Freelance Writing & Business Communication

Freelancer doesn’t have to mean “starving artist”

My colleagues Ed Gandia, Pete Savage and Steve Slaunwhite at TheWealthyFreelancer.com (the blog on that site is well worth reading) have just written an excellent book titled The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle.

Getting great clients and well-paying work is something that alludes many freelancers — especially in this economy. But this book is packed with the practical, hard-earned strategies Ed, Pete and Steve have used to consistently attract good-paying clients, earn high incomes and enjoy a great quality of life. And hey, they even quote the author of The Six-Figure Freelancer (that would be me) in their book – thanks, guys!

The Wealthy Freelancer is essential reading for any freelancer or solo professional who wants to enjoy a business and lifestyle that are “wealthy” in every sense of the word.

The book will only set you back 11 bucks and change. And as part of their launch effort, Steve, Pete and Ed are giving away a variety of fr*e instructional materials — products that are designed to help you improve very specific areas of your freelance business. The catch? You have to grab a copy of The Wealthy Freelancer by midnight on Friday (March 12).

To learn more about the book or the bonus materials Ed, Pete and Steve are giving away this week, visit www.TheWealthyFreelancer.com/amazon.

Posted in Freelance Writing - Corporate, Freelance Writing - General | No Comments »

When the Economist acknowledges Print on Demand, you know it’s taking off

The boom in printing on demand
Just press print; new technology promises to prolong the life of the book

ESPRESSO might seem an odd name for a bookmaking machine. But the wardrobe-sized apparatus at Blackwell, a bookstore in central London, and 30 other locations worldwide can print a paperback in about the time it takes to make and drink a shot of caffeine. A black-and-white printer produces the pages; a colour one the cover; they are then glued together by a third device which sits behind Plexiglas for passers-by to admire.

To some this is just “retail theatre”, a clever way to lure people into bookstores. But others view it as the logical step in a development that has picked up speed recently, yet has not received nearly as much attention as electronic readers or touch-screen tablets: the printing of books on demand, rather than on a publisher’s hunch.

Full article here.

Posted in Self-Publishing & Print On Demand | No Comments »

Feature article leads: follow them with a nut ‘graph

Excerpted from Business of Freelance Writing: How to Develop Article Ideas and Sell Them to Newspapers and Magazines

Rather than having a “who, what, where, when and why” (W5) lead that delivers the news, the feature article lead is meant to draw the reader into a longer, more leisurely (sometimes contentious) look at a subject, person, or event. The lead may focus on a scenario, a person or a detailed retelling of an event. It may pose questions. It may be blunt; it may be obscure. But it holds a promise that all will be revealed.

Unlike news articles that often peter out towards the end, feature articles have defined beginnings (lead), middles (body), and ends (conclusion). The longer, more leisurely lead is a staple of feature writing for magazines. The middle builds on the opening, putting flesh on the bones of the themes or characters introduced in the lead. And the end often reflects or echoes the beginning of the article, as you will see below.

Sample Feature Lead
Kevin Huber can differentiate between intense light and dark shadows. Other than that, he sees nothing. Legally blind since birth, Kevin can navigate through his word processing package as fast as any computer user I’ve seen.
Kevin, 38, has his Masters in Science from Guelph University and works as a client support representative for Microcomputer Science Centre in Mississauga where he tests computer systems and software intended for use by visually challenged persons, and shows instructors how to train disabled persons on computers.

While he cannot see the keys, he can touch type on his standard keyboard. And while he cannot see his computer screen, he hears what others see thanks to his IBM Screen Reader and speech synthesizer – two tools that translate visual information into audible information.

Kevin’s dark, deep-set eyes almost twinkle when I ask him if he can imagine life without computers. “I don’t have to imagine it. I lived it,” he says and he vividly recalls his university days when typing a 500-word essay was a chore.
Kevin is one of many physically disabled persons who successfully use adaptive technology to adjust to their particular challenge.

This is where the lead ends. Notice the shift in tone as the body of the article, another 1,500 words, begins with a nut ‘graph (what the article is about in a nutshell or in one paragraph or ‘graph). Somewhat like a W5 news lead, the nut graph – the story in a nutshell – focuses the reader’s attention on the topic or issue on which the article is focused. (I find it also helps get the writer focused.)

So here is what the lead leads the reader to:
As slanted sidewalks, or curb cuts, are used to make streets more accessible to mobility challenged persons, adaptive technology, or electronic curb cuts, are used to make computers more accessible to physically challenged persons.

