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.
I’ve touched on this a little bit in the past, but it’s such an important subject that it deserves a post all by itself. When it comes to writing for print, understanding your editor is a key piece of the puzzle. Editors for print are different than those that work on the web. There are different demands and priorities. While some things are universal (example:
A few days ago a colleague shared a story about a recent experience with a nonprofit organization. Here’s the gist of what happened: The client hired the freelance writer for a previous project at the writer’s professional rates. The client had need for a professional writer again. The writer sent a proposal (which the client asked for). The client contacted the writer saying they could
At the end of this month I’ll take a vacation of sorts — a working vacation. It’s a chance to get ahead on some projects and get caught up on others, all while minimizing distractions of the ordinary day-to-day work schedule. For me it’s about a problem with project overload. I try to keep busy at all times (working hours at least), but right now
While I love most things about having two jobs, the time I dislike being a double-time working mom most is at bedtime. Throughout the day I push, push, push to get everything done. And now that the day is winding down I want more than anything to just relax and enjoy myself. Unfortunately I can’t sit down and finish up a quick job just yet
Over the past five years I have worked with 100+ editors. Some work for large national publications, and others “wear many hats” for smaller operations. While every relationship is unique, one thing always remains the same: these are great connections to have. Time and time again I land new gigs based on a referral given by an editor in my network. Sometimes they pass contact
If you’re used to sending your kids away to school and working, you’re in for a rough ride – summer is almost here! Of course, those mothers who are insane like I am don’t have to worry too much about this. In fact, the summer months are the most relaxing months for my career, simply because I’m on summer vacation as well. My mornings won’t
This is going to be a different kind of post. Call it a sharing post. I’m going to talk a bit about what my expectations were when I got into the magazine industry–and also about the reality. I was pretty surprised at how different those two things are, and I’m going to throw my experience out there for you–just in case I can help clarify
I’m doing something crazy today. I’m working on this post while my children are awake. It’s crazy – I know. I’m used to working in the still of the morning now around 4 am, but yesterday about 2 o’clock my body decided that it was done carrying me through my crazy schedule and decided to develop a sore throat and general yuckiness. As I finished
If you’re not up to date on the latest parenting drama, the big buzz word is the new Tiger Mom book and following. I’ll admit I’m intrigued, especially since I grew up with the products of these highly regulated Asian mothers who went on to Harvard and other prestigious universities before becoming doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs. But then, I’m always intrigued by parenting philosophies and
When I first began writing for magazines I had so many questions. I read forums, bought books and scoured every piece of information on the web looking for answers to some of these–and found nothing. So today–I am going to share a few of the things I learned early on so that if you happen to be wondering, you can find the answers on the
My mom doesn’t believe Michael Jackson is dead. At least twice a week she mentions that the King of Pop has been seen in the mall in Ohio or there are signs that he took a flight to Peru with Tupac and Elvis. My mother’s not crazy or old enough to be going senile. She just really, really liked Michael and was one of his
I dragged my feet for years regarding phone technology. Before I had kids, I didn’t really want to be reached by phone every second. I liked coming home to messages and not being bothered during the day. Now, six years later, I have a smart phone (iPhone to be exact, although not the latest model), attached to me at all times. It’s like my lifeline
When it comes up in conversation about my schedule, as it usually does, that I get up at 4 in the morning and jump right into writing until 6, I usually get the same response – Wow, that sucks! And it does, kind of. It’s not fun getting up at 4 in the morning. But it is fun getting things done efficiently and it only
It’s mid-March. And that means we’re nearly through with the first quarter of 2011 already. How are your goals and resolutions for the year shaping up? Is your freelance writing business growing? Do you need to pick up the pace a bit? So far I’m reasonably happy with my progress for the year. I’ve: finished outlining the first book in my novel series; gotten my
Do you ever get low-balled offers for your freelance writing services? Does it piss you off when you see countless other content producers offering to write for a penny per word while you try to make ends meet by charging professional rates? Do you feel like others are holding you back? They’re not. You are. Remember, no one owes you a living as a freelance
Catchy title, eh? Everybody likes to get paid a little extra for their work—and writers are no exception. When you write for magazines, you will sometimes have the opportunity to hold out for a bit of extra cash. Here are some of the top ways to earn more from a print article: Reprints/Royalties I wrote for a magazine that wanted to publish my article again,
I’ve been working nights for years. This wouldn’t be a big deal if I wasn’t already working days and mornings, too. I’ve mentioned a few (dozen) times already, but I have the two kiddos to get up and out of the house every morning, while I get up and out of the house as well to head to the school where I teach at-risk teenagers.
