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

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