Tuesday, May 31, 2005

The Truth about Writing EBooks to Promote Your Freelance Business

I’ve seen so many articles written about the fast money to be made from writing an e-book that I wanted to dispel two common myths around this phenomenon, and give some tips for direct and indirect income streams to be made from writing an e-book.

I write from first-hand experience, of course!

1) I can make a lot of money immediately writing an e-book. False. While writing an e-book might be a relatively easy task – if you know your subject matter intimately and are disciplined enough to actually finish – it still has to be promoted.

If there is one myth I wish I could get freelancers to understand, it’s this – you must market to be successful -- your book, your services, yourself, etc. I don’t care how good your e-book is, how packed with information, people just don’t part with their money easily – whether you're charging $5 or $50. FYI, this holds true for anything you sell/promote.

Writing the book will be the easy part – you will expend 20 to 30 times the energy you spent writing it to promote it.

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2) Writing an e-book will bring in more business. True. BUT, over time. Writing an e-book positions you as an expert. There’s just something about being an author that makes people think you are more knowledgeable, more professional, more of an expert. You can have the same credentials and experience as someone who hasn’t written a book, but as soon as you add “Author of …” to your profile, you stand out.

BUT, I repeat – this will not bring an avalanche of business immediately. It will take time. Being an author is just another piece of the puzzle for customers which makes you stand out from the crowd. So, it is definitely worth it to write one, but don’t sit back and wait for the business to roll in. You STILL have to market.

Capitalizing on Your E-Book: Tips for Direct & Indirect Income Streams

1. Use it as a promotional tool rather than a direct source of income. For example, you can use it as a free giveaway to newsletter subscribers. This increases your subscriber list continuously. Web surfers in particular are mostly seeking information. An e-book is the perfect giveaway because, once written, it costs you zilch to give away.

2. If you intend to use your e-book as a money maker, sign up with one of the major affiliate programs like Clickbank (Clickbank.com). This way, you can have literally hundreds or thousands of “salespeople.” Then, you can focus most of your efforts on other marketing endeavors – eg, seminars, teleclasses, etc.

3. Speaking of teleclasses and seminars, develop one of these based on your e-book. When you write your book, you will have everything you need to put together an on- or offline seminar or class. Usually, you will have to add supplemental materials and revamp the format somewhat, but the bones of a class will be right in front of you. As the groundwork has already been laid, this can be an additional stream of income.

4. KISS: Keep it short and simple. While there is a lot of garbage out there in e-book form, I’ve found that most give great information from first-hand sources – especially “how-to” information.

So, get right to the point in your e-book. This is no time to be Maya Angelou or Toni Morrison. Make it an easy and informative read. That’s why people buy e-books – so that they can learn about their interests easily and immediately.

5. Finally – promote, promote, promote! Whether you’re using your book as a promotional tool or a direct source of income, promoting it never stops because it all adds up to dollars in your pocket – directly or indirectly!
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What's your opinion, experience, comment, feedback? Click on "comments" to leave a reply, or the envelope graphic to email this article to a friend. You DO NOT need to be a subscriber to reply; you can also post anonymously. ****************************************************************************
Looking for freelance writing work, but don't know where to start or have the time to actively seek assignments? Coming in July: List of 1,000 Paying Markets to begin your search!
**********************************************************************************
Sample Listing: Home/Lifestyle Magazine. Seeks articles on interior design, shopping, entertaining, recipes, art and more. Pays $100-$500/article. The majority of our leads are little-known, industry-specific publications/firms that many freelancers don't target because they rarely advertise. We will only sell a limited number per year and the list will be updated/added to annually. Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee!****************************************************************************
May be reprinted with inclusion of the following in full: © 2005 InkwellEditorial.com: THE job and information portal for and about the creative and editorial industries. Visit our informative, up-to-date blog at http://inkwelleditorial.blogspot.com/ for first-hand information on how to start, grow and/or maintain a successful freelance career.

