Six-Figure Freelancer Blog

Editwrite Seminars for Writers

Editwrite communications will be offering a number of workshops for writers in 2009. I am privileged to be conducting several of them. You can read about all of Editwrite’s seminars, and find out more about the ones that I will be conducting, here: www.writeware.ca. All seminars are located at: St Luke’s Anglican Church, 1513 Dixie Rd., Mississauga. The seminars that I will be conducting include:

How to Find Corporate Writing and Editing Assignments - $55.00
Date: Jan 29 2009; 9:00 am to 12:30 pm

How to Profitably Price Corporate Assignments - $55.00
Date: Jan 29 2009, 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Effective Interviewing Techniques - $55.00
Date: Feb 12 2009, 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Work the Freelance Market: Write Query Letters Editors Will Read - $89.00
Date: Mar 28 2009, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm

How to Find and Profitably Price Corporate Assignments - $89.00
Date: Apr 04 2009, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

For more about the seminars or to register for a seminar, visit: www.writeware.ca.

Posted in Freelance Writing - General, Workshops, Seminars & Online Courses | No Comments »

Bill Drezel’s Freelance Anthem

I know I said my last post was my last post for 2008, but someone sent me this YouTube link and I just have to pass it along. I hope you enjoy Bill Drezel’s Freelance Anthem.

____________________
Paul Lima is a freelance writer, copywriter, business writing instructor and media interview trainer. He is also the author of several books on business writing and the business of freelance writing. His latest book is How To Write A Non-Fiction Book in 60 Days.

Posted in Freelance Writing - General | No Comments »

A quick guide to blog post categories

In my last post of 2008 I want to wish all “Six-Figure Freelancer” blog readers happy holidays and all the best in the New Year. If you want to explore this blog over the holidays, follow the handy topic guide to quickly get to posts on topics that may be of particular interest you:
- Business Training
- Business Writing
- Copywriting
- Freelance Writing - Corporate
- Freelance Writing - Newspaper/Magazine
- Marketing Your Services
- Business Vision
- Media Relations
- Pricing Corporate Assignments
- Search Engine Optimization
- Self-Publishing & Print On Demand

Posted in Freelance Writing - General | No Comments »

“60 Days” avail. on Amazon & Chapters; watch the trailer

How to Write a Non-fiction book in 60 Days has found a publisher - Five Rivers Chapmanry - and is now available on Amazon and Chapters, as well as W.H. Smith in England. The e-book is still available from Lulu.com. The video trailer is now on YouTube - but you should be able to watch it below.

How to Write a Non-fiction book in 60 Days is ideal for consultants, workshop leaders, speakers, freelance writers or anyone with a great idea who wants to quickly write a solid, focused and effective first draft of a non-fiction book- in 60 days.

Suggested Retail:
- eBook: $US9.95 (PDF) - available from Lulu.com
- Trade paperback: $US14.95 or $CND19.95:
Available in Canadian funds: Chapters.ca and Amazon.ca.
Available in US funds: Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble
Available online in Pounds: W.H. Smith

Read about other books by Paul Lima.

Posted in Freelance Writing - General, My Books, Self-Publishing & Print On Demand | No Comments »

If your New Year’s resolution is to…

What ever your New Year’s resolution is, I hope it comes true — I hope you find the desire, dedication and discipline to make it happen. And I hope you have a safe, happy and healthy holidays! All the best for the rest of the year, and have a great 2009.

If you have not already defined your business vision for 2009, you might want to work on it over the next week or so. Without a business vision, it’s difficult to create a business plan. Without a business plan, it’s difficult to create a marketing plan. Without a marketing plan, it’s difficult to promote and develop your business.

If you want some assistance creating your business vision, you might want to start with my business vision blog posts, in particular: Want to boost your business? Start with your business vision.

And by the way, if your New Year’s resolution is to write a non-fiction book, become a freelance writer (or expand your freelance writing business), then you might want to kick-start your resolution with books on writing non-fiction books or writing on a freelance basis for newspapers, magazines or corporate clients.

