So I’m going through the email, something I put off for a few days. Sometimes, when I open my Gmail account it tells me I have about 800 or 1000 pieces of email and I have to put it off until I have the time to sort through all of it. I’m doing a little today and here are some letters I thought I’d share.

Hi Deb,
I am finding myself currently mired in the murky and desperately gray area of fair use and public domain materials. I remember you posted about this about a week ago on freelancewritinggigs.com. Well, my research has led me to a couple of reference books you and your readers may possibly benefit from:

• The Public Domain, Stephen Fishman
• Handbook of Information Security, Hossein Bidgoli [This one is available in its entirety on Google Books. Handy!]

Just thought I’d toss these titles out there into the universe. I know how frustrating and confusing copyright law can be!
Christina

Thank you, Christina!

Very handy, indeed. Copyright issues are very confusing. Thanks for sharing these resources.

Best,

Deb

Hi Deb,

First of all, I’d like to thank you for all of the wonderful information you provide on FWJ. It is an invaluable resource!

I’m sure you receive tons of e-mails asking for advice; and for that reason, I apologize for sending this e-mail.

I recently quit my job to stay at home with our baby. The plan was (and still is) for me to begin freelancing. Easier said than done. The whole process is very overwhelming to me. Perhaps the issue I struggle with the most is what to do regarding writing and/or editing samples. Several years ago I worked as a newspaper reporter. A few years back, I worked as an editor/proofreader. So, I have samples. Now, how do I present them? I am concerned about copyright issues. I have a portfolio, but in today’s world that just doesn’t cut it. A job I am extremely interested in applying for requests that I send samples. Do I photocopy the articles I wrote for the paper? Do I retype them and indicate they were published? Do I scan them and print them out or burn them to a CD? Any advice would be appreciated as I keep spinning my wheels. I’m so afraid of doing something wrong that I’m doing nothing.

Thank you,

Yvette

Hi Yvette,

First of all, thank you so much for your kind words.

Since the majority of employers now allow you to submit your samples electronically, you can scan your clips to a PDF and attach them when samples are requested. If you have an online portfolio, you can link to your samples. You can also cut and paste the text into the body of an email if the employer would rather not receive attachments.

Hope that helps?

Thanks!

Deb

Dear Deb:
I really find it amazing each time you lecture others over and over in your blog.  Just for the record, you’re not so nice or unoffensive.  You constantly shill for corporate America and defend them like an uninformed Bush voter.

Employers should be scolded for their illiteracy and starvation wages. Shame on them for their ignorance and intent to cheat writers as much as possible.
Apparently, you’d like this corporate behavior to be socially acceptable and "nice" in your Emily Post-world. Well, sorry, those of us with backbone do not crawl for corporate America will continue to speak out while apologists such as yourself lament our uppity ways.

BTW your teenage nephew is right.  Americans need to speak up and stop crawling around like scared cats.
Michael A.

Hi Michael,

I’m really not so sure how you’re interpreting my blogging about manners as shilling for corporate America. I’m just talking about basic respect. It doesn’t take much to say please, thank you or perform a kindness. I don’t think it’s crawling around like a scardy cat to be respectful, I think it’s common courtesy. Whether you work in corporate America or in your pajamas, There’s a time and place for backbone, and it’s not a job application.

The way I see it we can "scold" employers and risk never working with them again, or we can work with them, come to an agreement and perhaps even get a great gig. It’s the honey fly thing. I honestly don’t believe they’re setting out to cheat us - sure there are some scammers but the majority of those who hire freelancers want to be fair.

And for the record, I’m registered Independent who has never voted Republican.

Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for your thoughts,

Deb

Dear Deborah,

I would really like to see you write a piece, or have a discussion, regarding how to be a GOOD freelancer.  What I mean by this is that there are plenty of websites, articles, and information available to writers as to how to weed out bad clients, how to insist on payment, etc.  But I’m in a situation where I both freelance myself as well as hire other freelancers, and I have discovered that there are lots of writers out there who don’t know how to work properly with clients.  Some issues:

-Writers are nasty or personal about contract negotiations.  If you want something in a contract changed, it’s best not to act as though the person you’re asking is deliberately trying to rip you off.  Be polite & professional about it.  Even better, write your own contract for them to sign, too.  You’d be shocked how some writers behave during these negotiations.

-Treat clients with respect.  Too many freelancers I have dealt with lately seem to have complexes.  They feel they can be demanding and rude and that they have every right to do so because, by being the ones vulnerable to not being paid, they have the "right" to boss me around a little.  I disagree.

I have noted recently that, while message boards abound that allow freelancers to blackball bad clients, I haven’t found a single one that lets clients blackball bad freelancers.  Like I said, I work in both capacities, and I sometimes wish every writer had to experience the flip side of the situation before they began acting this way.

If you post this letter and could please leave my name off, I’d appreciate it. 

Thank you for the services you provide!

Brenda

Hi Brenda,

In the past few weeks we’ve had several discussions regarding what employers are looking for, and what writers can do to make a better impression. I hope this has been helpful to you. The contract one is a new one on me, but I agree we can make requests without being demanding or rude. Thanks for giving us something else to think about and…

..thank you for your timely email.

Deb