Tag: Writers Resources

10+ (More) Great Books Every Aspiring Writer Should Read

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Writers love to read about writing. From advice on mastering their craft, to memoirs of writers, and even straight-up grammar tips, books about writing are a major part of every aspiring writer’s library.

The Writers For Hire writer, Jennifer Rizzo, told us about “5 Great Books Every Aspiring Writer Should Read,” and they were great suggestions, but there are a lot more fantastic books on writing out there.

So, once you’ve devoured those five books, here are 10 more that are well-worth your time.

Some will teach you new things. Others will motivate and inspire you to creative genius! (Well, that’s the hope, anyway!) And all of them will help you be a better writer for having read them.

1. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life – Anne Lamott

If you are a writer, dream of being a writer, or just like writers, this is a must-read book.

Lamott has a friendly, unabashed style that makes you feel like you’re chatting over drinks with a buddy and getting the inside scoop. You’ll be inspired, educated, and highly entertained.

If you doubt it, just skim the chapter called “Polaroids.” If that doesn’t grab you, nothing will.

2. Writing Down the Bones – Natalie Goldberg

Much like “Bird by Bird,” Goldberg’s book is an instructional writing book that is filled with personal anecdotes that are witty, charming, and filled with insight.

It’s not all grounded in sentence structure, either. Chapters like “Don’t Use Writing to Get Love” are very personal and go well beyond the page. It’s a great book for beginners who are trying to find their own voice.

3. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation – Lynne Truss

Truss’s “Eats, Shoots, & Leaves” is a book about punctuation that spent 25 weeks on the New York Times Best-Seller list in 2004. I’ll pause to let you mull that over.

A bemoaning of the slipping attention to correct punctuation, this book is funny, but also imminently useful.

If you struggle with commas, semi-colons, or any part of punctuation in the English language, Truss probably tackles it in this book and provides simple, fool-proof methods to remember the rules.

And if you’re curious about that title, just google the “Panda eats, shoots and leaves joke.”

4. Robert’s Rules of Writing – Robert Masello

As you start to venture down the trail of becoming a writer, you will undoubtedly be bombarded with rules.

From instructors to successful writers and even well-intentioned relatives, rules like “You have to write every day!” and “Show, don’t tell!” will start to pile up in your mental file cabinet.

Robert Masello wrote his book “Robert’s Rules of Writing: 101 Unconventional Lessons Every Writer Needs to Know” to add to your file while blowing up some of the rules you thought you knew. For example:

  • Rule 13: Stop Reading
  • Rule 52: Lose Your Form
  • Rule 97: Spill Your Secrets

5. On Writing Well – William Zinsser

Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” is less focused on the fiction crowd and zeroes in on storytelling in non-fiction writing. It’s loaded with educational features focusing on the craft of writing, including different forms like memoir and travel writing.

There are countless tips and tricks that writers can put to use in their writing to make it absolutely shine.

If you enjoy writing non-fiction, this is a must-read.

6. The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron

This book looks at the creative process and working towards improving creativity.

Subtitled “A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity,” Cameron’s book is a faith-based approach to finding your creativity using a 12-week program.

“The Artist’s Way” is categorized as a self-help book and made it onto selfhelp.fm’s Top 100 Self Help Books of All Time list.

If you’re looking to develop your creative life and are willing to put in some effort, “The Artist’s Way” and its accompanying workbook could be just what you need.

7. The Writing Life – Annie Dillard

Instead of being an instructional book, “The Writing Life” by Annie Dillard is a sneak peek behind the curtain into a writer’s life as she does her work.

It’s not always pretty, either. Actually, it’s rarely pretty.

It’s difficult, frustrating, and oftentimes overwhelming, but the anecdotes help you understand just what to expect if you’re going to live as a writer and how to persevere.

If you love raw and honest writing, this one is for you.

8. Everybody Writes – Ann Handley

Ann Handley is a web content influencer. Rather than writing novels or short stories, her genre is the blog post and the social media ad.

This book is simple and straightforward and full of tips to help anyone write better, whether you’re trying to market your own business or just look a little smarter on Twitter.

You’ll brush up on your grammar and gain insight into content-marketing techniques.

9. The Writer’s Journey – Christopher Vogler

Christopher Vogler started this book as a memo for Disney executives as he worked on The Lion King 26 years ago. (Can you believe The Lion King is that old?) It’s essentially a reworking of Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero With a Thousand Faces” made more approachable and relevant for today’s screenwriters.

You don’t have to be writing for the screen to appreciate the useful tips and strategies laid out in “The Writer’s Journey.” This book should be on every writer’s desk.

10. Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process – Edited by Joe Fassler

What happens when you ask a bunch of successful writers to pinpoint one of the most influential passages they’ve ever read? This book happens.

With entries by Stephen King, Amy Tan, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Franzen, and a couple of dozen more writers, “Light the Dark” is a fascinating and inspiring read.

Each writer discusses a piece of writing that not only moved them but changed them somehow. Each entry is an easy 5-10-minute read, which makes a great choice for jump starting each day with a dose of inspiration.

Bonus Books

A lot of writing doesn’t end up on bestseller lists. It’s done with a different purpose in mind. If you want help learning how to take your writing from good to amazing in a specific field, try one of these great reads.

Write, Publish, Repeat: The No-Luck Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success – Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant with David Wright.

Self-publishing is more common, and more accepted, than ever. But it can still be a bit confusing to the first-timer. This book walks you through it step by step.

Words that Sell: More than 6,000 Entries to Help You Promote Your Products, Services, and Ideas – Richard Bayan

Think of this as a copywriter’s thesaurus. It’s an absolute gem to keep close by your computer.

The Copywriters Handbook – Bob Bly

A standard for copywriters, this is everything you need to know to turn your words into sales.

The Wizard of Ads – Roy Williams

Fun to read with very short chapters, “The Wizard of Ads” dives into the strategies involved with writing truly great and memorable ads.

Nicely Said: Writing for the Web with Style and Purpose – Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee

Writing for the web is a lot different than writing for the printed page. This book is a primer for understanding the language of the internet.

Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need – Blake Snyder

“Save the Cat!” is an insider’s guide to writing for the screen, with funny takes on everything from loglines to rules he calls “screenplay physics.” Despite the title, Snyder wrote five more companion books for this one.  

