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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Posted by Admin Team on Wed, Nov 18, 2009 @ 08:36 AM
by Loren Pritchett
The difference between a successful freelance writer and an unsuccessful one usually boils down to how well you run your business. As an independent contractor, it's as important to keep those checks coming in as it is to deliver clear, compelling content on deadline. Unfortunately, collecting what you're owed can be a tough task, especially amid an economic downturn, when many companies delay their cash outlays, including payments to suppliers. The good news: You can protect your bottom line by being organized, professional, and assertive with your clients. Here are half a dozen tips that'll help you avoid hassles--and getting stiffed.
1. Negotiate a clear contract.
Erik Sherman, a Massachusetts-based freelance journalist, recommends researching your potential new client before entering into any sort of binding contract. "Find out if they have the funds to pay you. Check with writers they've worked with in the past, look up their financial statements, and run credit checks," he said. "Check their cash on hand versus their debts and see if they are paying people." By conducting a proper background check, you can avoid clients who have a bad history of paying debts. If you need help, agencies like Dun & Bradstreet can assist you in checking a company's credit report (for a fee), whether you're working with an established publication or a new one.
Be wary of start-ups because their funding can dry up at a moment's notice and your payment might go along with it, urges Kelly Bastone, a freelancer based in Colorado. Before entering into a contract, ask your client where the company gets its funding and what its payment policies are. If it's a large or long-term job, ask whether you may bill them in increments. That way, you'll have some leverage (i.e., you can stop working on a project) if a payment is past due.
Once you are confident your client is able to pay and you've agreed to do the work, read the contract closely. Make sure that the terms (your rate, payment due date, kill fee for non-use, etc.) accurately reflect your verbal agreement. If you don't have a formal contract, send an email outlining your expectations. Tell your client when you plan to submit invoices and what methods of payment you accept. "Send an invoice with the story whether the agreement is pay-on-delivery or pay-on-publication," Sherman said. "There is no way for the editor to ignore it if the invoice is attached with the story."
If any problems arise after the project is completed, you can refer the client to your contract and/or to the email trail to prompt proper compensation.
2. Clearly organize your invoice and billing system.
It is important to have a foolproof billing system in place, so that your clients don't have any questions--or reasons for delay--when it's time to pay up. Start by building a simple, coherent invoice. You can find free invoice templates in Microsoft Word and online through Billing Manager and FreshBooks, or you can use a spreadsheet like Excel to make your own. (Sometimes your client may provide one.)
In general, an invoice should feature your name, your company name, mailing address, email address, and phone and fax numbers. The invoice should also include space for itemizing services and expenses, your taxpayer I.D., the date the invoice is due, to whom checks should be made payable, and acceptable payment methods. Once you have created an invoice template, decide your payment terms. Some companies give their clients 30 days to pay an invoice, while others allow up to 60 days.
Be fair to yourself, but also set a reasonable deadline for your clients. Consider establishing a penalty for late payments. Be upfront with your policies from the beginning, and state them clearly on your invoices. By eliminating guesswork, you can cut down on the time it takes to receive payment.
3. Find out who pays the bills--and when.
"Make friends with the accounting people," Sherman said. "Often they get blamed for everything because they know the information, but they share it with you because they don't want all the grief falling on them. It is usually not their fault, so treat them respectfully."
Although you are dealing with an editor directly, he or she may not be the person who ultimately handles your payment. Be sure to ask where to send your invoice and who needs to receive a copy. Make a note of this contact information for future reference; your editor may also prefer that you direct any follow-up questions to accounts payable. Some clients will prefer an electronic copy of your invoice, followed by a printout sent through the mail. It is also helpful to know when your clients pay out. Some companies only cut checks on the 1st or 15th of the month. By knowing these dates, you can easily check the status of an invoice if a payment is overdue. Copy your editor on all inquiries.
4. Establish a standard collection procedure.
To eliminate extra work for yourself, set up a system for monitoring outstanding invoices and recording when they've been paid. This will help you at tax time, too. Keep a log, electronic or otherwise, of whom you've billed and when payments are due.
Bastone uses a simple paper ledger to track her outgoing invoices and incoming payments. She notes various details of each article, including its deadline, the date she invoiced the client, and whether she's been paid. She says her system helps her recognize holes when she does her bookkeeping. "It's a low-tech system," she said. "But it serves as a visual trigger that lets me know who hasn't sent payment."
