While you can rest on your laurels and be content with the readership you already have, why do that when you can continuously get more exposure and attract new followers? This is the idea behind Blog Search Engine, a blog directory under the wings of Splashpress Media, the same group running our beloved Freelance Writing Jobs. Blog Search Engine is a PR6 blog directory which can help bloggers of all kinds to gain more exposure for their pride and joy.

The blog directory is being relaunched, complete with a new design and new packages – from Basic to Platinum. In line with this relaunch, Blog Search Engine is running a contest wherein the winner will get a Platinum Package worth $99.99!

This package gives you a full description of your blog and a backlink, which every other package offers. On top of these, you also get the following perks:

• Bloggy Award Review (PR5)
• Link on http://xfep.com/uber-blogs/ for 3 Months
• Featured link on Eatonweb blog portal (PR6)
• Featured Blog display banner for 15 days (BlogSearchEngine.com)

Doesn’t that just make you excited about what such a package can do for your blog? Sure, $99.99 is not to be taken lightly, but with the contest, you can get everything for free! Here’s how to win.

1. Tweet about this contest and include a link back to the following URL: http://bit.ly/rqPTDL
2. Copy and paste the full tweet you sent into the comments section on this page.

The contest will run until end of day 11/11/11 and the winner will be announced no later than 11/14/2011.

What are you waiting for? Hit that Tweet button now!

If you’ve been following my branding series and want to read more about branding and social media marketing, you can follow the link to read a free bonus chapter from my new book, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, and if you’ve been following my copywriting series and want to learn more, you can pick up a copy of Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps.  Everything you need to know to successfully grow your freelance writing business through branding, social media, and content marketing, as well as how to write effective copy, can be found in those books.  And of course, you can always find me on Twitter (@susangunelius), Facebook, LinkedIn or visit my company website (KeySplash Creative) for all the details.  Don’t be stranger!

With that said, I leave you with 25 tips to become a successful freelance writer (in no particular order).  Feel free to add your own to this list in the comments section!

1. Don’t give up.
2. Take time to build your brand.
3. Network!
4. Don’t be afraid of social media.
5. You’re a writer — use that skill for content marketing!
6. Focus!
7. Know when it’s time to move on.
8. Don’t dwell on failures.  Focus on getting better.
9. Find gaps and fill them.
10. Continue learning.
11. The marketplace and the publishing industry are changing.  You need to change to keep up.
12. Don’t worry about everyone else.  Do what’s right for you.
13. Don’t get too dependent on one thing or one source of income.
14. Do your homework.  Success doesn’t come to those who sit and wait for it.
15. Find successful writers you admire and follow their work.  Connect with them on the social web.
16. Join online or offline writing groups to hone your skills.
17. Learn more about marketing and copywriting to help sell yourself.
18. Remember, volunteering to write for high-profile, authoritative websites can do more in terms of added exposure than a paycheck can deliver.  Just don’t give it all away for free or on the cheap.
19. Keep up on changing technical trends that affect the publishing industry and learn new tools to stay marketable.
20. Try to write for fun and for yourself sometimes.  Remember, all work and no play stinks.
21. Monitor your online reputation.
22. Go outside and get some fresh air sometimes.
23. Building a business takes time and a lot of effort.  Commit to the long haul.
24. Don’t be afraid to experiment.  Test new things, tweak your efforts, and try again.
25. Stop reading this and go write!

Best of luck for writing success in the future!

If you’re not already familiar with Ahmed, following is a brief introduction.

About Ahmed Bilal

Ahmed Bilal is an entrepreneur and business consultant who has worked as freelance copywriter and blogger for a wide variety of niches – from online marketing to health and fitness to relationships to financial markets and lots more. He has also worked (and still does) in the online marketing industry as a consultant for U.S. and U.K. based start-ups.  In addition, Ahmed owns Football Media, an advertising network that works exclusively with football websites.

You can learn more about Ahmed on his website, AhmedBilal.com.

Please join me in welcoming Ahmed to Freelance Writing Jobs.  I’m confident he’ll bring new perspectives that are sure to help writers as we navigate through the new landscape of the publishing world both online and offline.

For those of you who haven’t already found Jonathan’s awesome PlagiarismToday blog or seen his posts on Splashpress Media’s BloggingPro blog, here’s an introduction:

About Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey has been building Web sites for 15 years and has been blogging actively since 2005. He is best known for PlagiarismToday, his blog about copyright and plagiarism issues, which is rooted in his own experiences fighting plagiarism.  He also writes for BloggingPro, WhoIsHostingThis and Blogging Tips. Jonathan has also been a featured author on Blog Herald and the European Journalism Centre.

Jonathan has handled hundreds of plagiarism cases, but he’s quick to point out that he is constantly learning more, particularly from the people he connects with on his blogs and through his writing.

Please join me in welcoming Jonathan to Freelance Writing Jobs!

