eHow Ebook Author Interview: Annlise Kaylor

The second interview in the eHow Ebook Author series, is with Annalise Kaylor. Annalise has written about not only her eHow experiences, but her experience writing on many sites around the web, in Writing Online: Making Money and Residual Income with Online Content. Thanks so much to Annalise for participating in the interview!

1. What led you to begin writing for eHow?

To be honest, I sort of dismissed writing for eHow at first, because I had been writing for another site. But, a couple of colleagues at the other site convinced me that eHow was a great place to re-purpose content and earn some additional income. One thing that turned me off was the lack of site editing, but I am glad that they've started to incorporate that more in the site as of late. I think it will bring the quality of articles up significantly, and in turn will help people make more money. Once I got to eHow, I really enjoyed their easy step-by-step format, which is unique to their site. It makes writing online for money easy and fast.

2. How many articles have your written?

As far as eHow writers go, I have not even hit 30 articles. I admit that I have been slacking lately in that area. Part of that is because I also write for Demand Studios, the company that owns eHow, and I create a lot of content for them. However, my articles still earn money every month, despite the fact that I haven't written a new article in about three months. It is a testament to the power of residual income. Outside of eHow, however, I have close to nearly 700 articles on the web. At least!

3. Do you have a background as a writer?

I do. I started as an editor for a consulting firm years ago, and then decided to focus more on my writing. I love to do both. As an internet junkie, I focused on the strategies behind writing for the web early on, which has helped my success today. In fact, a lot of my freelance work now involves consulting with businesses or traditional newspaper reporters on how to make the switch to writing for the web. It's an art all its own, and I feel fortunate to have gotten my feet wet early. That said, I know many, many people who have never written anything before who are wildly successful with sites like eHow.

4. What can you tell us about your eHow earnings?

My eHow earnings pale in comparison to what some other writers, such as WriterGig, make. However, I am fairly certain that if I were to be more prolific on the site that would change. I think it is important to point out that eHow earnings continue to come in month after month, long after the work is done. I've taken entire months off writing online and still made enough to cover my mortgage, car payments, bills, etc. eHow earnings won't happen overnight, just as they wouldn't for any other site, but if you stay focused and motivated, you will be rewarded month after month with income.

5. What are your goals concerning eHow?

Other than being more prolific and getting back into creating more content on the site, I don't have any specific goals. It's motivating to see the monthly earnings start adding up, but that only happens when more content is produced. I would also like to see one of my articles as a featured article of the day.

6. What motivated you to write an ebook?

I am really passionate about writing and about putting my love of writing to work for me. I know many freelance writers who think writing online is a waste of time. But, while I am submitting book proposals or writing freelance jobs, I have online income earning for me. I wrote my eBook for a couple of reasons. The first was to make the concept of writing online easy to understand for the average person and to share what I know. The second was to answer a call for demand. A lot of my readers and online friends had been asking me how to start doing what I was doing. I found myself spending a lot of valuable writing time replying to emails from people who wanted to get started with online writing themselves. My eBook filled both those needs.

7. Tell us a little about your ebook and what it covers.

My eBook is designed for someone who is at the beginner or advanced-beginner level of writing online. While it has some new search techniques and ideas for people who have been writing a long time, my next book, due out in June will cover the advanced material for people who have already built up a nice library of content and want to take their online writing income to a new level. My book covers the basics of SEO, how to effectively use keywords, and the common mistakes online content writers make when they first start out. One thing I also share is an easy, three-step system to evaluate keywords so people can write smart and not hard. I also review sites that pay people to write and the pros and cons of each site. I also offer affiliate marketing basics and how to use it in online content writing.

8. What else would you want us to know about eHow and your experiences there?

I think eHow is a great place for writers to get their feet wet and earn a legitimate online income at the same time. The communities and groups can provide a lot of answers and support for people who are new, but they can also help seasoned writers, as well. I would advise writers to remember that eHow, like all sites, isn't going to make a writer rich overnight. It is a process and does require time to build up a bank of online content.