Physical challenges can be divided into three categories – visual, hearing, and mobility. Visual challenges range from reduced visual acuity to blindness. Hearing challenges range from slight loss of hearing to deafness. And mobility challenges range from impaired movement of limbs to limited movement of the head and lips…

So why start with Kevin rather than curb cuts?
As its name implies, the human-interest lead attempts to draw readers into the article by making them interested in the human aspects of the issues. Notice how it doesn’t just name a person, Kevin, but tries to paint a portrait of Kevin by focusing on his ability, disability, age, educational background and even his eyes. Appropriate for an article that opens with a blind person, no?

The body of the article is rather straightforward. It builds on “Physical challenges can be divided into three categories – visual, hearing, and mobility” by detailing the technology available to help those with the challenges outlined. But who reappears at the end of the article? Kevin.

While advances in adaptive technology make computers more accessible for the disabled, access can still be a difficult and frustrating experience. Kevin Huber knows that first hand. But while he sometimes lags behind non-disabled computer users when learning new programs, he is not afraid to play with the new programs.

“I get into a lot of trouble others don’t get into, but I learn more too.”
Huber’s advice to anybody thinking about entering the world of computers? “Embrace it with an open mind,” he says because computers enable the disabled to participate in learning and employment experiences that may otherwise be closed to them.

If the article were a profile focused solely on Kevin and his accomplishments, he would not have disappeared. But the article was meant to provide a service – to inform physically challenged individuals and their employers of the computer “curb cut” options available.

Kevin reappears to complete the circle: to connect the end of the story with its beginning. It is the payoff, the reward so to speak, for the reader. It makes the reader say, “Oh yeah, I remember why I started reading this.” By closing the circle and bringing the reader back to the beginning, it makes the reader feel good or helps reinforce what the reader has learned.

To deny the reader that moment is, in my opinion, to deny the purpose of writing. And yet, to overplay it is to hit the reader over the head with a sledgehammer and deny him or her a moment of self-enlightenment.

If all this sounds manipulative, it is. You are writing. It is a conscious act. You choose the words, sentences and paragraphs. You choose what information to put in, and what not to put in. When to quote, when to paraphrase and when to ignore what somebody has told you. You choose where to start and how to end your article.

If it seems obviously manipulative, you may lose your reader. Your goal, then, is to do it without making a manipulative process seem as if it is a manipulative process.

Although it may sound like walking a tightrope, the more you read and analyze and the more you write, the more natural it becomes and feels. I was tempted to say ‘the easier it becomes’ but it’s never easy. If it became easy then everybody would do it. But it is, for me, always fun. Well, almost…

Excerpted from Business of Freelance Writing: How to Develop Article Ideas and Sell Them to Newspapers and Magazines

Posted in Freelance Writing - General, Freelance Writing - Newspaper/Magazine | No Comments »

Article: Self-Publishing, Author Services Open Floodgates for Writers

by Carla King

Mid-level authors already know that the era of large advances, generous royalties, book tours and media spots are over. They have to spend their own time and money to create a website and publicize their books. Publishers just don’t have the resources to offer them full support. Why? The Internet, online bookstores, e-books, and an economy in decline are cited as some root causes of the steady slump in the traditional publishing industry. In 2005 sales were down by 9 percent (and have continued to fall). Yet in 2006 print-on-demand exploded.

The 2007 Bowker report quotes Kelly Gallagher, general manager of business intelligence for New Providence, N.J.-based Bowker, saying, “The most startling development last year is the reporting of ‘On Demand’ titles…which mostly consists of reprints of public domain titles and other short-run books.”

Read the full article here.

Posted in Self-Publishing & Print On Demand | No Comments »

What does it take to write a book in 60 days?

What does it take to write a book in 60 days?

It takes an idea: There is no point in trying to write your book unless you have a clear, focused idea. If you have an idea, you can then follow the process required to move from your idea to a solid first draft of your book.

It takes purpose: An idea is necessary, but you also need a reason for writing or a purpose. I don’t mean that you need an airy-fairy lofty reason for writing your book (not that is anything wrong with having a lofty purpose). What you need is a clearly defined, grounded purpose–to inform, educate, persuade, entertain, sell, and so on. Having a clearly defined purpose will help you focus on achieving what you set out to do.

It takes knowledge of your reader: Your idea and your purpose must be in sync with a clearly defined target audience or group of readers who require the information you are presenting. Before you start to write, visualize your readers. Ask yourself what they know, and what they need to know, so you can logically present information that meets their expectations.

It takes time: How to Write a Non-Fiction Book in 60 Days will show you how to use your time productively to brainstorm all you need to know about your subject matter, to organize your thoughts, and to outline your book — before you start to write. And it will show you how to write effectively and efficiently from outline point to outline point, until you complete a solid first draft of your book — in 60 working days.

