Recipe for Freelancing
May 14, 2008
photo credit: caffeinatedjedi
Freelancing is serious business and if you’re thinking about taking a slice of the pie, first take a little time to plan your meal carefully. Do you have the right personality for freelancing? If so, your next step is to do some research and make a few decisions about how you’re going to construct your business. After all, you can’t just snap your fingers and expect a tasty meal to magically appear.
There’s a delicate balance to planning your business. You don’t want to serve it raw (unless you’re serving sushi) but you also don’t want to overcook it. Do your research, ask the hard questions, and then go for it.
Building a Menu
What kind of writing have you done on a professional level? What are you good at? What do you enjoy? One of the most important steps to building a successful freelance writing career is to hone in on the specific services you’re going to offer.
You can choose to specialize in one field (white papers, sales letters, website copy, etc.). Or, you can offer a variety of services. The first option allows you to target jobs and clients, build expertise in your niche, and establish yourself as a specialist. However, offering a range of writing services has its benefits too. You get to try your hand at different cuisines and experience a variety of flavors. This approach allows you to find out where your professional writing strengths lie and what types of clients you have a knack for attracting.
Ultimately, the decision is yours and you should do what feels most comfortable. Will you be a Jack or Jill of all trades or a master of just one? If you do decide to offer a broad range of services, try to narrow it down enough so that you can list your services in your marketing materials and website since that will help perspective clients understand what you’re offering.
Cultivate Flavor
Branding and identity can make or break a business. It can keep you hovering just above the poverty line or send you rocketing toward success. Is your business going to have a snappy name? Are you going to splurge and get a professional logo to help build your identity? How are you going to get the word out about your services?
Every freelancer, every entrepreneur, must learn a little something about marketing. There are plenty of experts and resources to help guide you in your efforts. I recommend you pay a visit to Itty Biz, which is by far the best and most entertaining marketing site I’ve found to date.
Marketing is closely related to sales. It’s all about finding clients, appealing to them, and convincing them to hire you. In many ways, your marketing plan is the invitation to your dinner party. Does it make people want to try your cooking? It should!
Check Please!
Rates are one of the most controversial topics among freelancers. Should you charge five cents a word or a dollar? Charge by the project or by the hour? What is everyone else charging?
There are no easy answers to these questions. A writer living in New York City is probably charging more than a writer living in Idaho simply because the cost of living is higher. People with extensive experience or a degree in the field can also charge more as can freelancers with an impressive portfolio. When I first started I scoured the web to find out what other freelancers were charging and set my rates just a little bit lower. Since then, my rates have increased at least twice and they’re scheduled for another hike in the near future.
One of the first questions out of your first client’s mouth will be “what do you charge?” You should definitely have some idea of your rates before you launch your business so that you can confidently answer this question without stammering. Keep in mind that you can negotiate with your clients and reach an agreement that makes you both comfortable and over time you can raise or lower your rates until you feel you’ve hit your stride.
Your Receipt
Paperwork. It’s a huge part of your business and your clients will take you a lot more seriously if you have a few official documents as opposed to a generic invoice through PayPal or quotes issued via casual email and IM conversations.
Also, keep in mind that a signed work agreement acts as a contract and binds the client to issuing a payment to you when the project is completed. An official invoice will help both you and your clients track charges. In some cases you might need a full-blown contract and a few clients might ask you to sign a non-disclosure agreement (yes, paperwork goes both ways).
Get your paperwork in order before you start freelancing. Make sure you’ve also determined how you’re going to track your revenue and business expenses. This is also a good time to establish a filing system both in your email and on your hard drive. My personal tip here is that the more organized you are, the more time you’ll save on administrative tasks later. Since your time translates directly to income, being organized basically frees you up for more billable hours and directly increases your revenue.
No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service
Policies. Terms and conditions. What are the rules? It’s your business and it’s up to you set standards and limitations. Believe me, clients will try to take advantage of you and you will need to establish a set of policies and then stick to them. Many clients will also come to you with questions that will be more easily answered if you have already taken the time to decide exactly what your terms are.
Are you going to let clients cancel projects at the last minute even though they’ve signed an work agreement and issued a deposit? What happens if they make changes to the project halfway through that require you to spend several more hours? Do you have a minimum rate? Do you require a deposit? Who owns the copyright to the work?
