by david 22 Comments
by Christie Halmick
The next time a non-paying writing opportunity slithers by offering fame, exposure, and good karma stop and answer this question: Is there something better I could do with my time and writing talent than give them away to a stranger? I think so. [Read more…]
by david 9 Comments
by Erika-Marie Geiss
Your idea is great. No, it’s fabulous. The content is good, you’ve spell-checked and proofread — even read it aloud. It’s perfect, and you are ready to send the article or query. You’re excited, because you are positive that this is definitely going to get published. You’ve even run through your mental submitting check-list and everything suggests that this baby is ready to take flight. But is it? [Read more…]
by david 28 Comments
By Contestant #3
Sometimes getting the gig is the easy part. A well-crafted cover letter and a couple of good clips will get your foot in the door, but what you do after you land it?
10. Keep it Old School
Nothing pleases a client/editor more than writers who are still working on dial-up and don’t believe in “fly-by-night” technology like Twitter or in home fax machines. Your clients lead busy lives, teach them how to slow down by waiting an hour for you to get to the local copy store and pick up their fax. Announce with a giggle that you’re technologically challenged and can’t open their PDF file. They’ll appreciate your honesty. [Read more…]
by david 6 Comments
The other day Jennifer asked if one needed a college degree to blog. I didn’t get a chance to respond, but I’ll admit here and now I never graduated college. I always loved to write, however, and as an editorial and administrative assistant in a busy publishing house, I was able to learn from some of the best in the business. I thank my lucky stars for that experience as it allowed me to be a successful freelance writer and blogger.
Heck yeah. How many times have you come across a poorly written blog post and walked away either wondering what the blogger was going on about, or wanting to fix his misspellings or tighten up his sentence structure?
Now I’m not saying you need an advanced degree in communications, nor am I saying you have to follow a strict journalistic format. My point is that if you’re going to be writing for others you should have a good command of the language, a way with words, and the ability to get one’s point across without digressing too much.
What I love best about blogging is its informality. I can use my own voice and talk in the manner I feel most comfortable. The last thing i want is for someone to walk away from a read feeling as if I didn’t say anything or that I’m a really poor writer. Poor writing skills detract and distract.
Yes. You do need skills. Perhaps not in the formal sense, but if you want to blog, you should know how to write first.
by david 20 Comments
by Misti Sandefur
Whether you choose to self-publish your book or publish through traditional publishing, you’ll always play a part in the marketing process. Yes, many of the big publishing houses lend a hand with getting the word out about your book, but when you help market your book using your own techniques, you’ll see much bigger royalty checks.
Over the course of eight years as a published author, I’ve discovered unique places to market my books — places you may not have thought of. With that said, I’d like to share my top 10 list of unique places to market your book.
1. Carnivals
If you’ve ever went to carnivals in your local area you know there’s usually a variety of vendors selling items such as fireworks, knives, food, crafts and more. Why not add your books to the mix. Get in touch with your local city hall to find out how you can set up a booth at an upcoming carnival in your area. You’ll have to invest in your books and possibly pay a fee for the booth space, but the final result could be profitable!
2. Flea Markets
Each time I visit flea markets, I see many vendors selling SMC products, and after a while it gets boring. Why? Because each booth with SMC products sell the same things. As an avid reader, I’d love to come across a few flea market booths selling books, but I’ve not discovered too many of those. Honestly, I get tired of seeing SMC product after SMC product, so if I ran across you selling your book at a flea market, I’d probably run to your booth! A change of scenery will attract attention.
3. Local Festivals
Build your local brand and get recognized by your community by selling your book at local festivals. Contact festival organizers in your area and ask them how you can set up a booth at the next festival. It may surprise you just how much traffic your booth could attract.
4. Hospital gift shops
Visit hospitals in your area and speak with them about stocking your book in the hospital’s gift shop. Even if you have to arrange to stock them on consignment, it could be worth your time and investment. After all, visitors and patients need something to occupy their time at the hospital, right?