Submissions should be emailed to submissions@uk.penguingroup.com before the end of October 2010.  Don’t worry if you’re not in the United Kingdom where this division of Penguin is located.  For example, I live in the United States and two of my books are published by the division of Macmillan Publishing in the United Kingdom (Palgrave Macmillan).  If a publisher likes your book, it doesn’t matter where you or the publisher is located.

You can get the details on the Penguin website, but here is an overview from the site:

“We ask that email submissions comprise a brief covering note and synopsis and not a full manuscripts. Please do not send attachments, please write out your cover note and synopsis in the body of the email. We remain unable to accept hard copy submissions and will not return or be responsible for the safety of any that we do receive, so please do not send any original or hard copy manuscripts to us. We will not contact you with feedback on your submission and will only enter into email correspondence with you if an editor within Penguin is keen to progress your idea.”

There are no specifics about genre, so it looks like Penguin is open to all submissions.  This is a huge opportunity!  Good luck if you decide to send in a submission!

I had the pleasure of working with Gayla while she was a channel manager at b5media, and I was constantly impressed by her ability to connect with people, engage, and share part of herself as well as offer her guidance.  I know she will become an important part of the Freelance Writing Jobs community!

To get you acquainted with Gayla, here is a brief bio:

Gayla has made her own success in the world of online writing and community building.  Her blogs and websites, including MomGadget.com, helped her become a 5 figure affiliate blogger and gave her the opportunity to develop and sell multiple sites over the years, ultimately earning over six-figures from those combined sales.  Today, she writes and manages several blogs and sites, including her blog network, GadAboutMedia.com.

She has ten years of experience as an internet professional in a variety of positions, including:

• Channel editor and manager to as many as 80 writers for a large blog network
• Marketing and support to a major online niche dating website
• Content eeveloper
• Webmaster
• SEO Consultant
• Work at home coach
• Blog training
• Advocate
• Public speaker
• Event organizer
• Online community director
• And last but not least, Mom and Chief of my family

Suffice it to say, Gayla has vast experience in working from home, being your own boss, and building your own career and business.  She will begin publishing content here on Freelance Writing Jobs next week.  Until then, you can connect with Gayla across the social web, and you can learn more about her at GaylaBaer.com.

Please join me in welcoming Gayla to Freelance Writing Jobs!

Just visit MyBlogGuest.com, set up an account, and you’re ready to go!  You can submit your guest posts through the form on the FWJ Guest Post Submission page.  It’s that easy!

MyBlogGuest.com is a growing community of bloggers and blog owners, led by Ann Smarty who is well known across the Web for her search engine optimization expertise.  You can learn more about MyBlogGuest.com in my recent interview with Ann Smarty.

One guest blog post will be published per week (on Wednesdays) on Freelance Writing Jobs.  Be sure to read the rules and all the benefits on the FWJ Guest Post submission page before your send in your guest post.  If your guest post is informative, interesting and useful to freelance writers, and it follows the rules on the FWJ Guest Post submission page, it will be put in the queue for publishing here on Freelance Writing Jobs.

Robin will be writing a new column called “Publishing in the 21st Century” and will discuss outside-the-box methods of publishing that go beyond the norm.  Considering the rapidly changing media landscape, Robin’s content should really resonate with writers who are trying to expand their businesses into evolving channels and opportunities.

I’ll let Robin tell you more about himself when he makes his debut later this week, but here’s a quick run-down of his excellent experience and credentials:

Robin is a published fiction novelist and 15-year veteran journalist. His credits include About.com, INFUZEmag.com, PopCultureGeek.com, and more. You can check out his books at www.RobinParrish.com.  His writing has also been published in numerous magazines and newspapers.  Today, he’s a full-time writer.

Please join me in welcoming Robin to Freelance Writing Jobs!

Jodee currently writes in the  job hunting tips section of Freelance Writing Jobs where she covers topics like developing good relationships with clients, how to know when to say goodbye to a client, and much more.

Do you have a freelance writing question?  Jodee’s new Freelance Writing Advice column will debut on Wednesday, August 11th here on the main Freelance Writing Jobs site.  She’ll feature questions submitted by Freelance Writing Jobs readers as well as a wide variety of questions that can help freelance writers build their businesses and their careers successfully.

So what question or concern have you been pondering?  Leave a comment with your question and you might see it featured in an upcoming post in the Freelance Writing Advice column.

And to be sure you don’t miss any content from the Freelance Writing Jobs Network, you can follow us on Twitter (@freelancewj) where all of the feeds and posts from all of the blogs in the network are available in one place!

I’ve been told that it looks like the home page updating problem has been fixed, which is great news!  It took some time, but the tech team kept at it until they figured out the problem. Let’s face it, tech people always hear the complaints when things aren’t perfect on the user’s end, but they rarely get the appreciation they deserve.  Thanks to all the tech gurus who helped in the effort to get Freelance Writing Jobs back into action!

