Freelancing Success Story (Set to Beethoven, No Less)

I think any freelancer has got to love this one-year anniversary video from the Berry-Brewer Freelance Agency.



Sounds like it was an eventful year. What a great way for Lorna Brewer and Tamara Berry to celebrate that milestone in their business--and nice work on the video.

Quotation for the Week of October 26

"A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be."
-- Albert Einstein

Freelance Marketing Tip of the Week

One type of client that's often overlooked as a source of work for freelance writers (but is out there and, by some accounts, will pay) is the custom publisher. Custom publishers produce company publications for marketing purposes. They need engaging, informative content that also serves their clients' marketing needs. Here is a list of custom publishers--members of the Custom Publishing Council--who may be looking for freelance help. (And a tip of the hat to The Renegade Writer.)

Plus, a NY Times blog post by Sarah Milstein with what look like some actual good ideas on how to use Twitter to build your business. She had me when she wrote, "If you're interested in the professional possibilities [of using Twitter], ignore the Twitter prompt, 'What are you doing?' because frankly, the details of your day are banal to people who don't know you"--you said it, Sarah, and amen to that! It's nice to see a discussion of the practical ways one can use Twitter. I may yet be persuaded to start Twittering . . .

Quotation for the Week of October 19

"No one gossips about other people's secret virtues."
-- Bertrand Russell

A Few Huzzahs for Other Bloggers

When I started blogging, I read very few blogs on an infrequent basis. Most of them seemed like time-wasters--cute, funny, engaging even, but mostly self-indulgent. Some just outright bad.

Having been a blogger for a while now (how long has it been?--seems like forever, though I'm sure it's more like two or three years), I've had a chance to see lots of other blogs. Blogs on other bloggers' link lists. Blogs mentioned in my day-to-day reading. Blogs in the sig line of other people's emails. Lots of blogs.

When I started blogging, I read other writers' blogs to get a sense of how they were doing it. To get to know the lay of the land, so to speak. What were other bloggers writing about? How often did they post? How did they design their blogs? Who were they linking to? And so on and so forth.

What I learned is that there are actually an amazing number of really good blogs out there. So many, people may not have time to read even the great ones every day. So, when I find stuff I like on a blog, I want to do my part to make sure people notice it. At the very least, give it my endorsement--let the world know, "Hey, check this one out! It's really worth a look."

I happened upon three recent blog posts that seemed particularly worthy of mention. So mention them I will.

First, Linda Formichelli at The Renegade Writer published this totally awesome list of podcast, blogging and Web 2.0 resources for freelance writers. I strongly encourage all to read it.

And feeling overwhelmed by Web 2.0 and online media? (Who isn't?) Well, Darren Rowse on Problogger has a wonderful set of tips on how not to get burnt out on blogging and online social media. A quick read and good advice.

And, finally, Peter Bowerman at The Well-Fed Writer tells you why it's not nearly as bad as they'd have you think it is. I know, Peter--but it's still greatly reassuring to hear it from you.

My thanks to all the great bloggers out there--you set a high bar for the rest of us. (Which is a good thing, right?)

A Brief Diversion from Writing

As diversions go, this one isn't so bad. It's short, it's funny and you can listen to it while you work, if you insist. But somehow it's much better to watch the Fab Four singing in Yiddish.



Thanks go to Moonrat at Editorial Ass.

Quotation for the Week of October 12

"Time is that quality of nature which keeps events from happening all at once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working."
-- Anonymous

Pogue's List of Computer Tips

One last thing before I head north to "Charm City" and the Bouchercon mystery convention.

David Pogue recently wrote a cool list of computer hacks and other tips that I wanted to share with those who don't follow his column in the NY Times. I already posted it on one of my other blogs, but figured it was useful enough that it wouldn't hurt to be redundant.

Economic Downturn? Keep Marketing

It's very easy to freak out when you're hearing nothing but bad news about the economy. Maybe you've undergone a work slowdown, as a result. Maybe it hasn't affected your business at all.

Either way, tough times call for us not to freak out. These are the times when we need to be focusing more than ever on marketing, networking and getting our names out there--in short, not giving up.

In this video from white paper guru Michael Stelzner (the first of a series, the rest accessible if you email him), he discusses his own real-life super business success story: how he was able to build a white paper writing business by writing a white paper about writing white papers (is that clear? I hope so)--a story that took place during a severe economic downturn, BTW.

It's a great example of achieving (and, in fact, exceeding) one's goals, despite conventional wisdom to the contrary (i.e., everyone was telling him not to do it).

And it shows what a powerful marketing tool a white paper can be--even for a freelance writer.

Quotation for the Week of October 5

"And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years."
-- Abraham Lincoln

New Media Musings

Now that Creative Loafing, the corporate parent of many alt-weekly papers around the country, has filed for bankruptcy, the question is, how to keep those papers alive. Apparently, the company's CEO, Ben Eason, has devised this solution: have reporters spend the week blogging about what's out there, then compile the best stories into a print edition.

However, as Gawker points out, "These cities don't need any more bloggers. There are already too many of us! What they need is more original content. Otherwise the bloggers just end up talking about each other, which is the most boring thing in the world." (Link in quote taken from the article.)

A solution is proposed (keep the original content and publish less frequently) that makes a heckuva lotta sense to me. Honestly, blogging is cool and all, but not all of us can be "citizen journalists" and we still need original reportage, right? I'd say we need it now more than ever, with all the belt-tightening and staffing cuts going on at the mainstream daily papers.

And, on the Web 2.0 front, it's come to this--Miss Manners has rendered her verdict on the etiquette of declining "Friend" requests in online social networks. She gives a characteristically droll and sensible response.

Blogging for Dollars--How Do They Do It?

This may possibly be the best article I've read lately about monetizing your blog. I highly recommend that any blogger interested in doing so take a look.