How to Get Rid of Query Fear Once and For All

January 31, 2012 by 1 Comment

In the five years since I first launched this blog — and in the 1.5 years since I began coaching — I’ve learned a thing or two about the things that can hold a freelancer back.

And aside from the lure of a smooshy couch, a good book, or a curated list of sparkly jewelry on Etsy, a lot of the roadblocks we put up around ourselves stem from the pitch process.

You’ve asked me so many questions about query letters over the years:

How do I find publications to pitch?

Which editor should I target?

What do I do if I have no clips/experience/personal connection?

How long should I wait before I follow up?

Is my letter really good enough to send out? 

I had the same questions when I started out and, over the years, I developed my own system for making the pitch to publish process go smoother.

So what’s my trick to busting query fear? [Read more…]

Filed Under: productivity, Resources, shameless self-promotion Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Top 10 Bookmark-Worthy Blog Posts of 2011

December 16, 2011 by 5 Comments

At my last quasi-regular job (permalance editor at an online publication specializing in love- and relationship-related content), the end of the year was always marked by a mad scramble to throw together an assortment of “best of” and “top 10” lists. Top 10 Love Songs of 2010. Top 10 Love Trends of the Decade. Best WTF Love-Related Moments. Best Sex Scenes. You get the picture.

As commonplace and cliche as they’ve become, everyone loves a good list. Even me. Especially me. Because when I was drawing together my Top 10 Bookmark-Worthy Blog Posts of 2011, I quickly noticed that almost all of them were lists.

A list of lists. How meta.

But even if you’ve grown weary of listicles, I hope you’ll find this one useful. It contains blog posts — all published in 2011 — that I keep returning to… posts I found so useful I couldn’t help bookmarking them for future use. They were just that full of awesome resources and easily-executable tips.

Together, they comprise a handy-dandy resource manual for building a better, stronger business.

So assuming your entrepreneurial muscles could use some flexing… [Read more…]

Filed Under: link love, Resources Tagged With: , , , , ,

How To Fish For (Those Completely Deserved) Compliments

December 14, 2011 by 6 Comments

Still trying to build up your freelance biz? There’s (probably) no need to drop your life savings on a slick advertising campaign, or on glossy, high-priced direct mail marketing. Over the years, time and experience have shown that word-of-mouth marketing is best.

Sure, I’ve broken into new markets by cold querying and social media marketing. But word-of-mouth marketing is still how I connect with the majority of my coaching clients. It led to my inclusion in the Young Entrepreneur Council’s inaugural group of members. It’s the primary reason I was asked to be a panelist on that ASJA sex writing panel in the spring. And it’s led to numerous writing and editing projects over the years.

You may believe that word-of-mouth marketing is out of your hands (and to some extent, it is). But if you’re looking to build legitimacy for your business, you can still use those satisfied clients to your advantage in a more deliberate way.

I’m talking testimonials, people. And all you have to do is ask for them. [Read more…]

Filed Under: correspondence, Resources Tagged With: , , , ,

How To Harness the Power of NaNoWriMo… All Year Long

November 4, 2011 by 1 Comment

We’re just a few days in to NaNoWriMo, and the tweets and motivational blog posts are already flying fast and furious. Not that I’m participating, mind you. I’m not a novelist, and all of my attempts at “fiction” back in college were thinly-veiled, totally emo personal essays (as were everyone else’s). But I can’t help feeling envious that fiction writers have a month like this, during which they can go all in on that large project they’ve been daydreaming about for eons, a built-in support network (and hard-core accountability) just an email or dedicated forum away.

Of course, I get my motivation and accountability elsewhere. My writing partner, Lyz Lenz, sends me threatening emails every week.

But what about the rest of you? Where can you go to ensure that your writing goals are met, thanks to a mix of motivation, camaraderie, and abject fear? [Read more…]

Filed Under: motivation, productivity, Resources, writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Do You Want To Join The Freelancedom Book Club?

May 11, 2011 by 11 Comments

My idea of the perfect afternoon.

The other day, I participated in a book club gathering at my favorite local coffee shop. It was my first time, and I was nervous about inserting myself into a group of people I didn’t know, but they were discussing Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle — one of my favorite books — so I couldn’t resist.

I ended up having a lovely time, and it made me think about the way I cover books here on Freelancedom.

I mean, writing a book review is all well and good.  But wouldn’t it be way more fun to have a virtual book club discussion?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: book review, Resources Tagged With: , ,

Merry Christmas! My 12 Favorite Freelance Tools and Resources

December 23, 2010 by 1 Comment

My gift to you. Go ahead. Open it.

