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In response to Bran987 telling me to use more concrete examples, 
I will offer this post. There are some valuable lessons in it for anyone trying to make a few bucks "on the side", and how to grow something small into not so small.
In 2000-2001 I was working as an IT guy in NY. It was the right time for that - the dot-com bubble popped in the stock market but not in the workplace (yet). IT layoffs en masse were not occurring yet.
I didn;t like the job anymore. On the side, I was taking some certifications and other stuff. I was MCSE, CCNP, A+...I had all that shit. But I was less than thrilled with the job.
Just for shits and giggles, I contacted a well-known publisher of certification guidelines. I simply wrote to the corporate HQ and said
This was early June 2001. I didn;t hear a word for 2 months. In August 2001, they wrote back and said "send some sample chapters" and provided me with a contact name.
I wrote the chapters, and they said the project was approved. They explained how it would work, the contract structure, and so on. I learned that I could expect to make $40K per year for approximately three years, depending on sales overseas and all that.
In early September 2001, my acquisitions editor contacted me and said "do you know anything about "topic". I said that I did and she gave me the chance to write a a few hundred practice certifications questions for $5000.
I got that assignment on Friday, September 7, 2001. I worked like a dog all weekend to do it (I had like 30 days). I finished it Monday September 10, 2001. The next day was 9-11. On 9-12, I called the publisher (in CA) and told her I had the questions done.
She was totally stunned that I turned them around so fat, given 9-11. I was in NY too. In reality I did all the work before 9-11, but she did not need to know that.
From that point I had created a good relationship with the publisher and they fed me work. Editors like to do this - they develop a stable of writers they can count on. If you can be "that guy", you'll always have on the side work. (Note - this works in any industry). I became "that guy" for a number of editors and publishers. It was good.
Now I am leveraging that to do some speaking in other arenas.
Lessons we can all learn:
1. if you are thinking about it, do it. The worst they can say is No. You'll never regret trying, but you will regret not trying.
2. Blow them away with your first impression. I went from "a new writer" to a trustworthy writer because i got that first assignemnt done so fast. Whenever there were side jobs, i got them. At $3000 - $7000 each, it was kinda cool. But the real joy began when I was working with multiple editors.
3. there is no skill in business or in life more important than communication. If you cannot already do so, learn to speak and write the King's English.
4. In any business, you have to have the knowldege to speak the language of the realm. What are your qualifications to gete paid by anyone? The better your answer to that question, the better you will do.
5. Related to #2 - when you can make someone's life easier, they will pay you.
Anyway, hope this is helpful.
I will offer this post. There are some valuable lessons in it for anyone trying to make a few bucks "on the side", and how to grow something small into not so small.In 2000-2001 I was working as an IT guy in NY. It was the right time for that - the dot-com bubble popped in the stock market but not in the workplace (yet). IT layoffs en masse were not occurring yet.
I didn;t like the job anymore. On the side, I was taking some certifications and other stuff. I was MCSE, CCNP, A+...I had all that shit. But I was less than thrilled with the job.
Just for shits and giggles, I contacted a well-known publisher of certification guidelines. I simply wrote to the corporate HQ and said
This was early June 2001. I didn;t hear a word for 2 months. In August 2001, they wrote back and said "send some sample chapters" and provided me with a contact name.
I wrote the chapters, and they said the project was approved. They explained how it would work, the contract structure, and so on. I learned that I could expect to make $40K per year for approximately three years, depending on sales overseas and all that.
In early September 2001, my acquisitions editor contacted me and said "do you know anything about "topic". I said that I did and she gave me the chance to write a a few hundred practice certifications questions for $5000.
I got that assignment on Friday, September 7, 2001. I worked like a dog all weekend to do it (I had like 30 days). I finished it Monday September 10, 2001. The next day was 9-11. On 9-12, I called the publisher (in CA) and told her I had the questions done.
She was totally stunned that I turned them around so fat, given 9-11. I was in NY too. In reality I did all the work before 9-11, but she did not need to know that.
From that point I had created a good relationship with the publisher and they fed me work. Editors like to do this - they develop a stable of writers they can count on. If you can be "that guy", you'll always have on the side work. (Note - this works in any industry). I became "that guy" for a number of editors and publishers. It was good.
Now I am leveraging that to do some speaking in other arenas.
Lessons we can all learn:
1. if you are thinking about it, do it. The worst they can say is No. You'll never regret trying, but you will regret not trying.
2. Blow them away with your first impression. I went from "a new writer" to a trustworthy writer because i got that first assignemnt done so fast. Whenever there were side jobs, i got them. At $3000 - $7000 each, it was kinda cool. But the real joy began when I was working with multiple editors.
3. there is no skill in business or in life more important than communication. If you cannot already do so, learn to speak and write the King's English.
4. In any business, you have to have the knowldege to speak the language of the realm. What are your qualifications to gete paid by anyone? The better your answer to that question, the better you will do.
5. Related to #2 - when you can make someone's life easier, they will pay you.
Anyway, hope this is helpful.
