All Freelance Writing

Freelance Writing Jobs – July 14, 2009

Jennifer Mattern — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:49:15 +0000

Here is a collection of freelance writing jobs and blogging jobs for Tuesday.

Wine Blogger Needed
Freelance Book Cover Copywriters – $100-200 per project
FT Freelance Web Content Analyst – NYC
Organically Inclined Seeks a Blogger – $10-25 per post
Digital Copywriter / Blogger – Los Angeles
Lead Reporter for Digital Kids Business Blog
Freelance Proofreader
Commercial Real Estate Copywriter – Beverly Hills
Freelance Writer – Online Tech Magazine
Origami Expert Writer – $20 per article

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

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Are You Missing Out on Writer Freebies?

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:50:26 +0000

Remember folks, I give away various free goodies for freelance writers over at QueryFreeFreelancer.com. But you have to register (it’s free!) in order to get them.

In a few days I’ll be releasing our first Wordpress theme there. I purchased the exclusive rights to the theme today, and set up a test site on my All Business Writing domain name. (I’ll be building a real site there soon, probably keeping this theme to use it as the test site, but for now it’s just a generic preview.)

And if you missed it previously, I also released a static Web template (preview below).

The best part? When I release a Web template or Wordpress theme, I don’t require you to link back to my site in the footer. I mean, you’re certainly welcome to, but I’d rather you be able to use them to build professional sites without “cheapening” them in that sense by having them scream “freebie” to the world. So you’re free to use them without attribution — just don’t distribute them to others (they need to sign up on the site to get them like anyone else).

In coming weeks, I’ll also be releasing a few edited versions of this new theme (different color schemes, and without the sticky post section and tweet updates on some, so those wanting them gone or to use the space for static intro content can do that).

If you haven’t signed up yet, register now. Don’t miss anything else!

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Freelance Writing Jobs – July 13, 2009

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:55:16 +0000

Here are some new freelance blogging jobs for Monday. Enjoy:

FT Cell Phone and Gadgets Blogger
Animal Blogger
Travel and Pets Blogger – $15 per post / 5 posts per week – Portland
Fashion and Beauty Blogger
Real Estate Blogger for Lofts.com – $250+ per month

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

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2009 Freelance Writing Goals: Mid-Year Check-in

Jennifer Mattern — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:09:21 +0000

At the beginning of the year, we tend to set our freelance writing goals, or resolutions. But sometimes we take a set it and forget it approach. Now that we’re in July, we’re a bit more than half-way through the year. I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the progress we’ve all made so far.

Take a look at some of your goals set at the beginning of the year, and see how you’re doing. Here are mine:

I want to flip at least 6 sites. (Probably not going to happen. I flipped 2-3 early, and have a few others built and sitting until I’m ready to flip them, but I’ll likely wait until they’re earning a bit more to get a better price, rather than the originally-planned quick-flips.)
I want to finish drafting at least one of my outlined novels. (I’m not sure about this one. I got about 11,000 words into the first draft, but I’m not really happy with it. This is the novel I outlined in 2004, and let sit because I was torn between whether it would be a better novel or screenplay. Frankly, it seems more screen-worthy than appropriate for a book. I’ll finish pursuing that story one way or the other this year – it may just not be in novel form. If I do go the screenplay route, I’ll likely finish that and then start on one of the other novel outlines – putting together a first draft. But I don’t expect to finish it, since I’m focused on the nonfiction book for The Query-Free Freelancer and my e-book series right now).
I want to get AllBookMarketing.com on a regular posting schedule, even if just once per week. (I actually opted to merge that site into All Freelance Writing instead.)
I want to get back on posting to AllBookWriting.com about my books and e-books-in-progress. I didn’t post enough there during my e-book process. (This was also merged into AFW. Most of my book writing talk for now will focus on QueryFreeFreelancer.com, because it ties in nicely to the book there and writing books is a part of platform-building, although any references to fictional work will likely stay here.)
I want to launch at least two more Web Writer’s Guide E-books after I settle my marketing on the first one. (A part of me wants to say I’ll likely only get one more published, but it’s possible I’ll hit two. The marketing e-book is a bit delayed, but will be out soon enough. The next will probably be a shorter, more specialized one, so it is indeed possible that it will launch by year’s end.)
I want to get published with my byline in at least one print publication. (Frankly, while I’d still like to do this, it’s just not a huge concern of mine right now. And with the push on QueryFreeFreelancer.com, querying publications just for the sake of meeting this goal would seem hypocritical. So if an opportunity presents itself, great. If not, I’m not too worried about it.)
I want to finish eLearn101.com, build some traffic and revenue, and then sell it. (This is a tougher one. I’m not pursuing the directory there anymore. That’s what I know for certain. I have considered moving FreeOnlineCourses.info to the elearn101.com domain (monitizes well as it is, but I’d probably be able to build more traffic and income with the more brandable domain, either to keep it for the income or to sell it. It’s just not going to be a priority for a while, so might be a 2010 project when I’m doing my own sites full-time.)
My big goal for the year (and one I know will be a struggle to achieve) is to move from full-time freelance writing to full-time income from my blogs, e-books, etc. (writing “for myself”), with just part-time client work by the end of the year. (I am very happy to say that progress towards this goal is moving along very nicely. Next year, client work will be a part-time income source, while the bulk of my earnings should be coming from my sites, blogs, e-books, and hopefully the QFF book. I’m quite excited about that prospect, I’m thrilled at how some of the sites have progressed this year so far – more about that below.)
And of course, I want to see my overall income keep climbing year over year. (This goal will absolutely be met.)
I desperately need to finally get a new accounting and filing system setup to help me with my always-messy records and such. (And this goal probably WON’T be met! lol)

