Recommended Reading

It looks like everyone decided to publish great content this week. Makes me wish I could freeze all the publishing till I’ve caught up!

Here’s the stuff that made me sit up and read the entire post instead of scanning.

How to Charge More Than $10 Per Article

It’s a common question. $10 seem to be the starting rates for new freelancers. We won’t go into how low a price that is and how freelancers are selling themselves short. What this article talks about is finding ways to move beyond this price range.

Freelancers, No One Owes You a Living

This post really resonated with me. How many times have I seen freelancers blame other freelancers for their low rates. Go to any writing forum and you’ll find a discussion about freelancers charging low to get jobs and ruining it for everyone else. I was once told that no one would pay me more $10 per article because that’s what the standard rate is.

Jenn gives a much needed kick in the behind to anyone who complains about low rates.

24 Easy Tricks to Turn Your Readers Into Buyers

I’ve been a long time fan of Sean. He was recently involved in a million dollar launch as a ghost writer and knows his stuff!

What is The Difference Between Copywriting and Content

If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between the two, this post is for you.

Are You Begging For Business?

How much confidence will you have in business that is using it’s current difficulties or failures as a tactic to drum up business? Will you sympathize and hire them or will you distance yourself thinking ‘If they can’t help their own business, how will they help mine?’

James does a good job of backing up her view in the post and through the comments. There’s a great discussion going on too. You’ll be surprised at how many people are divided on this issue.

One thing I noticed? No one was on the fence about it.  They either hated the tactic or were sympathetic.

What have you read this week that made you sit up and take notice? Share your finds! (Yes, you can leave links to your own stuff )

Look up the words

Have you ever felt like you lost thread of a conversation because you didn’t know what certain words mean? You realized it was freelance jargon but what did it mean?

When I started freelancing, I remember being reduced to ‘Hmmm’s’ 10 minutes into a conversation with a fellow freelancer because I didn’t know what certain words meant. I eventually figured them all out but not before a few embarrassing moments!

To ensure that you don’t get embarrassed or end up looking like a nincompoop, I’m listing the words that are most likely to make you go ‘Huh?’

Kill Fee

The first time a fellow freelancer mentioned it, I said ‘You mean I have to kill off my fee? But how will I earn then?

Total idiot, wasn’t I? Nope. I was just new and so are you. (In case you said yes, it’s your turn to feel like an idiot )

A kill fee is a clause you include in your freelance writing contract. It means the amount you will receive from the client if, for any reason, the project is cancelled before it’s completed.

Your time and hard work aren’t free. A kill fee insures that you’re paid something for the time and effort you’ve already put into the project.

Spec Work

Client: Please write an article/blog post on xyz topic to help us decide whether you’re a good match for us or not.

Freelancer: Sure, how much will I be paid and will I be allowed to retain the copyright if I’m not hired?

Client: Uhhh…

Content Mills

While I figured out pretty fast what content mills were, and you probably have too, it took me a while to differentiate between the different types.

There are two types of content mills. One lets you publish articles on any topic you want and lets you earn ad revenue. The others allow you to choose assignments and then pay a low rate for it.

In a nutshell, a content mill is any company that mass hires writers, gives ad revenue and has a business model that depends on writers publishing their stuff on their website.

In an even smaller nutshell, a content mill is a company that asks you to sign up instead of the other way around.

Query

If you want to write for magazines, queries are your best friends. They’re a letter or email to the editor introducing yourself. It also includes the rough outline of your article idea and lists your experience.

LOI

A Letter Of Introduction is a letter/email that you send to prospective clients introducing yourself as a freelance writer. It’s the email equivalent of a cold call.

Pitch

A pitch is the informal sibling of a query. Usually, you pitch an idea to blogs or online magazines. The purpose of a pitch is to get the editors to take notice and ask for more. If you have a passing acquaintance with a blog owner or editor, you can also send a pitch through social networking sites to find out if they’re open to receiving your work.

