About.com Freelance Writing

Writing Can Be Lonely... But...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:48:41 +0000

When I wrote my article about the Top 15 Gifts for Writers and Readers, I didn't realize that suggesting an action figure of the writer's favorite author would indirectly feed into some odd behaviors. It seems that Scott William Carter, an author with an interesting blog and several books, actually speaks to his Poe figure. And then blogs those conversations. Funny! Although, since I regularly talk to my dog, Jack, throughout the lonely writing day, I guess I don't have a leg to stand on!

What do you do to combat the long writing hours? Anyone like to write at�Starbucks?

Writing Can Be Lonely... But... originally appeared on About.com Freelance Writing on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 12:48:41.

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"Project Creep"

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:49:25 +0000

I recently read about project creep- and then it happened to me!

Project creep- or "scope creep" - is when a project grows from its original parameters into something more. For example, you agree to write two articles, but are asked later to also market those articles through social media outlets- with no mention of adjusting fees.

Scope Creep is defined here at About.com Consulting.� About.com's management page has an interesting example of scope creep here, and desktop publishing talks about preventing scope creep.� So, knowing what it is-- have you ever experienced it?

"Project Creep" originally appeared on About.com Freelance Writing on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 23:49:25.

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Writers: 7 Steps to Prepping for the Holidays

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:27:55 +0000

I'm going to be more proactive this year! I'm going to keep my writing business producing throughout November, December and January! I'm taking these 7 Steps to Prep for the Holidays for Writers.

Writers: 7 Steps to Prepping for the Holidays originally appeared on About.com Freelance Writing on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 12:27:55.

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Good Luck to All NaNoWriMo Writers!

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:25:25 +0000

Hi freelancers. I know a lot of you are doing National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) right now, so I just wanted to encourage you and wish you luck. This is probably a good time to remind you that About.com has a channel on Fiction�Writing, and�I've noticed that Ginny�has a lot of great quality articles on�NaNoWriMo. She's an excellent resource!�

Good Luck to All NaNoWriMo Writers! originally appeared on About.com Freelance Writing on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 11:25:25.

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Question: How Do You Deal With Your Portfolio/Clips?

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:28:51 +0000

Last week I had an editor on the verge of accepting a pitch, but she asked for a PDF of a previously published article.�The article I wanted to sent her was perfect- except that it was a bad copy. I had scanned it, but I didn't want to cut it out of the magazine, as it was the only copy I had. So, it scanned badly, as the thickness of the magazine let the light in. I couldn't send that messy PDF to an editor!

Generally, this isn't a problem because most magazines seem to�provide 2 courtesy copies. �I can cut up one and file away the other. But when a magazine sends only one copy, I'm kind of at a loss. I have a physcial portfolio, a website with links, and a folder of PDFs on my hard drive. Here's how I use them:

Physical portfolio: shown to local�clients
Website: hopefully browsed by potential clients, it has links to stories that make it online, but no PDFs, as I assume that would be a copyright violation against the magazine. I can't just scan my articles out of a magazine and put them online. I do ask some editors/publishers for permission, but not the bigger magazines.
PDFs on my hard drive. These are emailed to editors. Now, I don't display these, because, as I said above, they are scans of the actual physical magazine, but I'm not even sure that scanning and emailing them is really a good practice, due to copyright issues.

A little help here? Perhaps someone who has been in magazines a lot longer than I have can clue us into some tips in portfolio management?

Question: How Do You Deal With Your Portfolio/Clips? originally appeared on About.com Freelance Writing on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 11:28:51.

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See a Need, Fill a Need

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:40:37 +0000

That's what Brigitte Thompson must have done when she wrote "Bookkeeping Basics for Freelance Writers." I think you need this book. No, I know you need this book! If you are a freelance writer who earns any dollar amount, this book will help you manage it, track it, and keep it. Check it out!

See a Need, Fill a Need originally appeared on About.com Freelance Writing on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 11:40:37.

