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free*lance: n (1820) 1 a. usu free lance: a mercenary soldier esp. of the Middle
Ages: condotierre.
WELCOME:
Welcome to the first issue of -30-, found exclusively at the StaffWriters Plus Web site.
One of the most common challenges faced by freelance writers today is keeping up with
the latest trends within the industry and the changing needs of their customers. This is where -30-
will help.
Each monthly installment of -30- will deal with a topic or issue of interest to the freelance
community, from ideas on how to grow your current client base to techniques that can enhance the
quality of your work. And in our "FROM THE FRONT" column, we'll feature
a "Q & A" with a working freelance writer who will share their industry experiences. We also debut a regular column,
Scribbler's Scrapbook where we chronicle the new freelance life of Melanie Hauser.
We hope you find -30- a useful tool in your pursuit of new business. We also look
forward to hearing from you. Please submit your messages and thoughts for future stories to
(info@staffwriters.com). We hope you enjoy this first issue. More features
will be added in future editions.
ABOUT OUR NAME: Reporters used the symbol -30- at the end of their typewritten copy to indicate to editors that they have reached the last word.
IN THIS ISSUE:
In this premiere issue of -30-, our main story takes a look at the rapidly changing world of
the freelance writer through the eyes of one of the leading authorities on the freelance industry,
successful freelance writer and author, Bob Bly.
THE CHANGING FACE OF FREELANCING
"Writing is excessive drudgery: it dims your sight, crooks your back, twists your stomach,
and your sides. Three fingers write but the whole body labours."
-- Eighth Century Scribe
by Michael A. Casano
The above quote first made the rounds nearly 1,200 years ago but still echoes the reason
most freelance writers do what they do: because others can't or won't or think they can but fail.
Though the job does bring its own share of angst to the freelancer, the payoffs--
independence and the pleasure of seeing your work make a difference, are worth the stress of
colorful clients and lost invoices. And what a feeling when you do get paid.
The business of working as a freelance writer has changed dramatically. Terms like
"electronic publishing" and "HTML," unheard of a decade ago, are now chiseled upon the tablets
of contemporary business jargon, while the manner in which corporate America works has
undergone almost a complete restructuring.
No one is more aware of these changes than Bob Bly. A full-time freelance writer since
1982, Bly is a leading authority on the industry, writing more than 35 books on the subject.
According to Bly, one of the biggest challenges he has found over the last few years is the shorter
timeframes customers now expect work to be completed.
"The technology has made people expect and demand faster turnaround -- even with
portions of work like writing and research that have nothing to do with technology," said Bly. "I
read somewhere where there is now a "six times" rule, which means if clients before wanted
something in six months, they now want it in a month. So, everyone in every kind of business -- at
least white collar business, whether it's market research or freelance writing -- is under much more
pressure for immediate turnaround."
Because of the increased demands due to technology, it is essential that today's freelance
writer have a working knowledge of the Internet. Also important: a writer must be, if not computer
proficient, at least computer literate.
Adds Bly: "Ten years ago, companies would say, 'I have a project' and you would say,
'send me some information.' Now, they say, 'I have a project,' and when you ask if you can send
some background, the first question they ask is if you have web access. You have to know how to
send e-mail. You have to know how to use the computer. You have to be able to have fairly up-to-
date computer equipment. Inability to use these tools has increasingly become unacceptable."
While technology has influenced the way freelance writers do business, the "hot areas" for
freelance work essentially remain the same. High-tech and financial writers are still in great
demand, as well as people who create speeches, annual reports and direct marketing assignments.
The one area that may be affected long term, however, is the development of corporate brochures
and data sheets.
"I think there is a potential that demand for corporate communications product collateral
may shrink," said Bly. "That's because clients are doing fewer printed pieces now that they have
the option of just putting it up on the web. Interestingly, however, I read a survey that indicated
that while fees for web designers are going up, fees for web copy are going down. That doesn't
mean there's not a demand, but that a lot of people are offering it. My theory is that clients agonize
more over copy to be printed, because as soon as it is printed it's frozen -- unlike on the web
where it's more easily changeable."
