Posted by on Apr 8, 2009 in
Uncategorized It’s been more than a year since I had to swipe my badge. Making the move to full-time freelancing wasn’t easy. For me, it was about two years in the making. Most people can’t simply wake up one day and decide you’re not going back to work.
I recently ran across a great blog at My Dollar Plan, a blog run by Madison DuPaix who’s also a fellow About.com Guide (Kids and Money). 29 Steps I Took to Leave the Workforce at 29 details what Madison did to prepare for the big leap. I did quite a few of the things on the list. #2 Save Aggressively was one of the most important steps for me. Because my freelance writing income was nowhere near my take-home salary, I needed a cushion to help cover living expenses.
Something I’d add to the list that’s kind of covered, but not explicitly stated - Spend like you’re already freelancing. If you go ahead and reduce your living expenses while you’re still gainfully employed, you’ll have an easier time transitioning.
Posted by on Apr 7, 2009 in
Uncategorized My laptop debacle has come to an end, with a brand new Macbook that was gifted to me by my big brother. I’ve been getting used to the new operating system. Fortunately, it hasn’t been very difficult for me. Plus, there’s always Google.
Here are some things I love about my new Macbook.
The ability to save webpages (or anything for that matter) as PDFs lets me put a mini-library on my computer. If I have to go somewhere without internet, I can simply save my research to my computer, then refer back to it when I’m ready to to write my article.
Managing mail from different email addresses is much easier. With Outlook, I had to set up rules that routed my email to different folders. Mac Mail automatically creates an inbox and sent folder for every email address you set up. It was a little difficult to get the POP3 and SMTP folders set up simply because I didn’t know where the port numbers were supposed to go.
I have a new software, MacFreelance, to help manage projects and invoicing. It doesn’t have as much functionality as my home grown Access database does, but it’s a good option, considering there’s no Access for Mac.
A dictionary application comes installed.
My (factory) battery lasts like 4.5 hours.
Safari, the internet browser has built-in spellcheck, which I absolutely love. I’d downloaded Firefox to my PC, which also has spellcheck, but I like Safari much better.
The touchpad can do a lot. Mac’s touchpad lets you zoom in and out, scroll up and down, minimize windows, and switch applications, without picking up your fingers. It’s a huge time saver.
Some things I don’t like…
I don’t get the OS yet. I’ve been a Windows user since I first learned to use a computer in 1998. I’m having to learn things all over again…like the Ctrl+Alt+Delete equivalent for Mac and the location of the command prompt.
There’s no Outlook. Mac has separate mail and calendar applications, which isn’t so bad. I’m just used to managing activities and mail in one place. But, I’ve been looking at purchasing Office for Mac which has an application called Entourage. It may solve the Outlook problem.
My Macbook has a cutting edge…literally. The computer is made of aluminum and has a sharp edge that cuts into my wrists when I’m typing and hands when I’m using the mouse. I haven’t found a suitable solution yet.
No more right click, which was so convenient in Windows.
The Verdict
There are some huge differences between Macs and PCs and a steep learning curve in some areas. Overall, though, I love my Mac.
Posted by on Mar 11, 2009 in
Uncategorized I’ve seen the question asked plenty of times and a recent post at Freelance Writing Gigs reminded me to post my thoughts on the issue. Many new freelance writers are under the impression that they’re supposed to have a blog about writing. Once you get into the freelance writing world, it seems like every freelance writer has a writing blog. You can easily make the assumption that a writing blog is required to be successful. Let me tell you, it’s not.
I have a freelance writing blog because I want to share by freelance writing knowledge with other people - mentoring has always been in my nature. I can’t say that I’m the most successful freelance writer, but I know business. If you follow my blog, you’ll see that many of my blog posts are about the business side of freelance writing more than the writing itself.
Looking back, when I started Writer’s Brew, I didn’t have much experience freelance writing and that made it a little hard to come up with posts. I advise any writer thinking about starting a blog to come up with a list of 30-50 tentative posts. Why so many? To make sure you have a feel for the niche and have a store of topics to write about.
While it’s a good idea to have a blog to showcase your writing ability, your blog doesn’t have to be about writing. In fact, a blog might be a better marketing tool if it’s related to your niche rather than strictly about writing.
Posted by on Mar 2, 2009 in
Freelance Business I have been freelance writing full-time for six whole months. When I take a step back from all the work, it feels like I’m living a dream. It takes work to make your dreams come true and more work to keep them alive. At the end of the day it’s worth it. Here’s a list of six things I’ve learned in my time as a full-time freelance writer.