Just yesterday, Deb Ng wrote a fantastic post on the 10 Ways to Give Back to Your Favorite Bloggers for the Holidays. I loved it because I’ve always felt that generosity toward your fellow freelancers was key in achieving career success… and in experiencing the warm fuzzies. In fact, I’d advise all of you to show generosity to your fellow freelancers year-round, with feedback, advice, contacts, support, resources, and more.

In that spirit, I’d like to leave you guys a Christmas gift before shutting down my laptop for the holidays and gorging myself on Candy Cane Kisses and eggnog.

I eschewed fancy wrapping paper, as my cats tend to eat any curling ribbon I  leave languishing beneath the Christmas tree. (And then they puke it up later. Fun!) But even though my gift’s not super-fancy, I hope you’ll find it helpful.

Go ahead. From me to you, my 12 favorite freelance tools and resources. May they bring you career success, and/or make your day-to-day freelance life a bit more bearable.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Resources Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Want To Work Remotely? How To Ask The Tough Questions

November 16, 2010 by 16 Comments

Not my pretty face, but the cleavage is similar...

About a year ago, I accepted an on-site, part-time position at YourTango, despite misgivings about resuming the dreaded NJ-NYC commute I had left behind several years before.

I was desperate, though. I needed some regular income to supplement the other work I was doing, and I was also badly in need of some quasi-regular human contact. Happily, I ended up enjoying my work at YourTango so much that the commute didn’t seem so bad. Plus, I loved the people I was working with.

Still, it eventually began to wear me out. It ate up my time. It was expensive. And, after almost a year of doing it, I began to resent it.

So at the tail end of September, I requested a new, remote working arrangement and, several weeks later, they approved it. Now, I work with my three cats laying in a semicircle around me. I sleep in a little bit more. I dabble in yoga and take daily walks. I have extra time to work on my other projects and extra time to make plans with… well… other human beings. Once again, I feel like I’ve achieved a healthy balance.

Maybe some of you are a little bit like me. Maybe you have full-time jobs, and squeeze in your freelance work in the evenings and on weekends. Or perhaps, like me, you have a part-time gig, and have to commute in to an office. Maybe you often think to yourself, man, I could totally do this job from home, and it would totally free up some extra time for my personal projects! But you’re afraid to ask permission.

How do you go about proposing such a fan-flippin’-tastic work arrangement to your big-time scary boss?*

[Read more…]

Filed Under: correspondence, Resources Tagged With: , , , , ,

GQueues: Making It Easier for Me To Run My Life on Google

May 5, 2010 by 1 Comment

A few weeks ago, I read a blog post over at Zen Habits about going Google-free. Leo’s post proposed that it could be dangerous to give all of your information to, and rely so heavily on, one corporation.

While I found the post interesting, I obviously have no such reservations about allowing Google to run my life. I rely heavily on Google Search throughout the work day (in fact, I just used Google’s blog search function in order to track down Leo’s post so that I could link to it here). I keep track of all of my blog subscriptions with Google Reader. And, when researching practice management services the other month, I came to the conclusion that it would be most cost-effective (aka “free”) to run my business using a mix of Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs.

And now, there’s GQueues.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: products, Resources Tagged With: , , ,

When the World Is at Your Fingertips, Sometimes All You Want To Do Is Stay Home

June 2, 2009 by 1 Comment

529599_the_old_atlas_3

I was totally planning on attending a networking event tonight. I had already RSVPd. I’d put it into my Google Calendar. I’d e-mailed the info to a few friends. Then I began losing momentum…

I was afraid to go alone. I didn’t feel like taking a bus into the city, especially during rush hour. My energy levels were low, anyway, and there was work I could get done if only I stayed at home.

I put on a dress in order to motivate myself. After all, who wants to waste a pretty dress by not leaving the house?

I took the dress off.

Then I noticed that I was having a good hair day. Could I possibly waste a good hair day by not leaving the house?

Yes. Yes I could.

If only I could find a networking group closer to home.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: networking, Resources Tagged With: , , ,

Resource Roundup: 4 Time Management Applications

May 28, 2009 by 3 Comments

time-is-money

[Image via]

Since scheduling my days into blocks of time dedicated to specific projects, I’ve been much more productive (we’ll discount the latter half of May for a multitude of reasons…), miraculously finishing up projects that had previously kept on falling to the bottom of my list of priorities.

Hallelujah!

While I have my personal schedule stored only in my noggin, on my weaker days (like that day I got sucked into a Tales from the Darkside marathon after sitting in front of the TV for a lunch break), I probably could have benefited from some sort of time management application.

Because I hope you can succeed where I have failed, I present to you 4 time tracking applications that will help you stay on…well…track:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: productivity, Resources Tagged With: , , ,
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