Regards,
Paul Lima
writer@paullima.com
www.paullima.com
www.paullima.com/books
**********************
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks
like work.” - Thomas Edison

Posted in Business Vision, Freelance Writing - General, Marketing Your Services | No Comments »

Why the recession will (and won’t) be good for freelancers

Many freelancers have asked me what I think about the recession: Will it be good, bad or indifferent for freelancers? My answer: All of the above.

Let’s be blunt. Some companies go bankrupt during recessions. If you are working for a company that disappears off the face of the earth, you will lose your job. If you are freelancing for such a company, your freelance opportunities will disappear. Not much you can do about that.

On the other hand, some companies and organizations — not many, I admit — do well during recessions, and they will continue to hire freelancers. The entertainment industry often does well as people look for inexpensive escapism. Collection agencies often expand their business for obvious reasons. Various government agencies that support people who have lost jobs and need social assistance often grow. As these companies and organizations grow, they tend to be cautious. Instead of taking on full-time staff, they often contract out work to freelancers and other independent practitioners.

But what about the companies that simply manage to hold the line or at least avoid shrinking into oblivion. Such companies either shed or hire freelancers. Why they would shed freelancers seems obvious. During a recession, companies look to cut costs. Often, that means cutting or eliminating the freelance budget. Instead of contracting out writing services (or services such as graphic design, web site development, application development, and so on) they handle the work in house. On the other hand, when it comes to cutting costs, some companies shed full-time staff. Writing (and other services) that were done in house are then contracted out to third parties — freelancers and other independent practitioners.

So while freelance jobs will be lost during the recession, there will also be new freelance opportunities. Will the freelance losses and opportunities come out even? A lot depends on how deep and prolonged the recession is. But no matter how deep or prolonged the recession is, freelancers who sit back hoping opportunities will find them will be the biggest losers. The fact is, whether times are good or bad, freelancers who actively and strategically market their services (and deliver the goods) do well or at least hold the line.

Want to know more about marketing your services. You can read 30 blog post on Marketing Your Services here - http://paullima.com/blog/?cat=16.

Posted in Freelance Writing - Corporate, Marketing Your Services | 2 Comments »

Why I support the Liberal/NDP/BQ accord

On occasion, I digress from the business of freelance writing. Not often, but I have to today. I support the Liberal/NDP/BQ accord for a number of reasons. None doing with my political persuasion. I have voted for various parties, including the conservatives, in my life.

First, like it or not, it is legal and constitutional. It is not a coup d’état. Harper did not win the election. He won the most seats, but he did not win a majority government. In fact, one can say he blew it with arts funding cuts and saying we should lock the doors and throw away the keys for young offenders. Oh, and his brilliant response to questions about the looming recession: “I’d say now is a good time to invest in the stock market.” Again, doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with his stance on each of those issues; the majority of Canadians did not. The election was his to win, and he blew it.

For the last few weeks, I was actually impressed with Harper. He was looking like a statesman on the world stage. And then came the economic update. Why in heck would a minority government poke a sleeping lion with a stick, especially when that stick had nothing to do with solving the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression? How would removing government funding for political parties help stem the recession? How would shutting down pay equity appeals help stem the recession? How would ending the public sector’s right to strike help stem the recession?

The political statesman on the world stage became a petty, mean-spirited ideologue in Parliament. He reminds me of the worst of Mike Harris, an angry, mean-spirited, petty individual. Again, you can agree or disagree with Harper’s stance on each of the above issues. But you have to ask yourself: Did he raise those issues in the recent election? What in heck’s name do they have to do with the economic recession?