Clips

A clip is just another word for a writing sample. One of the first job ads I applied to asked me to send related clips. Took me a while to realize they meant samples and not scanned copies of actual clips taken from magazines and newspapers.

Scope Creep

The first time I heard it, I shuddered. It reminded me of the creepy crawlies that come out after the rain. Turns out, scope creep is a lot like those creepy crawlies. The scope of the project creeps up on you until it doesn’t resemble the original project at all.

Maybe a client hired you to blog for them but now they want you to promote the posts on Twitter and create a Facebook fan page for their company/blog while you’re at it.

Before you know it, the scope of the project has grown and your rates aren’t reflecting the increase in work load or the hours spent on the project.

Did you understand the freelance jargon from the start or did it take time? I’d love to find out which words stumped you in the beginning. Do share!

The Blogger's Guide to Freelancing

Monday is the original blog post day and Thursdays are reserved for reviews, link love and anything else that doesn’t fit into Monday. All reviews will be of products I’ve bought, used and am an affiliate for. More importantly, they’ll be products I believe in and stand behind.

When Ali Luke released her Staff Blogging Course in 2009, I was one of the first people to get it. I had just started staff blogging for someone and this course seemed exactly what I needed.

I found Ali’s course to be chock full of insider information that she could only have learned through her experience as a staff blogger. She gave away her secrets freely and included copies of her blogging job applications and blog post templates that helped her write one killer post after another.

Two years later, she has released an updated and expanded version of her course and renamed it The Blogger’s Guide to Freelancing.

The Blogger’s Guide to Freelancing teaches you everything related to blogging for other people. It

• Helps you find your first job
• Shows you how to write an application that gets accepted
• Lists the best job boards for bloggers
• Teaches you how to write, format and upload your posts
• Coaches you on how to market yourself through your blog and social media network

The Good

What I liked best about this new version is the additional content about:

Terms & Payments of your blogging job

Instead of telling you that you’re the only one who can decide what rates are acceptable to you like many people do, she gives you a figure. Anything less than that figure is not worth your time.

She tells it like it is and doesn’t mince word.

She clarifies the different payment terms editors might set, talks about the preferred mode of payments and what being paid per hour instead of per post might mean for you.

Blog post templates

This is by far the best section of the ebook for me. Ali has listed the different types of posts you can write for a blog and then given templates that you can use. These templates are used by Ali herself and have been approved time and again by various blog editors.

Her posts always get accepted, which is a clear indication of how well these templates work!

Detailed instructions on how to organize your job applications and posts

I’m not a good organizer. Everything gets dumped in one folder and every couple of months, if I have the time, I organize it. Ali’s way of organizing your application and posts is simple and effective. All it takes is a folder and a spreadsheet.

Further Reading

Ali’s products always have a further reading section that you can explore if you want to learn more abouta particular chapter or topic. I’ve found this feature so useful that I included it in my own ebook.

So if you want to know more about writing for the web, not only does she have an entire chapter dedicated to it, but also links to some great resources that teach you how to do so in her Further Reading section at the end of the ebook.

The Not So Good

The one fault I found with the ebook was in the packaging. All the extra material (work sheets, sample emails, excel sheets, blog templates etc) is not available separately for printing. The information is all there but inside the ebook, nestled between the related chapters.

I wish they were available as separate files for printing and easy reference.

Verdict: Buy it or you’ll be missing out!

The Blogger’s Guide to Freelancing is a great product. It informs, teaches and provides you with all the tools needed for you to succeed as a freelance blogger.

If you’re interested in working as a freelance blogger, or making money from blogging, then this ebook is a must buy for you. Even if you’re already working as a staff blogger for websites and clients, you’ll be putting yourself way ahead of the competition by following Ali’s advice.

Get your copy of The Blogger’s Guide to Freelancing today and turbo charge your blogging career while earning money from it at the same time!

Discount

I asked Ali if she would offer a discount to The Writing Base readers and she agreed!

