Are you being bold enough in your freelance career?

So busy was I last month, that I forgot to link my post:"Cultivating Boldness: How to Be a Bold Freelancer" on FreelanceSwitch.com. Check it out!

Key Elements of a Freelance Writer's Business Card

Last Saturday, I sat down to accomplish what I thought would be a simple and straightforward task: picking my business card. But instead of taking the one or two hours I thought it would, I agonized about it all weekend, dragging friends and my husband to peer at my designs; even, in a desperate moment, trying to get my preschooler to weigh in. In the end, I’m satisfied with the design and format I chose, but I can’t stop thinking about it.

What are the elements of a good business card for a freelance writer? Your name should be on it, of course, along with your email address, website address and telephone number. But beyond that? There are worlds of opinions. Most freelancers agree that today’s business card should be creative,. Forget about those standard white cards with your name, title and coordinates -- bright colors, patterns and designs are the way to go these days, as are cards with vertical orientation. After that, consensus goes awry. Here are some of the issues.

1. Your title. What should a freelance writer call his or herself? “Writer” isn’t specific enough, as it doesn’t tell people what kind of writing you do. For some, “freelance writer” is acceptable, but others say that it’s still not detailed enough – you need to say “business writer” or “travel writer” and so on. And if you’re an editor or proofreader in addition to writer? You need to have that on there too.

My take: If you can be specific as “travel writer” and “business writer” and those are the only markets you’re targeting, then go for it. But if you’re like me and can’t, or don’t, want to define yourself so narrowly, I say stick with “Freelance Writer” or “Writer & Editor” and so forth. There are other areas on your card to indicate what your business is about.

2. A description of services. Some writers swear that it is essential to list your areas of specialization on your card. For example, on the back of your card you might have a bullet point list noting that you specialize in press releases, brochures, white papers and other marketing materials.

My take: It’s a fine idea but it carries the risk of cluttering your card. My eyes glazed over at some of the examples I saw. The business cards were so crowded with information that I could barely find the name of the person whose card it was. In my view, the card should just be an initial enticement to get potential clients to look at your site. It doesn’t have to be a mini-version of your site.

3. A tagline. Many writers add a short text summing up their abilities or the service they offer.

My take: Again, it’s a great idea, if you have a gripping tagline. If you have a hum-drum tag, you might as well have none. But a really good tagline can make people sit up and take notice. One of the best taglines I've come across was that of freelance writer Susan Johnston, author of the Urban Muse blog. Her tag? Clear. Creative. Compelling. I loved that. Those three words gave me a nice little preview of Susan Johnston’s style and what she could offer a client. Of course, it completely ruined me for coming up with a brilliant tagline of my own. I kept thinking: “I know! Clear…Creative…oh, wait.” Rather than forcing the issue, I opted to go tag-less, for now. Business cards are fairly inexpensive. If a dazzling line comes to me, then I’ll simply order new ones.


4. Your address. For privacy reasons, some freelancers don’t put their address on their business cards, giving only email, phone numbers and the like. Others give only city and state (and country).

My take: I suppose it could be risky – but, for heaven’s sake, these days just giving your name to someone enables them to find out all kinds of personal information about you. Since I’m marketing my services internationally, I felt that having an address grounded my business…and explained why my telephone number is a foreign one. I could be persuaded of the folly of this.

There are countless other issues to consider: should you include a Twitter handle? Your Skype phone number? A photo of yourself? A logo? The list goes on…

Personally, I feel that less is more. As writers, it’s important to know how to deliver effective messages concisely – and our business cards should reflect that. If your budget allows, get a second business card that offers a slightly different slant, so that you don’t have to cover all your bases in one shot.

In the end, I don't know if my business card is perfect, but I do know this: having a less-than-perfect business card is better than having no card at all. If you don't yet have a business card, check out the following printing sites:

Vista Print – This site offers free business cards – you only pay for shipping. It must be popular with many freelance writers as several blogs that I've read mention it.

Zazzle – I ordered my cards at this site. I really liked that you can customize your own design. The cards haven’t been delivered yet, so I can’t speak to their quality.