So there you have it — my goals published here early in the year, and how they’re coming along. However, those aren’t my only goals. As the year progresses, new goals are formed, old ones change a bit (hence the site mergers), and some cease to matter. Here are some of the things I’m up to currently that weren’t originally-planned goals for 2009:

I’m writing the nonfiction book — The Query-Free Freelancer. I finished outlining recently, and began drafting this week (sign up over there, and today I’ll be publishing the rough TOC to let my members decide what I draft first, since I’ll be publishing excerpts for them).
I launched QueryFreeFreelancer.com. It’s tied to the book-in-progress as a way to get people thinking about the issue of becoming query-free, while building an audience for the future book.
I’m re-designing several sites. Basically, I’m going to custom designs instead of templates (for the bigger sites for now). I wanted something very simple and “old school” blog format for NakedPR.com, and that was the first to be done. Then I did the unique design for the QueryFreeFreelancer.com launch. I redesigned AllFreelanceWriting.com (that design is off with the coder now being finished up and should go live next week I hope). I’m in the process of redesigning a small business blog (more on that below, as one of the “Big 3″). Then I’ll likely redesign AudioXposure.com and possibly Free Online Courses (if I get around to moving it to the elearn101.com domain this year). I may redesign WebWritersGuide.com, but I don’t know if I’ll have time for that this year (more worried about getting additional e-books up there).
Big 3 Blog Changes – My previous “big 3″ blogs are having some overhaul work done. NakedPR is pretty much finished. Just a design change there (and income is surprisingly nice over there, considering I rarely update it). I do need to update a few of the older pages / posts there, like the distribution site list.
All Freelance Writing is going through its changes now. Design changes will come first, followed by a few minor changes for monetization. Income on this site could easily be improved, and I’m going to be trying a plan that doesn’t involve a lot of sitewide banners and such (which you can see on the design itself). The job board will be reinstated (used to earn well when jobs were on their own domain). The e-books will have a prominant link on the site to hopefully keep those sales coming in. I’ll also be moving more towards affiliate promotions which were doing very well here before, but which I stopped to focus attention elsewhere. The contextual Clickbank ads will be gone – they’ve proved pretty much useless over time. Instead I’ll be going to back to promoting specific products that I’ll hand-pick because I think they’re actually worth your time. I don’t intend to promote them with any banners, buttons, etc. sitewide.

The business blog will have the most changes. In that case, I’ll actually be going with more ads. I’m doing the design for BizHow2.com, but that’s not where it’s currently located. I’ll be moving the worthwhile blog content over to the new domain when the design is ready, updating and better-optimizing a lot of those posts as I go along (meaning a very big project indeed). The current domain will be wiped clean. The only thing I’ll likely keep is the slogan (and possibly the logo altogether). A new site will be launched on that old domain, so it won’t be redirected to the new one (meaning the new site will need a lot of early promotional work). The old domain will instead be used to house a collection of business tools and resources, and will either be a static site or a Wordpress site setup to essentially be static (no blog).