Do you ever feel flustered under the pressure of your freelance work? Do you have a client who sometimes drives you crazy? Do you fear losing a gig because you don’t know where the next one will come from? Do you constantly worry about money because you aren’t earning as much as you’d like? First: take a step back. Next: breathe. Freelancing, or running any
I had every intention of writing you a nice, long sales page full of random lies and musings. I was hoping that I could create a really cool, (imaginary) expert name for myself like Dr. Rebecca Frankenfurter, M.D. so that I would have instant credibility through my fake letter when I went to sell you some aspirin in a pretty bottle I colored with my
You know my thoughts on content mills. You know I’m pissed that Google has so far allowed these MFA (made-for-adsense) sites to spam their rankings using tactics that would have smaller independent publishers penalized in a heartbeat (and that’s been the case for years). They didn’t pay attention when we brought up the issues in writing communities. But now that the tech segment is on
Everyone is willing to give you advice about freelance writing — from non-writers with preconceptions about the freelance lifestyle to professionals who have run successful freelance writing careers for years. In between you’ll find newbies who try to give advice like they’ve found the holy grail of freelancing, former freelancers who couldn’t cut it but still feel qualified to tell you how you can, and some
Let’s face it—almost every writer would love to land the coveted “travel article” in a glossy magazine. Writing about a destination is considered one of the most glamorous things you could do as a writer—but how do you break in? Competition is fierce, and there are some pretty established pros out there doing it, so knowing where to begin is important. The Good News It
I’m obviously totally awesome at what I do because I’m not completely burned out yet although I do get very, very close at times. In fact, I admire my productivity and economy so much I thought I’d share some real-world tips for saving money while starting up a freelance business any moms just breaking into this madness. This is, after all, a very, very serious
Sometimes we find inspiration in the strangest places. And today I’m going to turn the floor over to my two kitties, Baby and Tubs. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned from these little beasties that apply to the freelance writing life: Baby: There’s Always Time for a Nap Sometimes we get so caught up in work and deadlines and finding new projects that we
Sometimes the things I find through Twitter make me want to cry. “How to Retire on Residual Income from Writing Articles” was one such link (although I can’t remember which darling follow felt it was a good idea to share). This is an article about how writing for sites that offer residual income is an option for people who want to retire. In other words,
Maybe you’ve thought about freelance writing but your real interests lie in creative writing. Maybe you find nonfiction writing dull or unrewarding or you’re worried that working with clients will kill the creative side of your work. It doesn’t have to. Here are 11 ways you might be able to turn your creative writing passion into freelance writing opportunities. Some ideas are more traditional, but
When you work as a freelance writer, you’re a service provider. Selling products is technically something different. But that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate other income streams into your business. Sure, you can remain a freelance purist if you really want to. But if you’re looking for new ways to make money with your writing without having to be too reliant on client projects, why
Unfortunately freelancers don’t have some special immunity to becoming ill. We can become sick without a moment’s notice, and it can wreak major havoc on our work schedules. I was recently put in that position. Worse, I got sick over vacation. That meant I was already off and away from clients for a while, and I had to extend that time when they were expecting
One of the questions I get asked most frequently about writing for print is when to follow up on a query or submission. Ready for the frustrating answer? It depends. Unfortunately, writing for print is much like the English language itself—riddled with exceptions. Most people will tell you to check the publication to see what their guidelines say. This is all well and good—if they
We are a special breed, yet we often divide ourselves up into groups – presumably so that we can defend ourselves by putting down the others. I’m a working mom, so I’m obviously better than the mom stuck at home – unless she’s a work-at-home mom. Then she gets top billing because she’s able to work at home, make money and teach her children three