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From the Writing Forums

• How do You Set Your E-book Prices?
• Business Bank Accounts
• What Accounting Software do You Use?
• What Gets You Through Your Work Day?
• How do You Approach Website and Blog Design?

From the Blog

• Freelance Writers: Stand Up for Your Rates – by LaToya Irby
• Messy Subjects and Verbs – by Rebecca Garland

From the Web

• Fair Wages for Freelance Writing – Melanie Brooks at Freelance Switch
• 6 Freelance Writing Fears and How to Overcome Them – Anne Wayman at About Freelance Writing
• You Are a Better Writer Than You Think You Are – Laura Spencer at Writing Thoughts
• Plan a Marketing Strategy for Your Freelance Career – Jake Rocheleau at Freelance Folder
• How the 80-20 Rule Affects Freelance Writers – John Soares at Productive Writers
• 5 Steps to Freelance Awesomeness – Steph Auteri at WordCount
• Putting the Customer Back into Customer Service – Lori Widmer at Words on the Page
• 10 Ways to Ensure No One Will Read Your Blog Content – Ali Luke at Daily Blog Tips

From the Archives

• Free Business Resources for Freelance Writers
• How to Build a Writer Platform and Make Jobs Come to You
• 3 Types of Business Writing That Pay Big Money
• How to Insulate Yourself From Bad Freelance Clients
• Think Twice About Writing for Revenue Share

Specialty: Weight Loss, Exercise, Fitness, Restaurant Setup

Rates: 50 per article

I have been a freelance writer for around a year now. I do this in my free time. I love to write, and I always find my brain droning about things that would probably make an interesting article or two. I draw from my experiences in my businesses and my hobbies. I am an avid runner and cyclist. I used to lift a lot of weights also. These topics are things I have researched about in the past for personal reasons.

Website:

Specialty: poetry,food,entertainment,children,religion,politics

Rates: USD 1.50 per word in article. 4000 dollars a sales letter. 6000 to 8000 dollars for pamphlets and brochures

Mitchell Falcon’s life had changed when he realized his true calling, writing! He then tested his abilities in the writing world by composing poetry, novels, articles, and short stories and editing them.He then started reading them to see if they would give satisfaction to a reader. Since then he has submitted short stories, poetry, and articles to magazines and newspaers finally getting his big break with a local large newspaper of New Orleans. He hopes to have a great future with his readers and writing career. Now he is a full-time freelancer and is willing to take up work. He takes on projects like pamphlets, brochures, articles, fiction, poetry, and copywriting.

Website: www.cjbizwriter.com

Specialty: Freelance Writing / Consulting

Rates: $50 per hour

CJ Business Writing & Consulting provides the highest quality service while always striving for excellence and never settling for just “good enough.”
We genuinely care about each and every one of our valued clients and we strive to go above and beyond in order to provide the best client experience possible.

We provide all this and more, while at the same time providing good value services you can rely on.
Some of the services we offer include:

Copywriting
Resume Writing
Proofreading
Article / SEO Writing
Blogging
Data Entry
Travel Consulting
Marketing
Basic design – (website, letterhead, business cards)

Website: www.ronniedauberauthor.com

Specialty: Christianity, writing tips

Rates: 50 per article

Ronnie holds college diplomas for Business & Administration and Common Law with the Toronto Business College, and writing children’s magazine articles and novels with the Institute of Childrens Literature. She is currently enrolled with Teachers Without Boarders in their college course, Teaching Mastery Certificate. Ronnie writes for two online journal sites and has over 600 articles published online. In September of 2009 she published her first teen novel entitled Mudslide, and is currently completing her second novel.

Website: www.chistell.com

Specialty: SEO writing, press releases, corporate presentations, ebooks

Rates: 50 per article

Results driven communications professional with deep expertise in creating synergies across cultures and businesses by crafting engaging copy for print, broadcast and Internet media. Extensive experience creating sales and analytical communications at the corporate, social and educational levels. Produce content for small businesses, Internet based companies, training seminars and conferences including Take Our Daughters to Work Day, Writers and Literary Law, Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference and Milwaukee Write to Read. Works featured in Parade, Essence, Sisters In Style, The College of New Jersey Literary Review, Pittsburgh Quarterly and Your Church Magazines and The Trenton Times, Bucks County Courier Times, New Citizens Press and Family Times newspapers.

