Not long ago, a writer in a freelance group I belong to posted a question on the group message boards. She had an interview scheduled with a subject who had a reputation for being grouchy and wanted to know how to prepare. It’s a great question. Reporters are thought of as thick-skinned hacks who can […]
Make Headline News
Want a quick way to an editor’s heart? Write your own headlines. Make it a practice to send a headline – and a deck too if a publication uses them – with every story you submit. Whether an editor actually uses your headline is beside the point. Writing headlines is good practice. And it shows […]
Go Web, Young Man
Newspapers see the future, and it’s digital. The latest evidence: earlier this week the New York Times Co. and three other investors sank $29.5 million into Automattic, the company that makes WordPress blogging software runs the WordPress.com free blogging Website. (Disclaimer: I use WordPress.com to create and host this blog.) According to a news report, […]
More than One Way to Make Freelancing Pay
In one episode of Sex and the City, Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw character lands a freelance assignment for some incredible amount, like $4 a word. As a real-life freelance writer, I’ve never made $4 a word, or even met anybody who does. I’m not sure rates like that exist. Even $2 a word sounds […]
Outsourcing
I write a lot about outsourcing, the kind companies do to dispense with non-essentials and focus on what they make or sell. As an independent contractor, I know a thing or two about outsourcing from personal experience. The more things I don’t have to do in my non-work life, the more time I have for […]
When the Words Won't Come
For writers, words are our product. When writer’s block strikes, it’s like the factory shutting down. It’s especially bad news for freelance writers, because when the words don’t come, the checks don’t come either. So just like factories, we can’t afford a work – or a word – stoppage. As a result, people use lots […]