February 7, 2012

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Open Thread: What do YOU want to read about?

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It’s been a little over a year since I last posed this question. Most of you know you can email me or comment if you’d like to see something specific here on the blog. But today I’m encouraging you to voice those opinions (I know you have them) and tell me what type of content you’d like to see in the future on this blog.

Do you want to see more of the author interviews I used to do? Are you interested in writing tips or more posts on the business side of freelancing? Maybe you’d like to watch some video blogs about freelancing instead of reading every single post? Or is there something missing that I haven’t even thought of? Do tell!
Filed Under: open thread

5 Ways for Writers to Avoid an Online Scammer

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These days, most of us are familiar with scams of the “become a millionaire by working only an hour a day from your couch” or “send your bank account number so the prince of Nigeria can deposit $50,000″ variety. Delete! But freelancers are also susceptible to a more insidious kind of scammer: the kind who seem to offer a legit opportunity, then disappear as soon as you submit your invoice or start asking tough questions.

In fact, I once read a forum post from a guy who scammed unsuspecting writers by posting on Craigslist and asking respondents to write custom articles for a supposed writing opportunity. Then he sold those articles to content mills for a profit and never wrote back to those writers. (Scumbag!) Here’s how to avoid people like him.
  1. Think twice about spec work. There are a few situations where it makes sense to write on speculation. Like if you’re new to the field and don’t have any samples. Or if it’s a company you’re dying to work with and know you could use those samples elsewhere if it doesn’t pan out. But if you’re a seasoned writer, then your samples and credentials speak for themselves in many cases. Know that if you write or design or code something specifically for a prospect without a signed contract, it’s tough to prevent them from using your work and stiffing you. The same goes with consulting time. Sometimes a prospect will keep asking questions and pumping you for free information without any intention of hiring you to do the job. Be wary.

  2. Do some digging. Google the name of the person or company and include words like “bankrupt” or “scam.” Not everyone who files for bankruptcy is going to shortchange you, but it’s good to enter into a new client relationship with your eyes fully open. There are also sites devoted to educating people on potential scammers. For instance, you might check out Predators & Editors and WritersWeekly’s Whispers and Warnings.

  3. Ask around. In addition to Googling the client, you can also ask your freelance friends if they’ve had good or bad experiences with a certain company. Email someone you trust or post your question on a private forum or list serve. Take one or two bad reports with a grain of salt, but if late (or totally nonexistent) paychecks are the trend, take heed. This may not be the project for you.

  4. Get an address and phone number. When I start a new project, I always ask for the phone number and address of the company. Even though most of my communication is via email and some of my clients are halfway around the world, it’s helpful to have this information in case my contact goes MIA. I once had a client bounce a check and sending a registered letter to their offices got things straightened out fairly quickly. Had the letter not worked, I could have reported them to the local police, since passing a bad check is illegal. If someone refuses to fork over a physical address and phone number, that could be a red flag because they don’t want you to be able to track them down.

  5. Go with your gut. Sometimes, you just know something isn’t right. Early in my freelance career, I would get a bad feeling about a certain project or client, but I’d agree to the terms anyway because I couldn’t pinpoint a good reason not to and I really wanted the work. Not anymore! I’ve been burned once or twice so now if my intuition tells me an opportunity is too good to be true, I listen. And promptly run in the opposite direction.

This topic ties in rather nicely with Writer’s Worth Day, which was last Friday. All week Lori Widmer posted tips on how writers can protect themselves, so be sure to check that out, too.

Have you been scammed? How do you avoid these ugly characters?

Flickr photo courtesy of B Rosen

Filed Under: business of writing, scams

Are You Earning What You’re Worth?

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Lori Widmer has declared today Writer’s Worth Day, so that’s the topic of today’s post. Lori’s blog features some great tips for writers on earning what you’re worth, and I encourage you to hope on over to Words on the Page and take a look.

I can’t tell you exactly how much you ought to charge for writing, because there are too many variables, and frankly, I’m still figuring this out myself. Experience, geography, and the complexity of the project all factor in. Still, there are some instances where I think it’s safe to say that you’re getting screwed. Here they are…

  • Your 16-year-old cousin earns more folding t-shirts at American Eagle. Remember, as a self-employed professional, you have to buy your own health insurance and equipment, plus pay self-employment tax. Regardless of where you live or how experienced you are, you should be earning more than minimum wage. Period.

  • Your per word rate is decent, but after three rounds of edits, the story is half the original length and your hourly rate is too depressing to even think about. Maybe you’re doing this for the clip (which is fine), but it in the future, try to limit yourself to one round of edits, two tops. Anything more than that, and it’s time to renegotiate your fee. I just put my foot down after revisions on an article got out of hand, and the editor finally agreed with me. Be professional, but don’t be a pushover.

