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Is it really the last day of August? I could tell without a calendar, for the summer clothes I’m forced to wear because of the heat just don’t feel right any longer. It happens every year. No matter how hard I try to fight it, my body and mind are telling me to wear jeans and shirts with sleeves.
The end of the month means the end of the earning period, and that means it’s time to tell all. This month, I have a bit more enthusiasm about the process because this was one terrific month. In terms of work assignments, I surpassed my monthly income target by 66 percent. In terms of actual invoices I could send out (work not all completed), I’m definitely at my target. That means my September will have a great start.
Here’s how it breaks down:
Queries:
I sent six, five of which were follow-up queries. Only one response at all, which annoys me. If I took the time to do the homework and write the query, the editors should at least send a yea or nay. Nothing? That’s unacceptable. And that’s why I’m shopping those ideas elsewhere. I won’t wait in silence.
Job postings:Zero. I didn’t bother. It took my trying again last month to realize what a dead end those job postings are sometimes.
Existing clients:
Here’s where I made my killing. I had not one, but six clients come to me this month for projects. I managed to get four projects done before one of those same clients tossed me another set of smaller projects.
I saw the return of a colleague in my in box, someone I hadn’t spoken with in years, but someone whom I’ve worked well with in the past. His project was fun, and it was fast. He loved the results and I loved the chance to please him.
The two regular clients are still here, as is the larger project client whose work should wrap up sometime in mid-September, which gives me some time to get more work secured for September/October.
New clients:
I’m in contact with a conference attendee who is eager to speak to me in a week or so. Beyond that, new clients aren’t streaming in. Yet.
Earnings:
Where July was dry, August was a flood. Funny, the weather was the same. My earnings are right where I wanted them to be, plus had I had one more day in the month, I’d have invoiced even more. But I’m happy to spread it out between the months. As long as the check clears, it doesn’t matter when it was billed. Unless it’s late in being paid. Then it matters. A lot.
Bottom line:
Summer is over in the minds of the clients, for the work came streaming in. I was able to get some magazine work via the queries, but I had magazines come to me with specific assignments, too. That feels good.
I don’t see tons on my calendar for September, so I’m going to be continuing the marketing, but switching things up to see if there’s more of a response in another area of focus. I’m considering one more conference, but I have to think about how it will impact the finances and what payoff I can realistically expect. Smaller businesses should be part of the focus, but not the majority of it. If this conference has larger players attending, I may consider it.
How did you do this month?
Great work, Lori!
I spent the last couple of weeks at the Edinburgh Book Festival, a lot of that time I spent looking back at the previous year and planning my next 12 months. Charging on – just like you! 🙂
How was the festival, Colin? I've wanted to get to Edinburgh for that and the Fringe. Someday….
It was supposed to be vacation, a time to recharge the batteries. Instead, I'm dealing with the Client from Hell (who, in two days, will be the ex-client from hell) and had all the life/creative energy/everything else sucked out of me
Tomorrow, the year-long intensive starts.
And I've still got a book to finish.
I'm glad to hear you had such a prosperous month. August was a slow month for me, but I expected as much since I moved to a new city, got the kids back to school and began observing the month of Ramadhan all in the same week. now I'm on a marketing mission.
I'm curious, Lori – what do you consider to be the average waiting time when awaiting responses from editors for the queries you send?
Devon, you'll need a REAL vacation after this.
Congrats on the yearlong tomorrow! I've been eagerly awaiting news on this one. Your energy is inspirational.
Great question, Kim. I wait three weeks for email queries, six weeks for mailed ones. After that, I send them one follow-up. If I hear nothing in one week (email) or two weeks (mailed), I'm moving on. They may come to me after that and give the assignment, but I'm not going to wait for that. And so far, it's only happened a few times (and it didn't sell elsewhere, as well).
Thanks for sharing that, Lori. i don't always send a followup when I don't hear back. most editors are good about letting you know something either way, but maybe I'll incorporate mandatory followups as a courtesy before moving on.
August was the slowest month I've had in years.
