Freelance Writing Blog

Moving Past Demand Media Studios

As some of you might know, Demand Media recently emailed their DMS writers about pending changes. Here’s what it comes down to. This business model was hit hard by Google recently — a big source of both traffic and income for content mills, farms, networks, or whatever we’re calling them this month. Demand realized they have to change things. For example, you can’t have repeat

Promoting For Print: Social Media

Writing for print isn’t just about writing for print. What? What I mean by that is this–you have to promote yourself and your work if you expect to make a dent in the print publication market. These days, a big part of this has to do with social media. Social media may seem like a strange thing to think of in terms of self-promotion–especially if

3 Signs It's Time to Rethink Your Rate Structure

We’ve talked about setting freelance writing rates and figuring out when you need to charge more. But the amount you charge isn’t the only potential problem with your freelance writing rates. Your rate structure can be equally problematic. For example, are you charging per word when you should be charging per article? Are published hourly rates turning off prospects and sending them to the competition? Let’s

Plan Early for a Productive Holiday Work Schedule

Can you believe it’s already October? That means the holiday season is just around the corner. And holidays can wreak havoc on our freelance work schedules (or at least they do for mine). Don’t let the holiday season get in the way of work, or let work stress keep you from enjoying the holidays. Let’s look at a few ways you can stay productive throughout

How to Turn One Client into Two

There is only one thing better than landing a new client – landing two new clients. Over the years, I have found several ways to turn one client into additional work in a relatively short period of time. While these tips are not full-proof and may not work for you every time with every client, they are worth a try. 1. Ask for a referral.

Yay! It’s Yeah and Yea!

This is driving me crazy. I just got an email with the subject, “Yeah a Birthday Baby is Born”. I’m not sure the sender (who is not known for her grammatical prowess) meant to sound as sarcastic as the teenagers we teach, but to someone who knows the difference between “yeah”, “yea” and “yay”, she did. And just what is the difference? If you don’t

Does Your Networking Come Across as Stalking?

Some freelancers are natural networkers. They have no problem introducing themselves to clients and colleagues, and they know how to build real relationships that benefit both parties. Other freelancers don’t have the same social skills. In general, that’s okay. I’d like to think we’re a fairly welcoming bunch overall. But every now and then someone takes networking or marketing too far, and they come across

Networking Events – Three Questions for Potential Clients

As a freelance writer at networking events, it is easy to sit back and let potential clients ask all the questions. While there is nothing wrong with listening and answering questions, you should feel comfortable opening up and asking some questions of your own. Not only does this show more interest on your part, but it gives you a better idea of whether or not

I’m No Longer a Rock Star Writing Mom

For years I’ve been a total rock star. But I’m retiring as I approach the ripe old age of thirty-two – how very rock star of me. I’m still writing – don’t get me wrong – I’m just not going to be working toward superstar status any more. Some of the most interesting advice I ever had was from a professor in my library program.

3 Types of Business Writing That Pay Big Money

Business writing gigs can be some of the most lucrative writing work you’ll ever take on. You can easily earn $100 per hour and more with this kind of work. You can take on projects for corporate clients. Or you can work for small businesses if you prefer (and contrary to popular belief, they often significant budgets to hire professional contractors). What are some examples of

Insulate Yourself From Bad Freelance Clients

Do you ever land bad freelance writing clients? Maybe they’re too needy. Maybe they don’t pay on time. Maybe they expect the world while paying next to nothing. These aren’t good clients to have. Yet many freelancers face these situations. You don’t have to. Here are three simple ways you can better insulate yourself from bad writing clients. 1. Be Choosy As a business owner,

Finance Fail: Increased Income, Increased Spending

I realized something kind of depressing today. I’m spending 30% more now than two years ago and the extra 30% isn’t being spent on new shoes. I was reviewing my budget earlier and it occurred to me that it’s taking a lot more money to pay for living expenses than it used to. I’m going over the numbers thinking there should be more leftover, but there’s

Magazine Writing: Tools Of The Trade

Writing for print has a lot in common with writing for the web, yet they are also quite different. Today I’d like to share some “tools of the trade” that have helped me navigate my writing career–especially when it comes to magazine writing. That said, many of these can also be used for freelance writing in general. Here goes: Desk Calendar There’s nothing quite like

Freelance Writing Marketing: An Up and Down Affair

To reach all your freelance writing goals, it is essential to market your services on a regular basis. From query letters to cold calls to cold emails and everything in between, the more time you spend on marketing the better off you are going to be. Year after year, I have found that my marketing success is an up and down affair. By this, I

What Your Writing Says about You

Nobody’s perfect, but most of try to get as close as possible, at least in our writing. Over the years, I’ve developed a laidback approach to the grammar and spellings of others, probably because I’m bombarded with bad spelling mistakes and grammar choices on any given day. Unlike many other writers, I also feel there are markets for all sorts of writing – including the

Tips to Manage Those Large, Periodic Expenses

Some expenses only happen a few times every year: car maintenance, certain insurance premiums, birthdays, holidays, etc. Because these expenses happen so infrequently, it’s hard to budget for them. You may not be able to add a budget line item in your January budget for $600 car maintenance or in July for the $2,000 property tax. You have to prepare for large, one-time expenses, preferably

Which Samples Should I Send?

