Adventures In Freelancing

Whew, I have not had a minute to breathe since the holidays. Between sick kids, sick me, oldest son's birthday, Christmas, New Year, and the countless other things life throws at us, I feel like I haven't had a minute to breathe. But we still have to work and meet deadlines, even among life's craziness.

I have to admit that I've slipped a bit on the deadline meeting during this hectic period. I've been assigned a large health writing project that has really consumed me. In fact, it kind of overwhelmed me, among all of the other things I had going on. This project is a good one, and I didn't want to risk losing it or any future work with the company who assigned it, so I knew what I had to do. I fessed up to my editor that I was having difficulty with the assignment and was honest about my situation.

Fortunately, my editor was sympathetic. In fact, she's assured me that she understands and that the deadlines may have been a bit "aggressive." What a relief it was to hear that! An even bigger relief was to learn that there is a new assignment waiting for me when this one is complete. Again, whew. I truly am appreciative of the fact that my editor is flexible and know that this is not always something freelancers can depend on.

So I'm not recommending that you be late with assignments or flake on deadlines. The moral of this post is that, if you are unable to live up to what you've committed to, you should always be upfront and communicate with your editor or client.

What about you? Have you ever run into a situation like this? What did you do about it? Please share your advice in the comments!

I know it's been forever since I've blogged here at Adventures In Freelancing. I'm so sorry I haven't kept you up to date. You may remember when I wrote about my wonderful experience at a social media conference in Rochester, NY. Well, I've begun one job writing for my friend Ana of Premier Social Media. She hosted the conference, and I've written for her in the past. I'm helping to write blog posts for one of her clients, and I'm enjoying it very much.

What's really got me so busy is a writing job I obtained through an ad at one of the freelance blogs I visit. Before heading to the conference in Rochester, I went on a mad dash of applying for writing jobs that seemed to fit my strengths. You see, I was getting discouraged with the progress I was making on my personal blogs and wanted to at least obtain one paid writing job while I was working to get my own blogs earning. So I applied for a job writing articles on health and education. Little did I know that the ad was for a company that runs a nationally known lending firm. It turns out this firm has many sites. I've written articles on various aspects of home insurance and am working on a couple education articles right now. I also helped to research a series of articles on childhood diseases, and I'll be working on writing those articles from now until the first week of January. I received another job offer through my mad application spree. I'll be blogging for two blogs owned by Killer Aces Media. Look for my upcoming posts at Parenting Squad and Healthy Theory. I'm so excited to begin writing for these blogs, as the topics are ones I'm passionate about and so interested in.

Whew! So do you think I'm busy enough? Life is good now. I'll still be updating my personal blogs, just not as frequently. I feel like I'm on a really good path toward establishing myself as a professional blogger and freelance writer. Thank you to everyone who's supported me along this journey. Please don't hesitate to let me know if there are any questions I can answer for your or help I can provide.

Gotta go get some work done. Happy writing to you!

I've written before about what your writing is worth. It's a real hot button topic for many. People get pretty heated about it. The subject's been on my mind again recently. In fact, I just wrote a post about a blogger's worth at Type-A Mom. Everyone has an opinion about how much writers and bloggers should be paid, as well as the kinds of writing they should do.

My Views

Personally, I kind of cringe at the word "should". I'm very much an advocate for doing what works for you. I've heard the argument over and over that if writers accept extremely low wages, it will cause the market to go down for the rest of us because employer will no longer be willing to pay fair writers' rates. Honestly, that argument truly does make sense to me. I can see that one may be worried about their own future freelancing income and that it can be upsetting to see others accept such low fees. I get that you may want others to do better for themselves and to change for the better. What doesn't make sense to me is cutting others down for their actions, using condescending tones, and making assumptions about people's character in the name of trying to give freelancing advice.

I'm not going to give links or point people out. It's not my style to publicly criticize. And, frankly, I don't wish to give links to those I don't feel deserving of the time it would take. But there are a number of writers who are doling out tons of "advice" on the kinds of jobs not to take and the places writers shouldn't work for rather than giving helpful, encouraging advice on what new writers could do to increase the amount they are paid. I read these folks preach that there are lots of well-paying writing jobs out there, that you have to go beyond the job boards to find them. I get that. And I think we're all smart enough to be able to know that. I don't believe people necessarily want to have their hands held or are too "lazy" to find the good paying jobs. I just really think that they may not know how or that they feel overwhelmed at what's involved in the process. And the writers who are taking this stance are not making things seem any less confusing.