Another area at issue for freelance writers is ongoing corporate downsizing. Many writers
believe the situation has been beneficial for the freelance industry; Bly sees the condition,
however, as a 50/50 proposition.
"Companies are now increasingly outsourcing, which is good news to us because they
need help," he explained. "But corporate downsizing puts a lot of staff employees into the
marketplace who then decide to try -- either seriously or temporarily -- some form of freelancing.
So, it also creates more competition."
What should freelance writers do then to grow their business? Ultimately, Bly believes the
key is to stay focused and to start from your area of specialty within the industry.
"I had a person write to me a while ago who was deaf," remembered Bly. "The person
wondered what he could do to break into the freelance industry. I wrote back and told him to
consider BellTone and other hearing aid companies, because he was the most qualified copywriter
in the world to write for them; he truly understood the needs of their target audience. If you find
your special niche and then move out from there, in the long run you'll do better. The rest will
naturally come along."
Michael Casano has more than 15 years experience writing video presentations,
brochures, newsletters, and correspondence for companies in a wide range of industries, and has
worked through StaffWriters Plus on various projects.
Copyright © 1998 Michael Casano
FROM THE FRONT
Joanne DiLisio, who has worked on several projects with StaffWriters Plus, is a
freelance writer who graduated with a degree from the School of Communication at Boston
University in 1981. With her creative style of writing, Joanne decided to pursue a career in
advertising. She hasn't looked back since.
Joanne's first position was with JC Penney where she was the creative group head for
five years. She then became involved in marketing communications with Mutual of New York
(MONY). There she spent her time in marketing development, merchandising, and client
communication. After 11 years with the company, Joanne missed writing and decided to pursue
her passion, launching her own business two years ago. Since then, Joanne has become a
successful freelance writer. Here, she talks with StaffWriters Plus intern Christine Montemurro.
StaffWriters: How did you get started in the field of communications?
Joanne: I had always wanted to become a journalist until my sophomore year in college. I had
one professor who also worked for the Boston Globe. He told me that with my style of writing I
would be bored in journalism. He said to look into the creative side of journalism: advertising. I
then joined the student run ad agency on campus called Ad Lab. This was a proving ground for
me. I chose to follow in my dad's footsteps and pursue advertising.
Q: What do you feel are the pluses and minuses of working as a freelance writer?
A: There are a few minuses in all honesty. It's important to avoid the feeling of isolation,
especially working out of my home. In actuality, I talk to people constantly. I'm very disciplined
anyway, so I am productive in this type of environment. I am in control of my own destiny. I can
work as hard as I want and I have flexible hours. I like the diversity about it... I love everything
about it. I learned to keep balance in a life that I controlled. I know when I'm at my limit. I
prefer to do a better job than to do more.
Q: What are the challenges that you have faced?
A: I find that the challenge is to have the guts to go out on your own. You need to know that you
won't have peaks all the time and that you will have some valleys. Also, I try hard to be
responsible and responsive to one client, however, I'm working with seven or eight others and I
have to meet their needs too.
Q: What types of assignments do you receive and how often?
A: I get assignments daily. I can get anything from a single ad to something like the project I'm
working on now. I have to do four manuals, four brochures; a huge package. I pretty much run
the gamut. I do a newsletter every other month. I do just about everything. I also do a lot of
speechwriting and I write for firms.
Q: How also do you market yourself?
A: I have learned the value of networking. I have gained a good reputation and rapport with
people over the years. At first I made a few calls and it just took off from there . . . I didn't pursue
business, it pursued me. It amazes me.
Q: How do you set your fees and handle nonpaying customers?
A: Luckily, I haven't had many nonpaying customers. The hard thing is when a client is taking a
long time and changing things and when a project is spread over a long period of time because
then I have to wait to get paid. When I started out on my own I talked to everyone about fees. I
did research on the norms. I have increased my rates since I have gained more experience. What I
usually do is get the specifics of the job and then provide an estimate based on a per hour figure. I
keep diligent records of the hours I spend on a client. Since I have so many clients, the number of
hours get fragmented. However, I established a system from the start.
