There are some self-inflicted wounds that just leave you wondering if there’s a death wish involved. I saw an insane exchange on a writers forum recently that had me thinking the writer was either 1) way too sure of himself, or 2) really that foolish. I’m leaning toward a combination of the two. In the…
4 Things to Stop Doing That Will Grow Your Freelance Business
Just when you think nothing can shock you, something else does. A friend of mine moderates a LinkedIn group. The group has specific rules regarding what you can and cannot post. For example, one cannot post a thread that’s a link to that person’s blog or website or anything that is intended to be self-promotional….
Freelance Game Plan: February
I know, I know. It’s midway through February and I’m just getting to this. My apologies; a good bit of work came in all at once. I started with this Freelance Game Plan idea last month with the idea of giving us a bit of a monthly kick in the pants to change something up,…
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…
All Freelance Advice is Not Created Equal
Sigh. (insert large exhale here) A writer friend alerted me to a few posts and tweets seen recently that offer “writing tips” from freelancers that can help nearly any writer find more work this year. I guess the word “freelancer” is pretty loosely defined these days. I’m not saying only veteran writers have great advice…
The “What Should I Do When” Freelance Post
Not long ago, I followed up with a client with whom I’d gotten all the way to the part where they send the NDA and contract. It never arrived. It wasn’t as though they weren’t eager to get going on the projects, nor was it that I’d done anything to make them bolt. A pandemic…
Market in 2021 Like a Freelance Boss
A few weekends ago, I sat down to tally up my invoices for 2020 and pay that final self-employment tax installment. It’s an exercise that used to fill me with untold amounts of angst. I loathe figuring taxes. I never get the percentage right no matter how high I estimate. This year, I still owed…
Freelance Writing Projects: Warnings Signs (& fixes)
A writer friend called me the other day about a project a contact had proposed. As I listened to my friend’s overview of the project, I got the same gut response she did — This project is, and always will be, a nonstarter. Not everything we writers deem to be a lousy business idea is…
The Great Freelance Rate Debate
There was another discussion on yesterday’s Twitter #FreelanceChat about rates. Ironic since the chat was about negotiation, but rates are indeed part of that. And not saying the rate discussion isn’t warranted — far too many writers don’t know what to charge for their services. What I am saying is the discussion isn’t needed. I…
Taming the Freelance Project from Hell
Question: How many of you have taken on a freelance project that turned out to be one speed bump after another? Yea, me too. Let’s face it — even the best writer is going to come across that one project that threatens to break them. I had one such project recently that, while small and…