Review of the Six Figure Freelancer E-book
November 26, 2007 – 1:31 amNote: This review was originally published on my new Six Figure Freelancing lens at Squidoo.
The Six Figure Freelancer e-book by David Drake is an excellent starting point if you want to become a six figure freelance writer.What I loved about this e-book is the fact that it doesn’t simply target high-end freelance writers, but rather all writers, no matter what their skill level, or level of experience, is.
Even if you’re just starting out, this e-book will cut through a lot of the crap you’ll find elsewhere, save you time in the learning process of becoming a successful freelancer, and put you well on your way to earning at least a livable income from your writing.
The e-book is a great resource, but it wasn’t perfect. I did make a few suggestions to the author (which he’s taking under advisement - he promised some changes), including:
- Fixing a length statistic regarding those interested in writing press releases - the length he gave was unrealistically long (which jumped out at me, as my full-time work is running an online PR firm; my own specialty).
- Adding more thorough information on setting freelance writing rates (some of which you can find right in my six figure freelancing lens mentioned above - or you can learn more by reading my article on my All Freelance Writing blog: Setting Freelance Writing Rates the Right Way).
With those issues out there up front, here are some of the topics that I’ve always found vital when trying to help new freelance writers (especially Web writers), all of which are covered in the Six Figure Freelancer e-book:
- How to successfully use freelance bidding sites (One thing I disagree with is that I don’t believe you should lower your rates just to compete with international competition - if you run into that problem, it’s your target market that you need to alter. You’ll already know your minimum working rate when you set your freelance writing fees up front.)
- Setting up a writer website / portfolio (which I feel is vital for any serious freelancer; writer or otherwise)
- Marketing tips to help you drive potential clients to your website
- Going beyond bidding sites to earn a significantly higher income
- Coming up with your personal best strategy to reach a six figure freelancing goal
- and more…
I don’t generally recommend a lot of e-books, and when I do I usually have to review them personally first. Six Figure Freelancer is one of the few that I’m comfortable enough referring to you. Whether you’re brand new to freelance writing, or you’re looking to increase your writing revenue (especially on the Web), you’ll find something useful in this e-book.
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6 Responses to “Review of the Six Figure Freelancer E-book”
I’ve been shopping around for some high quality resources on marketing for freelancers. I would like to drive more potential clients to my freelance site It sounds like this e-book only touches on that subject. I was wondering if you have any recommendations?
-Melissa Donovan
Writing FORWARD
By Melissa Donovan on Nov 27, 2007
The e-book covers a good bit about marketing actually, although the bulk is related to marketing via freelance bidding sites. However, it also touches on marketing via Craigslist, marketing to (and how to find) higher-paying Web publishers (the author mentions $15-40… not high per article, but much better than what you’ll find in most Web publishing circles), some traditional marketing tactics, and (most important in my opinion) marketing through your own website.
But if you’re looking for a larger resource completely focused on marketing for writers, I’d absolutely recommend Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. It’s one of my personal favorites, and I tend to keep reading it over and over again.
1001 Ways to Market Your Book (I think that’s right) is also a great book. Even if you’re not marketing a book specifically, a lot of the tactics can be adapted to other kinds of writing.
I’d also suggest looking into The Wealthy Writer. It has one of the best sections I’ve seen on PR for writers (a topic near and dear to my heart).
By Jenn on Nov 27, 2007
Oh, and frankly I think any freelancer needs to read Michael McLaughlin’s Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants - if you provide a service, that book is an excellent resource even if you wouldn’t consider yourself a “consultant.” It’s another one I constantly go back to when I’m looking for new ideas for my own writing or PR work. I’m a fan of the Guerrilla Marketing series as a whole, but those two are by far my favorites.
By Jenn on Nov 27, 2007