Tips to stave off freelancers' Tax Day dread
FishbowlNY
Tax season is definitely one of the downsides of the freedom/responsibility equation of the freelance life. For help dealing with the added complexities freelance income induces, we went straight to the source, enlisting the help of four accountants accustomed to working with freelancers. Among the advice we received is that organization is key, whether you're going it along or hiring an accountant.
March 20: Last chance to register for GWA regional meeting in Charleston
Join fellow garden writers in March on a first-ever GWA tour of two of the oldest and most famous gardens in America — Magnolia Plantation and Middleton Place, both in Charleston, S.C. This special opportunity is timed to be at the height of the seasonal bloom of azaleas and camellias on two plantations with huge collections.
March 31: GWA Media Awards submissions due
GWA — the association of Garden communicators — is pleased to continue its latest modernization of the Garden Media Awards Program using an online entry and judging process. GWA will be awarding the prestigious GWA Garden Media Awards to the top professional communicators in the lawn and garden genre for 2014.
June 12: GWA regional meeting in Philadelphia
Join fellow GWA members as they tour the grounds of the Morris Arboretum, get exclusive access to Bloomfield Farm and see PHS's Pop Up Gardens in Philadelphia. Educational programming will focus on "Behind-the-Scenes of Growing Morris" and the "Greening of Philadelphia for the Pope's Visit this Summer." Early bird rate ends on May 15.
July 13: GWA Connect meeting at Cultivate'15
GWA Region III will conduct a GWA Connect meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, July 13, in the Greater Columbus (Ohio) Convention Center following the AmericanHort press luncheon. Regional Directors Denise Schreiber and Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp will lead the group with a brief meeting and introductions, followed by networking and member updates. It's always great to have a face to go with a name and to meet like-minded individuals who share a common love of plants; so, please plan to join us for this informal Connect Meeting with fellow GWA members. Registration is free, and non-members and visitors are welcome, too!
Job opening: GardenTours.com is seeking freelance garden writer
Seeking a writer to help develop high quality collateral material for garden tourism website. The right person will have significant experience in writing content for successful websites and/or blogs and should have a good knowledge of gardens and the garden tourism arena.
Should you be a full-time writer?
SFWA
A lot of writers have a goal of being a full time writer. I think there's this image of your life continuing exactly as it is, except that now your job is writing. Sure, you know you won't go into an office, but it will be so nice to have no demands on your time, except writing. Yeah ... so, about that. As someone who has spent most of her adult life as a freelancer, let me speak to those of you who have conventional day jobs.
How NOT to sell books: Top 10 social media marketing no-nos for authors
Anne R. Allen's Blog
Let's face it. Authors do a lot of obnoxious things online in the name of "marketing." I think that's because the average author isn't educated in the field and we don't realize that not all marketing is created equal. Good marketing is not about bullying your customers. It's about enticing them. A lot of online groups badmouth authors, especially indies, because of iffy social media marketing practices.
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Fringe factor: Small presses and self-publishing
Beth Revis, author of the New York Times bestselling YA "Across the Universe" series (Penguin), joined a wave of established authors when she decided to self-publish her most recent book, The Body Electric. "I wrote a book. I loved this book, I felt that it said exactly what I wanted it to say, but it didn't fit in the current market," says Revis, who produced The Body Electric in e-book and paperback format. "Twenty years ago — maybe even 10 — I would have let it die a quiet death."
Stephen King to share writing tips in new short story collection
Stephen King is set to give his first major insights into the writing process since his acclaimed On Writing, in a new collection of short stories due out this winter. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, due to be published Nov. 3, will bring together 20 short stories by King, a mix of new writing and work already collected in magazines. But it will also include an introduction to each story by the writer.
Noise and distraction may hold untapped creativity (Medical Daily)
In your garden, choose plants that help the environment (The New York Times)
The Writers' Room in Boston is always available for writers to work (The Boston Globe)
65-story, garden-centric condo tower planned for NYC (Curbed)
GWA Member Directory profile info updates due by March 15 (GWA)
10 things to say to a writer who's on the ledge
Novel Rocket
Writing often feels like a solitary pursuit. Truthfully, it's the successful writers who know better than to try to go it alone. Writing in a vacuum is not a good idea — for a lot of reasons. It's easy to lose perspective and either believe what you're writing is perfect, or worse, that it's junk. Having others who share the same struggles make us stronger.
This 1956 gardening advice book was a feminist manifesto
In 1956 Vita Sackville-West reviewed a new gardening book for the Observer. All stirred up, she was unstinting in her praise. "It is," she said, "by a woman who, with her husband, created out of nothing the sort of garden we should all like to have: a cottage garden on a slightly larger scale. ... Crammed with good advice ... I defy any amateur gardener not to find pleasure, encouragement and profit from [it]."