With that said, if you’re still having problems, leave a comment and let us know what’s happening.  There is still work to be done to make Freelance Writing Jobs even better in terms of design and performance, and unfortunately, updating a site almost never happens without bumps in the road.  We’ll get there and the site will be better than ever!  Again, thanks for being patient!

Image: stock.xchng

Let me preface my opinion on this topic by saying I don’t think anyone should judge why another person takes one job over another.  Every person, whether they’re a writer, an actor, a business person, or work in any other profession, has unique experiences, education and circumstances.  To judge another person’s willingness to take a job that is unpaid or low paying is completely unfair.  Until you walk a day in that person’s shoes, you don’t know what his or her circumstances are that makes that person choose to work for a rate that you feel is too low.

Have I taken writing jobs early in my career that were unpaid?  Yes.  As a matter of fact, I still write for a couple of publications for free because the exposure they give me to a broad audience is just as valuable to me as money would be.

Have I taken writing jobs early in my career when I was trying to build a portfolio that were grossly underpaid?  Yes.  Again, a writer has to start somewhere and getting a portfolio is important to attracting future clients.

Now, there is a ugly little thing called online article farms of which I am not a fan.  However, just because they’re not right for me, doesn’t mean that they’re not perfectly acceptable to another person.  I have no intention of judging how another person values their time and their work.  In fact, that process is none of my business.  Based on my experience, I can give unbiased tips and suggestions and try to steer people in safe directions, but if a person is okay with writing a blog post for $3 because they need the money or need to build a portfolio, then that’s their choice.

To recap, I’ve written for free.  I’ve written for the promise of a very meager portion of ad revenue on a site.  I’ve written blog posts for as low as $4 per post when I was first building an online portfolio and brand.  Each of these opportunities helped me build up my search engine rankings, so they served a dual purpose for me.  I avoided writing for sites that could damage my online brand (meaning they didn’t offer the quality of content that I wanted to associate my brand with) as soon as I could, and I made sure any low paying opportunity would help me to indirectly build my business.

Finally, I would never presume to judge another person who takes a low paying writing job because they need the money.  If employers are willing to hire people for low rates, and there are employees who are willing to do the work for that pay, then the rates those employers offer aren’t going to go up anytime soon.  As with most careers, there are varying levels of pay, and there are different types of employers.  It’s up to you to choose which pay rates you’re willing to accept based on your level of experience, goals, and financial needs, and it’s up to you to choose which employers you’re willing to work for based on their pay rates and reputations.

The goal for writers is to build up your portfolio with quality work, so in time, you can get even better jobs.  The path to growth and success isn’t different for a writer than it is for anyone pursuing a career.

Bottom-line, do I like that employers get away with paying writers less than minimum wage?  No, but we work in a global industry now where we compete with writers throughout the world who are willing to work for very different rates and for very different reasons.  I just don’t judge anyone else for taking a low paying job, because they have their reasons.  At Freelance Writing Jobs, I hope writers can learn that over time, they don’t have to take those low paying jobs anymore.  It might not happen overnight (in fact, that would be a rare occurrence), but with patience and determination, it can happen.  Freelance Writing Jobs tries to communicate the information, tips, and direction you need to make it happen.

That’s why I published the new comment policy yesterday.  Comments that attack other people for taking low paying jobs or insult people, etc., will be deleted.  Professional debate is always welcome.  Remember, attack the argument, not the person.

Now, enough of the guidelines and process stuff and back to learning about freelance writing …

Next up, how to build your online brand and reputation, which will probably be a multi-part series since branding is one of my first loves and is so important for anyone trying to build a business these days since it is tied so closely to search engine optimization.

Oh, and back to shorter posts tomorrow, too.  Long posts on blogs are not fun, but sometimes, it has to be done.  Sorry about that.  Shorter tomorrow!

Image: stock.xchng

As part of Splashpress Media, the comment policy will change a bit on Freelance Writing Jobs in an effort to protect the writers who work very hard to create new, useful content on this site everyday and to protect the readers who are looking for that useful information without the fear of being attacked or insulted in the comments.

With that said, here is the comment policy:

Comments are welcomed and encouraged on this site, but there are some instances where comments will be edited or deleted as follows:

1. Comments deemed to be spam or questionable spam will be deleted. Including a link to relevant content is permitted, but comments should be relevant to the post topic.
2. Comments including profanity will be edited or deleted.
3. Comments containing language or concepts that could be deemed offensive will be deleted.
4. Comments that attack a person individually will be deleted.

The owner of this blog reserves the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to this blog without notice. This comment policy is subject to change at anytime.

So that’s all there is to it.  If you wouldn’t say something to another person’s face or to your mother or to your boss, then it shouldn’t be published in a blog comment either.  Freelance Writing Jobs is a site for professionals owned by a well-established company and conversations should remain in the realm of professionalism.

