Writing Success

Myths about Blogging

Scott Rosenberg, one of the co-founders of Salon.com, is shown in the following video explaining what he views as the top 10 myths about blogging. Does a  blogosphere exist? Are bloggers journalists? Can bloggers really be trusted? I think you’ll find this brief video slightly informative - and definitely humorous.

The truth, as far as I’m concerned, is that blogging is essential to the success of any freelance writing business. If you aren’t blogging already, you should seriously consider building a blog. Your potential clients will want to see real-life examples of your work, published live on the web. Sometimes linking to work on other sites is acceptable, but others will want to read what you’ve written in your own voice.

If you have a blog, let us know about it here. If not, consider starting one soon. The sooner you get started the easier it will be to maintain!

How to Write a Professional Job Bid

All writers, but especially newer freelancers, seem to have a difficult time writing job bids. Writing the perfect bid is more of an art than a science. I remember the first time I took the time to browse a freelance job board. I was immediately stunned by the realization that I would eventually have to write some sort of bid and that my bid would compete against others in an attempt to find work. Uh oh…

I quickly learned that there are a few things you can do to make every job bid you write stand out from the rest. As I am in the unfortunate position of having to read job bids from time to time, I can first offer this piece of advice -

Never write a canned job bid and expect to use it for every job you want to bid on. Each bid you write needs to be personalized.

The first thing you should do is write a very brief description of yourself and your services. Be sure to include your name and a sentence or two explaining why your experiences qualify you for the job in question. …Continue Reading How to Write a Professional Job Bid