  • You’re earning $XX for every thousand page views. I don’t care what some smooth-talking web entrepreneur tells you, this setup almost never amounts to much for the writer. If you don’t believe me, then read what WritersWeekly recently uncovered about Examiner.com’s payment model. They tried to recruit me awhile back, and I thought I smelled a rat. Turns out my instincts were right.

  • Your client calls every half hour to micromanage a project and you don’t bill for that time. If you’re not billing by the hour, then it’s time to start screening your calls! If you are, then you should tack that time onto your invoice. It will help long-winded clients stay on topic and prevent you from losing valuable work time.

  • The project changes scope, but the budget doesn’t change. Ah, the classic bait and switch. Sometimes you have to be a little flexible when an editor suddenly remembers they need someone to shoot photos or write a sidebar, but they don’t have any extra money in the budget. If it happens once or twice, I try to go with the flow and hope it results in additional assignments down the line (karma, baby!). But if it happens consistently, then I have to put my foot down and only deliver what was originally agreed upon.

Have you ever found yourself in one of these scenarios? How did you handle it? And how do you communicate your value to a client?

Flickr photo courtesy of nathangibbs

Filed Under: freelance, money

10 Tips for New Bloggers

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Last week I blogged about terms that bloggers should know. Now I’ll touch on tips for building a successful blog.

  1. Find a niche and stick to it. Most successful blogs focus on a single topic. Some rely on the blogger’s unique voice and charismatic personality to unify otherwise unrelated posts, but this is hard to do. Whether you’re blogging about writing or relationships or something else, it’s must easier to find an audience once you tap into that community.
  2. Put your personal spin on the topic. I’ve found that what works well for me is to cover an aspect of writing (maybe it’s dealing with editors or brainstorming for ideas) and work in personal anecdotes. I try not to dwell too much on the specifics of my situation and include takeaway points that readers can apply to their own writing careers. People usually read blogs because of the blogger’s personality, so let yours shine through.

  3. Commit to posting regularly. Like training for a marathon or practising a musical intrument, blogging gets easier the more you do it. You’ll develop a writing style, get into a schedule, and pretty soon the ideas will be flowing out of you at 1 o’clock in the morning (or maybe that’s just me). Bonus: readers will keep coming back for more if they see that you update regularly.

  4. Link to other like-minded (or unlike-minded) bloggers. This is a good way to get the conversation going and show that you’re a good citizen of the blogosphere. When you’re stumped for a post idea, you can find an interesting post written by someone else in your niche, link to them, and write about why you agree or disagree with their opinion. Voila!
  5. Get your own domain name. As previously discussed, it looks more professional to have your own URL without wordpress.org or blogspot.com attached to the end. When I bought my own Blogger domain, the transition was pretty seamless, but it isn’t always that way. Save yourself a giant headache and buy a domain now. That way you won’t lose traffic or incoming links later.

  6. Do a “soft” blog launch. In other words, wait until you have at least a handful of posts and you’ve worked out the blogging software before you announce your blog to the world. I made the mistake of sending out the URL to a couple of editors, then deciding to change the name so that the original URL didn’t work. Once you’ve been blogging for a few weeks, then you can add your blog to your email signature, Facebook profile, LinkedIn page, and so on.
  7. Invite more experienced bloggers to contribute. You can invite them to guest blog or do it Q & A-style. I used to do this with a nifty little feature called 5 Q’s (check out the archives). The incentive to the other person is that they get to promote their book, blog, or other projects, so be sure to give them some link love. Often they will return the favor by plugging the post or interview on their own site. It’s also a good way to pick the brains of people you admire.
  8. Set realistic expectations for your blogging success. Realize that you probably won’t become the next Dooce or Wonkette overnight. Though you may not land a six figure book deal or generate millions of page views right away, you can connect with cool people and open up new opportunities by starting a blog. Be patient.
  9. Keep a few posts in your drafts folder. At any given time, I probably have five or six ideas percolating. Blogger’s drafts feature is a beautiful thing, because it allows me to start writing a post and go back to it later. Some posts come to me in a burst of inspiration, but others (like this one) require me to write a little and come back to them later. Plus, having a few drafts ready to go gives me something to publish even when I’m too busy to write something from scratch.

  10. Realize that you can’t read everything. When you’re just starting out, it’s tempting to want to read the archives and sign up for the feed of every single blog in your topic area. This is admirable, but it’s just not realistic. Choose a few blogs that are well-respected and that you enjoy reading. Sign up for their feed, but devote the bulk of your time to developing your own blog instead of following the pack.

What advice do you have for aspiring bloggers? Would you agree or disagree with this advice?

Filed Under: blogging advice
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