30 Queries in 30 Days – Freelance Writing Challenge

If you’re feeling a bit stuck in a rut with marketing your services, why not try a freelance writing challenge to mix things up or motivate you to try something different? I’m a big fan of challenges. I set one or more writing challenges for myself almost every month. And today I’d like to suggest one that could bring you a few new freelance writing

Have your clients ever accused you of plagiarism?

Hi all! For 5+ years of freelance writing, I worked with different clients: naive, awkward, dishonest, leary, and just wonderful. I did my best proofreading and editing before sending texts but never bothered about plagiarism issues: wrote articles from scratch, didn’t steal content, and was sure my texts were original… But lately, one client returned my text and said he couldn’t accept it because the

Is $100 a Day Enough?

I keep seeing blogs and forum posts that promise “You too can make $100 a day freelancing!” as though doing so is the greatest accomplishment a new writer could achieve. While it’s a place to start, I think it’s a low place to start. It makes us lazy — the “all you need to do is” approach to freelancing generally sends writers right to the

Best advice for those just starting out?

What advice do you think would be helpful for someone just starting out? Any common pitfalls that a beginner should avoid? I’m looking for any general advice you might have, but specifically I’m looking for tips on: 1) Generating ideas 2) Getting jobs 3) Marketing yourself 4) Setting rates (as a beginner) Thanks!

Pricing mobile app content

Hello to everyone, I’ve recently been contacted by a healthcare start-up company that wants me to write mobile app copy for their business. Without disclosing too many details of the project, he wants what appears to be a large number of screens initially – up to 15 detailed condition/treatment screens and things like a symptom checker, small summaries of what the condition could be, etc.

Conflict of Interest

Every now and then I come across a client who, for whatever reason, is under the impression that previous work I did for a different client may cause a conflict of interest. Current situation — a magazine editor thinks my writing about Topic A for Client A would conflict with my writing Topic B for his magazine (which rarely publishes anything having to do with

Those Jobs You Don’t Want

I’m well beyond the point in my career where I’ll take whatever comes. I’m to the point, in fact, where I won’t take a gig if it isn’t ideal. Here’s my top criteria for even talking to a client about a gig: It has to appeal to me The pay has to be ideal The job can’t suck up most of my time The client

Blog Post Length vs Number of Shares

I blame the PR background, but I’ve always been bothered by statistics. You see, in PR, you’re taught how to use and manipulate data to make specific points. And that’s not a kind of PR I wanted to take part in. What’s worse, however, is when I see bloggers take data and pass along misinformation about what that data really says. In most cases, it’s not

“Bloggers” Who Don’t Actually Blog Anymore (or at Least Not Much)

I’m just curious. Has anyone else noticed the trend where “big” bloggers seem to be blogging less and less while relying on guest posts more and more? Does that bother anyone else? In some cases it feels like the original blogger isn’t a blogger at all anymore, even though that’s the persona they maintain. Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with deciding that you’d

A Freelance Writing Job Board Warning

I wanted to warn you about a new site called Contena (not actively linking to them because I don’t consider them worth any link juice). I first heard about this site over on Sophie Lizard’s forum at BeAFreelanceBlogger.com. The owners are billing it as some sort of much-needed tool for searching multiple job boards in one place. But to do this, they’re illegally scraping full

This Belongs in the Freelance Advice Hall of Shame

I saw a post in my feed reader this morning, and it left me shaking my head. It’s a contender for the “Freelance Advice Hall of Shame” for sure. Really, that should exist. I’m not going to bother linking to it here. I want nothing to do with promoting its nonsense. But I do want to warn newer writers away from this kind of lousy freelance

$100k per month from a brand new blog? What do you think of Neil Patel’s goal?

If you missed this at QuickSprout.com, Neil Patel is planning to take a brand new blog to $100k in income per month over the course of a year. And he plans to let his readers know how he does it. https://web.archive.org/web/20181122141421/https://www.quicksprout.com/2015/03/25/how-to-generate-100000-a-month-from-a-brand-new-blog/ What do you think? Is it unrealistic, even for him? Will new bloggers be able to replicate it if he succeeds? I’m a bit

How do you invoice clients with varied projects?

Hi all, I’ve been developing my relationship with a new-ish client that hired me initially for blogging, and have also been helping out with marketing strategy & other things, too. We’re planning to work together on various other writing projects going forward, in addition to regular blog posts. I suggested to them that we establish on a monthly basis exactly what work I’ll accomplish the

Interview Source as Employer

Here’s a fun one — I’m writing an article at the moment on a specific topic — very specific. The editor called me with the assignment, and he gave me direction in where he’d like to go. He gave some names and a little direction on whom I should be calling, or at least attempting to reach (the editor is a laid-back guy who’s just

How do you get samples when you’ve been writing for a firm?