What do you think a freelance writer’s business card should include?

5 Mistakes Every Freelance Writer Should Avoid

Yes, yes...shame on me for not posting in so long. But be happy for me! Silence on the blog generally means that I've had lots of paying work to keep me busy. It's sad that the blog falls by the wayside during busy stretches, but hey - something's gotta give. And now that I'm entering a "famine" period, I have time to share with you some of the stuff that I've learned.

I've noticed recently that pretty much every freelance blog has an article titled something like: "5 Mistakes Freelance Writers Make" so I thought I'd go ahead and throw in my 2 centimes.

1. Failing to follow-up on queries, promising leads, etc. Always, always, always follow-up on queries that you've sent or any leads you've gotten. About 50% of the magazine work I've snagged has come from following-up on original queries that went unanswered. Most of the time, the editor has actually thanked me for sending a follow-up, saying that s/he was interested but lost track of the query, the time, etc. You may be letting potential work slip through your fingers if you don't follow up, so make sure that you do! Even if you get a rejection on the follow-up, you can take advantage of the contact by quickly throwing more ideas in the editor's path while your name is still fresh in his or her mind.

2. Being a Perfectionist. It sounds like a great answer to that classic job interview question "What is your greatest weakness?" but striving for perfection can hurt as much as it can help. It can make you less efficient, promotes procrastination, and keeps you from advancing. I am a recovering perfectionist. I used to spend weeks on a single query letter. I'd interview and sometimes even re-interview potential sources to find the perfect quote to include in the pitch. Or I would spend days and days immersing myself in background research, as if an editor was going to give me a pop quiz on the subject. And then, of course, I would write the query letter over and over, looking at it from every conceivable angle, until I felt assured of its brillance and perfection. But none of this saved me from receiving rejections and it wasted a lot of time.

These days, I avoid the trappings of perfectionism by setting a reasonable estimated time for completion of a project. If I find myself taking too long on a task, I step back and make an honest assessment of whether the extra time is justified. If not, I force myself to move on. Since becoming less of a perfectionist, my productivity has improved immensely --and I don't think the quality my work has suffered at all.

3. Failing to fully understand the terms of service and publication. Always make sure that you understand everything that is required of you and the circumstances of publication before starting to write. When is the article due? How many words should it be? What rights are you retaining? When will it be published? When will you be paid? Is there a kill fee? Does the editor expect you to provide photographs? All of this information should be clear - and in writing - before you lift a pen (or move your mouse).

4. Failing to Diversify. It's nice to have steady work with a client that always pays on-time. But it doesn't pay to get too comfortable with the gig, no matter how reliable it seems. What will you do if your client's business folds or no longer needs you? A freelance writer should always be looking for the next (or another) gig. It's exhausting, but it's the trade-off for being able to work in our pajamas. And this leads me to my final point....

5. Failing to Have a Plan for Your Career. You know, I thought I had a plan for my freelance career. But after having read the very excellent book, "The Wealthy Freelancer"
I have come to realize that all I really have is a bunch of goals. Naturally, having clear, written short-term and long-terms goals for your writing is essential, but it's not necessarily the same thing as having a plan. Goals tell you where you want to go; plans tell you how to get there. Freelancing is a business and without a proper business plan, you may find yourself career stalled.

Happy Writing!

The Only Book I Feel Like Reading

Man, it’s been forever since I updated, but September was a crazy month. My three-year old started school, my husband was all over the world, I had lots of freelancing work to do (yay!), and I had to adjust (am still adjusting) to a completely different work schedule.

Perhaps because September was so stressful, I experienced a sensation that I have only felt once or twice before in my life: I didn’t feel like reading.

For those who know me, this is a huge deal – perhaps even unthinkable. I’m someone who won’t buy a purse, no matter how fashionable, if I can’t fit a small paperback into it. I panic if I go on holiday and I think I haven’t brought along enough books. My husband says, not entirely with admiration, that I’m addicted to books.

