Free Teleseminar Thursday, December 4

Want to make more money as a freelance writer? That's what this blog is all about. This Thursday I'll be participating in one with Nina Amir. It starts at 2:00 pm central time and it's free; sign up here.  I'll address topics including: 

• How to turn one-time clients into regulars;

• How to save time pitching, researching, and writing articles;

• How to develop a specialty—and why you should;

• How to write about the same subject more than once—and make more money as a result; and

• How to use your experience to break into different types of writing work. 

  Hope to "see" you there...come prepared with any questions I didn't address in Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money, Second Edition; Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: Make Money Ghostwriting Books, Articles, Blogs and More, Second Edition; and Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets. 

Tips from ASJA ConCon 2014

First off, thanks to my readers who participated in the one-day only $0.99 sale last Wednesday, November 19! I sold 177 copes of Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets, Second Edition and 40 copies of other ebooks. 

Here's what happened on Amazon:  

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,226 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

#2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing Skills
#2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Entrepreneurship & Small Business > Small Business
#6 in Books > Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Writing Skills

So that was very cool, and I hope I've gained a few more readers! Thanks again! 

***
Were you at ASJA's Con Con earlier this month in Chicago? If not, you missed out on a great conference that was loaded with smart, insightful speakers geared toward writers who produce content for clients. 

Here's a roundup of some of the take-aways from keynoter Jay Heinrichs, author of Thank You for Arguing (who was a great speaker--engaging, funny, and prepared) made the point that in 1865, writer Henry James was getting paid $1/word. Today that's the standard for many publications, today too, but the cost of living has increased by a factor of 21since then. Yikes! 

You only want to write? Change your thinking. "In the past, publishers would have audiences for us...today we're all expected to be marketers," said Heinrich. 

Content is king, and going to continue to be. "Eighty-one percent of companies plan to shift their budges to spend more on content and new member experiences," he said. [And if you're not pursuing this kind of work, why not?]

Heinrich talked about the "decision journey" of engagement customers take--ideally, they travel from awareness to consideration to preference to purchase to loyalty. As a content writer, you want to help move them along that journey and help them become loyal to the brand you're representing. 

KPIs, or "key performance indicators" or metrics, are how the success of content is measured. Knowing what KPIs your client is tracking--and what their goals are--will help you succeed as a content writer. 

Heinrichs had 15 specific ideas that freelancers could try to succeed in today's market:  

1. Become an influencer. An influencer brings something--market reach, expertise, persuasiveness--that a client values. And companies pay $200 to $200,000 to have an influencer write about or represent a product or service. 
2. Find a "tiny niche," which Heinrichs describes as including 100,000 to 400,000 people. 
3. Gain legitimacy with a book. 
4. Collaborate. 
5. Start a publishing company. 
6. Network. 
7. Become a remora. (In other words, hook on to someone successful and go along for the ride.) 
8. Pursue an issue. 
9. Become a speaker. 
10. Pursue your passion--and work a real job in the meantime. 
11. Teach. 
12. Gather a video audience. And writers who can write for and edit video are going to be so in demand, in fact, that Heinrichs suggested writers that every writer learn FinalCut, a video editing program. (It's on my to-do list.) 
13. Diversify. 
14. Work for karma. 
15. Find your own great story. 

I gleaned some other tips from ConCon which I'll share in another post. In the meantime, if you're thinking about doing ghostwriting or content marketing, check out Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: Make Money Ghostwriting Books, Articles, Blogs, and More, Second Edition.

It's HERE! The One-Day-Only $0.99 Sale!

The one-day-only $0.99 sale is here. For 24 hours (and 24 hours only), you'll be able to buy 12 different freelance books (including one of mine) that will help you make MORE MONEY as a freelance writer. You'll find books by authors including Carol Tice, Linda Formichelli, Diana Burrell, and Jennifer Lawler--and you'll save 1000% (or more) when you buy these books today.

This special offer ends at midnight, November 20, so what are you waiting for? Spend some money and reap the rewards of your (frugal) investment!

Coming This Wednesday--Great Deal on Freelancing Books!

I'm participating in a one-day only special promotion with several other successful freelancing authors...it will launch and run on Wednesday, November 19, ONLY...stay tuned for details! 

The Essential Element Every LOI Needs

I've posted before about the importance of an effective letter of introduction, or LOI. It's an essential weapon in your freelance arsenal, and can be just as effective, if not more so, than a query letter. 

However.

There is no one-size-fits-all LOI. And even if you have a template for an LOI, you should never send the same LOI to two different markets. You must customize your LOI the same way you would customize a query letter--and that means including the most essential element in your LOI.

That element is this: why you are contacting the potential market. 

I know, I know. You want money. You want work. You want clients. That's the reason you sent your LOI. Duh! 

But that's not enough for your target market. You must have a reason that works for him or her--and that reason will make the difference between an LOI that gets deleted or ignored, and one that prompts a response. 

Here's an example from one of my LOIs: "I'm contacting you because I know you produce nutrition-related content for a variety of clients, and I've written about diet and nutrition for a variety of consumer and custom publications." 

The "why" can make all the difference to your potential client...and to your future with this client. 

**Want to see more examples of LOIs that worked? Check out the ones included in Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money, Second Edition and Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: Make Money Ghostwriting Books, Articles, Blogs, and More, Second Edition.