The Blogger Abides: A Practical Guide to Writing Well and Not Starving

When I got my first freelance writing gig, I faced a bunch of unknowns: how to write quickly and well online, how to get paid, how to write a pitch, what editors did, and even dumb stuff like how to do my taxes. After half a decade as a paid blogger and magazine freelancer, I've learned a lot. Everything I know about the art and science of freelance writing is in this book. Want to be a writer in the modern world? Please read this. It might even be a tax write-off.

Praise for The Blogger Abides:

"At the risk of empowering the competition, I wholeheartedly endorse this book. Blunt, honest and useful guidance for freelance writers."
-David Wolman, contributing editor at Wired and author of The End of Money

"Don't go telling your friends about this book. If it's too successful he'll stop writing for us. Panic attacks will follow."
-Jason English, Editor-in-Chief, mentalfloss.com

"The world needs this book, and I am glad it exists."
-Ransom Riggs, New York Times Bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

"If you're thinking of finally getting serious about writing online—or are just curious about what pro blogging entails—buy this book. Higgins translates his wide-ranging career into unique insights on the business of wordsmithing today that you won't find anywhere else. Even if you consider yourself more of an ink-and-paper writer, The Blogger Abides will pay for itself many times over."
-Karla Starr, contributor to The Atlantic, Slate, Popular Science

Table of Contents:

GETTING STARTED
Chris Higgins, Surprisingly Successful Writer
So You Want to Be a Professional Writer
Going Pro
Living Small
Managing a Day Job
Suitable Day Jobs for a Freelance Writer
Developing Goals
Noticing Good Content ("Curation")
Professional Winging It
10,000 Pages

HOW TO STRUCTURE YOUR WRITING LIFE
Your Daily Routine
Daily Goals
To-Do Lists
Further Reading

LET'S TALK BLOGS
The Value of a Post (in Dollars)
The Value of Other Freelance Writing
Bite-Sized or Book-Length?
Knowing Your Audience
Make Your Own Feature Series
Mining Nostalgia for Fun and Profit
I Did Not Know That
Today in History
The Wikipedia Formula
Stealing (With Attribution) Mainly for Profit
Comment Bait
Why I Hate Interviews

WHAT MAKES BLOGGING SPECIAL
Stock and Flow
Constant Feedback
Hitting it Big
The Polaroid Story
The Easter Island "Heads" Have Bodies
How Apple's "1984" Ad Was Almost Canceled

BUSINESS, BLAH BLAH BLAH
How Contracts Work
How Taxes Work
How Retirement Savings Work
How to Write an Invoice
Choosing Your Name
Why You Should Have an LLC
Lawyers and Agents
On Registering Copyrights
Getting Paid More

HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND NOT STALKED
Social Media
How to Write a Credits List
Having a Personal Website
Keeping Your Private Bits Private

TRADING UP
Trading Up
How to Pitch Magazines
When and How to Say No
When to Quit Your Day Job

BLOGGING 101: THE WRITING STUFF
Equipment for Writing
How to Write Headlines
Missing the Lede
Using Your Voice
Writing Less
Referencing Yourself
10 Amazing Reasons Why Lists Suck
Asking for More
Avoid Reblogging Your Own Blog
Never Trust Wikipedia
The Unmentionables
Blogger Disclosure Laws
Metrics for Success

BLOGGING 101: THE TECHNICAL STUFF
Why Writing HTML Matters
Basic HTML for Bloggers
Giving Credit
How Links Work
Why URL Shortening Sucks
Dealing With Photographs and Other Image Copyrights
Embedding Video
After the Jump
Using the Preview Button
How to Correct a Story

BLOGGING 101: THE INTERPERSONAL STUFF
Dealing With Editors
Dealing With Comments
Dealing With Publicists

APPENDIX: COMMON WRITING MISTAKES TO AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE (AND CLICHES)
Some General Grammar and Style Guidelines
Frequent Offenders
Internet-Specific Examples of What Not to Do