And remember, when you publish rude, snarky, or just plain nasty comments, they’re linked to your IP address, name, etc., which means they negatively affect your online brand reputation just as much as they affect the subject of your complaint.  Do you really want your brand image associated with unprofessional social media conversations?  Think before you hit the submit button.  Your comments have far-reaching repercussions across the social web, and once they’re out there, you can’t take them back — forever.

Of course, this post is intended only for a very small portion of the visitors to this blog.  Most of you know your manners don’t stop just because you’re hiding behind your computer and an Internet connection.  Thank you for that!  It makes my job and the Splashpress Media team’s job easier when we don’t have to spend more time editing and deleting comments than we do creating useful content.

And of course, we understand if you don’t agree with this policy and prefer to find information elsewhere.  That’s why the social web is so great — there’s a place for everyone, and if there isn’t, you can create it!

Image: stock.xchng

The home page is not updating with the most recent content.  For some reason, some readers are only seeing content published on or before July 2, 2010 on the home page despite clearing their cache and web browser cookies.

According to the Splashpress Media tech team, the problem might be related to DNS updates.  For example, if you’re accessing Freelance Writing Jobs from a computer at work, you might be stuck behind a firewall which only updates the URL DNS one time per month.  The Freelance Writing Jobs DNS has been updated correctly, so the firewall issue would definitely cause a problem on the user’s end.  You can read more about DNS issues when changing nameservers here.

It has been recommended that if the Freelance Writing Jobs home page is not updating for you, you can flush your DNS entries on your computer and force an update that way.  However, if you’re Internet access is stuck behind a firewall, there’s probably little you can do but wait.

The tech team has offered to write a how-to for both Windows and Mac.  I’ll publish it as soon as it’s available.  Sorry for the glitch, but the right people are working to get you the information you need to continue reading Freelance Writing Jobs.  In the meantime, you can click through to any entry on the home page and navigate through the site using category and tag links or click through to specific articles from the Freelance Writing Jobs Twitter feed or Facebook page where they are automatically posted.

Image: stock.xchng

Please take the poll below and feel free to leave a comment to share more details about where you are in your writing career.

With that in mind, please take the poll below and tell me what you want to see on Freelance Writing Jobs! Note: you can select multiple answers in this poll.

Image: stock.xchng

So here goes…

I grew up in New Jersey and as you already know, pursued a corporate career in marketing when I received my undergraduate degree in 1993.  I met my husband in 1995, and we were married in 1996.  I led the corporate lifestyle until 2004 when I gave birth to triplets.  Yes, I said triplets.  As you can imagine, that’s when my life changed.

Originally, I planned to be a stay-at-home mom.  Let’s face it, paying for daycare for three infants wasn’t practical.  In 2005, my husband and I left the fast-paced New York City area for better weather.  With no jobs and 14-month old triplets in tow, we headed south to find better weather and a less frenzied lifestyle.  We landed in Central Florida and haven’t looked back (although I do miss being able to zip into Manhattan whenever I want).

A year or so after our move to sunny Florida, I had an idea to write a book about copywriting for small business owners and beginner copywriters.  As I researched the process of selling a book proposal to a literary agent and publisher, I learned that one of the most important aspects of becoming a published business nonfiction author is having a platform.  That means you have to be able to prove to the publisher that you have an established reputation with enough reach to help sell copies of your book.  I had the education, the marketing experience, the story to tell, and the ability to write that story, but I did not have a platform.

Typically, authors spend a lot of time on the road, speaking at events around the world to build their platforms.  They teach seminars, attend conventions, and get in front of as many people as they can.  With toddler triplets at home, this type of travel was not an option for me, so I turned to the social web to build my platform.

My first target was blogging.  The more I researched, the more I realized that building a quality blog independently would take a lot of time.  I needed to speed up the process, so I actively sought out opportunities to blog for networks that would help me build my online exposure more quickly.  I took paying blogging jobs and nonpaying jobs that would help me establish myself as a blogger and marketing expert across the social web.

After I had a blogging portfolio, I was able to land higher paying blogging roles that offered even more exposure.  From there, one thing led to another, and there was more work on my plate than I could have imagined.  By doing my research, creating a solid plan, and focusing on my niche area of expertise, I was able to develop a career as a writer in less than a year.

Today, my triplets are just about to turn 6-years old.  They’re home for summer vacation before staring 1st grade in August, and I’m trying to juggle my business through my company, KeySplash Creative, my speaking schedule through SusanGunelius.com, and I’m churning out more books than I ever expected.  Somehow, I manage to juggle it all, and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Of course, you can connect with me across the social web.  The main places where I spend time where you can connect with me are: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

So that’s my personal story.  If I can do it, so can you!

How has your personal life affected your writing career?  Leave a comment and share your own story.  I can’t wait to read it and be inspired.

Here goes…

Like most writers, I have always loved to write.  I’d rather take an essay test in school than multiple choice any day of the week.  English was a natural choice for my minor in college, and when I started my corporate marketing career, writing became a key part of my role.  It was through my work in Corporate America that I learned how to write copy and marketing communications that get results.

