freelance-zone.com

Jim Cramer is the guru responsible for Mad Money, the high-energy cable investment program. MSNBC quotes this pro-investment, pro-stock market man saying some radically different things than you’ve heard from Cramer’s books and programs. “I don’t care where stocks have been, I care where they’re going, and I don’t want people to get hurt in the market,” Cramer said in the MSNBC.com piece entitled, “Jim Cramer: Time To Get Out of the Stock Market”.

Cramer is reversing course in a major way, advising retreat from the stock market as a strategy for the first time ever–at least as far as I can tell. This economic chaos is leading to massive world uncertainty, layoffs, and an ever-shrinking bottom line for once-strong companies. In the 90s, it was the dot-coms who were the casualties of the bursting bubble…this time, it’s EVERYONE.

What does this mean for freelancers? (more…)

Everyone is a little different. We each gravitate toward our own “favorite spots” in terms of where we like to read and work. Writers tend to be a very particular bunch in terms of surroundings and setup. For me–I can work just about anywhere; but when I read, I like to be curled up on the couch with a blanket and a beverage. Reading outdoors is another pleasure, but one I tend to do mostly on vacation.

Writer’s Digest published an article I enjoyed immensely about the workspace of different writers. It showed a picture of their desk and described their setup. It was fun to peek inside the lives of other people who do what I do and see both the similarities and the differences.

The inspiration behind this post is that I am about to set up a new workspace for myself soon, and I’m putting a little bit of thought into how I want it to look. It got me thinking about my favorite places and my preferred arrangement. I’m not sure I have it down yet, but I’m getting there….

How’s your workspace? Is it in need of an update? Or perhaps you have a great tip you’d like to share with others? As for me, perhaps once I get all settled in, I’ll share a pic of my new digs…

Photo: Copyright 2008 Catherine L. Tully

I’ve had great volumes to say about what to do and what NOT to do as a freelance writer or editor. I’ve been called bitter, caustic, angry and generally too stern when talking about how to avoid the kinds of freelance writing mistakes common to noobs and pros alike. I’ve given the benefit of my experience, I’ve ranted, I’ve made fun of the goofballs in the industry, I’ve posted some dead-on predictions and some posts that were off the mark.

But one thing I’ve NEVER done up to now is write anything directly critical of writing blogs or bloggers. Why should I? We’re all in the same boat, trying to help each other out. Why bite the hand that feeds?

Because I’ve suddenly discovered that writing blogs are missing the boat in a very important area. Not ALL writing blogs are completely at sea, a couple of shining examples come to mind of how we could be closer to doing it right. But for the most part, we’ve lost the plot. Why? (more…)

When I was early in my freelance writing career, I totally misunderstood the notion of networking as it applied to writing. I stayed well within the confines of the writing community, trying to make connections with editors, fellow writers, photographers and other people who work directly within the world I was trying to break into.

At this point, if you aren’t asking why I say that is a mistake, you’re definitely reading the right article. It’s so easy to get tunnel vision about these things, but once you get a bit of perspective all becomes clear. (more…)

Freelance writing as a full-time occupation currently faces some scary times; will our current economic problems start affecting how much work is available? If magazines and online publishers start cutting back their budgets, what does a poor freelancer do? Here are ten ways to diversify your freelance career to keep those checks rolling in even when times are tough:

10. Branch Out. Have you been toying with adding digital photography to your skill set? Graphic design? Newsletter writing? Any of these additional skills make you more marketable AND give you great source material for opening up new freelance writing markets in trade mags and industry-specific websites.

9. Volunteer. That’s right, I am suggestion you work for free. As well as the altruistic side of things, you might discover another untapped resource for articles and advice pieces. You might even get plugged in to the for-pay part of a non-profit or charity group once they find out you are a professional writer–especially if you are willing to be flexible with your rates to help out.

8. Teach Classes. Does your local community center need a guru who can teach people how to write better cover letters and resumes? You don’t have to set yourself up as a freelance writing teacher–just show people how to write better in vital areas such as job seeking, employee evaluations, even the art of “romantic communication” might be a fun community center class you can teach. The key to these types of classes is knowing how to market your class properly to interest the people in your neighborhood.

7. Hook Up With A Temp Agency. Call your nearest temp service and explain about your writing business. Find out what you need to do in order to be listed as a writer/proofreader/editor and give it a try. (more…)

I rarely get emotional about “stars” and I have never had the desire to meet any of them either–with one exception–Paul Newman. It is with a heavy heart today that I sit down to write this post. You see, we’ve lost one of the good guys.

