Tanya Talks

People who try to take advantage of others really make me angry. That’s what I feel is happening with a potential client I spoke with today.

The client wrote what he feels, as all first-time novelists feel is the Great American Novel. Of course, being a veteran writer I know that there is always room for improvement. Sometimes there’s a *lot* of room. But I also know better than to say this aloud to a fellow writer, who also happens to be a very gentle spirit.

So the novelist completed his book and took it to a publisher. The publisher accepted it and FOR A LARGE FEE “edited” the book for him. So now he is 6 months down the road from submission and acceptance and is out $3500. At this point the publisher told him it needs to be re-edited. That’s why he called me.

The author wondered whether he should solicit prices from individual writers or post the job on a bidding site. After seeing a few pages of the manuscript, I believe either one would work. In fact, someone who never spoke a word of English could probably edit this job better than the publisher did.

Which brings me to my point: This particular publisher is a rip-off. Any publisher who charges you fees is not a real “publisher” at all. Real publishers (repeat after me) do not ever charge for editing or any other service!

Now, I have edited books for many clients whose editor suggested that they take the book and get it edited before submission. This just means the particular editor believes it has potential, but saw a few problems with it that a good editor could solve. In these cases, the publishing house did not recommend a particular editor, nor did they make any money off the work. They just wanted a tighter manuscript.

This publisher this novelist used has not only charged an exorbitant fee for editing, but they did a very poor job of it. The book is full of structural issues, grammatical mistakes, and misspellings. Even if the author did most of it, why did the “editor” not take care of it? And how does whatever employee he’s talking with have the guts to say “You need a re-do” after they did such a poor job?

Writers, do not ever ever under any circumstances agree to pay for services with your publisher, unless of course you are self-publishing your book. If they begin asking for payment RUN AWAY.

/end of rant/~~stepping off soapbox now~~

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Find your Motivation

It is said that the word “freelance” was first coined by Sir Walter Scott in 1819 when he wrote his novel Ivanhoe. The phrase referred to a medieval mercenary warrior. In the 1860s, freelance became a figurative noun, and in 1903, it was officially recognized as a verb by etymologists like the Oxford English Dictionary. Today, the word “freelance” has changed into different forms: as a noun, freelance or freelancer; as a verb, a photographer who freelances; and as an adverb, he works freelance.

Working as a freelancer has become a career and lifestyle choice by many—including me! Most freelancers I know feel that there is no better option than the ones they have now, due to the flexibility of work as well as the variety of jobs available to them.

I’ve noticed a trend: more and more people are inquiring about freelancing as a career. At first I thought it was because my site was getting more traffic, but then I realized a lot of the questions aren’t even coming from the Internet. They’re coming from people who read my news column, people who’ve hired me to write their books, and other writers I meet at conferences.

More people today are considering leaving the security of their day jobs and engaging in freelance work—but why? I think the answer to this question is the most important part of a freelancer’s career, and I’m kind of sorry that this wasn’t written about in Part One of my series. The best I can do is talk about it now.

Why do you really want to freelance?

Some people refer to this as “finding your why.” I think it’s probably the question you need to answer first, and the thing you need to keep foremost in your mind if you want to become a full-time freelancer. Spend some time thinking about why you want to freelance. Here are a few reasons some people have mentioned:

* Variety of work. Freelance work offers a greater variety of assignments compared to regular employment. With freelance, you don’t have to stick to the one venue. You can write magazine articles, Internet articles, e-books, and anything else you want — all at the same time. You can work on one project at a time, or six all at once. Personally, I enjoy juggling several very different projects to keep from getting bored.

* Fast turnaround of projects. Most freelance jobs are created under a deadline. The shorter jobs (like articles and ebooks) are completed fast, allowing you to move on to new projects right away.

