lwidmer | Words on the Page

Writers Worth Week, Day Two: Create Your Own Reality

Posted on May 10, 2011 by lwidmer

What I’m reading: Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (finished it!)What’s on the iPod: Soul and Skin by The Clarks Thank you all for a fabulous start to Writers Worth Week yesterday! It was a great outpouring of support and suggestions. You’ve proven once again that the writing community is the best support system on the…

Welcome to Writers Worth Week!

Posted on May 9, 2011 by lwidmer

I’m baaaaack….. Okay, I’ll admit to writing this before I left, but I know I won’t have the energy after the cross-country flight that gets in late in the evening. So forgive me that, okay? Today kicks off the fourth annual Writers Worth celebration! I have blog posts popping up all over the Internet this…

Things That Make My Head Explode

Posted on May 6, 2011 by lwidmer

Ahhh….. Lent is over. I will now resume my usual level of skepticism and pointing out of major stupidity and disgust. I was getting used to the kinder, gentler life, but some things just ache for outrage and complaint. For example: AOHELL: Kathy Kehrli over at Screw You! pointed out this move by AOL, in…

Meltdowns and Ensuing Mayhem

Posted on May 5, 2011 by lwidmer

By now I hope I’m sporting my “eh” lingo and fighting off the urge to eat peameal bacon. I’m also hoping we were able to score hockey tickets while in Vancouver, but I’m not holding out too much hope. A Twitter colleague sent over an interesting link. It’s an Internet-based meltdown of an author over…

The Reliability Factor

Posted on May 4, 2011 by lwidmer

By now my time at the conference has ended. In two days, I hope to have secured enough work to sustain me through December. We’ll see. I was busy right up until the last hours before bed on Friday. I wanted to arrange for some posts, but I wanted to get things squared away for…

Free Wisdom for the Asking

Posted on May 3, 2011 by lwidmer

The conference continues and I hope by now I’ve managed to secure at least one client. One client project pays for the entire trip. Two is gravy. I’m shooting for a banquet. Because of my absence, I wanted to leave you with some of the best blog posts from the last few weeks. Give these…

Monthly Assessment: April 2011

Posted on May 2, 2011 by lwidmer

I’m not here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have oodles of fun hashing over our monthly goals and near misses, right? So let’s get busy seeing where things are going right or wrong: Queries –I must have sent out fifty LOIs. I have 25 written down, but somehow I think I forgot to note…

Nice Day for a White Wedding…

Posted on April 29, 2011 by lwidmer

Did anyone hear rumor about some big to-do over in Great Britain? It can’t be hockey, so I don’t know… The press coverage over this was a bit over-the-top, but at least it detracted from the birth-certificate fiasco. I loved the headline in the London newspaper yesterday: The Day America Took Leave of Its Senses….

What Smells?

Posted on April 28, 2011 by lwidmer

What I’m reading: Sweet Thursday by John SteinbeckWhat’s on the iPod: Better Together by Jack Johnson I’ve always known I work better when my back is to a wall, but I’m surprising even myself this week. I got back revisions on the Web project, proposed and completed some blog posts, got some Writers Worth Week…

What’s Your Value?

Posted on April 27, 2011 by lwidmer

What I’m reading: Bits and pieces of poetry – too busy!What’s on the iPod: True Believer by The Clarks Wow. There are days I’m amazed I can still remain upright given the amount of work I get done. Yesterday was another marathon day. I got a small project out of the way in the morning,…

Cathy

April 27, 2011

You know I agree with you totally on Jenn. But, then I'm just a suck-up. LOL! 🙂

Finding the value is tough. I know I'm a good writer, but like you said, Lori, I sure am not alone in that market.

I am about to release a FREE eBook (more an eBooklet than book) for marketing purposes. I admit I struggle with finding a mechanism for monetizing my services (other than with clients). So, until I figure that out, I'm not going to be charging anything.

The one plan I do have for an eBook for $$ is one on the 3-Day and will be used to raise money for my 8th Walk. I figure it's a good way to dip my toe in the water.

Would love to see you and Jenn do something on monetizing a service product. Subtle, huh? 😉

Ashley

April 27, 2011

These are great thought-provoking questions to ponder not only when trying to monetize a product, but also when becoming a freelance writer in the first place. When I answered "What do you like doing best?" with "writing" and "Are you actually good at it?" with "yes!" then I knew that was a potential career path for me. The part I'm still struggling with is "What can you offer that no one else does?" I am beginning to realize that "reliability" may be a possible answer there, though I don't know that will sell many e-books.

When we decided to write for a living, we had to consider these questions. So freelancers who aren't freeloading (like your content-stealing visitor) should be able to just reconsider these questions and put them into action! Easier said than done, of course, but definitely a good place to start. And I agree, Jenn's site is one of the best I've seen for valuable freelancer resources.

Devon Ellington

April 27, 2011

I wasn't feeling very valuable this morning, after a few tough days at the page. But I had a good session on the WIP, and feeling better about it all.

I'm good at engaging readers with interesting characters. That's what sells my fiction, and that translates well into business writing. Make the personal universal and the universal personal.

And I deserve to be paid a living wage for that skill.

Paula

April 27, 2011

I have a theory about the ever-growing number of self-proclaimed writing experts hawking "advice" that is essentially their regurgitation of basic common sense already known to all successful writers – and a fair amount of newbies: They're probably among the first generation that grew up being praised for every little thing, like getting awards just for participating in things. Growing up with such an inflated sense of accomplishment, or pride, isn't healthy since it fosters a false sense of self-confidence that isn't grounded in reality.

