Freelance Writing Commandment #8 - Always Hustle.

With freelancing you never know when the gig is going to end. With freelancing, you never know when the gig of your dreams is going to pop up. With freelancing, you never stop hustling.

It's like any other business. When you are your own business, you need to keep an eye out for new clients and opportunities to grow.

Growing doesn't necessarily mean more work. Some of the leaders in the field say that if you're working constantly 50 - 60 hours a week to break even you're doing it wrong.

Writers, whether they write for trades, magazines, newspapers, blogs, corporations, etc., always have to look to expand their connections within their industry. Keeping in contact with industry folk allows you to gage the market and find ways to set yourself apart from the rest. It keeps you in line with the latest developments and will definitely help you develop fresh ideas and angles.

Resting on your laurels is never a good idea.

Freelance Commandment #9 - Love What You Do.

It's a simple commandment, but one that guides my career everyday. I wake up with an excitement for what I need to do, have to do and have a hankering to do each day. Well most days...you've gotta have those days where all you want to do is eat pancakes and play 30 rounds of Patty-cake and Candyland with the kids.

The blessed thing about freelance writing is that I have the opportunity to do just that on good days - I may not get 30 rounds in but a solid 3 is definitely possible.

Anyway, loving what you do is different than doing something you do well. I'm good at doing the laundry but does my blood pump at the thought of tackling dirty undies? Uh, no. But it does get going at a new article idea, a new gig lead or a challenging assignment that gets me to approach something from a different angle than I'm use to.

I feel the same way about corporate writing. I thought I'd be bored nutty writing up brochures, press releases and what not. No way could it be just as interesting and exciting as writing articles and blogging. No one was more suprised than me to find that I love meeting with clients and getting them excited about what I can do for them and getting excited about the potential of their project.

That's the key thing about loving what you do. You care enough to continue to find ways to excite yourself.

The 10 Freelance Commandments #10. Make Your Money on the Comeback...

The 10 Freelance Commandments. Everyone has their own set, we'll be exploring mine. Some of these you may have heard before, others I hope you'll be hipped to like that fab new restaurant.

10. Make Your Money on the Comeback.

I recently said this to a client during our first meeting to discuss a project. Normally I don't use language often used in teaching the drug trade, but this client was very cool and caught the joke.

Usually, I charge a consultation fee, however, I let that one slide because I could tell she was a bit tentative and I was confident in my ability to wow her with my ideas for the project. I knew she would be ripe to sign with me and that's what happened.

Sometimes new clients are a little unsure of their need for your services, so you tease them with the first hour consultation. Let them take in your ideas, allow them to enjoy the sensation, dream about what your services can do for them and leave them excited for more. And they'll want to see more.

Depending on the service you offer give them a little luscious sample: like a synopsis of an article with a fantastic lead, or a 100 word blog, a revision of a small section of their Web site. This isn't free work, it's a sample, you know I really don't believe in working for free.

Then, we they want to meet further, want an outline of the project, want to see more - you charge your normal consultation and writing fees. Make your money on the comeback.

When they come to you with another project, you are making your money on the comeback.

When you get a referral from a hooked client, you are making your money on the comeback.

One thing to remember is you don't have to do this with every client. Actually, I recommend you don't. Otherwise you may find yourself in an endless cycle of meetings that don't result in actual paid work. This is just for those interested, but just need that extra little push in the right direction

How to Break Up with a Client

Deborah Ng over at FreelanceWritingGigs.Com talked about this a little bit ago, but some things are really worthy of repeating.

Sometimes, you've got to break up with a client. It's just gotta happen. Whether you're unhappy with the gig or you're changing your focus or you've got more work than you can handle sometimes you've got to send that email or make that phone call giving your client notice.

So how do you do it?

1. Finish the work assigned. The gig may be agony - a very wrong fit for you, but the client selected and is depending on you to finish up before you move on.


2. Give the client plenty of notice. Some gigs take the HR department time to fill, which if the gig has an HR department, bureaucracy states it will take time. Other gigs, like a daily blog, really need time to find your fill-in so that the blog itself isn't left in lurch.


