Introduction
I came to know of Hayley’s work some time ago. I was very happy to note that she had written and published an ebook; I grabbed the opportunity and asked if she’d like to be interviewed. She agreed to my request and, therefore, without further ado, I have great pleasure in introducing to you, Hayley Hunkin …
Aneeta: Hayley, thank you for agreeing to this interview.
Hayley: It’s my pleasure.
Aneeta: Let’s start with simple questions like, where were you born? Where did you grow up and what was it like? What do you do live and what do you do for a living?
Hayley: I was born in Sydney, Australia and I still live there. However, I grew up in the western suburbs, where it was HOT! Now, I live right near the coast (in fact, across the road from the water!) and I love it. It’s usually several degrees cooler with the sea breezes. I live near Cronulla beach and it is a lovely place to live. I work two jobs at the moment and I love the variety of doing this. I work as a Training and Compliance Coordinator at the airport and I work as a freelance writer from home too. I love the freedom of writing when and where I want to!
Aneeta: I understand that you’re very involved with a website called Constant Content. Can you please explain what this website is about and what is your involvement in it?
Hayley: Constant Content is a terrific site for freelance writers. You can write articles on whatever topics you think will sell and price the articles at whatever price you want. If you can write unique, quality articles for websites and magazines, you can make a decent income from
Constant Content. I have been writing there for over a year and I love it! I generally make between $300 and $800 every month (and that’s part-time!). I can make so much, because the articles sell for $30 to $100, which is higher than many other article sites, such as Associated Content. Because Constant Content markets to the high end of the consumer market for articles, authors can sell articles at much higher prices than you can get elsewhere. Constant Content also accepts authors from all over the world, as long as the English writing is grammatically correct.
One of the other reasons I love writing for Constant Content is the community of other writers. I’m an active participant on the forum and I find it really helpful to read the forum questions and answers often. It feels like a real community and I have made many friends through Constant Content. I sometimes mentor and help out new authors with some proofreading and advice too. It’s fun to be an active member in a community of writers.
Aneeta: I see that you’ve created a website to sell an ebook that explains a little more about Constant Content. Please explain what this website entails and what your purpose is.
Hayley: My website is http://www.expandingcreations.com and I want to use the website to encourage other writers to discover the joys of writing what you want to and to make money by writing articles. There are several sections to the website: free articles about freelance writing, a regular newsletter with author interviews and articles, and, of course, my ebook.
I wrote “Sales Success on Constant Content” because I wanted to share my passion for writing with others. I find that many new authors who can write well in other formats struggle with Constant Content, which has stricter submission guidelines than many other sites. Once you figure out the submission guidelines, you can easily make money on the site, but it can be difficult to get started. Many very good authors have stumbled at first and been banned from the site by making silly mistakes that could easily be avoided. “Sales Success on Constant Content” explores the submission guidelines in detail and includes a submission checklist. It also includes helpful tips and advice to become successful on this unusual freelance writing website and ways to avoid the common errors new authors tend to make. You can buy the ebook on http://www.expandingcreations.com/ebook
Aneeta: Do you use many of the elements of storytelling in your writing? If so, which ones do you use most?
Hayley: I love using alliteration, so I generally use some alliterative phrases in my headings. Every article is like a story in a way, you need an introduction that will engage the reader’s attention from the start and draw the reader into reading the article. I have to structure the article to continue to engage the reader and finally, just like a short story, I finish the article with a conclusion that gives the reader a good ending. Sometimes, I use a fictional character to tell the emotions of the story, and then go back to the typical “narrative” style of the article to describe the facts and figures involved.
Aneeta: As you know, this website caters for storytellers. What advice would you give those who would like to venture into storytelling?
Hayley: Stories are the basis of human communication. We have been telling stories before we could write throughout human history. Never let anyone belittle what you do! It is important to share our stories, whether it is in a more ‘journalistic’ format of writing articles, or writing creative short stories and novels. Welcome to the wonderful world of writing! (I told you I like alliteration.)
Aneeta: Hayley, this is all I have to ask. Is there anything you’d like to add?
Hayley: Freelance writing is fun and anyone who loves words can do well writing articles. If you need a break from writing creative short stories or from your other style of storytelling, try writing articles for websites. They need ‘stories’ too!
Aneeta: Hayley, thank you.
Hayley: Thanks for the opportunity to share on your website. I really appreciate it!
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