News And Updates
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I don’t typically write about writing here. Or at least I try not to. Not directly.
I try to keep my content inclusive to all freelancers, despite how obvious it is that I’m a total booktard, and a slave to producing content.
But this past Monday marked the beginning of the FLX Query Challenge, a friendly, biannual competition in which teams rack up points depending upon how many queries they send out each week, and how many assignments they land. I’ve been on a pitching hiatus for awhile now — due to my new job at YourTango, my career coaching certification program, and an ongoing copywriting project — but I’m excited to start putting out feelers again … especially since I’m a team leader this time around.
So for all those writers out there — writers who are trying to get back into the pitching rhythm, writers who have been pitching all along (show-offs), and writers who are just starting out — I thought I’d put up a refresher on the pitch process.
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We already know that I’m a raging commitment-phobe. As such, I’ve had a lot of practice saying goodbye.
Somehow, however, I still end up singing at exes’ weddings (yes, I’m a church choir geek), and getting job leads and projects from former colleagues. How do I do it? By writing a killer resignation letter (and, um, being awesome).
While a post on resignation letters might be better suited for those embroiled in full-time office work, being able to master one of these babies is key for those who are a) making the leap into full-time freelancing, but who still want to continue doing work for their former employer on a freelance basis (or who, heck, want to avoid burning bridges), b) resigning from a regular freelance gig, or c) trying to shake a problem client without sullying their professional reputation. So please, read on for my resignation letter formula:
I left publishing because I needed a creative outlet. I missed writing and, due to my full-time job — plus my long commute — I never seemed to have the energy at the end of the day to brainstorm and send out pitches, or even string together words coherently.
But that’s not the only reason I left.
I was also worn down by verbally abusive authors: those who thought they were my only responsibility, and who consistently treated me both rudely and unprofessionally. Read the rest of this entry »
A week ago, I posted here about an invoicing error I had made, mentioning that I was lucky to have covered my ass in the service agreement I had drawn up.
Because I hate to bring up a problem without providing a concrete solution (and because my contract advice probably leaves much to be desired), here is a roundup of sites that offer sample contracts and contract-related advice:
Earlier today, my first guest post ever went live at Darren Rowse’s Twitip, on taking Twitter-based networking from online to in-the-flesh. (Welcome tweeple!)
I’ve already mentioned in the past why guest posting is a good idea, so we won’t go into that again. What I would like to touch upon is how guest posting at someone else’s blog should be treated as seriously as if you were writing an article for New York (or, um, Marie Claire). More specifically, I’d like to focus on how to approach pitching a blog editor.
You already know that I worry about the deterioration of professional decorum due to Web 2.0 practices. I find that bad business practices run especially rampant when it comes to online correspondence.
Show that blog editor your pitching the same respect you would any major magazine or newspaper editor. After the jump, how to go about pitching your guest post: