I was reading chum Devon’s exasperation regarding new writers asking old questions. I hear you, sister, and I feel your pain. Too often we working writers are asked by newbies how to get started. Only the question is just that – “How do I get started in freelancing?” It gets my blood boiling every time.
That, to me, is a lazy question. You want to know how to start a freelance career? Research any of the gazillion sites that have outlined step-by-step processes. Buy a book explaining how to do it. Hire a coach. But for the love of God, don’t ask such a general question. Same goes for “How do I start writing for magazines?” While that one’s only slightly easier to answer, it shows the asker hasn’t really tried to figure it out. At this very moment, cyberspace is teeming with how-to guides, written for free, that tell you exactly what you need to do. All there for the asking. And all a newbie has to do is enter a Google search for “getting started freelance writing.”
Look, I’m thrilled to help anyone who has a specific question, such as “How do I locate a specific magazine’s information?” or “Do I need to learn Quicken or should I just hire an accountant?” If you’ve searched and read and really studied what’s available or even plunked down money on a self-help book (which is tax deductible as a business expense, by the way), you’re not going to need to ask such lame questions. You’re going to have more pointed, detailed questions that will actually help you. You get out of your career exactly what you put into it. If you can’t be bothered to do a little legwork on your own, it’ll show in your paychecks (or lack thereof).
It’s not like freelance writers are a community of tight-lipped folks who keep their secrets to themselves. On the contrary, we’re pretty darned vocal about how we got where we are, and we’re into helping other writers get there, too. What we don’t enjoy is feeling taken advantage of, and for me, that equates to broad, general “Gee, how can I do this?” questions. On this blog alone I’ve told folks how to market, how to write a magazine query, where to find work, and how to deal with difficult clients. Just search, okay? Same goes for sites like Anne Wayman’s About Freelance Writing, which is a treasure trove of advice and articles that’ll get you going on the right track. Anne does one better – she actually takes time out of her day twice a week to search job boards and post a conglomerate of job listings, making it that much easier for you.
So do your homework. Oh, and if you have a question after you’ve done so, please ask. We’ll help you. We’re just not all that into doing the work for you. Beyond that, you can inquire about my upcoming e-book on how to get started, available for a fee, of course.
How about you guys? Do you get general questions that would take volumes to answer? How do you handle it?
Applause! Applause! Great post, Lori. When people ask me these kinds of questions, the first thing I think is that they really aren’t serious – because if they were, they would have taken 10 seconds to enter a phrase into a search engine. I point people towards Bob Bly’s and Peter Bowerman’s books, and hope they get the message.
I often hear from aspiring writers who want to break into the same niche I’m in (alternative health). I get a lot of questions about how to identify prospects, how to market to them, etc. I’ve had a few wanna-be’s want me to practically walk them through the process of client acquisition. Like you, I don’t mind answering specific questions that show you’ve already done your homework. But sheesh, if I wanted to be a coach, I’d be one. One writer a couple years ago actually asked me if I’d share the targeted mailing list I’d spent months compiling! (Um … no.)
Thanks for this. I’m posting it on some of the boards I frequent.
Eileen, you must be joking! Who would have the kahonas to ask for that sort of thing? My word! That’s just like robbing someone without a gun!
I was once handed a rather large, valuable client list by a colleague who swore me to secrecy. But I never asked him for it. I wouldn’t. I know his company paid close to $3K for that list. It’s like walking into a friend’s house and saying “You can go ahead and pay the mortgage. I’ll just live in the room off the kitchen.”
I’ve always compiled my own lists, because that’s what gets me great clients. But they’re very labor intensive. I finally got smart (and had enough cash flow) with my most recent list and hired my niece to help me. I estimate my lists represent several thousand dollars worth of labor on my part, and they’ve cumulatively brought in 6 figures worth of income. The person who had the cajones to ask was very young and inexperienced, and probably didn’t have clue what she was asking. Nonetheless, her mama shoulda taught her some manners.
I don’t have this exact problem, but so often people ask me questions they could so easily Google in 2 seconds and have a much BETTER answer! Maybe we need to just say to people, “I’ll tell you, but it’s going to cost you $1,000.” What do you think?
I get the “My elementary school teacher said I was a good writer and I was wondering if you could tell how to get started” email all the time.
Like you, I really have no problem directing newbies to the right sources of information. I’ll often give them a long list of links, only to get either nothing in reply (extremely rude and unprofessional), or a kind of dry, “Uh…thanks.”
No one held my hand or gave me the nonexistent magical answers. It burns me up!
I agree, there is just too much information by way of blogs (like this one) and forums. Like Lori said, you just have to read it and follow all of the instruction. That is literally what I did a little over a year ago.
Some people are afraid to take a chance. You can’t let fear hold yu back.I think if you want something badly enough, you will exhaust every opportunity to find out what you can, then you’ll do it!
@Eileen: I do believe you when you say someone asked you to share YOU list. Some people have NO shame.
Thems who can, does. Thems who’s too lazy to, don’t. 🙂