I’m sure there are other smaller things that I’ve forgotten, but those are the activities (aside from client work) that I’m personally focusing on right now.

What about you? How are your 2009 goals coming along, and have you set any new ones?

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Freelance Writing in Piss-Poor Shape? I Don’t Think So

Jennifer Mattern — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:04:57 +0000

I came across an article called “The Reason Freelance Writing is in Such Piss-Poor Shape” on TumbleMoose.com. In it, he claims that freelance writing is in bad shape because of sites like Elance where the so-called global market leads to extremely low bidding (making it hard for other writers to earn a decent living). While these kinds of thoughts are common, they’re not exactly correct. Here’s why:

If you judge freelance writing as a whole based on a single site or type of site, you’re choosing to look at the situation with blinders on. There is far more out there — high-paying freelance writing work at that. But if you rely on it to be advertised and laid out in front of you to bid on it, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. That’s not how the bulk of the pro-level markets work.
Yes, some writers do choose to “whore themselves out.” But why should you care? You shouldn’t! (At least not in reference to your own ability to find work.) If you’re above the jobs and rates on Elance, then stay off of Elance! It’s not that difficult. You need to go where your own target market is (the people who want work in your specialty area, and who are willing to pay within your rate range). In this case, the author’s target market obviously doesn’t look to Elance when looking for writers like him. When you work as a service provider, it’s your job to make yourself visible and accessible so potential clients can find you. It’s not their responsibility to throw jobs out publicly just to make it easier on you.

More interesting is that the author mentions wishing he could organize a writer’s strike over things like this. Look. If your mission is to help other writers realize there are better options out there, then go ahead and discuss the issue and share other ideas. If your concern is just finding jobs of your own, then a strike will do nothing. Why? Because those clients weren’t in your market in the first place. They couldn’t care less if you go on strike. There will always be other low-rate writers to replace the ones who leave. On the other hand, to people who actually would pay you higher rates to begin with, you just make yourself look ignorant and you risk alienating the people who otherwise would have been happy to hire you.

If you aren’t happy with the freelance writing marketplace you’re immersed in, then get out of the pool. Specialize. Choose the right target market. Understand your own value to that market. Focus on building your writer platform. Build your network to get referrals. And if you need filler gigs while you’re doing those things, then start looking at other places to find freelance writing jobs. It doesn’t take as long as you might think. Also remember this — all of the time you spend hanging out in the wrong places (like Elance in this case), complaining, or planning strikes is time wasted that could have gone into making you more visible to the clients who actually matter — those that will pay you what you’re worth!

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Freelance Writing Jobs – July 8, 2009

Jennifer Mattern — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:20:01 +0000

We skipped the blogging jobs here Monday because frankly all of the gigs I found were crap (unpaid or no more than $4-5 per post). Hopefully these freelance blogging jobs will be better. Enjoy.

Metro Detroit News Blogger – Detroit
Internet Marketing Bloggers
Tech News and Geek Bloggers – $25 per post (minimum)
Criminal Law Blogger Needed
Business Intelligence Blog Content Needed
Legal Writers and Bloggers - $15 – 30 per post

Are these freelance writing gigs not what you’re looking for? Search for more freelance writing jobs or blogging jobs, or find more regular freelance writing jobs posted by Anne Wayman and Deb Ng.

Note: If a location is listed next to a job posted above, it means the company is looking for local or on-site candidates.

Key:

Blogging Job
Web Writing Job
Print Writing Job
Business / Medical / Technical Writing Job
Free Membership Required to Apply
Paid Membership Required to Apply
Bidding Site
High Paying Gig

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New AFW Design Coming Soon

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:32:59 +0000

While I transition from full-time client work and part-time writing for myself to full-time writing for myself with part-time client work, I’m moving several of my blogs to unique and custom designs. All Freelance Writing is next on that list. This weekend I finished the design itself. I’m hoping to get my coder started on it this week, and as soon as it’s ready, tested, and functioning properly with the plugins and such I want to use, it will go live.

