Networking and the Freelance Writer

A freelancer’s life is rather solitary. As much as we dream about working for ourselves and working from home, it can be quite lonely when you finally get there.

Starting out can take some time when you sell one query at a time and publish one story at a time, but the thing is most people can’t make a living solely from writing magazine articles.

So, what do you do if you want to make a real living?

I am trying to break into copywriting. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, but haven’t figured out how to get started. I’ve even bought books on it, including The Well-Fed Writer, and haven’t mustered up the courage to pursue it.

Then something wonderful started happening. After printing up some new, snazzy business cards and putting the word out there that I’m available for writing assignments, friends are referring me to other friends for assignments. Now, this whole copywriting thing is becoming a very real possibility.

We always hear how networking is the way to do business, but I never thought my circle of friends and family could ever lead to any lucrative assignments. Ironically, it’s that very same network I overlooked that is getting things off the ground.

Below, I point out a few easy ways a freelance writer can network and hopefully start making it happen.

• Twitter — Everyone’s jumping on the bandwagon, and now you can too. I love being able to chat with other writers across the country about the freelance life. It’s also a great way to find informative articles and sources on writing and hear about publications or websites looking for writers. And if all else fails, I like to check out other writers’ bios and see what publications they’ve written for that I could pitch.
• Writing groups — Join a writer’s group in your area in which you can learn from other writers, get encouragement and maybe even gain some referrals if they get an assignment tossed their way they either can’t or won’t do.
• Local small businesses — Small businesses often need to scratch each other’s backs, and you can try to team up with a local web or graphic designer who will refer you work and vice versa. Also, small businesses are much easier to get writing assignments with than larger corporations. Peruse your local yellow pages, business journals or go for a drive in your neighborhood to learn of the small businesses  that are out there. Check out their websites. Do they even have one? How does the content look? Could it use improvement? And that’s where you come in…

What are your tips for networking as a freelance writer? Share in the comments section below.

Saying No-Thanks to Low-Paying Gigs

It’s easy to accept a low-paying gig.

It’s easy to query because usually you hear back from the desperate editor or webside owner in a day’s time of initial contact. It’s easy to get the assignment because you’ve already proven you can complete the assignment — and do it well — and of course the client wants you to write it for them because they’re getting great content for cheap. It all sounds so… easy. So you think to yourself with dollar signs in your eyes, I might as well do it for some quick cash.

But you know what? I’m not doing it anymore.

I have recently made a promise to myself — and my integrity — that I will not work for cheap. I will only take on assignments that pay me a good enough hourly wage when all factors (like time and overhead) are considered. I will only apply to freelancing gigs that pay a good enough wage and pitch stories to bigger magazines that pay a high enough per-word rate.

I’m not playing around anymore. I won’t waste my precious time working for someone who doesn’t value my time or skills. Check out FWJ’s post on what you are going to do about breaking out of the low-paying gig rut.

When Editors Come Back from the Dead

Success is not in never failing, but rising everytime you fall!
–Nelson Mandela

A successful freelance writer always follows up. You can’t cross the line of checking in too much, but frequent contact always pays off.

If you keep your name before an editor’s eyes by coming back to her with story ideas she can use, she sees you as a writer she can count on. This works in your favor when the editor has to assign a story ASAP, and needs a dependable writer to get the job done. The best part? No querying required! 

 After taking a long hiatus from freelancing, I have been getting back in touch with previous editors, and the bulk of my current projects are coming from reconnecting.

Freelance Applications You Never Hear Back From

I recently searched through old emails and saw an application I sent to a website offering myself as a writer in response to an online ad. I didn’t even remember the website, but I checked it out and found a page calling for freelance writers, so I sent in a new pitch. I got a response the next day, and snagged a new writing assignment. How’s that for not giving up?

Reach Out and Email an Old Editor

Close to two years ago I queried a new teen magazine after seeing an ad on Craigslist, which I successfully sold. The story never published because of changes in the magazine’s direction. I recently checked in to see if it ever published, which it didn’t, but it was beneficial to get back in touch because my editor mentioned how much she liked my writing style and wants to work with me (that made my day!).

I never got to see the actual publication so I didn’t get familiarized with it, even though I checked out its website from time to time. She offered to send me a recent issue, and now I can re-pitch her.

Lesson learned: I could have saved myself a lot of time simply by subscribing. Even still, reaching out to a former editor is much easier than getting acquainted with a new one.

So as my writing business is slowly coming back to life, my editors from my past freelancing life are coming back from the dead, it seems. They always say to work your contacts, and it especially applies to freelance writing. We live and die on these contacts, so use them!

It’s-Not-You-It’s-Us Rejections

I wasn’t too crazy about taking a sales class as part of my interior design curriculum — but I am so glad I did.

Our professor, Dennis Morgan, who is an amazing speaker and salesperson, admitted to being extremely shy and anxious about public speaking. So he had my attention.

Aside from teaching us about “qualifying” and having ethics, he  also played the role of a motivational speaker about life in general. One of the best lessons I learned from him is to not focus on the negative, or not making the sale. It sounds so simple but for a freelance writer who doesn’t successfully sell a story idea, it’s easy to think there’s something wrong with with us — that we’re just not getting it right.