My Advice

I've spent the last year and half sort of floundering. I've found myself struggling between not wanting to accept low-paying gigs and finding it difficult to manage the time and the waiting game of querying. And you know what? I haven't been making much money at all. Again, I don't completely regret the time I've spent learning, What I do regret is allowing myself to be deterred from just going out there and writing because I've been too concerned about whether the pay is enough or whether people will consider me a real writer.

I'm done with that. I've just picked up some regular writing work, and the pay is good enough for me. In fact, I'll be freelancing for a well-known lending site and their subsidiaries. No, I won't be making $100 a post., but when I break it down per hour, it should be about $20 an hour, which is sufficient for me. And it's a start. It's a better rate than I was making earlier this year, so I'm making progress. I intend to be satisfied with that.

Jodee Redmond wrote some good advice over at Freelance Writing Jobs. She talks about diversifying your work. That's just what I intend to do. I'm going to be happy with the great blogging jobs I've just scored, and I will probably even write for some content and revenue sharing sites as I have time so that I can add to my income. I also intend to continue querying print publications as I have great ideas. I'm a mom. My time is limited and sporadic. Blogging works well for my lifestyle. Writing short pieces is ideal for fitting in during a nap or while waiting for the kids' bus to come. As a mom, I also need to be concerned with bringing in some income and being satisfied with my life, NOT with what others may think or what they would do.

Final Thoughts

I wanted to write this post as a means of encouraging others to pursue writing in a way that works for them. If you're satisfied with your writing, that's what matters. However, if you feel a nagging doubt or worry that you're not working to your potential, don't hesitate to do some research and to learn how you can move forward with your writing career. What do you think? Honestly. If you disagree with me, I welcome conversation and discussion.

Whew! It's been awhile since I've updated here at Adventures In Freelancing. My apologies, but the reason I've been absent has primarily been because I was out of town this week at an AMAZING social media conference. Social Media Today was held in Rochester, NY and was organized by Ana Castro of Premier Social Media.

The Back Story

My relationship with Ana is a case study in itself, which began on Twitter as I was preparing to launch this very blog. I wanted to make the launch big, by offering prizes that freelance writers could use. So I put out the word on Twitter, asking folks to reply if they had a product or service they could donate. Ana was one of the first to respond and offered some educational courses from her social networking site for families, Family Eden. After speaking on the phone, we just seemed to click. When Ana was looking for bloggers for the Family Eden blog, she included me.

The Conference

When Ana invited me to the conference, I was excited, but also a bit nervous. The nearly five-hour drive by myself to Rochester was not something I was looking forward to, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to network and to learn more about social media simply because of a little fear. I'm so glad I didn't let my nervousness hold me back! You can check out the conference site for a more in-depth list of speakers, but let me give you just a bit of the highlights.

Chris Brogan was there! Chris is well-known on Twitter as a social media guru. He's all about community and building trust. In fact, he and his co-author Julien Smith, wrote a book on the topic called Trust Agents, which is now a New York Times best seller. After his informative and entertaining speech, Chris took some time to sign our books. Here's a picture of us.

I had the pleasure of introducing Jeffrey Hayzlett, the Chief Marketing Officer of Kodak. What a knowledgeable, fun, and entertaining guy! I also got to connect with other great people from Kodak including Jenny, their Chief Blogger, and Shruti, Kodak's Community Manager. It was wonderful talking to them. I was able to get a view of corporate blogging and to have the opportunity to get involved in future Kodak campaigns, as a blogger. Very cool. Here's a picture of Jeffrey in action. You can see his energy!

There were so many other wonderful, insightful, and creative speakers. There were presentations on the use of social media in corporations, measurement of ROI, legal aspects of social media, and panel discussions giving personal answers to audience questions. Speaking of these panels, I've saved the best for last!

The Surprise

As a panel of bloggers was introducing themselves, I immediately recognized one of the names - Yvonne DiVita. "Wait", I thought to myself, "that's @y2vonne from Twitter!" I wanted to jump up out of my seat and shout to her. Instead, I turned to Ana's husband sitting next to me and tugged on his arm like a little kid, saying,"I KNOW her from Twitter! I talk to her all the time!"

Finally, when it was time for questions, I raised my hand. When I introduced myself to Yvonne as @marybabysteps, she got excited too. You see, Yvonne and I really connected through social media, and it was like seeing an old friend. Actually, she wasn't even supposed to be at the conference that day, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she was able to make it. You know I always say that things happen for a reason. I'm convinced Yvonne and I were meant to meet at the conference, if only for the brief time we had together. I so look forward to getting to know her more and to any future collaborations. Take a look at the marvelous conference recap Yvonne wrote on her blog and the touching things she said about me. Thank you, Yvonne!

