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Earlier this year, I wrote an article about presenting at Ignite. To recap, Ignite is an event that happens in more than 100 cities worldwide on a regular basis. Participants get up on stage in front of an audience and speak for five minutes on a topic they’re passionate about.

At Ignite, you speak to the accompaniment of a 20-slide Powerpoint that you create beforehand. But you don’t have control over the slides – one of Ignite organizers runs the projector.

Well, after doing a couple of Ignite presentations, the above no longer seemed daunting. I was looking for a bigger challenge.

I found it in the form of a chance encounter at 2^nd Saturdays Downtown, a monthly event here in Tucson, Arizona. A local group called Odyssey Storytelling brings its Story Cart to big happenings, and curious people are invited to stop and tell a tale.

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A recent Freelance Freedom episode shows our hero driving around town, criticizing the design of business signs. It gets to the point where the wife has to put on music in order to silence him.

Our irritated freelancer has a lot in common with the people profiled in Stephen Key‘s new book, One Simple Idea. Although one might think of Key as an inventor, he’d rather use the term “product developer.”

Why? Because of the negative connotation that the word “inventor” has. Key notes that many people think of inventors as “hermit[s] with thick glasses, wild hair, and a pocket protector stuffed with pens.”

Ouch. That’s rough.

But since this is a book about licensing your ideas, it would be a good idea to make a good impression on the companies you’re pitching.

Now, you may have heard about what Key calls “the conventional method of bringing an idea to market.” It involves creating prototypes, getting patents, and building a company. Not the sort of thing that you became a freelancer in order to do.

Not to worry. You don’t have to.

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There was a time when getting one’s words into print and out to the reading public was time-consuming and expensive.

If you were going the conventional route and seeking publication with one of the major houses, you wouldn’t have been considered unless your project was submitted by a literary agent. Which meant that you’d have to find an agent first.

I’ve traveled this route myself – and I quickly found that the literary agency world has a hierarchy. Up at the top are the name-brand authors who write the bestsellers. Below them are the seasoned authors who may not have the name recognition of the superstars, but they can be counted on to produce books that sell.

Then there’s the third tier, which consists of everyone else – first-time authors, unknowns who aren’t first-timers, and that guy down the street, you know, the one who writes poetry on weekends. I found myself firmly in the third tier, which meant that my book project only got cursory attention from the agency I signed with.

So, what’s a resident of the not-so-exalted third tier to do? Well, if you’re bound and determined to get your book into print, consider publishing it yourself.

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If you’re a freelancer, you probably know the Lumpy Income Blues by heart. You know how it goes: One month, your income is $10,000. That’s a five-figure income! In just one month! Wow! At last you’re one of those people profiled in The Wealthy Freelancer!

Then, in the next month, where did all those lucrative clients go? Your income slinks in the door and the monthly total is all of…

…$783.

That’s the Lumpy Income Blues. And, sorry to say, it’s one of the occupational hazards of freelancing.

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Publish Your Photogrpahy Book

Is there a book in you? If you’re a photographer, the answer is probably a resounding “Yes!”

Whether you’re dreaming of producing one of those coffee table books with a hefty price tag or if your desires run to creating a client-wowing portfolio that doesn’t look like all those other portfolios, you’re in luck. Thanks to the proliferation of print-on-demand companies like Blurb, Fastback, Creative Books, and Shutterfly, getting your photo book into the hands of readers is easier than ever.

Note that I used the word “readers.” That was deliberate. The reality of the photography book publishing world is that it’s difficult to find buyers. Photography books are like poetry books in that the supply far exceeds the demand.

However, there are a few photographers whose books are collected like fine paintings. Expect to find their books on some very high-priced coffee tables. But these people are the exception, not the rule.

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I suppose I could have given this article a really provocative title. Something like “Set Your Career on Fire with Ignite!” Or worse.

But, since this is FreelanceSwitch, I’ll have to be more low-key while telling you the truth. And that is to suggest you try something new. And, at first, you won’t be very good at it.

The “it” I’m referring to is called Ignite. Despite its name, Ignite has nothing to do with fire. Although you may feel like you’re on fire while you’re participating.

Simply put, Ignite is an event that happens in more than 100 cities worldwide on a regular basis. Participants get up on stage in front of an audience and speak for five minutes on a topic they’re passionate about. Does this sound like a challenge you’re up for?

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Photography is one of those “doing” fields. Meaning that you’d rather be doing photography than reading about it. Especially when the topic is the business of photography.

Nothing wrong with wanting to be a doer, but there’s much to be said for the insights and reflection that are prompted by the reading of a good book. Following are four that will help you grow your photographic business.

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Many are the freelancers who keep a foot in the employment world by serving as a part-time instructor at a community college or university.

This is a great way to have an income platform while building one’s freelance business. And, for those who don’t care for being alone with just a computer for company, it’s motivation to get out of the house for some high-quality human interaction.

One of my close friends is a public relations consultant who also holds the title of lecturer in a university department of communication. She’s been a lecturer before, and the university invited her back at the beginning of this semester.

Being the diligent social networker that she is, she updated her online profile to include the lecturer position. And from somewhere deep in the recesses of this social networking site came an e-mail announcing her new job.

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Are you looking for potential customers? What freelancer isn’t on the hunt for the next sale? Looking for sales leads is a necessary part of our business. If you need to expand your potential pool of customers quickly, then tapping into lead lists could be a game changer for you. This article will tell you how and where to find such lists. Time to don your Sherlock Holmes detective hat and do some sleuthing.

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In my away-from-the computer life, I’m an avid bicyclist. Talk about a gadget-centric activity. It seems as though there’s always another nifty, lightweight bike to buy. Or, if you already have a bike or two, there’s some must-have accessory that you just can’t live without.

Which means that an affordable form of transportation – or recreation – can get pretty expensive. Same goes for photography. If it isn’t a new camera to buy, it’s one of those gizmos that will improve your shooting.

Enter Steve Johnson. An Englishman who now lives near Chicago. Johnson is the creator of the popular Minimalist Photography 101 blog. It’s the sort of place that frugal creatives will feel very comfortable visiting because Johnson’s into getting the highest level of results at the lowest cost. He’s just written an eBook that presents his minimalist photographic philosophy in a very readable format.

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When people tell me that their freelancing business has been slow, I suggest that they pick up the phone and start making calls. Reason: Since cold calls have worked well for me, I encourage others to try them as well.

Talk about kicking the proverbial hornet’s nest. I’m often treated to a diatribe on how much the person hates being cold called.

And I can’t help but agreeing. Why? Because cold calling has a much-deserved bad reputation.

You’ve probably had a family dinner interrupted by those telemarketers who call households between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. They know you’ll be home. And that you’re probably trying to enjoy a meal with your family. The fact that they’re calling at a bad time just doesn’t seem to register. Continue Reading

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Sorry if you’re a lovestruck freelancer, but this isn’t an article about proposing marriage.

Instead, it’s about handling requests for bids, proposals, quotes, or whatever you’d like to call them. Specifically, the ones that come your way by chance. Continue Reading