Sharon Hurley Hall

December was one of my best months ever, not just because of the work I did, but because of the interest people expressed in using my services in the New Year. Those people have started to come back to me now and I’m confidently expecting to work with a couple of new people on ebook writing and publishing and blog editing and management. Since those are some of my favorite things to do, I’m excited about the opportunities they present. I’ll tell you more when they become a reality, but until then, Happy New Year, and have a wonderful and productive year.

It’s been a while since my last guest post roundup but I haven’t been idle. Here are a few of the posts and articles I’ve published in the last two months.

Authopublisher

• Thinking About Ebook Design: Self Publishing Case Study
• Book Planning with WorkFlowy: Self Publishing Case Study
• The Writing Process – Self Publishing Case Study
• Ebook Research: Self Publishing Case Study

BasicBlogTips

Does Guest Blogging Really Build Traffic? The Stats Say Yes!

Live Your Love

Guest Blogging Face-Off: MyBlogGuest and BloggerLinkUp

Freelance Folder

The Accidental Blogger

Living Better at 50+

• How To Eat Well Over 50
• Being an Older Mom – Triumphs and Tribulations

Traffic Generation Cafe

How to Make Your Twitter Traffic Sticky

Words on the Page

Guest Post: Working Remotely

Writing it Right For You

Writing Then and Now

I was also interviewed by Annabel Candy of Successful Blogging.

Posts for clients:

• 5 Ways to Get the Best Deals on Airport Parking
• Four Reasons Why The Coffee Break Rocks!
• Five Commercial Electric Vehicle Manufacturers To Watch
• Is your business carbon neutral?
• How To Choose The Perfect Coffee Machine
• Three Reasons To Spend More Time Round The Water Cooler
• Buying a coffee machine? Think about this
• Why Fundraising With Coffee Is a Great Idea
• Why and How To Make Your Own Soda
• Coffee — It’s a Matter of Taste
• Improve Productivity With an Office Coffee Machine
• 5 Ways to Show Your Customers You Care About the Environment
• 5 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint At Home

It’s only the middle of the week, but I have so many updates (plus the rest of my week planned out) so I thought I’d let you know now what I’ve been up to.

At the start of the week (well, really the end of last week) I got my newsletter out.  It comes out every 4-6 weeks and is aimed at freelance writers. That always takes a couple of hours to put together, especially as I’ve given myself the task of adding a cartoon to most issues.

Since my last writing update, I’ve been busy, busy, busy! I’ve continued to write for the Quips and Tips group of sites, with a post on tracking writer income. I’m expecting to do more posts for that site in the next month, with three ideas already submitted and approved.

I’ve been travel blogging, of course, writing resumes, preparing press releases and helping my clients with social media promotion. But most of all, I’ve been guest blogging, sometimes for clients and sometimes for myself. Here are some of my recent posts:

• Barbados: Behind the Scenes on Sharing Travel Experiences
• How To Publish Your Ebook on the Amazon Kindle Platform on Rinf
• Vitamins and Minerals – Which Fruit to Choose on Bond with Karla
• 8 Online Lists to Help You Get Packing Under Control on Best Travel Websites
• Tips On Avoiding Dehydration on eScoutRoom
• Potty Training in a Weekend – It’s A Myth! on Creative Homemaking

I’ve covered everything from travel to health to parenting  – and I’ve got another post on moving scheduled for later in the month.  I’ve also done some ghost blogging for a client who runs a funeral home (don’t worry; it’s nothing morbid) and have helped with the preparation of a social media and blogging strategy for a client.

As you can see, it’s been a full couple of weeks – and I anticipate the rest of April being just as busy. Coming up, I’ll be helping a client rewrite homepage copy, and I’ve been asked to quote for two jobs where I’ll actually have to leave my desk: interviewing staff to write profiles for a website and interviewing awardees for profiles for a book coming out later this year. Looks like those journalism skills will come in handy!

If you want to hire me to update your blog, promote your business with a press release, write an article or an ebook or revamp your resume, request a quote for my writing services and I’ll be in touch within 2 business days to discuss your requirements.

Have you ever wondered what web content writers do to deliver precisely crafted, search engine optimized content? Sharon Hurley Hall explains her writing process in this open letter to writing clients.

One of my latest gigs is writing resumes and I’ve just had this glowing testimonial from one of my clients:

Sharon built a professional resume that totally exceeded my expectations. Not only was her turnaround time exceptional, but she took my average resume and made it extraordinary. Her ability to format, revise and articulate details about my skills and industry experience made me feel that using her service was the best decision I could have ever made. I strongly recommend Sharon to anyone who is truly trying to market themselves, especially in today’s economy.The proof was that I received positive feedback instantly from Hiring Managers and secured an interview the same day I sent my new resume out. THANK YOU, SHARON! – Lisa Sumner

And thank you, Lisa.

I’ve known Mitchell Allen for a few years now, so I was delighted when he asked me to arrange for a team member to write his sales letter. I sent off my client questionnaire, got the answer and got the work done. Here’s what Mitch had to say:

“Sharon and her team are awesome. They helped me figure out what I wanted to say in my sales letter, then they put it together so clearly that, for the first time, I can give an elevator speech when someone asks me, ‘what does your program do?’ I am very happy that this crucial piece of my marketing campaign is in place!”

