Are you putting yourself out of business?
During my interview with longtime freelancer Robert McGarvey yesterday, he passed along a lot of great advice from his 30 years in the business. But one thing that really struck a chord with me was this observation: “Right now, in this economy, it is very easy to be so hungry that the hunger devours good sense.”
Like all freelancers, I certainly understand the pull that any kind of work has right now. But I also think there’s something to be said for exercising discernment and common sense when you’re accepting assignments, negotiating pay, and signing …read more

Are you skeptical of social media and how it can help you grow your freelance business?
If so, you’re not alone. But you might want to explore the possibilities—especially given the current economy. Social media can help you find new markets, reach more potential clients, and help get your name out in front of more people. And why wouldn’t you want to extend your reach right now?
I talk at length about the benefits of social media marketing in a recent interview that I did with Heather Boerner, a San Francisco-based freelance writer and consultant, for her blog, Serenity for the Self-Employed. …read more

When I first started freelancing full time, it was just me, my 14-year-old cat, the ticking clock, and the occasional phone interview during the day. In other words, very little human interaction and some very welcome silence.
And for a while, that was just fine with me. I’ve always been a bit of a lone wolf. And having grown up as an only child, I’ve never minded my alone time. In fact, sometimes my family and my closest friends argue that I seem to enjoy my alone time a little too much. So for the first few months of freelancing, I …read more

Which wolf are you feeding today?
There’s a very pertinent Cherokee story that was highlighted during President Barack Obama’s inauguration prayer service Wednesday. And it ties in perfectly to what I’ve talked about here recently: the importance of focusing on the right things in your freelance business.
The story goes like this:
One evening a grandfather was teaching his young grandson about the internal battle that each person faces.
“There are two wolves struggling inside each of us,” the old man said.
“One wolf is vengefulness, anger, resentment, self-pity, fear . . .
“The other wolf is compassion, faithfulness, hope, truth, love . . .”
The grandson …read more

Have you ever hammered nails into a board with a banana?
Me neither. But yesterday, a Minnesota news station demonstrated that cold weather has certain unlikely advantages. Apparently, when the mercury drops to -13 or below, a banana will freeze so solid that you can use it to hammer nails into a board.
By now, you’re probably thinking—what on earth does this have to do with freelance writing?
Well, sometimes climate changes bring unexpected advantages—whether the changes are weather-related or economic. All the rules change when the temperature hits subzero temperatures—even bubbles freeze. And in an economic downturn, all the rules change too. …read more

I know many freelancers who would love to skip over the marketing and self-promotion part of this business and simply write and edit all day long. And I’ll be the first to admit that I used to fall into that camp.
But unless you get the word out there about your services and what you have to offer to clients, editors, and publications, no one will know about you and your business. And especially in an economy like this one, you want to make sure your name is the one that clients and editors think of first when they need quality …read more

I guess it’s a sign of the times, but more than a few freelance friends of mine are having problems collecting payment for stories they’ve already written and assignments they’ve already turned in to clients.
I belong to a few online writers’ groups and there are a disturbing number of threads these days talking about how people are having to wait longer and longer for payment—sometimes for months. Other writers have turned in assignments, only to find out that the magazines or publications they’ve written for are folding or are experiencing mass layoffs. So in addition to those waiting for late …read more

When I first started my full-time freelance business, I was operating under several assumptions that no longer seem to apply in this economic climate.
I assumed, for example, that it was better to work for larger clients because they had bigger budgets, and as a result, would be more likely to pay me on time. I assumed that certain big-name clients would never go out of business or be decimated by layoffs. And I guess I thought that trusted regular-paying clients would continue to pay on time.
I’m here to tell you that every one of these assumptions has been smashed—either due …read more

As freelancers, we’re expected to hit our story and assignment deadlines so that editors, clients, and publications can hit theirs. So why is it that some clients can’t seem to hit their deadlines when it comes to paying for our work on time?
Fortunately, I’ve never been stiffed by a client (knock on wood). But many clients are taking longer to pay for work that I’ve taken pains to turn in on time. And I have to say that I still enjoy working for all of my clients. I also want to stress that they’re all still paying (thank you!). But …read more

I’ve finished making the peanut brittle, decorated my Christmas tree, wrapped a few presents, addressed some cards, and have made the last trip to the grocery store (I hope). So now that I’m officially done with the holiday rush, I finally have the chance to enjoy some quiet moments and reflect on the past 12 months.
I don’t know about you, but every time I look back on a year, a theme always seems to emerge. And for me, the theme this past year was diversification.
Fortunately, I’ve always been the sort of person who gets strong gut feelings about things. And …read more