In 2004, my corporate career came to a stop for personal reasons, which I’ll tell you about in my next post, but I couldn’t stay away from marketing and writing for long before I had an idea to write a book about copywriting that would help small business owners who can’t afford to hire professional copywriters create copy that works.  I was tired of watching small business commercials and looking at small business print ads that had little chance of delivering the returns the business owners wanted and needed.  That’s when I came up with the idea for my first book, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps.  Next, I had to learn how to get a book published, and that’s when my entire life changed.

I turned to the Internet to learn how to get a book published and found websites like AbsoluteWrite.com that taught me everything I needed to know about publishing nonfiction books.  I spent months researching and learned that my best chance for getting interest from a well-known publisher was to build a platform across the social web.  Blogging became my priority target.  I taught myself to blog and realized that by joining a blog network, I could increase my online presence faster.  I turned to my expertise, marketing, and pursued network blogging opportunities with respected networks that had a broad reach (there were several at the time).

Throughout this process, I was writing my first book.  I spent about 6 months learning and building my online platform before I started to approach agents with my book proposal.  I targeted ten agents and within a month had two agents express interest.  One sent my proposal along to a publisher to gauge reaction, but at the exact same time, something else happened.

I wrote a blog post on a blog I was writing for a large blog network at the time about the Harry Potter brand.  A publisher in England, Palgrave Macmillan (a division of Macmillan Publishing), saw the blog post and contacted me asking if I would be interested in writing a book about the Harry Potter marketing phenomenon.  Of course, I said yes.  Within a week or so, I heard back from my agent about the publisher’s reaction to my copywriting book.  They wanted it.  Within a year, Entrepreneur Press published my copywriting book, and Palgrave Macmillan published my Harry Potter book, Harry Potter: The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon.  From there, the domino effect took over and my new career was born.

Since I started all of this in 2007 until now, I launched my own company and had six books published with a seventh on the way in 2011 and more in the pipeline.  My blog for women working in the field of business, WomenOnBusiness.com, was named a finalist in the 2009 Stevie Awards for Women in Business in the category of Best Blog, and has been named to two “Top Blogs” lists by Forbes.com.  I am a featured writer on Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and my marketing related articles have appeared across the web on sites like MSNBC.com, FoxBusiness.com, WashingtonPost.com, TheStreet.com, SmartMoney.com, Yahoo! Advertising, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Small Business, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.  I write blogs and online content for a variety of large and small clients, including About.com (a New York Times company), Cox Communications, Newstex.com, Corporate-Eye.com, and many more.  Long story short, I’m busier than ever and desperately need an assistant.

I built my writing career by focusing on my strengths and leveraging the social web for organic growth.  If you look at my Twitter profile or Facebook profile, you’ll see that I don’t have tens of thousands of followers and connections, and there is a reason for that.  I’m a proponent of content marketing via social media where quality trumps quantity.  Deb built Freelance Writing Jobs under a similar methodology where quality has always been placed first, and I certainly have no intention of changing that.

You can click on the following links to find my books and read some of my online articles and blog content.

If you haven’t already connected with me on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, please do so we can get to know each other even better!

Up next: my personal life

By the way, Deb interviewed me a while back for her Success Stories series on Freelance Writing Jobs, which you can read here.

I’ve known Deb for years — since we were both writing for Know More Media back in 2007.  Our paths have crossed many times since then — writing for b5media and later when I took over writing for About.com as the Guide to Blogging as Deb’s successor.

It’s amazing how our paths are crossing again since Splashpress Media purchased Freelance Writing Jobs from Deb last month.  I began working with Splashpress Media in May 2010 and have been writing on three sites for Splashpress: Performancing.com, BloggingPro.com, and BusinessLogs.com.  When Splashpress purchased Freelance Writing Jobs, they approached me and asked me if I would be willing to take the helm.  Being so familiar with the community and with Deb, I had to say yes.  And here I am.

You may have seen me here on Freelance Writing Jobs before.  Deb has reviewed a couple of my books in the past and even given away copies in blog contests. If not, I’ll introduce myself to you.  In fact, I know Freelance Writing Jobs is a very personable community — more of a family than a network — and with that in mind, I’m going to reveal more about myself over the next few days so you can really get to know me.  I’m going to give you my story in three parts: professional life, writing life, personal life.  I hope to learn more of your stories over the coming days and weeks as well!

So here goes…  my professional life (which I’ll try to write so it doesn’t sound like a boring resume):

I have always loved marketing and advertising.  I was probably the only teenager on the planet who had a collection of print ads.  Naturally, I decided to study marketing in college.  I got my Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing with an English minor from Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut almost 20 years ago and started my career working in the marketing field for a division of AT&T.  Several years later I moved to take a marketing management role with HSBC (coincidentally enough at an office just a few miles from Deb Ng’s home – it’s a small world) where I managed multi-million dollar marketing budgets and directed all facets of marketing.

