Freelancers face more competition than ever. Competition doesn’t just come from other freelancers, but also from a slew of D-I-Y software and templates that allow people to produce their own websites, newsletters, publications, and logos. The result of this is that many clients view freelance services as just another commodity (the “Walmart effect”), which makes them think that the only difference between you and other alternatives is price.

Whether you’re prepared or not, the business landscape for independent work from web design to writing is vulnerable to commoditization. How you respond to these trends can impact how your business grows and attracts prospective clients. Will you be stuck working for rock-bottom prices? Or, will you be able to charge a fair freelance rate that reflects your expertise and experience?

Freelancers can differentiate themselves from the bargain-basement players by exploring four effective strategies.
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Ever heard someone tell you that you should write a book? Or do you already have one underway?

Here’s a guide, filled with an overabundance of resources, to help you navigate the vast – and often confusing – publishing world.

Are you deciding whether self publishing or a traditional publishing route is best for your work? Are you unclear on how to find a reputable literary agent, without getting scammed? Do you know how to format your books into popular digital formats? Or which print on demand service gives you the best quality for your dollar? Wha

These and many more questions on book publishing have professional answers, provided by published authors and experienced agents, found in these professional resources. Continue Reading

Do you struggle being able to take time off? Have you NOT taken a vacation in the past year?

Do you worry you’ll lose revenue if you take time off? Do you take less time off being self-employed than when you had a “real” job?

Guess what? Every freelancer and self-employed business person struggles with this; yet, it is possible to take time off AND earn more. Continue Reading

Once a week, we feature a fantastic freelance-themed comic from the talented N.C. Winters. Why not also take a look at our comic archive? Continue Reading

Choosing a writing group that will help you as a working writer can be a challenge.

While some groups, such as your local writer’s guild, may appear to be beneficial on first glance, they may not ultimately deliver what you really need.

Here are a few good questions to ask, before joining the latest writing group on your block.

Will this group help me meet other writers?

Another important point to consider when thinking about joining a writing group is the opportunity to network with other writers. Although writing is a solitary activity, most writers enjoy spending time with other writers—particularly in a more casual social setting.

See if the group you’re pondering holds regular meet-ups, mixers or happy hour events where you can get to know the rest of the members over coffee or drinks. Even if the group doesn’t officially host these types of events, they may offer other networking opportunities at events like literary conferences.

If all else fails, see if you can befriend someone from one of the group’s workshops or classes and invite him or her out for a drink afterward to connect with another writer one-on-one. After all, why join a group if you don’t intend to participate? Continue Reading

As a freelance writer, you’ll cover lots of interesting topics. Sometimes you’ll write about something in which you’re well versed, but other times a topic will land on your plate that you have absolutely no background in.

Either way, it’s important to find quality sources to contribute to your article. Experts, such as professionals in the field or academic leaders, will add credibility and value to your words; regular people who have lived the experience will add warmth and a human connection to your article.

Particularly with a topic that’s foreign to you, it may seem difficult to find the right people. But the good thing is that most people love to talk and share what they know.

Whether you’re on the hunt for a neo-natal specialist or a bicycle accident survivor, you’d be surprised at how easy it is to find them.  Here are some of my favorite methods: Continue Reading

Here’s a basic difference between products and services. The level of satisfaction of a product often has a direct correlation to sales: you offer a good product that’s well-liked, and most likely sales will go up; for bad products, sales dip.

That relationship is less transparent with services like the kind usually offered by freelancers. Freelance clients buying a service like web design or editing, will usually complete the sale unless you completely botch the deliverables.

In fact, there is a more nuanced spectrum of satisfaction when it comes to services than products, but the consequences are significant: clients that are dissatisfied with your freelance services will just opt for another provider. What’s at stake? A repeat project with the client and the opportunity to aim for bigger, better projects by improving your performance.

Unfortunately, gathering feedback can lead to some skewed results. If clients were a generally satisfied with your work, but not wowed, they may silently opt for another provider, and not bother giving you any feedback at all, even if you solicit them directly.

It’s frustrating: you probably only hear back from the joyously enthusiastic clientele and the ones with the biggest gripes. Small gripes usually get reported less.