Writers’ Tips for Working from Home

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Ever since COVID-19 lockdowns started in March of 2020 and forced many people to work from home, the internet has been full of hilarious memes. From jokes about doing Zoom calls in your pajamas, to cartoons depicting parents trying to work with kids in the house, it’s clear that the switch from the office to working remotely has been a challenge for many.

There is one group of people who are well versed in the art of working from home, though. Those people are writers!

With frequent deadlines hanging over their heads, writers are no stranger to hunkering down and isolating in order to get their work done.

In this great blog from The Guardian, they take some of the best work-from-home advice from great writers and compile it to help readers manage their work and thrive during these crazy times.

While some of the tips, such as making sure to get plenty of sleep and exercise, may seem obvious, the blog also provides helpful advice, such as getting the hard things done first and quarantining yourself from the internet and social media.

Although many people have been working from home for the better part of this year, it’s hard to not feel overwhelmed at times. But don’t lose faith in yourself.  After all, William Shakespeare wrote one of his greatest works—King Lear—while quarantining during the Plague. So, if he can do it, so can you!

Understanding Active and Passive Voice in Writing

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

“TIME’s spell-check always admonishes me whenever I compose a sentence in the passive voice, a warning that is often ignored by me.” — Richard Corliss, film critic for TIME magazine

There are certain writing tips or admonishments that writers hear so often that they’ve become almost cliché:

“Show don’t tell.” “Write every day.” “Use the active, not the passive voice!”

You may have some idea what active and passive voices are, but how do you define them? And more importantly, why does it matter so much, and is that rule an absolute? If we should never use the passive voice, why does it exist?

Here’s what you need to know about writing in active or passive voice.

What is active voice?

Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

“The active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive.” — William Strunk, Jr., author of The Elements of Style

Webster’s online dictionary defines active voice as “the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb.”

For example: “The girl rode the pony.” The subject of the verb (the girl) is performing the action denoted by the verb (rode).  The sentence does not have to be simple, nor does the verb have to be grand or physical.  Here are some other examples:

Tyler frequently wears colorful Hawaiian shirts.

Mankind took its first steps on the moon in 1969.

Abby wondered if Devin was going to ask her to the winter dance.

In each of these sentences, the subject of the verb performs the verb action. Tyler wears. Neil Armstrong took. Abby wondered.

You’ll hear some writers and writing instructors say to always use the active voice. It’s clear, straightforward, and strong. It gives a sense of authority to your writing.

When in doubt, it’s your best bet for good writing.

What is passive voice?

“Of writing in passive voice: Like the weather, people talk about it, but nobody seems to be doing much about either one.”— Chris Smith, senior lead communications specialist, Entergy Corporation

Webster defines the passive voice as “asserting that the grammatical subject of a verb is subjected to or affected by the action represented by that verb.”

If you switch my example from above to the passive voice it would be, “The pony was ridden by the girl.” Now, the pony is the subject of the verb, but instead of doing the action (riding) it is being affected by that action (was ridden). This leaves the girl, our former subject, dangling  at the end of the sentence as if she has little importance.

The passive voice tends to use forms of the “be” verb such as “is,” “was,” or “has been.” They are one way of keeping an eye out for passive voice in your writing.

Let’s do the other examples:

Colorful Hawaiian shirts are frequently worn by Tyler.

Mankind’s first steps on the moon were taken in 1969.

If Devin was going to ask her to the winter dance was wondered by Abby.

The first two sentences work, but they lack the energy and directness of their active voice counterparts. The third sentence, with poor Abby, becomes muddled and awkward at best, but it’s not Devin’s fault. It’s the writer’s fault.

If you’re still not clear on how to detect passive voice, Rebecca Johnson, vice president for academic affairs at Marine Corps University, came up with a fun little idea when she was a professor of culture and ethics. “If you can add the phrase “by zombies” after the verb, your sentence has passive voice.”

Let’s try it!

“Tyler frequently wears…by zombies.” Nope. That doesn’t work at all.

“Hawaiian shirts are frequently worn…by zombies.” Look at that. You clearly have a sentence in passive voice (and fun, stylish zombies).

“Mankind took…by zombies.” Again, no.

“Mankind’s first steps on the moon were taken…by zombies.” Yikes, that works, and we have a new idea for a bizarre novel.

“Abby wondered…by zombies.” Even though “wondered” is not a vibrant, energetic verb, it’s still active.

“If Devin was going to ask her to the winter ball was wondered…by zombies.” It works, but we’re left wondering why the zombies are so concerned with Abby’s date prospects.

While these examples may seem a little absurd, you might be surprised at how frequently you slip into the passive voice without meaning to do it.

If you’re unsure whether you are writing in passive voice, try using a grammar check device like Grammarly or the Hemingway Editor to find out. It’s easy to fix and, in most cases, you will end up with better writing.

Why does active vs. passive voice matter?

Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay

“Verbs are the most important of all your tools. They push the sentence forward and give it momentum. Active verbs push hard; passive verbs tug fitfully.”— William Zinsser, author of On Writing Well

So now we get to the million-dollar question: “Why does active or passive voice matter so much?” Here are a few things to consider.

How It Affects Readers

Active voice exudes energy and directness. It helps your readers move along with the writing.

Passive voice usually has the opposite effect. It is wordy and indirect, which makes your readers slow down. It also makes your writing more difficult to follow as your readers try to figure out who did what to whom.  As you’d expect, this means that your reader has to work harder, is less engaged, and therefore is more likely to simply stop reading.

No matter what you are writing, be it a thriller novel or a set of instructions for assembling a barbecue grill, you never want your reader to stop reading before the end!

How It Affects Characters

If you write fiction or creative non-fiction, your characters will suffer from too much use of passive voice as well.

Instead of being instigators of action, it will seem as if they are just along for the ride. They’re not doing stuff; instead, stuff is being done by them. This puts the focus on the action and not the character doing it.

How it Represents You as a Writer

Regardless of genre, from novels to ad copy, the word you’ll most frequently see used to describe passive voice in writing is “weak.” Every action comes across as wimpy, sloppy, and even insincere.

As the writer, you may come across the same way. Do you lack confidence in your writing? What are you trying to say?

Just say it instead of backing into it with the passive voice. Your readers will thank you.

Is it ever OK to use passive voice?