* Freedom and flexibility. Who wouldn’t want the freedom of freelancer has? I tuck my laptop under my arm and head to the lake on sunny days. I sit in a little cove where no one can see me, doing my work while listening to the water lapping at the shore. In the winter, I can sit by the fireplace with a blanket on my lap. And if I need inspiration, I take my work with me to the local Starbucks or the bookstore or library. Going freelance can give you the freedom to choose the place, day and manner in which to do work. Though, if you’re smart, you will require contracts, freelance still spells a no employer-no employee relationship. You will not be confined to an 8 to 5 (or 9 to 6) work schedule. You are the boss; you choose the hours and the clients. Because of the freedom in work schedule, freelancing gives a writer more time to pursue other interests or take on more jobs, or to wait and write when the muse strikes. Other writers believe that they can even take care of their family better as soon as they start working freelance — writing fits easily into baby’s nap time or after everyone else is asleep at night.

* More income. Although the “starving artist” ideal runs rampant, you can often make more income freelancing than you did in your “real” job – especially if you specialize in a highly needed niche. Take some time to browse the Internet and look at the pricing.

I’ll stop there, as pricing deserves its own discussion. Happy writing!

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Many people ask me how I manage to find freelance work. Freelancing is a great way to make money; for many people it is a major source of extra income. In fact, the profession has been so lucrative that people may leave their J-O-B in order to freelance full time.

Do I recommend that you do this? Not really, although it is exactly what I did. However I got a little established first – and you should, too. Freelancing is not a stable profession. In fact, it’s one of the most unstable you can dream up. In order to freelance full time, you’ll have to make sure that you have:

• a strong network and contacts in place and
• extra money to tide you over when freelance work is not arriving at your front door in a box.

The Ups and Downs

Unlike working for a regular company with a paycheck that arrives on time, freelancing does not guarantee a steady income… or any at all. Assignments come in trickles, then in droves. Some months you have too many assignment and other months you have none. This is why it is also important to know how to budget your money and to have savings that you can use in case of unforeseen expenses.

I think the first thing you need to decide is which type of publication you believe you want to write for. Below are some of the areas and industries where freelance writers are needed, in no particular order. Are any of them right for you?

Magazines

Freelance writers are frequently used as contributors to magazines. In fact, this is one area where you can actually get regular assignments for articles — especially if they like your work. The rate for magazine articles is quite generous. It may also involve interviews, photography, and research.

Newspapers

Another area where you can get freelance work is at your local newspaper. If you have never been published, the paper might put your thoughtful Op-Ed article in print. Also, they often hire correspondents, especially those from areas that are outside the city. Newspapers find it cheaper to hire correspondents and pay for their services than send their own writers to cover stories.

Newspapers also occasionally hire columnists, although these are generally published, established writers.

Online content

Online writers are in hot demand nowadays because website owners need to update their content almost continually. The writing industry online is so strong that even magazines and newspapers hire writers just to do the online content. In fact, not all the write-ups that you see on the Internet can be found in the magazines, and not all articles in the magazines are used for online content.

PR writing

Public relations writing is an effective way to advertise products. Companies are often hiring writers to do their PR writeups for them. Rather than writing one article, a topic is usually rehashed in several ways to fit different publications.

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Someone shared a link with me today that has a reference to my The Real Estate Developer’s Handbook.

Here is the ezine, Foreword Magazine, that mentioned the book (you have to scroll way down to “Foreword Footnotes”). It is the Feb. 6 08 issue.

Hey! At least somebody noticed the book.

Here is its current AMAZON RANKING:

#1 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Purchasing & Buying

#13 in Books > Business & Investing > Real Estate

#40 in Books > Business & Investing > Investing > Introduction

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New Year’s Resolution: Post more. Yeah I know, that was last year’s too. It kind of worked. Anyway in the spirit of posting more, I thought I would start a series about freelancing. I get a lot of emails asking how you can be a full-time freelancer. Hah. Maybe they mean HOW CAN YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE, BE A FREELANCER????