I sent four queries (two of which were batches of ideas) and four LOIs. Two of the four LOIS had immediate replies. One mentioned specific needs for her December and February issues, the other said he was open to ideas. I already have a long list of things to pitch the first editor, and am looking for ideas for the second.
Replied to zero job postings, but I had looked at a few during the great August lull of 2011.
Only turned in two articles and one blog post. The column is on hold until they pay up. (Called their accountant this week and she said, "Oh, the checks were written months ago, but I'm holding them until more funds clear." Please – the grand total of two of those checks is probably less than the publisher spends when he's schmoozing an advertiser over lunch.)
I dropped notes to three or four long-time clients to see if there was anything I could help them with. One replied saying things were slow, another said he'd be in touch when anything came up.
Today I'm finishing up a small-but-intensive editing project for a sort of new client. In April I edited two executive profiles for them, working through their graphic designer. This time the designer's not working on the project. Today's mission is to find anything I missed, and to make sure there's some logical consistency for committee names. On the original copy, half were capitalized, half weren't.
Bottom line: Earnings were about $500 less than my modest monthly goal, but would have been closer to the goal had an invoice to my Favorite Editor not been lost. She's since rectified the matter and I should have the check any day now.
Hello, Lori.
Congrats on the great month! It's about darn time, no?
I'm in the same boat. August has been much better than my previous months, and September is fully booked.
I have no idea why people are coming out of the woodwork, but I've had to ask potential assignees for more time just to accept assignments (they all agreed there was wiggle room in their deadlines).
No queries went out this month, and I read the online job postings and didn't respond to any. Why do I even read them?
And I think I mentioned last month that the potential monthly project finally came through. So this month I began it, and the client is very happy. Yay!
Looks like things are back in the busy mode.
Congratulations on having such reliable existing clients. As you noted in another part of your post, this past month was rather "dry" for me. But hey, it comes in waves, doesn't it?
Wow, nice month, LW!
I had a good stretch this month, which got a whole lot better this morning: a 400-word piece accepted at a sailing magazine about our July trip in the Fla Keys. (It was so short I wrote on spec, not query.) Decent pay, great tax write-off, plus a new relationship with a managing editor. Me happy!
I'm playing street hockey with some local media/ad guys this afternoon…and…mmmm…envisioning a fine bottle of rum for the evening cocktail.
Paula, I can't believe the accountant actually admitted that to you. Must be just as frustrated with the situation as you are! Damn, I'd lose their contact information once that check does come.
About darn time indeed, Gabriella! Next month is already looking similar. I hope you're noticing the same (sounds like it). Amen. Alleluia! Congrats on pleasing that new client! Sounds super.
EP, it does come in waves. July was as dry as the Mohave. August was more of a rain forest during monsoon season. Just put on the wellies and learn to doggie paddle. 🙂
Don't you love when you can write off a portion (or all) of a trip, Jake? Fantastic! Congrats on the new gig and the happy editor.
I hope you enjoyed the hockey and the rum. 🙂
Lori, apparently the place that owed me for the past columns is dealing with their economic crisis with a new system: write the checks, but don't send them until the person has complained twice. All three checks arrived yesterday.
Because it's the column, I'll probably keep at ti, just not as frequently. Maybe go to a bi-weekly or monthly column. It's not as if it takes much effort or as if they paid enough to actually rely on the income. It's alwasy been more about re-using some of the info leftover from my real articles, or being able to write about something even if I couldn't get an editor to assign an article on it. But the new rule will be in place: I'll send in one column, and write the next, but if the first has to be paid before I'll start a third.
Great hear you had a great August Lori. Mine was not so great. Invested a lot of time in a big publishing project, which will only yield part of the returns in September. On contact in a company passed my name to his colleagues, who sent me around 4 small projects. That was great, especially because they also pay on time. Also spent time chasing clients who are late with payments. Hired a debt collector who gets paid on what she collects. It was interesting to see how fast some of the clients jumped when I mentioned that I've passed their info to someone else to collect the money. I need to market more in September. It's Spring down here and I'm feeling more energetic.