Writing Success

You’re a Freelance Writer?

Most people don’t understand what it means to be a freelance writer. If you’re lucky, you will be surrounded by friends and family members who are willing to ask questions and understand what you do. In my case, my family didn’t really take me seriously until I said, “I’m quitting my job to write.” Even my former employer was all ears when I gave my notice. Unfortunately, telling people that you work from home as a freelance writer has its pitfalls.

For starters, some people assume you have a ton of free time on your hands. This is far from the case. As a matter of fact, I have less free time now than I’ve ever had in my entire life. I work longer hours, earn a little bit less than I was at my day job (the pitfalls of starting a new business), and have less time to play. On the upside, I’m not nearly as stressed as I was while working for someone else. …Continue Reading You’re a Freelance Writer?

Article Marketing Tips

So we’ve established that article marketing is a great way to promote your product or drive traffic to your website. What happens if the people reading your articles don’t know that they should read the author resource box as well? That’s where your links are, so if they’re not reading that far you won’t get the traffic you desire. Tracy Walker has some article marketing tips to help you enhance your freelance writing career.

Article Marketing as Revenue Stream: Tips for Freelance Writers

The following is a guest blog from Jennifer Mattern at All Freelance Writing. As a freelance writer it’s important to think outside of the box when it comes to finding new revenue streams. Jennifer shares her thoughts on Article Marketing…

Article Marketing as Revenue Stream: Tips for Freelance Writers

As freelance writers, when we think of making money, we tend to think about working for clients. However, the Web also allows us to create additional revenue streams by writing for ourselves.

While I’d argue that the best revenue stream for writers is creating and selling their own information products (books, e-books, online courses, etc.), article marketing has its place. It’s something any writer can do, with little to no barriers to entry.

…Continue Reading Article Marketing as Revenue Stream: Tips for Freelance Writers

Writing Children’s Books

Writing for children isn’t as easy as you might believe. Just because the words and images are simpler doesn’t mean you can get away with slapping a few brief phrases down on the page and sell it. Most youth publishers are looking for work that is not only age appropriate but is creative, colorful, and educational as well.

If you plan to write for children you need to have a solid plan. Your best bet is to develop a series for children that teaches valuable life lessons in a way children in your targeted age group can really understand. You may or may not need to provide your own illustrations as well. Are you really ready to tackle the mind of a young child? If so, check out the following video for a few tips to get you started:

Welcoming Your Readers

I love writing, but I can admit that I’m not the most tech-saavy individual on earth. I can follow a good set of instructions and learn how to complete almost any task, but when left to figure it out on my own am prone to - well - disaster.

The other day I read an awesome post by blogger Amanda Fazani from Blogger Buster (albiet, the post was on Blogging Tips) about adding a welcome message to your blog. There are dozens of blogs today that have welcome messages in boxes above the first post. They state what the blog is about and thank readers for stopping by, but they aren’t part of any one post - they’re completely separate.

…Continue Reading Welcoming Your Readers

Copywriting 101: Your Sales Message

If you’ve ever had questions about copywriting, I suggest you check out this series of videos from John Carlton. He’s an incredible copywriting expert with tons of tips and tricks for refining your copywriting skills - even if it means changing only a single word.

This particular video does, specifically, focus on the word “transition” and why you shouldn’t use it in your sales copywriting. As you move forward with your freelance writing career you’ll find that there are tons of words that seem powerful but really aren’t. This is just one example. Enjoy!

Preparing for Tax Time

As a freelance writer you are responsible for paying income taxes on the revenue you earn from your work. Fortunately, you’re subject to a number of tax deductions that may make life a little easier as well. Here are a few things to keep track of throughout the year. Even if it’s too late to include them on your 2008 filing, you can start keeping accurate records for your 2009 filing.

Financial Fees

Chances are you take a lot of payments through PayPal, MoneyBookers, or some other online payment processing program. If that’s the case, you’re paying a significant amount in fees directly to PayPal (or your vendor of choice) just to use their services. Keep track of the amounts they subtract from your payments. The money you lose as payment to them is a cost associated with doing business and can be written off.

Missing Clients

…Continue Reading Preparing for Tax Time