Jane Corn is a fervent reader…and writer. A freelance writer, her passion for books helped drive her to be one of the top reviewers on Amazon.com, allowing her access to the exclusive Vine™ Program (where select reviewers are given access to free merchandise), pushed her to Powerseller status on eBay, and is the focus of one of her many blogs, Booking Along (a book review blog). Her magazine writing has won her national awards, and she manages a widespread online presence, including social networking sites and her blogs. She can be found online at Associated Content, her online rare bookstore and of course, at Booking Along.

JB: Jane, you’ve done so many things—eBay auctions, freelance writing and editing, and a lot of Amazon reviewing. Do you have a particular focus? Do you self-identify as a writer? A reviewer? A blogger? None of the above?

JC: I think of myself as a “Jack (or Jane) of all trades”, I guess. I was a freelance writer for a long time and that brought in good income. At some point, however, I needed to make a choice, brought on by circumstances. We had the opportunity to adopt a little boy, aged 5, and I knew I would have to make changes to do so, as he had special needs and the “window of opportunity” for adoption would be open for a limited time. I had to choose to stay on the career track, full speed, or rein things in a bit. I decided to compromise and have never looked back. Now I’m building up career speed again.
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The second FreelanceSwitch podcast is now online and ready for your listening. This week we cover lots of issues, but the highlight has to be Dickie’s amazing strategy for pitching to new clients. All the panelists were very impressed by this one. So if you’re looking to expand your client base then don’t miss this episode!

iTunes subscriptions to the podcast are available here and an archive of all podcasts will appear in the podcast section. We hope you enjoy it!

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There are numerous discussions and debates in the world of freelancing–what’s the best website for this, what’s the best software for that, etc. In Switchoff, John and Jack will explore one of these debates in a calm, measured way–that hopefully won’t involve them killing each other in the process.

John Brougher: Welcome, Freelance Switch readers! Today, Jack Knight and I will be facing off against each other, flexing our rhetorical muscles regarding one of the most heated topics in the world: choice of computer platform. Mac or Windows PC? Continue Reading

Here is the first of our new podcasting series! Whether you want to learn while you work out or to make that commute useful, Freelance Radio is the place to hear all the tips, tricks and news of freelancing.

iTunes subscriptions to the podcast are available here and an archive of all podcasts will appear in the podcast section. We hope you enjoy it!

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Subscribe to Freelance Radio on iTunes

Special thanks to our sponsors, Mozy and Krop!

In our inaugural podcast, you will hear:
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By John Brougher

We’re pretty awesome people.

And though working at home can be tough sometimes, with the distractions of family, TV, and the Internet pulling us away from our work, it’s definitely worth it. There’s one distraction in particular that I’ll focus on that takes away so much productivity, yet does so in an incredibly stealthy way. It’s something I call “queuing,” and I’m sure you’ve seen it before.
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By John Brougher

Image from iStockPhoto

I hate software.

Because it’s so darned expensive.

If you’ve ever needed to make an Access database, for example, you know this story all too well: a new full copy of Access 2007 (the most recent version) will set you back $200 from Amazon.com, as you likely don’t already own it (it’s not a part of the bestselling “Home and Student” version of Microsoft Office 2007). If you’d rather get it as part of a package, don’t worry, it’s also a great deal: $415. That’s right – I didn’t leave out a decimal point or anything. Four hundred and fifteen smackers. That’s roughly equivalent to more than a month’s worth of food for one person. Access isn’t the only culprit: Autodesk (creator of Maya and AutoCAD), Apple, and a billion other software providers charge massive amounts for their software, which is a big investment for anyone – but particularly freelancers. If we’re not lucky enough to have access to an educational or other discount, we’re looking at full price retail for these programs that we need to do our job, which can be a big problem, especially if we’re just starting out. What choice do we have?
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