Anyway. I don’t think it’s all luck (although if you’ve received one of my fast, unedited reply emails, you might think so!). I do know that I’m one of the few who does it with no spouse and no inheritance to fall back on. Let’s see if I can help you get started.

In the industry of freelancing, the expansion of the Internet into an “information highway” has more than tripled the need for writers because of the various websites and online content that are constantly created and/or updated.I’m not going into the “great debate” of whether print or online is a more viable market. Personally — I do both. While you’re waiting for your print industry ship to come in, why not consider online work?

There are lots of different fields within the Internet market that a freelance writer can go into. Freelance writers are needed for writing online content to boost website viewership as well as write ebooks, reports, white papers, and other digital products. In fact, online content is fast becoming one of the major sources of freelance assignments — not only for writers but also for other freelancers such as photographers, web designers and graphic artists.

As many of the newbies on elance have discovered, just because there are lots of assignments and freelance jobs out there, they will not necessarily fall right in your lap. Just as there are lots of jobs, there is also lots of competition –other freelancers. To make sure that you stay competitive, here are some tips:

Self-market constantly

Make sure that everyone you know is aware that you freelance. When you meet people, don’t hesitate to give them your card and tell them that you do freelance work. Self-marketing is essential as this will give you the contacts that you need in order to start a freelance career.

I have to admit that I’m the worst about this. In fact, I just finally ordered some new business cards; mine had a 5-year-old phone number and an older web address. One guy on a plane asked for my card, and I looked at it as I handed it over and said, “Everything on here is a lie except the email address.”

“Even the name?” he asked.

Smarty.

On to another hint……..

Establish a solid reputation

This is a business, and should be treated as one. That means not only your written work is important; your attitude in dealing with people is a skill to be developed. You can be the most brilliant writer but if you are known in the industry as difficult to work with, you will find it hard to get freelance jobs.

Be sure that your work ethics are stellar. Never, ever plagiarize, or even come close. Learn to cite your work — and always provide the client with your sources. I keep both written and computer files that include the contract for work, the work itself from first to last draft, and a bibliography that includes even the websites I read over.

In addition to people skills and work ethics, I would say meeting deadlines is one of the most important factors that clients will consider in hiring freelance writers. Some people are great at meeting them. I have had a difficult time as I went to full-time freelancing, mainly because clients change their schedules. This means that I *think* I have a smooth, 40-hour per week schedule. Then they don’t communicate with me for days, and if they’ve not provided the info yet for the project, I can’t move forward. Then 3 clients are back in town on Monday and all want the project done by Wednesday. This is the nature of the job. Your goal is to meet the deadline even if it means sleeping 3 hours a night. Do it.

Constantly Seek Freelance Jobs
(from more than one source)

Once you decide to Be a Writer, you can’t sit back and wait for people to give you work. You can and should look for assignments yourself. There are many ways to look for freelancing jobs.

First, if you do not own a current version of Writer’s Market, get one. Today. Go thru and mark the pages that have listings you would be interested in writing for. Yes, I do mean all one million pages. Then make a schedule of how you’re going to follow through.

You can log on to job sites that feature freelancing jobs or part-time jobs. Most are located in different states or even other countries, which you can accept now that you’re a freelancer — most just require telecommuting and not your actual presence. I turn in almost everything digitally, even local work. You can find freelance jobs at:

Freelance Writing Jobs

Mediabistro

Elance

Travel Writers 

Those are just a few of my favorites. Type “freelance writing jobs” into your favorite search engine and I’m sure you will find more.

Another way to look for jobs is to ask people that you know for referrals. This way, you can use the contacts that you have established in your profession. If you are a typical writer, you are an introvert and hate asking. However, you can run across a gold mine sometimes — one person that you ask will send you four new clients. It’s
worth it. Ask!