3. Put down the blowtorch. You may want to burn that bridge to smithereens, but it usually smarter to preserve that contact. You never know where or when you may need them.


4. 
   State plainly why you're leaving. A lot of us writers are semi-hermits. We want to be nice, maybe avoid confrontation, avoid the dirty subject of money or rights. Phooey. Grab your respective reproductive organs and talk about the issue:
   
   
   
   • "I feel I'm not a good fit for this position."
   
   
   • "I am pursuing a position in the same field that pays more."
   
   
   • "I'd like to pursue this subject in a venue in which I only give up First North American Serial Rights."
   
   
   • You're a stinky poo-poo face and I don't like your shoes."
   
   

I'm kidding about the poo-poo face. Never tell a client they just suck. It's tempting, but let's be professional people.

The funny thing is when you let people know you need more money, are too busy with other work, etc., if you're good, they will often try to meet your terms.

Everyone wants the "it girl" of blogging on their site. It's like the whole you're-never-more-popular-with-the-opposite-sex-until-you-get-into-a-long-term relationship phenomenon.

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Signs of a Bad Freelance Gig

Bad gigs are like bad relationships, often we want one so badly we are willing to ignore the bad stuff. Other times we walk blindly into a bad gig because we're new or naive. Lastly, we may take a gig and all the heck that comes with it because we see dollar signs.

As it is a new year and we are all trying to do better, here are some signs of a bad gig:

• It's! Too! Damn! Exciting! Tricia Grissom pointed this out in her Anti-Goals for the new year blog post. When a gig! Has! To tell you! It's all that! It usually ain't. Avoid the show-offs, real gigs don't have to hype themselves up.

• The terms keep changing. "Blog twice a week for $12, wait, no, let's do a blog every day for $5. No wait, um, I need at least a 500 word blog everyday for 5% commissions, no wait..." If they can't commit you need to dip.

• Freelance Lotharios. They woo you with promises of a regular gig if you just give them a little bit for free. "Send me 10 articles or blogs so I can really see if you've got it." "Come on baby, just let me see the lead in." You give in and they never call you again.

• They're so mysterious. No company email, just a Craigslist post. And when they contact you, they want to know all about you, but play who they are close to the vest. You don't want to get to know them - trust me.

• Freelance whores. They're giving a shot to every Tom, Kim and Bad Writer. There are no real requirements, just be ready baby. Watch out - you'll catch the"bad site as a clip" cooties. The only cure - a big shot of collecting better clips to live down that one

• Freelance Pimps. They've got a stable of writers they put to work everyday. You make all the money for them in terms of traffic and ad dollars and they kick back a little for you to get some new paper clips. "Who else is going to take care of you like I do baby? I get you exposure. There are plenty of ho's, um writers, who'd love to work for me. Fifty articles at $4 is the big time. Now get out there and make my money."


• Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde. Oh they're just perfect, until they're not. Email bitch-slaps and article shake-downs are just a few methods of intimidation these suckers use.


• Please sir, may I have some more? They're sweet, and new, and small. These publications have the best intentions and none of the funds. "If you could just give me a little free stuff to get me started, then I'm sure I'll be able to pay you, I swear, in like a year, or 5..."


• The Absent Minded Professor. They run their business like a batty old woman's antique shop. Things are jumbled, they lose articles and don't have much in the till.


• Mr. Boring. You've been together forever and can write an article for them in your sleep. It's routine and you're bored. Wake me when you print.

Kick the bad to the curb, sure you never know what you're going to get and that may be exciting, but on the flip side you never know what you're going to get. And while Mr. Boring may be dependable, you'll suffer like the other Desperate Writers who plug away each day, hoping for something exciting to happen. You may fall in with one of the bad ones, just to see what it's like and get burned.

The gig in shining armor? The one where payment shows up on time, where they display a level of professionalism that reminds you of the days of chivalry without the sexist undertones.

