In today’s world, locating a job or being employed is now extremely tough because of the economic recession. Due to this economic down-turn, everybody is now shifting their interests toward self-employed jobs.Economic decline is not the only reason why people search for self-employed jobs. If you aren’t satisfied with the monthly salary that you’re earning from your current job, researching self-employed jobs would be a good decision. This is an extra income source that will assist you to meet your everyday needs as well as any extra expenses.Some other reasons that men and women prefer being self-employed include avoiding being fired because of their organization merging with a new company. Also if you’re disabled and you don’t have the ability to work at an office you may look for another job.A number of the self-employed jobs include personal selling whereby you give away free goods and convince people to purchase them. You can do this kind of selling in your spare time especially on the weekends. Product manufacturers are invariably willing to compensate people who’re efficient, hardworking, and have good skills and wisdom about selling a product.Selling products on the web is also another way of earning an additional source of income. For example, you may have products in your house that you just don’t need but other folks could be willing to buy them. These goods can include old electronic equipment, toys, mobile devices, used clothes and shoes plus many more. You might want to sell all these on auction websites like eBay.Freelance writing is an additional way to earn an income. You can be a full or part-time writer which is usually determined by your daily schedule. Writing is extremely flexible as you select how long you need to work in a day and how much cash you want to make. You also have the choice to decide on which job is at your writing level and interest. For those who have perfect grammar, excellent spelling skills and good English, freelance writing might be for you.Babysitting is also another example of a self-employed job. You can choose to watch over a couple of children at the comfort of your own home by starting a little childcare business. You can opt to employ a nanny if you are not able to baby sit the kids at all times or if you have another part-time job. This is always a satisfying choice for moms.Self-employment occupations have several benefits that include: determining the amount of money you wish to earn, no teaching costs incurred since you’re able to train yourself. The hours will always be flexible as you decide how much time you want to work. Finally, the convenience of working from home as an alternative to having to go to the office is appealing to some.Many of the drawbacks include: sometimes it gets lonely as you have no-one to bond with thus bringing on boredom. There won’t be any insurance benefits like health, dental or vision. As a final point you will need to self-motivate to function if you want to be successful.
Writing for Children – Step-By-Step Through Educational Publishing
If you enjoy writing nonfiction and love to research topics in all sorts of different subject areas then educational publishing just might be right for you. Many educational publishers need writers. Surprisingly, though, these publishers generally don’t advertise that fact to writer’s magazines or market guides. So here’s how to get started in this active market.DEVELOP A FOCUSThere are basically two different areas of focus you can take in educational publishing. The first is on writing nonfiction (and some fiction, too) that will be used directly by children (sometimes with the help of a parent or teacher). This type of material includes reference books, early-readers, remedial readers, textbooks, educational games, workbooks, and even CDs.The second focus available in the educational market is creating and developing materials that will be used with children by parents, librarians, and teachers. These materials include everything from books of language arts activities designed to help teachers in the classroom, to books of bulletin board ideas and finger puppet patterns.It doesn’t really matter which focus you choose. There are dozens of opportunities available for writers who want to develop educational materials directly for kids, as well as opportunities for those writers who wish to develop materials for teachers and parents to use with kids.ASSESS YOUR SKILLS AND BACKGROUNDTo develop a focus in educational publishing you will need to assess your skills and background. If you have experience as a preschool or elementary school teacher or librarian, for example, there are many educational publishers who might like to work with you.Do you speak fluent Spanish, in addition to English? Then you might be able to freelance for educational publishers that produce books for children who are learning English as a second language.Even if you don’t speak Spanish (or any other foreign language for that matter) and you’ve never been a librarian or a teacher, you can still break into children’s educational publishing. Many publishers don’t require authors to have a background in education. They simply want good writers who know how to thoroughly research a topic and write about it in a way that children will find interesting and easy to understand. An excellent way to test your researching skills will be to research different educational publishers. Find out which ones do hire writers without teaching experience, and which ones do hire writers to develop projects they create in house (more about this later).DEVELOP YOUR RESUME OR BIOOnce you develop a focus for the type of educational materials you want to create, you will need to let publishers know you’re available and what you have to offer. For this you will need a brief bio or a resume. A bio (short for biography) consists of a few sentences or paragraphs that describe your background and publishing experience. The back inside cover of most books (both fiction and nonfiction) usually includes a short bio of the author. Read the bios of a few of your favorite authors until you get the hang of how a bio should be written. You probably won’t have as much publishing experience as your favorite author, but you’ll still be able to come up with a sentence or two that describes your work as a writer and/or educator. It might be something as simple as, “Mary Roberts is a former third grade teacher with over 20 years of experience in the classroom. While