The latest in our video series for freelancers, posted regularly at Youtube:
We’re always open to suggestion on these video clips–if there’s a topic you would like to see addressed or covered in more detail, please drop us a comment here and we’d be happy to address it…
I think my best advice would be to be passionate about the work, but to remember that freelance writing is a business–you are your own business. You’re literally “selling yourself” out there, so you have to present yourself to your potential clients in an attractive package. Not necessarily physically (although dressing professionally and grooming yourself properly is smart) but in the details. How you design your author website, how you respond to emails, the things you write on your blog–the way you present yourself over the phone.
And then, once you get the clients, you have to follow through by providing impeccable work, on time.
So, I think that boils down to:
Skill + Passion + Commitment + Business Sense/Professionalism=Freelance Writing Success.
Or something like that. 🙂
The best advice I can recall is ‘master your time’ and that can be read in several ways. Stick to the time limit for the project you’re working on, allocate your time for activities such as rewriting or looking for new clients. And respect your time, especially if you work from home – if the phone call isn’t work related and you’re in the middle of something, ask them to call back after hours.
@angela – I agree! You are the product, and I think people miss that much of the time…good point! (And I like your “formula”!) 🙂
@derek – Sooooo key! Time management is one of the things I think writers struggle with most. It takes a lot of discipline to get everything done–and a lot of times that phone call (or other distraction) can be pretty appealing!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this–both of you!