There is perhaps no other topic in the freelance writing world that generates more controversy than the concept of writers writing for free. Bring it up and lines in invisible sand are drawn, commenting spikes and in the case of Harlan Ellison, a few F-bombs are dropped. It’s understandable. Shady publishers and editors prey on vunerable writers who want to see their names in print. Writers are constantly burned by “write for free now and earn later” promises in which “later” never comes. However, in the angry buzz of the debate something gets lost. Choice and education. There will always [Read more…]
When a Freelance Writing Job Doesn’t Pay
How to make the decision to work for free
March 8, 2011. 10 Comments
Building Your Freelance Writing Brand – Part 9
Positioning Your Freelance Writing Brand Against Competitors
September 30, 2010. 1 Comment
The next section of the Building Your Freelance Writing Brand series is about positioning your brand and comes in two parts — 9 and 10. Part 9 teaches you about the three most basic positions a brand or business can hold in the market place, which I’ll expand on in Part 10 next week. In simplest terms, your brand position is the place in the market where your business sits in comparison to your competitors in consumers’ minds. Knowing where your brand is in relation to your competitors in the eyes of consumers is a critical part of developing the [Read more…]
Disaster Recovery for Freelance Writers: Communications
November 11, 2009. 3 Comments
In many ways, making sure your freelance writing business data is safe in the event of a disaster is the easiest part of disaster recovery. Really, it’s just a matter of determining a workable solution (such as an online backup subscription) and turning it on. Today I want to look at something a little more difficult and nebulous. I want to talk about disaster recovery for your business processes and systems. By “processes and systems” I simply mean the basic day-to-day things you do to keep your business going. These activities fall into two categories: communications and production. We’ll take [Read more…]
The One Way to Keep Your Freelance Clients Coming Back for More
October 15, 2009. 2 Comments
I’ve already told you how to lose your freelance writing clients. There are plenty of things you can do to tick clients off and send them packing. Unfortunately, when you do, they take their business elsewhere. There are plenty of other freelance writers waiting in the wings. Still, not all clients that don’t come back stay away because they’re unhappy. Sometimes, you’ll work for a client with big ideas and dreams. They really like your work, and want to hire you to do a bunch of it. They’ll laud you with praise after you give it to them. After a [Read more…]
Winning the Fight but Losing the Customer
October 2, 2009. 14 Comments
People in the marketing world either love Seth Godin or they hate him. I personally enjoy him; he has a new-millennium sort of wisdom, but he delivers it in something of a folksy way. At any rate, I ran across this post of his last week. Go ahead and go read it, but the gist of it is that sometimes, in business, it doesn’t matter if you’re right. If your customer is unhappy, she’s unhappy. No amount of arguing can change that. If you want her to remain your customer, you need to acknowledge that she’s unhappy. This got me [Read more…]
Choosing Your Freelance Writing Business Structure: Corporations and LLCs
September 29, 2009. 4 Comments
Last time, we took a look at two of the most common business structures for a freelance writing business: the sole proprietorship and the partnership. That post has had several comments, and there’s a good discussion going on about the merits of each of these structures. Feel free to read that post, and to jump in to the discussions if you’re so inclined. My approach in that post, as well as this one, is to give you the big picture on the types of structures available to you in your freelance writing business, to point out some of the pros [Read more…]
Getting Paid for your Freelance Writing
September 22, 2009. 8 Comments
I think we can all agree that we’re not in the freelance writing business for purely noble purposes. The fact of the matter is you want to make money with your writing. In fact, you should make money with your writing. It’s what puts food on the table, clothes on your back and a roof over your head. One of the essential parts to being successful in a freelance writing business (or any small business) is getting paid. With most of your clients, that’s not a problem. The vast majority of clients I’ve worked with pay, and they pay fast. [Read more…]
