"Get A Freelance Life"

Today's book is “Get A Freelance Life” by Margit Feury Ragland. While not about copywriting, I thought that I might be able to apply some of the lessons in this book. Even if that turns out to be false, it's a good thing to know about other aspects of the writing market because it represents another option.

Relationships

The first and probably the most important thing I learned is that relationships are critical. “Good relationships—with editors, sources, even publicists—make for a good freelance career.” I didn't think this would be true at all, and I imagined writers sending out pitch after pitch to people they didn't know and simply taking what was available. Now I realize that good connections are vital, because repeat business will allow me to spend a lot less time pitching or marketing and a lot more time writing.

Ideas

Finding new ideas for articles seemed like a daunting task to me, but after reading the chapter on finding the next great idea, it seems manageable. I had seen some of the suggestions before, but it takes you through step by step. If I'm going to be doing magazine writing, then I need to have plenty of good ideas, as I expect plenty of rejection notices, much like any writer. With commercial writing, the fact that the subject is decided upon for you can be a positive thing.

What kind of article

This chapter lists thirteen different kinds of articles that you can write. Before reading this book, it seemed to me that my writing career would immediately hit a wall—it's hard enough to generate ideas, much less good ones, and after most of them get rejected I'll only make a bare-bones income from the published articles. But combine the methods in this book, and good ideas quickly accumulate. For each of the idea generation methods above, there are at least thirteen different articles you can write about it, and more if you write them for different publications where the requirements are different.

Getting Work Before You've Been Published

It's always been a dilemma: you can't get work because you have no experience, but you can't get experience without the work. The solution is to do the best job and write the best samples you can, even if you lack the credentials. From hiring people on freelancing sites, I know that many of my competitors will make basic errors that will disqualify them. In fact, most people that responded to my ads had not read or understood my assignment, sent me samples with basic errors in them, or did both even after I had hired someone I thought was good. For magazine writing this book makes some common-sense suggestions:

• Read the publication
• Tailor Your Query to the Publication
• Include Basic Elements of a Query Letter
• Address Your Query to the Right Person

I am sure after this book and my own experience that more than half of pitches will make mistakes that will take them out of the running, and now the competition doesn't seem as daunting.

Types of Contracts

Rights are a lot more complicated in magazine writing than they are in commercial writing—in the latter case, the company owns the rights—but any book on either subject has to cover both, or a lot of writers will be taken advantage of. If they're like me, a lot of writers will have a hard time starting just because they lack confidence in this area. There are nine different contracts in the chapter, and also advice on which you should sign (e.g. First North American rights) and which you should avoid (all rights). Know what standard practice is, and don't let yourself be cheated.

This isn't a basic nuts-and-bolts book on how to write, but if you're confident in that area this book is a great way to get into magazine writing. I learned how important relationships are, how to generate new ideas quickly and pitch them to the right people and publications, and how to get paid fairly for it, all in under 300 pages, and I definitely recommend this book.

"On Writing Well"

Today's book is “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser, which is a classic with over a million copies sold and a great guide to the basics of writing, as well as more specialized areas, including business writing. Its high sales don't guarantee quality, but this is an excellent book that would even help experts with any form of writing, even if they only needed a refresher.

Simplicity and Clutter

Zinsser begins this chapter by saying “clutter is the disease of American writing.” This is the most important thing I learned from this book. In school, your papers always have a minimum word count, but that leads to students padding their work to beat the deadline. This is one of the worst habits to get into, because you should always do the opposite—eliminate any word you can. This will serve me well in advertising, where I might get only one sentence to make my point.

The Audience

Another thing I've learned from this book and from business podcasts is that your audience is yourself. You can't please everyone, so write or design something that you like. You might have to adopt a different viewpoint and imagine yourself as a potential customer or professional in the relevant field, but don't agonize over pleasing the audience.

Words

Adjectives as nouns, nouns as verbs...these are a couple word usage mistakes. In school I was never taught what to do on the word level, for example to avoid long strings of nouns or turning adjectives into nouns. It was always about overarching principles, such as how to organize the paper as a whole or how to end it. Once you realize that certain categories of words should generally be avoided, such as adverbs, your writing immediately improves. If a word says something, do not use another word to say it again; for example “smile happily” when “smile” will do.

Usage

“Usage” refers to which words are in your vocabulary. “What newly minted words is it OK to use, and who is to be the judge? Is it OK to use 'OK'?” as Zinsser says. According to him, it's a judgment call, and given that, the best way to improve your judgment is to read a lot. And since I read often in several areas, I'm confident in my judgment.

Unity

It's easier to maintain unity in commercial writing, because the goals are always clearer: you're writing to sell product X, increase membership in organization Y, and so on. But you still have to remember the basics of unity: don't switch tenses, pronouns, or mood during your piece.

The Lead & Ending

Business writing emphasizes the opening even more than other forms, since if a letter or other material is read at all, it's likely to be the beginning and end. Again this is in contrast to my high school experience, which focused on a rigid structure rather than grabbing attention. And the hardest thing in writing might be the ending.

“You'll know you have arrived at III when you see emerging on your screen a sentence that begins, “In sum, it can be noted that...” Or a question that asks, “What insights, then, have we been able to glean from...?” These are signals that you are about to repeat in compressed form what you have already said in detail. The reader's interest begins to falter; the tension you have built begins to sag.”

There has to be an element of surprise, yet seem exactly right.

Bits and Pieces

This chapter answers those nagging questions that you're sure you've asked before, but always forget the answer: “Are contractions OK?” “What is the difference between 'that' and 'which'?” and so on. It would make a helpful checklist to avoid mistakes like a lack of credibility, not rewriting, or not trusting your material.

