Jeff Mullen

	Writing

In addition to writing fiction, which I find myself sadly without sufficient time for, I also work as a freelance fiction editor.  I like editing because it gives me the chance to help other people write and enhance others' reading pleasure, not to mention giving me the chance to help make lots and lots of good stories into better stories.

For a while, I worked for a start-up publisher called Zumaya Publications.  Then, I went freelance.  One of the books I helped with was The Mayor's Wife Wore Saphires, a murder mystery set in Compton, California in the 1980's.  This one was a pro bono work.  I'm involved in a few online writing communities--in fact, I'm help moderate awesomewriters@topica.com--and I often offer one "freebee" to each member of the list.  This book was one such.  I helped to edit the book.  When the author, Marti Tucker, ran out of money, I helped to update and maintain the website.  Then, after Marti got a bit "Yes" from a publishing house and decided she would rather self-publish than wait a year or two for the book to come out, I helped her prepare the galley for two internet self-publishing houses, lightningsource.com and lulu.com.  When she ran out of money, I helped her maintain her website, including setting up the part where you buy the book and the newsletter sign-up form.

I happen to think that I give a good value to those who use my services.

The Authors In My Care seem happy with my work.  Some of them even pay me for it, which helps me a great deal.  I'd list a few testimonials and the rates that I charge, but my friends at Netlink would probably think that this was promoting a business and take a slightly dim view of it.  So, since I like my webspace where it is, I'll have to pass for now.

As a writer, I am compelled to place a warning to fellow authors here.  This is about The National Library of Poetry, also known as The International Library of Poetry, and residing on the web at www.poetry.com.  They're scum.  Avoid them at any cost.  I personally have never been ripped off by any of their scams, but I know people who got involved and were sorry.  The scam works by getting people involved in a "poetry contest."  You enter the contest, and then, a short time later, you're told that you've "won" the contest (if you check around, you'll find that everyone who enters "wins"), and that your poem is going to appear in their latest book of verse.  Maybe they'll tell you that you can go to an award ceremony.  Of course, they want you to pay a hefty price for their book, and you get to travel to the award ceremony on your own dime--and no poet who "wins" one of their "contests" ever gets much respect from the rest of the world for doing so.  It's a scam.

Naturally, I've come across a wealth of internet resources during my time as a writer, editor and general all-around internet nuisance.  Visitors should appreciate my large and extensive list of writing links.