I’m beginning to think he’s right because even though I didn’t feel like reading last month, I still craved it. I didn’t want to but I had to read. It was weird. I would climb into bed at night, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep, but instead of punching my pillow and turning the lights off, I’d find myself looking through the books on my nightstand (which is actually a full-sized bookcase), feeling distressed because absolutely nothing appealed to me and yet I knew I needed something.

The book that finally appeased my soul was this: Harry Potter. Any of ‘em. All of ‘em. (Well, except the last).

Why Harry Potter? After giving it some thought, here’s what I figured out: the reason I didn’t feel like reading was because reading had become work. I couldn’t read a magazine without thinking of topics that I might pitch. I couldn’t read a non-fiction book without thinking about my own non-fiction WIP that so desperately needs my attention. I couldn’t read a fiction book without analyzing sentence structure, character development, the author’s word choice, or fretting about when I will ever have time for fiction again.

But when reading Harry Potter, all of that fell away. Not only is Harry Potter’s world a wonderful place in which to spend time, the JK Rowling story is one that warms the heart of any writer. I’m sure you know the tale: a depressed single-mom, down on her luck, comes up with an idea about a boy wizard while stuck on a train, writes the book, is rejected 12 times, but eventually finds and publisher and goes on to become the first writer billionaire. I love it! Reading the books with this in mind, all I felt was pleasure and inspiration. Just the thing a tired mom needs.

October is shaping up to be just as busy as September and I’m probably going to finish re-re-re-reading the Harry Potter series in the next week or so. Does anyone have another suggestion for a good book to read when you really don’t feel like reading?

It's not for myself that I'm asking. It's for a....friend.

International Freelancer's Day

Were you aware that September 24th is International Freelancer's Day?

Me neither.

But it is. In honor of this day, there is going to be international online video conference exclusively for “the solo professional.” (Note that this isn’t just for freelance writers, but freelancers of all stripes, from copywriters to graphic designers to translators.)

According to the website, on September 24 and 25th, conference participants will have access to 10-15 video presentations per day featuring topics relevant to building a successful freelance business. Just as with a regular conference, the videos will play at a certain time and date. And best of all – it’s free! All you have to do is sign up.

I’ll definitely be watching at least a few of the videos. As I pointed out a few months ago, we expat freelancers often have to go through a lot of trouble to attend conferences, so it’s great to have one that we don’t even need shoes to attend. Moreover, I’m optimistic about the conference because it’s being organized by Steve Slaunwhite, Ed Gandia, and Pete Savage, the three authors of “The Wealthy Freelancer” – a book I’m currently reading. I’ll review the book on this blog in a few days, but I’ll say right now that I’m really enjoying it. These guys have something good - and new – to say.

If you’re still not convinced about the conference, watch the introductory video on the conference’s website. It’s not super-informative as to the actual events, but nevertheless gets you all jazzed up to participate and proud of being a freelancer. It makes us seem like we’re Gladiators or something.

A Post for la Rentree: What My Law Career Taught Me About Freelancing

Since everyone in France goes on summer vacation at roughly the same time, the return to normal life in September is called "la rentrée" (the re-entry). It's one of my favorite times of the year, not only because the weather tends to be at its best, but because Parisians are so unusually cheerful and I like the laid-back, almost careless way everyone eases into their regular routines. One is busy, returning phone calls, answering emails, getting kids ready for school -- but not stressed. It's as if the entire city has recently awoken, yawning and smiling, from a long, pleasant nap.

In the laid-back spirit la rentrée, I return to this blog simply by linking an article I recently wrote for FreelanceSwitch.com called "What My Law Career Taught Me about Freelance Writing." My life as lawyer definitely taught me a thing or two about how to run a freelance business.

Happy Autumn!

Notes from the Motherland

Ahhh...it's great to be in the Motherland. When I walk into the bookstore and see the array of magazines on display (so bountiful and so cheap, compared to the jacked up international prices) I bemoan my expat status. How easy freelancers have it here! I think. I would be churning out dozens of queries a week, if I lived here.

It's not true, of course. My two little monsters are the primary reason I don’t write more, not my diminished access to U.S. writing markets. But nonetheless, I am scrambling to take advantage of my time in the U.S. and accomplish a slew of freelancing tasks that are easier to do over here than over there.