It was during my corporate career that I learned to be a copywriter and to write effective marketing and business communications.  Suffice it to say, working for some of the largest companies in the world and directing marketing programs for global audiences taught me a lot.  I mean seriously — a lot.  I stayed in Corporate America for a decade and quite honestly, I hope to never return.

My next career stop came about a bit unconventionally (which I’ll tell you about when I write about my writing life tomorrow), but ultimately, I opened my own marketing communications company, KeySplash Creative, Inc., through which I offer all kinds of writing services as well as branding and social media consulting services.  I’m busier than ever and life is good.  Some of my clients over the course of my career have included Citibank, H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt, Cox Communications, and more.  I work with large and small businesses around the world, and I love it!  I also speak at virtual and in-person events about marketing, branding and social media, but not as often as I’d like (more about that in the personal life part of my story in an upcoming post though).

So the crux of my professional story is this — I’m a marketer and writer.  You’re likely to find that a lot of the content I write on Freelance Writing Jobs will be about marketing yourself and your business.  I can’t help it.  I love marketing!  You’ll also learn that my marketing approach is based on brand transparency and organic growth.  Corporate buzz words really annoy me and hard sales pitches make me want to scream.  I’m not saying that they don’t work, I simply don’t advocate them.  For me, marketing success is long-term, sustainable growth rather than short term spikes that are gone tomorrow.

You can connect with me on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, too.

Up tomorrow: my writing life

I wrote this post in my head about twelve times in the past few days but it’s not coming out like I intended.

• I thought about writing about the lessons I learned as a freelance writer, but I already did that.
• I thought about writing about the lessons I learned as a blogger, but I already did that.
• I thought about writing a long list of thank you’s but I already did that.

I don’t want to get all melancholy, but I do want to tell you that this blog and community was my life for five years and it means so much to me. You all do. I met so many wonderful people and learned more than I can tell you here. I’m grateful for the support of the freelance writing community.

I don’t want to turn this into some sad, prolonged Oprah moment, so I’ll  leave you with one last thought:

You are responsible for you. Only you know the choices that work best for you and your situation. Don’t be the person a blogger wants you to be. Be the person you want to be. Be happy.

With gratitude,

Deborah Ng
June 30, 2010

Now blogging at Kommein

I wrote this post in my head about twelve times in the past few days but it’s not coming out like I intended.

• I thought about writing about the lessons I learned as a freelance writer, but I already did that.
• I thought about writing about the lessons I learned as a blogger, but I already did that.
• I thought about writing a long list of thank you’s but I already did that.

I don’t want to get all melancholy, but I do want to tell you that this blog and community was my life for five years and it means so much to me. You all do. I met so many wonderful people and learned more than I can tell you here. I’m grateful for the support of the freelance writing community.

I don’t want to turn this into some sad, prolonged Oprah moment, so I’ll  leave you with one last thought:

You are responsible for you. Only you know the choices that work best for you and your situation. Don’t be the person a blogger wants you to be. Be the person you want to be. Be happy.

With gratitude,

Deborah Ng
June 30, 2010

Now blogging at Kommein

I hope you enjoy!

When I began the Freelance Writing Jobs blog five years ago, it was a fun hobby. I enjoyed trolling the Internet for job leads each morning and sharing with my fellow freelancers. For me, it was a relaxing way to enjoy my first cup of coffee. In those days, I woke at 4:00 a.m. to find leads as my then three year old son was too high maintenance to allow me to get stuff done during regular business hours. You really have to love what you do to get up that early.

FWJ surprised me by becoming a popular resource for freelance writers. It won awards and accolades and reached the top of the search engines.  I worked hard at creating a helpful community for freelance writers, and the freelance writing community responded in kind. I don’t know that I ever meant for FWJ to become a full time job, but it did. Not only did it pay the bills, but it enabled me to hire about ten freelancers so new writers could learn from the best, and veteran writers commiserated and shared with the rest. FWJ became my life and my brand. Thanks to FWJ many clients found me and I made so many friends. This blog changed my life for the better and I don’t know where I’d be now without it. It’s my most valuable experience.

With all that said, you can imagine what I might be feeling when I tell you that I have decided to sell Freelance Writing Jobs.

Yes, the rumors are true.

The blog that became my life, now belongs to someone else.

Why now?

This has been an emotional and difficult decision, one I didn’t settle upon lightly. I have many reasons for selling FWJ. Some I may tell you in time, others I probably won’t discuss. I’m not bankrupt or broke, I’m not losing money and I’m not sick of blogging about writing. I’m not selling out for the almighty dollar. In fact, money was given the least amount of consideration when making this decision. I’ll leave it at saying it’s time to move on. If you have questions about FWJ or why I decided to sell, feel free to ask. Anything you read that didn’t come from me is purely speculation.

It’s time to move on.

Why Splashpress Media?