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Replenish Your Spirit to Increase Your Income

My post this past Monday, entitled "How to Increase Your Freelance Income During the Slow Summer Months" is the perfect segueway into today's post. Coming upon the official start of the summer season, Memorial Day, not much is going on.

Now is the perfect time to:

1) Set aside a day to complete one task that's been hanging over your head that you never seem to get to. Trust me, you will feel so much better, lighter, freer to finally get it done.

Have you been meaning to organize your files, get your client contact list into some type of easily retrievable database, set up a marketing plan, etc.? Whatever it is that you've been putting off, now is the perfect time to devote an entire day to just that task.

2) Replenish your spirit. Whether you are freelancing our job hunting, the pressure of getting through all that's on your plate can be overwhelming. Even when you log off, your brain is still whirling -- worrying about what you didn't get done, what you need to get done, what you can't afford to get done, etc.

Give yourself permission to take some time to relax and have some fun. Say, "I will take the weekend to hang out with my friends and family (or alone), and I will get down to business again on Tuesday morning." Then, as much as you can, resolve to focus on replenishing your spirit -- relieving it from stress and worry for a few days.

Tuesday will be here all too quickly, and if you don't take time away from the demands of your professional life -- what good are you going to be to your clients/employer -- not to mention your friends and family.

For my American counterparts, enjoy the long holiday weekend upon us. In all of my travels, the one thing I've noticed is that the rest of the world seems to know how to relax much better than we do. To my international readers, just keep doing what you do best -- savor life!

NOTE: See you next Thursday, June 2nd. [No post on Monday, May 30th (Memorial Day)]

Monday, May 23, 2005

How to Increase Your Freelance Income During the Slow Summer Months

As you probably know, editorial is a seasonal business -- and we are about to head into the slow season.

The Workflow Cycle of The Editorial Industry: During the summer months, not much happens. It picks up again in September and that usually lasts through the middle of December. Mid-December through January are pretty slow. Then, it picks up again in February and lasts through May/early June.

Ahh, the pleasures of downtime. The phone is not ringing, your inbox is not full of projects to be completed and you've had a pretty good year. BUT, it's what you do during a "lull" that can make or break your freelance income.

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Visit the InkwellEditorial.com job boards today!
http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/postjob.htm: Full-time listings. http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/freelance-jobs.htm: Freelance listings. ****************************************************************************
Constantly Keeping You in the Know!
New Sections Added to InkwellEditorial.com.

Freelance Success Stories: Advice from Successful Freelancers
http://www.inkwelleditorial.com/CareerCenter/success/intro.htm
A Day in the Life of ... An Editorial Professional
http://www.inkwelleditorial.com/CareerCenter/day-in-life/intro.htm
About Freelancing Internationally: Wondering What It's Like?
http://www.inkwelleditorial.com/CareerCenter/international/intro.htm

Complacency kills - sales, motivation, innovation - you name it! There are things you should be doing during off-peak times to ensure income during the busy periods. Outlined below are three areas that you should be paying particular attention to before you relax during off-peak times.

1. Inventory: What services sold? Which ones didn't? Why? Can you increase/decrease services to better meet client needs? Can/should you increase your offerings by adding complementary services? Can you add products (t-shirts, mugs, note pads, etc.) to increase your income?

Now that you have some time, take stock of what worked, what didn't and what you can do about it. Examine prices, work systems, merchandise offerings, etc. The effort you expend can add exponentially to your bottom line over time.

2. Advertising/Marketing: If you don't have a marketing budget, now is the perfect time to devise one. If you do have one, then you know that it requires constant tweaking.

Now's the perfect time to pull out sales charts and see: What ads worked? Which ones didn't? Which medium (newspapers, postcards, sales letters, Internet ads, etc.) produced more actual sales and/or generated more leads? What was the cost per sale/lead from each medium? Which ad programs should you expand, cut, explore more? What partnerships can you form with like businesses? How much will it cost? Etc.