she was teaching, Ms. Roberts developed a wide variety of activities to use with her students.”A resume is longer than a bio. It should include a list of your publishing credits, any writing related experience, and a list of your teaching experience (if applicable), as well as your education.In addition to a bio or resume, you’ll need to get good at writing cover letters. A cover letter simply introduces you to the publisher and explains that you are either looking for assignments with this publisher or you wish to submit your own ideas for publication. If you hope to submit your own ideas for publication, you’ll need to learn how to write a proposal or prospectus. Many publishers have guidelines for proposals at their website. In fact, some publishers even have a form you can complete online that will let you pitch your idea directly to an editor to see if there’s any interest in your idea before you go to all the work of developing a full proposal.Generally, a proposal should include an outline or a table of contents for the book you are proposing, an introduction or overview, and enough sample pages to give editors a clear idea of the book you are proposing, as well as your writing style. If you’re proposing a book with illustrations, yet you’re not an illustrator, don’t worry about the illustrations. Simple drawings that make your ideas clear will be sufficient. Usually the publisher has artists on staff, or will hire an outside artist, to illustrate your book if it is accepted for publication.STUDY THE MARKETSOnce you’ve developed a bio or resume, it’s time to start studying the markets. Skim through the pages of a current children’s book market guide to find listings for a wide array of educational book publishers that produce materials for children, parents, and educators. Many of these listings include the URL for each publisher’s website. Go to publishers’ websites that you are interested in writing for to see if manuscript submission guidelines, along with information about their current needs, are posted there. Search these websites carefully. Sometimes the manuscript submission guidelines are a bit difficult to find. Look under the “About Us” or “Contact Us” pages if you don’t see a link directly to submission guidelines. Once you get to the guidelines, study them carefully. Also, study the kinds of books and other materials this publisher publishes by looking through their online catalog or list of products.Also send off for publishers’ catalogs, then look through them to see how much space is allocated to each subject. If most of the space in a catalog is allocated to products about science, for example, then you will have a better chance of selling science related products to this publisher than you would materials for other subject areas.CONTACT PUBLISHERSOnce you’ve developed a bio and resume, and you’ve studied several educational publishers, you’ll need to contact the publishers that interest you. If you don’t have a manuscript you wish to submit, but would like to write for a particular educational publisher, send a cover letter asking if they hire writers to develop titles they create in house. Include your bio or resume, along with a few clips of articles you have published (if you have them) or some writing samples.As you gain writing experience and acquire more writing credits, chances are you will also develop more contact with other writers. Learn to network with these people to find out about additional opportunities with educational publishers.In the end, most educational publishers just want good writers and researchers. If that describes you, then educational publishing just might be what you’ve been looking for to get your writing career off the ground.
Where to Shop on Sanibel Island
If your favorite hobby is shopping, you won’t be disappointed while shopping on Sanibel Island. There are many shops tucked away all over the island. The stores feature gifts, t-shirts and souvenirs or you can go upscale with designer fashions and jewelry. Sanibel has a little bit of everything for every taste and style.
One of my favorite places to shop is the Seahorse Shopping Plaza on Periwinkle Way. There are two stores that are quite special and fun to shop or browse. One store is the Sporty Seahorse, which has gift items and a large clothing area for men and women. If you are looking for great beach sandals or summer shoes you will not be disappointed. The other shop is Tuttle’s. It’s a small shop but fun, featuring jewelry, unique gifts and t-shirts. The owner has been living on Sanibel Island for over 37 years and is a lot of fun to speak with while shopping in his store.
The Tahitian Gardens is another shopping complex located on Periwinkle Place. There are many unique shops to visit while walking undercover from shop to shop. There are
two restaurants in this complex which allows for the convenience of shopping and eating!
You can’t go to Sanibel Island without visiting Jerry’s. There is a tropical garden on the first level of this complex with exotic birds in large cages. Quite a site to see! There is a grocery store but also many retail shops. Jerry’s is a great place to do your grocery shopping and find a gift to take home, t-shirts or other items for the beach.
One of my favorite places to “bum” is Winds on Periwinkle Way. The shop has a huge selection of beach towels, t-shirts, custom t-shirts, beach shoes, umbrellas and gift items. It is a great place to spend time before or after eating dinner.
The largest shopping plaza on Sanibel Island is Periwinkle Place. There is a large parking area and multiple restaurants to get a meal or snack while shopping. Periwinkle Place is located on Periwinkle Way. It has covered walkways (which is great if the weather is not cooperating!) throughout the entire shopping area. It has a park-like environment which is very pleasant. The shops are numerous and you can find just about anything here. There are many upscale gift and clothing stores. Plus, I have found quite a few great t-shirts here too!
The newest place to shop and browse on the island is Mango Bay, which is also on Periwinkle. It features an extensive selection of beach wear, shoes, sunglasses and gift items. It’s a fun and open store to shop and walk around. They have a large children’s section too, including clothing and toys.
You will not be disappointed shopping on Sanibel Island. Just stay on Periwinkle Way and discover all the unique shops and stores that Sanibel has to offer!