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen’s blog post “Tips for Improving Your Query Letters” quotes Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell in their book, The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters That Rock on rejections: “They’re not rejections — they’re business decisions.” And it’s all so very true.

Taking advice from my instructor, I can’t waste energy dwelling on the rejection. Instead, I need to regroup, repitch elsewhere and make sure that story idea doesn’t go stale. If I qualify my prospects properly — meaning I’m the right writer for the job and have found just the right idea for the right publication — I can find an even better home for my story that will make everyone happy. Moping around only wastes the time I can be spending on making my next sale, and might prevent me from taking on the challenge.

Until then, I’ll keep pitching like there’s no tomorrow because really, I have nothing to lose.

What Do You Do, Exactly?

Sometimes when you tell people you’re a writer, they don’t understand. I mean, you’re not churning out a novel a month like Stephen King, so who are you? Maria Schneider over at Editor Unleashed just asked fellow writers what are the stupidest things they hear from non-writers about their profession, and I can totally relate.

I tweeted mine: “Have you found a job yet?” which I’ve heard from a well-meaning family member — or so I think it was well-meaning. But what is it going to take to get some street cred as a writer?

People just don’t get it. They think because you don’t have a soul-sucking 9-5 job that you are unemployed. I am not. People think just because you work a part-time job while freelancing that you are not fully self-employed. I am.

As freelancers, we define ourselves by our work, and that alone. We march to the beat of our own drum, we work we wanna work and we refuse to let someone else determine our worth. It may take some extra effort to make others wrap their  minds around what our lifestyle entails, but while they sit in boring meeting after meeting in the corporate world, I’ll be jogging on some wooded trails in the middle of the afternoon before I sit down to write my next story, and every other one after that.

What’s Your Time Worth to You?

Time is money, the ol’ cliche goes, and that  is even more true for freelance writers. For us, everything counts: from every word we type to every hour we spend dreaming up and researching story ideas. And if we don’t use our time wisely, our businesses will not thrive.

As writers, we must see our time as precious if we want to succeed. Too many people wanting to break into this business wax poetic over “working from home” in pajamas all day, but there is so much more to this career lifestyle that one must realize before jumping into it slippers first.

Per Word Rates

When starting out, you may be so stoked that someone  wants to pay you for your writing that you don’t care how low your rate is. Don’t sell yourself short. First calculate how many hours you will dedicate to the assignment by multiplying the per-word rate times the amount of words the article will be, then divide that by how many hours you think it will take to interview sources, research, write and edit the article.

For example, a 2,000-word article at $0.10/word pays $200. But consider the time going into the article — how long will it take to gather sources, interview them and do other research? Then, how long will it take to write? If it takes up, say, 15 hours of your time, that means you are earning about $13/hour. If that’s not too shabby for you, then it’s worth it. Even still, it’s better to spend your time chasing after higher-paying gigs. For those wanting to make more than that, however, you may want to work  faster or decline the project. Conversely, a 300-word article that pays $50 flat and takes two hours to write pays you $25/hour, so keep that in mind.

Research Time

Too often writers only consider how long it will take them to do the actual writing, and not the research aspect of the process, which can be half the battle. Blogging notoriously pays low flat rates. True, the end product is a 200-word quip, but you put the same amount of research and effort as you would with a longer print article. Not to mention, finding sources and scheduling interviews can be a job in and of itself. Websites like ProfNet.com and Helpareporter.com can save time by connecting you with sources instantly, but don’t ever neglect to calculate the time spent doing so in your hourly rate.

Miscellaneous Time

Other miscellaneous time-suckers for writing projects can include going over project details with your client. Sometimes assignments require a lot of back-and-forth with your assigning editor via e-mail, over the phone or in-person meetings. It can be especially difficult if you’re working for a non-editorial type who wants to micromanage everything. If you find that this is the case, you may want to re-negotiate a higher rate so that your time is well spent.

Marketing Time

Always make time to market your writing to earn more business. Everyone has their own way of doing it, so find the best way that works for you. For some, blogging about writing is one way of attracting attention. For others like Linda Formichelli, teaching others about freelancing is an effective way of marketing oneself as an expert on writing, and making supplemental income. Other marketing tactics can include blind pitching, responding to job ads for freelancers, adding yourself to freelance directories like MediaBistro’s Freelance Marketplace, doing pro-bono work for non-profits or small businesses and including a link to your website on your signature line on messageboard postings or Twitter. However you market yourself, just be sure to dedicate a good portion of your time doing so whether you’re busy or not.

Managing Life vs. Business Time

Separating work from your personal life is difficult when you’re always at home, especially when others don’t think that you’re really doing work. Do your best to ignore personal phone calls or e-mails during your set work hours, and let everyone know you mean business. Make it a point to groom yourself properly and get ready for work as you would if you had a 9-5 job to report to, and eat at regularly scheduled time (it’s so easy to keep working!). If the laundry or dishes beckon, or if you simply are too mentally frazzled by your messy home to work, plan to spend no more than 30 minutes to an hour doing daily chores so it doesn’t interfere with your work getting done.

My time is very important to me. That’s why I choose this lifestyle. I would rather have the freedom to work when I want, but it still comes at a price. The point is  to manage your time effectively to make it work out — and to set a price on your valuable time.