Fab Freelance Writing Blog

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Shoemoney posts great advice in “Prepare To Be Robbed On The Internet”:

You should not only prepare to get robbed online you should count on it. If you are a designer for gods sake watermark your images! Then ONLY AFTER money has exchanged hands send the real images.

This advice applies to writers too. Taking creative output from a freelance writer or freelance designer is like taking candy from a baby for business people.

I know I’m being totally negative, but you need to be realistic.

So, please, never:

* Tell a client precisely what you’ll do in your copywriting quote, or send specific samples which can be copied. Some sneaky clients just want the format, wording and structure so they can swipe the outline and text of, for example, a professional tender or proposal;

* Give a magazine editor the names of your sources before you negotiate a contract and kill fee (never!);

* Be desperate. (This one is vital. Desperation is like blood in the water to a business shark. Always be prepared to walk away, always.)

Once you’ve done the work: SEND AN INVOICE. If the date for payment passes, start dunning your creditor. Like immediately. Some writers wait months to send reminders. Seven days should be your limit, then start writing and calling.

Many writers hesitate to do this. Heh. Why? You’ve done the work. Just like any contractor, you need cash flow. Business operates on the faith that goods and services are exchanged for money. Never be afraid to ask (politely but firmly) for the money you worked for.

Technorati Tags: freelance writing, writing for money, get paid to write, writing pay

Freelance copywriters write for business. They write everything from tiny ads to 300-page product manuals. They write email messages, news releases, media kits - whatever writing needs businesses have, a copywriter can fulfill them.

If you’re a brand new copywriter, READ ADVERTISEMENTS. Read ads everywhere you find them. Read them in your junk mail, in magazines, and on the Web. Watch TV ads. Reading advertising will give you a feel for it. Over time, you’ll begin to understand how and why advertising is crafted. Many copywriters keep “swipe files” of effective advertising, that they can refer to when they’re writing. This is a great idea, because in the past 100 years there’s been little that’s new in advertising, only the medium has changed.

Businesses need to sell - so copywriters write to sell: they persuade
As I explained in my freelance writing for beginners article in the ezine this week, a freelancer writes for money. As self-evident as this seems, very few new (or even experienced) freelance writers think about this aspect. Their attention, understandably so, is on the writing.

However, unless you know why you’re writing, there’s no way that you can do a good job.

Read junk mail; get jobs
So please read and collect good examples of the copywriter’s art from your junk mail. Over the years, I’ve snagged many gigs just by keeping my eye on my junk mail.

My ebook First Steps in Your Copywriting Career: cash in on the demand for business writers, by Angela Booth gets you started copywriting. It’s fun.

Technorati Tags: copywriter, write for business, get started as a copywriter

Cross-posted from Angela Booth’s Writing Blog

The latest issue of issue of Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is online now. This week’s article is “Freelance Writing For Absolute Beginners - How To Get Started As A Freelancer; Part One”.

Here’s an excerpt:

You’re an aspiring writer. You have some writing skill and talent, and want to develop a writing career. Congratulations! I’ve been writing for money since the 1970s, and 2006 is a wonderful year to be a writer. You’ve truly got unlimited options and ways to make money writing.

In Part One of this article, I’ll cover the fundamentals of freelance writing. Few writers give these fundamentals much consideration, and that leads to unnecessary hiccups in their writing career. Other writers breeze along quite happily, then suddenly smash up against one of the fundamentals, and because they’re blissfully unaware, they proceed to destroy their career.

If you understand the fundamentals, these fundamentals form a basis for creativity, money, and confidence, because you will KNOW how freelance writing works, and you will understand how and why you get paid, and how to set your rates.

Next week, I’ll cover “modelling” which is an easy way write as a freelancer. When you learn how to model, you’ll be able to write anything, for anybody.

Not a subscriber? The ezine is free in your Inbox each week. Subscribe and receive a free report, plus EXCLUSIVE information to help you to develop a fabulous freelance writing career.

Technorati Tags: freelance writing, beginner, new freelancer, how to write for many, freelance basics