If Harper wants to know why he may soon lose power, all he has to do is look in the mirror. He blew the election that was his to win, and he gave the opposition reasons to come together to defeat his minority government. Like it or not, like it or not, what the opposition proposes to do is legal and constitutional. If Harper wanted to avoid his defeat, he should have governed as if he won a minority of seat in the last election because, as I recall, that is exactly what he won - a minority of seats. And it takes a majority to govern in a democracy.

If I were a member of the Conservative Party, I’d be looking at my leadership options right now, because all of this rests on the shoulders of Harper and his small cadre of insulated, out of touch advisers.

Posted in Freelance Writing - General | No Comments »

What freelance writers enjoy; what they do…

When it comes to publishing articles, periodicals are voracious beasts. Editors at an incredible number of newspapers, magazines, trade publications, news/lifestyle/information websites (as well as corporate and government publications and websites) hire hundreds (thousands!) of freelance writers to write scores of articles daily. The question is, Do you have what it takes to be a freelance writer?

Does this sound like you:
• I enjoy learning
• I like to conduct research
• I like to interview people (even though I consider myself shy)
• I’d like to use what I like to do to earn an income, albeit one that may be rather modest in the beginning
• I don’t mind having to bug people about getting back to me
• I like to talk on the phone, use e-mail, surf the Web
• I want to run my own business
• I work well on my own
• I am disciplined, or can be when I have to be
• I thrive under the pressure of deadlines
• I love to write; I live to write!
• I like to edit and I’m okay with having someone else edit my work (or I’m not okay with it, but can accept it if it means I get paid to write)

Does that sound like a work life you’d enjoy? If not, now is a good time to pause and think about what it means to be a freelance writer, especially one who focuses on writing for newspapers and magazines. Most of your work is done from home on the phone, although you may meet interviewees in coffee shops, at their homes or at their places of business. If you are a travel writer, you will travel – but you will be working as you move from place to place. Also, the money isn’t the greatest, especially when you first start out. As with any business, it can take you a year or more to build up your network of contacts and to generate repeat business.

If that does sound like you, then you want to be a freelance writer and write for newspapers and magazines or for the corporate market. Bravo!

But just what do freelance writers do?
You can run a full-time or part-time freelance writing business if you possess:
• Solid research and writing skills
• The ability to communicate effectively (by phone, e-mail, and face-to-face)
• Basic business skills (which most people have, even if they think they do not).

Most freelance writers work from home on projects they have sold to editors or on articles that editors have assigned to them. My book, The Business of Freelance Writing: How to Develop Article Ideas and Sell Them to Newspapers and Magazines, focuses on writing for the periodical (newspaper and magazine). But I’d be remiss if I did not mention that many writers work from home writing for a variety of corporate clients (which my book, The Six-Figure Freelancer: How to Find, Price and Manage Corporate Writing Assignments, focuses on.

Some freelancers work on contract for publishers or corporations. Writers on contract tend to work on location, but might work from home several days a week. Other writers work from small offices they have set up away from home. These writers, however, are usually engaged in public relations or high-end corporate communications.

I believe that freelance writers – be they freelance journalists (news stories, feature articles, how-to and other information-oriented articles), freelance corporate writers (advertising copy, press releases, reports, manuals, public relations, and so on) – are in business: the business of writing. However, writing is only one aspect of running a freelance writing business.

As the proprietor of your own business, you are responsible for:
• Identifying your product. (Do you know what you want to write about?)
• Developing article ideas.
• Identifying market (editors, publishers, companies, government agencies, PR agencies, etc.) that might be inclined to buy your services/ideas. (For instance, do you know the types, let alone the names, of publications you want to write for?)
• Pitching or marketing your services to your target market.
• Following up on your pitches.
• Negotiating a fee for service (at times this may be fixed by the publication).
• Producing the goods (once you land the job).
• Invoicing for your services and, on occasion, collecting overdue accounts.

Does that sound like work? It is. Freelance writing is a business and running any business involves working in a dedicated, disciplined, strategic and organized manner so you can achieve your business goals and objectives.