Yeah. I was the kid who was always last to be picked for teams in gym class. That may color my perspective on the subject.

Lori

April 27, 2011

Subtle like a brick, Cathy. LOL And I think your value lies in your expertise in the insurance market. You know it intimately – there's your value and your uniqueness. 🙂

Ashley, I think maybe the answer is that not everyone has an e-book in them. Reliability is a HUGE benefit. I remember my first job on a newspaper. The editor kept calling me for more work. Her words – "You're reliable." I didn't have to be the best writer. I just needed to be the one who did what she promised every time. There's your value, too. 🙂

Devon, let me guess – you're 3/4 of the way through, aren't you? I remember reading a post by Tess Gerritsen. She said that it was the point in each book manuscript where she would start to doubt herself or struggle with her story. Her agent pointed it out. 🙂

You are excellent at engaging readers. And that's a great way to put it – "Make the personal universal and the universal personal." I'm embroidering that on my pillow so it's on my mind when I go to sleep and wake up.

I'd pick you first, Paula. 🙂

I'm all for writers wanting to make money off their knowledge, but to many it seems they put out their shingles just because it seems like an easy thing to do. I struggled with the decision for a few years before making the leap. I had to be pushed. A few friends kept saying "You need to stop giving it away!"

I can't. It's how I'm wired. 🙂

Jake P

April 27, 2011

It's always struck me as odd that in everyday, walking life, I'm not terribly empathetic, but with businesses it's like I can flip a switch. Writing is the means to that end.

When it comes to what I like doing best, I strive to live in the moment. At the risk of sounding Pollyannaish, I love learning about all the interesting businesses out there, and seeing what works and what doesn't, who's successful and why. Frankly, it's easier for me to define the things I don't like (PR, high-maintenance clients). I can't remember if I've cited Still Life with Woodpecker here before, but anyway: "There are two mantras: Yum and Yuck. Mine is Yum."

Paula, that's an interesting take, and I increasingly notice that effect in the high schoolers I coach in rowing. But, the good thing is that rowing, as with freelancing, will teach you humility in a hurry.

L.C. Gant

April 27, 2011

It's funny, but when I first saw the title of this post I immediately assumed it was about how to calculate your rates. In a way, I guess it is. After all, how can you decide what to charge your clients if you don't know what you bring to the table.

Although I'm nowhere near monetizing my content in the form of an e-book or web course, I do think I have a decent grasp on my value as a writer. Most of my expertise lies in writing for the real estate industry. Plus, I've honed my interviewing skills down to a science. I very rarely have to call a source back for follow-up questions.

I love posts like this, Lori. You do a great job of getting us to think about seemingly straightforward topics in a new and interesting way.

Anne Wayman

April 27, 2011

Great minds? I wrote about finding self-worth as a writer today and after reading this put in a link to you…

hugs

Lori

April 27, 2011

You have quoted it, Jake. And it's stuck with me. 🙂

Lisa, I'm glad I surprised you. 🙂 I think you've hit on your own value quite well, too. Those interview skills and that specialty are something to build on.

Anne, great minds indeed. 🙂 I think we're linked cosmically anyway, so this doesn't surprise me.

Jenn Mattern

April 28, 2011

Lori and Cathy – Thanks for the kind words.

Cathy — My first paid e-book was a 20 page e-book on press release writing specifically for online distribution. It was 18-20 pages long. It sold for $17 at the time. And it was set up less for the money and more to clear my inbox.

I got tired of answering the same questions over and over again (and dealing with the same misconceptions) from clients and prospects back when I ran the PR firm. So one day I decided I'd save myself some headaches and bring in a few extra bucks by selling a short e-book on the topic instead of addressing the issues via email anymore. It brought in more money than I expected, but also drastically increased the demand for my press release writing services.

Now I give that e-book away for free as a marketing tool simply because I don't want to be bothered with continual updates dealing with the ever changing online PR landscape. It still brings new prospects to me regularly about freelance writing work.

So if you want to figure out a nonfiction e-book topic based on the area where you provide the most value, I'd suggest looking at your own FAQs. What do people always seem to want to know? How much time do you spend answering those questions on an individual basis? If it's more than you'd like, consider selling a report or e-book on the topic instead.

There's also absolutely nothing wrong with free e-books as marketing tools (no moreso than any other marketing-related writing you might do). The trick there is to come up with a plan that will still let you earn from the e-book even if not directly. In the case of freelancing, that's usually through service contracts where the e-book generates leads. You can increase those conversions by treating them almost like white papers — keep it informational throughout and not self-promotional, but tack on a one-page at the end with info about your services, a special discount, etc. that might entice people to contact you.

The "secret" is that you need to teach readers something valuable and things they can act on themselves. That's what shows them how difficult doing your job right really is, and it makes hiring a pro much more palatable once they've given it a go on their own with less than ideal results.

Jake — Oh wow. That used to be my favorite book. Lost my old copy in a house fire years ago and it was just one of those things that never got replaced. Might be time for a new order and a re-read. 🙂

Lori

April 28, 2011

Wow. I should just have you guest post again, Jenn. This is exceptional stuff. Thank you!

The idea of answring your FAQs with an e-book is great. It's exactly why I put together the Worthy Writer's Guide and the Query Writing Workshop. It's just less time consuming. I answer those same questions all the time, and I like helping, but it can suck up my day if I get too many questions.

I love the idea of giving it away to clients. Super idea!

Jessica Hughey

May 4, 2011

Jenn/Lori: after the glowing review of Jenn's site I, immediately, clicked the link to go there. When I clicked on the link labeled "Job Board" from the homepage, it turned up a "page not found" error. Just thought you would like to know!