You should also be pre-paying for as much ad space as you can. Advertising during peak periods and/or at the last minute can be expensive. So, plan ahead as much as you can.

You will be better able to track your ads and make better financial choices than if you wait until the last minute. Your money will go further because ad takers are much more likely to offer discounts if you pay early -- and in full. So, even if you feel the financial strain right now, try to squeeze it out for the long-haul benefit to your freelance business.

3. Work Flow/Management: Systems and processes can always be upgraded to meet the demands of your business.

For example, is your customer database automated? If not, now is a good time to get all contact information on your customers into some kind of easily retrievable, automated system. If you really want to increase sales, find out who has spent what over a period of time. This way, you can creative incentive/reward programs for your best customers.

Do you use software to keep your books? Do you update it on a regular basis? Do you have an accountant, financial advisor, representative at your banking institution? Now is the time to catch up on paperwork you've been lax on, and to establish relationships that can propel your business to the next level.

NOTE: Every small business owner should develop a relationship with a bank. Even if you don't think that you have anything to offer them, or them you, remember, you are growing a business. Having a relationship with a banker can pay off in more ways than you know over time.

Who knows when you might need a home equity loan, a small business loan, a business line of credit, an increase on a credit card, etc. Although your credit history carries the most weight with banks, when your application could go either way, an endorsement from your banker could be just the thing to push an application through.

These are but a few ways to use effectively utilize the slow periods of your business. You don't have to spend every moment of the off season taking care of these tasks, but it is a good idea to always set aside a portion of time when your business is not crazy to give it a checkup. This way, you can guarantee continuous profits year round.
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What's your opinion, experience, comment, feedback? Click on "comments" to leave a reply, or the envelope graphic to email this article to a friend. You DO NOT need to be a subscriber to reply; you can also post anonymously. ****************************************************************************
Looking for freelance writing work, but don't know where to start or have the time to actively seek assignments? Coming in July: List of 1,000 Paying Markets to begin your search!
**********************************************************************************
Sample Listing: Home/Lifestyle Magazine. Seeks articles on interior design, shopping, entertaining, recipes, art and more. Pays $100-$500/article. The majority of our leads are little-known, industry-specific publications/firms that many freelancers don't target because they rarely advertise. We will only sell a limited number per year and the list will be updated/added to annually. Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee!****************************************************************************
May be reprinted with inclusion of the following in full: © 2005 InkwellEditorial.com: THE job and information portal for and about the creative and editorial industries. Visit our informative, up-to-date blog at http://inkwelleditorial.blogspot.com/ for first-hand information on how to start, grow and/or maintain a successful freelance career.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

The Rewards of Patient Marketing

As a small business owner, I do a lot of reading on small business marketing, for it is a subject about which you can never be too knowledgeable. The article below explains what I term “Patient Marketing” so well, that I thought it worth passing along.

The techniques and guidelines discussed are tried and true -- no matter what type of business you have. Enjoy and keep these principles in mind, particularly when you are frustrated with your freelance business.


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Visit the InkwellEditorial.com job boards today!
http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/postjob.htm: Full-time listings. http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/freelance-jobs.htm: Freelance listings. ****************************************************************************

"...I want more exposure for my web site."
by David Nelmes

Every encounter I have with a website owner further drives my resolve to provide better and more effective methods to provide quality traffic that improves their sales. I have found many successful methods to accomplish this...but I have also found many methods that the Internet promises will work, but they simply do not.

When I get the call or e-mail where the primary desire of the website owner is "I want more exposure for my web site.", I immediately understand their position because I was there some time ago as well. Through a lot of trial and error and often massive costs, I have found what I believe to be good methods for pulling in traffic. The steady traffic that drives into Designing Online and Dreams Alive Magazine is the result of these efforts.