For the expat freelancer that may be visiting his or her home country for a spell this summer, here are a few freelance-related duties you might want to take care of while there:

1. Pay a lengthy visit to the bookstore.

I’ve always adored books and bookstores, so it’s great to have a job that virtually demands that I spend a lot of time in one. When I’m at a bookstore for professional purposes, I spend about 60% of my time hanging out at the magazine stand, searching for new markets and staying updated on old ones. I spend 30% of the time checking out the latest nonfiction books to assess which topics are hot and might be relevant to articles or queries that I have in the pipeline. I jot down any titles and/or authors that might be a good future source. The remainder of the time, I loaf around in fiction.

2. Research at the library.
Expat freelancers based in Paris are lucky to have the American Library in Paris at their disposal. But the library is based upon donations and doesn’t always have the most recent books. Neither do online libraries. So, when I return to the U.S., I always bring a list of topics that I want to research in the library while I’m there.

3. Do some interviews

Most of the sources that I interview are based in the U.S. When possible, I schedule telephone interviews while I’m in the U.S. so that I don’t have to deal with huge time zone differences. Trying to schedule a phone interview with a person in Seattle while I’m in France just sucks.


4. Check out local markets

I am fiercely jealous of freelancers based in their home country because not only they (probably) have an easier time finding new markets, they also have access to plenty of local markets. While at home, I grab up every halfway interesting-looking local paper, magazine or rag. Most of the time they publish local news, but some of them have travel departments that may be worth looking into.

5. Take an Editor to Lunch

Two of my favorite freelance writing guidebooks recommend occasionally taking editors that you work for out for lunch to improve client relations and get an opportunity to present your ideas in person. Hmmph. None of the publications I write for are based in my home city and, even if there was one here, I’m not sure whether I’d actually have the gumption to ask an editor out for lunch. It sounds like a good idea, though, if you think the editor might be amenable to that sort of thing and you have the sort of personality that could pull a lunch like that off. Me, I’m not ready for that. Maybe next summer.

Don't. Stop. Me. Now! (I'm having such a good time... having a ball...)

I wasn’t sure where to put this post – here or at my other blog, International Mama. But I guess it’s most appropriate here since maybe other expat freelancers can relate.

In my last post, I mentioned how living abroad means working around an unfamiliar vacation schedule. I was pretty cheery about it in that post, having just spent 10 days in the sunny climes of Biarritz. But now it’s the middle of June and my real summer vacation is looming in front of me like a black hole. I know that as much as I’ll fight it initially, come the start of July I’m going to get sucked into that hole and not fully emerge until the beginning of September. It’s making me sad.

People who don’t freelance don’t really get it: “Just enjoy!” they say. Or, if American they say, “I wish I had so much vacation.” And I respond: “I wish someone would continue to pay me during my vacations!”

But, you know what? It isn’t just missing out on a paycheck. I hate losing momentum. I’ve had some great breaks in the past two months and I want to keep riding on that high you get when people like – and pay for - your work. Vacations make me happy but so does getting an email that says: “love that story idea…will be sending you a contract shortly.” My husband thinks I’m a workaholic. But really I just love writing. I love building a career from scratch. I love feeling increasingly confident about my work and taking on bigger challenges.

Right about now, you might be saying: so, don’t take such a long vacation. Uh-huh, I hear through my computer. Well, the thing is, my other job requires me to go on vacation: my mom job. The tots need to spend time with my family in the U.S. They need to see their family in Germany. They need to spend time with me and my husband, when we’re not sneaking glances at our cell phones or “just quickly checking” something on the computer. To accomplish all this traveling takes time – and thank goodness for our kids – time is something we have.

I know that once vacation starts, I won’t be worrying too much about the work I’m missing. I’ll get a chance to do some personal journaling. I’ll get lots of article ideas. And I’ll get my writing groove back in September. Still, as vacation inches ever closer, I can’t help but feel as if I’m preparing to say goodbye to a good friend for awhile.

Readers - what about you? Are you reluctant to stop working? Is this an expat problem or a freelancer problem? Or maybe a mom problem?

