How does a writer expand a portfolio into new subjects with little or no expertise? If you are primarily a music journalist, but want to break into medical writing, how do you take that first step? Here’s my secret for branching out into other areas. It’s so simple you’ll wonder why you never thought of it before. Continue reading My Freelance Writing Secret Weapon For New Markets
I am a freelance editor and writer. I don’t know how to write PHP, Javascript, or use Linux. So why am I reading a book on how to be a freelance computer consultant? One written ten years ago which is now hopelessly out of date, technology-wise?
Simple…I want to know how other freelancers do business and see if there are any “best practices” I can glean from their experience.
One of the best pieces of advice any freelancer will get about setting their rates is “never work hourly”. Sure enough, it’s true in the freelance computer consulting world, too, but I also got some great tips about dealing with hostile work environments, dealing with on-site freelance situations where hostile employees make your life difficult, and how to structure your payment schedule for long-term projects to make all parties happier with the arrangement.
I learned all this stuff for free, having checked out out the book from my local library. It’s surprising where you can learn cool stuff about the ins and outs of freelancing. I had a good laugh reading a ten-year-old book on marketing via the Internet. DId you know there are these great micro-publishing websites called “weblogs” (blogs for short)? Ten years ago, people were convinced that television was DOOMED and that while “blogs” are amusing, they could never be taken all that seriously. After all, they’re so niche-driven, where’s the money in THAT? (Sarcasm alert. It makes me sad that I even have to put that in here, but there you go.)
The library is your friend…especially if they stock a copy of that book every new freelancer is tempted to buy, Writer’s Market. You do NOT need to purchase this book! Chances are the library has done it for you.
Paul Lima cuts right through the crap in his Six Figure Freelancing blog. Do you want to earn six figures? Lima gives some sound advice; pick up the telephone. One of the recurring themes in ALL blogs I’ve read on high-dollar freelancing is the connection of two words that makes even the most hard-core fulltime freelancer cringe: cold calling.
Lima is absolutely correct. My own personal foray to the outer edges of five-figure work has included cold calling, but not nearly as much as Lima wants YOU to do. The reason I don’t do much cold calling in my line of work has nothing to do with me being a total badass freelance genius–it is purely circumstantial. But the fact of the matter is, if I want to break the glass ceiling and actually MAKE six figures next year (as opposed to the high fives I earn now) I WILL have to make more cold calls. Yes, it’s been on my mind a lot lately for obvious reasons. When you’re that close to hitting the holy grail figure for the first time, you really want to GO FOR IT, know what I mean?
Cold calling is absolutely vital, and not just for the kinds of freelance writing Lima does. There is huge money in corporate writing, but there is just as much in other sectors…but you will have to let your fingers do the walking, as the old telephone book ad used to say. A freelancer like me, with a strong background in interviewing, being live on camera and behind the mic, and chasing stories has no trouble picking up the phone. But if you don’t have that killer instinct for telephone calls, you need to learn it. Wanna know how? Here are a few hints to developing those ninja phone skills: Continue reading Six Figure Freelancing: How to Make That First $100,000
Freelancers with big paydays have many things in common, the least of which is the business savvy to know those paychecks don’t always come as often as they should. In 2008 I moved out of the low-to-mid 30s into a much higher income bracket thanks to respecting most if not all of the things you’ll find on this list. Not everything on the list is true for everybody, but some of this will be true for EVERYBODY who tries to earn a full-time living working from home whether you are a freelance writer, voice talent, any career path you choose.
10. Highly paid freelancers aren’t highly paid all the time. This is Rule One and should be the cornerstone of all financial planning. This leads us to the next rule.
9. Highly paid freelancers are forward thinking and plan for the worst. Never assume that the fat pile of cash you make today is going to last even until next week. You should have something better than a rainy day fund; highly paid freelancers have a “The Sky Is Falling” fund.
8. Freelancers don’t start off being highly paid, but if they persist, hone their writing/marketing skills and don’t give up, their business will expand over time. 50% of your competition will drop out before you get discouraged enough to think about quitting. Don’t join them.