There is no single secret, but the primary ingredient for pulling in traffic is an endless and untiring choice to be open to do better and explore new options. You can't have an inflexible and concrete idea of what you think will work or what you think is necessary, because even if you are right, you have limited yourself to that idea alone and will not grow beyond it. To believe you have no choices or only one choice, is the single choice you do not want to embrace. The choices are endless...if you are open to let them in.

So then, how do you see past the scams and the things that will simply be a waste of your time and money? You need to look at the Internet differently. Ask yourself this..."When McDonalds airs a commercial on television for it's newest burger, does it consider the commercial a failure if the people who see it don't instantly jump in their cars and head to McDonalds?" Of course not...and neither should you believe the Internet has to work that way.

Scams generally do not involve being patient or working towards long term benefits. They want your money now because they know what they are selling does not work. Simply stated, a scam is when a business has chosen to benefit at your expense, while knowing they offer very little or nothing in return. Some are obvious, while others hide behind published lies and statistics that really bend the truth or capacity for you to duplicate.

I realized some time ago that the highest quality and most productive traffic you can obtain is through the process of long term advertising and exposure...just like a TV commercial. A good example is our Dreams Alive Magazine. If you were to place an ad or article in our upcoming Summer Vacation issue, you will receive some traffic due to our initial efforts to promote the new release...but your best traffic will come one year from now and again two years from now and again 3 years from now as the issue becomes more and more embedded into the search engines and as the pages PR ratings increase.

With long term advertising, you might not be able to pinpoint any one spectacular day of traffic...but you will have created a small steady stream of traffic in the background that becomes a part of your traffic base. Perform this process again and again in any way you can and build your base...eventually eliminating your need to find traffic today because the base you built over years will be sending targeted and quality visitors to your site regularly.

Designing Online has created an array of advertising choices that intertwines several websites in a way that really helps to promote your website. We do provide methods of providing traffic today...but our overall focus is to help you establish long term traffic and name recognition that will help you for years and years to come. I encourage you to check out our Media Kit and Promotions Page to help you grasp the scale in which we can help you.

Meanwhile, we are always open for suggestions and ideas for how we can help you even more. We have created the capacity to draw in targeted traffic that can help you increase sales, so instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, take advantage of what we are sharing and providing and we will all benefit. Our motto is "We get ahead by helping you get ahead first." It's the only real business practice that works in the long term.

About the Author: David Nelmes is webmaster and creator of Designing Online (www.DesigningOnline.com), Dreams Alive Magazine, Virtual Home Decor, Create E-Cards and The Website Traffic Generator. His primary focus is to create family friendly web sites with a business environment where everyone can benefit. ****************************************************************************
What's your opinion, experience, comment, feedback? Click on "comments" to leave a reply, or the envelope graphic to email this article to a friend. You DO NOT need to be a subscriber to reply; you can also post anonymously. ****************************************************************************
Looking for freelance writing work, but don't know where to start or have the time to actively seek assignments? Coming in July: List of 1,000 Paying Markets to begin your search!
**********************************************************************************
Sample Listing: Home/Lifestyle Magazine. Seeks articles on interior design, shopping, entertaining, recipes, art and more. Pays $100-$500/article. The majority of our leads are little-known, industry-specific publications/firms that many freelancers don't target because they rarely advertise. We will only sell a limited number per year and the list will be updated/added to annually. Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee!

Monday, May 16, 2005

Why Failure as a Freelancer Can be a Good Thing

"Failure does NOT mean failing to achieve something; it means failing to examine what you can do better to achieve the results you want."

Freelancing teaches lessons in life that few other challenges offer. So, why can failure be the best thing to ever happen to you and your freelance career? Three reasons:


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http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/postjob.htm: Full-time listings. http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/freelance-jobs.htm: Freelance listings. ****************************************************************************

1. It tests your mindset: Rarely do we succeed the first time we try something. If so, most of us would attempt many more things -- learning a foreign language, running a marathon, skydiving, etc.

