How Was Your 2007?

This time of year, between Christmas and the New Year, I always feel like crawling into a comfy chair with paper and pen and planning my goals for the next year. I go back over my accomplishments of the last year and figure out how I can improve my game plan. It looks like I’m not the only one.

Melissa Donovan of Writing Forward had a great post this week on reviewing your freelance writing business, and making changes for the coming year.

Personally, there are a lot of things I want to change about my writing business in the next year. I know I need to get more organized with bookkeeping, and branch out into other areas of writing. Take some time off on the weekends is another big goal for me. Hopefully with some changes I’m making to my business, I’ll be able to shift my priorities a bit.

What are your writing goals for the new year?

December 30, 2007 | Filed Under Link Love, Resources, Organization | 10 Comments 

Start ‘08 off right with quality writing classes

If you need a kick in the writing pants or just want to re-find your inspiration, check out the writing classes that Hope Wilbanks will be offering in the new year. See the details on the classes.

December 27, 2007 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

How Low Can You Go? $3?

The wahm.com writing message board was all a flutter this week when it was leaked as a “secret source” for cheap labor in an outsourcing report. People popped out of the woodwork looking for content to be written for a whopping $3 per 500 words. The responses ranged from horror to non-chalant. Some wahms were outraged, started a “strike” and encouraged othes to “just say no.” Other work at home moms were in defense of the buyers saying that they were smart for being able to market and re-sell the content for a profit. “Don’t like it, don’t write for them” was one response.

My first content writing job was $7 for 400 words, and I’ve done a select few for $5 for 300 words. I don’t want to insult people who take these kinds of jobs, because I know we all have to start somewhere. But honestly, I have mixed feelings about this whole thing.

Being active in both the marketing and writing communities, I can see both sides of the fence and can speculate about how this cheap content is being used. Here’s the gist:

-Buy a set of 10 articles for $30 to $50

-Place articles into a web template and promote the website.

-Resell articles to Associated Content, therefore making your investment $0

-Sell the entire site for a profit of hundreds or even thousands
Are these writers setting themselves up for being painted into a low wage corner? The argument I’ve read in response to this is that people who write for $3 aren’t trying to make a career out of it. Obviously not. But even if content writing is just a “job” wouldn’t you want to make more from it?

For a great look at the Wahm perspective on this issue, check out Jenn Dize’s post at Project Wahm.

And for people buying this content, don’t you want your business and your site to be a good reflection on what you’re selling? Whether it’s an affiliate product or a product you’ve written or a physical product you’re selling, you need quality content. See this post for more on how quality content matters.

I can’t really blame the buyers for wanting to find rock bottom prices on their content. When you’re building sites to flip, the lower you keep your costs, the better. I also can’t blame new writers for wanting to find work and thinking that $3 per article is all there is out there.

What I’d really like to see is writers take these ideas and do it themselves. After all, the most important part of these sites is the content. You’ve got those skills already! A little bit of education and an account at Namecheap and you’re almost there.

I know my audience includes a lot of different types of writers, and some marketers as well….so I’d like to hear your take. Is selling your skills for $3 per article like shooting yourself in the foot? Is buying articles for that rate a recipe for disaster?

December 23, 2007 | Filed Under Making Money, Marketing, Web Writing Basics | 45 Comments 

Stay On Focus - a mini review

Have you ever walked into a room in your house only to forget what you were looking for? I do the same thing with my web browser. I open up Firefox to look up something for a writing project and get sucked into the vortex that is my e-mail, favorite forums and Etsy.com.  Half an hour later, I realize that I was supposed to be finding out how many people get multiple traffic tickets each year, or some other random fact.

If you’re like me, you need Stay on Focus. This program will pop up in the corner of your screen and remind you to get back to work. You can enter your own custom saying (my favorite - Hey! You! Work! Now!), and set it for 5, 10, 15….all the way to 60 minutes.

This concludes my mini-review….and starts my weekend of time off. I apologize for being MIA this week, and promise to update more often (and visit other blogs more often) after the holiday season.

Peace to you and yours!

December 21, 2007 | Filed Under Resources | 3 Comments 

Take a Number

I had another post planned for today. But this issue has risen to the surface twice in the last week so I felt the need to address it. If you’ve written for a while, you probably have a queue of sorts. You don’t turn folks away when your plate is full. You schedule projects in advance and develop what’s called a “lead time” for your projects.

When someone wants a quote, I give them a due date based on when I receive a deposit and my current writing schedule. I’ll try not to book more than a few weeks out. But there is always a lead time.

I’ve had two potential clients in the last week try to pressure me into delivering earlier. One even told me he “couldn’t believe” it would take a writer of my caliber (his words, not mine) 10 days to write one report. He’s right. It doesn’t take me 10 days. But with the other work on my plate, it will take me a little time to get to a new project.

This doesn’t happen a lot, but with it happening twice in the last week it made me think about reasonable lead times, and how often service providers are expected to bend over backwards to meet insane demands. I don’t think that anything less than a 2 week turn around time for a small project is that much of a hassle to a client if they were really honest with themselves. I think that sometimes clients get into the mindset of “the faster, the better.” Unfortunately, just like with the mindset of “the cheaper, the better” a fast turn around time can sometimes mean that the writing isn’t great.

In my experience, if a writer doesn’t have a queue, they are either brand new or not that good. Or they promise a few days and then end up delaying and then dropping the ball.

So it’s your choice clients: either take a number and get in line for an experienced writer or go with the fastest turn around time and possibly end up disappointed.

December 17, 2007 | Filed Under Client Relations, Web Writing Basics | 8 Comments 

Staying Focused During the Holidays

It’s hard enough to work during the holiday season when you’re at a normal job. But when you work from home it can be even more difficult to keep your professional and “party-goer” life seperate.

There’s two separate challenges that I’ve been experiencing, and maybe you’re the same. Because of the holiday season, I feel more like taking an afternoon off snuggled in with the kids and watching a Charlie Brown Christmas. There’s also so much to do between the shopping, the baking and the parties that work time is hard to come by.

Here are some tips for keeping focused during this busy time of year:

*Plan ahead!

Even though we’re in the midst of the hustle and bustle, there’s still time to plan wisely for work/life balance. Instead of trying to keep your same work pace, take into account the extra time you’ll need to run errands and relax. Close up shop to new projects, if possible. Or just let new clients know that you’ll get to them after the holidays. Most people this time of year are more relaxed with their needs anyway. You may not find that many who will be urgent to get work done before the end of the year.

*Make time for yourself.

Even if you’ve got a busy schedule between work and family obligations, make sure to time for just you away from the crowds and your laptop. It’s easier this time of year to burnt out. If you are at the end of your rope all of the time, you’ll be more likely to make mistakes or get upset with your loved ones. Take a long walk, watch your favorite movie or just sit in a quiet state for a while. You’ll feel much better.

*Take advantage of the seasonal writing opportunities.

This season is full of inspiration, from writing a memoir about your favorite Christmas of all time to offering tips for staying sane during the season. If you don’t normally write about your personal experiences, this time of year might be great to do so. Even if you don’t end up selling your pieces they are still great to exercise your writing muscles and stay in the holiday spirit.

December 13, 2007 | Filed Under Fun Stuff, Motivation | 7 Comments 

What’s YOUR favorite post?

I’ve been asked to select the best post of the year, and I’m stumped. I figured it would be better to ask my readers than to choose one myself, so here are the contenders.

Are you building your house on a pile of sand?

Are you an ostrich or a butterfly?

How to gain experience without being paid peanuts

Post your vote below. :)

*links fixed

December 12, 2007 | Filed Under Fun Stuff | 5 Comments 

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