I’m teaching my online article-writing course this month and I’m enjoying it immensely. I love helping good writers channel their energies and talent in a way that computes into cash. I like watching writers finally see their work in print—to hold a magazine with their article and their byline right there on the printed page.
A variety of students have gathered to take my course this time. Some of them want to promote their book(s) through targeted articles. Others want to bring in some money writing for magazines. A few of them hope to jumpstart a writing career—to ease into full-time or even part-time work as a writer.
Many of you know that I supported myself for quite a few years by writing magazine articles. There were times when I was sending out 100 query letters each month on 20 different subjects and writing as many as 5 articles per week.
People would ask me, “How do you find the time to do all of that writing?†What most non-writers don’t understand is that writing is my full-time job just like accounting or real estate sales or running a retail business is theirs. It’s what I do.
What my students will be learning over the next few weeks is that freelance article-writing is not always fun. Writing is just part of the equation. You must constantly come up with viable article ideas. You have to pitch those ideas to editors who are not always open or even cordial. There’s a lot of rejection. There’s also a lot of bookwork involved and, sometimes, you have to become a hard-nosed bill collector.
Many writers fail because they find some of these tasks so distasteful. For some, coming up with ideas and pitching them is pure torture. Some balk at the necessary bookkeeping. Still others hate the research.
I tell writers that if they truly dislike some aspects of their work and feel that they are really no good at it, hire someone to handle those tasks. Throughout my career, I’ve hired help. I hire printers, of course and book and cover designers, but I’ve also hired a secretary to print out and send query letters for me. And recently, I’ve hired a researcher to help me discover new promotional opportunities for some of my books. I also used to hire my grandchildren, when they were younger, to help with bulk mailings, large shipments and such.
These days, most article-writers are supplementing their income by taking on corporate work or editorial jobs. Actually, those writers who have landed jobs with organizations, companies and/or agencies typically have less stress and make more money. You have to be assertive enough to sell yourself and land the job, but then you simply do what is commissioned. Typically, there’s no pitching, waiting, rejection, etc. The corporate representative simply contacts you with assignments.
As a corporate freelance writer, you might be asked to write newsletters, rewrite business manuals, compose letters, edit business plans or contracts, design brochures, write or rewrite copy for their Web site or even compile the company history. I’ve done all of the above. I also now work with individual authors and freelance writers on their projects. That, I am really enjoying!
What’s it like being a freelance writer? After 33 years, I can say that it has been and continues to be a great ride. This lifestyle has suited me nicely. I like being at home. I am disciplined enough to actually work at home and, most of the time, I’m pretty good about balancing my work with a little play, as well.
Every year and sometimes twice throughout the year, I examine my business. I look at my bottom line and compare it to my accomplishments and my level of satisfaction. Periodically, I will change something. I’ll decide to do more teaching, conduct more workshops, solicit more editorial work or promote my books more widely. Recently, I have decided to get back to writing. I realized that, other than my blog, the work I do for SPAWN and the promotional articles I write for writing/publishing-related magazines, I haven’t been doing much writing. And so for the next few months, I’ll be working on my Catscapades book. That is Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats. I’m thinking about putting it in ebook form and offering it from my Web site. My projected completion date is July. So watch for my big announcement.
In the meantime, if you have any cat stories you’d like to contribute, let me know.
Finally, it’s not too late to sign up for my article-writing course. Lesson two comes out tomorrow (April 17, 2007). If you are interested in any of my other online courses, How to Write a Successful Book Proposal or Self-Publishing Workshop, let me know. I am now offering these courses on demand. If someone is interested, I will set a date to start and begin promoting the course to get additional students in order to make it worth my time.