Archive for November 21st, 2006
Not sure how to beef up your freelance client list? Or how to find a freelance client in the first place? I can help. Starting Tuesday, November 28, I’ll be teaching a four-week online course through the Editorial Freelancers Association, called Cultivating Your Client List.
Here’s a bit about the course:
Most editorial freelancers will tell you they get their clients by word of mouth. But the savviest freelancers know that harvesting clients is the fastest route to success. In this class, we’ll discuss ways to develop a niche, target dream clients, weed out deadbeats, and shamelessly self-promote (even if you’re an introvert). Whether you’re a writer, editor, indexer, or designer, this course will show you how a little planning and chutzpah can go a long way toward growing your client list.
Now that I’m writing out the lessons I’ll be posting online (in a nifty Yahoo! group, where students can ask questions at their leisure!), I can tell you that I’ll be covering these points and then some:
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Exactly what makes a “good” client?
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And how do I go about finding them?
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How about weeding out the duds?
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What details should I stipulate in my contracts?
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How do I cold-call a company I want to freelance for?
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When should I follow up (and how can I do so without sounding like a stalker)?
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What should I do if a client changes the project parameters, or stiffs me, or goes out of business?
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How should I structure my freelancer or contractor resume?
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How else can I promote myself on the cheap?
Course logistics:
When: Tuesdays, November 28 through December 19 (4 sessions)
Where: Your computer
Fee: EFA Members $95 / Nonmembers $115
Register: Here
Questions? Contact me
November 21st, 2006
In case you thought writing books was all about cranking out copy all morning, then napping all afternoon, author Meg Rosoff sets you straight in this Guardian Unlimited blog post. The teaser:
Writers spend their days writing, don’t they? Don’t you believe it. When I’m not cleaning up after the dogs and my husband, I’m being a “writer” in public appearances.
And here’s an excerpt:
…when people ask, “What’s your daily routine?” and imagine a quiet room, a sheaf of paper, and a brand new Pilot pen, they are so, so, wrong.
The upshot? It’s one big balancing act, baby. But at least Meg doesn’t have to add earning a living outside creative writing to the mix, like most working writers.
November 21st, 2006
Went to a book talk last night, given by the divalicious Holly Morris, author of Adventure Divas: Searching the Globe for a New Kind of Heroine. A former desk jockey, this quintessential anti 9-to-5er has built her own globetrotting media empire.
Holly was kind enough to answer some of my questions this spring when I was researching my chapter on travel gigs. Her answers were witty and wise and beyond helpful. (For instance, who knew duct tape was the #1 item on every globetrotter’s packing list?)
She was of course even more inspiring to hear in person, probably because her biggest fear isn’t change, or the unknown — it’s not living life to the fullest. (I mean, if you came across a Saharan camel race, you’d enter it too, right?) But rather than list Holly’s impressive adventure travel C.V., I’ll point you toward the Adventure Divas website, where you can find all the blurbage and synopses you need.
A fair number of people in the audience last night seemed to want to run away with Holly on her next adventure abroad. Lucky for them, Adventure Divas now offers international tours for the public, modeled after the documentaries Holly and co. (including her mom Jeannie!) produced for their PBS series. First up, a travel writer’s paradise in New Zealand, then a pilgrimage to India, then a lush romp through Peru.
Remind me again why I’m still here in dreary, gray Seattle?
November 21st, 2006
