Author Archives: Dan Smith

About Dan Smith

Dan is a freelance writer and small business consultant. Dividing his time between writing for both individual clients and national corporations and giving a helping hand to many small startup companies, he has several years experience in both areas, as well as a strong background in Search Engine Optimisation.

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3 Things I Don’t Want To Hear When Hiring Writers

By on May 13th, 2013

If you read my previous blog post, you’ll know that over the past few years I’ve gone from being a part time freelance writer, regularly pitching for projects, to working in a full time role, hiring freelance writers for content production on an array of different topics. When I was freelance writing myself full time, I thought I had a good idea of just what those people hiring writers were looking for.  While I’m not saying I had a perfect success record when it came to applying for gigs – far from it – I liked to think I knew …

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Posted in Freelance Writing Business |

Being A Freelance Writer: Views From Both Sides Of The Fence

By on April 29th, 2013

Last time I wrote a blog post here on AllFreelanceWriting.com was way back in June 2010.  Working with Jenn on a variety of other projects since, things have changed a lot over the past few years. When I used to write for AFW, I was writing part time. I had a full time job in a completely irrelevant field, working a standard 40 hour week and then I spent my evenings and weekends freelance writing. With my aim always being to make freelance writing my full time role, I’m happy to say that’s essentially what happened – and in the …

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How To Stay Motivated As A Freelance Writer

By on July 25th, 2010

I had a really strange few days this past week. I’ve taken on some new work, streamlined my current projects so I can take most weekends off and started to jot down ideas for the book I’ve been trying to write for a while. I should have been ecstatic, but instead I found it particularly difficult to get – and stay – motivated. I don’t know whether it was because of the fact I’ve been able  take more time off, which means I don’t have to be working constantly and can take a breather or whether it’s just because I’ve …

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How To Turn Down A Freelance Writing Project Professionally And Respectably

By on July 18th, 2010

When starting as a freelance writer, it’s difficult to turn down work.  You’re a rookie in the industry who’s trying to make a living writing and the simplest way to do that seems to be to take on as much work as you possibly can. There comes a point, though, when you physically can’t take on anymore work and you need to start turning projects down – something which you probably never thought you would do. Although it might seem a relatively simple thing to do – saying no – to ensure that you are as professional and respected as …

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How To Expand Your Freelance Writing Business By Networking With Other Writers

By on July 11th, 2010

I’m naturally a bit of a reclusive person.  I enjoy working with others and socialising with groups of friends, but I tend to find that if I can do something by myself rather than with others, I generally will. Since being a freelance writer, however, one of the most important points I’ve learnt  is that networking with other writers is key to developing your writing business. When I first started writing, I thought I could do it all myself.  Getting involved in a few different conversations but generally staying in the background, I believed that I could learn from others …

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Posted in Freelance Writing Business, Marketing, Networking |

How To Take A Break From Your Freelance Writing Business

By on July 4th, 2010

I’ve been a freelance writer for a few years now, but it wasn’t until January this year when I actually started to make a real go of making my hobby-come-part-time-job into a full time career. Before 2010, to all intents and purposes I’d been playing at freelance writing.  I had a few regular clients, kept in with the right crowds and applied for a few new gigs occassionally.  I was plodding along quite happily and faced no major problems when it came to meeting deadlines if I wanted to take a break. The past 6 months, however, have been a …

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How To Prepare For A Drop In Your Freelance Writing Business

By on June 27th, 2010

No matter if you’ve been writing 12 weeks or 12 years, there’ll be a time when when your freelance writing work dries up a little. For some writers, it’s a seasonal hazard.  For others, it’s because of something they’ve done (having changed their prices or being out of the ‘loop’ for a while are two examples that come to mind).  However, it’s likely that at some point your career, you’re likely to see a drop in your work and if you’re haven’t prepared, it can be a daunting time. If you have prepared, however, then surviving a drop in your …

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How To Find Free Stock Photos For Your Freelance Writing Blog

By on June 20th, 2010

Since early 2010, I’ve been hired to create a lot of photo blog posts.  I don’t know whether it’s something that other people are experiencing or that for some reason it’s just my workload that’s consisting of this type of work, but I really enjoy creating them. One of the most time consuming parts, however, is actually finding photos that can be used.  I occasionally use stock photo websites that require a paid subscription, but I’ve found that one of the easiest ways to find stock photos – and for free – is to simply search Google Images for images …

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How To Promote Your Freelance Writing Blog Using Social Media

By on June 13th, 2010

Last week I mentioned that I was moving away from more traditional construction DIY projects and focusing on those that could have an actual impact upon your freelance writing business. Starting with how to install a WordPress theme on your freelance writing blog last week, this week we’re going to take an introductory look into how to promote your freelance writing blog using 5 different social media tools. N.B. – this post is meant to act as an introduction into social media and its uses, aimed primarily at those freelance writers who have just set up their own blog.  It …

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How To Install A WordPress Theme On Your Freelance Writing Blog

By on June 6th, 2010

For the past few months in this series, I’ve been focusing on more practical DIY projects; things that would be considered to be traditionally ‘Do-It-Yourself’. I’m making a bit of a change from now on and am going to start  looking at DIY projects that are less focused on building and construction and look more at aspects that will benefit your actual freelance writing business.  Plus, you’ll now be getting four DIY projects each month, rather than just the one. Starting right at the beginning this month, it’s important for all freelance writers to not only have a freelance writing …

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