Build a strong Internet presence
Make a website or blog that tells about you and what you do. A lot of my clients find me by surfing the web. I find that these are my best clients; they’ve already decided “I’m the one.” They pay via paypal, they don’t question my prices, and they give me repeat work. What’s not to love?

Always do your best

YOU ARE YOUR COMPANY. There are no second chances in the writing world. People communicate about writers, and if you miss deadlines or turn in shoddy work, word will get around. Always do your best and to make sure that you take care of your work reputation. Whether you are writing PR releases, ebooks or newspaper articles, what you do today will be the basis for you being hired for future freelance work.

Until next time…happy writing!

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OK y’all know I never, ever do this. But Dane Morgan is in this contest called the International Blog Cup. And Dane is a really cool, selfless guy who helps a lot of people learn “stuff” about marketing online. So if you would, take a moment to hop over to IBC and vote for Dane. All you have to do is click the little “vote” button beside his name — easy squeezy!

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….even on the days it doesn’t love me!

I traveled to another state earlier this week, and I met a very nice lady there who wanted to know why in the world I would consider ghost writing. “Don’t you want the validation? Don’t you crave the attention you’d get if your books were in your name?”

Err. No. Emphatic no.

I write because I love the process. That’s where my joy is; in creating, crafting, editing, whittling, honing until I have just the right article or ebook or book. I appreciate the positive feedback, but it’s not my “why.” I may not ever look at the finished product; the fun for me is over at that point.

I suspect my grandfather felt the same way when he used his pocket knife to whittle something out of a scrap of wood. If I asked what he was making, he’d just chuckle. Even at the age of 8, I had a sharp feeling that he didn’t know what he was making; instead, he pressed the knife into the wood and gradually uncovered what was in there.

That’s how I think of writing. I write on notecards (yep definitely low-tech) and on notebooks and in Microsoft OneNote. I write in strange chunks that don’t appear to be connected. I gather them into folders, where they often fall out. Then suddenly one day, a couple of them connect. And the next day, a few more. Then it speeds up and it’s like there is a flood of chunks lining themselves up and 3 chapters have revealed themselves where the day before I had blobs of writing.

I no longer apologize for the strange chunks. I don’t give clients a complete explanation, although I can see that sometimes they’re wondering what the heck I’m doing during periods of silence. I just march on silently, confidently because I know that the book will reveal itself in time.

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When should you query an editor—before your trip? During? After?

Personally, I do all of the above. Querying prior to the trip reminds me that I need to do a lot of research. I study about the area and make tons of notes, brainstorming about possible topics and angles. If it’s a place I’m not familiar with, this research helps me to find out why the place might be important to other people.

After the initial research, I send out a few queries. Then while I’m on the trip, I get Brilliant Ideas and send them to editors who know me, who will respond quickly so that I know whether to go ahead with that interview or extra batch of pictures….

But I usually go ahead and interview/photograph… because when I get back I will sit down with all my material and repeat the brainstorming process. Then I send out another batch of queries.

I think I will have a contest with myself to see how many articles I can squeeze out of one trip. Care to join me?

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Yes, I have succumbed to peer pressure and turned an innocent word, plural, into a verb. Pluralize.

I have a good reason though. All over the Internet there are these apostrophes. You know, the comma up in the air. ‘””'’ Those thingies. (I’m defining it because years ago, when my name was hyphenated, I spelled it out and said “hyphen.” The girl stopped writing, looked at me, and said, “Is that like dash?”)

Anyway. So all over the ‘net, people are inserting these apostrophes where they don’t belong. THE PLURAL OF A WORD DOESN’T HAVE AN APOSTROPHE!!!!!!!!!!!! NEWBIES are just Newbies. They aren’t Newbie’s. Oranges are not orange’s. Come on, people.

Besides…unless apostrophes are having a population explosion, we might run out soon. Stop using them!

*crawls down off the soapbox and back to the office desk*

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It is not hot dog month.

This is NATIONAL CORN DOG MONTH.

Very, very important.

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