When we first try almost anything new, we falter through it for days, weeks, months or years -- depending on what it is. So, why should freelancing be any different?

A lesson learned: I've learned over the years to relax, refigure, retry and reassess. In other words, when I've "failed" at a task, I:

a) first, relax my mind (it's hard to think when you're stressed);

b) refigure (look back over my actions and see what I can do better/differently to get the result I want);

c) retry (put my new plan into action); and

d) reassess (monitor how my new plan is working out).

If you really want to succeed, you will try 1,999 procedures to do so. That's what I mean by testing your mindset!

2. It teaches persistence: This is a variation on the first point. Patience is not about "how long" it takes to get what you want, but about how long you are willing to hang in AND do what it takes to get what you want. Get the difference?

The key part is "do what it takes". Time is going to pass. This has nothing to do with you. BUT, doing what it takes while that time is passing has everything to do with you. So, don't be idle. Always be actively working and reworking a plan.

3. It instills confidence: Finally, there is nothing more powerful than calling the shots -- even when you’ve been rejected time and time again.

There's something about making money under your own steam that makes your stride a little longer, your eyes a little brighter, your intellect a little sharper. Even if you "fail" at freelancing, you will have learned a mountain of lessons that will help you in almost every facet of your life: leadership skills, organization, negotiation, long-range planning, etc.

Most jobs will feel like child's play after you've freelanced for a while, because most of the time you have been everything from the marketing department to the accounting department.

NOW, I dare ya -- tell me you're a failure -- even if freelancing didn't/doesn't work out!****************************************************************************
What's your opinion, experience, comment, feedback? Click on "comments" to leave a reply, or the envelope graphic to email this article to a friend. You DO NOT need to be a subscriber to reply; you can also post anonymously. ****************************************************************************
Looking for freelance writing work, but don't know where to start or have the time to actively seek assignments? Coming in July: List of 1,000 Paying Markets to begin your search!
**********************************************************************************
Sample Listing: Home/Lifestyle Magazine. Seeks articles on interior design, shopping, entertaining, recipes, art and more. Pays $100-$500/article. The majority of our leads are little-known, industry-specific publications/firms that many freelancers don't target because they rarely advertise. We will only sell a limited number per year and the list will be updated/added to annually. Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee!****************************************************************************
May be reprinted with inclusion of the following in full: © 2005 InkwellEditorial.com: THE job and information portal for and about the creative and editorial industries. Visit our informative, up-to-date blog at http://inkwelleditorial.blogspot.com/ for first-hand information on how to start, grow and/or maintain a successful freelance career.

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Freelance Success Stories

NEW! Our monthly series, "Freelance Success Stories," has begun. Enjoy the knowledge and insight revealed by successful freelancers!

Log on to read our first profile: http://www.inkwelleditorial.com/success-stories.htm

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Visit the InkwellEditorial.com job boards today!
http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/postjob.htm: Full-time listings. http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/freelance-jobs.htm: Freelance listings. ****************************************************************************

We are still compiling the "1,000 Paying Markets" list referenced below – waiting for editors to get back to us, verifying web addresses, etc. The list will be ready the first week of July.

**Looking for freelance writing work, but don't know where to start or have the time to actively seek assignments? Coming this month: List of 1,000 Paying Markets to begin your search!**

Monday, May 09, 2005

Editorial Career Advice: Show Me the Money!

As most editorial professionals know, this career path will not make you rich -- not even close. However, there are sectors that pay more than others. Eventually, you can make a decent living in this industry without being Anna Wintour or Helen Gurley Brown.

So, what sectors pay a decent wage?

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If you focus on advertising, pharmaceutical and/or the technical sectors, you will command more in salary than say, general trade, beauty, education and/or the nonprofit sectors.

Simple supply and demand at work here.

Publishing (advertising, media, journalism, etc.) is considered a glamour industry. So, the beginning salaries for the most part suck -- there's just no other way to put it. In New York, which many consider the publishing capital of the world, it is not uncommon to start out making 20-25K at popular magazines. Really!