Image by dmaxjr0 from Pixabay

Yes! For one, it can break up the rhythm in your writing (in a good way) to add variety. There are also some instances where passive voice makes complete sense.

Let’s say you’re writing a story (true or not) about a boy and his dog. In the early pages, we learn that “Billy found the puppy, whimpering and wet, on the side of the road.” That’s great! We have a book about Billy, and we’ve learned that he found a puppy.

But if you change it:

“The puppy, whimpering and wet, was found on the side of the road by Billy.”

We now have a book about a puppy, and we’ve learned that a boy named Billy found him.

If the focus of your writing is on the recipient of the verb’s action rather than the character doing the verb, the passive voice will keep that focus where you want it. The key is to use it sparingly.

The trick, as with all elements of writing, is to consciously select your approach. Don’t let passive voice simply slip into your writing, or your writing will suffer for it.

Choose when and where you want to utilize it to maximize its effect and strengthen your work. Or, if you’re still in doubt, follow the advice of Stephen King:

“The timid fellow writes The meeting will be held at seven o’clock because that somehow says to him, “Put it this way and people will believe you really know.” Purge this quisling thought! Don’t be a muggle! Throw back your shoulders, stick out your chin, and put that meeting in charge! Write: The meeting’s at seven. There, by God! Don’t you feel better?” — Stephen King in “On Writing”

Avoiding the Copyright Police: Ways to Find Free Images for Your Blog

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Remember story time as a kid? While the story was great, you have to confess it was the pictures that drew you in, right? Looking at the pictures was the best part of the entire experience.

The same applies to digital and printed communications.

Visuals, including photography and infographics, play a significant role in helping people take action, become inspired, or grasp a concept.

But you need to be careful about where you obtain your images.

Some imagery, including those on Google Images, are more often than not copyrighted and could land you in hot water if you use them without written permission.  

“One of the issues we often see is clients using what they find on Google as images for a blog, website, or social media post. This is a dangerous game as many images are protected by copyright, or creative commons license, which limits their usage without proper payment or permission from the owner,” says Charlie Ewing, creative director at CGS Digital Marketing.

Before you get in haste to copy and paste, here are a few tips to tell if something is copyrighted or not:

  • Credit or contact details – If an image is copyrighted, take a careful look at the caption. You might spot the name of the photographer or whoever created the image. You might also find that person’s email address in the caption. If you really like the picture, you can contact them to see if you can use it; however, don’t be surprised if you will need to pay a small royalty fee.
  • Watermark – Many times, when an image is copyrighted, there will be a watermark or a faint design in the background of a logo or image. No matter how much you love the photo, don’t attempt to remove the watermark. It could cost you later on. 
  • Metadata – You may want to check an image’s metadata. Sometimes referred to as EXIF data, metadata is described as a set of data that gives information about other data. The website “How to Geek” provides a good explanation of how to do this using a PC or Mac. 
  • Reverse image search – If you are adamant about using the image and are determined to find the creator, you can use Google’s reverse image tool. You can upload the image there, and it will trace the photo back to where it resides online. From there, you might be able to determine the owner and contact him or her. 

If you can’t find the owner to ask for permission, err on the side of caution and don’t use the image.

Photographers, illustrators, and graphic designers need to protect their livelihood and, as such, often check to see if there are situations where their images are being used without their approval. 

It’s probably a smart idea to familiarize yourself with the different types of copyright laws and what they mean. Here is a list of the most common licenses:

  • All Rights Reserved
  • Royalty-Free
  • Public Domain Work
  • Attribution
  • Attribution-ShareAlike
  • Attribution-NoDerivs
  • Attribution-NonCommercial

If I can’t use Google images, what can I use?

The consequences of using a copyrighted image can be, for lack of a better word, unpleasant. 

“Copyright is always something to be mindful of in the age of information,” says Emily Glass, director of marketing for Because Marketing. “With free services such as Unsplash and Pexels, there are plenty of stock photo options that won’t break the bank. Still can’t find a photo that fits? Adobe Stock or Shutterstock are great paid options.”

Below is a roundup of some of the best websites out there that offer royalty-free use of images: 

Pexels.com 

Pexels provides unlimited downloads of beautiful photos, and you’re bound to find something to match the subject at hand. Here’s an example of a beautiful picture you can download for free on this site:

Photo by Sebastian Voortman from Pexels

Burst.shopify.com 

This site provides thousands of free images for websites and commercial use. Here’s a sample:

Reshot.com 

Reshot says it is a “uniquely free,” “non-stocky” source for photos. Here is a great example of something that you might not find elsewhere:

Photo by Waldemar Błażej Nowak

Pixabay.com 

This expansive site provides over 1.8 million stock photos you can download for free. Here’s a sample:

Image by Tài Thiện from Pixabay 

Gratisography.com 

Gratisography markets itself as “truly unique, usually whimsy, and always free.” Here’s an example of what you can find on this site:

PXhere.com 

Another full site that states the photos are free of copyright, so “do whatever you want.” Here’s a cool photo we downloaded from PXhere:

Image by Konevi

Unsplash.com 

Unsplash has a robust collection of images ranging from pets to interiors to places of worship. Here’s a picture-perfect puppy we found:

If these sites don’t have what you’re looking for and you’re willing to pay, there are a few sites out there you can subscribe to for a reasonable price, including:

“We go through hundreds and thousands of stock photos with our clients every month. Stock images provide clients and writers with affordable, high-quality photos at their fingertips, and they have plenty of choices to pick from. Not only that but you can test and try the images before you purchase them. Photos are easy to license so you can be assured that you will not infringe on the copyright. A few of our favorite resources are freepik.com, pexels.com, unsplash.com, stock.adobe.com, and shutterstock.com,” says Sami Khaleeq, president of CGS Digital Marketing.

Creating Your Own Images

Maybe these sites don’t provide precisely what you need. If you need a quick photo and don’t have time or the resources to hire a professional photographer, you can always take advantage of your phone.

You can capture stunning images with your iPhone or Android. Digital Photography School provides some quick tips: 

  1. Light up your subjects.
  2. Get close to your subject.
  3. Hold your phone steady.
  4. Save the editing for later.
  5. Don’t delete your mistakes.
  6. Don’t use the digital zoom feature.
  7. Experiment with white space.
  8. Take lots of shots, have fun, and experiment.
  9. Learn some basic composition rules, and then don’t be afraid to break them.
  10. Keep your lens clean. 
  11. Practice camera phone etiquette 101: Obtain permission to take photos of others in public.
  12. Use the highest resolution possible.