The gig is mutually beneficial - you get great clips, they get a great product.They know what they want and are discriminating, no dangling participles with them. You get the umph in your tummy when you see your article in print. They're just, *sigh.*

Got any signs of a bad gig? Do share.

Tags: bad gigs, scams

When Good Gigs Go Bad...

Relationships end. That's a fact of life. It's definitely a fact of freelance writing. But what happens when something that seems so right ends up being so wrong?

We all have been through it and if you haven't, count yourself lucky. You get with clients you wish had never darkened your email box. Clients you wish you'd thrown back into the Craigslist pool.

Like most relationships, we try to fix what is broken. Perhaps the client is rude, or inexperienced to the point of detriment to the project or so scatterbrained their indecision affects your ability to provide service. Perhaps they are demanding and supreme micro-managers.

Whatever the case, several techniques can be applied: ignore the irritating portion of the client and focus on the good, try to understand the client's point of view, tactfully approach the client with your concerns or end the relationship.

Ignoring the problem could work if it only crops up occasionally, but if it's a steady stream, you may find yourself dealing with more elephants in the room than you've got space for.

Looking from the client's perspective - are they stressed? Have they just started being difficult? Maybe there's something going on. It's no excuse, but we all have those rough patches.

Approaching the client. Even the most tactful run the risk of the relationship ending. Decide beforehand if you are willing to lose a gig to win peace of mind. Sometime's it's worth it, other times - man you just gotta let it burn - to paraphrase Usher.

That doesn't mean you hit your soon-to-be-ex-client with a barrage of insults and tell 'em to hit the bricks, even though you may want to. Badly. So bad you have to walk away from the computer less your fingers take over. Put away the gasoline and step away from the bridge - you may need it.

The thing to remember is to maintain your professionalism even if you're client doesn't. Because your professionalism is a trademark of your character and as a hallmark of your character, other clients will not only love to work with you, they'll be immune to any naysayer former client yuckiness.

You never know where you're going to see a client again, the writing world can be awfully small sometimes and editors gossip like schoolgirls sometime.

Coming up tomorrow: Signs of a Bad Gig

Tags: difficult clients, ending gigs

The Importance of Communicating with Your Clients

There's nothing like having one agreement with a client and then realizing they had something completely different in mind.

Often a quick email or phone call is all it takes to ensure that you'll deliver the product the client expects. Other times it may take a sit down meeting and submitting a rough draft.

Many writers cringe at the thought of submitting a rough copy to a client for fear that the client will then begin their critique of the work. This definitely happens and if you know your client, you may just want to submit an outline and avoid detail that'll have them taking out their editor's pen.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. I know I sometimes hesitate with a new client because I'm afraid they'll think I don't know what I'm doing. Well, if I turn in something completely different than what they were expecting, they'll think I'm clueless for sure.

When approaching a project, put your interviewer's hat on with the client. What are all the things you'd want to know about the project if you weren't involved? What are the things the client's  audience would want to know?

For some of my more frequent work I have a base list of questions I ask before getting into the detail of the particular project. Nothing like writing a press release and having to call the client up and ask - "When is the event?"

When working with your clients, what steps do you take to make sure you both are on the same page?

Tags: client communication

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Is Adsense Working for You?

I've got Google Adsense on my blog and have yet to make any real money from it. I see Adsense ads on practically every site and blog I visit so I'm wondering - does it make money for everyone else but me?

As we wind down our freelancing year and gear up for the next, I am carefully looking at everything I've done this year - gigs earned, revenue generated, what worked, what didn't and planning for the New Year. Indeed, I plan to spend next week after the holidays preparing my office and life for 2008.

Which brings me back to Adsense. Is it working for me? Not really. Am I working for it? Probably not. So as I delve into the web to find out how to "maximize my Adsense revenue" I'm asking you, my genius readers:

If you have a web site or blog, how are you doing with your Adsense revenue? Any tips for us trying to make a buck?

Competition or Comarderie Among Writers

I'm competitive. I want that gig. I want it and I want to rock it. When I don't get it, I always go back to see who did and if they are doing as well as I thought I would do in the position.

