Niche markets perform like waves. Freelance writers benefit from plunging into the right market at the best time, even when the niche is far removed from their usual work. Here’s how to take advantage when the wave is high – and how to find your way back after. Wait for the Boom A ‘hot’ niche […]
Channel the Need
/ 2020-10-17Recently I was advising a political Facebook group, and one key factor I could not get some of the candidates to understand was “define the voter’s need then fill it.” The candidates only wanted to say how good they are. That’s like saying a new drink product is good, when the best ads for drink […]
Get Paid for the Job, Not the Hour
/ 2020-09-25On social media, many artists and writers fuss that the public doesn’t realize the hours and sweat that goes into a creation. I want to tell them to please hush. In doing so, they shift attention off the art itself and onto themselves. A reader doesn’t care how hard the story was to write. The […]
How to Deal with a Bad Payer Without Giving In to Anger
/ 2020-08-28Some months ago, I finally, finally received a modest payment for a couple of articles I’d written for a well-known outlet. It took me almost a year from submitting the first piece to getting paid, and the whole process involved endless emails, chasing different people, lots of silence, and false dawns – a great deal […]
Start Local and Move Out
/ 2020-08-21We’re stuck at home and sick of Zoom. How do we tell the world we are open for business as commercial or freelance writers or editors? We start at home and work out from there. Meaning, we start with who knows us, who lives near us, and who understands where we come from. This is […]
Becoming A Writer for A Digital Marketing Agency
/ 2020-08-07I’ve been working as a content manager, freelance writer, and editor for the Barcelona-based digital marketing agency Vime Digital for over four years. In fact, there are dozens of agencies out there and they’re all eager to recruit new writers. Read on and learn how to make your bones in the agency world. Let’s quickly define what […]
How to Get Two (or More) Assignments Out of One
/ 2020-08-01Building a career as a freelance writer takes more than talent and tenacity. While editors seek superbly written articles and essays, it’s what you do after publication that can make the most impression, leading additional assignments or acceptances. I have a strategy that has worked for me for the past year. These five easy steps […]
When You Talk to People…
/ 2020-08-01When you open a discussion with someone, do you lead with “Once upon a time I lived in Michigan. I was twenty-four. I was working at the mall and was trying to figure out my life.” No. BIG YAWN. You don’t start with the backstory. Frankly, I’d bet you’d be embarrassed to start with the […]
When You Have an Editor’s Ear
/ 2020-06-12Editors juggle a lot of balls in finding literary material for publications. They have multiple deadlines for multiple editions and all the administrative nuts and bolts that come with putting a publication together. When finally obtaining the ear of an editor, keep your moment(s) brief, because others just like you are vying for that editor’s […]
Four Important Lessons About Magazine Writing
/ 2020-06-05Having worked in the book industry my entire career, I decided that 2020 would be a great time to not only broaden my writing repertoire but also add another revenue stream by writing for magazines. So, in January, I pitched article ideas to a local magazine publisher. I felt confident about the topics and assumed […]
Use LinkedIn to Find Your Next Writing or Editing Job
/ 2020-05-29Undoubtedly, LinkedIn is the work world’s primary search engine and yet most job seekers do not maximize it. Instead, they copy and paste their resume thinking someone might reach out to them. As a former introvert, I needed to manipulate LinkedIn if I wanted to prove my marketability. I have gotten assignments, requests for interviews […]
Easy Tracking
/ 2020-05-07Submitting queries and manuscripts nowadays is as easy (and cost-effective) as a single keyboard click. But while programs like Submittable keep a list of e-submissions sent to certain sites, not every publisher uses such a program. Without it, can you pinpoint exactly where and when you sent out every piece, query or pitch in the […]