And the winner is...plus another Hot Freelance Tip of the Day!

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway last month. I appreciate your freelancing questions and will answer them here on the blog in the coming months. But first, congrats to:  Brenda M! Brenda won a free, signed copy of Writer for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success. (Brenda, your email isn't enabled, so please email me at kelly at becomebodywise.com, and I'll get your mailing address.) 

And I have a Hot Freelance Tip of the Day, too, from Katherine Reynolds Lewis, who spoke on my "Secrets of Successful Freelancers" panel at ASJA. Katherine, a former newspaper reporter, has only been freelancing full-time for three years, but she's built an impressive freelance career in a relatively short timeframe. She said that from day one, she approached her writing as a business. (Sound like anyone else you know?) One of her initial goals, one of her tips for attendees, and the Hot Freelance Tip of the Day is: Aim to land an anchor client. 

An anchor client is one that you can count on for regular work, hopefully an ongoing basis. Katherine says that having an anchor client (or two) relieves much of the anxiety of having to constantly troll for work, and reduces the risk of taking a really bad client just to get some money in the door. 

I couldn't agree more. When I was primarily freelancing for magazines, I had several "anchors," or "regulars," that I knew would assign work to me. It may not have been a certain amount per-month, but I could expect a certain amount over the year. Now that most of my work is ghostwriting/coauthoring for private clients, I don't have an anchor client per se, but try to have at least one ghostwriting project on my desk at any given time. That's my temporary anchor. Plus I take on a mix of other assignments that produce steadier cash flow. 

**Finally, did you see my earlier post? I've doing something I've never done before--giving away an e-book for free.Dollars and Deadlines' 10 Truths Every Writer Who Wants to be Be Published Should Know includes exactly that--straight talk to help take you from unpublished to published. (The link will take you to the book's Smashwords page; if you prefer Kindle, it will cost you $0.99. (I still need to figure out how to make it FREE there, too.) Please spread the word about it! 

Hot Freelance Tip of the Day: Sell What Clients Will Buy

I'm back from the annual ASJA Writers' Conference in NYC, and it was worth the time and expense. Went to great panels on book publishing and promotion/publicity and moderated the "Secrets of Successful Freelancing" panels on Friday, April 28. My panelists (Sam Greengard, Susan Johnston, and Katherine Reynolds Lewis) shared a slew of great ideas and strategies to make more money whether you're a new freelancer or a more experienced one--so I've got lots to share in coming posts!

When the panelists were asked about specific ways they marketed themselves, Katherine had a great suggestion. She asks clients what sections of the publication they're having trouble filling, or what specific types of content they lack writers for. Then she pitches the type of piece or the type of work she knows they need--and gets an assignment.

That's one reason I suggest that new writers break into writing for online and print publications with short FOB pieces. The editors for these sections have to fill them every month, and they need writers to come to them with ideas. Do that, and you're more likely to make a sale and get your foot in the door.

So, the Hot Freelance Tip of the Day: Sell What Clients Will Buy. 

**Special thanks to the people at ASJA who bought Writer for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success! If you've got it and find it helpful, I'd love a review on Amazon or BN.com.

And I'll be picking the winner for my first Writer for Hire giveaway by week's end, May 4. Enter here if you haven't already!