Read A Free Magazine

One of the many things screech a writer’s chalkboard is the amount of time and energy it takes to get our material published.

We research, we thoroughly digest the material, then we rev our brain to work out how to put it together so that our readers can get something meaningful out of it. Following the creation of our pieces, we toil – tormented for days in edits and in getting just the right words, the perfect phrases. Alas, we then take a deep breath and send it out. Then we wait... and wait... and wait some more for editors to nonchalantly respond after three taut months, ‘Sorry, not for us.’

Some time ago the Writers Bureau’s (a body to which I belong) magazine, ‘Freelance Market News’ pointed me towards an online magazine that works with Freelance writers like myself. ‘What? A magazine that works with writers?’ you say.

I know it can seem that magazine editors generally try to keep as far away from writers as possible, especially those of the freelance variety. This is a bizarre notion since one would incorrectly assume that writers are the lifelines of said magazines. ‘Nonsense!’ you say with your head indignantly tossed to one side. Can I draw your attention to the most reverent, most esteemed, advertisers. Aha! Now you see why writers have to come at the very bottom of the food chain.
(And if the smirk on my face isn’t clear from that sentence – I’m being sarcastic!)

Back to this online magazine. It’s called, Girlfriend 2 Girlfriend , and as the name suggests, deals with anything and everything relating to women, their interests, and relationships. I’d like to compare it to my other blog, The Relationship Supermarket, because of the wide variety of helpful information available for women and because it gives me an opportunity for a plug - naturally.
Unlike my blog though, its articles are written by a variety of writers, all of them experienced and well-known in their own right. It’s free to read online, so if the current economical climate meant that you had to give up your magazine subscriptions, you can read this one completely free. You can also subscribe to them safely. They will not send you any mail other than to tell you when the new monthly magazine is ready for you to peruse.

I started with them as a contributor and found that they were welcoming indeed. They maintain a very high standard, so if you want a shot at being accepted as one of their writers you may want to keep the following in mind.
· Articles should be totally free of spelling and grammatical mistakes – obviously.
· They have a submissions guidelines page which you should study and adhere to.
· There are suggestions for topics of articles they seek to publish every month. Naturally, writing about one of these topics increases your chances of being accepted. They are however, open to ideas.
· They pay an honorarium agreed upon at the time of acceptance.

Why not take a tour of their home page and click on the magazine to read it. You may have to clear your pop-up blocker temporarily for this to work. If this is needed, it will tell you at the top of your page when you click on the magazine. While you’re there, why not look at my article in this month’s issue called, ‘Gardening With Children.’

Happy writing and publishing.

How to Sp£nd L€ss

Available to download now on Smashwords in several different formats.
Join our Facebook fan page I know 'How to Sp£nd L€ss' and still live well.

INTRODUCTION


There are a few money saving books out there especially in this current credit crunch, but not many of them have been written by an author who has previously managed to squeeze through to the other side of abject poverty, to a life of comfort and relative wealth. This one is, and speaks from an expert position of first-hand knowledge. For the purpose of this book, the author has conducted three years of research by living all the examples given therein, so you don’t have to do any of the hard work.


How to Spend Less is compact and self-explanatory. Information is presented as swift, easy-to-find solutions, written on a personal level in jargon-free, everyday language. It caters for the widest of readerships, as it discusses a real-life situation with which we all battle, and offers a chance to save money at every turn.
We live in a throwaway society where everything from an electric iron to a semi-detached house can be gotten rid of at the drop of a hat.


We’re steadily filling up landfill sites, and crazily stumbling downhill with the weight of collecting more than we can use. Yet despite flailing our hands in desperation as we plummet, we cannot stop.


It is not inevitable that we fall into this out-of-control race. We can make our lives different – simple, and present ourselves with the accomplishment of saving for what we want, rather than borrowing to buy an excessive amount of stuff we never use.
But how do we do this without any more money than we presently have? And how in this present climate can we manage to spend less than we do at the moment?


How to Spend Less uncovers several well-kept secrets which will help the average family to spend less on shopping, household bills and arbitrary outgoings so that they can save money where it counts!
This little book carves out devious means by which you can avoid spending. It helps you to think creatively about ways to get around this new compulsion to throw away the money you simply do not have.


How to Spend Less is a resourceful genie that has concocted brightly-lit avenues filled with ideas of how to keep frivolous (and what was previously thought as necessary) spending to a minimum, thus maximising the amount you actually have. Apart from household bills, How to Spend Less makes it possible to entertain without spending any extra money and concludes with a chapter of one-liners of fabulous money-saving ideas. For example, did you know that just shifting your eyes to a lower shelf at your favourite supermarket can save you at least £20.00 at each shopping? Find out how creating a clothes shopping list can save you at least £200.00 annually. How does the price of frozen meat differ from fresh? Can shopping lists in general help us spend less?


How to Spend Less is a cute, handbag-sized book, perfect for reading while travelling, or as a present for someone you know who definitely needs it, perhaps just as much as you do.