5. Theme parks
Each year theme parks attract thousands of people, but the rides aren’t the only thing they enjoy. Many visitors also enjoy shopping in the gift shops scattered throughout the theme parks. Next time you visit a gift shop at a theme park, speak with the manager or owner about stocking a few of your books in their gift shop. Take along your brochure, a sell sheet and ordering information to leave with them. If the theme park is nearby, you could arrange to place your books in the gifts shops on consignment as well.
6. Mail order catalogs
Find catalogs related to your book and contact the person who distributes the catalog. Ask the person how you can go by having your book placed in their catalog. You may have to pay a fee, but it could be worth the investment. Another option would be to make a deal with the person distributing the catalog and offer him or her a percentage of all sales. Making this deal could save you from having to pay a large advertising fee.
7. Yard sale
Next time you have a yard sale place a few autographed copies of your book on a table of its own. Discount the book to where you’ll still make a profit. Include a free bookmark with each sale.
8. Billboard signs
Although billboard advertising is expensive, they say it’s effective. Think about it for a minute. How many billboards do you read when you’re the passenger in a car? Personally, when I see an ad on a billboard for something that interests me, I write down the information I need to find out more. Then, once the driver and I reach our destination, I refer back to the information about each product or service I wanted to find out more about.
If you believe you can work billboard advertising into your marketing budget, visit Outdoor Billboard (http://www.outdoorbillboard.com/) for a listing of billboards for rent and sale.
9. Public benches
Marketing your book on a public bench is also costly, but effective. You’ll usually see benches with advertising on them at intersections, parks, bus stops, golf courses and in front of stores. To learn more about bench advertising, Google public bench advertising, include quotes around the phrase.
10. Local mall
Phone the mall in your area and ask to speak with the person in charge of leasing. Once you have that person on the line, ask them how much it costs to lease a space in the mall, as well as the best locations to sell books.
When paying for booth space, team up with another author in your area and share the cost.
Have you discovered a unique place to market your book? Then by all means help add to this list by sharing in the comments area below. If you know of more than one unique place not already mentioned above, feel free to share your list on your writing-related blog, and mention this post as your inspiration. But don’t forget to return here and leave a link to your post in the comments area, so we writers can add to our list. 😉
by david 15 Comments
by Becky Scott
Many writers forget that as freelancers, we’re also businesspersons. There are things we must do, no matter how distasteful. Paperwork. Marketing. Deadlines (okay, so maybe some of us don’t mind deadlines).
Our reality, though, is that we must take care of our business if we’re going to really make it as a freelancer. And there are things we can do to make it easier on ourselves so we can do what we love – write!
1) Find a system and stick to it.You can waste a lot of time chasing the newest, shiniest organizational system. You don’t need that. Find something that works for you. Then use it consistently.
2) Track your expenses.If you track as you go, it will make tax time so much easier for you. Who wants to spend all day going through receipts? Just a few minutes each day or week is all you need.
3) Have a plan.Plan out your time. Take an hour or two a week to do administrative work. If you take regular bites out of it, it’ll be less scary.
4) Use a calendar.It doesn’t matter if you like paper or electronic calendars. Just use one consistently to track deadlines – that includes when payments and invoices are due, as well as your writing deadlines.
5) Track your payments.Know how much money you have outstanding. When you get a check, deposit it. If you only go to the bank once a week, keep your checks together until then. And after you deposit, mark the invoices paid. If you do this as you go along, you won’t panic thinking you lost a check. You’ll know exactly where your money should be.
6) Get a business checking account.You’ll look more like a legitimate business and that’s good for your taxes. And for some writing jobs, too. Businesses sometimes like to hire other businesses.
7) File paperwork regularly.Again, if you want to have more time to write, do those little administrative tasks regularly. Like filing. Take little chunks out of it rather than making it into a big monster that you dread attacking.
8) Market yourself consistently.Don’t just wait until you don’t have anything lined up. Take some time every week to send out queries, scan the job listings daily, and keep the work rolling in. Don’t you work better when you don’t have to worry about where the next gig is going to come from? If you market consistently, you’ll have work consistently.