This book is one that is always nearby while I write, and every writer will have writer's block from time to time, so if you're a writer either it or White and Strunk's “The Elements of Style” should always be on your reference shelf.

Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How to Make $100,000 a Year or More by Robert W. Bly

This week's book is “Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How to Make $100,000 a Year or More” by Robert W. Bly. Though a bit dated (it was published in 2006 and some website links are broken) I still learned quite a bit and would recommend it to any writer. It is also one of the few books devoted exclusively to commercial writing, judging by the shelf at the local library. Here are a few insights I picked up.

Even beginners can succeed.

Particularly in a bad economy, it's tempting to think that only the ultra-qualified can make it on their own. But, drawing on decades of experience, Bly gives us a picture of the commercial writing world that will surprise most readers. For one thing, he claims that clients generally fall into one of three categories.  A third of clients are just checking whether you're reliable and dependable when they call you. These are the best prospects for beginners.  The other two thirds will be much harder to get, but you may not want to work with them anyway.  One of these groups will ask for mountains of relevant samples.  Here is the example Bly uses:

"This is the prospect who, if she needs an eight-page brochure on a new ambulatory-care unit for a local hospital, asks you, 'Can you send me any samples of eight-page brochures you've written for ambulatory-care units for local hospitals?'  They are looking for a sample to clone--not a real writer--and may not be the type of prospect you want to work with anyway."

The last third will ask for samples, but are "primarily concerned with knowing that I am reliable, capable, and can do the job on time and within their budget."  Over time as you gain more experience, you will probably want to add this group to your client list.

Accountants are worth it.

As a freelance writer, you will almost certainly be pressed for time, and doing your complicated taxes is probably something you aren't good at nor enjoy. You should spend a good deal of time on self-promotion, especially early on—at least 20%, and more if you're just starting out. Add to all this the fact that nothing is going to be withheld for tax purposes and the calendar quickly becomes full around tax day.

“Remember, the checks you receive from clients represent income you still have to pay tax on. You need to have enough cash on hand to make estimated quarterly tax payments, plus any extra you owe on April 15.”

It's also less clear where your money should be invested, thanks to tax laws that “...have taken away some of the advantages of SEP, IRA, and other retirement plans designed for self-employed individuals...” Let the accountant deal with this headache so you can focus on drumming up business and the writing itself.

What do freelance copywriters do?

When I picked up this book, I had no idea that this market even existed for freelancers, and neither did anyone that I had talked to, some of whom had been published before. The word “writer” brings to mind a friend that's been working on a movie script for years or someone struggling to publish a magazine article here and there. But in fact, Bly lists dozens of projects for which a company might turn to a freelancer, including ads, direct mail, promotional articles, manuals, presentations, speeches, even fliers and posters.

Why would someone hire a freelance copywriter?

It might appear that a relatively well-funded organization like a large company would have plenty of staff for their writing tasks and would never look elsewhere. But in fact, Bly lists nine reasons why they might be dissatisfied. These include overwork, under-staffing, quality, lack of expertise, and the need for a fresh perspective. “'There isn't a market for our services all the time,' says freelance copywriter Bob Westenberg. 'But you never know someone just got disenchanted with a supplier, or received an overblown bill, or whatever. And suddenly they're ready to go try someone else.'”

What should you do if a client doesn't pay?

Many clients will be slow to pay because corporate decisions need approval from a lot of different people. It may be 30, 60, or even 90 days before you get paid. However, if they genuinely can't or won't give you what you've earned, this book makes it easy to deal with. First, prevent it from happening by demanding half of your fee up front and having a contract. After the project, send a series of reminders at certain intervals, with the last resort being a collection agency. This book tells you both when to do these things and includes samples of all the relevant documents. Without prior experience, it can be so easy to get taken advantage of, and this book removes another formidable obstacle.

Client conflicts

With literally millions of potential client businesses and organizations in the US alone, you're bound to disagree with a few of them. To keep the client satisfied, the best thing is to be thorough and prepared. To that end Bly supplies many sample documents, one of which is a detailed questionnaire that you can mail to every client and get your hands on any relevant product information and resources available to you.

He also emphasizes that the best way to avoid troubled relationships, e.g. because their approach is too conservative, they demand too many meetings, etc. is to screen them out ahead of time. He also covers what to do if the client is slow in paying, can't pay at all, or sets an unreasonable deadline. This is an extremely useful section if you're a little confused on the business side of things, as many inexperienced writers may have no idea what to do in unfamiliar situations like this and back away from an otherwise excellent career.

Most effective self-promotions

The range of self-promotions available to the freelancer is almost as diverse as the array of projects. Some, though, only work once you have gotten leads or clients, such as newsletters and testimonials. According to the author, the most effective promotion is generally direct mail, but he also gives a few examples of unusual promotions that have been effective, such as one writer who mails only a postcard, or a telephone hotline that informed prospects about him or gave access to recorded mini-seminars. Don't be afraid to try something new.

Types of clients

In the chapter called “Finding Your Markets,” I learned that the type of organization you want to target varies depending on your industry—e.g., you may not have much luck with advertising agencies if you are a medical writer—but there are six major markets for freelancers. These are “corporations, small businesses, advertising agencies, public relations agencies, graphic design studios, and audiovisual producers.” The first three make up 90% of the market.  Bly goes on to say that many freelancers also work for associations and for various levels of government.

I'd recommend this book to any writer.  There are other opportunities that pay better than magazines, and you shouldn't let mountains of pessimistic writers' books discourage you.