Customers are THE most important aspect of business.
My ex-day job’s slogan was “Consumer is boss.” In some ways, that’s better executed in a product-oriented business, but it’s still true of a service business. When I freelanced on the side, it was mostly about doing what I loved - writing. I’m still doing what I love, but now my focus is on making my customers happy. Without them, I’d have no business.
Business first, writer second.
When my computer crashed last week, I tried explaining to someone how important is was that I have a way to check my email. “I have a business to run,” I said. I think those words made it a lot clearer than if I’d said, “I have to do my writing.”
I need a new hobby.
Writing used to be the thing I did for fun. In a way, it still is. But, I do it all day long. When I want to do something creative just to relax, it’s not writing (unless it’s writing for fun). I enjoy doing a lot of things, but I’ve yet to find that second-place passion that I can’t wait to get to at the end of the day.
Starting a bookkeeping process from the beginning is the best thing any writer could do.
I have to admit, I didn’t completely organize my finances when I first started. I kept track of all my income. Now that tax season has come, I see that I didn’t do as good as I should have with tracking business expenses. It would have made tax preparation much easier. So, this year, I’ll be a lot more meticulous. I need all the tax write-offs I can get. A word of advice to all freelance writers: take the time to learn tax write-offs that apply to you. That way, you’ll know which receipts to save and which to toss.
A financial cushion is a must.
When I made the transition from part-time to full-time, I made sure I had a sizable savings to lean on. It was very much appreciated during the first couple of months as I balanced my spending with my income. By the third month of fulltime writing, I didn’t need the savings anymore and now I’m to the point that I can begin contributing to it again. I’d like to build up a sizable emergency fund (six months of living expenses) because this business can be unpredictable.
Sometimes it’s better to say no.
Before I went fulltime, I accepted all types of jobs. Quite a few of them made me miserable and I couldn’t wait to get it over with. I have the tendency to say “yes” to jobs because I could definitely use the extra cash. But when it comes to choosing gigs, I always second guess myself. I ask as many questions as I need and I only take the jobs that meet my criteria.
Here’s to six more months of the writing business.
Have some wisdom you can share? Let us know in the comments what you’ve learned in your time as a freelance writer, either full-time or part-time.
Posted by on Feb 27, 2009 in
Uncategorized I guess it’s bound to happen at some point in any internet-based worker’s career - the crashed laptop. My laptop didn’t exactly crash, though it is, in my definition, inoperable. For some reason, my laptop’s fan stopped working. So, there’s nothing to cool off the internal hardware of my computer. Fortunately, computers are built with a self-protecting auto shutoff mechanism that keeps them from overheating. In other words, my computer turns itself off whenever it starts to get too hot, which is after about 10-15 minutes, if it’s started up from cool. Then, once it’s hot, it won’t come on again until after it’s cooled down. Bummer.
I have not been backing up the way I should have been. Luckily, I was able to have my laptop on long enough to put my important client files and my inbox on a thumb drive. Otherwise, I would be completely out of luck. Once I get my laptop back, I’m going to start doing two things.
First, I’m going to place a backup copy of all my documents in a folder on my webserver. I’ll just create a shortcut to the FTP folder on my desktop and drag and drop the folders there nightly. How can you do it?
- If you have Windows, go to My Network Places.
- Click on Add a New Network Place.
- Select “Choose another network location.”
- Enter the path of your FTP folder, e.g ftp://ftp.yourdomain.com (add a specific folder using /folder name)
- Click OK
- Cut and paste the link to your desktop (or leave it there if you’d like)
For me, putting the link on my desktop is a lot easier because most of my folders are on my desktop anyway.
The second thing I’m going to do is check the box in my Outlook configuration that says “Leave a copy of messages on my server” (or something to that effect). If I’d left my messages on the mail server, then I’d be able to access them with any computer that has internet access. Instead, to access my old messages, I now need a computer that has Outlook because that’s how I exported the messages. The good news is that I can catch any new messages via webmail.
Overall, it could have been worse.From now on, I’m going to prepare for that worst.
Have you had a technology scare impact your freelancing business? Tell us about it in the comments.
Posted by on Feb 18, 2009 in
Writing Rates Last week, I did an interview with Jennifer Mattern, you may remember her from her guest post here last Friday. The interview focused on how I went from making less than a penny per word to more then 15 cents per word in some cases. I think there’s some great advice for serious freelancers who want to get out of the trap of low-paying gigs. Check out the full interview over at All Freelance Writing.
