If you’re good at what you do and if you have an overall spirit of customer service, the vast majority of your clients are going to walk away happy. That’s just the nature of business. A transaction in the freelance writing business is one in which both sides win – just like in any other business. You provide something of value, and in turn your client provides payment. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it can be a real blow to your ego. It can also be a real blow to your freelance writing business. If that one [Read more…]
Remember When? Article Queries Edition
April 30, 2010. Leave a Comment
I was clicking through the Freelance Writing Jobs web site reading articles and coming up with ideas for May’s editorial calendar when I came across this old blog post of mine: “There’s Rejection and Then There’s REJECTION!” I found myself giggling at a question “Is it just me or does it sting more when you’re rejected by hot key?” I was talking about the digital querying age and how rejection form letters are often a hot key away from delivering a swift, coarse “No.” I then got a little nostalgic about the good old days of querying. Remember… Stocking up [Read more…]
If I’m a “Thought Leader” You’re All in Trouble
April 30, 2010. 10 Comments
The other day I was introduced as a “thought leader.” As you can imagine, I was flattered, but I was also confused and amused. I was confused because I’m still not so sure what it means to be a thought leader, and I was amused because if I’m the one leading your thoughts you’re all in a lot of trouble. I’ve been hearing this term “thought leader” for some time now, but never really sat down to explore what it means before today. Heck, I have some time. What is a Thought Leader, Anyway? As everyone knows, Google holds the [Read more…]
Freelance Writing Jobs for April 30, 2010
April 30, 2010. 3 Comments
In the next few months we’re going to be implementing some changes at the FWJ network. We love what we do here but over the past year or two the whole layout and navigation have kind of gotten out of control. You’ll see the first change in the next couple of days. Anyone wishing to post a gig here will be able to do so without having to email me, which will be nice. The emails are even more out of control than the layout. If you have ideas for some things you’d like to see here, feel free to [Read more…]
Writers Needed for President Obama/OFA Email Team
April 30, 2010. 1 Comment
We’re looking for a few brilliant writers and organizers to join the email team at Organizing for America and the Democratic National Committee. It’s a challenging role that requires the ability to think strategically about advocacy and elections, write at a high level on tight deadlines, and manage sophisticated national campaigns. (A working knowledge of HTML is also really helpful.) The salary and benefits are competitive, the team is great to work with, and the gig offers a historic opportunity to help President Obama and millions of OFA supporters change our country for the better. Find out more and apply [Read more…]
Content Mill Writers ARE Business People – And We’re All Proof of That
April 30, 2010. 33 Comments
I just read, with interest, Yolander Prinzel’s post at All Freelance Writing entitled “Why Low Paying Gigs Are and Are Not Your Problem.” I’m inclined to comment, except my comment is so long that I decided to just post it here. Warning: Reactionary blog post ahead: In her post Yo discusses why you needn’t worry about content site writers as your competition, but offers an enlightening look at some of the things you should concern yourself with. I’m not arguing with most of her points because they’re fair. For the most part, I agree with Yo in that content mill [Read more…]
Medical Writing–What’s It Like?
April 30, 2010. 11 Comments
Medical writing is not one of my specialties. It is, however, one of the higher paying freelance writing fields. For this post, I’m trying something different. I turned to my Twitter community and two medical writers stepped forward to share their medical writing experience with us. Lorraine Thompson of MarketCopywriter Blog and Darline Turner-Lee of Mamas on Bedrest & Beyond both specialize in medical writing. I asked each writer the same questions about medical writing. I think you’ll agree that their answers are helpful to freelance writers considering the medical writing niche. Getting Started As a Medical Writer Medical writing [Read more…]
As Per This Blog Post…
April 29, 2010. 3 Comments
Is the phrase “as per” (as in “As per my phone call, …”) grammatically correct and what alternatives are there to this phrase? I use this a lot when writing and not sure if it is acceptable! Just a thought for the day! Thanks. – Ms. B. We love (yes, I mean LOVE) questions from our loyal readers. This one really made me think. Technically speaking, there’s nothing wrong with “as per.” It may sound formal. But in business correspondence when you are reiterating your instructions to be followed, it’s unobtrusive and polite. Other synonyms include: in accordance with, following, [Read more…]
If You Don’t Feel You’re the Best, How Will You Convince Your Clients?
