Posted by Admin Team on Thu, Feb 11, 2010 @ 03:25 PM
by Loren Pritchett
It can be tough to build a stable of clients when you begin your writing career, and it's not easy to sustain one, either. Figuring out where and how to sell stories is the first step ... and the next one and the next one. The following tips offer a fresh take on a recurring challenge.
Tap Alumni Networks
Join your alumni association to find new clients and receive job posts through their listservs. Most alumni groups allow users to post resumes, company information, and career opportunities. Once you have identified a potential client, make contact (be sure to reference your connection with the alumni network), highlight your experience, and express interest in working with them.
Bonnie Newman Davis, a Richmond-based freelance writer, nabbed writing work with the National Urban League through a fellow alumna. "I landed this opportunity from having worked with the NUL's director of public relations, who happened to be a graduate of my alma mater," she said. "I recall mentioning that I'd love to work for the NUL. Next thing I know, I had the assignment."
Leverage Social Networks
As more Americans log onto social-networking sites, freelance writers can obtain significant exposure by putting professional profiles and work samples online.
LinkedIn.com allows users to post a summary of their skills, education and experience -- and connect with like-minded professionals. A LinkedIn profile can help you rub virtual elbows with other writers, collaborate on story ideas, and find jobs. What's more: By reinforcing your ties with existing colleagues, you can increase your chances of being noticed and contacted by new editors.
Facebook.com, albeit more focused on users' interests and hobbies than their careers, lets users add previous clients as "friends." Some freelancers use it to stay in touch with their colleagues and provide updates on current assignments. Facebook also allows you to post paid ads that can help attract new clients.
New York-based writer Iyna Bort Caruso, a two-time New York Emmy Award Winner, has found the most success with Twitter.com, where users "tweet" updates to those who follow their profile. "For my purposes, Twitter has the most potential. I use it to promote my work, but I also use it to share my expertise. Eighty to ninety percent of my tweets are writing-related," she said. "So I think it is important to maintain focus if you're using social networking for professional purposes."
Caruso encourages writers to try to stand out in the crowd by tweeting about their specialties, credits and versatility. Her recent tweets offer advice on getting the most out of an upcoming American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) convention, let followers know she's taking an InDesign course, and that a productive week for her includes writing seven 30-second cable spots, completing two articles and pitching a new book idea. “Tweeting about the projects I'm working on and linking to select articles I've written gives me a chance to showcase my work," she explained. "I also think editors and book publishers will increasingly seek writers with large social networking platforms for cross-promotional purposes." When Caruso posts a link to a story she has written for a publication, her followers drive more traffic to its Web site, she said.
Caruso also recommends following the Twitter feeds of editors from the publications that you like. This will give you a better grasp of what kinds of stories they run. "You can better target your queries," Caruso said. Following others will also help you keep an eye out for hot topics and conversations--gossip, commentary and opinions may make good story ideas.
Be Active in Professional Organizations
Join professional organizations to narrow your focus and zero in on industry professionals. Groups like the Society of Professional Journalists, National Press Club and the Society of American Business Editors and Writers host conferences, online courses, industry events and discussion boards--all of which enable networking.
Although mere membership in a professional organization can bolster your resume, Davis stressed the importance of getting involved. "I can't say enough about the benefits of being active in--as opposed to simply belonging to or being a member of--a professional journalism organization. You will gain nothing by just paying your dues and attending a meeting every now and then. You have to take ownership and be involved."
One way to be involved is to attend the conferences and courses it offers throughout the year. You'll likely not only learn new skills, but also meet new people. Seize the opportunity to introduce yourself to editors you've already pitched or would like to work with in the future. This is your chance to make a good first impression, one that puts a face on your e-mail correspondence.
Caruso said she frequently makes connections at industry events. "If I look at my regular clients, I can see that many came through referrals, so I'd have to say that belonging to professional writers' associations and networking with other freelancers has been my most effective strategy."
Posted by Admin Team on Wed, Nov 18, 2009 @ 08:58 AM
Specialization Pays--In Any Economy
by Loren Pritchett
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a journalism degree to launch a successful freelance career. Just ask Kelly James-Enger of BecomeBodyWise.com. After working for five years as an attorney in a private practice, James-Enger left the legal field to pursue a full-time writing career. She had no formal media training, but she didn’t need any. Instead, she used her research abilities, financial-planning skills, and life experiences to get her Chicago-based business off the ground.
“I had never taken any journalism classes. I have a rhetoric background,” she said. “So I read Writer’s Market and a lot of magazines, and I analyzed a lot of articles. I looked for the kind of ledes writers used, how many people were quoted, experts, and tones.”