7. Highly paid freelancers get many assignments from editors they already know. This comes after a lot of networking and making contacts in the business. You don’t start out with those contacts overnight—much of developing these relationships is about trust building. Be trustworthy and your relationships will develop.
6. Highly paid freelancers share what they know. If you aren’t volunteering to help struggling freelancers on the career rung below yours, you could be doing yourself a disservice. Get involved in the writing community. Insulated, homebody writers look at their yearly earnings and wonder why they can’t get to the next stage in their careers. Reference this with #7 and see if you notice a pattern of advice forming here. Continue reading Ten Habits of Highly Paid Freelance Writers
I don’t know why I’ve not mentioned the Internet Writing Journal here before, but now that I have, you should have a gander at the article there by Alan Alda called Learning To Write With a Sledgehammer. What does an offending home improvement attempt have to do with trying to write an episode of M*A*S*H*? Click the link and find out.
One thing I love about personal writing like this is the confessional aspect. Most of us wind up admitting things after one drink too many, but confessional writing is just as cathartic without the morning hangover. Alda fesses up to thinking that writing a feature-length script wouldn’t be very hard…until he tried it. He also advises taking a sledge to your work if it’s not coming out properly. RIp it up and start again.
This is EXCELLENT advice, a method I’ve used to great success (for writing television scripts, no less). If you are hammering away on something and it just doesn’t work, sometimes the best thing in the world to do is drop it all in the garbage and try something new. Preferably after walking away from it for a day or so. Six hours at the very least–at least for me.
Most people are familiar with Alan Alda, the actor; I find Alan Alda the writer to be quite helpful and informative.
Recently I posted a set of “don’t hire me” traits new freelancers sometimes display, so I figured it was time to throw out some advice in the opposite direction. What makes an editor take a chance on new writers? What makes them ask some writers back for more? I don’t claim to know what works for every editor, but here’s what I look for;
10. A good cover letter. I recently put out a call for writers requesting three writing samples and links to online work. The worst responses I got included those things and nothing more. While some of the writing samples were decent, they were outclassed by the ones I got that had good cover letters. The good cover letters were the ones where the writer introduced themselves, listed some relevant qualifications and gave some background. The worst cover letters all said the same things. “I believe I am qualified for the position you advertised,” but did NOT ELABORATE.
9. Relevant writing samples. One joker sent me a cover letter, resume and a copy of his college thesis. I advertised for a writer who could do research and writeups on consumer electronics with a slant towards bargain hunting. What that guy SHOULD have done was to send me any writing at all that had something to do with what I asked for. Always at least try to include at least one sample of your work that is tilted towards the job at hand. Some editors will disagree with this next bit, but I’d rather see two published clips of any published writing and one unpublished clip that is relevant instead of nothing but samples of work that has nothing to do with my needs. I just want to see whether you are capable of writing in my niche.
8. Flexibility and reliability. A writer who can demonstrate the willingness to learn or go the extra mile is pure gold to a busy editor. There are plenty of writers out there, but not as many who have the ability to think on their feet, roll with the editorial punches and can take a few curveballs. The easiest way to establish your flexibility in the early stages of an editorial relationship is to simply decide you won’t say no to ANYTHING. Some writers don’t have this luxury, especially those who still work day jobs, but it is in your interest to say yes to as much as possible from a new editor in the early stages. It endears you to the editor and makes you the go-to person–status which gets you more work and higher pay. Reliability is a valuable trait in a freelancer.
7. Honesty. Don’t learn the hard way; reliability and flexibility doesn’t mean you can do EVERYTHING. When you hit the end of your current abilities, don’t try to fake your way through a topic if you don’t have the chops or the know-how. Tell the editor if you legitimately can’t take on the challenge. You’ll find that the honest approach works better towards building trust than if you take on something you know is really beyond your reach and turn in work that’s not up to par. I was once asked if I could handle doing an annual report for a large corporation; the money was massive and I had dollar signs in my eyes. But I also knew I’d never done one before and I had to force myself to tell the editor I didn’t think I could deliver the polished results the client was looking for. I missed out on a few thousand dollars that way, but the relationship actually got better and I took on more work as a result of my honesty. In the long run, I wound up making much more because I took the transparent approach. Continue reading Top Ten Freelancer “Hire Me” Traits