Regarding the QFF blog, now that the main interview series is over, we’ll be picking up the pace here. :) I expect to post each day Monday – Friday most weeks, starting with today’s interview with Peter Bowerman. So while you’re waiting on the book, hopefully the blog can help you out. :)

As for coaching, I don’t currently do that, especially while I’m focused on the next e-book release and getting the book together. But I have been considering an online course. Again, it’s not something I’ll be doing in the very near future–just an idea I’m batting around at the moment. If I put together something concrete, I’ll certainly let you know.

For right now, let me suggest going back to your copy of the Web Writer’s Guide e-book. If you haven’t established yourself in a consistent manner, it sounds like you should go back to the beginning (planning-wise). Look at the target market worksheet, business plan template, and marketing plan template. Figure out exactly what type of freelance writer you want to be (Web content writer, blogger, commercial writer, magazine writer, etc. – or some combination of them). Figure out what niche(s) you want to focus on — it’s okay to choose more than one, but keep them similar and you’ll get more out of your marketing efforts (not having to market to two different audiences). Because you’re 18, you’re not going to have the same kinds of credentials as others who have been at it longer. So you’ll need to figure out another unique selling position (USP) for your specific services. Perhaps the most important thing you can do is figure out if there’s a demand for what you want to do, and whether or not the niche is already saturated. If it is, find a similar niche that still has room to grow (such as going from print writing in a niche to blogging while that medium continues to grow). Choose your niche, and commit to it! Launch a blog to help with visibility and networking. Get a professional site up if you don’t have it already. Build a presence in online communities where your prospective clients hang out. Comment on related blogs. There are a lot of little things that you can do, and they’ll add up to a platform that attracts clients.

I know it’s frustrating in the beginning. It only took me 3 months to get to a point where clients were finding me, and I didn’t really have to seek them out much anymore. I know it doesn’t always work out quite that well, and I do remember how much those 3 months sucked. I was determined not to waste my life writing query letter after query letter. I knew there was a better way, and I knew it would fall back on marketing and PR fundamentals. It wasn’t always fun getting a platform built (and I still do it to this day), but it’s worth it. You just have to find the focus first. For me, I moved from my PR firm into writing on the side, so the type of writing was obvious. It’s okay to dabble in the beginning if you’re trying to figure out what you want to do. Just don’t make a career out of the dabbling — you’ll never earn to your potential that way. Admit to yourself that it’s going to be tough for a while, but commit to that change. Then just do it. I remember what it was like having my family tell me to get a real job (they never liked the idea that I could work from home and actually earn a living). Now they ask to borrow money. Think about something like that – proving something to someone (or to yourself!). It may not help, but for me it was the extra motivation I needed – any time someone tells me I can’t do something, I make it a point to prove them wrong. :)

You can do it. You just have to be realistic about it, decide what you really want to do with your career, and then do it! It really isn’t difficult; it just takes some time. :)