The Takeaway

I could go on and on about the conference, but my hands are starting to hurt from typing. I will tell you that I came away with a couple of writing jobs and the opportunity to obtain others in the future. But that's not even the biggest thrill. Having the opportunity to connect with others who get what you do is beyond words. I highly recommend attending a blogging or social media conference if you get the opportunity. If you're unable to travel to a conference, look for local events as a means of networking and meeting people. Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau events are good ones to start with. You'll be surprised at the connections you can make, and you may even end up with some leads on writing gigs.

Do you have any examples of great networking experiences? Do tell; I'd love to hear your story!

As freelance writers, we often find ourselves stuck for ideas. It seems that every topic has already been covered. Finding a new slant is necessary if we want to get our articles published. Fortunately, there are always new developments and changes occurring in every industry. The problem is finding out about those developments.

We're busy people. We don't have scads of time to spend researching and hunting down the latest information in our area of interest. That's why you'll want to sign up for inclusion in the Cision database. Signing up is easy. Just fill out the form with your information and the topics you're interested in. You'll soon be receiving information and pitches relevant to all the subjects you cover. Not every email or press release will be useful to you, but I've found that much of the information I receive can be used in some way, either as blog content or to spark an idea for a freelance article.

Thanks, Jennifer James, of Mom Bloggers Club, for sharing this resource!

I've got a new giveaway here at Adventures in Freelancing that you're going to love! The folks at Carolina Pad have provided me with a ton of organizational products to give away to one lucky winner. They also gave me a set of the same great products to review. Here's what I received and what one lucky reader will also be able to win:

· 1-subject notebook (MSRP $2.99)

· Ideal Book (MSRP $3.99)

· Personal Book (MSRP $1.99)

· 3-ring binder (MSRP $4.99)

· Tab dividers (MSRP $1.99)

· File Folders (MSRP $4.99)

· 13-pocket expandable folder (MSRP $5.99)

· Coupon expandable folder (MSRP $3.99)

· 19-month planner (MSRP $4.99)

· Stick-on notes/flags (MSRP $1.99)

The retail value of this package is $38.00!

The Hot Chocolate pattern is a fun collection in chocolate brown with pastel swirls, circles, and stripes. I love that it stands out from the standard black and navy notebooks that line my bookshelves and plain manila files in my cabinet. Here are some of my favorite pieces and how I'm using them to simplify my freelance life:

7" x 5" Personal Book - I use this compact notebook to take with me EVERYWHERE. It's easy to find in my purse or laptop bag whenever I have a great idea for an article or pitch. A writer cannot be without a good notebook to record those fleeting flashes of brilliance.

Sticky Notes and Flags - These are perfect for marking pages in magazines, when I want to go back and reference an idea. They're also useful as bookmarks. I'm constantly reading and can never find my bookmark.

Accordion Folder - An accordion folder is a must-have for organizing tax information, research materials, and idea snippets by category. I have several, and I was thrilled to receive this one from Carolina Pad!

Three Ring Binder and Tab Dividers - I use this combination of supplies to organize my blogs. I keep a section for each blog that contains post ideas, rough editorial calendar, and review/giveaway information. I couldn't live without my binders!

Which Carolina Pad supplies would YOU use to make your life easier? That's what you have to tell me for your chance to win this bundle of life-changing products. So head over to the Carolina Pad website, take a look around, then come back here to leave your comment.

Entries must be received by Tuesday, November 10th at noon EST. For extra entries:

Follow Carolina Pad on Twitter.

Join the Carolina Pad Fan Page on Facebook.

Subscribe to this blog through RSS or email.

Follow this blog.

Tweet about the contest, including post link, and @marybabysteps.

You may use each of these extra entries once, and you must leave a separate comment for each. Good luck!

While surfing the net, I came across a link that led me to WritersWeekly. a very informative site with much to offer writers. There's a forum and articles on all aspects of writing. There are also warnings about markets to be wary of and lists of paying markets. I was extremely impressed with their search feature, in which you can enter specific terms to find markets in your niche.

I honestly don't remember how I was led to this site, but whatever the case may be, I found that by entering the search phrase, "welcomes new writers" I was able to generate a particularly extensive list of markets from their database that accept material from new writers. What a useful find for us newbies! This takes away some of the anxiety of approaching markets, I think.

How about you? Would you be more willing to query a market that openly says they are welcoming to new writers? Does it matter to you? I do intend to pitch all kinds of markets, even the national women's magazines, as I know what's most important is having a good, solid, well-researched idea and being able to articulate it. But it's nice to be aware of this method for getting my feet wet.

