As you may have seen on social media, I’m experimenting with BookGrabbr. (UPDATE: The promotion is over as of March 8, 2016.) It’s a relatively new book marketing tool that provides readers a free preview of a book in exchange for sharing the link. (I’ve uploaded the first 7 chapters of The Science, Art and Voodoo of Freelance Pricing and Getting Paid.) Before I get into my initial take on the tool, though, I want to discuss why I’m giving it a try. In short, it’s because I believe experimenting is a critical component of freelance success. [Read more…]
Twitter ghostwriting rates
Dear Dr. Freelance, I am a rookie soon-to-be freelancer based in Europe who’s wondering how much to charge for Twitter ghostwriting.
The background: I am currently finishing a webdesign/copywriting project for a small software startup. Since they are both colleagues of mine and they were offering me the chance to collaborate on future projects, I gave them a 30% discount on an already very conservative estimate. Still, it was quite a lot of money for them. [Read more…]
Hey freelancers, check out Writers’ Week
I have quite a few posts in the hopper after my extended summertime hiatus, but in the meantime wanted to give a quick plug for Emily Suess’s Writers’ Week project, scheduled for September 12-16. She’s lined up a writing contest (with some sweet prizes), educational resources for writers and freelancers, and a ton of guest blogs—should be a fun freelance community event! (And if you’re interested in sponsorship opportunities for your business, ebooks, mentoring, etc., you can find out more about Emily here.)
Social media strategies for freelancers
On Tuesday, June 8, at 7 p.m. Eastern, I’ll be participating in an Editorial Freelancers Association teleconference about using popular social media platforms (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) to increase your professional visibility as freelancers and make connections with clients and colleagues. My co-guest will be social media strategist Greg Pincus of TheHappyAccident.net, so I’m sure I’ll gain insights to share here in the coming weeks.
It’s an EFA members-only teleconference…but if you’re an editorial freelancer, this is an organization that you should consider joining. If you’ve found out about Dr. Freelance through EFA, please feel free to ask any questions you’d like about social media or other strategies for freelancers through the “Ask the Doc” link in the sidebar.
How to price freelance writing for social media
Dr. Freelance’s key points on how to price freelance writing for social media:
- Creating a Facebook Fan page or Tweeting for clients isn’t rocket science, but it remains an unknown quantity in many respects.
- You need to consider shelf life and return on investment for your client when you price freelance writing for social media.
- A not-to-exceed estimate can reassure a wary client.
- Jake is CPR and first-aid certified, but he is NOT a licensed physician and this should NOT be construed as medical advice. Contact your local healthcare provider or, in case of emergency, dial 911.
Required writing: Do I really need a blog?
Dr. Freelance, I’ve been blogging for a few months. I usually enjoy it, but it’s a bit frustrating to pour my heart and soul into something and then have practically no traffic and certainly no new clients to show for it. As a writer, I know it’s something that people expect, but I’m close to concluding it’s not worth the effort. Am I missing something? Do I really need a blog just because I write for a living?–Bloggers Anonymous [Read more…]