Browse the All Freelance Writing collection of freelance business articles below.
This section covers the business side of freelance writing, from finding better clients and choosing a specialty to setting rates, growing income, and making smarter decisions about how you work.
Whether you’re just getting started or trying to strengthen an established business, these posts focus on practical realities, not vague freelance motivation.
Yesterday I got a searing headache. Headaches aren’t usual for me and this one had a cause that was very easily identifiable and I should have known better. It wasn’t lack of water or lack of sleep (for once.) The IRS hasn’t called lately and the scale isn’t too horrifying for the week. The cause of this particular headache was my children. The worst part?
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
Good morning my little fiends, how are you today? Well, however you were doing, you’re about to get doing better (huh?) because I’ve decided that it’s high time for all of us to come out of the hellfire and acknowledge just how much like Satan we freelance writers are. Yes, we freelance writers have much in common with that red horned, fork-tailed devil. Don’t act
Well. What I’m about to tell you is one of the most important things you will ever learn in terms of writing for print. Ready? Here goes: Follow the guidelines. Sound deceptively simple? Seem like common sense advice? Guess what? In terms of the magazine editors I know, this is the most common complaint. Writers don’t follow the guidelines. Those that do—they will get more
Can you believe we’re already half-way through 2010? Wow! And you know what that means, right? It’s time to look back on the goals and resolutions we set for our freelance writing businesses, blogs, etc. and see how we’re coming along. Maybe we’ve met some of our goals already. Perhaps it’s time to let some go because we’ve made other goals along the way. And
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
As freelance writers we sometimes don’t think of ourselves as master multi-taskers, but by the very nature of our business, we are. We are individuals focused on our career and business owners attempting to drum up business and satisfy customers. We are employees of our own business and we are people with families and the need for a rich, fulfilled life. This complicated relationship between
If the idea of an all-nighter fills you with excitement and gritty determination to see it through to morning with coffee, sugar and a big welcoming bed the moment the project is finally complete – you’re not a parent. Or at least you’re not the parent looking forward the 6 A.M. wake up call every morning of the week, every week of the year you’ve
Even though I’ve been doing most of my workouts indoors lately because of the heat and humidity Mother Nature’s been throwing our way here, one of my favorite workouts has always been walking (or hiking depending on where I am). When I don’t have someone with me to talk to while working out, I pop in some headphones before heading out the door. Oftentimes I
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
Okay, so we’re back. If you haven’t read part one of this series—do so. This part won’t make sense unless you read my Kim Kardashian Botox analogy. Okay it will, but I still like that damn story. The Rates of Other Writers So right now you should be honestly assessing your skill compared to other freelance writers in your niche, and assessing the quirks you
It takes money to make money, but should you spend your hard-earned money on a writing ebook/program/webinar that promises to make you oodles of money? I once spent money on one of those ebooks and I was completely satisfied with my purchase. I didn’t get rich – nor did I believe I would – but I used the strategy to create a web product that’s
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
I was going through some old New York Times Magazines a few weeks ago, and came across an article by financial guru Suze Orman. A lot of advisors in the financial industry don’t like Suze Orman. Sure, she has made some errors in advice and made some mistakes in her books, but in general her conservative approach to investing and insurance are dead on for
In our last installment, we established that all mothers tend to judge each other from time to time. Okay, you’re right – you don’t, but the rest of us at least recognize that the thoughts cross our minds from time to time. I think I might be worse than most because I deal with the product of poor home lives more than most adults (I
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
This week, after much thought and back and forth arguing with my other personalities, I bought a Kindle. Now, anyone who knows me knows that as much as I like computers, laptops, and televisions, I kinda hate technology. I hate GPS systems because I like to rely on my own little sense of direction; I hate cell phones because I don’t like being accessible at
Being a freelance writer and working from home are great. There are some obvious cost savings. For example, you won’t have to pay the cost of commuting to and from work, so you’ll save money on gas. Your clothing expenses might also go down since you don’t have to buy the more expensive business casual or professional clothes for to wear to work. As you
Writing a query is one thing, but it definitely isn’t the only thing. You also have to format it well and know where it is going. Who Gets It? One thing I had a lot of questions about when I started freelancing was who to send my query to once it was complete. Most people directed me to Writer’s Market to find the proper e-mail
Hello friends, Romans and fellow freelancers. As Matt mentioned yesterday, hurricane season has begun. If you, like me, live along the southern coast you’re likely dusting off your hurricane shutters and stocking up on water. As business owners who run businesses out of our homes, we have a different set of concerns that we also must consider in the event that a hurricane evacuation takes
It’s not a secret that moms have to work hard to not openly judge other moms. You see a parent disciplining a child in a way that you’re not comfortable with and immediately you’re thinking about that technique and what sort of mother would do such a thing and how you would never in your lifetime even consider….etc…. Judging is insanely easy to do, and
One of the very first gigs I got over a year ago when I started full time freelancing was to work on the Twitter account of a life insurance company. The company actually found me through my own Twitter ramblings and still decided to hire me to do the same for them. Since that time I’ve had many different social networking clients and I’ve answered
Today I want to take a look at some criticisms of Demand Studios other than the low rate argument. And I’m going to give you facts — lots of them — so you can make your own decisions about some of these issues and whether or not writing for Demand Studios is a smart move in your situation. So today I want to follow up on
I hope everyone’s having a great weekend! But it’s time for our weekly freelance fitness tip with a new idea for staying healthier during the next work week, and beyond. Last week we talked about working at a standing desk. This week it’s time for a food and nutrition tip. Let’s talk about breakfast. You’ve surely heard that breakfast is the most important meal of
Yesterday, Michelle Rafter Tweeted a little gem about the Yahoo-Associated Content deal and AC writers attempting to unionize to have more say post-acquisition. Say what? Associated Content writers are trying to unionize? Yes. According to the pro-union article (which, ironically, is published on AC), AC writers feel as though they have rights that are being ignored. They also think that they should be at the
For some it’s a dream, for others a necessity, but it can be tricky to find an ideal situation for work-at-home moms and they don’t usually mind. There isn’t much about parenting that’s ideal, after all. For the record, Carol Brady had the ideal set-up. I keep waiting for my Alice to come to cook, clean and offer sage bits of wisdom while I do
This post is in response to Yaro Starak’s recent post: Is Outsourcing Exploitation? I started to comment, but the rambling was enough to warrant a post instead. Here are some of my thoughts as both a freelance service provider and someone who outsources work regularly. I’m all for outsourcing, both in one’s own country and elsewhere. I’ve worked with contractors in the US, UK, Canada,
This week’s Freelance Fitness post isn’t really about an exercise tip for freelancers, but it is about finding a way to burn more calories while you work. As freelance writers, we probably spend far too much time sitting on our arses in front of a computer, whether that be in our home office, in our favorite cafe, or even under a tree at the park.
April 17th marked my 1-year anniversary as a full time freelancer. This month marks my 2-year anniversary as any kind of freelancer. During this time I’ve learned a lot of stuff that may or may not be useful to you. 1. The easy way is usually not the best way. Chances are good that if nothing in your career ever excites you, scares you, intimidates
I feel it necessary to let you know that I actually wrote this post on 5/2, well before Matt Willard published his post on query-free writing. Now, I’m not saying that he broke into my home, slipped into my desk chair, turned on my computer and went into my Work folder to see what I had written so he could steal ideas. No, I’m not