I got lucky because before I launched my business I found several freelancers who published policies on their websites (and now I do the same). After reading their terms and conditions, I started to realize the many issues that could arise and set to work putting together my very own set of terms. And it has come in handy! Plus, I add to it regularly as new issues arise.
Ah, Dessert
One last thing I want to mention here is a portfolio. This is sort of like a treat for your clients, a little something to tempt them into your restaurant. With a portfolio, clients get to find out if they like your cooking before they make a reservation. This is good because you don’t want to get hitched to a client who’s not agreeable to your style of writing.
Of course, the best place for your portfolio is right on your website. You can include projects you’ve already done professionally or create projects yourself and show them as samples. A blog is fantastic way to show off your style and your skill. If you don’t have anything for a portfolio, don’t worry. Just develop three to five samples and make sure they are in line with the services you’re offering.
And Now, Time for Drinks
Hey, I just served five — no six — courses. Drinks are on you guys so pour a cold one and start discussing. If you’re just thinking about freelancing, did this answer any of your questions or give you some new ideas to chew over? Hopefully it whet your appetite for going into business for yourself. And if you’re already a freelancer, what advice or tips would you add to this?
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Freelance Cutout Q&A
May 9, 2008
Earlier this week, I asked “are you cut out for freelance writing?” and gave you some of my ideas about what traits a freelancer needs to have in order to succeed. Today, let’s expand on that a little. Instead of a traditional writing exercise this Friday, I’ve prepared a Q&A that should help you get started in determining how you can move into a freelance writing career, or start building a freelance business that you can do on the side.
If you are remotely interested in freelancing, try answering some of these questions. They’ll get you thinking about how freelancing could fit into your life. These are questions to address even before you enter the business planning stage. If you are already a freelancer, feel free to expand on these questions by adding your own in the comments section.
Reason
The first and foremost question to ask yourself when you’re thinking about freelancing is why. Why do you want to be a freelancer? Is it because you want to stay home with the kids? Want greater control over your earnings and schedule? Knowing why you’re drawn to this crazy profession is something you absolutely need to identify and understand. Because it is the one thing that will keep you going as you move forward.
Time
How much time do you have (or can you create) in your life right now to dedicate to your freelance business? Can you squeeze a couple of hours out of each day? A few hours on the weekend? Also, do you want to transition into full time freelancing right away or do you want to ease into it over time? You can become a freelancer by dedicating just a few hours a week, but it helps to know in advance exactly how much time you can invest in this enterprise. Be realistic!
Money
How much could you trim your budget if you really needed to do so? Are there things you could give up temporarily so that you can build your business? Do you have savings or could you qualify for a business loan to help subsidize your income while making a transition? If you’re married, maybe your spouse’s income could cover the budget for awhile, or you can take some time in advance to save up a little funding.
It’s unlikely that the day you launch your freelance business, you’ll immediately start earning your previous salary. In fact, I read somewhere that it takes about a year to get to that point (the good news is that in the second year, you can surpass your previous salary). The goal of business is to make money but before you make the leap, know where you stand financially.
Summary
I’ve said it before and many freelancers say it on a regular basis: freelancing is a business. It’s not something you can jump into halfhazardly and expect wild success. Some freelancers plan more than others before they launch their business and there’s a happy medium in the planning stages where you don’t want to cut yourself short, but also don’t want to spend so much time planning that you never actually launch the business.
It helps to understand why you want to do this and what you can afford to invest in terms of time and money before you begin to plan your freelancing business. Next week, I’ll publish a post that explores some things you can do to actually start planning and laying the groundwork to become a bona fide freelancer.
If anyone has other questions or thoughts to share on what needs to be considered before the real planning begins, please share and discuss!
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Devilish, Daring, and Demure: Meet the Hottest Women in Poetry
May 7, 2008
Poetry month came and went. I never had a chance to reveal my favorite poets and poems. That’s because every time I sat down to review my poetry collections and choose a few faves, it looked like I was going to write something that resembled a book rather than a blog post. Finally, I narrowed it down to a manageable number. We’re going to start by taking a look at three poetry queens and in a couple of weeks I will reveal the kings.
Aphra Behn
She lived during the 1600s so you might assume she was a prim and proper lady who did whatever her husband or the king told her. You would be wrong. Aphra broke all the rules and her ability to shock and surprise lives on pretty vividly in her poetry.
