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/
------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in breaking into writing or breaking into a new... Read More
Almost everyone could profit from enhancing their writing skills. From... Read More
Based on the feedback that I have been getting from... Read More
Writing a sales letter doesn't have to be that difficult... Read More
Dr. Phil's Life Strategies, #1 New York Times Bestseller catches... Read More
Nothing is more daunting for any writer than having to... Read More
At first, I noticed that I could have written many... Read More
Most books aren't rejected because the stories are "bad." They're... Read More
(excerpted from the "How to Use a Journal" audio series... Read More
The process of developing a working title for your nonfiction... Read More
The hardest part of nonfiction writing is finding a subject... Read More
Want to write an article or book, but are stuck... Read More
1) Can you summarize the story in about a sentence... Read More
This article contains a short guide on how to edit... Read More
Chances are, you'll be busy over the next several weeks.... Read More
Sure you can write, but can you write crisp, compelling... Read More
Maybe you should write a book! This is not as... Read More
Have you ever read someone else's writing and thought one... Read More
Bookcoaching clients come to me at different stages of writing... Read More
Writing is a muscle that needs exercise to stay in... Read More
Beginner's Blues: How to Collect Samples, Testimonials, and References as... Read More
I'm willing to bet that quite a number of you... Read More
How do you describe a scene without slowing down the... Read More
A few days ago, I critiqued a chapter for a... Read More
It turns out that "tips and templates on how to... Read More
pet-friendly home cleaners Highland Park ...Way back in your early school years, you were probably... Read More
Taming the Book Proposal: The BasicsOh, that most maddening of... Read More
Word processors are so widely used now that I tend... Read More
GAINING WRITING EXPERIENCE Some Catch-22, huh? In... Read More
A poet isn't born; you must work at crafting your... Read More
Sometime one must coax the words out.Each day is a... Read More
In the current job market, many editorial freelancers have turned... Read More
The writing community is a strong one, with many new... Read More
If you become a writer for any publication, private business,... Read More
If you are like most writers, you're constantly searching for... Read More
So you're one of 20 million Americans who want to... Read More
As a freelance writer, it is important to present yourself... Read More
When you read a letter from someone, we are immediately... Read More
I just finished to read a book. A story for... Read More
How to Come Up with Fresh Story Ideas When Your... Read More
How long should your chapters be?I can't resist... I have... Read More
The big question. Do you submit directly to the publishers,... Read More
Writing engaging articles and energizing ad copy takes... Read More
Writing is a muscle that needs exercise to stay in... Read More
A few days ago, I critiqued a chapter for a... Read More
Every hero has a seminal insight - the apotheosis. Once... Read More
The freelance writing market is a growing market to be... Read More
Here's something from my mailbag. "Dear Michael, do you need... Read More
A good white paper is a paper that makes you... Read More
And a dreadful thing from the cliff did spring, and... Read More
Writing |