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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 My Books, Self-Publishing & Print On Demand | No Comments »

Guest post: 5 Ways to Prevent Your Writing From Becoming Stale

5 Ways to Prevent Your Writing From Becoming Stale
By Anna Mille

If there are better jobs than being a freelance writer, I’ve yet to come across them. Yes, I’m certainly biased because I love my profession, but there are a few downsides to being a full-time writer too, the biggest of which is that there are numerous opportunities for your work to become stale and uninteresting. The worst part of this is that you hardly ever realize that you’re going down the hill in terms of quality because you’re so accustomed to writing in the same style, using the same technique that has always worked for you.

The key to being a good writer, though, is to stay relevant. To do this, you need to reinvent yourself every now and then. So if you’re looking for ways to prevent your writing from becoming stale, here’s what you need to do:

• Switch topics: When you write about the same subject day after day, you’re pretty much exhausted your resources and end up repeating the same stuff again and again, using different words and phrases no doubt, but repeating your ideas all the same. When you start to feel yourself get stale, switch subjects. This move not only gives your brain a new lease of life, it also sparks a new interest in work. You feel rejuvenated and are able to add more pep to your writing.
• Review your previous work: Before you start to hear the critics harp about your work, review it yourself. Check for oft-used phrases and jargon and try and avoid them in your next article. When you go through your work from a few months ago, you see the flaws that are creeping in and making your writing stale and can avoid them consciously in your current and future assignments.
• Take time to write for yourself: When you’re churning out articles as part of your work, some of the joy of writing evaporates into thin air. This makes writing seem like drudgery rather than a creative expression and your work starts to suffer. Spend some time writing about the things that inspire you and give you that adrenaline rush even though it’s not part of your regular work. When you write for your soul, you’re able to infuse a breath of fresh air into your routine assignments.
• Gain more exposure: When you take time to involve yourself in new activities and meet people from diverse backgrounds, you add to your general awareness quotient and your writing improves as a result. You gain a new perspective to various aspects of life, and this helps freshness creep into your writing once again.
• Take a break: And finally, if all else fails, you probably need a break from staring at your computer screen all day long and hunching your fingers over the keyboard like mechanical claws. Shut down your system for a few days, go on a vacation, or just take time off from writing so you can clear the cobwebs in your head and come back a new and improved person.

This guest post is contributed by Anna Miller, who writes on the topic of online degrees. She welcomes your comments at anna.miller009@gmail.com

Posted in Freelance Writing - Corporate, Freelance Writing - General, Freelance Writing - Newspaper/Magazine | No Comments »

Before you can write effective ad copy, you need to know the USP

A lot goes into writing effective ad copy, but before you can write effective ad copy, you have to know the unique selling proposition (USP) of the product you are promoting.

USP is the proposition or selling point (feature, benefit, or advantage) that makes a product (service, company, or brand) unique, or differentiates it from the competition.

Domino’s all but took over the delivered pizza market with their USP: fresh, hot pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed! Domino’s did not even promise that the pizza would taste good. Of course, the USP has since been copied by many competitors, as is often the case with USPs that work, rendering it less than unique. So today’s USP may not be the USP you use tomorrow.

Anyone who grew up feasting on M&M’s can tell you what its USP was: M&M’s melt in your mouth, not in your hands. Does “melts in your mouth…” sound like a slogan? It was a slogan. It was also used as a headline. It was also what differentiated M&Ms from other candy-coated chocolate, hence it was the USP.

Again, USPs are often co-opted by the competition and must change when they are no longer unique. Anacin offered “fast, fast relief.” Now almost every pain medicine acts “fast.” Colgate used to say, “Cleans your breath as it cleans your teeth.” Try to find toothpaste that does not do that today. In fact, try to find a mouth rinse that does not clean your teeth!

So USPs can, and often do, evolve (or radically change) over time. Your job is, as copywriter, is to know what the USP at the time you are writing the ad copy. The degree to which you incorporate it into your ad will depend on a number of external factors, but I suggest that you should not start writing until you know what the USP is.

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Paul Lima is a freelance writer, copywriter, and business writing instructor. He is also the author of several books on business writing and the business of freelance writing, including Copy Writing That Works.

Posted in Copywriting | 2 Comments »

Marketing until you puke to achieve your bliss or business vision…

Interesting Olympic tid-bit: Jennifer Heil, (Canada’s silver medalist in moguls) literally trains until she pukes. There is a bucket in the training area and if any of the mogul competitors she trains with pushes themselves to the point where they need to use the bucket, they get their name and date inscribed on the bucket.

