The Cost of Being a Writer
The Cost of Being a Writer
You are the only one who knows what being a writer means to you.You are the only one who knows whether you consider it to be a career, or a pleasant hobby.And therefore, you are the only one who can judge how much you are willing to invest in your writing business.In this article, we're going to talk about cost in financial terms. Not the cost in time; not the cost in sleep; not the cost emotionally. We're just talking dollars and cents. And we're not going to discuss the cost of a writer's tools (computer, internet access, printer, software), because that has been dealt with in another article. This time, it's all about building your knowledge and expertise.First, decide whether being a writer is, for you, a career or a hobby. Is it a business or a pleasant way of whiling away your time? If writing is just a hobby, and that's all it's ever going to be, this article is not for you. You can choose to invest money in a hobby, or not. You can pick it up and put it down. This article is for those who are serious about their writing and want to build a business, brick by brick.1. Setting a BudgetOK. We've established that you are in BUSINESS. That means that you are prepared to invest money as well as time. If you are time-rich and cash-poor, then you can go the long way round and it will cost you less. If you are time-poor and have funds at your disposal, you can cut the learning curve by buying books, enrolling in courses, subscribing to industry magazines and attending seminars. If you are rich in both time and funds, then you're luckier than most.Look at your income and savings and decide how much you are prepared to invest in your writing business over the course of 12 months. $500? $1,000? $2,000? $5,000?Let's jump in and look at the biggest figure first. $5,000 will buy you a lot of expertise and networking via seminars, writing products and coaching over a year. It might seem like a lot at first - but $5,000 is just $416 a month - $104 a week. Many people pay more than that off a car loan. Many people spend that on a meal out for two once a week. And countless people spend far more than that on clothes.At the other end of the scale, $500 is less than $10 a week. That's barely noticeable to most of us. Yet you can subscribe to writers magazines and get some quality critiquing of your work for that amount. You can attend a number of one-day or weekend workshops.If you still are undecided, think about how much money other businesses invest in their start-up operations and ongoing training. Then look around to see what would help you grow MOST as a writer.
A writing course?A 2- or 3-day seminar with lots of networking possibilities and big-name writers, editors and publishers?A critique service to help you with your manuscript?Books, magazines, and software to help you grow?
It's up to you. Once you have decided (a) what you most need to develop your skills and (b) how much you can allocate to your writing business, be firm about sticking to it. Nothing less than an emergency should deflect you from your course.2. Paying for Your Business Investment
You can give up something that is not as important to you as your writing business. New clothes, eating out, Starbucks coffee, a gym membership... there are plenty of ways to swap one expenditure for another.You can get a pert-time job to fund your business. If you want to invest $5000 over a year, you need to make $104 a week. What can you do? Join a party-plan business and do one party a week? Offer a resume-writing service? Clean houses?Do some gardening; walk dogs; clean cars; wait tables; offer a consulting service in your area of expertise. Depending on your skills and the demand for your services, it might take you a day to make $104 or you might do it in a couple of hours.You can ask for money towards your writing business instead of gifts for your birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Christmas.You can volunteer at a writers' centre in exchange for free attendance (or a reduced fee) at workshops.Join writers' organizations and volunteer to be on the organizing committee for conferences and seminars. This does not always mean a reduced fee, but sometimes does.
3. Re-invest Early Profits for a Faster Business GrowthMost healthy businesses do this. As you build your skills and start to sell your writing, money will begin to flow in instead of out. It probably won't be much at first - but think about re-investing to *further* develop your skills and expertise.Here's just one example: I've had several writers contact me, after being to a writers' seminar or conference, to ask about writing an article for the Writing For Success newsletter. They are being smart: parlaying their new-found knowledge into income, by passing on what they've learned to others. You could try this too... and use the payment to buy an e-book on writing, or put it towards a seminar.What if you write an article but the market doesn't pay? See if you can swap an article for a free subscription to a writers' newsletter or a membership site.4. At The End of 12 Months, Assess and Refine Your Business PlanIt makes good business sense to track your income and outgo. At the end of 12 months, assess the following:
how much you have investedthe return on your investment in (a) dollars, (b) increased knowledge and (c) new relationships and contacts that can help you build your writing business.decide on your next step(s) and how much you will invest in your business during the ensuing 12 months.
You can, of course, check on your income/outgo/results at the end of 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months as well.You'll find that a definite plan for investment in your writing business will give you not only a greater sense of control, but a better sense of where your money should be spent for development.A couple of quick examples:
$500 spent on an intensive novel critique (from a reputable critique service or freelance editor) can save you months or even years of time muddling along on your own not knowing where you're going wrong. This can mean a faster sale and a quicker start to your career as a published writer.$1000 spent on a seminar or conference can result in your making just the contact you needed to get your novel in front of the right editor. Don't underestimate the importance of face-to-face contact.