I didn’t talk about it during the interview, but I learned a lot about setting rates and marketing from Jenn at a freelance writing forum she ran in those days. Though the forum isn’t around anymore, she’s captured a lot of that advice in her latest ebook Web Writer’s Guide to Launching a Successful Freelance Writing Career. You can get $10 off your purchase (regularly priced at $37) if you enter the discount code “brew” at checkout.
P.S. Decupled means to multiply by ten.
Posted by on Feb 13, 2009 in
Client Relations,
Guest Posts This guest post is from Jennifer Mattern, writer of AllFreelanceWriting.com and author of The Web Writer’s Guide ebook.
When you work as a freelance writer, clients expect you to do more than put words on a page. In fact, they’ll sometimes expect you to perform “miracles.” Being able to pull them off occasionally is what separates average writers from the most successful freelancers.
What kinds of “miracles” might clients actually expect you to perform?
Miracle 1: I Needed it Yesterday
Every once in a while one of your clients will approach you wanting something written immediately. It isn’t always possible, depending on your schedule, but if you can complete a solid rush job once in a while, clients will be reminded why they work with a professional writer instead of trying to do it all themselves, and you may find yourself with a client for life.
Tip: I have a strict rule about rush jobs–I only take them on for existing clients that I’m very familiar with (so there isn’t a large amount of background research to do). I don’t suggest doing this for a first-time client. It reeks of irresponsibility on their end to wait until the last minute (not the kind of client you really want), and it sets you up with certain expectations, leaving you to be taken advantage of moving forward.
Miracle 2: I Need You to Read My Mind
This type of situation can be one of the best you’ll experience as a freelance writer, or one of the worst. I have one client in particular who regularly gives me these projects - just a one or two-line email saying something like “I need the attached notes put together into something cohesive for a brochure.” There’s very little guidance.
If it were a client I didn’t know well, I’d be pulling my hair out. But because I’m very familiar with the client’s work, typical projects, past brochures (and Web copy, press releases, promotional video scripts, and everything else I’ve done for them in the past), I can pick up the project and just do it–or do it after asking just a question or two.
Those projects are actually a delight. Occasionally though, they’re not so fun. For example, you may have a client that honestly doesn’t know what they want, and they expect you to keep producing version after version so they can see what they don’t want before they choose (and they won’t often want to pay for all of the excess editing needed).
Tip: This is another situation where you should be careful with new clients. Don’t set yourself up as someone who will make unlimited edits just because the client doesn’t know what they want or can’t adequately explain it. If you do, you’ll become stressed out fairly quickly when the client constantly tells you you’re doing something wrong, even though they have no idea what “right” is yet. Do this for your regular clients though, and you’ll show that you’re dedicated enough to their goals that you understand their market / readers, and you can meet their needs without requiring a lot of extra effort from them–it can make you indispensable.
Miracle 3: I Need You to be my “Everything”
This group of client can be the most frustrating when it comes to expectations of miracles. These are the clients who hire you as a writer (a copywriter let’s say). They’re paying you your standard writing rates. Then you’re suddenly being asked questions just slightly off the beaten path. You figure it’s not a big deal, so you answer. Before you know it, you’ve gone from copywriter to complete marketing consultant (and sometimes more), all for your writing rates as the questions accumulate.
These are “needy” clients who need more hand-holding through the project than others. When they give you a project, time-wise they may only be thinking about the writing (so they’re paying for five hours of your time that week), but the emails, phone calls, and everything else might tack on another two or three. If it’s a regular and you’ve come to expect it, you can account for it in a project quote. It’s often at its worst with a brand new client.
What’s the “miracle” in this case? They expect you to be able to handle several times the amount of work you’re contracted to do, but without any extra time. Good thing we freelance writers have super powers, right?
Tip: This kind of client isn’t the worst overall. Often, they’re asking you for your advice on related things because they respect you and trust you enough to value your consultation. The key is to keep it limited. Going above and beyond once in a while probably won’t hurt you, but it will make the client value you even more. Just prepare yourself to say “no” when you really have to, and if it gets much too demanding, have a heart to heart with the client. On the few occasions where I’ve had to do that, the clients have been immensely understanding, and they do ease up a bit when they get a better picture of everything you’re actually doing for them (sometimes it really isn’t that obvious).
Times will come when you’ll be expected to perform “miracles” of your own. Don’t always shy away, but also don’t always make them happen. You want to build a reputation as someone who can come through in a pinch, but not someone who’s going to be a sucker and give up every moment of your time (and the associated sanity) to make other people happy. Respect yourself enough to know when to say “yes” and when to say “no,” and your clients will respect you as a professional more in the long run.
