I write about outsourcing a lot, for publications like Workforce Management and IncTechnology.com, so I know companies are outsourcing more of what they consider to be non-essential business tasks: processing payroll checks, staffing health benefits call centers or other back-office human resources or finance department duties. Sometimes it’s to reduce overhead costs. Sometimes it’s to […]
Guest post: Going freelance in a down economy
Going out on your own is scary enough, so why would any sane person do it in an economy like this one? Because a bad economy may actually be a good time to start a freelance career. At least that’s what Susan Johnston is hoping. Johnston is a Boston writer and creator of The Urban […]
CJR Covers Biz News Sections' Demise
Maybe I should be pitching stories to the Columbia Journalism Review. CJR, the venerable bimonthly covering the news industry that Columbia University’s Journalism School publishes, just filed this story about the demise of the daily newspaper standalone business section. I wrote about this back in February, when the Denver Post announced it was folding its […]
What Freelance Writers Should Know about SEO
You don’t have to look hard to see the publishing business is changing. Newspapers are cutting jobs left and right as advertising dries up and the economy spins closer to recession. At the same time, publishers are finally sinking more effort into their digital properties, though they still haven’t figured out how to make money. […]
Taking My Own Advice on Beating Bad Times
It happened. Earlier this week, the editor of a magazine I’ve been writing for told me she can’t buy more freelance pieces until summer because of budget cuts. It’s the first time in years that economic cutbacks have directly affected my business. It’s also bad news because I’d just pitched a story I thought was […]
Freelancers' Strategies for Prospering in Bad Times
I recently shared a marketing expert’s advice for freelancer writers and other self-employed creative types to stay happy and solvent during shaky economic times. His suggestions boiled down to a few simple maxims: cultivate existing client relationships, specialize, learn new skills and network. Reality check time. Do freelancers heed such advice? Or do they use […]