I’m starting what I hope will become a WordCount Friday feature, a recap of news and commentary on freelancing and the media business as reported by other blogs and news outlets this week. Happy reading: The case for independent news sites as profit-makers – David Westphal, a senior fellow at USC’s Annenberg’s Center on Communication […]
How to make money writing about the financial crisis
You’ve heard the expression, follow the money. Well, the silver lining of the U.S. economy sliding into the dumps is there’s plenty of work for business writers who know a mortgage-backed security from an adjustable rate mortgage. If you don’t fit that description now, you could. American University and Arizona State University’s Donald W. Reynolds […]
You may be desperate for work, just don't act like it
It’s one thing to be desperate for work. It’s another to act like it. You may have just lost a big client, or even more than one, so you’re scrambling to add some new writing assignments to your calendar. You send out letters of introduction and query like crazy. A few nibbles come in as […]
Why ex-staff writers make good trade magazine freelancers
I’m guest blogging today at the American Society of Business Publication Editors blog. The ASBPE is the professional association for editors and writers in the business, trade and specialty press. The subject: why former magazine and newspaper staff writers have all the right stuff for a successful transition into freelancing for business publications. Read the […]
Multimedia myths debunked
There’s a lot more to learning interactive storytelling than simply figuring out how to operate a digital videocamera or creating a story board for a Web-based news package. But many writers, including freelancers, are still at the beginning of the learning curve, so there’s still a lot they have to learn. Rather, when it comes […]
Writing for free is not a business model
You see them every week on Craigslist, help wanted ads from publishers or Websites that need writers but can’t afford to pay – but you’ll get clips and the exposure will be great! And yet – I’ve never met a grocery store, credit card company or mortgage company that accepted “exposure” as payment. More information […]