Creating Graphics and Infographics 

What if you need a quick graphic or infographic to explain a concept or present information? There are several great tools available for this purpose. Here are some examples:

Canva.com 

Canva allows you to create professional-looking graphics that will make you wonder if you shouldn’t have pursued that degree in graphic design.

It’s user-friendly, intuitive, and provides a wide range of backgrounds, colors, and design elements.

You can use the basic version for free or pay a little extra to use the professional version.

Canva lets you create everything from business cards to social media posts, posters, flyers, infographics, and restaurant menus. Below are images of designs made in Canva:

AdobeSpark.com 

You can choose from millions of free photos from sites such as Unsplash, Pixabay, and Pexels to create your graphics in Adobe Spark.

It lets you add text animations and stickers, and also has a library of exclusive fonts.

There is a free version, which provides the basic usage, a $9.99 per month individual version, and a $19.99 per month version for multiple team members.

Below is one of the templates you can edit and use as your own:

Picmonkey 

This online photo editing and designer program can be accessed via the web.

It provides graphic design and editing tools and design templates for wedding invitations, announcements, business cards, and more.

You can use the basic features for free, but to get access to all the bells and whistles, you’ll have to pay a membership fee.

Here’s an example of what you can make using PicMonkey: 

Visuals are an essential element of your blog post, website articles, and social media posts. With these resources at your fingertips, you’re sure to steer clear of copyright infringement, while at the same time creating something engaging and compelling for your audiences.

20 Great Podcasts to Inspire and Improve Your Writing

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

As professional writers, we at The Writers For Hire (TWFH) are constantly looking to hone up on our skills while staying attuned to current trends and developments in the writing world.

And we have found that listening to podcasts is a fantastic way to do just that!

Whether you are tuning in while working out at the gym, or listening during your commute to work, podcasts are a great resource for gaining knowledge and inspiration — not to mention some fantastic stories to tell at parties!.

We have found, though, that not all podcasts are created equal.

So, to find the best podcasts streaming today, we compiled a list of what our talented writers at TWFH are listening to now.  And here’s what they had to say…

Creative Writing

Suzanne Kearns

The Creative Penn with Joanna Penn

Joanna is a best-selling author whose podcast includes interviews, inspiration, and information related to making a living as a writer.

Carol Kim:

The Portfolio Life with Jeff Goins

Goins is the author of the book, Real Artists Don’t Starve, as well as a speaker, consultant, and blogger. In his podcast, he discusses how to identify your life’s work, ways to express yourself (your portfolio), and how to go about creating it.

88 Cups of Tea

This fantastic podcast is for creative writers of all kinds! The podcast features interviews with writers, filmmakers, Ted Talk speakers, and other creative individuals who discuss their storytelling journey and the life of a writer, including publishing and the ups and downs all writers experience.

Children’s Books

Carol Kim

The Children’s Book Podcast with Matthew Winner

Matthew is a school librarian and founder of the former podcast, All the Wonders. His insightful podcast features interviews with authors, illustrators, and others in the children’s book industry.

Literaticast with Jennifer Laughran

Jennifer is a senior agent with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, representing children’s book authors. In her podcast, she interviews authors, other agents, and editors about the business of children’s book publishing.

Picturebooking with Nick Patton

Nick is a children’s book author who interviews other picture book authors and illustrators about their books and their experiences as authors.

Tips and Advice for Writers

Flori Meeks

The Copywriter Club

The Copywriter Club Podcast is a great listen for copywriters looking to build a profitable business. Through their interviews with writers and other professionals, they share ideas, tactics, and strategies to strengthen your writing and business skills.

Carol Kim

Manuscript Academy

This free podcast features interviews with agents, editors, and authors on the craft, business, and community of publishing.

Write or Die with Kat Cho and Claribel Ortega.

Kat and Claribel are authors of middle grade and young adult books. Through their podcast interviews, they share real-life stories of writers who didn’t give up, and are now living out their dream.

Writing Excuses

Run by a group of writers, this podcast features 15-minute segments with tips on how to become a better writer.

Tyler Omoth

Helping Writers Become Authors

This wonderful podcast is full of great advice for aspiring writers, presented in ways you probably have never heard before.

Language

Flori Meeks

Duolingo

This popular language app recently launched a podcast, which is currently available in three languages—Spanish for English speakers, French for English speakers, and English for Spanish speakers. The podcast features easy-to-follow stories, designed to help users strengthen their language skills.

Jennifer Rizzo

A Way with Words

This fun podcast is all about the roots of various sayings, regional dialects, family expressions, and slang throughout history. It is a must for people who are fascinated by language and its origins.

Genealogy and Family History

Jennifer Rizzo

Extreme Genes

For genealogy buffs and professionals alike, this podcast is highly entertaining and educational. The host, Scott Fisher, interviews professional genealogists as well as hosts of popular ancestry shows to get helpful tips and ideas for researching family history.

Family Secrets

This inspirational podcast is a collection of interviews with master storytellers who have discovered, and written about, long-hidden family secrets.

History

Kathy Rinchiuso

The History Chicks  

This fascinating podcast introduces listeners to the little-known stories of incredible women throughout history.  

Mobituaries with Mo Rocca

In this intriguing podcast, Emmy winner Mo Rocca explores the people and things of the past that have always intrigued him: from Neanderthals and JFK impersonators to the Orphan Train and sitcom deaths.

You’re Wrong About

Hosts, Mike and Sarah, are journalists obsessed with the past. In their weekly podcast, they discuss—and challenge each other about— a person or event that’s been miscast in the public imagination.

Entertainment

Kathy Rinchiuso

Armchair Expert

In this hilarious podcast, Dax Shepard interviews fellow actors and celebrities about the “messiness of being human.” While it may not be as educational or informative as some of the other podcasts listed here, it is definitely one of the most entertaining!

Erin Larson

Irish Music Stories with Shannon Heaton

While not exactly writing-related, this wonderful podcast provides a lovely break from current events. And, as an added bonus, the host just happens to be Erin’s sister!

The Writers Behind Your Fortune Cookie Aphorism

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

It may come as a surprise to you that fortune cookies are not actually a Chinese invention.