How many of us can say we are that we push ourselves until we figurativley puke — that we are that committed to developing our passion or business?

I am using puke metaphorically here. The question I am asking is this: What are you doing to push yourself to achieve your bliss or business vision?

At the height of the dot-com boom, the slogan on my website was Paul Lima, the dot-com writer. You can image what my business was like shortly after the boom went bust. I lost 80% of my clients, many before they paid their final invoice. I had to scramble hard to change the direction of my business and to develop it, almost from the ground up. Reflecting back on the time after the boom went bust, I’d have to say I pushed myself, marketing my business, until I puked (again, figuratively… although as I watched the boom go bust there were days I almost puked for other reasons).

What did you do yesterday, what are you doing today, what will you do tomorrow… to make your personal or business vision real? How much time will you spend on making your personal or business vision real? Do you have a clear vision? And do you know what you have to do to reach it (so you can spend your time effectively and efficiently)?

Do you want to reach your goals? Push yourself a little harder every day, and make sure you are pushing yourself in the right direction.

Posted in Business Vision, Freelance Writing - General, Marketing Your Services, Time Management | 1 Comment »

Seminar: Write Killer Query Letters That Editors will Read (Toronto)

Write Killer Query Letters That Editors will Read
This workshop for writers who focus on the print market will help you develop article ideas and write effective query letters that busy magazine and newspaper editors will pay attention to. This one-day workshop will:

• help you fully develop article ideas
• take you through the process of finding the right editors at appropriate publications
• show you how to write stellar query letters that sell you as the best person to write the article

You will also learn what items you need to discuss when the editor says ‘yes’ to your idea.

Write Killer Query Letters that Editors Will Read is based on Paul Lima’s bestselling book, The Business of Freelance Writing: How to Develop Article Ideas and Sell Them to Newspapers and Magazines.

Who should attend: If you are a beginning freelance writer or an experienced journalist trying to get more of your story ideas accepted and published, you will find this workshop valuable.
Where: St. Luke’s Anglican Church,1513 Dixie Rd., Miss.
When: Sat., Mar. 13, 2010, 9:30a.m. – 4:30p.m.
Cost (includes GST): $79 (general public)
$65 for members of any of the following associations: WEN, PWAC, HHWEN, WCDR
Pay online: www.writeware.ca. Go to the workshops page and choose Write Killer Query Letters that Editors Will Read.
More information: workshops@writeware.ca

Posted in Workshops, Seminars & Online Courses | 1 Comment »

Seven Book Agreement reached with Five Rivers

This morning I reached an agreement with Five Rivers to publish seven of my business and promotional writing and business of freelance writing books.

In January 2009, Five Rivers released my How to Write a Non-fiction Book in 60 Days. To date it has gone on to sell almost 700 copies in Canada, the US and UK, and has constitently held the top 100 spot in its category on both UK and Canadian Amazon sites. It is available through online booksellers in both print and eBook format globally, direct from Five Rivers, and in select Indigo chain stores.

Five Rivers uses print on demand to effectively, efficiently and affordably distribute books and I am no stranger to the POD and self-publishing phenomenon. I have published several books and e-reports through Lulu. In 2009, encouraged by Lorina Stephens at Five Rivers, I released under my own imprint Harness the Business Writing Process and (re)Discover the Joy of Creative Writing, with global distribution through Ingram. The former is a textbook used in a business writing course at the University of Toronto.

It had been my intention to eventually revise and reissue his Lulu titles using Lightning Source Inc., and have all his work available through Ingram Distribution. My work as a freelance writer and corporate trainer, however, capitalized most of my time. Given the long-standing relationship between Stephens and me, the agreement today to have Five Rivers publish my revised titles should come as no surprise. We have been associates for over 20 years;; however, up until May 2009 we had never met face to face.

The publishing agreement will see updated and revised releases of the following titles:

• Harness the Business Writing Process
• (re)Discover the Joy of Creative Writing
• Everything You Wanted to Know about Freelance Writing
• Copywriting that Works: Bright Ideas to Help You Inform, Persuade, Motivate and Sell
• How to Write Media Releases and Promote Your Business, Organization or Event
• Do You Know Where Your Website Ranks? How to Optimize Your Website for the Best Possible Search Engine Results
• Build a Better Business Foundation: Create a Business Vision, Write a Business Plan, Produce a Marketing Plan

The Everything and Copywriting books are both texts in University of Toronto continuing education courses.

Five Rivers will start releasing revised titles later this year.

For more information about Five Rivers, visit www.5rivers.org. For more information about Paul Lima, visit www.paullima.com.

Posted in My Books | 4 Comments »