If you know anything about the cost of living in New York City, you know that this will barely afford you a decent apartment with 3-4 other roommates -- forget about living on your own. It simply ain't gonna happen on an entry-level salary in the editorial industry.

However, if you focus on a less glamorous industry -- say working for a pharmaceutical company that publishes a trade newsletter -- your salary is likely to start higher and only grow as times goes on. Once you have some experience in a highly specialized discipline like medicine, science or technology, you can parlay those skills in a number of ways -- copywriter at a pharmaceutical advertising agency, editor at a scientific publication, freelancing as a technical writer.

In my experience, editorial is a very static industry -- magazines want people with magazine experience (not journal, book or newspaper experience); scientific publishers want professionals with a science background, etc. While this is understandable, it makes it hard to break into a particular field. Before you know it, you are pigeon-holed.

My advice to those just starting out -- focus on a highly prized (and paid) discipline from the get go. Even if you have to take a position in the copy center and segue way into the editorial department. Once you get that first bit of experience, it will be infinitely easier to climb on up the ladder.

And, what if you have already spent 3, 4, or 5 years in general trade and want to gain more specialized experience? Be willing to take a pay cut or make a lateral move to get your foot in the door at any company that will give you a chance to get specialized experience on your resume. Spend 1-2 years in this position and then move on up!
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What's your opinion, experience, comment, feedback? Click on "comments" to leave a reply, or the envelope graphic to email this article to a friend. You DO NOT need to be a subscriber to reply; you can also post anonymously. ****************************************************************************
Looking for freelance writing work, but don't know where to start or have the time to actively seek assignments? Coming this month: List of 1,000 Paying Markets to begin your search!
**********************************************************************************
Sample Listing: Home/Lifestyle Magazine. Seeks articles on interior design, shopping, entertaining, recipes, art and more. Pays $100-$500/article. The majority of our leads are little-known, industry-specific publications/firms that many freelancers don't target because they rarely advertise. We will only sell a limited number per year and the list will be updated/added to annually. Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee!****************************************************************************
May be reprinted with inclusion of the following in full: © 2005 InkwellEditorial.com: THE job and information portal for and about the creative and editorial industries. Visit our informative, up-to-date blog at http://inkwelleditorial.blogspot.com/ for first-hand information on how to start, grow and/or maintain a successful freelance career.

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Advice from Successful Freelancers

Since we started advertising for success stories from freelancers, we've gotten numerous requests for advice on how to get started.

My mother used to say, "If you want to do something, ask someone who's already doing it for advice." Since our success story series doesn't start until next week, here is a link to an article that contains "how to" advice from successful freelancers.

As you will read, the most important traits to possess if you are going to freelance is patience and persistence. The article is here: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/1639/18988

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Visit the InkwellEditorial.com job boards -- 14 New Jobs Were Posted Today!
http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/postjob.htm: Full-time listings. http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/freelance-jobs.htm: Freelance listings. ****************************************************************************

Watch for our first success story next week, May 12th! The profiles we've lined up range from a graphic designer to a writer to a photographer. They will be published the second Thursday of every month. Beginning in September, we will publish 2-3 a month.
****************************************************************************
What's your opinion, experience, comment, feedback?
Click on "comments" to leave a reply, or the envelope graphic to email this article to a friend. You DO NOT need to be a subscriber to reply; you can also post anonymously. ****************************************************************************
Looking for freelance writing work, but don't know where to start or have the time to actively seek assignments? Coming this month: List of 1,000 Paying Markets to begin your search!
**********************************************************************************
Sample Listing: Home/Lifestyle Magazine. Seeks articles on interior design, shopping, entertaining, recipes, art and more. Pays $100-$500/article. The majority of our leads are little-known, industry-specific publications/firms that many freelancers don't target because they rarely advertise. We will only sell a limited number per year and the list will be updated/added to annually. Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee!****************************************************************************
May be reprinted with inclusion of the following in full: © 2005 InkwellEditorial.com: THE job and information portal for and about the creative and editorial industries. Visit our informative, up-to-date blog at http://inkwelleditorial.blogspot.com/ for first-hand information on how to start, grow and/or maintain a successful freelance career.