If you use the code “TWBreader” (without the quotes), when buying The Blogger’s Guide to Freelancing, you’ll get $5 off the original price. So instead of $29 for this great ebook, you’ll be paying $24.

How cool is that?

Writing samples

When starting out, many freelance writers lack writing samples to show clients. No samples means no credibility in the eyes of prospective clients. Often times, their lack of a freelance writing portfolio costs them a job or forces them to accept low paying work.

So if you’re new to freelancing and don’t have any samples yet, here are a five simple ways to start building your portfolio.

1. Start a blog

For a freelance writer, the biggest benefit of starting a blog is getting samples. The second you publish your first post, you have a sample to show to clients.

Think long and hard. What is the one topic you’re truly passionate about? Something you can write about without being prompted or paid.

Found one? Now create a blog on the topic and start posting. Not only will it showcase your writing, it will also give you those all-important samples to show to prospective clients.

2. Guest post

Guest posting is an excellent way to get samples. Your blog is centred around one topic or theme (or should be). Guest posting, on the other hand, gives you the chance to show your writing skills and expertise about different subjects.

Link back to those articles on your own blog, or make a separate page titled ‘Samples’ once you have three to five guest posts.

3. Article marketing

It’s surprising how many companies look for writers through websites such as EzineArticles.com. The best thing about these websites is that they provide an Author Bio section where you can market yourself as a freelance writer.

If the client likes what he’s reading, his next action will be to click on your website or blog and get in touch with you.

I recently had a prospect email me along the lines of:

“I read your article ‘Foods that are bad for Sleep’ at Bright Hub. Very nice work. Your profile took me to your blog and your blog to your email.”

The email continued on to outline a writing opportunity.

I wrote a few articles for Bright Hub in early 2009, when I was a new freelancer and writing for content mills to get samples. The article the prospect read is more than a year old. And while I no longer write for Bright Hub, my work is still published there and serves as a sample for anyone looking for writers.

You never know when a prospect might contact you after reading one of your articles on an article marketing site.

Make good use of the author bio and be sure to link to your website, blog and/or portfolio.

4. Work Pro Bono

No samples? No experience? No problem.

Start by contacting local businesses and Non-profit organizations. No one says no to free help, and Non-profit organizations are always looking for writers. It’s a win-win situation. They get someone to write their website copy, business communication, grants, etc., and you get experience, samples and even testimonials!

5. Write a sample

Not sure your blog or portfolio is enough? Why not write a sample on the topic the prospect is looking to hire a writer for?

If you still don’t have any samples (“What? Still no blog, guest posts, articles on content sites or pro bono work to show for yourself?”), then this is a good way to showcase your writing.

If you’re hired, congratulations! Your effort paid off. If not, you can always store it as a sample in your portfolio.

When I started out, I used to write tailored samples a lot. The driving force behind this strategy was pure desperation. I wanted to stop writing for content mills and get real clients – even if they were low paying ones.

One thing I did do was never mention that I had written the sample especially for the job – unless the prospective client showed interest in working with me. Then I used it as a selling point.

Have you used these or any other methods to build your freelance writing portfolio successfully? Tell us in the comments and we’ll do a follow-up post.

This post is an excerpt from my free ebook ’10-Step Guide to Turning Prospects into Clients’. Sign up below to get your free copy today.

Lessons Learned in Life

I’m a ‘take things as they come’ person so I usually don’t reflect much. But when Abubakar Jamil asked me to write about the lessons I’ve learned in life for a project of his, I was super interested and immediately agreed.

Little did I realize how personal this post will get.

What most of you don’t know about me is that I was born and brought up in Pakistan. Shocker? Maybe. Do I care? Absolutely not.

I used to. To the point where I wouldn’t mention it to anyone. Not to my clients, and certainly not to my freelancer friends. I didn’t hide it. I just didn’t mention it.

Was I ashamed? No. I love Pakistan. I’ve spent the best years of my life there. That’s where I want to go every year for my vacations.