I used to jealously guard my leads. Mine. Mine. Mine! Then I began to open up to other writers. Contact them. Congratulate them. And you know what? I got more out of the relationships I fostered with other writers than when I shut myself away.

One of my most cherish relationships is with a writer I met after she got an editing gig I wanted. When the publisher wrote me to say the position was taken and advised me to contact the new editor because they are looking for writers I was sullen. "She stole my gig!"

Eventually I got over myself, contacted the new editor and found a new mentor and friend. She rightly deserved the gig. Sure I got work with the publication, but more importantly I got a friend in this biz with more experience and crazy enough to take me under her wing. She invited me to her writer's group and there I met three other fabulous women. I have been more successful knowing them.

Sure we're competing for the same gigs, but there are millions of gigs. Isn't it better to have a network of fellows than a network of perceived adversaries? You never know where good friends, fortune and contacts reside.

Quick ways to NOT get the job..

There's a great blogging opportunity posted on several freelance writing sites from a blogging syndication group. While applying, I had a great email conversation with Nancy and got some info that I had to pass on, with her blessing.

"I really appreciate that you actually read the ad to make sure that your blog qualified technically though," Nancy said. "You wouldn't believe the number of people who write to me who have written once a month, or twice in April and once in September...it's stunning. I'm not sure if people just respond to every single ad and don't bother reading them or if they just don't care if they're qualified."

Nancy is a weary victim of quick shooting freelancers. These speed demons email blast away at anything that posts, not really caring or checking to see if they are qualified, if they've followed directions, etc.

"Not only do I get people who have blogs that aren't qualified, I get many many freelance writers looking for a job, even when in this ad, in the second sentence, I say, " We are not hiring bloggers, we are looking for existing blogs,"" Nancy said.

What does it say when a writer doesn't even read the second line of the post? Set yourself apart from the pack - read the post carefully, make sure you're qualified, then apply.

Freelance Online Portfolios

There has been much posted this week around the freelance writing blogs on freelance portfolios - what needs to be included, what needs to be left out, the importance of having one, etc. So much so that I decided to revamp my basic, quiet little portfolio into something pretty darn neat.

With the help of a great writer and friend Dawn Friedman, I am currently under construction at TerreeceClarke.Com. Little did I realize there are so many decisions to make:

• What do I want the site to look like?
• What color, theme, graphics or no?
• What do I want to project? What types of business do I want to attract?
• Should I include this blog? Wrap all 3 that I write into one?
• Are flowers professional?
• Do I need to add some red for good career feng shui?
• Can I put corporate work and examples with freelance magazine writing?
  

And then some. Yikes! I had no idea what I was getting into, but that made me realize that perhaps I had taken my site for granted. It's not even listed with Google for goodness sakes! I've treated it like something you needed to have because experts said so, but truly never utilizing the space. Talk about a waste of hosting money.

Redoing my site has forced me to consider several questions - What do I want from my career? Exclusive magazine work? More corporate work? More editing? Is there a way to have all three? What about journalism? Can I show that I'm versatile without losing the "serious journalist" edge? Are flowers too girlie for journalism?

So I will spend the weekend pondering and hammering it out. Going beyond "What kind of gigs do you want?" Paying. I really feel like Harland, I'm blessed to be talented enough to do a variety of writing styles really well, but ya gotta pay me.

Magazine, corporate and journalistic writing - can you have it all? What does your online portfolio say about you?

Waiting on a check...

It's the same song for most freelancers - waiting on that check to arrive. Each day beating the mailman to the punch and scaring the daylights out of him as you jerk open the door.

Keeping one eye on the bank balance and the other on the mailbox is so routine I feel like I'm becoming cross-eyed. Why is it that the bills come in a steady stream and paychecks like glops of cold jelly?

The goal of freelance writing is to create enough constant business that the checks turn into streams of green. Some writers do it through corporate writing, steady blogs and column work.
How do you keep your green stream?