Archive for September, 2008
One of the downsides of working for yourself is that, unless you have clients that like to throw parties for their freelancers or vendors, you usually don’t get invited to holiday soirees and company picnics. That’s why I’m excited for Company Picnic, an event being billed as “Seattle’s largest entrepreneur bash” and thown by the folks behind all those Crave Party events held around town.
The deets for those interested in going:
When: Tonight from 6 to 10 p.m.
Where: The Armory at Lake Union Park (indoors!)
What: Yummy-sounding BBQ dinner, a DJ spinning 80s classics, carnival-style games, awards for Seattle’s entrepreneurial elite, and networking aplenty
Cost: $49 at the door
More info: Company Picnic
If you’re going, let me know. I’d love to meet you. And if you’re busy tonight or short on cash, not to worry: I’m planning some cool free events for freelancers this fall. I’ll list any new dates I book as soon as I have the deets. San Francisco and Portland events are also in the works, possibly after the holidays.
And finally, if you’ve just been laid off and are wondering what your first steps should be, you might like my ABCNews article from last week. I packed it with as much how-to goodness as I could fit.
September 25th, 2008
This all happened so fast that I have not even seen a printed copy of my own book yet. But you can. Amazon is now shipping My So-Called Freelance Life, a week before the actual pub date. (In a later post, I’ll tell you more about the publishing process and how it is that I have a book about to hit bookstore shelves just four months after I finished writing it.)
Meanwhile, if you’re in Seattle and want me to add you to the evite for the book launch party on October 16, drop me a line. Or leave a comment on this post. I’ll send the evite out today or tomorrow (finally).
September 22nd, 2008
Hi there. It’s 4:30 a.m. and I am doing that awful “not sleeping” thing that I’ve become so good at these past couple of years. And I’m thinking about the fact that I desperately needed to update this site two months ago to reflect the fact that I am now whoring two anti-cubicle books. In other words, I need to make room in the nursery for baby #2.
Here are a few of my favorite author websites:
MaryRoach.net
NoOneBelongsHereMoreThanYou.com
OffbeatBride.com
While I don’t have Mary Roach’s budget, Miranda July’s dry-erase-tastic stove, or Ariel Meadow Stallings‘ drive to scour the web for the most gorgeous photos ever and Ning-ify the whole beautiful thing, I do have some ideas about small features and static pages I’d like to add to this site. As well as a WordPress coder who’s willing to help me.
But I’m stumped on the header art. The site will continue to be called “The Anti 9-to-5 Guide” (which is also the name of my first book) because that’s what everyone knows it as. But I think the header art needs to change so it doesn’t look just like the first book. Maybe just a cute font or something. Possibly even with a new image (me in bunny slippers?). What do you kids think?
I’m also torn about whether to give each book its own “about the book” and “stuff the media has said about me” page or lump both books together on those respective pages. I really like how Mary Roach’s site — though not a blog — devotes a few static pages to each book: brief synopsis (+ a bevy of “buy now!” buttons), media raves, excerpts, and tables of contents. I’d love to do a slightly less extensive variation on this approach, but I worry about having too many static pages on a blog. Is there such a thing? Or maybe it’s okay to have as many static pages as I want, as long as I don’t have a dozen different tabs at the top of the site and limit it to a simple few. Would love to know what you all think.
Finally, I’m not sure I should keep — and have my coder tweak — the WordPress theme I have now (Blix) to make room for these new pages, or start fresh with a new theme. Maybe the flexibility of the code in the template will dictate that. But if anyone has any experience with one way being better than the other, I’d love to hear it.
I’m also curious to know if people prefer one sidebar or two, one flanking each side of the page. I’m torn. Sometimes I think two sidebars is too dang busy looking. Then again, it’s a great way to fit in more fun links. Maybe I just need to go back to bed.
UPDATE on 10/1: Just want to say thanks again to everyone who emailed and commented with input and kickass ideas. I kind of have a plan now (better late than never, eh?) but don’t want to bore you with all the details, as this isn’t a Design 101 blog. But I did want to say that I found another author site I love: HeyMarci, the site of writer Marci Alboher. I love how well it integrates all the different facets of her work: her career book, her New York Times column and blog, and the teaching, speaking, and mentoring she does. Plus, I love the site name. Fun.
September 14th, 2008
Bart Motes writes: I am not a woman. Can I still benefit from your book? Why should work advice be gendered anyway? Also, don’t tell people to go to law school. It sucks. (Former law review editor here.)
I answer: Bart, I would never tell people to go to law school. (Okay, maybe I sort of would, but only if they really wanted to become a lawyer.)
As for your great questions, no, of course you don’t have to be a woman. There are about two out of 225 pages in My So-Called Freelance Life that speak directly to women (pep talk for getting paid what you’re worth and not feeling “guilty” for asking for it). But men can benefit from that message too.
The reason the book is gendered is because my publisher’s niche is “books for women.” But I wrote My So-Called Freelance Life for everyone because I think it’s silly to cut out half the audience, especially when the advice is the same for all. Lots of men read The Anti 9-to-5 Guide and said it was really helpful to them.
September 12th, 2008
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September 8th, 2008
Who I am
Buy my books
My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire (Seal Press, 2008)
The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube (Seal Press, 2007)
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