While their true origins are widely debated, it is a common belief that the first fortune cookies appeared in California sometime in the late 1800s to early 1900s.

The real question is, though, who is behind the messages on those tiny pieces of paper hidden inside of the cookies? Is it some kind of all-knowing psychic?

According to this fascinating article from Mentalfloss, many fortune cookie companies actually rely on the wits and poetic words of freelance writers to come up with the witty sayings inside those sweet treats.

In fact, several successful authors actually got their start writing fortune cookie messages!

Don’t be fooled by those seemingly simple prophetic one-liners, though. While writing them may seem like an easy gig, it actually takes quite a bit of talent.

After all, the messages must appeal to a wide global audience, while not being overly specific or scandalous. (Nobody wants to crack open a cookie, only to read that they are going to lose their job or go break their neck!)

So, next time you get Chinese take-out, be sure to take a moment to appreciate the talent and thought that went into your cookie’s fortune.

25 Beautiful and Inspiring Words to Expand Your Vocabulary

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

As human beings, we use language every day to convey thoughts and ideas, describe our feelings and emotions, to argue our points, and to convey directions.  

And, as writers, we at TWFH use language even more than the average person.

Very rarely, though, do we actually sit and think about just how beautiful language can be.

Take meliorism, for example, which is a word for the belief that the world can be made better by human effort. Or euneirophrenia: the peace of mind that comes from having pleasant dreams.

And how about my personal favorites? Coddiwomple (meaning to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination) and petrichor (the pleasant, earthy smell after rain).

This wonderful blog from odyssey includes 25 of these beautiful words, which are sure to make you fall in love with the English language and want to expand your vocabulary.

And, as you explore these elysian words, there is no doubt that you will find their mellifluous eutony to be quite illecebrous.

The Numbers Behind the Words: Can You Make Money Writing Non-Fiction Books?

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

We all know an awful lot about something. It’s just the way people are.

Your area of expertise might be something useful, like knowing how to fix cars, or it might be something less tangible, say, an obscene amount of knowledge about cartoons from the late 1970s to the early 1980s (ruh roh, Raggy!).

Whatever the case may be, chances are that people come to you from time to time to ask your opinion about something related to your area of expertise.

Even folks who wouldn’t necessarily call themselves an authority in anything have this happen.

For some, once they hit a certain level of knowledge on a topic, the logical next step is to sit down and start writing about it.

Writing a non-fiction book can be a great way to expand on your knowledge of something and, best of all, show off how much you know about something (in a good way, not a braggy way).

Even in the digital age, when everyone is jumping on the internet to write blogs about what they know, we’re still seeing a lot of books hitting the market. In 2019 alone, more than 650 million books were sold!

But, even with all those books entering the market every year, how possible is it to actually make a living as a non-fiction writer?

Is it still possible to dedicate your life to writing about topics that you care about? Or do you have to live out your dream by supplementing your writing with a job at the mall?

Let's Take a Closer Look at the Money

The traditional book route

1. Getting a book deal.

For most of us, when we dream about writing a book, we dream about just that: a book.

Dust covers, author photos, hardcovers (and soft) and, paper pages.

Glorious, glorious pages.

It’s only natural that this is the first thing that comes to mind because, despite ebooks gaining in popularity in the last 10 or so years, people still love to get their hands on a physical book.

There’s just something about them that drives us to them.

Writers are no different. If you’ve had a dream of writing for any amount of time at all, you’ve probably spent most of that time dreaming about holding a real book with your name all over the cover.

So you decide to go for it.

The first thing that’s going to happen when you manage to snag yourself a book deal is getting an advance (I’ve cut quite a few steps out here, like finding an agent and prepping your submission, but we’re talkin’ money here).

An advance is a kind of loan that publishers use to pay you up front.

In the non-fiction world, you’re typically looking at anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 for your first book.

As the link suggests, this can vary a lot depending on things like your level of authority, any audience you may have, and the timeliness of the topic.

Advances are usually paid out in chunks, typically in thirds.

You get the first third when you sign the contract, the second third when you turn in the manuscript, and the final third when the book is published.

These advances are then paid out by book sales and, if you’re lucky enough to pay out your advance, you start collecting royalties.

Royalties are the percentage of each book sale that an author gets.

This can range from 7.5% to 15% of the retail price depending on the kind of book that’s being sold (hardcover vs. mass market paperback vs. trade paperback vs. ebook, etc.) and the publisher.

Since all deals tend to be different, let’s say you’ve just released a book that sells for $30 as a hardcover.

If your royalty is 10%, you get $3 for each book sold.

Now, let’s also say you managed to secure a $15,000 advance.

That means you’d have to sell 5,000 copies of your book to earn out your advance.

Any books that you sell after that 5,000th book means money in the bank for you.

2. Writing your book.

OK. So, you’ve signed the contract and collected you first payment. Now what?

Well, now you write.

That initial chunk of the advance is meant to help you get through the writing phase. A non-fiction book can be a big, long, project, and it helps to have a bit of financial freedom from your job to get it done.

It’s probably going to take you anywhere from six months to a year to complete your book, depending on how much research you’ve done in advance, how well you know the source material and similar factors.

The first third of your advance is for this section.

Then there’s the editing phase.

You’re looking at another couple of months to get through this. That’s where the second third of your money goes.

3. Promotion time!

The final third of your money comes when you turn in the finished copy of your book.

Once you’ve gotten your book done and publishing dates have been set, it’s promotion time.

Yup, even if you’re with the bigger publishers, writers still end up doing the bulk of the promo work.

This is because with close to a quarter million books hitting the shelves every year, there just aren’t enough marketing people out there.

That, and frankly, no one knows your book like you do.

If you want your book to be successful, you’re going to need to market your book until you’re sick of it.

And, you’re going to have to do it every chance you get.

You’ll talk about it on social media, you’ll tell your friends, their friends, your family, their friends… Chances are, everyone who is even slightly connected to you is going to know that you have a book coming out.

And, if you’re lucky, most of them will buy it.

Going the DIY route

It wasn’t that long ago that self-publishing was seen as a bit of a fool’s errand.

Sure, you might have made some money, but the success stories were few and far between.

Flash forward to today where self-published books have been making great strides in terms of quality, being taken serious by both writers and the general public and, best of all, people have been making money doing this.