I didn’t mention my nationality because of all the negative connotations the world has attached with my country. On top of it, I observe hijab (headscarf). Double whammy for me. I was afraid people would find out I was from Pakistan and wear a headscarf, they’ll think I’m either a fanatic to be avoided or a repressed female to be pitied.

Time however is a great teacher. It took me about two years and one child to realize that my fears would never let me succeed.

Confronting my fears made me learn a few very important life lessons.

1. Be yourself – even when it scares the shit out of you

Because I wouldn’t come right out and tell people about myself, I never felt genuine. Offline, I’m independent, opinionated, and love a good laugh. Online, those aspects of my personality didn’t get translated because I would always hold back a part of me and that would make me conscious.

Then I started getting local clients who would ask me where I was from. It’s a standard question in Dubai since it’s such a multi-cultural society. I’d tell them and they wouldn’t even blink. All they cared about was that I did a good job and delivered on time.

Slowly, I started mentioning it to other clients and was shocked to realize that they didn’t care either! All they cared about was my competency with English and the quality of my work.

The first few times, I was so scared it almost made me ill. What if they think I’m not a good enough freelance writer because English is my second language? What if they say they don’t want to work with someone who doesn’t share the same culture as them? I also had other more horrible fears related to stereotyping and racism but they never materialized.

2. No matter what you do, people will judge you

Just because my fears didn’t materialize where my clients were concerned doesn’t mean that everyone is broadminded. I’ve had a lot of mixed reactions (mostly good. Some not so much) since I changed my display picture on twitter to reflect the fact more clearly that I wear a headscarf.

It’s not their fault. Prejudice is something that is, more often than not ingrained in a person from a young age and half the time people don’t even realize they’re prejudiced.

Once I understood that, it didn’t bother me. Which brings me to my next lesson.

3. You can’t make everyone happy

One of the biggest issues I had online was trying to get everyone to like me. Sure, people like me well enough. But online, likable is forgettable.

I don’t care what people think of me offline, so why was I so worried about people liking me online?

Be true to yourself and people will either love or hate you. If everybody likes you, you’re not doing it right.

4. Life is short

Bomb blasts, shootings and lootings are extremely common in my home city.

I studied in a national university that would routinely cancel classes because of bloody fights breaking out between student political parties (which ironically were banned).

I’ve taken a bus home 10 minutes before someone opened fire at the bus stop I was at, trying to kill a passenger. Heck, a major political leader died on my wedding day and I couldn’t get married because of the violence erupting in the city. Every member of my family was out doing last minute errands. I didn’t get home till 5 am the next day. It’s a miracle no one in our family was hurt!

So if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life is short. Don’t live scared and don’t waste the time you’ve been given on this earth.

5. You are good enough

When I started out as a freelancer, I would compare myself to other, more successful freelancers and I always came up short.

I’d tell myself that I wasn’t experienced enough, I wasn’t as good a writer and thus I couldn’t charge the same rates. Every time I would think about raising my rates, I’d convince myself I wasn’t good enough yet to justify increased rates.

This thinking led me to ghost write my first 20- page ebook for $150!

Can you believe it?!

Fortunately, I’ve never done well with putting myself down. It wasn’t long before I started to realize that I’m worth a lot more. I’m an excellent writer. My clients are happy. I get referral work and I’ve written for British, American & Canadian clients – not to mention Pakistani and Middle Eastern ones!

Now I charge $1000 for a 20-page ebook ,

I also got great advice from another freelancer (someone I hold in the highest esteem and would drop everything in a heartbeat to help them) who made me see that my rates were criminally low without ever saying so.

So every time you think you’re not good enough, think about all the happy clients and the great work you’ve done. Ask for help if you’re unsure but always remember, you are your biggest competition.

You are good enough.

Even though this post is for a project, it is the most personal post I’ve ever written. To quote a cliché: Life is a series of lessons. Have you learned any new ones lately?