9) Get an accountant.Unless you’re a CPA yourself or you just really like tax stuff, hire an accountant. Yes, you’ll be paying for a service that you can probably do yourself given enough time. But do you want to spend your time wrestling numbers, or writing?
10) Track your clients.Remember that company that needed a report last year? Have you followed up with them for more work? And the editor that loved your article four months ago? Did you follow up to say thank you? Tracking satisfied clients can garner you more business. Just give them a quick call or e-mail to see what they need from you.
These ten things can sometimes seem like huge chores to a writer. But if you break them into chunks and work your way through them, you can move on to what you are really here for – to write!
Becky is a freelance writer and editor in San Diego, Ca. She writes about a variety of topics including business organization and productivity, automotive info for women, personal blogging and celebrity real estate gossip. Visit her online at www.beckyscorner.com
by david 37 Comments
by Carly Schuna
1. “We’ve chosen another candidate.”
Somebody else just snatched up a gig you really, really wanted. This is a bummer, especially if you love the subject matter and/or you needed work badly.
The Fix: Thank these clients for their consideration, and ask if they’re looking to fill any other positions. If they’re not, politely restate your interest and let the clients know that you’re available for future projects.
2. “This is all wrong.”
You just turned in your work, and the client hates it. Nightmare!
The Fix: Have a conversation with these clients to find out their concerns. If their comments seem reasonable, offer to revise. If what they say is ridiculous, you may still have to revise, but try explaining your point of view. It could cut you some slack.
3. “I’d like to have a conference call with you on the weekend/at midnight/during your sister’s wedding.”
These clients think that being a freelancer means you are happily available at any hour of the day.
The Fix: Politely explain that you’re unavailable during the requested time. List your normal working hours and ask to find a time that works for both of you.
4. “I have a ninety-seventh revision request.”
This client is never satisfied, and I mean never.
The Fix: If you don’t already have one, incorporate a revision clause into your contract that mandates the client pay you for rewrites. If you do have one and the client is seriously bothering you, consider raising your rates.
5. “Would you accept [amount grossly lower than what you quoted]?”
The client seems willing to hire you but unwilling to pay you more than sweatshop wages.
The Fix: If you feel there’s a strong possibility of a raise, you may want to accept the gig. If you really don’t think the client’s offer is fair, though, turn it down and lobby for your original quote.
6. (Said for the billionth time): “You should be getting your check any day now.”
Ah, the client who doesn’t pay. This one is a classic!
The Fix: Ask for the name and contact information of someone in the client’s payroll department so you can check up on it yourself. In the future, specify an acceptable pay period and penalty for late payments in your contract.
7. “I need this by tomorrow/tonight/5pm/three hours ago.”
Is this client serious? The deadline that’s being requested is insane.
The Fix: Politely tell the client when you can have the work done, and ask to work with your suggested deadline instead. If you can make the crazy deadline at some sacrifice to yourself (sleep/meals/sanity), propose a rush fee that will make the project worth your while.
8. “You call this writing/editing/blogging? My toddler/grandmother/poodle could do better than this with a broken pencil and a stone tablet!”
Rude clients… thankfully, we don’t come across them often, but they do exist, and it’s not a pretty day when they come out and show their faces.
The Fix: Kill with kindness. Apologize (even if you did nothing wrong) and offer to rewrite the work. As soon as the job is finished and you’ve been paid, get the heck out of Dodge—no one should have to work with a client like that.
9. “Unfortunately, we don’t need your services anymore.”
For some inexplicable reason, the client is showing you the door. Curse the fickleness of freelancing!
The Fix: The client has probably thought about this decision carefully, so it’s best not to protest. Instead, part ways as kindly as possible. Thank these clients for their business, and let them know that you’d be happy to work with them again anytime.
10. “This is great, but I have completely changed the terms of the contract.”
After you do the work you were assigned, the client pulls a 180 and expects you to come along.