Thanks, Mitch

I’ve started writing for Suite101. It’s great because I can write about a wide range of topics. Here are the articles I’ve written so far:

I recently got this testimonial from Martha Isaac, for whom I did some proofreading and editing work. Thanks, Martha.

I have avoided editors because having an editor somehow seemed to me to be relinquishing control of my work. However, Sharon showed me that an editor could gently work with you, picking up pieces of carelessness or oversight in construction and generally streamlining a text without intrusion.

The experience of working with her has changed my thinking, and I now consider her work as an editor a necessary stage of assistance in completing the writing project.

My first e-mail of twenty- five queries at the end of the first chapter was alarming, but it also set the tone for work, I anticipated similar or greater numbers at every interval and because she was so well organized and focused, the task of responding was pretty painless.

When I saw the final version, I felt very pleased, because she had transformed the appearance of the text into a neat and organized entity.

I will work with her again and I recommend her highly.

Martha Isaac

Shortly after I published the list of my latest posts for the What’s New Online kiosk, the site author contacted me to say that the post were doing double duty and could also be found on the Appvita blog.  Those are the links I’ll be publishing in future. Here’s a full list of what I’ve done to date:

2009

• Producteev – Work Collaboratively Online
• Setster – Book Client Appointments Online
• ManyMoon – Collaborative Online Task Management
• Floorplanner – You Are The Designer
• BackType – Keep Track Of Your Comments
• Seat Karma – Finding The Best Ticket Prices
• Dashboard – The Online Lead Converter
• Contxts – Create SMS Business Cards
• ccBetty: Smarter Email Management
• AskItOnline – The Easy Survey Builder
• Vet Help Direct – Online Help For Your Pet
• Syncplicity – Online Backup Made Simple
• Plinky – Microblogging With Purpose
• Dial My Calls – Make Group Calls In Seconds
• Storytlr – Tell Your Story With A Lifestream
• Wufoo – The Easy Form Creator
• Zilok – Make Money By Renting Your Stuff
• Rypple – Get Constructive Feedback Fast
• MailChimp – Easy Email Marketing
• FastDue – The Invoicing Tool Suite
• Story Of My Life – Share Your Story Forever
• Lifetick – Manage Your Tasks and Life Goals
• I Vote For Art – Rate And Buy Artwork
• Do My Stuff – Get Help With Your Dirty Work
• Cookstr – Find Great Recipes From Top Chefs

2008

• Bitstrips – Create Your Own Comic Strip
• Etsy – Buy And Sell Handmade Items Online
• Tripit – Your Personal Travel Assistant
• YouTube – View And Share Videos Online
• PageOnce – Your Online Personal Assistant
• Profilactic – Aggregating Your Online Identity
• Remember The Milk – Never Forget Another Task
• RescueTime – What Do You Do All Day?
• Squidoo – Show Off Your Expertise
• aNobii – The Site For Bookworms
• GoodReads – Read With Friends
• HubPages – Easy And Rewarding Online Publishing
• Iminta – Connect Your Online Life
• LibraryThing – Your Online Book Catalog
• Friendster – Social Networking For Adults
• Second Brain – The Online Content Collector
• Plurk – The Conversational Microblogging Site
• Ustream – Produce Your Own TV Show

Late last year, I posted a list of my articles on Life123. The site has since reorganised its navigation, so I’m posting the list again with the right links. Here they are:

Freelance Writing

• Five Freelance Writing Lessons
• How to Set Writing Goals
• Organizing a Home Office for Writing
• Dealing With Wrist Tendonitis
• Essential Writing Tools for Freelancers
• How Freelancers Can Build Web-Writing Skills for Free
• Three Quick Ways to Create a Freelance Writing Portfolio
• A Writers’ Guide to Provisions of Copyright Law
• Get More Freelance Writing Opportunities: Know the Market, Know Thyself
• A Guide to Ghostwriting
• DIY Freelance Writing Self Promotion

Home and Garden

• Quick Guide to Stain Removal
• Save Money with Natural Cleaning Products from the Pantry
• How to Organize Schedules for Cleaning
• How to Buy a Used Car From a Private Party
• How to Buy a Car From a Dealership
• Six Ways To Find Cheap Airline Tickets

Pregnancy and Parenting

• Understanding Pregnancy Ultrasounds
• How to Prevent Stretch Marks
• Coping with Postpartum Depression
• A Guide to Fertility Treatment Options
• Creating A  Birth Plan
• A Guide To Your Fertility Cycle
• Facts About Open Adoption
• Finding A Nanny
• Understanding Closed Adoption

Health and Safety

• A Parents’ Guide to Teenage Obesity
• How to Stay Healthy Over 50
• What Are ADD and ADHD?
• Eating Well Over 50
• Human Aging Process
• Back to School Safety Tips for Parents
• Vacation and Travel Safety for Kids
• Water Safety for Kids
• Issues with Teens and Social Networking
• Air Travel Tips For Flying With Children