How many conventions and conferences have you attended this year? How many do you plan to attend in 2016? If you’re not building conventions into your freelancing career strategy, you’re missing out on invaluable opportunities to meet other people in your industry,...
As a kid, you couldn’t sit still. In school, you were labeled a lazy, hyperactive, underachiever. Growing up, it was always hard to sit through the requisite classes and force yourself to stick to the task at hand. As an adult, you’re always putting your foot into...
When an author hits “publish,” they often think the hard work of book publishing is done. After all of the writing and editing and formatting, finally having the book live in various online marketplaces seems like a relief. But while publishing a book is an enormous...
For a long time, I frantically typed as fast as I could while interviewing sources. I worried my interviewee would think I wasn’t paying attention, so almost every conversation started with, “Just as an FYI, if you hear typing, I’m taking note, not checking my email!”...
Do you agonize for hours over character names? I used to. I knew I needed the just-right name to convey who the character was, but I didn’t know how to figure out what that just-right name was. It’s a real drag, because you don’t feel like you can move on and keep...
It can be nerve-wracking the first time you have to talk to a client about raising your freelance rates. After all, you don’t know if your client will negotiate. You could end up earning less if they choose to stop working with you, instead. The great thing about...
Freelance writers and bloggers, beware. At the deepest pits of the internet, unscrupulous internet spammers lie in wait. I recently received a tweet from a website I’ve contributed to in the past, tagged as the writer of their most recent article. I didn’t remember...
Rules. There are just so many of them. I don’t just mean rules in the writing world. I’m talking about rules at home, college, work and even industry rules. It literally feels like everywhere we turn there’s someone waiting to say no. Don’t get...
Want to know why most writers are unsuccessful at marketing their books? It’s because they consistently violate the cardinal rule of selling: Your success in selling anything is directly related to the amount of value you give your customers. What’s valuable to...
Do you ever feel like you aren’t a “real freelance writer” because you only freelance part time? Let’s get rid of the myth that freelancers have to work full time to be successful. Plenty of people use part-time freelancing as a way to write stories they care about,...