Often times, a client will not want to work with you until you prove your experience. As you know, the best way of doing so is to show off some of your past work. Of course, this leads to one very important question: which samples should I send? Here are three tips to keep in mind as you sift through your portfolio, searching for the

The Two-Hour Career: Making WAHM Work

Every now and again I think about what it must be like to have all day to work on the writing career. How much more could I do in a day? How much more could I make? If only I’d started all of this writing before kids! But here I am, just like so many of you, a freelance mom working from home. I’ve done

What's Your Backup Plan?

“What am I going to do if this doesn’t work?” The first few months of freelancing full-time, that question was always in the back of my mind. I wondered what would happen if I couldn’t make it as a freelance writer. Looking back, I can’t believe I ever doubted, but even if I had to do it all over again, I’d still keep a backup

AWAI's Accelerated Program for 6-Figure Copywriting

Today I’d like to share a special program from American Writers & Artists Inc. Do you wish you could rake in six figures writing for businesses? If you’ve ever considered a freelance writing career as a copywriter and you want to learn how make some serious dough, AWAI’s Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting might be the kick you need. I’ve been promising these nice folks

5 Things I Learned About Freelancing from my Toddler

When I started writing online, my daughter was a baby. Today, as my business has grown, so has she and surprisingly, has taught me several important lessons along the way. Freelancing, they say, is not child’s play but one can surely learn a thing or two from kids. Here are 5 things that I learned about being a better, more productive writer and business owner

What to do the First Time you meet a Prospective Client

Are you planning on attending a get-together where you will have the chance to meet face to face with prospective clients? This can be a bit intimidating, especially if you have never gone through this process before. Many freelance writers share your concerns. After all, meeting with prospective clients in person can be full of stress. Fortunately, there are three things you can do to

Print Writing And Contracts

Today we are going to talk contracts. When you write for a print publication, you will often sign a contract for the work agreement that you will have with the publisher. There’s a lot to know about this subject. Although I can’t cover everything here, I am going to go over some basics so that you aren’t going in cold…here goes… First of all, always

Lead by Example

I am many things on a daily basis, like all of us here. At any given moment I’m wearing my hat as a mother, teacher, writer, business woman, friend, wife, public servant, what have you. It’s exhausting, of course, but then life should be for the most part. What’s the point of waking up in the morning and not using the day to its fullest

Pricing Lessons We Can Learn From Netflix

Have you heard about  Netflix’s plan to increase their prices on a segment of customers who were getting the best of two services for a really great price. It’s kind of old news by now, but here’s the background: Right now, Netflix subscribers can get unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs (one at a time) for $10 per month. Starting September 1, that same plan will

Direct Mail Marketing: Dead or Alive?

There are many methods of marketing your freelance writing services. From managing a freelance writing blog to attending networking events, your options run deep. In the past, direct mail marketing was all the rage. Freelancers, as well as professionals in many other industries, found this to be an effective means of drumming up new business. The question remains: is direct mail marketing dead or alive?

Writing Mistakes I See Too Often

Typos are a way of life and even reviewing your own work can be tricky since you tend to read what you meant to say rather than what you actually said. Then, there is an entirely different kind of writing goofs – these aren’t accidents from your finger slipping on the keyboard. These are blatant errors and if you’re making them, you’re getting on my

Expenses You Can’t Afford to Cut

In a freelancer’s life, when the going gets tough, the amenities get going. We all start looking for things to cut out of our budgets during those “famine” months when income isn’t so great. As you’re calling companies giving them the “I’d like to cancel my account” spiel, make sure you don’t cancel these. Homeowners or Renter’s Insurance Your mortgage company requires you to have

Freelancers: Get More Rest, Get More Done

I’ve been a bit of a hypocrite lately, not following my own rules about maintaining a work-life balance. Working late happens more often than it should (including today). And I haven’t felt very rested — which makes me feel mentally drained all day, which hurts my productivity even more and leads to more late nights. It’s a lousy little cycle. Sometimes it’s completely our fault

Three Questions to Expect at Networking Events

The main goal of attending networking events is to meet as many people as possible. During this time, you are sure to ask your fair share of questions. At the same time, there will be quite a few inquiries directed your way. Time after time, I am asked the same questions at these events. At first, I was not prepared for these questions and often