Still, there are several benefits to spending the time getting a sense of what your clients think of you and your freelance services: Continue Reading

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

I remember hearing that quote a few years ago and having someone tell me it was Gandhi that originally said it. And since it sounded like something Gandhi might indeed have said, I believed it. But here’s the kicker. It wasn’t. It was actually motivational speaker, Wayne Dyer.

It probably doesn’t really matter in the long run, but my guess is that it would carry a little more weight coming from the iconic purveyor of Indian nationalism rather than a middle aged white guy with an affinity for meditation. Nevertheless, the idea is a good one. Change your perspective. Look at things differently. See your world in a new light in order to gain fresh insights and, most importantly, evolve.

In the competitive and sometimes unforgiving world of freelance writing, regularly changing the way you look at your work keeps you sane. Rejection is hard. Not landing an assignment you really wanted is disappointing. And looking at the dwindling bank account can sometimes be discouraging enough to contemplate updating your resume, polishing up those dusty wingtips, and heading back to the corporate world.

But all is not lost. Most of the time all we need is a unique perspective, a new set of eyeglasses to view our freelance business with. Here are three techniques to keep in mind when trying to look at your freelance work in a new light. Continue Reading

Now is the perfect time to make a customized video that plays on your website. Most computer users now have broadband, so using video in your marketing isn’t the issue that it was a year or two ago.

YouTube is currently the world’s second most popular search engine and the number one site to watch video. Over 85% of Internet users view 15 minutes of video per day, and YouTube hosts almost half of those. YouTube is owned by Google, so using YouTube video is a surefire way to boost your Google rankings as well.

Take a look at this video that spotlights the benefits of using YouTube to market your videos.

And here’s the kicker—videos hosted on YouTube use its servers for free, so there are no bandwidth worries for you! YouTube is also continually increasing its presence on mobile devices.

Learn how to start using YouTube to boost your freelance marketing efforts. Continue Reading

So you have worked hard to align every pixel, harmonize the white space, and to finalize the perfect logo. Now to launch your website….hmmm, how exactly?

I was getting closer to launching my first website. The site launch checklist had more and more lines scratched through the tasks. And yet there was a slight sense of doom gathering. I didn’t really know how to announce to the world that my site was about to go live, so I could then sit back and let the clients come knock’n at my door.

So you have worked hard to align every pixel, harmonize the white space, and to finalize the perfect logo. Now to launch your website….hmmm, how exactly?

In fact, I was sure that I couldn’t throw all my files into the FTP client and cross my fingers. I was also pretty sure that all the angst and anticipation of working hard on my ready to be launched site would end up a small squeak and a fizzle with me checking every 5 seconds to see if anyone had looked at it. I knew I needed a comprehensive plan on how to launch my freelance website.

I began searching every day for advice. Many articles online talk about the checklist of your website launch, the invaluable SEO keywords, etc. Ideally it would be nice to read how other people launched their sites without too many generalities.

So after working with clients to launch their start up sites, collecting tidbits from online, and preparing to launch my own site, I brainstormed different techniques and listed the steps I used to successfully launch my freelance site. Let’s take a look at this comprehensive list. Continue Reading

I recently completed my 25th year of running my own consulting business. I started out by developing training materials for large corporations, but now I spend most of my time creating marketing content, and doing a bit of coaching, for other independent training consultants.

I’d like to think I have learned a thing or two over those 25 years of freelancing. Here are 25 lessons gleaned from a quarter-century of independent consulting:

1. The power of technology to help one waste time is at least as great, if not greater, than its power to make one more efficient and productive.
2. The biggest factor in play when I avoid marketing and selling activities is my imagination. I can dream up more dramatic and devastating rejections, failures, and embarrassments than anything that is going to happen in the real world.
3. Afternoon naps are among the best “fringe benefits” of running my own business, rather than working in a cubicle.
4. Staying “top of mind” with someone who already knows who I am is infinitely easier than getting someone to notice me and my services in the first place. (It is also considerably more lucrative.)

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Once a week, we feature a fantastic freelance-themed comic from the talented N.C. Winters. Why not also take a look at our comic archive? Continue Reading