About the Author
Jennifer Mattern is a freelance business writer and blogger behind AllFreelanceWriting.com and WebWritersGuide.com. She is also the author of the Web Writer’s Guide e-book, designed to help freelance writers launch a successful Web writing career.
Save $10 on the Web Writer’s Guide e-book by entering discount code “brew” (without the quotes) over the next 30 days!
Posted by on Jan 26, 2009 in
Getting Jobs When I first started freelance writing, I took on jobs that were absolutely dispicable. They were boring. They didn’t pay enough. They were quite demanding considering the pay. They required me to insert keywords that didn’t make sense. They made me question writing as a profession. I’d dread putting my fingers to the keyboard, something I otherwise couldn’t tear myself away from. I had some writing jobs that threatened to keep me from being a writer.
Since then, I’ve promised myself that I would never take on writing gigs that I would not enjoy. Part of me thinks, “You have to take the good with the bad.” Sometimes I wonder if it’s a bad idea to turn down a writing gig in my first year as a full-time writer when there’s a recession and thousands of people are losing their jobs everyday. It’s kind of like when your parents tell you not to throw away food because people in other countries are starving. But, I just can’t bring myself to say “yes” to a job, when all good sense is telling me to say no.
So, before I take on a writing job, I find out as much information as possible so I can imagine myself doing the work. Is it something I’d look forward to doing? Or something I’d put off until the last possible moment? Is it something I’d be proud of? Or something I’d hate myself for doing? Choose your freelance writing jobs carefully and watch out for those that threaten the passion you have for writing.
In December, one of my biggest regular clients had to take a break from projects. That was not good news for me. At the time, that client represented a large part of my monthly income. While I had a few projects lined up for the next few weeks, it wasn’t enough to make up for the lost income. Financially, I had not put myself in a good position.
Typically, our clients can come and go as they please. Just because you have a writing assignment today doesn’t mean you’re going to have that assignment tomorrow. Given that our business is so unpredictable, it only makes sense that your income shouldn’t made or broken by any single customer. I took for granted that I’d have that income and I knew better.
I’m never so comfortable that I don’t market my services and apply for new writing gigs, so it didn’t take long to fill up my calendar. Yet, I continue to remind myself not to get complacent. A single client shouldn’t account for more than 15%-20% of my monthly income. Anything above that is risky.
I wouldn’t turn down or fire a client simply because they accounted for a large portion of my income. Instead, I’d increase my emergency savings and continue to keep my portfolio updated in case the client and I ever decided to part ways.
Posted by on Jan 21, 2009 in
Blogging Since I started freelancing full-time, I’ve been paying a lot more attention to top bloggers - those withhundreds of thousands of page views per month and tens of thousands of subscribers. It’s not so surprising that they all have a few things in common. If you’re trying to become a top blogger - or something remotely resembling it - these are some habits you might want to put into use.
They make daily or multi-daily blog posts.
You can count on a minimum of one post per day from the top bloggers. It used to be that blogging once a day was all that you needed to become a top blogger. Not anymore. Now the highest subscribed blogs have several blogs during the course of a day.
The have very meaty posts.
And even though they’re posting several times in a single day, the posts all contain very good information. I don’t think I ever see a one or two paragraph, “take a look at this article” type of post from a top blog.
They have guest posts.
The abundance of guest posts surprised me at first. I was under the impression that guest bloggers were a turnoff for readers, but obviously not. To be a top blogger, you don’t have to know it all yourself and maybe it turns readers off if you try to pretend that you do. Now, I think guest posts are quite refreshing and an awesome way to get new ideas and content on your blog.
They have a personable tone.
To me, there’s nothing worse than reading a blog that has a drab tone. Write like you’re talking to your best friend, not to your refrigerator.
They’re well read.
The blogs that I see performing the best always have links to other blog posts, news articles, and books.
They’re well connected.
Top bloggers also know the who’s who of their niche. I notice a lot of them mentioning, “I talked to Mr. Top Niche yesterday…” I’ve never been a fan of interviews, but I’m not a top blogger so who am I to say that it’s the wrong thing to do.
It didn’t happen overnight.
Every once in awhile, top bloggers look back and talk about the journey to where they are today. Not once has any of them said, “I started blogging three months ago and now my blog is a huge success.” In fact, they often warn against that type of mentality, letting readers know it’s often the 3rd or 4th blog attempt that hits it big.
