F*ck You. Pay Me. It was, and remains, one of my favorite videos talking about freelance payment problems. Mike Monteiro, design director and co-founder of Mule Design Studio, took the internet by storm back in 2011 when his talk from Creative Mornings Creative Guild went viral. As well it should have. Monteiro started his nearly…
Author: lwidmer
A Double Dose of This Job, Not That Job
It’s not rare when a writer friend sends me a lousy offer to post here on the blog. We writers stick up for each other, and part of that includes alerting newer, less experienced writers on bad offers framed as good ones. What is rare is when two writer friends send me two separate lousy…
The Pitch-Every-Day Freelance Writing Business Boost
Boost? Did I hear the word “boost”? Okay, so the word “boost” is becoming almost as hackneyed as the word “slams” in headlines. But there’s only so much space up there in the title bar. Forgive me. I was browsing Twitter and the blogs, as I’m known to do, and I noticed the usual advice…
The Kondo Method of Running a Freelance Writing Career
I’m an organizer. Let me rephrase: I’m addicted to organizing. A number of years back, I decided to tackle one closet each weekend. Out went the stuff I never touched, even the stuff I was saving for when I had time/lost that last five pounds. I cleaned up, hauled it out to Goodwill, and enjoyed…
3 Things to Change That Will Make You Look Like a Professional Writer
Social media browsing is interesting sometimes. Interesting in that “train wreck” sort of way, that is. I was cruising around Twitter and some blogs yesterday, and it’s a bit surprising what shows up that people put out there on purpose. Sure, you get the political opinions, which I try to shy away from (I don’t…
Why Your Hourly Freelance Rate May Be the Wrong Approach
I don’t charge hourly anymore. Let me be more specific: I don’t quote an hourly rate anymore. I don’t really need to. Neither do you. Here’s what I do instead: I quote a per-project rate, or a per-month retainer. Why is that important? Because sometimes the job you’re doing is much, much more than the…
2 Ways to Keep Your Freelance Business Thriving
Huh. Really. That was my reaction yesterday when I saw another How to Start Your Freelance Writing Business post. I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen a lot of these kinds of posts over the years. Not one of them yet has said anything new. It’s the same general info — find a niche,…
3 Steps to Finding Better Freelance Clients
It’s February, which means it’s already started for me. Marketing for the upcoming conference, that is. Used to be I’d just blanket the conference lists with email letters of introduction (LOIs). Sure, I got plenty of work out of it. I also wasted a lot of time doing it. From years of marketing to this…
The Introvert’s Guide to Building a Freelance Writing Business
Don’t you love all the great advice you find on blogs and in articles? If you do all the reading and really absorb what’s being said, you’ll have a great blueprint for achieving a successful freelance writing business. The steps go something like this: Study your market, including prospective clients Write a killer letter of…
Writers Worth: Turning Fear into Opportunity
Join Paula Hendrickson and me today at NOON ET for another Twitter chat! Use the #WWMChat hashtag and be part of the conversation! It’s been a while since we’ve had a guest post, particularly one that carries forward the theme of Writers Worth. This month, Sharon Hurley Hall returns to the blog to share another story of…