Q: What advice can you give to others?
A: Just do it. I encourage people to do it. It has been the most rewarding thing career wise that I
have ever done. You don't know your potential until you test your limits. I highly recommend it
but you have to be disciplined and a self-motivator.
Q: Do you feel that there is a strong competition among writers?
A: I don't think so. I have built relationships and have delivered for the people I work for so they
don't need to go look for someone else. I don't think I have competition. I haven't found it yet.
That doesn't mean that I won't in the future. I think that there is a need for good writers and
people who want to write full time.
Q:Do you place any restrictions on yourself when it comes to certain topics? Are you selective
on what you write?
A: I have been lucky that I haven't come into contact with any ethical or moral issues. I haven't
had to face it yet. But if I did and I didn't feel comfortable with an issue then I wouldn't take the
job.
Q: Was it easy for you to find employment?
A: I have been very lucky. I don't know if it is like this for everyone. What I have found is that it
is easy to find employment as long as you have a good reputation, experience, and relationships to
build on.
Copyright © 1998
Scribbler's Scrapbook
by Melanie Hauser
When I decided to embark on the exciting new career of a freelance writer, with visions of
guest appearances on the Oprah show dancing in my head, my husband persuaded me that the
Internet might be a more efficient way of getting published than blindly mailing my unsolicited
work to unsuspecting agencies and publications.
Being a traditionalist, and secretly wanting to suffer for my art in the best tradition of
Hemingway and Fitzgerald, I was skeptical. However, I decided to humor him, and spent one
rainy Sunday morning surfing the web, in search of editors in search of me.
Almost immediately, I ran into a big obstacle. Knowing I needed to work at home, it was
a fairly simple process to find websites devoted to just that - work that can be done at home.
(Although some of the opportunities I discovered can still make me blush to recall.)
It was in the definition of the type of work I was seeking, however, that gave me the most
trouble.
The first problem I identified was how to describe what I wanted to do. The phrases
"desperately seeking fame," "desiring to be underpaid and uninsured," and "will pay to see my
name in print," yielded no results.
I finally figured out that I needed to think like the masses, to come up with the word or
phrase that most typically defined what it was I thought I did.
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it part of a writer's job to come up with the
unusual, the inventive turn of phrase - in other words, to NOT think like the masses?
There was my dilemma. It took me a good many hours that rainy morning to hit upon the
correct words to search. When I finally caught on, I was awfully disappointed. "Freelance writer"
and "contract writer" seem so, I don't know, technical, mundane.
Hemingway would never refer to himself as a "contract writer." My pride was wounded,
my tormented soul insulted.
But, hey - the sudden knowledge of all those other tormented souls out there kind of
cheered me up. And the fact that I did see opportunities listed gave me hope that I could someday
make it to Oprah.
But I've given it some thought, and decided there should be other, more relevant, phrases
to describe the work I do.
How about "writer of the night," because I will willingly prostitute myself and write in
any style, for any kind of publication willing to pay me?
Or "creative thinker who is much funnier in writing than in person?" (Just ask my
friends.) And then there's "lazy wordsmith who is delighted at the opportunity to sit at the
computer in her pajamas," my personal favorite.
And finally, let's hear it for "woman whose husband has hinted that an additional income
would be desirable, but who has no marketable skills and needs to be available to drive kids to
and from school and soccer practice!"
I find these to be much more accurate desciptions of the career to which I aspire.
Melanie Hauser lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and two sons. She is currently at work on the
ubiquitous novel, as well as accepting assignments that could benefit from her "witty command of the written
language". We're proud to have her debut on our site.
Copyright © 1998 Melanie Hauser
Past Issues:
[March '00 Newsletter]
[December '99 Newsletter]
[June '99 Newsletter]
[April '99 Newsletter]
[February '99 Newsletter]
[November '98 Newsletter]
[September '98 Newsletter]
[July '98 Newsletter]
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"JOB SCOUT: Weekday Nov. 19, 2008"