Online retailers like Amazon have made it beyond simple to self-publish a book and sell it on their site, thanks to things like Kindle Direct publishing.

Unlike the traditional publishing world, you don’t get any money up front when you go the self-publishing route.

In fact, all the associated costs of putting the book together—the ones that would have been covered by the publisher in the traditional publishing market—get covered by you.

That means you pay the editors, book designers, cover designers and all that.

All this can be done for just a few hundred with turnkey publishing sites, or for tens of thousands with elite editing and publishing services.

The more you put in at this stage, the better the chances of your book looking like it was put out by professionals and not just someone who knows Photoshop (because your book will have been put together by professionals).

But, once that’s taken care of, you get a bigger piece of the pie on the sales end.

Instead of only getting the industry standard of anywhere from 7.5% to 15%, you keep a much higher percentage after the retailer takes their cut.

In the case of Amazon Kindle Direct, you get either 35% or 70% of a sale, depending on the circumstances.

That bigger chunk of sales that you take home is going to help you pay off what was basically your advance faster (the money you spent putting your book together) and will help you start making some money.

 

What does success look like?

Best seller status is something that most writers dream of at some point or another.

It’s kind of the old school version of going viral, only with books.

Best seller lists are, as you might guess, put together based on how books are selling.

They’re calculated on a weekly basis and the criteria, data gathered, and stores used to calculate these lists tend to vary widely from list to list.

The New York Times, for example, puts together their list based on the sales from vendors across the United States, although the list is reported confidentially, so no one ever really knows for sure which stores are doing the reporting.

USA Today, on the other hand, tells you some of the vendors they rely on for their list.

And those are the easy ones to figure out.

Just look at how Amazon figures out their numbers here.

Go on. I’ll wait for a minute.

Had a look? Great. You probably noticed that for every explanation they have, there were exceptions.

The trouble with bestseller lists is, among other things, is there’s no guaranteeing anything about them.

You could have the best book in the world out there, and your book could still struggle to get on the list because of something, anything that happened in the world that week.

Take a look at the list below (from The New York Times non-fiction list), for example.

Notice that the bestselling non-fiction paper is Steven Hawking’s A Brief History of Time.

This list, as it happens, represents the week after Hawking’s death.

Things like this can throw off the momentum of just about any book, regardless of how well it has been doing in the previous week.

According to Bridget Marmion, former senior vice president of marketing for publishing houses such as Fararr, Straus and Giroux, and Random House, and founder of Your Expert Nation, being on a best seller list is always nice, but it should never be your goal.

It’s mostly because of the number of factors at play when determining the lists.

If a movie adaptation of a book happens to be coming out the same week as your book (this can happen in non-fiction as easily as it could happen in fiction, think of movies like Eat Pray Love and Wild), it’ll be a struggle to get your book on the list.

Having said that, if you can get yourself on a best seller list, it can help.

“Being on a list that is important to your audience would move the sales needle, if you’re on it for a few weeks,” says Marmion.

She adds that this can also help you with your next book, as traditional publishers are more likely to take a chance on someone whose book has been on a best seller list.

The burning question (I’m sure) is just how many books does it take to crack a best seller list?

Well, that answer, I’m afraid, is complicated.

It depends on the list, the time of year, what else is happening in the world and a host of other things.

For traditional lists like The New York Times or USA Today, those numbers look to be anywhere from 3,000 copies to 5,000 copies sold.

Getting into the Amazon Top 5 would require sales of about 300 books a day.

And, to really complicate things, it’s entirely possible to get on an Amazon best seller list by selling very few books because you’re in a category that’s so specific you’re essentially on your own.

Just check out the example located towards the end here, which hit the best seller list with only three books sold.

These numbers aren’t high, but most books, especially debut books, don’t even come close to selling that many books.

Few books earn out their advances, which means they sell enough books to pay off the advance, and the numbers for average books sold can be as little as 250 books (although like everything in the publishing industry, there’s a lot of factors at play in figuring out exact numbers like that).

So...now you've got a book out

Congrats!

It’s a great feeling being able to hold a book with your name on the front of it (trust me, I know).

At this point, you need to decide what it is you want to do with that book.

If you want that book to make money, you need to market it.

In fact, you should have started marketing it, like, six months before it came out.

Unless you’re an established name in your industry, traditional publishing houses aren’t going to put too much effort into marketing your book.

With the sheer number of books hitting the shelves every year, publishers just don’t have the time or resources to do that.

You have to be prepared to hustle and self-promote your book to make it work.

If you have any authors, fiction or non-fiction, on your social media feeds, you’ve seen them doing this before.

It takes a lot of time and energy to make it work, but if you want your book to succeed, you have to be ready.

As if this didn’t seem daunting enough, according to Nick Morgan, who helps thought leaders and public speakers publish books (among other things), most publishers give a book about two weeks to make money.

After that, a book gets remaindered, which is when a book is sent off to discount books stores or remainder bins in book stores.

That means you really have to hit the ground running with your book if you hope to get a second book, or even earn back your advance.

This can leave a lot of authors feeling betrayed, especially when you add the fact that publishers don’t really promote books enough to help you succeed.

Luckily, all is not lost.

It’s possible to use your book to help you earn money doing something else. The trick, according to Morgan, is figuring out what that something else is.

Having a book (or two) to your name is never a bad thing.

Among other things, a book helps people understand that you really know what you’re talking about, and solidifies your status as an expert in your field.

Not just anyone can sit down and write a book. It takes a solid understanding and a very firm grasp of your topic to produce a quality book.

A book helps you stake a claim as someone who is an authority on a topic.

This can be especially helpful early on in your career, when people often struggle to be taken seriously and even to make a good living.

As Morgan puts it, “You have to establish expertise via a book.” From there, you can leverage that book to grow your career.

This extra level of authority helps you almost regardless of what you do.

People are more likely to trust a vet who’s written about a pet care over one who hasn’t.

A motivational speaker who has a book is not only going to be able to charge more because of their book, but people are going to listen more. Same if you’re a journalist or a politician or an athlete.

All this means is that you have to know going in what you hope you get out of your book.

If you’re going into it expecting success and sacks full of money to start arriving at your door on the day it’s published, you’re probably going to end up disappointed.