Paul Newman had become for me a symbol of what good can come from fame. He helped restore my faith that there are still people out there with money who have honor and compassion–and act on it.

I’ve chosen here to post a photo of the “older Newman” because he has shown us all that it is possible to age gracefully–a fact that we seem to be losing touch with. And I chose it because he has always been so much more than his looks.

There are enough vapid, shallow stars to go around, but there are few that we admire and come to care about over the years. Everyone I have talked with today has been affected by Newman’s passing, and it is hard to believe that we will never see him take on another role or ride another lap on the track.

Paul Newman once said: “As long as my heart continues to beat, I think I will continue.”

No Paul–the real truth of it is–you’ll live on in our hearts forever.

I’d love to have our readers share a favorite Newman movie or post a tribute here if you have a moment. 

Some freelancers (OK, me) are wondering how the economy affects our prospects as self-employed writers. Every where you look there is some kind of economic nonsense brewing, from prices at the pump to the political crisis over how to fix the massive potholes on Wall Street. Is freelancing headed for a crisis of its’ own?

Unfortunately there is no single answer to that question, but we can take a look at major players in the media and see where the trends might be going. A look at the radio industry is a good place to start. Take this quote from Radio and Records, THE industry weekly for the radio business. According Jeffery Yorke’s front-page article, August was a rotten month for radio all around. “The way CL King & Associates media analyst Jim Boyle sees it,” writes Yorke, “The news about August’s revenue decline is not that it was a whopping 11% but that ‘more than 90% of markets were down.’”

Unquote.

Now radio is not directly related to freelance writing, but cross-reference that with an article at AdWeek. A piece by John Consoli declares second quarter ad spending this year was the lowest since 2001. That’s across the board, but does include print. The only publications listed by genre to see gains? Sunday magazines. There’s a subtle hint there, I think, dear freelancer, but that’s an awfully small slice compared to the rest of the pie.

What does that mean for those of us hoping to get into or stay in print?

It means that if such trends continue, print publications will have to do a serious re-think of their spending habits. The good news is that we’re coming up on November, and the elections have major potential to forestall (at the very least) any further economic issues. We might get a reprieve for the elections, and if the fix is in for some of our economic problems, we could see consumer confidence–and the resulting confidence of advertisers to spend money again on their favorite magazines–increase.

If you are working to get into print, keep firing away, but get your tough times plan together NOW if you haven’t already. We could be in the clear as early as summer 2009, but just in case we have to brace for tough times, it would be good of you to have a nest egg set aside.

How to do that is another topic for another article, but just in case you were wondering what’s ahead, I’d take a hint from that goofy old Men At Work song…”Get it together, we’re in for some stormy weather.”

In the investment world, the best advice against tough economic times like these is diversification. For freelance writers, that advice is just as sound. Are you relying on only one or two clients to bring home the bacon? It’s a more stress-free lifestyle when times are good, but when the economy starts to tumble, will those clients still be there? The current money woes on Wall Street have mixed impact on freelance gigs. It all depends on who you work for and what the nature of their business is, but if your money sources are drying up, it’s time to start taking more diverse work.

(more…)

One of the most important things any freelancer can do is establish an effective web presence. Some freelancers need two or three individual sites to promote what they do, especially if they are multi-disciplined. In my own particular case, I started off with a single web page, but as I branch out creatively I find that my needs demand multiple sites.

My current web presence, Joe-Wallace.com, is effective at telling the world that I have a LOT of experience, but if I were to start seriously marketing myself in my other skill sets (voiceovers, video, radio, television production, and photography) I’d need to create specific websites to showcase each of those talents.

My background as a military reporter for Air Force News Agency, the Navy Media Center, the Pentagon Channel and other networks is enough to give me some serious clout as a writer, but if I wanted to promote myself as a television reporter/anchor again, I’d need to do far more than what I’ve got listed at my current site. For writing, it’s enough for me to brag on my former life as a globe-hopping journalist. (more…)

I am of the firm opinion that every writer who has clips and a bit of experience should have a website of some kind. Joe and I talked about this as an idea for posts, because we both opted for different looks/styles and formats when it comes to our site. My website has a very clean, simple look. I wanted something classy that was easy to navigate and update. I spent time looking at how other writers had their sites set up and selected a very basic system. I have a bio, resume, section for info on my photography, contact info and a section that lists selected publication credits. I opted not to list all of my writing creds, as I think it begins to look messy.

