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I was once in the position that some of you may now be facing: laid off
and looking for a "real" job, while picking up project work as (I
thought then) a short-term way to make ends meet.
Twenty years later, I am still happily self-employed as a successful freelance technical copywriter.
What advice would I give to someone becoming a freelance writer today, whether by choice or circumstance?
Although I have been a successful freelance writer for nearly 20 years, I continue to read books related to self-employment and the business of freelance writing. Here are my top choices.
1. If you're exploring the idea of going freelance, or you need some encouragement and ideas as you build your business, choose one the many books about self-employment by Paul & Sarah Edwards. My favorites include:
2. Although geared toward a wide range of small businesses, Jay Conrad Levinson's series of marketing books may give you some ideas, in particular, Guerilla Marketing for Consultants and Guerilla Marketing for Writers.
3. A
number of books are targeted to freelance writers, although most
address writing for magazines. Among the books that address writers who
serve corporate clients:
4. I also learn from the marketing and business tactics used by graphic designers and other creative agencies. A good resource book for this is Cameron Foote's The Business Side of Creativity. I also find inspiration in the annual business and self-promotion issues of HOW magazine.
Have you found other books useful to running your freelance writing business? Share these resources with other writers by entering a comment on this post.
The transition to a new year is always a time of reflection and planning for me. And when the news is full of economic pessimism, it can be hard to be optimistic about the potential for a freelance business.
But an eternal optimist -- and a realist -- you must be if you are to be successful over the long term. That's why I think you will find inspiration in the book Creatively Self-Employed. Here is an excerpt from the review I wrote on Amazon:
Read more about Creatively Self-Employed.
When was the last time you really looked at your marketing activities to determine whether you are doing the right thing, at the right time, with the right focus?
Find out how your marketing measures up: Marketing Scorecard (click on the "free marketing resources" tab)
This is just one of the great resources available from Robert Middleton, who I consider to be one of the best authors and teachers for self-employed professionals, including freelance writers.
While you are visiting his Action Plan Marketing site, be sure to explore all of the many other valuable and insightful products and tools available.
You'll get great ideas that will help make your marketing efforts more effective for a long time to come.
Do you want more ways to learn copywriting skills? Are you looking
for guidance on practicing the techniques presented in the book Copywriting That Sells High Tech? Are you
a course instructor looking for ideas about student assignments?
The Exercises Guide for Copywriting That Sells High Tech is
now available for direct purchase. It is packed with questions,
explorations, and practice activities that will help you get the most
from the book -- now and as you work on new projects in the future.
To order the Exercises Guide, choose one of these options:
All payments are processed through PayPal. The Exercises Guide is delivered as a PDF download, available immediately after your payment is processed.
A note for course instructors and trainers: Do you want to use or adapt these exercises for a course or training seminar? For a free copy and permission, send a brief description of your planned use, college/university/company name and course name to: info@writinghightech.com.
The just-released White Paper Writer Industry Report: Second Edition is full of valuable information (including pricing data!) for freelance writers who produce -- or want to produce -- these types of projects.
Based on a survey of nearly 600 writers, this report reveals the latest trends in the industry for writing, distributing, and billing white papers.
More than just a compilation of survey results, the report offers vital insights that will help you produce better white papers -- faster and more easily -- that deliver greater value for your clients.
Learn more and order your copy today: White Paper Writer Industry Report
Robert Middleton’s site Action Plan Marketing is my top pick for ideas and information about marketing your services as an independent professional.
Robert’s information is clear, practical, realistic and best of all, doesn’t contain the “get rich quick” hype of so many other self-employment consultants.
Subscribe to his free weekly ezine and get the free Marketing Plan Workbook, purchase the InfoGuru manual, participate in teleclasses . . . you’ll find yourself going back to Robert’s materials again and again and learning something new each time.
I have written books for a major New York publisher, and self-published my most recent (Copywriting That Sells High Tech). The self-publishing process is quite an adventure, and you'll want the best advice before you begin. Here are my favorite guides to give you a good start, and continued guidance on the path:
The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book Into a Full-Time Living from Peter Bowerman
Last month, I was one of the many travelers whose holiday plans were canceled by the blizzard in Denver. It was a good thing I relied on my experience as a frequent traveler ... and not on the advice of local television news reporters in my city ... to know what I needed to do to make new flight arrangements. In one day, I heard several varieties of incorrect advice from three different reporters in three separate broadcasts on two different stations. Clearly, no one in either newsroom had bothered with a basic task of journalism: fact checking.
This incident reminded me that fact checking is also important to the work of a copywriter. Publishing incorrect information in a sales brochure or Web site is not only embarrassing to a company, it can create legal issues such as liability, violation of trade laws or copyrights, or improper disclosure of trade secrets.
Yet it can be difficult to know which facts to check and which sources to use for verification given the rush of project deadlines, with input and reviews coming from multiple people, and perhaps limited knowledge of the subject matter. And unless you were trained as a journalist, you may not know much about the basics of fact checking, such as analyzing statistics, following good verification procedures, and applying industry standards for acknowledging sources.
You can gain insights about the fact checking practiced by journalists in the book The Fact Checker's Bible by Sarah Harrison Smith. With experience as a fact checker for both The New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker, Smith's discussion is focused largely on the issues that come up in feature articles and news reporting. However, she offers useful guidance for the process of fact checking, handling discussions with authors and editors, and evaluating the implications of visuals and video.
If you already have a checklist and procedure for fact checking, this book will give you new ideas for those tools. And if you haven't developed a process yet, this book will give you a good start. A quick read, The Fact Checker's Bible can help you create a good new year's resolution -- for fact checking -- that's easy to keep.
How is fact checking important to your work? What kinds of tools, processes, and resources do you use? Share your insights with others copywriters by commenting on this post.
Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light. -- Joseph Pulitzer, American newspaper editor and publisher
My favorite holiday is New Year's Day -- so full of fresh starts, new ideas, and new opportunities. I always set aside time for reflection and planning in December, looking at both business and personal goals. I find this activity worthwhile because it gives me clarity about which directions to pursue and which activities to begin in January.
Perhaps you are also thinking about your personal and business goals for the new year, maybe even a major change in life direction. If so, I recommend the book Practical Dreamer's Handbook from Paul and Sarah Edwards.
But more likely, you're spending December deep in planning for upcoming marcom and PR projects. And if those plans a fore a technology company, a terrific resource for the new year is my book Copywriting That Sells High Tech. Whether you're a corporate employee, an agency writer, or a freelancer, you'll find it a highly practical and relevant source of ideas and inspiration for your marketing and PR materials.
Whatever your plans for the new year, I hope it brings you great success and happiness.
In the long run, we only hit what we aim at. Henry David Thoreau