But, if you’re willing to do the work that needs to be done (like the marketing) or you’re writing a book to help bolster some other aspect of your career, then your book is going to help you make money.

It might not be tons of money, not to start, but, like all things publishing, if you’re willing to play the long game and build up a following using that first book, it’s going to get easier and easier to make money with each subsequent book.

How To Write a Family History Book—7 Steps Plus A Pro Tip

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

With the rise in popularity of media programming such as PBS’s Finding Your Roots, and the ease and accessibility of home ancestry and DNA test kits, more and more people are choosing to research their family history.

The internet has made this research easier than ever before.

For those who decide to go even further—to compile and record the facts and stories they find—it has also brought along tools for writing and publishing a family history book that can be shared and passed down for generations.

The idea of such a complex and time-intensive project can feel overwhelming. But with a little sticktoitiveness, and the right process, the journey can be a rewarding one.

Seven Steps to Writing Your Family History Book

Step #1: Getting the Family Involved:

One of the biggest challenges you will likely face will come at the very beginning of the process.

Hesitant family members or an older generation afraid of sharing family secrets can be a stumbling block, which often prevents people from going any further.

Carol Cooke Darrow, a Certified Genealogist in Denver Colorado, has personally written three separate family histories.

She also leads a monthly class teaching others how to do the same.

She suggests using photos as an ice-breaker. Direct questions may seem intrusive.

Showing someone a photo opens up the possibility for them to tell the story of who is in the picture, why they are there, what happened that day, and so on.

Step #2. Collecting Living Memories

Personally talk to or interview as many people as possible.

No amount of research can ever produce the rich detail of an actual remembered story.

While it is not always possible to interview someone in person, or even over the phone, letters and email can be extremely useful.

It is important to develop a set of written interview questions before you begin.

This will give your research a road map, and yet allow for the answers to go in an organic direction.

It will also give continuity to your narrative, as that begins to develop.

You can use this same set of questions whether conducting an interview in-person, by telephone, or even email.

Hollace Ava Weiner, of the Fort Worth Jewish Archives, suggests limiting the attendees at an interview.

She learned when writing her own family history that too many people in an interview can be a distraction, and lead to interruptions. “We wrote down questions. We assigned one person to ask the questions.”

You may even find it necessary to bring in a 3rd party to conduct the interviews.

People are sometimes more willing to share when other family members are not around.

Written transcripts, audio files, records, photos, and almost anything else can be attached to your final project.

If you plan to publish a traditional bound book, you will need to convert all of these to visual images that will become a page in the book.

If you envision something more like a scrap-book, you can attach these items directly to the finished product.

Family members who may be unwilling to give you an interview or share personal stories, may share photos, mementos, or other documents.

Assuring them that you will return originals, if they desire, will go a long way toward helping you in your cause.

Excellent quality prints and copies are now easy to get and steps can be taken to preserve the originals.

Step #3. Understanding and Choosing a Writing Format

There are many styles or formats to choose from when writing your family history book.

From the very technical formats used by historians to the more casual and eclectic scrapbook, you will need to decide what form your final project will take.

For historic archivists, the two most commonly used forms are the Register (sometimes called Descendancy) and the Ahnentafel.

The Register style essentially begins in the past and moves forward in time to the present.

The Ahnentafel begins in the present and moves backward, incorporating a specific numbering and charting system for tracking family units.

But unless you plan to submit your family history book to a national archive, you may want to take a more modern approach.

A memoir or family biography may be the right choice for you.

One method is to trace a surname back as far as you can, then write a chronological biographical narrative leading to the present day.

In this case you would place your ancestors within the context of history, writing their stories both remembered and presumed.

You will end up with something like a novel all about your family—the politics, economics, and circumstances that led to movement, migration, and settlement.

Another option is to compile records, stories, memories, interviews, charts, etc. scrapbook style in a bound book.

This approach is no less time consuming, but may be more suited for those wanting to combine multiple branches of the family tree into one book.

These also make lovely anniversary/engagement/graduation gifts.

Which style you choose depends on the narrative you wish to tell and the book you wish to produce.

Step #4. Conducting Family History Research

Some people have been conducting research for many years, and are just now thinking of compiling all of the information into a readable, preservable book.

Others have recently become interested in their family history and want to publish a book in time for a family reunion next year.

Wherever you are in your journey, and whatever your timeline, there are online tools available to help.

The internet makes research much quicker and easier than it ever has been in the past.

Access to microfiche, birth and death certificates, marriage licenses and divorce decrees, wills, census and military records, immigration and naturalization records, ship passenger lists, land records and even newspaper articles are all at your fingertips.

Free and paid sites such as these will be invaluable in your search.

  • GED match
  • International Society of Genetic Genealogy
  • Google
  • Mooseroots
  • Cyndy’s List
  • The National Archives

TWFH genealogist, Jennifer Rizzo, gives us her review of some of the best of these sites. She breaks them down by cost, pros, and cons in this great article.

Step #5. Document Collection

A good rule of thumb: If you cite it, you should include it.

Zoe von Ende Lappin, a member of WISE Family History Society in Denver, Colorado who has written and published a comprehensive family history entitled The Savages of County Louth and America, recommends that you “Identify unproven material, such as family stories, as such. But document those that you can verify.”

Think about the final product and how meaningful it will be if the records you were able to find were included in the bound book.

Many times you can request copies of documents through the site where you found them or download the records directly from the web.

Possible items to include are:

  • The genealogy chart or family tree you create
  • Maps showing movement and migration
  • Census and military records
  • Photographs
  • Letters
  • Marriage licenses
  • Divorce decrees
  • Land deeds
  • Wills
  • Newspaper clippings
  • Written, audio, or video transcripts of family interviews
  • Images of family heirlooms, such as a watch or wedding rings

Step #6. Writing Your Story

Now it is time to start writing.

There are many online tools for writing, charting, and organizing everything that you have collected.

Back Up My Tree, Evernote, and WordPress are all excellent! But a simple word-processing software such as Word or Pages is also sufficient.

The most important thing is that you put it down in writing.

It is also important to think about your audience.

Who is going to read this?

If writing a memoir, write in first person, otherwise a third-person narrative is the best approach.

Story-telling is the way history has always been passed down.

As you are collecting stories, you may discover a recurring theme.

You might notice that a large number of your ancestors followed a similar profession.

You may see that most of them were members of the same societies or fraternal organizations.

