freelance jobA few weeks back during tax time, I was cleaning up some old files and came across the check stub from my first opportunity to do paid freelance work.

I was just a lowly assistant editor at a golf magazine when I received a call from someone at Boardroom Reports, publisher of the Bottom Line Personal newsletter, which I’m pleasantly surprised to see still exists 23 years later. The assignment was to put together a quick article about golf gadgets, and I remember being stunned that someone was willing to pay $0.50 a word for writing. (Yes, even way back in 1990, there was no need to take pennies a word — yet at the time, I was pumping out thousands of words a month for just over $18,000 a year. It was a revelation.) [read more...]

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This week’s Friday freelancing link roundup has a theme of sorts, spun out of the thinking that went into my post on Freelance-Zone today, “Simultaneously Penniless and Rich,” as well as a lunch discussion with one of my longtime creative partners yesterday, who ditched the ad agency world at about the same time I went solo.

Without further ado… [read more...]

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Phoenix writing and communications seminar

I’ve been a fan of Ann Wylie since my corporate days, when I hired her to conduct a seminar for our magazine publishing company’s entire writing and editing staff. So, naturally I was pleased to hear that our local Phoenix IABC chapter is hosting a half-day seminar and luncheon with Ann on May 15. Whether you’re new [...]

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How a freelancer can answer the 4 key client questions

In “4 basic questions a freelancer always needs to answer,” I talked about the importance of preparation in advance of a client meeting. Since every meeting, client, and freelance job is different — and your business is also unique — these aren’t “teacher’s guide” answers, but rather pointers toward formulating your own individual answers. A [...]

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Friday link roundup

Busy day today, but wanted to share a few links for your consideration. This headline caught my eye on a Facebook post: “Crappy Vs Snappy: Photog Uses Side-by-Side Comparisons to Market His Skill.” There’s always a risk in slamming someone else’s work in order to make yours look better. In this case, I think the [...]

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4 basic questions a freelancer always needs to answer

Over the course of a prospective client meeting, there might be a dozen random questions a freelancer might need to be prepared to answer — but there are basic ones that you should be able to handle seamlessly even on your worst day. This post was sparked by a few serendipitous items over the past [...]

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The thicker the folder, the thicker the applicant

As I prepare for an in-person new client meeting this morning, I’m reminded of an old college admissions officer’s saying: “The thicker the folder, the thicker the applicant.” It’s always tempting to bombard a prospective client (or employer, or college, or girlfriend/boyfriend, etc., etc.) with a mega-compilation of just how wonderful and accomplished you are. [...]

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Friday link roundup

Super busy day ahead, but wanted to take a few minutes to share a some interesting links I came across in the past few days: Here’s How Daniel Pink Writes: Absolutely fantastic interview at Copyblogger with the author of Free Agent Nation, Drive, and, most recently, To Sell Is Human. Free Agent Nation made a huge [...]

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Why freelancing is like Wipeout

Freelancing can often seem like the cult TV show Wipeout, with unexpected obstacles popping out of nowhere, and even visible obstacles being squirrellier than you realize…till you plunge into the drink. My most challenging client and I weren’t seeing eye to eye on Friday. (He’d be proud of the “most challenging” descriptor, so I’m at [...]

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The charitable freelancer

While so many posts revolve around pricing and estimating or finding freelance jobs, today I want to step back and discuss something that can help freelancers maintain a sense of perspective and purpose: working on charitable or non profit projects. For the new freelancer, it can be a way of building a portfolio; even for [...]

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