April 29, 2010. 10 Comments
Lorna Brewer had an interesting post today wondering why the $100 bloggers and $400 press release writers feel they’re qualified to charge this amount. I commented that it’s for the same reason we pay more money for fine art of gourmet cooking ingredients. The people who want the best will pay for the best. And then it dawned on me…what if the people who charge $5 for a blog post don’t feel they’re the best? I’m going to make this short and sweet. Most legitimate clients want the best writers for their projects. If you don’t feel you’re worthy, how [Read more…]
Freelance Writing Jobs for April 29, 2010
April 29, 2010. 2 Comments
It’s end of the month “crunch time” for many of you. Some of the members of the FWJ community who work for content sites or who write content for private clients are scrambling to meet quota. Saving up “quote projects” until the end of the month can be stressful. Try giving yourself private weekly deadlines instead. For example five articles per week instead of 20 articles per month. This way you’re not trying to balance clients and quotas come the last day of the month. Hope you’re joining the conversation at the FWJ Facebook Page. Please note there will be [Read more…]
Flame Away, Fancypants
April 29, 2010. 28 Comments
I spend a fair amount of time on this blog making fun of so-called “employers” who think it’s totally reasonable to pay decent writers a pittance for their hard work. I’ve heard every argument for why they can get away with this. New writers need some way to get started, and these gigs get their foot in the door. What seems like a ridiculously small amount of money to my bourgeoisie self may be a fortune to someone in another country. Blah, blah, blah. Today, I want to look at the other side of the equation, though. I want to [Read more…]
Query Letter Writing: What the Editors Say
April 29, 2010. 3 Comments
So in our last discussion about dissecting a successful query letter, one of our community members (who is an editor) felt my query letter was too long. While I do agree with her that brevity is important, I think the detail was important in this particular case. But the discussion board had me thinking: what exactly is the minimum you need in your query letter? Instead of just wondering, I went to the source and asked several editors that I know the following question: Less is More: What ‘questions’ are the bare minimum that a writer need to answer in [Read more…]
Writer Wanted – Various Topics $15/article
April 28, 2010. 4 Comments
Business: Jail Media Job duties: Write articles about various legal topics. No formal training is necessary, but you must be willing to do thorough research and write articles that explain sometimes complex issues in layman’s terms. Strong writing skills and creativity are necessary to succeed in this position. Payment details: 500-word articles pay $15 each. These must be 100% unique – you are expected to deliver all articles within 7 days of accepting the topics. You will be treated as an independent contractor. To apply: Email content@jailmedia.com with a sentence explaining why you are a good fit for this position. [Read more…]
How to Stand Out from the Crowd When Applying for Gigs
April 28, 2010. Leave a Comment
When a client (or any employer) puts out an ad looking for help, they are usually swamped with responses. It’s not uncommon for a single ad to generate 200 responses (or more). How do you stand out from the crowd of other people (in a positive way) who are trying to get the same freelance writing gig? Follow Instructions One thing that will set you apart from the rest of the pack is to follow the instructions in the ad to the letter. If the client is asking for a resume, send your most recent version. On the other hand, [Read more…]
Freelance Writing Jobs for April 28, 2010
April 28, 2010. 1 Comment
Quick leads today… At the FWJ Facebook page we’re writing a story using lines of songs. Why not stop by and join us? New Around the Freelance Writing Jobs Network Your Turn: Is it Ethical to Vent Your Personal Feelings on Your Client’s Blog? Now’s the Time to Track Those Tax Deductions What Happens When You Rebel? Do You Know What You’re Retweeting? Are You Really Making Any Money? 5 Reasons to Create a New Word Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Jobs Freelance Writer for The Jed Foundation Foreign Attorney Needs Writer for Website Startup Seeks Writers – $20/post Content [Read more…]
Online Game Writers – $100 per Article
April 28, 2010. 1 Comment
Beckett Media’s Fun Online Games is hiring freelance writers to cover popular kid- and family-friendly online games on a number of platforms. Fun Online Games currently reaches over 150,000 avid video-game fans, of all ages and is expanding its focus and page count to reach an even wider audience, particularly players of console video games, like the Wii, DS, PSP, and so on. We also have opportunities for select PC online games and are always interested in discovering and featuring new games. If you’ve got experience with and would like to write about any of the following, we’d love to [Read more…]