Following a theme is a good way to give your research direction, and begin to formulate a narrative.

Consider your audience as you begin to define the project.

No one wants to read every detail of every descendant you have ever had leading back to The Garden.

Choosing a specific theme that interests you, or one specific couple whose lineage you want to follow, will give you the framework for a story people want to read, and that you want to write.

One commonly used theme is to write about the members of a family who lived in one specific geographic location. The Smiths of Texas County, is an example.

Or you may choose something more unusual such as a family history of recipes.

Much can be learned about a family through the food they eat.

You could write stories about the women, where they lived, how they found local ingredients, the economic challenges they faced, and the children they bore.

Carol Cooke Darrow suggests that “starting small, choosing something you want to preserve, and giving yourself a deadline” are all keys finishing the project.

Step #7. Publishing Your Story

You got the family involved, you collected the living memories, you chose a format, you conducted extensive research, collected all the documents, and wrote your story.

Now it is time to publish your hard work.

For many projects, Amazon’s CreateSpace is a high quality, low cost option.

With online tools accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and no up-front fees, they are an easy safe zone in the self-publishing market.

There are limitations with what you can do creatively. But, if you are looking for straight-forward templates and quick publishing turn-around, CreateSpace has everything you need.

For a more robust project, or one where you have more creative control, you may need to look to a smaller publishing house.

Stellar Communications, for example, has a team of professional editors, writers, graphic artists, photographers, illustrators, and more who can help you with your custom job.

Other self-publishing sites such as Lulu, Otter Bay, Geology House, Stories to Tell Books, and Legacy Books are all online and offer different features.

Pro Tip- Including Photos and Visuals

A picture is worth a thousand words, and at no time is that more true than in a family history.

If you have been able to collect photos and other visual history, you will no doubt want to include those in your final book.

Make yourself aware of any copyright laws regarding your materials, and always remember to give credit where credit is due by documenting where you found the image.

After scanning the originals, Dropbox, cloud storage, and even thumb drives can be helpful as images can take up significant amounts of space on your hard drive.

For storing original photos and other delicate items, our expert Jennifer Rizzo recommends a good-old fashioned cedar chest.

Just make sure to place them in a polyester sleeve or acid free paper box first, and store the chest away from direct heat or moisture.

Writing down your family history is a gift to yourself, your relatives, and to generations yet to come.

Whether for an anniversary gift, a submission to a national historic archive, or simply a compilation of many years’ worth of personal research, it is a project worth perusing.

Recognizing the scope of the project, setting an achievable deadline, and following these steps will help you achieve the goal of a beautiful, polished, and sharable finished product.

Diving Headfirst Into Your Family Tree

Posted on by The Writers For Hire, Inc.

Do you ever wonder about where your ancestors came from, and what struggles they had to endure in their life’s voyage?

The journey of discovering your roots and your family history can be quite fascinating and exciting.

It can also be a daunting and time-consuming task.

A simple Google search will lead you to a vast array of websites, promising to give you the answers to the ever-popular question, “where did I come from?”

But how do you know which websites are actually worth your time (and money)? And once you are on those websites, how can you be sure that the information you are finding is accurate?

How do you know if the history you find is really YOUR family history?

Here is a list of some of the most popular genealogy web sites and our reviews on which make the grade, and which fail to deliver.

Classes

One important thing to keep in mind when diving into your family history research is that there is a definite learning curve. It takes time (and experience) to figure out how and where to locate the information you are seeking.

If you have endless time to dedicate to this task, then learning by trial and error may be the right method for you.

If not, you might want to consider checking out an online class or two, to help you learn the tricks of the trade.

While there are thousands of options out there, here are a few free ones that are a great starting point:

  • YouTube

    Type “genealogy for beginners,” and you will get THOUSANDS of videos with tips on how to start your ancestry research.

  • Family Search Learning Center

    Signing up for a free account on this website will give you access to hundreds of great webinars; many of catered to specific areas of research (Military Records, Colonial Immigration, etc.).

  • Ancestry.com

    Sign up for an ancestry account, you will have access to their instructional videos, which help you learn how to navigate their site and make the most out of your membership.

  • Brigham Young University Independent Study

    Using Adobe Flash Player, the website offers a variety of free online genealogy courses.

Magazines

If ancestry is more than just a passing curiosity for you, a subscription to a genealogy magazine can be a very helpful tool.

Many of these magazines provide insight into different methods of genealogical research, updates on public releases of records, and other valuable information.

Just as there are hundreds of different genealogy websites out there, you will find that there are a large variety of magazines that focus on genealogy and ancestry.

The best magazine for you will really depend on your specific needs, but here are a few that are worth checking out:

  • Family Tree Magazine

    Geared towards more amateur genealogists, this is probably the most well known genealogical magazines out there. It is a fun magazine, full of great personal stories, tips for taking family research trips, and interesting tidbits about different ethnic backgrounds and heritages.

  • National Genealogical Society Quarterly

    This one is a must-have for serious genealogists. The magazine, provided to members of the National Genealogical Society, is chock-full of valuable information, research tips, and up-to-date genealogical news. And, as an added benefit to joining the National Genealogical Society, you will also get access to the plethora of online classes offered by the society.

  • Your Genealogy Today

    Whether you are a novice or a seasoned genealogist, this magazine has something for everyone. The bi-monthly magazine covers everything from DNA research to genealogy tourism.

Hiring a Genealogist

Now, if you are like much of the population and don’t have enough time to invest in really digging deep into your family history, hiring a professional genealogist may be something you’ll want to consider.

Aside from just the time constraints, hiring a professional comes with many other benefits:

  • Experience

    A professional genealogist has experience weeding through thousands of documents and records and is more likely to be able to trace your exact line.

  • Knowledge

    A professional already knows where to find marriage records, locate ship manifestos, and search for military draft cards.

  • Skill

    Most professional genealogists are also very skilled at complex research (which is a necessity, when researching ancestry).

  • Organization

    Sorting through the records of thousands of ancestors takes some serious organizational skills. A professional genealogist knows how to make sense of all that information and compile it in to easy-to-follow reports and diagrams.

Regardless of how you decide to tackle the exciting task of unearthing your family’s history, you are in for a fun ride.

A ride full of fascinating discoveries, beautiful stories, and a new appreciation for how you came to be.

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