I just learned this trick for using Google to find writing markets from fellow writer, Linda Hutchison, and I can't believe I never thought to do this before. Sure, I've Googled "women's websites" or "college magazines" when looking for publications in my areas of interest, but this method is rather ineffective. Instead, try Linda's way.

Go to Google. Put your topic in quotation marks. Type the words "submissions" or "writers guidelines" in quotes. Then put the word "and" between them. You'll get a list of links to writers guidelines you can explore for paying markets. For example, if you type "women" and "writers guidelines" into Google, or your search engine of choice, you'll find links to lots of online and print publications for women. Probably a bunch you've never heard of before.

The thing to do now is o go through the list and read the guidelines to determine if it's a paying market and if it looks like one that would interest you. You may need to try several versions of your search. I've searched on both "adult students" and "non-traditional students", looking for markets that cater to adults going back to school. You can also substitute "subission guidelines" or "submissions" for "writers guidelines", though I had better luck with the latter.

Take some time to play around with this method and see what you find. I found a number of new markets I'd like t check into further, ones that seem to be a good fit for my writing and experience. Let me know what you learn from your search. You may want to set a goal of querying one or two of the markets you find within the next week. That's what I'm doing. Good luck!

Photo by rightee

I wanted to take a moment to warn you of some scams I've become aware of recently that target freelance writers. I received these "responses" in my inbox after applying for writing jobs online. Here's one such response:

Mary,

After reviewing your resume, I think you would be a great fit for the position.  The next step is a mandatory credit and background check.  You can access the website we use for this by clicking here now.  Please send us the file you receive so we can review it.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Regards,
Christine Rawley
Hiring Manager

I found this email to be suspicious on many levels.

1. The email didn't specify what position I would be a great fit for. There was no mention of a company or website. Even the signature, "Christine Rawley, Hiring Manager" was vague. Hiring Manager for whom?
2. The email mentioned reviewing my resume. I rarely send resumes for freelancing jobs. Usually, I apply for jobs that ask for samples of my work. I'm pretty sure I didn't send any resume.
3. Mandatory credit and background check? I've only been asked for a background check once when applying for a writing job. That was for Examiner.com, which I ultimately decided not to pursue further when I realized that I wasn't interested in writing for revenue share. It's very scary to me that this person with no identifying credentials whatsoever is asking for my personal identity information.

Here's another email I received that I believe to be fraudulent.:

Hey Mary,

Thank you for your prompt response to the craigslist ad.  We got someone to write a decent percentage of the articles but that means we still need 30 more 400 word articles written before 1:00 PM on Friday, October 9, 2009.  The pay is now $55 per article.  Full details are available on the freelance website GoFreelance which you can get to by clicking here.  We use this website for security reasons, to keep a record of our conversations, to make sure we get the articles and that you get paid in full and on time for your work.  You will be required to electronically sign a non-disclosure agreement on the freelance website.

Regards,
Brian Longfellow

My concerns with this one are:

1. GoFreelance.com seemed to ring a bell with me, but I clicked on it anyway. After reading through the site, it seems there is a monthly charge to use it after your 7-day free trial. Hmm...
2. So I looked around a bit and found that GoFreelance.com has been scamming writers for some time. Check out this article from Katherine at Swan's Blog for more informaiton about this scam site.
3. Not that the rate of $55 for 400 words is totally outrageious. I think it's a fair rate, actually. But rarely do I see this kind of pay on Craig's List ads. That, combined with the ambiguity of the types of articles that were to be written, caused me to wonder.

For the record, neither of these folks replied to my emails questioning them and their authenticity. Interesting. Also, I want to mention that I rarely apply for freelance gigs lately, as I"m putting a lot of my energy into my own personal blogs at the moment. The jobs I have applied for have been ones that truly seemed worthwhile and that I would be interested in. In addition, the sites that I use to search for jobs are very reputable, ones that I trust implicity. These are Freelance Writing Jobs and About Freelance Writing. If I was foooled into applying for these jobs, and they slipped past Deb and Anne's radar, you know these were well-worded ads that anyone could be tricked into applying for.

So please be careful when applying for writing gigs. Don't give any personal, identifying information unless you feel completely comfortable with the authenticity of the person or company offering the job. If you have any doubts, be sure to ask for references. Also, there is often a contract or tax documents that are required for legitimate jobs. Not always, but often. And never pay money for work. Check out this article by Deb on Top 10 Freelance Job Ad Red Flags for more things to be on the lookout for.

Always do your own due diligence and research. Don't let the scammers intimidate you into not applying for jobs. Just be aware that they exist and that the job boards aren't the only place to find paying gigs. Have you ever been scammed? Please share your tips for avoiding scams in the comments.