Whether you use a handwritten tracking sheet or a color-coded Excel document, having a visual reminder of overdue invoices will help you realize when it's time to follow up with your client. When a payment is a week past its due date (sufficient time for a check to have arrived if it was cut on the last day), shoot your client a friendly e-mail reminder or give them a call to make sure the invoice has been processed. Express your willingness to resolve any issues that may be delaying payment, particularly if you're working with a new client. Remember to thank them for allowing you to work on that particular project, ask when you can expect a check, and save a copy of all correspondence.
If you do not receive a check by the date promised, resubmit your invoice indicating the payment is overdue. Be sure to keep a copy for your records.
5. Write a formal letter.
If a client fails to respond to your resubmitted invoice within 30 days, send it again--this time in the form of a letter, via certified mail, requesting immediate payment for the services provided. (If you are working on a subsequent job, you also might try to use that as leverage, saying that you are unable to finish until you are paid for prior work.) Attach a copy of the original invoice. You will be notified when the letter has been delivered, which will help prevent the client from claiming that it was never received. This should resolve the problem. But, if you still aren't paid within 30 days, it is clear your client either has no intention of paying or lacks the funds to do so.
6. Cut your losses.
After several attempts to collect, it is time to cut your losses or consider the next steps. If you are unwilling to end your quest for compensation, you may want to complain to the Better Business Bureau or a government watchdog or take the issue to small-claims court or a collection agency. It will be paramount to consider how much the client owes you compared with how much money you'll spend in court fees and how much time you'll spend filing a claim, waiting for a hearing, and appearing in court. Small-claims filing fees vary by state and can range from $20 to $200. The maximum claim amount is $5,000 and can be as low as $1,000 in some states. You can research your state's small-claims court procedures online. If you'd rather stay out of court, consider hiring a collection agency.
Bastone successfully collected payment from a delinquent client at no cost. "It was quite a lot of work and phone calls to get the payment," she said. "But the collection agency was able to collect my money, and the client had to pay their fee." Again, make sure your potential losses outweigh how much you stand to get paid.
However you go about collecting overdue funds, always remain professional. Bad-mouthing a client or using uncivil means of collection is bound to backfire, damaging future prospects and possibly your reputation. Think twice before firing off angry emails or using abusive language on the phone. Whether you receive payment or not, the big payoff here is learning whom to work with again--or whom to avoid--and how to improve your invoicing system.
"Don't feel squeamish about getting paid," Bastone advised. "Don't approach your clients with your hat in your hand--you've entered a professional exchange that you've both agreed on, so don't be apologetic."
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You're free to do so, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: WritingCoach.com offers insights and inspiration for freelance writers. Sign up for our biweekly newsletter at WritingCoach.com to learn how to create wealth and enjoy the writing life.
Posted by Admin Team on Wed, Nov 18, 2009 @ 08:13 AM
Diversify revenue streams to cope with waning magazine budgets
by Loren Pritchett
Marcia Layton Turner seasons a passion for writing with business savvy to consistently gross more than $100,000 a year despite media industry tumult. The Rochester, N.Y.-based freelancer and book author puts her University of Michigan MBA to use conducting market research, managing cash flow and diversifying revenue streams for her writing business. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“By my own definition, I am a success because I can work when I want to work and make a decent living while doing what I love,” she said.
Turner didn’t always have that freedom. She started her career in the marketing department at Eastman Kodak Co., where from 1989 to 1993 she wrote press releases, copy for brochures, case studies, and marketing communication plans. During this time, she also penned her first book, Successful Fine Art Marketing (Career Press), a project that grew out of a desire to help her artist father build a larger following. She researched publishers who were interested in art and business in Writer’s Market, a publishing reference guide, and sent proposals to 20. Two requested sample chapters and one went on to publish the book, which took nine months to write. Soon after other publishers approached her to write additional books.
In 1996, Turner attempted to break into magazine writing, but found selling stories more difficult than she’d imagined. “I didn’t know how to approach editors or how to pitch ideas,” she recalled. “I thought I could just approach them and they would be impressed that I had written some books. I thought they would say, ‘Oh, yes, Marcia! Here, we’ll give you your own column.’ I was wrong.”
To sharpen her skills, Turner enrolled in professional-development seminars and courses offered by Writer’s Digest and freelance writer Diane Benson Harrington. She took Harrington’s “Crafting the Query” course more than once. “My pitches improved considerably,” Turner said. “The key for me—and I think the key for everyone—is to start with what you know. For me, it was with business topics, because I had an MBA and I had worked in the corporate market. I built on that. I expanded from writing about taxes to marketing, and eventually the assignments grew.”