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Darn You Demand Studios

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:54:33 +0000

Couple notes to follow up on my Demand Studios post. First, someone on Twitter (follow me there, I'm @AllenaT) noted that Demand Studios didn't say "health insurance" per se, but, moreso, "health care."��Ok, so�let's wait and see what pans out.

On to more timely things. Apparently there was a shakedown in the freelance writing blogosphere,�in which one writer called out another writer, and everyone eventually had it out about Demand Studios at at third blog. Since I posted about Demand Studios' "health care" yesterday, I've received questions asking if I�recommend�them.�

Do I?

Hmm, do I?

You can start with content production.�Heck, you can do whatever you want. I always, always say that I personally would not spend too much time there, maybe get your feet wet. I'd like to see an upward arc in your clips (if I was hiring you). I also beg writers to watch their hourly pay. If you take on a $5 article, please, please don't spend an hour on it.

Does it impact your clips? Do editors look at you and laugh? I have been known to say that I, personally, wouldn't hire writers with pay-per-clicks as their clips.�But, again, that's because I'd like to see that upwards arc. Start at the bottom, and go up. Don't expect to be writing for Glamour tomorrow, but don't settle in for 5 years of Demand Studios, either. Figure out where you want to go.�Your mantra might be "I need to pay my mortgage." Or, it might be "I need to make $xx an hour," or, "I need to see my own ideas in print magazines." Then, figure out�how to get there.

Then...

Go.

Darn You Demand Studios originally appeared on About.com Freelance Writing on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 09:54:33.

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How To Write Your Book . . . Guaranteed

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:35:01 +0000

I just wanted to quickly recommend a book for those of you out there who are caught in the "I want to write a book before I die" category. It's by Thomas Williams, and it's called How To Write Your Book (Guaranteed!!). Although I enjoyed it, I can't fully review it, as it's outside the scope of this website. However, since I know that a lot of you freelance writers out there have a book in your head, I thought a quick blog mention would be ok with folks.

How To Write Your Book . . . Guaranteed originally appeared on About.com Freelance Writing on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 13:35:01.

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Demand Studios Offers Health Insurance? Whaaaat?

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:19:08 +0000

Well, what I thought was a run-of-the-mill press release had a hidden gem in it. Business Wire reported that Demand Studios will start offering its writers health insurance as of November 1. Really? Since health insurance for writers is a big deal here, I glommed on to this two sentence teaser, and tried to verify. Although Deb Ng's blog mentioned it today, Demand Studios' own site says nothing, so far. Veeery interesting. Stay tuned!

Demand Studios Offers Health Insurance? Whaaaat? originally appeared on About.com Freelance Writing on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 09:19:08.

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The Writers Bridge...Hmmm

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:17:48 +0000

So, I get a lot of emails advertising services for freelance writers, from software to associations to submittal services. This one, The Writers Bridge, got my attention, though. It is a service that, for $10 per month, provides the following services to writers (bullets taken directly from their website):

Daily "FYI" e-mails listing writing jobs gleaned from a variety of sources.
E-mails sent specifically to you, if a job seems to fit your geographic area or area of interest.
When you send us an idea (we're focusing on non-fiction at present), we'll find you at least three markets from our database. We also work with you on your query letter, and track it after it's sent.
We set up Google alerts tailored to you, and contact you if we find an idea that seems like a good fit.
If you get a "bite" from a magazine or Website, we will offer to edit your article before it goes out.
We send you periodic "Idea Bank" e-mails listing dozens of ideas that can be applicable anywhere.

What do you think? Seems like a lot of support for $10 per month. They even edit for you? What constitutes an "idea" (bullet #3), and how many do they match for you per month? Are all these services provided via an online system, or via email? I've invited the founder, Darrell Laurant, to come answer questions about his service, so�leave your questions in the�comments. ETA: Darrell has indicated that you may email him questions about the service at [writersbridge at hotmail dot com].

The Writers Bridge...Hmmm originally appeared on About.com Freelance Writing on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 20:17:48.

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