The Fix: Kindly remind the client of the original terms and assignment. If you’ve done the work, you’ve fulfilled the contract. It’s fine to re-negotiate future terms with the client, but make sure they’re fair and you’re still being offered a good rate.
by david 3 Comments
Clients may not always be able to articulate what they want, and this can be challenging. Rather than give up on the client entirely or do a half-hearted job just to get paid, it is worthwhile to spend a little more time with that person to make sure you are both on the same page as far as your work is concerned.
Go through the instructions you have been given in detail before you start work. Does everything make sense to you? Do you have any questions? Do they prefer a certain format or font? (Better to ask them early in the process than have to make extensive changes later on.)
You also need to consider the audience who is going to read your work. What do you want them to take away from having read it? Are you providing information to establish your client as an authority in some area? If so, is the information relevant to the audience? Do you want the reader to take action in some way (sign up for a mailing list, subscribe to an ezine, click on the “Buy Now” button, etc.)? Will your work encourage the reader to do what your client wants?
It’s not enough just to get the basic instructions for a project. You also need to think about why the client wants the work done. Anticipate your client’s needs and do your best to meet them, and you will find that the client will contact you for other projects.
by david 32 Comments
When I first started looking for work online, I thought the Internet was a pretty anonymous place. Now I’m amazed at how many people I “know” online and the number of them who know each other. It really is a small world, and this is one more reason to mind your manners when you are posting things online.
I have no problem going on the record to say that rudeness is one of my pet peeves. I just don’t see any reason for it. Part of the reason that I take time to think about what I am saying (and posting) before I let it fly is because I have a terrible temper. (Have you ever seen the Hulk? Well, you really wouldn’t like me when I’m angry….)
Once the words are out of your mouth or you press “Send,” you can’t take them back. I’ve seen a couple of employers who posted jobs on another board recently be on the receiving end of some snarky comments about the rates they are offering to start. Both people mentioned that they had tried to hire writers in the past and either not received the work they ordered or received work of very poor quality.
I appreciate the “Once bitten, twice shy” thing. These employers are willing to increase the rates they pay once they find someone reliable, and there is nothing wrong with that. They may be new business owners and as their business grows and becomes more successful, they will be able to offer higher rates.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t think writers should get paid a fair wage. I do. But if I see an ad where rates are lower than I would find acceptable, I move on. I don’t have the time or the inclination to take a swipe at someone like that.
For every person who posts on a board, there are a number who are lurkers. Some of them may be in a position to hire you at some point and if they have a choice between someone who conducts themselves in a respectful manner and someone flips out all over them about rates, who do you think is going to get the gig?
Just a little food for thought this Saturday morning. Have a good one.
by david 13 Comments
Since rates are such a hot topic around here and I don’t have a problem getting out a stick and taking a swat at the hornets’ nest every now and then, I wanted to bring up the topic of rates and new clients.
I have seen several ads where the employer offers a certain rate to start and states that if the relationship goes well that they are prepared to offer a higher rate for subsequent work. Now, just for the record, I don’t have a problem with this as long as the initial rate being quoted is a reasonable one.
I figure that the employer doesn’t know me (yet) and if I have a choice between working and not working that working should win out. (See my comment above about not accepting insulting rates above….) So far, this strategy has worked out well. Not only do I have steady work from a number of regular clients, but over time I have been offered better rates and different kinds of work other than web content.
If I didn’t agree to write the initial articles at $X per, I may not have been given the opportunity to write autoresponders, ebooks, and branch out into a bit of copywriting. All of these opportunities came because someone I had done work for gave me a shot. It’s all good experience that I have been able to put on my resume.
It might be a bit old fashioned but I believe in giving the person who hires me the best work that I can do every time and the amount I’m being paid to do the work doesn’t enter into it. I’m not doing them a favor by accepting their work; they are helping me to provide for my family by hiring me. Offering a certain wage to start and then reviewing compensation after a certain amount of time is common in the brick and mortar world, so why shouldn’t the same thing happen when employers who hire freelancers are looking to develop an ongoing relationship with someone?
