A website for freelance writers or those who need to hire one.
In no particular order here are 12 strategies that can lead to more money in your pocket from more clients.
1. Don’t fight your client on process, but push back on product. It is counter-productive to fight your client on their process. If they want to micro-manage every word, or if they are so hands off that you are spending a lot of extra effort tracking down information, remember it is their dime. And it is all billable time. Do …
The late great Harlan Ellison rants in the best way about getting paid for your writing work.
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I originally wrote this article during the 2008 economic crash. Fast forward to the uncertainty of the political and economic climate in 2019 and the same concerns apply.
If the U.S. economy tanks, I mean really tanks big time, how will that affect the lot of freelance writers? No matter where they live.
In the normal ebb and flow of economies this is what usually happens. In bad times the first thing corporations do is downsize – that wonderful euphemism …
Throughout your freelance career, from time to time, you will be asked to work for free. Trust me on this. You will. Before you consider any such requests, you have to set up some ground rules for yourself. This is my take on the subject.
First, if you undervalue your work, you are telling the world that it has little worth. And if you give it away, you are giving it zero value. In the first instance, you will attract …
One of the more dispiriting aspects of being a freelancer is waiting for our marketing efforts to pay off in the form of paid work. But there is a secret to not going off the deep end if no one seems to be returning your phone calls, answering your emails, or responding to your blog.
The rule is this. Simply don’t be attached to the outcome of your marketing efforts.
Now you probably have heard this one before, but perhaps …
When I talk to my students about putting together their portfolios, I talk of course about including an appropriate functional (rather than chronological) resume, testimonials, business cards, and work samples. All assembled in a spiffy looking folder of some sort. I regret to say that almost as important as the quality of the words you cobble together – is how good they look as a package. It sounds absurd I know. But as in most things in life – first …
In previous articles on this subject I have talked about how the internet – email and blogs and web sites – have given us a powerful marketing tool that was unavailable a decade ago. And that we would be crazy not to take advantage of them. I also talked about the importance of joining at least two associations – one writing-related so you can share in the wit, wisdom and warmth of your colleagues who are in the same boat …
Last issue I suggested that the power of presence via the Internet (email – web sites – blogs) has really changed the face of marketing our services. They all allow us to very easily and fairly passively market our services and information related products.
Certainly there is no excuse not to have customized signature lines in your emails. And if nothing else your blogs can serve as an online repository to some of your writing samples. That way you just …
I don’t do any marketing anymore. I market all the time. Huh? A little contradictory.
The second statement reveals a basic truth about the freelance life. You are marketing all the time whether you intend to or not. If you choose to answer the phone and talk to a potential client you are marketing. If you let the answering machine pick it up, you are still marketing your message – such as you can in a short annoying machine message. …
My friend and colleague Ian Griffin has written a first class article on the factors to consider when hiring a freelance Annual Report writer.
It can be found here. …