Credit: Yuri Arcurs on Photodune

The art of interviewing is just that—an art. Writers can spend an ungodly amount of time conducting interviews, which in turn costs them money. Here are some tips you can implement to make the process smoother, faster, and even more enjoyable.

1. Do Your Homework

Before you even head out the door for the interview you should be prepared—especially if you are interviewing someone who is in the public eye. Don’t waste your time fishing for answers you could easily find somewhere else. Being prepared is one of the most important interview techniques.

Perhaps the person has a bio online or has been featured in other articles. Find out, and read everything you can find. Do they work for a company that has a media relations person? Ask them to send over any information they have on the person. You then want to create a list of questions that fit your story. If you ask yes or no questions you’re going to get yes or no answers—craft your questions in a way that elicits a thoughtful response.

Don’t waste your time fishing for answers you could easily find somewhere else.

If I am looking for specific facts and figures, I’ll send my subject these questions ahead of time so they, too, can be prepared. It’s tough being in an interview and having the person say, over and over again, “I don’t know the numbers off the top of my head, I’ll have to send them to you later.” If they’re a busy person, they might not get you the statistics you need in a timely manner. Ask your subject if they can have this information ready for you on the day of your interview.

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Looking to get big-name clients? Hear what Briant Grant, the creative director at Anisometric, has to say. Brian took his time to get experience and leveraged that agency experience into a thriving design firm based in London.

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Jon Reed is a knowledge goldmine, having published his own business books and running his own business. He may not freelance in the sense that we are all used to, but his perspective on dealing with corporations is especially valuable for contractors.

The author of Free From Corporate America: A Tactical Guide for Success on Your Own Terms has a lot of advice to offer when it comes to tackling the mindset of corporate America.

Read on to find out more about how you can embrace the benefits of corporations while still maintaining that freelance freedom we all love.

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After a grassroots start in the design arena and some time with agencies, Joshua Murphy chose to take the freelance road.

Now, at 32, this Phoenix, Arizona-based art director is making a name for himself as top talent with Element3Media.com. And he’s got some really useful tips for establishing communication with clients and getting clients to take you for off-site work. Read more at his blog, www.joshuamurphy.com, or check out his design community at www.designstar.org.

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There are hoards of freelancers that swear against websites that outsource freelance work, but there are just as many contractors that say these sites can yield a successful career.

At 24, Luis Lazo drew upon his experiences completing projects for RentACoder.com and leveraged that into a second career running RACSuccess.com, a mentoring service for coders and other freelancers. Luis has an interesting background and a unique take on freelancing—let’s hear what he has to say about using outsourcing sites.

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Interviewing other creatives is always interesting; I like to see where they draw inspiration from, how they built their business and what keeps them ticking.

So when I came across copywriter Jon Wuebben—who has also written a book on his craft, along with creating a few other ventures—I knew he would captivate the freelancers that read our blog. Read on to learn more about how Jon has created several businesses and published a book, all while keeping his eye on his clients.

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As the owner of Triple Dog Dare Media, a Web consulting firm based in Austin, Texas, Tom Myer has built hundreds of Web applications for dozens of companies. He’s also taken his career farther both as a writer and a speaker and has a lot of advice to offer about the publishing process, staying in business and life in the Web development arena.

His latest book, From Geek to Peak, focuses on the first year of starting a business, so I wanted to find out what Myer has to say about making it through those first twelve months—and the wide world of book publishing.

Tell us about From Geek to Peak.

From Geek to Peak is a very simple book: I take the reader through their first year in business, telling them what pitfalls they should avoid. Most if not all the pitfalls are problems I’ve had; obstacles I’ve faced. Most people starting out with their own freelance business (particularly analytical technical folk) tend to over think things. They think that the rules of an Apple or IBM (or wherever they’ve worked) apply to them too, and that isn’t the case at all. Continue Reading

If you’ve ever heard of a white paper, you’ve probably heard of Michael A. Stelzner. He wrote the book, —literally—on white papers. (White papers are used by businesses to explain products and services and promote their benefits in detail. They’re one part case study and a whole lot of marketing copywriting…and they can make writers big bucks.

Michael’s website, WritingWhitePapers.com, offers a wealth of information on breaking into this lucrative field. In the writing industry, this 40-year-old San Diego resident is kind of like a legend. So of course I wanted to see how he captured this niche, made it his own and is now sharing the goods with others looking to make a profitable living as a freelance writer.

Whether you write or not, Michael has some useful information for establishing yourself as an expert in your field and securing your spot with large clients.

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At just 32 years old, Jason Caminiti has cultivated his career as an award-winning Public Access Television Show host and produced, “Pawtucket Rising,” his first wide audience feature-length documentary film about Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Jason’s in a highly coveted role as a filmmaker, a position that he dons in addition to working full-time. That’s why I thought speaking to this creative freelancer would not only give more tips on balancing your passions with your day job, but inspire those who have always wondered if they have a movie—or a book, for that matter—in them.

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Matthew Heusser, a technologist hailing from Allegan, Michigan, got his roots in computer programming. But what he did with that knowledge—mixing in tons of risk-taking and determination—has made him a prominent speaker in his field as well.

I talked to Matthew, 32, to find out how he leveraged his job in programming to become an expert in the industry, how he gets paid to talk about it—and how you can do the same.

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Jonathan Fields has compiled a laundry list of occupations over the years ranging from lawyer to yoga instructor, and has found a great niche in his most recent profession: Author. Jonathan’s book Career Renegade is a must-read for any freelancer. Freelancers so often get caught up in the battle of trying to survive that we forget what it means to truly do what we love. Jonathan’s book helps bring focus back to our goals, back to what we really want to do with our life, and how to make a decent living doing it too.

We were able to catch up with Jonathan for an interview in which he shares some insights into his book, and how freelancer’s can benefit from being a Career Renegade.

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Photo by James Sarmiento (old account)

Students in Springbook High School’s Web design classes get a real-life glimpse into being a designer—their teacher is also a freelancer!

Zac Gordon, 26, graduated from this Maryland high school just eight years ago. For the past four years, he’s been freelancing in the design business. Because he’s got a side career going, it’s the perfect platform for his students to see what being a designer is really like. Now he’s created a business platform that will enable him to work with his students after they’ve graduated. He’s still teaching in the classroom, but has found that the benefits of his full-time job have translated into a thriving business.

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