All Freelance Writing - All Forums http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/ Simple:Press Version 5.2.6 Jennifer Mattern on Missing the Morning Commute http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/general-chat/missing-the-morning-commute/#p1170 General Chat http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/general-chat/missing-the-morning-commute/#p1170 I occasionally miss singing along to the radio or a long morning NPR listening session. But I suppose I can always do those things in my home office too. I just need to convince myself that the neighbors can't hear me. ;)

]]> Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:33:55 +0000 Samanta on Missing the Morning Commute http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/general-chat/missing-the-morning-commute/#p1169 General Chat http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/general-chat/missing-the-morning-commute/#p1169 I loved commuting for plenty of free time I had on a road. I loved thinking. So many interesting thoughts and ideas were crossing my mind then. However, there are so many useful things to do during the time saved.

]]> Mon, 25 Mar 2013 09:25:00 +0000 Samanta on How (or Why) Did You Get Into Freelancing? http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/general-chat/how-or-why-did-you-get-into-freelancing/#p1168 General Chat http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/general-chat/how-or-why-did-you-get-into-freelancing/#p1168 My kids made me.=) I had to stay at home to keep an eye on them. I didn't want to wholly quit working, though. Thus, I decided to take up home-based freelancing which was perfect for my situation. Generally, I'm pleased now with state of things I have.

]]> Mon, 25 Mar 2013 09:23:00 +0000 Jennifer Mattern on What time tracking programs do you use? http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/what-time-tracking-programs-do-you-use/#p1167 Freelance Business Chat http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/what-time-tracking-programs-do-you-use/#p1167 Great. Let us know what you think of it. :)

]]> Thu, 21 Mar 2013 21:38:05 +0000 Kristen on What time tracking programs do you use? http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/what-time-tracking-programs-do-you-use/#p1166 Freelance Business Chat http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/what-time-tracking-programs-do-you-use/#p1166 Awesome! I'll give it a try -- thank you!

]]> Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:15:02 +0000 Jennifer Mattern on What time tracking programs do you use? http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/what-time-tracking-programs-do-you-use/#p1165 Freelance Business Chat http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/what-time-tracking-programs-do-you-use/#p1165 I don't currently use time tracking software, but if I did I'd probably use an app rather than software on my laptop. But I just looked around and found one called Office Time -- http://officetime.net

It's downloadable. They have versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux. You can try it for free for a few weeks before buying. After that, it looks like it's a one-time $47 fee. It seems pretty intuitive, at least from the little while I spent playing with it. Might be worth trying out. :)

]]> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:33:02 +0000 Kristen on What time tracking programs do you use? http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/what-time-tracking-programs-do-you-use/#p1164 Freelance Business Chat http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/what-time-tracking-programs-do-you-use/#p1164 I want to find a good time tracking app to see how many hours per day I actually work vs. advertising/promotive stuff. Right now I'm using Clockodo and it works quite well, but I think I'd prefer something that I can download (instead of using an internet-based program). I know there are a lot of programs out there, but I'm having issues finding one that I love and is downloadable.

These are the "necessities":
-Reports / pie charts that show where my time went
-Preferably downloadable / one-time purchase cost OR max $10/month
-Easy interface

Built-in invoicing systems don't take much of a priority. If anybody can give me some good recommendations, I'm all ears! Thank you!

Kristen

]]> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:28:16 +0000 Jennifer Mattern on Hello to all the members! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-to-all-the-members/#p1163 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-to-all-the-members/#p1163 I'm glad you found the posts helpful Joe.

And welcome to the forum. :)

Jenn

]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 21:15:56 +0000 joemalik on Hello to all the members! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-to-all-the-members/#p1162 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-to-all-the-members/#p1162 I've read a bunch of articles on this site and have already put my newfound knowledge to use. I will have my wordpress-based freelance writing site/blog set up by the end of the week. Thanks in advance to all of you! And thank you Jennifer for all the valuable insights and kick-in-the-butt blog posts. :)

]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 18:58:40 +0000 Johanna on What were your biggest freelance questions as a new writer? http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/what-were-your-biggest-freelance-questions-as-a-new-writer/#p1161 Freelance Business Chat http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/what-were-your-biggest-freelance-questions-as-a-new-writer/#p1161 Thank you, again, Jenn! You've given me such great advice, I'm very grateful for it :)

]]> Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:41:25 +0000 Jennifer Mattern on Communication Issues with virtual collaboration http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/communication-issues-with-virtual-collaboration/#p1160 Freelance Business Chat http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/communication-issues-with-virtual-collaboration/#p1160 They receive one completed document from me, regardless of length. They can ask for a round of changes if they have a problem with the material I send. I make those changes. Then they get to make suggestions / requests one more time on the new version they receive. And again I make the edits. (In most cases there either aren't any edit requests or they're fairly minor). After that point, they don't get to request more changes unless they're willing to pay an extra editing fee.

