One day in the mid-1970's a young man stumbled into adiner somewhere in the United Sates.
Slung over his shoulder was a kit-bag that containedeverything he owned. He was unshaven and needed ashower badly. He had very little money, but enough fora phone call.
He rang his bank and asked how much was in hisaccount. A woman's voice informed him - to hisamazement - that the balance in his account was fourmillion, three hundred thousand dollars.
His name was Richard Bach. Six months before, he hadsubmitted a short story, barely 10,000 words long, toa New York publisher.
For the last three months he had been living the lifeof a nomadic 'barnstormer', taking people on joy ridesfor $5 a flight and sleeping in fields under the wing ofhis bi-plane.
Hardly able to believe what he had just heard, he rangthe New York publisher to whom he had sent themanuscript.
"Where on earth are you?" asked a woman's voice."We've been looking for you for three months! Radioand TV want interviews with you, a publisher in Spainwants to buy the Spanish rights to your book..."
He had been completely unaware that his shortmanuscript, titled 'Jonathon Livingstone Seagull',had become a runaway best-seller.
Unfortunately, this success story had a sad sequel.Like many people who suddenly become wealthy, RichardBach knew very little about managing money. Heentrusted his new-found fortune to a financial advisorwho led him astray, to the tune of millions ofdollars.
Within a few years he was broke, and With the IRShounding him for unpaid taxes he was forced to declarehimself bankrupt. He signed away all future earningsfrom 'Jonathon Livingstone Seagull' to thegovernment, as well as the rights to any future books he might write, and began the arduous task ofrebuilding his life.
But there was a happy ending: he sacked his financialadvisor and wrote a string of new books that were alsobest-sellers: within a few years he was solventagain and able to buy back the rights to all hisbooks.
------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3
years. He has shown hundreds of webmasters how to use this
simple technique to build a successful online business. Click
here to find out more: http://ezine-writer.com/
------------------------------------------------------------
The urge to write fiction seems God given for some,... Read More
Clustering, also called Mind Mapping, is a great way to... Read More
Don't they drive you nuts?You can visit all the rules... Read More
Eight or nine times out of ten, picking up and... Read More
My Dad has this old joke that goes, "What's the... Read More
Dave, I just got a contract for a book... Read More
When you read a letter from someone, we are immediately... Read More
Imagine a three hundred page book was in the author's... Read More
(excerpted from the "How to Use a Journal" audio series... Read More
The biggest mistake authors make when trying to get free... Read More
So you've decided to crown yourself with a title that... Read More
Back in the mid to late 1980s I was a... Read More
For any great novelist, defining your cast of intriguing characters... Read More
Obtaining the skills for writing good business correpondence is important;... Read More
As a professional copywriter, not only do I do a... Read More
User documentation is all too often written by programmers for... Read More
Why would anyone want to write for trade journals? Aren't... Read More
Griselda spent hours polishing up her resume. No detail was... Read More
Mix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself... Read More
The big question. Do you submit directly to the publishers,... Read More
Have you ever wondered why certain writers are able to... Read More
Business etiquette is fundamentally concerned with building relationships founded upon... Read More
The short-short story has been likened by some as being... Read More
What a lack of research could do to you.When creating... Read More
I have added a new word to my vocabulary. Logorrhea.... Read More
Green Bay Hummer H2 SUV rentals ..A QUERY LETTER is written to an editor or agent... Read More
The rejection letter says: "Your story, on the surface, appears... Read More
Suspense novels are probably the easiest novels to write. Suspense... Read More
To keep it simple and basic: Jack Finney's Invasion of... Read More
The first step in the writing process is to put... Read More
If your cash is running out fast and you have... Read More
Whether you are working for a small business, large corporation,... Read More
So you want to learn to research well, and not... Read More
I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of... Read More
Long ago, movie directors mastered the technique of creating a... Read More
To help build your profile and reputation within a large... Read More
With the expansion and diversion of businesses, manufacturers, and even... Read More
Q. I'm staring at a blank screen with an equally... Read More
People can't believe I did it, but I did. I... Read More
FIVE MINUTES ... Is All You Need ........to phone a... Read More
What do people expect when they join a writing group?The... Read More
Picture this scene.Your hero is sitting in a bar. He's... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?It's no use coming up with a... Read More
For many years, I've been a tutor for students undertaking... Read More
SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?Many people have entertained... Read More
Many of the most effective low-cost marketing strategies require writing.... Read More
Choosing the wrong words can have a poor effect on... Read More
In his book, "Achieving Financial Independence as a Freelance Writer,"... Read More
Proofreading worksheets are a great tool to help individuals open... Read More
How to get a lot of traffic to your website... Read More
Writing |