Building a Brand as a Freelancer: Slash Careers and Writing

by Delia Lloyd

One of the principle challenges we face as freelance writers is how to build a brand. We may have highly developed set of skills, or a unique voice to share with others, but how do we get ourselves noticed and drum up work?

Marci Alboher’s new book, One Person, Multiple Careers offers one solution. This book is a part documentary, part "how to" career guide for people who have multiple skills and talents, but feel like these can’t be realized within the same field. According to Alboher (herself an "author slash speaker slash coach"), the answer is to become a "slash," re-organizing your professional life across multiple domains.

While the book covers the slash trend writ large, a number of the people the author profiles have writing as one of their slashes. Chapter Four of her book argues that writing, teaching, speaking and consulting are four slashes that pretty much go with anything–"the black pants of a slash wardrobe,"–as she puts it. Once you’ve developed a particular body of knowledge, the argument goes, it’s only natural to then want to deliver that expertise to students, clients and the public. Through a mix of colorful profiles, useful resources and practical tips, the chapter illustrates how to combine these four activities in a mutually reinforcing way that really promotes your brand. Not only does this get you off your computer and out there in the world, you also get a chance to make some extra cash!!

Delia Lloyd is a writer/journalist based in London. Check out her website at: http://delia.lloyd.googlepages.com/.