One thing I decided to do that I’ve not seen elsewhere is to include testimonials from editors I have worked with. (more…)

I am a huge fan of my brand new Dish Network cable service, as it seems to be giving me infinite material for blog posts. Even as I write this, I’m watching a fascinating segment on Anderson Cooper 360 about how blog posts factor in to the race for the White House. According to the segment called The Truth About Sarah Palin, one blogger posted some joke quotes allegedly from Sarah Palin about “Satan lizards” in reference to dinosaurs. Somebody (I missed who) scooped up the quotes in the political frenzy over the Palin/McCain ticket, but failed to properly attribute the quotes or pay attention to the fact that they were completely fabricated.

The Aderson Cooper segment is attention getting all by itself; the site mentioned in the clip, FactCheck.org, is just as intriguing. This site calls both Obama and McCain on fact stretching, and watching the campaign is much more interesting with a daily reference back to FactCheck.org after listening to both sides. No matter who you plan on voting for, watching the candidates get their facts handed back to them with the editor’s red pencil treatment is quite amusing.

What does any of this have to do with freelance writing? (more…)

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. (more…)

When I started in the freelancing game, I had no idea what I was doing, so I started by reading a lot of books on being successful. Jenna Glatzer, Robert Bly, the inevitable copy of Writer’s Market…I invested in several tomes, boned up on query letters, story ideas and how to overcome writer’s block.

At the time I thought I had given myself the benefit of a lot of other people’s experience. Looking back now, I can see that all those books tried to say one important thing, but couldn’t quite put it into words. The one thing all those books couldn’t quantify is how personalized the freelancing experience is–there really is NO one path. I started off thinking that, like the steady gigs I had in radio and television, there was a set of accepted practices and procedures that could land you a freelancing job. All I had to do was to figure out the secret handshakes, submit in the accepted way and I could get my foot in the door in no time, right?

Wrong. (more…)

  One of the FZ readers made a comment that inspired this post. They talked about the connections that are often made in this field–especially online. I have to agree that it is a pretty amazing thing, and that I have touched and been touched by many people in this way since beginning my writing journey.

I write music reviews, and have often had an artist come back with an e-mail that really made my day. It is always unexpected–and always appreciated. I’ve also had people I have written about for an article tell me they have been very moved by my words. I’ve made some wonderful connections with people through this blog.

Think about it….what online connections have you made that have either given you a real lift, resulted in a friendship–or perhaps even gotten you a job? I’m sure I am not alone in having made super contacts with writers, editors, artists and others through my online activities. The writer’s job board I frequent most often  (Absolute Write) has actually found me connecting so strongly with certain writers that we have also become close friends. How great is that?

I’d love to hear other writers stories of online connections…

Is there something in particular that moved you? That you recall as a special memory? That you’d like to share? If so–I’d truly love to hear it…

If you think about it–this very post is an example of that type of connection–the result of a comment from a reader–thanks!

Our recent controversy over my views on Associated Content led Cath and I to the realization that we hadn’t really hit the topic of going from zero to 60, professionally speaking. How do you get to be a professional freelance writer from having nothing at all in your published clips bin?

This is not a topic we can address all at once, so we thought it would be good to begin a series on posts on the subject. After all, it’s not fair to tell people not to submit clips from content mills as published work without giving some actual, useful advice on how to get the right sort of material a good-paying publication will take seriously.

The lure of content mills is quick cash. They are very good at what they do in this regard, but the pay is–let’s be honest here–peanuts. I got plenty of angry comments from people regarding my Associated Content post, people saying (with a fair amount of indignation) “I do NOT dash off my posts in five minutes, thank you very much!”

Point taken.

Now here’s my question–why would you agonize for hours and days (as one poster said) over something that paid you a tiny little sum? In the early stages, it’s true that ALL writers must do this. But the most important thing a writer can do is to focus their efforts in such a way that you don’t STAY in the low paying bracket. Agonize over those early clips, yes. But don’t be content to live in the peanut gallery. You CAN move out of that twilight zone of writing if you play your cards right.

Over the next several weeks (months?) we are going to tell you exactly how to do it. Cath and I will start writing a series of posts under the Stepping Stones header to give new writers the benefit of our experience. How DID Catherine L. Tully go from having no published clips to getting a major publication credit with Boys’ Life in the first months of her writing career? How does a new writer start creating a portfolio that can land gigs writing material which appears on AOL, Verizon.com and Wal-Mart? We did it, and so can you. How did I go from having no clips to earning eight to nine thousand dollars a month on average as a freelancer?

You read that correctly.

Want to know how we do it? Stay tuned.