Monday, May 02, 2005

Freelance Writing Fees: Why They Suck & What You Can Do About It!

1) A Glut of Talent: Face it, sitting at home working in jammies is a dream many aspire to. This is why many freelance writing assignments pay so little. But, what is little?

This month, we will add a success story series to InkwellEditorial.com. We are paying $25 for each submission we publish. A few wrote in to slam us, saying things like, “This is why freelancers never get rich,” to, “Yeah, I’ll barely be able to afford fries with that.” We understand the frustration.

What You Can Do About It: As there will always be competition, be the early bird. Scour job boards, newspapers and send out a certain number of queries each day, week, month. It’s a numbers game and eventually, someone will say yes. How often you get a yes depends entirely on how much effort you’re willing to put forth.

FYI, we arrived at our princely sum of $25/submission very simply. We took in into account how long it should take to complete the assignment. As someone who has done this type of assignment before (for free, mind you), I knew that it should take no longer than an hour because you are writing about something you know intimately – how YOU went about achieving freelance success. Hence, no research, no interviews, no photos to take – simply tell your story (following a few guidelines).

At $25 hour, this works out to over $45K/year as an annual salary ($25/hour x 35/hr work week x 52/weeks) – a fair sum (we reasoned).

FYI, our first success story will be published on May 12th under a new section entitled, “Success Stories” on InkwellEditorial.com. We will post a link on the home page when the section is live. The author gives some great pointers on how he went about becoming a successful freelance writer/photographer – and how you can too!

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Visit the InkwellEditorial.com job boards today!
http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/postjob.htm: Full-time listings. http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/freelance-jobs.htm: Freelance listings. ****************************************************************************

2) Editorial Budgets: Most editorial budgets are made by department heads who know there is a glut of talent. They know they can find someone to complete a freelance assignment. Proof? As soon as “freelance” is put in a job title, the sender is usually deluged with resumes.

Further, the bulk of editorial budgets are allotted to the technical aspects of a project and the work to be done onsite. This leaves little to pay for the creative aspects of a given assignment -- especially by outside talent. In essence, freelancers are at the bottom of the totem pole.

What You Can Do About It: Target publications that receive the bulk of their content from freelancers. They usually pay more because they don’t have a large in-house staff to worry about paying.

Final Tip: Decide what you need to live on as a freelancer. If you break it down by day, week, month, you may see that four $25 assignments/day will allow you to live the freelance life quite nicely. I wrote an article addressing how smaller assignments can lead to a very good living. Read it at: http://www.inkwelleditorial.com/SmallBizCntr/black-bigscore.htm
Good luck!****************************************************************************
What's your opinion, experience, comment, feedback? Click on "comments" to leave a reply, or the envelope graphic to email this article to a friend. You DO NOT need to be a subscriber to reply; you can also post anonymously. ****************************************************************************
Looking for freelance writing work, but don't know where to start or have the time to actively seek assignments? Coming soon: List of 1,000 Paying Markets to begin your search!
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Sample Listing: Home/Lifestyle Magazine. Seeks articles on interior design, shopping, entertaining, recipes, art and more. Pays $100-$500/article. The majority of our leads are little-known, industry-specific publications/firms that many freelancers don't target because they rarely advertise. We will only sell a limited number per year and the list will be updated/added to annually. Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee!****************************************************************************
May be reprinted with inclusion of the following in full: © 2005 InkwellEditorial.com: THE job and information portal for and about the creative and editorial industries. Visit our informative, up-to-date blog at http://inkwelleditorial.blogspot.com/ for first-hand information on how to start, grow and/or maintain a successful freelance career.