You can find much more information on all of that in this blog and in my books on freelance writing: The Business of Freelance Writing: How to Develop Article Ideas and Sell Them to Newspapers and Magazines and The Six-Figure Freelancer: How to Find, Price and Manage Corporate Writing Assignments.

Posted in Freelance Writing - Corporate, Freelance Writing - General, Freelance Writing - Newspaper/Magazine | 1 Comment »

Advance Order Discount on Two New Books, including ‘60 days’

The publisher of my book, How to Write a Non-fiction Book in 60 Days, is offering a 25% advance order discount on two new books in her stable — including 60 Days. The other book is Elephant’s Breath & London Smoke: Historical Colour Names, Definitions & Uses, by Deb Salisbury. 60 Days will be available early in the new year; Elephant’s Breath will be available in the spring of ‘09. While you can buy 60 Days now through my web site and print on demand company, if you can wait until the new year and want the discount, put in your advance order through Five Rivers Chapmanry.

How to Write a Non-fiction Book in 60 Days, by Paul Lima. $14.95 (order before Christmas to receive a 25% discount). ISBN 978-0-9739278-4-9. 6 x 9 Trade Paperback. Release date: January 1, 2009

In the New Year, How to Write a Non-fiction Book in 60 Days will be available through online booksellers internationally, as well as select bookstores in Ontario.The title says it all. The book will show you how to create a detailed, chapter-by-chapter outline and how to write each chapter from point to point. In addition, the book includes two bonus chapters: one on self-publishing and one on constructing effective sentences and paragraphs.

Elephant’s Breath & London Smoke: Historical Colour Names, Definitions & Uses by Deb Salisbury is an indispensable tool for the historical garment maven and researcher, covering colour names, definitions and uses through primary sources from Elizabethan through Edwardian Eras, and will be the first of three books on historical garment terms, fabrications and fashion.

Posted in My Books | No Comments »

Review: Adobe Acrobat 9 brings multimedia to PDFs

Almost any computer user can read Adobe Acrobat files using the Adobe Acrobat Reader. And many computer users can convert word processing and other files to Acrobat files using free downloads, such as CutePDF Writer and other conversion applications. However, if you want to experience the full power of creating multi-media Acrobat files, you have purchase the full version of Adobe Acrobat.

The latest release, Adobe Acrobat 9, makes it possible for users to create Acrobat files and collaborate with coworkers, partners, and customers, in the office or even worldwide across company networks and the Web.

While there are an array of new features in Acrobat 9, entertainment industry and production companies might be particularly interested in the ability to convert popular video formats, such as QuickTime (MOV) and Windows Media Video (WMV), to Adobe Flash for easy integration into Portable Document Format (PDF) files. All content in the PDF file can be viewed online or offline by anyone with the free Adobe Reader 9, eliminating the need to use additional video players and overcoming problems communicating across platforms.

Acrobat 9’s native support for Flash means users can create interactive PDF portfolios that unify rich video, 3D models, maps, and other engaging content. Multimedia content can be combined with a variety of static document types such as spreadsheets, text documents and e-mail to enhance pitches, proposals and promotional material. And if you are working with partners in other locations, cities or even countries, which happens a great deal with complex development deals, you can use collaboration features in Acrobat 9 to participate in real-time, digital document reviews.

So what do you do with this? A pitch or proposal can be set up to better engage prospective investor with tailored information that moves effortlessly from video clips or trailers to images and bios to graphic budgets and other information.

While learning how to use any new application can take time, Adobe allows you to choose from a variety of stylish templates to quickly integrate content, define navigation, and add polish to PDFs. You can easily alter and customize templates with details like logos, color schemes, photos, and contact information.

The Acrobat 9 family includes Acrobat 9 Pro Extended, Acrobat 9 Pro, and Acrobat 9 Standard, all offering an array of new and enhanced features. You can read more about Adobe Acrobat Pro Extended online.

Posted in Marketing Your Services, Published Articles | No Comments »