(c) Marg McAlister Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/
Different Materials Used for Roofing and Determining the Cost of Each One – Home-Improvement
Different Materials Used for Roofing and Determining the Cost of Each One
There is never a structure you will find that lacks a roof; it is an essential part of the house or building. It plays a very important role of providing protection and shelter much like the walls. It must be sturdy and durable yet stylish. Many a structure is defined by their roofs. They could be made by a multitude of materials and their designs may vary. Since time immemorial, man has found different ways with different materials to build their roofs, each with different characteristics and advantages and disadvantages. As more materials are discovered with each of their own high and low points, they can be very useful in different types of location depending on the weather and location.As with any building, housing or structural projects, there are many aspects that influences the final decision in which materials to use for roofing and one of them is cost. Here in this article, you will see the advantages and disadvantages plus the average costs, as costs may vary in different states, in the use of different materials for roofing. The cost of roofing referred herein this article is subjected to the breakdown of the roofing material per one hundred square feet. Remember, roofing costs may add up with the labor and other materials needed for installation, this refers only to the roofing materials utilized.Building your dream house relies on a number of aspects; there is the location, the design, the restrictions of the area, the budget and a plethora of others. It is the same thing with the roof; you have to consider a number of items to get the perfect roof to suit your taste. Basically it is the overall design and materials used in the structure as well as the location and the local restrictions. Here are some of the more basic roofing materials used and the roofing costs to consider per one hundred square feet.The most commonly used roofing material utilized nowadays is the asphalt shingles. This form is shingles is categorized into two; the organic and the non-organic (fiberglass). They are produced in a wide variety of colors and are rated by their lifespan and durability. They can range from between 20 to 40 years. Asphalt shingles can be customized by providing additional layers giving them a different shadow line. Many asphalt shingle manufacturers provide warranty to their products especially if the certified roofers install them. Asphalt shingles may range from 30 to 35 dollars for every hundred square feet.Another roofing material that takes the form of shingles is those made from wood. Usually, wood shingles are made from Western Red Cedar; the reason behind this is that this kind of wood is highly resistant to decay and corrosion. Wood shingles are categorized into three kinds, one, two and three. The first type, number one, is more recommended for roofing because they are more durable, the second and third are better for sidings. They are usually sold tapered and in different sizes. Wood shingles roofing cost ranges from 80 to 170 dollars.Another roofing material that utilizes wood from cedar is the wood shakes roofing material. They are used to provide a natural look, they are either sawed or hand split. Its distinct look has a side with an irregular unique look from the others while the other side has a natural thinner line for a tapered look. Wood shakes are classified by their weight and their sizes. Roofing costs for wood shake are from 70 to a hundred dollars for every one hundred square feet.The most durable roofing material is made either from clay or concrete. They can be relied upon to provide service from fifty to a hundred years. The most common form is in the half-barrel or somewhat corrugated shape, but it is not uncommon to find flat or tapered styles. But because of their weight, clay or concrete roofing materials may need extra weight in the rafters adding more to the roofing costs which may run with the roofing materials between 150 to 400 dollars per a hundred square feet area.Online entrepreneur Sara Jenkins, is dedicated to helping others and their needs to succeed in life by offering free payroll tips everyday. To learn more about her free roofing tips, and to sign up for her FREE Roofing articles and FREE bonus how-to books and resources, visit http://www.RoofingUp.com
Your Lottery Odds and The Fastest, No Cost Way To Radically Improve Them-Gambling
Your Lottery Odds and The Fastest, No Cost Way To Radically Improve Them
If I had a lottery ticket for every time I've heard "well I play the Mega Millions lottery because the jackpot is so much bigger"...OK, in my head I'm thinking "but don't you know you have 10 times less chance of winning?"... I do try to be polite about it.Fact is, lottery organisers love creating games with very long odds. Why? Because it means more rollover jackpots. Which means jackpots which grab newspaper headlines. Which generates more interest and higher ticket sales.But what's more important -- the media profile of your chosen game? Or your odds of winning the lottery?Here's a quick reminder of what lottery odds look like.A standard 6 balls from 49 lottery gives you about a 1 in 13 million chance of winning for each ticket. Long odds yes, but hey this is a lottery! But just hang on a second...A typical Power Ball type draw is normally 5 balls plus a bonus ball. That may sound easier to win, but it's actually so much harder it hurts! Take the U.S. Power Ball, that's 5 balls from 53 followed by 1 ball from 42 -- fact is your odds are now around 1 in 120 million for the jackpot. That means you have to buy TEN times as many tickets just to have the same chance of winning!How about EuroMillions? It may at first sound harder to win, but it's actually easier! The Euro game is 5 from 50 plus 2 from 9. But that's actually a 1 in 76 million chance, almost twice as easy to win as the U.S. Power Ball.The U.S. MegaMillions is far worse. 5 from 56, plus 1 from 46 -- that gives you astounding odds of 1 in 175 million!There's also a smaller reason to be concerned at big rollovers. If a lot more people play there's a greater chance of multiple winners, which means sharing that enormous jackpot that was harder to win in the first place!So are power ball type draws just designed to confuse players about lottery odds? Maybe -- but I'll leave that one for the conspiracy theorists. Let's just concentrate on improving your chances of winning the jackpot shall we!Here's the short, sharp advice for playing more wisely...Play the game which gives you the best chance of winning a life changing sum of money. Yes, 100 million does look great fun, but would it make your life any different to winning 10 million? Of course not. So why settle for 10 times less chance of actually winning!So if you play a power ball type draw, the fastest, cheapest, most effective way you can boost your lottery chances right now... is to change the game you are playing.Are you playing the right lottery?Martin Waterhouse is a lottery and statistics fan - who is not popular with the vendors of expensive lottery systems based on dodgy maths and mumbo-jumbo! Publisher of the internets foremost lottery syndicate review and lottery tips site, Lottery-Syndicate-World...Want better chances of winning the lottery in an instant? Find the worlds best lottery syndicates online today at Lottery Syndicate World