I’ve been writing press releases as a contractor for a PR company for a number of years and just launched my own business. I’m working on putting together a portfolio on my website and want to include samples of past releases I’ve done for the firm. Do I need to get permission from the companies the releases are about, or just the firm’s permission? They

Raising Rates and Getting Away with It

I read an article today about how to raise rates and keep your clients. In one suggestion, writers were supposed to sit clients down, explain that the writer’s demand was so great that rates had to go up, but that the writer was letting this client know because “You’re a favorite client.” It felt contrived. I don’t know how you guys raise your rates, but

Networking trouble

Hi all, I’m fairly new to the writing business.  I was told to network a lot in order to attract new clients but I’m having a lot of trouble with that since I am introverted by nature and speaking about myself to people I don’t know  doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve tried, but it really is very hard for me to ”sell myself and

The 30 Day Marketing Challenge Introduction

Here’s another simple, yet important, challenge for writers of all types: market your writing every day for 30 days. It’s that simple. Whether you’re promoting freelance writing services, marketing books, or promoting your blog, consistent marketing is vital. That can involve anything from an in-depth marketing campaign to simple efforts like sending a query letter or researching the competition. Use the tracker below to map

Advice For a "Newbie"

Hi everyone, I’m new to this blog having discovered it just yesterday. I have been doing business writing for years, but I’ve never gotten paid for it. I did it as a hobby just for family and friends. It never occured to me that it can be anything more than just a hobby since I was working at the time. Now, my family is encouraging

How Do You Get Over the Self-Imposed Sticker Shock?

I’ve been working on building up my professional site, thinking up some killer blog post ideas for it, gathering some (embarrassingly) flattering testimonials from my best clients, and am almost ready to launch it — all I need is a good head shot for the front page and a “rates” page. And that’s where I’m getting cold feet. I’m looking at the Writer’s Market rates…and

On the Issue of Pen Names/Business Names

I’ve been chasing my tail on this topic for a few days now and have worked myself up into a frenzy of confusion, so I’m coming to you O Wise Ones. Here’s the deal: For three years now, I’ve been writing under my real name.  Fiction (and some related things, like the column I have at a horror webzine) under T.L. Bodine, nonfiction (and any

Your response when asked for a free sample?

We’ve all been there… applying to a job or speaking to a prospective client, and they ask for a free sample to evaluate your work. What’s your standard response to this request? How exactly do you word it, if you want to start a working relationship with this person? I recently applied to a gig where an email was blasted to all applicants asking us to

"Write Every Day" Challenge Introduction

While I don’t personally believe that writers must write every day to be successful (as I often hear), I do understand that some writers need that strict of a habit to keep them focused on their work. And you have to do whatever works for you. If think writing every single day is what you need, then this challenge is for you. The goal is simple: write every day

How to show my portfolio to potential clients?

Hi, I have recently set up a website, offering my freelance writing services. I am slowly getting the hang of it all. I want to build a portfolio containing paid work, bought by previous clients, to show to prospective clients, for example only. What is the best way to include this on my website without breaching any copyright etc. or rubbing anyone up the wrong way? Sorry

Monthly Word Count Goal Challenge Introduction

This is a very flexible challenge that you can use for any kind of writing. Basically you choose your own word count goal for the month, and you write until you reach it. Easy peasy, right? Well, let’s make those goals challenging enough that it’s not. 🙂 You set word count goals for a specific project for the month, or an overall word count goal.

Client wants exclusivity…

I have a client who has asked me to write for them exclusively… (same one who wants to talk on the phone) The money would really have to right in order for me to consider it, but I have reservations as you can probably guess. What makes this different from any other 9-5 job? What are some drawbacks that y’all can think of? My wife

30 Guest Post Pitches in 30 Days Challenge Introduction

For this challenge, your goal is to write 30 guest post pitches over the course of 30 days. You can take the approach of sending one pitch per day, or you can write and send them in batches if you prefer. You can take this challenge at any time and you can print out the chart below to help you keep track of your submissions. As always,

30 Flash Fiction Stories in 30 Days Challenge Introduction

Here’s the plan for this challenge: Write 30 flash fiction stories (up to 1000 words) over the course of 30 days. You can write one per day for a month, or you can write several stories at a time if that’s a better way for you to pace yourself. These might be stories you plan to post to your author blog, or you might follow up with the

Why does everyone want to talk to me on the phone?

I hate talking on the phone…probably since I am little hard of hearing, from years of shooting…I have a pair of site owners who seem very excited about my writing style, and want to set up a time to call me next week…UHG! I usually respond with “let’s just keep it on email for now”, but things are getting more serious, and this is becoming

Freelance Writers: Better Pay or Better Bylines?

As a freelance writer, do you care more about being paid well for your work or about seeing your name in print (or online)? The two often don’t go hand-in-hand. Personally I put pay first (but hold gigs to strict ethical standards — I don’t simply take any well-paid gig that comes along). After all, I’m running a business. I’m not in this for vanity.