Visual Arts Blogger – $50/post
April 28, 2010. 1 Comment
Seeking Talented Blog Writer who is a Visual Artist (Fine Art, Design, etc) We are a young internet startup that is looking for a talented writer to write and edit 1or 2 300-350 word post per week blog on the topic of how to make a living as an artist (with attention paid to improving online and offline presence). The ideal candidate is a fantastic writer and has experience in art as a professional to some degree. Our audience is visual artists including fine artists, graphic artists, web designers,etc. Compensation will be $25 for the first post (trial article). The [Read more…]
Luck v. Hard Work
April 28, 2010. 15 Comments
Does everyone tell you you’re lucky because you’re able to make a successful living as a freelance writer? Are constantly reminded of your “luck” because you’re able to work at home, support your family and still have some money left over for fun? Do your fellow freelance writers discuss your luck at finding high paying clients or having a kickass marketing plan? My friend, that’s not luck. It’s your hard work paying off. I don’t know why we write off someone else’s success as “luck,” especially when it’s clear that person put a lot of time and effort into reaching [Read more…]
Ridiculous Freelance Ad of the Week
April 28, 2010. 4 Comments
It’s time to share the Ridiculous Freelance Ad of the Week. Let me tell you, I came across some doozies. In fact, I’ll have to save some of them for later, since I had to copy and paste them because they were too asinine to simply ignore altogether. I won’t tell you specifically where I’m finding these, but let’s just say that there are probably more of these kinds of ads than decent ones there. It’s a little frustrating when you’re looking for gigs, but it’s a goldmine when you like to point out potential employer stupidity on your blog. [Read more…]
Are You Really Making Any Money?
April 27, 2010. 5 Comments
When I first started out freelancing, I was happy to land a gig that would pay, for example $30 for an hour’s worth of work. After all, when I was working in the IT field my salary was just under $50,000 a year, which works out to about $24 an hour. I figured I’d arrived, that I’d found a way to replace my income. This was good, because at the time I was finishing up my Master’s degree and the prospect of landing a job teaching at any of the community colleges in Michigan was looking more and more slim. [Read more…]
Independent Writers Wanted
April 27, 2010. 7 Comments
Independent Writers Wanted – work from home Demand Studios is singularly focused on creating informative, highly quality articles for its network of industry leading websites and their numerous visitors. To meet this increasing demand, we are looking for experienced writers to join our team of freelancers and create engaging and helpful articles around the topics of their choice. Learn More and Apply Here About the Ideal Applicant: – Ability to write clearly and concisely – Comfortable with internet research – Familiarity with AP writing style is a plus – Passion for writing is a must About this Position: – Claim, work [Read more…]
Your Turn: Is it Ethical to Vent Your Personal Feelings On a Client’s Blog?
April 27, 2010. 12 Comments
Here’s the scenario: Your client hires you to post several times a week or a month regarding a particular topic. Though the client expects your personality to shine through, you give him a bit more than he bargained for. You take barbs at people you don’t like, add your personal view to what is to be a neutral post and go off on rants that are more representative of you than the topic. Is this ethical? So, here’s the next “Your Turn” question. There’s a difference between personality and personal feelings…when you’re blogging for a client is it ethical to [Read more…]
Freelance Writing Resources for April 27, 2010
April 27, 2010. 2 Comments
Hi folks. We’re dealing with some more family stuff this morning that has me running late. No leads today, but here are answers to FWJ’s Frequently Asked Questions. In a nutshell, this is everything you wanted to know about writing but were afraid to ask. There are markets and links to places to find leads, plus tips for finding gigs, and links to many online resources. Hope it’s enough to keep you busy today! How to Find Freelance Writing Jobs How to Land Your First Freelance Writing Job 43 Places to Find Freelance Writing Jobs 30 Types of Freelance Writing [Read more…]
Five Reasons to Create a New Word
April 27, 2010. 7 Comments
Devastational is not (yet) a word. I’m glad the spellchecker is with me on this one. I repeat: “Devastational” is NOT a word. The proper word is “devastating.” There are some very good reasons to create new words. But there’s no reason for this one. After hearing the word “devastational” used twice in one New York radio show, I knew I had to step in and do something about it, before it’s too late. Are you with me? Let’s Face It, Language Evolves Words like nauseous have evolved to possess different meanings than that originally intended. If enough people (mis)use [Read more…]
