www.inkthinkerblog.com — Last night’s teleseminar with Jeff Herring for the Lieurance-King Article Challenge was fantastic. We had a nice group with some good questions, and I think we all learned a lot. I know I did!

Highlights

• Direct and indirect ways to make money with your articles
• Three methods for creating an e-book
• Turning e-books into teleseminars and e-courses
• Overall tips for success in article marketing

Listen to the recording or download it to save for later. Be sure to stay to the end for a special offer from Jeff!

Thanks again to all who turned out. I hope we’ll see you at the next teleseminar!

And if you’re not yet signed up for the New Year’s edition of the LK Article Challenge, which runs to the end of the month, there’s still time. Just enter your info at in the handy-dandy form at the top of the page and you’ll be all set.

– kk

Tags: LK article challenge, kristen king, suzanne lieurance, jeff herring, article marketing, teleseminars, ebooks, monetization

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King

www.inkthinkerblog.com — Those who were visiting the site between 9:30 and 11 last night probably noticed some strange things happening, namely random widgets popping in and out of posts and things mysteriously moving around in the sidebar.

It’s still a work in progress (will it ever stop being a work in progress???), but here’s what you’ll find now that probably wasn’t here last time you visited:

1. Faster page loads. There was an Amazon script slowing things down. Instead of it automatically linking to things in the Amazon catalog, I now have to do it manually — but it’s worth it for you to have a more pleasant Inkthinker experience. Also, there are fewer blinky things, and it will stay that way. Blinky is good sometimes, but jeez, advertisers, cool it already!
2. A better blogroll. When I moved Inkthinker away from Blogger, I also moved the blogroll out of the sidebar because it was so long that I couldn’t find a good spot to put it in the template. My Blog Picks are now back in the sidebar and appear on every page of the blog! If you want to be added to the blogroll, e-mail me. Reciprocal links are very much appreciated, but not required. Only writing-related blogs are included, so if it’s not about writing at least some of the time, I definitely will not add it. Nothing personal, just my policy.
3. Bookmarking tools. At the bottom of each post is a little Share This icon. If you like a post, please take a moment to Stumble, Digg, or otherwise bookmark it so others can enjoy it, too! Anything you can do to spread the work about Inkthinker is always appreciated.
4. Topspots. Topspots is part tip jar, part advertising. If you like what you see on Inkthinker and want to support the blog (eg, offset blog costs, show appreciation for a job lead or useful guidance, tell me you think I’m cool, etc), please consider making a modest contribution. (The amount is currently set at $5, via PayPal.) As a thank you for your support, you’ll get a primo placement link on your favorite writing blog to promote whatever you want (except porn — no porn). You stay in the top spot until someone else bumps you. For an example of this in action, see Deb Ng’s Freelance Writing Jobs, where I am in spot 3 as of this writing. FYI, they’re working on a narrower version for me.
5. Tip your waitress. At the bottom of each post is a link to make a contribution of your choice if you feel so inclined. You can do fifty cents or fifty dollars, whatever you want. As always, contributions are completely optional. This is not a high-pressure sales pitch, just a heads up that if you want to give something, there’s a way to do it. All your choice. Seriously.

In the works:

• A Digg This! badge for each post… Still trying to figure out how to do that.
• Links to my — and your — favorite posts
• Inkthinker polls

What would you like to see on Inkthinker? Leave a comment and I’ll add your suggestions to my to-do list.

Tags: freelance writing, inkthinker, kristen king, blogging

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King

www.inkthinkerblog.com — Boys and girls, this is what a good personal essay looks like:

My first kitchen was very small, but then so was I. For my first two years I was an only child, and the world of this small kitchen revolved around me, and life was good, very good.

My parents worried that I needed a companion. To ease their mind, I asked Santa Claus for a puppy dog. I got a sister. I stopped believing in Santa Claus.

Adding messy insult to injury, my little sister turned into a dunker. In our small kitchen there was no room for a messy dunker. When my sister dunked her toast in her hot chocolate, we all were splashed. Six inches away from me, a slimy butter-oil slick would spread across the top of her hot chocolate. Bits of butter-coated toast floated in the slick, like dying seabirds caught in the wake of a ruptured oil tanker.

Continue reading Donovan Kelly’s “The Kitchen” in Monday’s Washington Post.

Tags: freelance writing, inkthinker, kristen king, personal essay, washington post, donovan kelly

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King

www.inkthinkerblog.com — This was a fun surprise! Mary Emma Allen tipped me off that these Of Note awards had been named when her co-blogger Yvonne Russell tied for first place, and when I went to check it out, I found Inkthinker on the list of winners!

Here’s the deal:

In 2007, Laura Spencer, host of Writing Thoughts, wrote mini-reviews of writing blogs of note throughout the year. At the end, she rounded up all 43 and solicited votes from readers to name the top blogs. There was a two-way tie for first place and a six-way tie for second place. Inkthinker was among the second-place winners.

I will defintely be culling through the total list to make some additions to my Blog Picks. What are your favorites?

Tags: freelance writing, kristen king, inkthinker, awards, blogs for writers, blogging, mary emma allen, yvonne russell, laura spencer

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King