She also persevered. After sending several dozen unsuccessful query letters to publications, James-Enger tried a new approach and sent an entire article to the editor she found listed in the masthead of Cosmopolitan. The unconventional pitch worked and James-Enger sold her first article, “Surviving the Last Two Weeks on Your Job,” to the magazine. “I used my personal experience of leaving my own job for the story,” she explained.
Encouraged by the sale of articles to Cosmopolitan and Bride’s, James-Enger saved enough money to support herself for six months, quit her job and began writing full time in January 1997. Even with a plan and the financial stability to live as a self-employed writer, she found herself facing the same challenges that most beginners face. “I had problems with time management and getting my foot in the door with editors,” she recalled.
She overcame obstacles by setting daily goals for gaining exposure and building relationships with editors at various publications. She sent out one query letter a day and resubmitted new ideas to editors who rejected her initial pitches. “Within 24 hours, I was resending queries out to editors,” she said. “It helped me stay on track.”
Assuming that she’d have a disadvantage competing for assignments against writers with more media experience, James-Enger applied what she knew as an attorney to her writing business. She was able to transfer her writing, research and interviewing skills and fine-tune her time management skills. “As an attorney, I had dozens of open cases at any time, so I learned to manage my time,” she said. “As a writer, I had to prioritize tasks and not spend more time than necessary on them.”
She also capitalized on her working habits and suggests adjusting daily schedules accordingly. “You need to know when your best writing time is,” she said. “If you are a morning person you should be writing--not doing interviews or research--during that prime writing time.”
James-Enger stays on top of assignments by planning her day each morning and keeping a date book and to-do lists. “Know what your priorities are,” she said. “It’s all about knowing yourself and being organized.”
Initially, James-Enger covered a wide range of topics but decided, after a year, to focus on stories related to health, nutrition and fitness. She supplemented her knowledge of the areas by reading studies, breakthroughs and press releases. “Ninety-five percent of my work falls under this topic,” she said. “Every magazine cover has something about health and nutrition and that provided me with a lot of opportunities.” Her work has appeared in Complete Woman, Fit, Family Circle and Shape.
Eighteen months after the start up, James-Enger’s writing business took off. She began pitching more successfully, editors started to offer her more assignments, and she brought in more money. By 2003, she was earning a six-figure salary.
She credits her success to the decision to specialize: She could handle more assignments while doing less legwork. “I just found it saved me a lot of time. You can reinvent the wheel over and over again with stories like how to lose weight. Since I have the knowledge and background, it makes things easier.”
James-Enger also advises aspiring writers to pull from their own experiences. “Pitch ideas that you have a personal connection to, ones which you are uniquely qualified to write,” she said. “Look at your own background and what unique knowledge you have, and look for markets that you can maintain a long-term relationship with.”
She wrote about the legal side to planning a wedding while she dealt with her own nuptials. She successfully pitched a story about unexplained causes of fatigue when her sister was diagnosed with sleep apnea and drew from her marriage for a piece offering ten reasons to date a shy guy.
She said that after a writer gets one assignment from an editor, it becomes ten times easier to work for that publication again—as long as you remain professional. “Do what you say you’re going to do. Be reliable. I’ve never missed a deadline,” she said. “All my clients come back to me. I pitch them over and over and have worked with them for more than five years.”
Bonnie L. Krueger, editor-in-chief for Complete Woman, appreciates James-Enger’s work ethic. “[She] has broadened her scope over the years,” Krueger said. “She delivers a well-researched feature on any subject I assign her. She is professional and thorough.”
Over the past few years, James-Enger has tapped new markets to keep up with the shifting media landscape. “I’ve changed my business quite a bit,” she said. “I am doing fewer magazines and more books now. It is more time efficient for me to pick markets I’m interested in and really work on those.”
For James-Enger this includes writer’s guides and fitness and nutrition books, such as Ready, Aim, Specialize!, Six-Figure Freelancing, and Small Changes, Big Results. She currently resides in a western suburb of Chicago where she is a public speaker on heath and nutrition, a licensed personal trainer, and has a 4-year-old son.
James-Enger sets daily profit goals for herself to boost productivity and foster consistent revenue streams. With half of her income coming from books, James-Enger earns 30 percent of her income from magazines articles, 10 percent from public speaking and 10 percent from selling reprints. She enjoys a comfortable salary but the flexibility of freelancing is her favorite job benefit.
“I like being my own boss, in charge of my own success and failure. The freedom I have in freelancing means I can sit and work today, tomorrow and have every weekend off if I want. I can focus on being a mom, which is my first and most important job, and I can work in my pajamas. You can’t do that as an attorney!”
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