During a time when the few women who wrote poetry were upper class and did so as a hobby, Aphra established herself as Britain’s first professional woman writer. Ladies, take note, because Virginia Woolf said, “All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.”
I can’t say I agree with Virginia one hundred percent (isn’t that a natural right rather than an earned one?), but Aphra, even after over 300 years, definitely stands out in the crowd of historical writers. Not only because she was a spy, a playwright, and the first paid female writer, she was also deliciously dirty and wrote poems that were blatantly erotic and peppered with humor. Of her, Anne Finch said, “a little too loosely she writ.” We like that in a seventeenth century chick.
Selected reading (i.e. my favorites): The Willing Mistress, The Disappointment, The Libertine
If you don’t crack a sly grin at the end of each of these poems… well… read them again!
Emily Dickinson
Who hasn’t heard of Emily Dickinson? Before J.K. Rowling wowed the world with Harry Potter, Miss Dickinson was the most famous woman writer to have ever lived. And not just because she wrote great poetry.
Emily bucked the social expectations of her time by never marrying and becoming an eccentric agoraphobic who always dressed in white. Despite her odd ways, she was much beloved and known around town as the Amherst Myth.
Emily was born and raised in Amherst, Massachusetts during the 1800s and it was clear by the time Emily became an adult that she was marching to the beat of a different drum, which is why many people are surprised to learn she had an extremely normal childhood and grew up in a happy, affluent family. In fact, her father was a lawyer and politician. Yet Emily gave up a life of normalcy to pursue her one and only love: poetry.
She locked herself away from the Victorian world whose expectations she rebuffed and threw herself into books and writing. Not much is known about her love life or whether she had one but one thing is certain: Emily Dickinson was wracked with unparalleled literary intensity.
The majority of her poems were found after her death, untitled but neatly written and bound. They are usually numbered or indicated by their first lines. Emily Dickinson is also a poet whose biography and poetry play well off each other, building a special mystery that will draw you in wondering who this enigmatic woman really was.
Selected reading: (271) A solemn thing, (288) I’m Nobody!, (384) No Rack can torture me, (441) This is my letter to the World, (569) I reckon — when I count at all, (712) Because I could not stop for Death
There’s a lot of Dickinson poems to explore. This is a very small portion of what she left us. Most of these are short, quick reads.
Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker is probably the writer most loved by dress-wearing feminists. She was cool, dry, and witty beyond measure. She put her own flaws under a magnifying glass and wrote about them, letting the world laugh at her but there’s a sense that somewhere inside, Dorothy Parker was not laughing.
She is the woman who smiles and nods niceties while whispering obscene comic insults against all of society under her breath. I imagine when she cast her eyes over a person, she saw beyond the visible and I’d bet she could give a look that made anyone on the receiving end feel uncomfortably naked.
Dorothy catapulted to fame during the 1920s and 1930s after she coined “Brevity is the soul of lingerie” for an ad. Her job? To write photograph captions for Vogue. After that, she went to work for Vanity Fair. She was also a prominent member of the Algonquin Hotel’s Round Table, which means she was in with the in crowd. She also helped shape the New Yorker, which is no small accomplishment and doesn’t look too bad on anyone’s resume, even these days.
Like many writers, Dorothy experienced turbulence in life. She married bisexual writer, Alan Campbell, with whom she had several breakups and reconciliations. After an abortion in 1923, she attempted suicide (the first attempt of many). She and Campbell earned over $5000 a week in Hollywood at one time (that was a lot of money in those days) and were later blacklisted as communists during the McCarthy era.
Her poetry is delightfully wit-tickling and her quotes are unforgettable (men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses). Though much of her work expresses a particular sense of self-dissatisfaction, it’s clear that Dorothy Parker’s dissatisfaction went beyond self and extended to all of humanity, especially the gents. However, she delivered it with language that smirks and smarts and satisfies.
Selected Reading: Comment, Interview, Resumé
* * *
Now it’s your turn. Who are your favorite ladies of poetry? What attracts you to a poem or poet? Obviously, I’m drawn to the rebels, the rule-breakers, and the eccentrics. Do you prefer women writers over male writers or does it matter? Take a look at your book or poetry collection and see if it’s gender balanced.
Sources: The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women: The Traditions in English
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