Specialty: SEO Writing, Web Content Writing,

Rates: 50 per article

I have been working as a freelance writer since a year. During this time, I have written several SEO optimized articles as well as other articles. A sample of work done is given below:

1. Have written SEO optimized articles for Ballard Defensive Driving School, Texas.
2. Have written SEO optimized articles on various types of wood working projects, for promoting a website on behalf of an affiliate marketer.
3. Have written an academic article titled ‘The Roles and Boundaries of the Counselor and the Client’ based on observations in the prescribed format.
4. Have written an academic article titled ‘The Albatrosses and a Killer While’, in the prescribed format, based on observations in a study.
5. Have written articles on the different forms of internet marketing.
6. Have published articles in ezinearticles.com. Link:

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1. Freelance Writers: 3 Tips for Taking Your Life Back
2. Top 10 Free Online Tools for Writers — As Chosen by YOU!
3. Demand Studios Health Insurance: An Objective Overview of FlexShield Benefits
4. Not Earning Enough as a Freelance Writer? You Have Only Yourself to Blame
5. 10 Costly Money Mistakes Freelancers Should Avoid
6. How to Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Freelance Writing Business
7. How Not to Hire Freelance Writers and Bloggers
8. How to Build a Web Writing Portfolio Even if You Have no Experience
9. A Real Look at Residual Income
10. Proving Your Value to Prospective Writing Clients
11. Exposing Some Myths About Blogging Pay Rates
12. Getting Started in Magazine Writing with Linda Formichelli
13. How to Lose a $7000 Freelance Writing Gig Without Even Trying
14. Freelance Writers: Why is “Work Smarter” so Difficult to Understand?
15. To Spend or Not to Spend: That’s a Damn Good Question
16. Two Free Word Count Trackers for Writers
17. Making it as a Freelance Mom
18. The Freelancer’s Quick Guide to Accounting and Bookkeeping
19. How to Get Freelance Writing Referrals Even if You’re New
20. 3 Ways to Find Those Elusive Unadvertised Freelance Writing Jobs

All Freelance Writing will be bringing you lots of new features, products, tools, and freebies in the New Year. I hope to see you then!

I don’t think it’s any secret that I despise oDesk. Why? Because they not only allow, but encourage, clients to cross the employer / client line with their software that lets clients actually watch you work, while you’re working from your own machine in your own home, etc. I’m not going to get into the problem with that here. I suggest if you’re a U.S. freelancer you spend some time learning your rights and doing some research with the IRS as to what clients can and cannot do without taking on the increased burdens of becoming actual employers.

Today there’s a new problem. oDesk is apparently pushing the idea that they’re offering health insurance to freelancers (oh, how original). But before you get excited, read carefully. It has absolutely nothing to do with insurance for freelancers. Instead, their new oDesk Staffing will give freelancers the opportunity to work as employees instead. What’s wrong with that? Not a damn thing if you don’t want to be a freelancer.

OK. So what’s the problem? Well, you see, there’s a little catch. Actually, there are several:

• To be eligible for the benefits you have to work for them 30 hours a week. No biggie.
• To be eligible you have to work for hourly pay. If you get paid per word, per piece, etc. (typical in freelance writing as well as some other freelance fields), you’re not eligible for the benefits because it’s all based on your hourly commitment.
• Wait now, here’s the kicker. Want W-2 employee status? You have to pay them for it! Can you believe that crap? You PAY for the “privilege” of giving up your freedom as a freelancer. You PAY for the privilege of having a job. That my friends is complete and utter bullshit. Why do they charge 20%? To cover their “services” of course! What services you might ask? Oh, just the little things they’d be required to do the moment they choose to take people on as employees instead of having them work as contractors — things like tax withholdings. Say it with me now – “Bull. F*ing. Shit.”

This is really getting ridiculous (and of course, yet again, we have a program being promoted before the company’s releasing all of the details). Folks, look. If you don’t want to be freelancing, then by all means stop freelancing and take an employee job somewhere. But if you freelance, take responsibility for yourself. Get your own health insurance. Get your own benefits of every variety. That’s a part of being self-employed. If you can’t afford those things, then you’re not earning enough and either you need to rethink your rates or you need to rethink your marketing strategy because something isn’t working.

Just do me a favor, please. Don’t get sucked into these promises and “deals” without looking at them thoroughly and critically first. And don’t get your hopes up about anything a company isn’t willing to be completely transparent about up front. If they weren’t ready to release the details, they probably should have kept their mouths shut. And how about some truth in advertising please? From their oDesk Staffing page:

“Access benefits previously unavailable to freelancers, such as group health insurance and 401(k) retirement plans”

Newsflash: those benefits are STILL unavailable to freelancers. If you take on W-2 status in order to be eligible for the benefits, you will not be a freelancer. You will be an employee. Alright. I’m going shut up because if I think about this anymore my head might explode.

So I went home. I made some hot cocoa. I put on some fuzzy slippers. I turned on some Christmas music and curled up with my cats and my mother’s two dogs (puppy-sitting this weekend). And it it hit me. This is great.

Sure, it’s a Sunday so I’m not working anyway. It doesn’t really matter what day of the week it is though. My schedule is generally my own. I choose when I want to wake up and when I complete my work hours. I don’t have to go out during rush hour. I don’t have to drive anywhere unless I really want to. If it’s raining I can choose to go outside and play in it or I can choose to stay in, warm and dry. If there’s ice building up on my car, I can just wait for the sun to melt it rather than being out early scraping. If there’s a blizzard I can sit and watch it from my balcony or my window by my desk without having to dig my car out just so I can go out and earn a living.

Working at home is a beautiful thing, and this icy little morning reminds me exactly how beautiful it is. Don’t forget to appreciate all the little things that make freelance writing such a great career choice. As for Mother Nature, bring on that blizzard baby. I’m ready.