In 2001, Turner finally broke into magazines by writing a profile for American Painting Contractor Magazine. She later tweaked the idea for other markets and sold it five more times. With that 2,000-word article and its offshoots, she successfully launched her freelance career. “I demonstrated that I could write business articles. Once I got that one recognizable clip, it helped me break into larger-circulation publications,” she said. “I started getting assignments from other trade magazines.”
Turner has since expanded her focus to other topics that interest her. “I have children, so I started writing about parenting. Like everyone, I like to save money, so sometimes I write about savings and coupons. As my interests grow, I add to my list.”
Turner realized magazine budgets were shrinking in the spring of 2009 and reallocated her workload accordingly. “There are fewer freelance opportunities [in journalism],” she explained. “Either magazines are closing down or they are depending on their staff writers to deliver. Ghostwriting has been a big part of my revenue stream, and I’m doing a lot more with the Web and creating products for writers to break into the industry.”
Although Turner continues to explore alternative means to make money, she believes it is possible to be a success in writing for newspapers and magazines alone. “I have several friends who do, though it is harder,” she said. “Combining several types of writing makes it possible to ride out any downturns in some areas of the market – as we’re seeing with magazines right now.”
Turner’s work appears in numerous trade and consumer magazines, books, and on various Web sites. Her clients have included BusinessWeek, Cyberhomes.com, Woman’s Day, The McGraw-Hill Companies, and Penguin Group Inc. Turner strives to maintain contact with all of her clients, to remind them that she’s available for additional work. “It is important to stay in touch. I send e-mails to pitch story ideas and keep them updated on what I’m working on,” she said. “Some of my editors are even my Facebook friends, so I can stay connected with them that way also.”
Additionally, Turner uses FreelanceSuccess.com, to help find other avenues for writing. “It’s a community of writers where you can share information and find out where and who to pitch to. It’s a great place to turn to for help,” she said.
She also keeps an eye on industry news and magazines to network with other writers and pitches ideas to editors she’s never worked with before.
By exploring new opportunities and staying connected with previous clients, Turner is able to work on an average of eight to ten stories at once. She juggles her assignments with proper planning and execution. “I try to do something on each story every day,” she said. “Most stories are in different stages, so I might be drafting for one story or finding potential sources for another, while editing and proposing story chapters.”
Although she considers herself a business, she markets herself as an individual. “I used to market myself as a company when I had employees,” Turner said. “But I realized that the people I wrote for wanted to work with me and not to be handed off to someone else when dealing with me, so that is who I worked on marketing, myself.”
Turner said she is always looking for more work, even when she has several stories in progress. She positions herself so that clients want to work with her again. “I’m easy to deal with, I meet the requested deadline, and I pitch stories editors haven’t heard yet,” she said. “If you are difficult, editors are not willing to come to you.”
Shelley Moench-Kelly, senior editor at Beauty Store Business, has worked with Turner for two years and says she’s a valuable contributor to the magazine. “She is one of my top two favorite writers,” Moench-Kelly said. “She communicates well, lets me know immediately if there is a problem, follows direction perfectly, and she’s thorough and accurate. I know I can send her an assignment sheet and go on with my next problem. She has the kind of work ethic that I have and appreciate.”
That’s good news for Turner, who aims to continue her already successful freelance career. Her current goal: “I want to continue to do exactly what I’m doing,” she said. “Just more of it!”
Marcia Layton Turner’s 5 Tips for Successful Freelancing
1. Treat your freelance career like a business. Always act professionally and ask for what you’re worth.
2. Pitch constantly. You will not get assignments unless you pitch ideas. Even when you have 10 stories in progress, continue to pitch, because when those 10 are done, you’ll need something to work on—and to bring money in.
3. Try not to say no to an assignment unless you are sure you cannot do a stellar job. Ask for more time or different parameters, but don’t turn down the work. If you do, the editor will find another writer and you may lose a client.
4. Never stop learning. Meeting new people, listening to new ideas, reading new magazines and blogs, etc., will help generate new story ideas.
5. Think of your freelance career as if it were a ladder. Start at the bottom with good, solid clips in small publications, and then use those to break into larger, better-paying magazines. Keep moving up to command more money.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE?
You’re free to do so, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: WritingCoach.com offers insights and inspiration for freelance writers. Sign up for our biweekly newsletter at WritingCoach.com to learn how to create wealth and enjoy the writing life.