my first writer-heroine). Don’t just tell me the name of the book, though; make sure you tell us why you love it so! I’m always on the lookout for good reading material, so this is my excuse to troll for new ones.

At the risk of sounding redundant, let me reiterate: Comments must include both the name of the book and the reason why you like it in order to qualify.

The giveaway is good for two weeks, so make sure you get your comments in before the deadline at 5pm Mountain, Tuesday, July the 22nd. And don’t forget to check back here on the 23rd for the winner!

Good luck!

Book Giveaway: Robert W. Bly's Getting Started as a Freelance Writer

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Shai Coggins over at b5 Media had the fantastic suggestion to do a blog giveaway on our sites. I’m not a b5 member, but I have done some giveaways at my other blog and really enjoyed the feedback and participation from readers. I hadn’t thought about doing one for this site, but why not? Writers love getting free stuff! Well, this writer does, anyway.

So herewith, my first Interior Designs giveaway: your very own copy of Robert Bly’s new book, Getting Started as a Freelance Writer (Expanded Edition). A lot of you probably are already familiar with Bob Bly, he of the high-six-figure-income copywriting fame. This new Expanded & Revised version just hit bookstore shelves a couple of months ago, and already I’ve devoured it and its hard-hitting, practical advice on making a more-than-decent living as a freelancer. Bly offers tons of tips on everything from marketing and productivity to writing poetry. (I know. Bly writing about selling poetry? Wow.) He doesn’t really delve much into blogs, though, other than a three-page section titled, Do You Need a Blog? Still, anyone who makes a living writing — on- or offline — can benefit tremendously from Bly’s advice on how to be a more productive and high-earning writer.

The rules? Very simple. Just leave a comment below about your favorite writing book. It can be this one, or maybe Jenna Glatzer’s Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer, Naomi Wolf’s The Treehouse, or even Little Women (I think Jo March was my first writer-heroine). Don’t just tell me the name of the book, though; make sure you tell us why you love it so! I’m always on the lookout for good reading material, so this is my excuse to troll for new ones.

At the risk of sounding redundant, let me reiterate: Comments must include both the name of the book and the reason why you like it in order to qualify.

The giveaway is good for two weeks, so make sure you get your comments in before the deadline at 5pm Mountain, Tuesday, July the 22nd. And don’t forget to check back here on the 23rd for the winner!

Good luck!

Fantastic contest/giveaway over at Essential Keystrokes

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FYI for those of you interested in optimizing your blog but haven’t the resources to upgrade from the free tools you’re using to do so:

Essential Keystrokes is holding a great giveaway with a bunch of cool prizes, including a 6-month subscription to a content management system, an online invoicing system, and even copies of the great Darren Rowse’s book Problogger: Secrets of Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income.

Deadline for entries is July 13, 2008. You can find out more on how to enter (it’s super easy and involves leaving a comment) by heading on over to the post announcing the contest.

Good luck!