9 Ways to Develop Regular Clients

My latest piece, "nine ways to develop regular clients," is out in the February issue of The Writer (I'm a contributing editor there). I suggest you check it out; the ability to create and sustain lasting relationships with your editors and clients is critical to your success as a freelancer. But here's a preview of the nine techniques I suggest in the article:

1. Beat your deadlines. This isn't that hard!
2. Don't make it personal. No one likes criticism, but learn how to take it.
3. But do keep it personal. A personal relationship with a client never hurts.
4. Pitch regularly. Failure to do this is a major mistake.
5. Exceed expectations. Yeah, it's business-speak for go the extra mile. Do it anyway.
6. Expand your reach. Continue to develop your skills--you'll be more valuable to clients.
7. Express appreciation. You probably already know that I'm a big believer in saying thank you!
8. Think honey, not vinegar. In other words, be nice to your clients. Even (or especially!) when they annoy you.
9. Never say never. I don't believe in one-shot stories, and I try to avoid one-shot clients. I try to touch base with former clients several times a year; you never know when a one-time client may become a repeat one.

**Please keep those survey responses coming! I've already gathered 158 responses to my 2012 freelance income survey, and will post the results in a week or so. If you have taken it already, thank you! If you haven't, would you take a couple of minutes (it will take you less than five!) and do so...and please pass the link on to other full-time freelancers, too. I'd like to get at least 250 responses this time around. Thanks! :)

10 Ways to Treat your Writing Business Like a Business

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I'm a business owner first, a writer second. That's one of the reasons I've been able to keep my freelancing business afloat for fifteen years, despite the massive changes afoot in the publishing industry. So it's not surprising that the topic of my latest article in The Writer was on 10 ways to treat your writing business--well, like a business!

Pick up the December, 2011 issue of The Writer at a bookstore near you (yes, they're still out there!) for the full article. In the meantime, those 10 ways are: 

1. Develop resilience. Don't let a bad day of freelancing (or two, or three) sour you on the business.
2. Keep regular hours. It shows that you take freelancing seriously.
3. Be responsive. Your clients should know that you'll get back to them, fast.
4. Track your income. You should always know what you're making, who owes you, and how much.
5. Track your expenses. How else will you write them off your taxes?
6. Stretch yourself. You've got to continually learn new skills to stay marketable.
7. Follow up on every pitch. Following up isn't being a pest; it's being a pro.
8. Think before you write. If you're not sure whether you send that email, don't.
9. Project success. It will attract clients.
10. Set goals. If you don't know what your goals are, how will you know whether you reached them?

These are only 10 ways to succeed as a freelancer. For 91 more, why don't you preorder my new book, Writer for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success, which will be released in April, 2012 by Writer's Digest Books? It's a compilation of the 101 strategies I (and other successful freelancers) use to make more money in less time as self-employed writers. One of those 101 strategies is become a ghostwriter (ghosting and coauthoring is the lion's share of my work these days), and if you want to learn more about this lucrative field, check out Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Books: The Writer's Guide to Making Money Ghostwriting and Coauthoring Books.  

5 Questions to Ask Before you Turn Down a Small Advance

I'm back! We have successfully moved 13 years' worth of stuff (including two home offices) into our new home. Now we are unpacking, which means soon I'll be back into a good work groove.

In the meantime, I wanted to mention my latest piece in the July, 2011 ishttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifsue of The Writer on small advances. One of the reasons I got into ghostwriting and coauthoring is because I found my platform didn't matter as much as my client's did when it came to first, selling the book, and second, the size of the advance we'd garner.

But when you're writing your own book (and I write books on my own, in addition to coauthoring and ghosting), you may face the question that's the heart of the piece--how low is too low? In other words, is a small advance worth it?

This is a timely question as advances are shrinking across the board--unless you have an Oprah-sized platform or a million followers on Twitter. Before you turn down a small advance, I suggest you ask the following five questions:

• How much time will the book take? A relatively straightforward service book or a collection of previously published essays will likely take less time than a book that requires months of research and dozens of interviews, for example.
  
• Will the book further your career, and if so, how? Will it help establish you as an expert in a field you write about? Will it help you transition from freelancer to book author? Will it continue to build on your platform?
  
• How small is small? Some authors would turn up their nose at an advance of anything less than mid-five-figures; others will do books for a lot less than that. In other words, what you consider insulting may be more than acceptable to another writer. Only you can determine whether a "small" advance is worth it to you.
  
• How many books do you expect to sell? No, you don't have a crystal ball, but if you can reasonably expect to sell tens of thousands of books, a small advance may be offset by royalties down the road. A book aimed at a tiny niche audience is unlikely to produce as many royalties--and remember that four out of five don't earn out, or pay any royalties.
  
• How much do you want to do the book? I've taken on tiny advances (as in $2,500) for projects I really wanted to pursue--and have gone the POD route when I couldn't sell my book to a traditional publisher.
  

For a more in-depth look at this issue, check out the July issue of The Writer. Up next, straight talk about money, and a new survey of what freelancers are making today.

Latest Articles in The Writer and Writer's Digest

I have several new freelancing articles out in The Writer and Writer's Digest. The July/August, 2011 issue of Writer's Digest includes my piece on four of freelancer's pet peeves, and how to handle them.

In the June issue of The Writer, you'll find my feature on time management for writers. (My ten proven tips include Keep a Stash of Templates, Develop Regulars, Use your Down Time, and my favorite, Eliminate the Ugliest.)

The July issue includes my feature on small advances, and how to determine whether one is worth it. (For the record, my first book advance was $2,500. I'll talk more about why I accepted such a small advance in a future post.)

**As always, if you're looking for more smart, proven freelancing advice, please check out my books for writers:
* Ready, Aim, Specialize! Create your own Writing Specialty and Make More Money (Kindle version)
* Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money (Kindle version)
* Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: The Writer's Guide to Making Money Ghostwriting and Coauthoring Books (Kindle version)

And stay tuned for a big announcement about another book aimed to freelancers...to help them, not surprisingly, make more money. :)

Six Common Writing Mistakes--and How to Fix Them

I admit it--despite my best intentions, I sometimes make mistakes. All freelancers do. That's why my latest piece in The Writer is on six common writing mistakes--and how to fix them.

Check it out to learn what to do (and what not to do) when you screw up. :)