If they want "edits" that are actually a change in scope over the original project, they usually get billed for an entirely new project (or billed for separate edits depending on how big the changes are). You're only required to give what they asked for. If they change their mind about what they want after the initial work is completely, they have to pay for that as the separate project it really is.

]]> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:08:14 +0000 Cheryl on Communication Issues with virtual collaboration http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/communication-issues-with-virtual-collaboration/#p1159 Freelance Business Chat http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/communication-issues-with-virtual-collaboration/#p1159 Thanks for the good tips. When you say you only allow "2 edits" within your advertised rates, how do you define that when your'e editing a long document, with pieces getting added along the way? Would that mean 2 edits again, first page to last?

]]> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:32:46 +0000 Jennifer Mattern on Communication Issues with virtual collaboration http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/communication-issues-with-virtual-collaboration/#p1158 Freelance Business Chat http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/communication-issues-with-virtual-collaboration/#p1158 That's what many clients expect. They're hiring you because you're a professional in a specialty area who can do something they can't do, don't want to do, or don't have time to do. You need to be able to work in a way where you can "just handle it" most of the time.

And frankly, some clients just suck at communicating their needs. That's why the initial interviews / questions are so important. Get as much information as possible out of them up front, and it can save a lot of headaches later.

You're not crazy to be frustrated. It sounds like this is one of those cases where the client wasn't clear enough early on. And changing what they want after the fact is never okay (and should always incur additional fees). That's scope creep.

As for making decisions on your own though, that's a part of being an independent professional. It's a part of our jobs, plain and simple. Sometimes clients will like those decisions. Sometimes they won't. You can minimize endless edit requests by putting a limit on them up front. For example, I only allow 2 edits within my advertised rates. They can't keep nitpicking after that. They can't pull in 5 other people to give feedback and separate edit requests. And if they do want more (which I don't have to provide), they're charged quite a bit for it because I charge my normal copyediting rates (which is basically a 50% increase over their original planned budget). If you don't have a clear policy like that yet, this sounds like a great time to start. :)

Jenn

]]> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:09:08 +0000 Cheryl on Communication Issues with virtual collaboration http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/communication-issues-with-virtual-collaboration/#p1157 Freelance Business Chat http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/freelance-business-chat/communication-issues-with-virtual-collaboration/#p1157 Hi!
I have a question about communicating with clients when the project is fairly large and requires substantive editing. I'm working on a proposal, so it's not just straight text--there are a lot of headers, formatting, bullet lists, etc. I am working virutally (and communicating via e-mail) because the client is in another state, so we can't meet in person to review drafts on paper, and address any issues line-by-line.
There are areas of the project where I have needed guidance, because the researched material is not mine. That is, I don't quite know how to determine what are the most important things to keep, and which to cut. So for these areas, I have asked for quick notes/comments from the client to help me figure out the order of things or what can be cut, if needed.
The client has not really responded to many of my questions with more than 1-sentence phrases, leaving me to guess. The client seems to have the idea that she's paying me to just "handle it." I work best when we can collaborate and agree on what is being done, because I know that it saves time in the end.
And then it happened: I made a guess as to what to rearrange/cut, and then the client didn't like it, so I had to put it back the way it was, but then after that I still had to re-do the sections because--suddenly--she came up with a completely new idea about what she wanted.
By the way, we had managed to connect by phone a few times, but it didn't result in any clearer understanding. We seemed to be speaking Greek to each other.
Am I crazy to be frustrated about this? Is it normal to have to spend extra time pulling teeth just to get a handle on the client's needs? If I barrel through and just do something, after getting little feedback, only to be met with "this needs more work," is it right to cut off my services and ask for payment after a certain number of hours are spent? (This was a fixed-price job, but I know when I've gone into the red.)

]]> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:02:07 +0000 Jennifer Mattern on Getting my foot in the advertising door http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/marketing/getting-my-foot-in-the-advertising-door/#p1156 Marketing http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/marketing/getting-my-foot-in-the-advertising-door/#p1156 That sounds like a good plan. At least you'll get some testing out of it to find out if paid ads are attracting the kind of buyer's you're looking for. As for fiction editing, I'd make sure you're showing up high in search engines, especially for a specific genre you want to focus on. I know when I was recently searching for editors, I had a hard time finding specialists in my area without asking people for referrals. There just weren't many good websites for these folks to attract prospects. That means the market's wide open on that front.

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