When I decided to sell FWJ I received a half dozen offers and the one from Splashpress Media wasn’t the highest. However, in selling I had three concerns and Splashpress was the only potential buyer who addressed these three concerns and promised FWJ wouldn’t languish or lose the message and image we worked so hard to maintain throughout the past five years.

My three concerns:

1. The Freelance Writing Jobs Blog

What would happen to FWJ if I sold? Would it sit, neglected, growing tall weeds like some old, abandoned home? Would it become a haven for dollar jobs and spammers? I don’t think I can bear to watch that happen. The people at Splashpress promised they would continue FWJ’s mission and help writers to succeed and find work. They’ll continue to post the best gigs and offer top notch advice.  To ensure this will happen, my friend, copywriter and published author Susan Gunelius, is coming on as Managing Editor. I’m confident FWJ will grow beyond even my wildest dreams with Susan at the helm.

2, The FWJ Bloggers

The last thing I wanted was for Splashpress to pull some sort of b5media deal where all the bloggers were kicked out of their blogs and their hard work locked up and taken away. They care about FWJ as much as I do and I wanted them to be treated with dignity. I’m happy to tell you that Splashpress has agreed to continue to allow most of the FWJ bloggers to maintain their blogs. However, some of the bloggers have decided to move on with me. You’ll see a mix of old and new faces here in the upcoming weeks, and I hope you’ll continue to be a sharing and giving community. This is an exciting change, but it’s going to change for the better.

3. The FWJ Community

That’s you. I wanted to make sure you all still had a place to go for quality leads and advice. Anyone can start a writing blog,  but not everyone has the experience and to help you land gigs or the talent to help you get where you’re going in a respectful manner.  I think you’ll enjoy the new FWJ! Under Susan’s and Splashpress’ care, FWJ will grow bigger than ever.

What now?

Though FWJ will change hands on July 1, I’ll still be around. My favorite freelance bloggers have promised I can guest post for them from time to time. I’m also writing a couple of books, working on projects with other bloggers,  and working as Conference Director for BlogWorld Expo. If you would still like to be a part of my bloggy community you can also find me at Kommein.com and the Kommein Facebook page where I blog about social media. I’m on Twitter at debng and will still be chatting you up each day. Though I won’t be blogging here, I have agreed to stay on for three months as a consultant to help ensure a smooth transition.

I may be moving on from the freelance writing world, but I’m not gone by any means. I’m still going to be around the blogosphere and social media space. This isn’t the end of anything, but, rather, the start of another chapter.

I hope you know how much you all mean to me, and how none of this would be possible without your continued support throughout the years. I owe so many people so much, it would be impossible to thank them all on this page.I considered a long list of thank you’s but didn’t want to hurt anyone by forgetting to include them and thought it best not to go that route. I have been reaching out with my individual thank you’s, and if you touched my life, I’ll be in touch with you.

I consider all experiences, both positive and negative to be opportunities for learning and have absolutely no regrets.

I hope you will continue to be a part of the FWJ community, and perhaps even come say hi to me at my other blogs and projects. I’m feeling a bit emotional right now, so I’m going to have to end this.

• Thank you to the FWJ community.
• Thank you to the FWJ bloggers.
• Thank you to my friends and family.
• Thank you to those of you who have supported me and my efforts throughout the years.
• Thank you to the supportive bloggers and writers who have reached out or linked to FWJ throughout the years.
• Thank you to my Twitter and Facebook friends.
• Thank you to all.

I’ll be here until July 1. Thank you, everyone.

-Deborah Ng
June 14, 2010

These are the people have changed my life for the better.

Past and Present FWJ Bloggers

• Jodee Redmond – No words can express how much I value Jodee’s friendship. In the summer of 2007, she was the first blogger hired, and has offered unwavering support.  Jodee inspires me to give back everyday and taught me the best of friends are always there for each other – even if they live in different countries.
• Terreece Clarke – Terreece won the gig with FWJ but stayed on because she’s so awesome. She’s always had my back and I’ll always have hers.
• James Chartrand – She started out as a member of this community and even blogged here a bit. James may not blog for FWJ anymore but we still talk often.
• Dawn Allcot – She set me straight on the Free Lance thing, I’m glad we had Dawn to ensure proper grammar and looking the other way with all my typos. Dawn is funny and gracious and will always be someone I’m proud to call “friend.”
• Jennifer Chait – We met in the writing forums and our friendship grew into something close and wonderful. Jennifer will always be one of my BFF’s both on and offline.
• Lorna Doone Brewer - Never fails to put a smile on my face.
• Bob Younce – He’s our quiet blogger, but when he talks, people listen.
• Thursday Bram - We bonded in Austin, Thursday is on my “forever friends” list. I’m inspired by her enthusiasm and upbeat nature.
• Carson Brackney – One of my oldest blogging friends, Carson taught me so much about being respectful in disagreement and looking at life with humor. If there’s one blog you should commit to read, it’s Carson’s.
• Andy Hayes - I think it’s safe to say I’d get more done if I didn’t spend every day Skyping with Andy. He’s my friend, my confidante and my conference buddy.
• Laura Spencer – Laura is who I aspire to be.
• Jennifer Escalona – Jennifer didn’t blog for us long, but she made an impact. Look forward to more good things from Jenn.

