If you’ve been freelancing for a while, you’ve seen a lot. I’d bet you’ve seen something like what Randy Hecht shares with us today. Randy is the moderator of the popular LinkedIn forum LinkEds & Writers, which has a large population of working freelance editors and writers — the site’s target audience. As you might…
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1 Move That Can Increase Freelance Income (and it’s not what you think)
On a former teacher’s Facebook post recently, I was bemoaning how I’d been writing in my specialty area for 22 years and how I still get sources — typically men — overexplaining the industry to me. You know, the industry about which I’ve written articles that they’ve read. In one hilarious case, an over-explainer actually…
Is Negative Branding Killing Your Freelance Biz?
Picture this: You’re on a public forum where lots and lots of company execs hang out. You can post anything you want to attract attention, build name recognition, draw people to you. Here’s what you choose: I’m sick and tired of prospective clients asking me the same questions! No, I don’t want to send you…
The Worst (and Longest-lasting) Freelance Writing Mistake
This post is about entitlement. It’s also about the big mistake some writers are making while thinking they’re entitled to something. I saw an exchange on a forum I frequent that made me wonder about a lot of things, but mostly about how some writers must truly love shooting themselves in the foot. Here’s how…
Losing Your Freelance Sh*t While Remaining a Pro
You know the feeling: You’re running to beat deadlines, you have a holiday flying up on you faster than expected, you have yet to book that flight, someone’s playing Christmas music over and over and…. Did I just hear your last nerve snap? Wait, no. That was mine. Go on. Admit it. You’re losing your…
The Writing Pitch, Perfected
Not long ago, we had a salesperson come to the house for a product demonstration/sales call. The appointment was set for 11 on a Saturday morning. At 6:30 pm, we ended the sales pitch. And it was the third or fourth time we’d ended it. We’d missed both lunch and dinner. I was seriously worried…
Marketing Monday: You’re Doing It Wrong
What I’m listening to: Hardliners by Holcombe Waller The best ideas for marketing often come from seeing it done incorrectly. Let me preface what I’m about to say with a caveat — if you’re attempting marketing, you’re more than likely doing it okay. But there are ways a freelance writer — or anyone — can…
8 Ways to Bury Your Freelance Writing Image
What I’m listening to: Hanuman by Rodrigo y Gabriela I spent the last two days working like mad to get some client work finished – I wanted to head west and bring my mom back here for Easter. But she’s decided she’s staying put this year. She’s really struggling with getting back to a normal…
Writers Worth: Expressing Your Worth
My husband and I were at a high-end kitchen design shop not long ago. We were browsing for ideas, and in the process, we were greeted by one of the salespeople. The man introduced himself, explained the showroom floor, then hung back at the front of the store until we sought him out. He then…
6 Top Freelance Writing Traits
What I’m listening to: Roadrunner by The Modern Lovers Another year, another conference under the belt. This makes 10 or so appearances at this particular conference, so there are plenty of familiar faces and names. I ran into quite a few of them too, and I was fortunate to be able to finally meet a…