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
As an English teacher, I have a strategy that usually works for struggling and reluctant writers. If they claim to not be able to write something, I ask them to tell me the story or response to address the prompt. Then, after they tell me a sentence or two, I repeat it back to a student and tell him to write it down. Kid says,
Writing for print is tricky in a number of ways, but one of the most important–and the most difficult–is having a strong voice and being able to adapt it to the style of the publication you are querying. Some writers may already have a voice that they use and are comfortable with. That’s a great thing, but there is typically one problem that goes along
For most people transitioning into full-time freelance writing or freelance writing on the side for awhile, there will undoubtedly be a period of time that you’re managing two kinds of income: income from freelance writing and income from a regular job. Or if you’re a writer who’s married to or cohabitating with someone who earns a regular income, the two of you may also face
Who really loves your business? Of course you do, but you don’t count. A better question is: which portion of the public out there really loves your freelance writing business? You’d like to think everyone who has the need for a writer loves your business, but that’s simply not the truth. Not everyone is going to love your business nor will they be able to
For many freelance writers, marketing is the “hot topic” of the day. Not only are these people looking for a marketing strategy that works, but they want to rely on something that doesn’t take up all their time. If this sounds familiar, you have probably given cold calling a second thought at some point in time. This is something we have discussed before. For example,
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
I’m a teacher. I chose to be a teacher, and I continue to teach because I enjoy the challenge and the rewards of the profession. But there are always downsides, and in this season of assessment testing and stress, I was thinking today about my other job. I’m a freelance writer. I chose to start writing and to continue this career in addition to the
Your freelance writing business involves more than research, writing, and editing. There’s the whole “business” side of the equation too. And an important part of running the business behind your freelance writing is managing client relationships. Let’s explore a few things you should keep in mind as a freelance writer when it comes to building and maintaining relationships with clients and prospects. The Client Isn’t
One of the hardest parts about adjusting to freelance writing life, and self-employment in general, is living with a fluctuating income. There may be periods of time that the projects and payments are coming in like a flood. Others, they’re as dry as a ditch on a hot summer day. What you do during those low-income months is so important because it will have a
I have a habit of taking on quite a few writing-related projects at once. I’m a blogger and freelance business writer for my clients. I run numerous websites and blogs of my own. And I write books and e-books. There never seems to be enough time in my work days, and lately I’ve found myself putting in extra hours far too often — something I
Before hitting “send” when sending out a new piece or before hitting “publish” on a new blog post, it pays to proofread your piece. Here are some quick things to check when proofreading your own copy. Homophones Perhaps one of the most common mistakes when when writing is misusing homophones–words that sound alike but are spelled differently. Spell check won’t catch a misused word; it
One of the main reasons for your success as a writer is your passion. You love what you do and it shows through in your work. Are you able to take this same passion and translate it to your marketing strategy? If so, you will have an easier time generating interest and landing new clients. Here are three ways to let your passion shine through
As any work-at-home parent knows, your schedule is at the mercy of your family. The exception might be those who have a babysitter or daycare lined up, but for most of us, we have to plug along as best with we can with holidays, changing sleep schedules, summer vacations and the rest of it. Over the almost eight years I’ve been working from home, I’ve
I thought doing a post on scheduling might be good for all the magazine writers out there… Basically what I mean by scheduling is deciding how much to take on at first–in other words, how to manage the process of trying to land articles in print. It can be really easy to take on too much in the beginning, and that can really cause problems.
The deadline for filing a tax return this year is Monday, April 15th. That’s just seven days away! I know there are some of us who filed our tax returns as soon as the IRS began accepting tax returns. Others of us may be too busy writing (trying to make enough money to pay the tax bill?) to get those tax returns done before the
Being a freelancer is tough enough without having to worry about every single detail in your life. You would think with all the apps available you could find something to handle all the nitpicky stuff you hate to do. Well, all your dreams have come true! With the following tools you should be able to increase the time you have to run your business. 1.
Do you ever feel like your freelance writing career is going nowhere fast? Do you try to take things up a notch, but they never seem to improve, or at least not by much? You might be making one of these common mistakes that freelance writers mistake. Here are five reasons why your writing career might be going absolutely nowhere: 1. You’re not improving your
You may have had college professors preach to you to “show, don’t tell.” The ironic thing about that statement is that it contradicts itself. Take the video I’ve embedded below, for instance. In the video, a blind homeless man is begging for change. A young woman comes by and changes what he has written on his sign–and in response, many more people begin to give
If you are going to market your freelance writing services, you might as well do whatever you can to achieve as much success as possible. This means following up on all activity, from cold calls to direct mail and everything in between. It is easy to believe that your marketing strategy will take care of itself the first time around. However, this is not always
It’s time for my first quarterly evaluation for my business. While I evaluate my progress on specific goals more frequently, I use my quarterly evaluations to review my longer-term plans and resolutions. So far things are going pretty well. But, as usual, I need to make some changes. Progress So Far Here are some of the things I can check off my yearly to-do list:
I received an interesting message the other day about some ideas on writing in other countries. Normally you think of “Western” copywriting – predominately American, Canadian and UK copywriting. English speaking readers are the typical target or niche, but what about readers in other nations in the world? China is poised to become the largest commercial market in the world if it’s not there already
Have you considered getting into business writing as your specialty, but you aren’t sure that it’s for you? Business writing is such a broad area for freelancers that you’re bound to find some projects you’d be interested in. You don’t have to offer every business writing service out there to be a successful business writer. For example, I don’t write long pushy sales copy that
Writing is actually one of the easier parts of freelancing writing. Maybe it’s like that with all craft-turned-businesses. The tougher parts of being a professional freelance writer can be things like finding clients, having a steady stream of ideas, and managing the finances. Because I’m no fan of mulling over finances for hours, there are some things I do to make this area of freelancing
I’m a big fan of any tool that can help me get more work finished in less time. One tool freelance writers might not think to use is a word count tracker. But word count trackers are more for authors, right? Sure. They’re great for tracking your progress on a book. But there are also plenty of ways you can use them with typical freelance
For many freelance writers, marketing is not something they enjoy. In fact, this is something they fear for one reason or the next. But why? Why do so many people shy away from this when it could help take their career to the next level? Here are three reasons why some writers avoid creating a detailed marketing strategy: Afraid it won’t work. Let’s face it:
I’m not going to split hairs about what makes a professional writer different from a full-time writer or different from a freelance writer or blogger or any other industry distinction. When I talk about being a professional writer, I could care less what you write – I’m referring to how you treat your clients and your business. There are two elements to being a successful
It’s one thing to enjoy the freedom freelance writing offers. But sometimes we still get overwhelmed. Deadlines loom, payments might seem to take forever, and our to-do lists could occupy a mile-long scroll. Fortunately there are some things you can do to make yourself more productive than ever, and even happier in your freelance writing work. Here are five tips to help you become a
When you’re looking for ways to make money from writing, you’re bound to run across a few scams. Some may actually sound promising – after all, the marketing materials are written by people who are good at writing. But, a well-written sales page, filled with promises, guarantees, and testimonials doesn’t necessarily indicate a legitimate product or service. You haven’t worked hard to earn a living
I’ve mentioned this type of piece before–the “evergreen” article… Evergreen articles are those that are always in need. Think “timeless”. For example: Great holiday gifts Back to school tips for parents 5 Fast, Healthy Meals Money-saving vacation ideas Magazines are always in need of this type of content, and it can be a great way to break in to a particular publication. Even so, you