Friends

• Chris Garrett – I don’t know what I’d do without Chris. He’s my voice of reason, my companion, my idol and my friend. My world became a better place on the day I met Chris.
• Anne Wayman – Anne was the first freelance writing blogger I read and her kind guidance inspired me to quite my job and make a go at this thing. I owe her more than she’ll ever know.
• Liz Strauss – Liz is one of the people I look up to most in the blogosphere. Liz’s positive approach to blogging has inspired me to take my own vow of positive. She teaches me everyday.
• Kate Lister: Kate taught me more than how to Undress for Success. She’s generous and giving and a wonderful role model.
• Becky McCray – Becky is my reality check. She tells it like it is and keeps me grounded. Oh. And she owns a liquor store which just rocks.
• Mike Stelzner – I will always be grateful for Mike and his “Top 10 Blogs” for helping to put FWJ on the map.  Plus, he’s fun to drive around Vegas with, even if you don’t get to the party on time.
• Lara Kulpa - If not for Lara, FWJ would have fallen apart over the past couple of years. I’m grateful for her help and friendship.
• Sharon Hurley Hall – Sharon has been my friend and part of the FWJ community for years.
• Ryan Hupfer – If I didn’t thank him, he’d stalk me everywhere until I did.
• Nacie Carson – I hope the rest of the blogosphere soon realizes how terrific Nacie is. (Thanks for your patience, I know how terrible I am with the email.)
• Jenn Fowler – My frugal friend for years, this is by no means goodbye.
• Rick Calvert - the only person who is worse than me when it comes to email.
• Brandon Eley – Knows the best barbecue joints in Austin and something about friendship too.
• Patrick O’Keefe – Sets an example for grace, professionalism, dedication and just being a darn nice guy.
• John Heweitt – I hope I can still make his ultra funny end of the year recap.

More Friends

• Allena Tapia
• David Peralty
• Jeanne Grunert
• Genesis Davies
• Roberta Rosenberg
• Lucretia Pruitt
• Deb Dorchak
• Christina Jones
• Jade Craven
• Jim Turner
• Kurt Ernst
• Joel Durham, Jr.
• Tommy Tilert
• Kris Smith
• Robyn Wright
• Yury Polnar

The following may not know this, but they’ve inspired me to work hard at this blogging thing and/or at being a better person:

• Chris Brogan
• Darren Rowse

• Brian Clark

• Leo Babauta
• Jason Falls
• Aliza Sherman
• Jonathan Bailey
• Bryan Person
• Dave Navarro
• Karen Swim
• Kathi Kehrli
• Kristi Hines
• Meryl Evans
• Naomi Dunford
• Pace Smith
• Sheila Scarborough
• Sree Sreenivasan
• Daniel Scocco
• Michael Martine
• Peter Bowerman
• Karl Staib
• Nathalie Lussier

More coming…I know I didn’t name everyone.

Thank you to all the above and all that I missed, Your friendship, support and inspiration will stay with me throughout my other endeavors – and life.

Deb Ng
6/16/10

Catch me at Kommein.com

Thursday Bram wrote a wonderful ebook about something we’ve been discussing here for years. Freelance writers absolutely can make an excellent living earning passive income. That is, earning an income with your own stuff over time.

The ebook is called “The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Passive Income” and is chock filled with tips and ways to earn money from ebooks, courses, blogs, niche sites and more. The biggest benefit to earning a passive income is that you’re keeping everything your projects earn and eventually you can let go of client gigs.

Thursday’s ebook discusses how to find time to create passive income projects, the opportunities available, pricing and marketing each project and so much more. I especially like how in depth this e-book is. Thursday discusses all the not so pleasant details of passive income including how long projects will take to earn over time and how to launch your products for maximum results.

I have two regrets when it comes to “The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Passive Income.” The first is that it took me so long to review it for you. The second is that I didn’t write it myself.

This is the part that I announce that there are affiliate links in this post. Yes, they’re in here, and yes, I get a little something back if you buy Thursday’s book through this link, but don’t let that make your decision for you. The majority of my writing income comes from passive sources. Not having to deal with clients and client-imposed deadlines is a beautiful feeling. I wouldn’t recommend Thursday’s ebook to you if I didn’t think you couldn’t benefit as well. You’ll want to print it out, put it in a binder and place it with all your important reference material.

Click here to purchase “The Freelance Writers Guide to Passive Income”.

Thursday Bram has packaged all this important information in a manner that is easy to read and understand and motivating as all heck. I dare you to read “The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Passive Income” and not be inspired. Not one page out of the 80 is wasted making it well worth the $27.00 price tag.

Click here to purchase “The Freelance Writers Guide to Passive Income”.