I wrote once before about the New Pulp Era , about how the ease of access to publishing means we can all publish our work for an audience of billions. Writer Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn is not only using an intriguing model for making her living in this era, but offers a free eBook on exactly how you can do it, too.

You can sign up for a free subscription and receive her book Author 2.0 at this website. The book describes in broad strokes how her model works, how it contrasts to traditional routes of publishing, and what 21st century authors must do to build an internet platform.

Author 2.0 describes a line of demarcation between free content you use to build readership — such as blogging, newsletters and expert interviews — and the content you charge for, like speaking engagements and full-length books. It’s a simple structure, and one you can make work for you if you have the hours available in your week.

Pros of Author 2.0 are its simplicity and the truth of what Joanna is saying. This is the model she’s using, and that others have used, to make a full-time living as a professional writer. It’s a strong primer to introduce you to what may be the best opportunity for lifestyle design as a writer.

The biggest con of Author 2.0 is that it’s a fairly typical eBook. It’s long on rah-rah, and short on details. Like other promotional free eBooks, its purpose is to give you just enough information to want to hear more from its creator. Folks who have been paying attention won’t learn anything new from it, but they might still benefit from the clarity of its organization.

Bottom line Author 2.0 is worth every penny Joanna charges for it. I’d probably even pay a few bucks. New and aspiring writers will definitely benefit from giving it a look. Folks with more experience can still get some value — though much of it will be from inspiration and organization, rather than information.

Joanna’s website and content are full of deeper insights and more actionable advice. Whether or not you sign up for the subscription and book, I recommend taking a look and listen.

Thanks for listening.

I have recently changed one of my utilities from one option to another, meaning that I signed up with company A, and cancelled service with company B. Company A has been great. Personable, professional, punctual. The guy who came in to install my new equipment even took time to start interesting conversation as he worked.

Company B has left something to be desired. A quick timeline.

D (Decision) Day: I call company B and tell them to shut of my service in two days. They describe the process, which includes shutoff on D+2, and them shipping me a box to send them back their modem.

D+1: Company A’s chatty representative comes to my house and sets up my new service.

D+9: A sales rep from company B calls and asks if I really intend to shut down service with them (note that this is a week after the day they were instructed to). I say no thank you.

D+13: I get a call from the collections department of company A, asking — I’ll admit politely — why I haven’t turned in the modem. I tell them I was waiting for the box, which the rep says they never said they’d send. They arrange to send a courier out to pick it up in two days.

D+14: Courier shows up in the middle of my day, a day early. I give him the modem and collect my receipt.

D+16 (yesterday): I get another collections call asking where their modem is. I read them the receipt number from the courier.

I’m not just writing this to vent. Learning from other peoples’ mistakes is one of the best things we can do as professionals in any field. I’m not worried that these guys are going to torch my credit, or that I won’t get a full refund for the extra week they kept me on. Big companies usually make these things right. That’s not the problem here.

The problem here is that the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, and neither of them are in touch with the foot they’re subcontracting part of the job to. It’s a problem of organization and communication.

As freelance writers, it’s easy to fall into the habit of “remembering” all of our deadlines and urgent communications. Heck, my rule for years was “if I’m tempted to buy a calendar, it’s time to simplify my life.” But if you want to make a full-time living, you need to keep your tasks and contacts organized.

There’s all manner of ways to make and keep that organization. I’d love to hear some of your ideas and methods. Doesn’t really matter how you meet your deadlines and keep your promises…

…but it matters a lot that you do so.

Thanks for listening.

Published in 2009, Josh Bazell’s first novel is some of the most fun I’ve had with fiction this decade. It’s popcorn fiction — nothing deep or philosophically challenging, just a good adventure yarn.

It has a few things to teach budding writers. The structure builds and maintains suspense. The prose is engaging and distinctive. Better still from a professional standpoint, the website for the book is very, very clever.

Click here for the website, and click “Excerpt” for print and audio samples from the book.  Be sure to check out the games and video trailer. These are great ideas for promoting our own work in a memorable way.

Warning. Beat the Reaper is not for children, not work safe and not for the easily offended. By the end of the excerpt, you will have been exposed to grossly vulgar language, casual sex, explicit violence, drug use and “fact” about the medical profession that will make you cringe every time you see a hospital for the rest of your life.

Not for the faint of heart, but wow is it fun.

Thanks for listening