Rather than just springing it on you one day, I’m including a preview here, so you can get an idea of what AFW will look like moving forward. Just click the image below to view the full-size design (and note that while the preview is fixed width, the coded design will be fluid so it will extend to fit your screen size, so you won’t see the white surrounding it).

I hope you like it!

(Note: I just realized I forgot to put the bullet points in the design – other than that, this is what the finished design would look like!)

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Two Interviews

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:23:40 +0000

I wanted to pass along the links to two interviews that each went live this morning: one I conducted, and one where I was being interviewed.

First, you can read my interview with Peter Bowerman (author of The Well-Fed Writer series, including the new release combining information from his first two books) over at QueryFreeFreelancer.com. We talked about self-publishing nonfiction books, which can be a valuable part of a freelance writer’s platform.

Then, if you’d like, you can read an interview Michelle Oxman conducted with me for Fuel Your Writing. There you’ll find out a bit about how I started out, some of my writing-related pet peeves, and more.

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On Twitter

Jennifer Mattern — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:06:46 +0000

While I added my Twitter link to the site a little while ago, I didn’t actually mention it.

So…

If you’re on Twitter, feel free to say hi @QueryFreeWriter!

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7 Tips for Self-Employed Web Workers to Save on Health Insurance

Jennifer Mattern — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:31:38 +0000

The following is a guest post from Dena White, discussion health insurance for freelance writers and other Web workers.

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For many, becoming a self-employed webpreneur is everything they could ever want. When you are a self-employed web worker, you will enjoy benefits that include, but are certainly not limited to, working your own hours, being rewarded for the work that you do and for most, no longer making the commute back and forth to a job you hate.

However, as anyone who has worked for themselves for any length of time will tell you, life is not always greener on their side of the fence. Hurdles pop up that must be overcome when you are self-employed that are different from those that you face when you work for someone else.

Health Insurance Matters

The area that often gets the most attention is health insurance. When it comes to benefits such as health insurance, small businesses and self-employed web workers are often at a disadvantage when compared to larger corporations. In the United States, the majority of people get health insurance through their employers.

Several people believe that the benefits are better and cost lest when they are associated with a health insurance plan that is sponsored by an employer. However, you would be incorrect in assuming that these healthcare plans sponsored by employers are always superior.

Getting The Most For Your Health Insurance Money

The decision about how much money you plan to spend on healthcare coverage each month is one of the biggest decisions you will make. Once you have that number in your head, you will need to know how to get the best coverage for your particular budget. These tips should help:

Do not pay any attention to the marketing extras that you may be offered such as massages, club memberships and other “bonus gifts”. These gifts will only add to the cost of your coverage, and probably nothing you need anyway.
It may be advantageous to purchase coverage only for emergency needs beyond check-ups, dental care and prescriptions. Designate a specific portion of your budget for basic medical expenses.
You may be able to save quite a bit on premium payments over time by selecting a higher deductible. Carefully put away a certain amount of money every month depending on your budget, you will eventually build up enough funds to pay off the deductible should you ever need medical care.
Research the Internet for a number of websites specializing in displaying several offers from multiple providers by submitting your basic information once. This is a powerful tool because it allows you to compare offers from different providers without having to bounce around from website to website. According to the plan that you choose, you may be able to proceed with purchasing the policy online without a physical exam. Just type “health insurance” in you preferred search engine to begin.
Prior to paying for any policy, ensure that you are dealing with a legitimate provider that will honor your policy. Remember, anything that sounds too good to be true probably is, especially when it come to health insurance. Go to the Internet for help. Enter “[company name] complaints” or the like in your favorite search engine to find any major problems with the provider you choose.
You may want to consider a membership with a union or trade association that provides benefits, such as the Freelancers Union and Sam’s Club.
Bundling your insurances is also an option. If you are able to locate a provider that offers policies for all of you healthcare needs, you may be able to get a better rate.

Now you can see that being self-employed may in fact be an advantage because you can research to save money as well as tailor the coverage to meet your specific needs. As a self-employed web worker, it’s up to you to maintain your good health in all ways. Getting a good insurance program at an affordable cost is the first step in that healthier, happier direction.

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Dena White is a freelance author and writes about healthcare career topics, such as how to obtain an online nursing degree, tips for job advancement, and more.

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