I leapfrogged my way to bigger markets. I started fresh out of college by writing human interest stories for a local weekly, used those clips to snag a Contributing Writer gig with a start-up business magazine, used clips and sources to expand to a well-known trade, used clips from that to break into additional major markets. Sure, a few of the publications have since folded, and a couple editors were replaced by hacks, but some of those business relationships flourished.

Looking back, I can see that I made the biggest leaps when my back was to the wall. Client B was sold to a place that slashed pay rates from 50- to 10-cents/word, so I fired them. That's when I asked some publicists to refer me to editors at a couple of huge entertainment dailies. I sent my clips and got immediate replies from both places. They're rivals, so I took the first offer and am still writing for them today. (Literally…I have an article due next week.)

Getting too comfy is never good for someone who's self-employed. Most of us need a bit of uncertainty to motivate us to keep pushing. That, or we need Lori to kick us into gear.

Thanks, Ashley. Glad you got something out of it, and thanks for your contributions!

This has been a great week, Lori. Loved the posts and your blog tour. Great information all around!

Now,to your question. If I had to do it all over again, the one thing I would change is to have something to give away (white paper, report, whatever) from the get-go to draw prospects to my site/blog. And, you are right, Lori, you have to have a site. I'm always surprised when I find so many writers that don't have one.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to share this week with you.