Ready, Aim, Specialize!: Create Your Own Writing Specialty and Make More Money!

After reading this book and employing the techniques she recommended, I made my first freelance non-fiction sale...on the first try. Since then I've dogeared and highlighted this book, which has lead to more than ten assignments and a solid beginning to my freelancing career. Thanks, Kelly, for a great book!

I've been a part-time freelance writer for a number of years, and I think I've been fairly successful at it. However, I have to admit that Kelly's book really made me stop and think about what I was doing. Not only did it give me the confidence to try to make my writing a full-time job, her practical advice has provided me with a way to do it. Though I thoroughly read through her book a few times, I still find myself picking it up again and again, and it's finally got a permanent spot on the bookshelf over my computer desk. I recommend this book to writers like myself who have wanted to write full-time but weren't sure if it was even possible as well as those who want to start a freelance writing career.

I have read and re-read this book - most recently with a highlighter and sticky tags. Now I have it front and center on my bookshelf for easy reference. I'm not a newbie writer (10 years as a freelancer), but I was all over the place, and needed to focus. Kelly's concepts have been a big help in that direction.The thing I like best about Kelly's book is that she walks her talk. I saw her byline five times in women's, fitness, and writing magazines during a 30-minute wait in my dentist's lobby. And these are publications that I know are high-paying. It gives me confidence in what she writes about the business of writing.She also has a helpful e-zine (sign up at her Website, www.KellyJames-Enger.com), and does seem like a very nice person, to boot. If you're not getting published as often as you'd like, or making as money as you'd hoped, I'd encourage you to give Kelly's ideas a shot.

OK, so you want to be a writer? Here is the book you are going to start with! You will find crisp, fresh advice from an author who walks her talk. Ready, Aim, Specialize shows you specifically how to build a successful writing career. You are going to learn how to get interviews, get interviews with EXPERTS, and learn how to get from interviews...to print...and paid.The text is up to date and will be a resource you will use every week in your career as you break into the hottest markets!Kelly James-Enger shows you how to win in a challenging field!Kevin Hogan, Psy.D.The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking

and Ready, Aim, Specialize! tells you how. James-Enger shares the details, resources, and secrets you need to know about the top ten freelancing specialties: health, business and finance, parenting, travel, essays, diet, nutrition and food, technology, fitness and sports, profiles and features, and home and garden. If you're not sure which area is for you, just read the first chapter. A simple exercise tells you where to focus. In "Tales from the Front," James-Enger interviewed over 50 successful freelancers from each specialty for their tips and success stories. These interviews are like having personal mentors who tell you the most important steps to take as you pursue a new area.Each specialty chapter also includes the nuts and bolts on how to crack the market and a large list of resources. Where do business writers find their experts? Find out in chapter seven. Should travel writers take complimentary trips from travel agencies? Read what the specialists think in chapter 10.Every freelancer trying to make a living writing should read this book. Why? James-Enger knows what it takes to thrive (she has a six-figure writing income!), and this book leads you step-by-step from everyday generalist to successful specialist.