5 More Ways to Make Money as a Freelancer

Sorry for the radio silence! In France, May is packed with holidays and I – along with about a quarter of the population – was on vacation. One of the funny things about being an expat is that you adopt the customs of the country that you’re living in, which creates a culturally unfamiliar vacation schedule. A couple of years ago, an editor asked me to write a feature that required tons of research just before I was leaving for a month-long vacation in Italy. I recall being excited about breaking into this particular magazine, but shocked that he expected me to work in August! In France, pretty much nobody works in August! Only the essentials. I had to remind myself that in the U.S. I wouldn’t have blinked an eye at the timing of this assignment (I wouldn’t have been on vacation for four consecutive weeks anyway), and dragged several thick books to Italy with me.

Anyway. A while ago I wrote a post about 5 ways to make money as a freelancer and promised to come up with a few more ideas. Here they are!

1. Write an email newsletter

I am currently subscribed to some 15-20 email newsletters (no, I don’t read them all). Somehow it only dawned on me a few months ago that the authors of these newsletters aren’t merely writing these things for publicity or out of the goodness of their hearts – they’re getting cash money for them! Some make their money through advertising…others have sponsors…and a few, have readers willing to pay for the news.

Having never written for an email newsletter, I’m not sure how to begin. I do know that you can either start your own newsletter on a topic that interests you, or you can try to find a job as a newsletter writer for an organization that might like or need one. Bizymoms.com has some good information on how to start your own.

2. Teach writing

This is a variation on the standard “teach English” job that many of us expat have done (or thought about doing). I imagine that if you’re not in an English-speaking country, there are plenty of people in your adopted country who want to improve their written English as well as their spoken English. Think business people who have Anglophone clients, people who want to find a job in an Anglophone country, or those who are staying put, but want to make themselves more marketable. Students, too, might be willing to cough up a few Euros (yen, pesos, dinar, etc.) to receive instruction on a certain type of writing. You could even set up a one-day seminar, where you teach several students at once.

Even though we’re abroad, we’re not limited to teaching the locals. If you’re a reasonably established writer, you may be able to find a teaching job on the ‘net, or even at a local university. Non-expats: think about contacting a community college with an idea for a course.

3. Ghostwriting

This has been on my mind since seeing Roman Polanski’s “Ghostwriter.” How strange is it to write an entire book and never see your name on the cover? Not being able to admit that you wrote it? I don’t think I’d like that. But hey – not only books are ghost written. Articles, columns, and even some blogs are ghostwritten. And from what I understand, the pay can be quite good. Here’s a website by British ghostwriter Andrew Crofts about how and why he got started in the ghostwriting business.

4. E-books

E-books are the wave of the…present. They’re here. They’re now. They’re an excellent way to make a tidy residual income, if you pick the right topic and market it well. For more thoughts on why and how you should write an E-book, take a look at Remarkablogger’s post: How to Write an E-book that Doesn’t Suck. It's funny. And very true.

5. Translation Services
For you lucky expat freelancers that have mastered the language of your adopted country, you can make good money on the side by starting up a freelance translating business. My husband just had to have his birth certificate translated – and that single page cost 52 Euros! Of course, these translators are long-time pros recommended by the American Embassy for official business, but still. It’s an indicator of the kind of money you can make. If you’re interested in learning more, check out the American Translators Association. Even though it's for American residing in the U.S., it’s full of good tips on starting a translation career.

So there you go. I'll try to post more regularly now...well, until August.

WordHustler - A free magazine database!

Hi folks - found another handy source for finding markets that I thought I'd share with you. It's called WordHustler and it's actually a submission platform for writers. Among its many features, it automatically sends out and tracks submissions for you, allowing you to review all your outstanding submissions at a glance and know their status (published, pending, rejected, etc.) instantly.

While it mostly appears to be designed for fiction writers (all of their examples seem related to novels and screenplays), but it is clearly mean for freelancers and non-fiction writers as well. It has a "markets" database that lists over 5,000 magazine publishers, literary agents, contests, etc. with proper contact information. You can search by a variety of categories, such as travel, health, essay markets and so forth. I spent about a half-hour browsing the markets and came up with several interesting publications I hadn't heard of before.

