Every Friday on www.AllFreelanceWriting.com I'm answering at least one reader question (if there are any). If I'm not able to adequately answer someone's question (such as if it were related to something like medical writing, which I'm not well-versed in), I'll do my best to track down someone qualified to respond, and then post it to the next available reader question day. So, do you have any questions about being a freelance writer (from choosing a niche to finding clients, to earning more money, to handling the business aspects of writing)? If so, PM me, email me, or post your questions here, and I'll consider using them for the weekly question. If I don't have a question available, I'll use something I see commonly asked instead. Jenn
Here are a few things I've been pondering lately. I guess you can keep them in your arsenal. What's the most professional way to deal with bossy clients? Those who like to dictate every aspect of your work as if they were your employer. What tips do you have for creating a referral system using existing clients? Anytime I've worked with clients for more than a few months, I noticed the relationship gets kind of stale. It becomes a very robotic process of receiving assignments, returning the work, and then receiving payment. So, do you have any advice for relationship building when you work with someone strictly via email? Thanks Jenn
I responded to your first question a little bit early, so here you go: How to Deal with Bossy Clients Your second question is already answered, and the post will go live on the site early in the morning - www.AllFreelanceWriting.com. I'll try to make time to respond to the third tomorrow as well.
Hi Jenn, What I need to know is: What's most appropriate strategy, having command on many subjects (expanded portfolio in terms of areas of expertise) or just a few (specialization)? What are recommended marketing ideas for freelance writing services when you're: an individual a group Regards,
Latoya, Here are the direct links to the second and third questions you asked: Tips to Set Up a Referral System With Clients How to Keep Your Client Relationships Fresh Online We actually just had a guest post on specialization the other day, so you can take a look at that one. I've also touched on the issue with How to Get High Paying Freelance Writing Jobs - look for the "choose a specialty" section. There's probably not too much I can tell you about marketing for a group of writers, because that's not how I operate. As for individuals, you can actually find that information posted in my Monday Marketing posts (at least one marketing post there weekly; there will usually be more) - including my number one marketing tip for writers.
I actually already have an older piece on this question on my business blog (targeted to freelancers and independent consultants in any niche): Getting Your First Client Hope it helps.
Thanks for the tips. They are really interesting and useful, though some of them I have already known. Probably, the most important thing is experience. But still there is one question. As you have said it is necessary to create your networking. Do you know the other forums except DP which also can be interested for this community and freelancers in particular?
Why only look to forums to network? Look at other places too... like blogs. Are you a freelance writer, or a freelancer in another industry? If a writer, you're always welcome to chat with us at www.AllFreelancing.com (domain will change probably next week, but you should still be able to access it through there). Or look at some of the older writing forums like the one at www.absolutewrite.com. But also network on places like blogs by leaving useful comments (www.AllFreelanceWriting.com is mine. Some of my other favorites are http://writersbrew.blogspot.com, www.freelanceswitch.com, www.thegoldenpencil.com, and www.inkthinkerblog.com). You can find a lot more in my big list of writing blogs. Also look for email groups you can join through Yahoo Groups and similar things. Those have been excellent networking tools for me personally at least. And for the record, tomorrow's reader question being addressed on the blog is about whether you should use a free blog host or your own domain and hosting when launching a new blog (from a monetization standpoint). The post is already written and will go live on the site early tomorrow morning. If you would like to ask other questions not already addressed, I'll gladly work one or two more in if I have time. If not, I'll use them for the following Friday's post.