Searching the market listings is free but having the program send and track queries costs $2.99 per query letter. To me, this seems a bit steep considering I can do it myself for free. But for those who have the ability to churn out dozens of queries each week, maybe it's worth it. (Again, I think the service part is better geared to fiction writers or those with longer-length projects). Anyway, I think it's worth checking out, even if just for the market database.

If there's anyone out there who has tried WordHustler's other services, feel free to comment on this blog and tell us whether it's worth it!

30 ways to slant an article

Yesterday I was cleaning out my office when I came across a 2005 issue of Writers Journal. I wasn’t freelancing back then so I hadn’t paid much attention to the articles that related to freelancers. But yesterday, I re-read the issue with new eyes. Some of the articles were already quaint: one article talked about email submissions as if it were a new-fangled thing, another talked about how to use Microsoft Word, frequently encouraging readers to save their work on a floppy disk. But there was one article that, I think, will forever be useful.

The piece was on article slanting. The author, Dennis Hensley, told of his friendship with a reporter for the Associated Press, who was a master at taking one general topic and churning out dozens of different articles about it. Hensley said that the reporter got these ideas by running every topic through a grid that provided twenty-four ways to spin the subject. He then provided a sample grid and idea to show how it worked.

I thought it was a great exercise and promptly forgot about my office-cleaning project to try it out. I picked a subject that I only know a little about (gardening) and applied it to the grid. It worked great. In fact, I got so enthusiastic about the project that I enlarged the grid to 30 angles. The grid and my results are below.

Give it a whirl, keeping in mind that you won’t always get 24 (or 30) viable articles from the exercise. The grid is only a point of departure – some ideas won’t pan out on closer inspection. But even if you only find 12 or 15 potentially saleable angles, that’s still pretty good, no? Just think of the variety of potential writing markets!


Concept: Gardening
Angle: Article Idea Title

1. Regionalism: An expat’s guide to developing a French garden.

2. Humor: 5 plants even you can't kill.

3. Looking back/recalibration: Experienced gardeners weigh-in on what they would have done differently when starting their gardens.

4. Gender Differences: Tips on how to resolve differences when you and your mate have different visions for your garden.

5.Generational Differences: What your grandchild can teach you about gardening.

6. Contemporary Application: 5 ways technology can improve your garden.

7. Defusing Fear: Declare war on your weeds with these 3 homemade solutions.

8. Prosperity: How to make money from your herb garden

9. Back to Basics The ABC’s of Composting

10. Confidence-Building: It's not too late to change the theme of your garden.

11. Religious/Spiritual: Creating a spiritual space in your garden

12. The arts (poetry, music, painting, cinema) A stroll through famous gardens in poetry.

13. Insider Scoops: Six Things a Landscape Artist would never say to your face about your garden.

14. New Perspective: Yes, you can have a vegetable garden on your balcony!

15. Personal Trauma: Creating a Memorial Garden.

16. Controlling Emotions: How to deal when you hate your next-door neighbor’s garden.

17. Checklists and Procedures: Get the right pH balance for your soil in 5 simple steps.

18. Variation on the Traditional: What you need to start a rock garden.

19. Saving Money: 3 things you think you need a landscape architect for…but don’t.

20. Saving Time: 6 Gardening Tools that can cut your weeding time in half.

21. Mental and Physical Perspective: Tone your abs while pulling weeds!

22. Altruism and Self-sacrifice: How to Start a Community Garden

23. In-Depth Analysis: Book author/award-winning gardener explains the importance of drawing up sun/shade patterns before designing your garden.

24. Using Momentum: Your lawn is finally under control…time to decide on a theme!

25. Historical Perspective: The historical development of the English Garden.

26. Kids: What having a butterfly garden can teach your child.

27. Cuisine: A round-up of edible flowers for your garden (with recipes!)

28. Health: Seven herbs you should have in your garden for better health.

29. Pets: How to stop Rover from eating your petunias.

30. Travel: Five must-see botanical gardens in the world.