Last post of the Blogathon: One-Day ONLY Special Offer--and 8 Ways to Beat Writers' Anxiety

Blogathon, day 30! Thank goodness it's over. I'm actually posting this on Sunday night because I'm swamped tomorrow morning and to give readers a jump on my special offer. 

As I said yesterday, blogging every day doesn't sell books. So in honor of the end of the blogathon, I'm trying something that hopefully will. For ONE DAY ONLY, all of the electronic versions of Improvise Press' books will be HALF OFF. That's $4.99 for:  

• Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets

• Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: Make Money Ghostwriting Books, Articles, Blogs and More, Second Edition

• Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money, Second Edition 

Don't have a Kindle? No problem. You can download other e-reader-friendly versions (including a PDF) at Smashwords here: 

• Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets 

• 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 

This offers ends on Monday, July 1st, when the blog goes on hiatus, so buy your books today--and share this on social media! Thank you! And now for today's post: 

I'm an anxious person by nature. That anxiety has been a driving force in many ways; it got me through college, law school, and two states' bar exams, and a demanding but unsatisfying career as an attorney. It also helped me power through the first few years of full-time freelancing, and has given me the energy and drive to continue to freelance as the publishing world has undergone radical change--and not always for the better. 

I've talked to many fellow freelancers and found that many, like me, are anxious as well. Maybe it's part of our DNA as writers, or it's because a certain amount of anxiety if motivating when you're self-employed. (It is for me, anyway.) But too much anxiety is counterproductive, and it just flat out feels awful. Yes, I obsess sometimes about the amount of work I have (either too much or not enough) but I've found a number of ways to manage my freelancer's anxiety. I think they'll work for you, too: 

1. Start early. I start researching assignments very soon after receiving them, especially when they're souce-heavy. Even so, I'm always at least a little worried about finding enough (and the right) sources until that I wrap up the interview with the last critical person on my list. 

2. Exercise. It's the number one way to beat anxiety, and you can't worry about and work out hard at the same time. I don't always work out first thing in the morning; sometimes I run or bike over my lunch break, which makes me much more focused and productive in the afternoons. 

3. Know what you're doing. Don't get stressed second-guessing yourself. Confirm the specs of the assignment with your client before you're writing so you know exactly what she wants. 

4. Get it down. All too often, I angst over the initial draft of an article, book chapter, you name it. Once I have a draft down, though, that anxiety recedes. Even the crappiest draft can be improved upon, but you can't do anything with the draft that's still in your head. 

5. Forget perfect. I use a three-draft process for pretty much everything I write and don't rewrite after that. Rewriting over and over wastes time and actually makes you more anxious! 

6. Mentally "let it go." My four-year-old walks around singing this hit from Frozen constantly, and it's good advice for freelancers, too. When you turn a piece in, let it go. You'll waste time and stress yourself out for no reason worrying about what your editor will say--and you have no control over it, either.    

7. Think ahead. When I'm really busy, I'll put in an extra hour or so of work after my kids are in bed. I feel like it gives me a jump on the next day, and takes the edge off worrying about getting everything done. 

8. Have a plan. I find that writing down my goals for the day and checking them off help me manage my anxiety--and gives me a sense of satisfaction as well. 

**Readers, what about you? Did you take advantage of the special offer? Do you struggle with writer's anxiety? Feel free to comment here...and enjoy your July! I'll bring the blog back from hiatus in August. 

Four Things I've Learned from the Blogathon

Blogathon, day 29. 

Tomorrow will be my last post before my blog goes on hiatus for the month of July, and I have to say I'm ready for it. I've learned a few things from the blogathon, including: 

1. I’m glad I took on the challenge because I’m a believer in trying new things and stretching yourself. I would have never blogged for 30 days straight had I not publicly committed to. 

2. That being said, I hate blogging every day. Every morning I woke up, thinking, "crap, I have to blog today." I'd much rather blog once a week, on Mondays, the way I have for several years (with an occasional mid-week post thrown in here and there). 

3. Blogging does not sell books. At least not mine, and that was my primary purpose in doing the blogathon. Yes, I've been averaging more than 200+ hits/day on the blog. But my book sales have been lower in June than in March, April, or May--months when I blogged four times/month. Significantly lower, in fact. Why? First, I figure that many of my readers already have my books. (Yay! And thank you!) And I theorize that readers (at least some) are willing to read a blog for free--yet unwilling to shell out money for a book on the same topic I blog about. And by blogging so much, I think I'm devaluing my books, and what they offer, which makes for fewer sales, not more. Not good. 

4. Blogging every day takes too much time. It took time away from pitching ideas and working on assignments--and it took time away from my family, too. It made me run late almost every morning as I tried to get it done before my day started in earnest, and stressed me out almost every day.  

So while I'm glad I did it, I will not be doing it again in the near future. I will, however, be offering a one-day only special offer tomorrow to celebrate the end of the blogathon. Make sure you tune in! 

**What books am I talking about? 

Well, there's Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money, Second Edition, a freelancing classic that helps both new and experienced writers boost their bottom line. 

If you're a new freelancer, get up to speed fast with Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets, which is aimed at brand-new freelancers in search of their first clips.

And if you want to add ghostwriting to your repertoire, you'll want Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: Make Money Ghostwriting Books, Articles, Blogs and More, Second Edition, which shows how to break into the ghostwriting/content marketing field--even if you haven't ghostwritten before.

Become a Ghost-Blogger: Cracking this Lucrative Market

I had lunch with a fellow freelancing friend (say that three times fast!) last week. We were talking about our current projects, and which were the most lucrative. Right now I'm in the midst of a rush ghosting gig, writing a book in twelve weeks. I'm a little crazed. But the money is good, the client is responsive, and I'm able to turn the chapters around fairly quickly. I'm close to making the hourly rate I aim for ($100/hour). (Want to know more about ghostwriting books? Check out Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: The Writer's Guide to Making Money Ghostwriting and Coauthoring Books.) 

As for my friend? She's ghosting, too--ghost-blogging for several corporate clients, and is making good money from it. For example, for one client she's paid $300 for a blog post of 500-600 words. The work is relatively simple; the client chooses the topic, she interviews him, and then writes up the post for his review and approval. 

The first couple of blog posts may not pay that well in terms of hourly rate as she becomes familiar with his voice and gets up to speed on the topics and industry she's covering. But the longer she works for the client, the more money she makes per-hour--she's able to spend less time writing the posts and less time making any edits as she "knows" her client. 

That's great for any freelancer, but the benefits don't stop there. The more she blogs, the more irreplaceable she becomes to the client. After all, she knows his voice; she knows his company; and she knows his industry. That gives her job security (or at least freelance gig security) in an ever-changing environment and that is valuable. 

That's just one reason ghost-blogging is a smart choice for freelancers today. Blogs need feeding, and need feeding often--typically at least once a week, often more often. That's a lot of work for writers like you and me. While blogs typically pay anywhere from $50 to $500/post, ghostwritten posts tend to pay the most--up to $1/word. 

So how do you crack this lucrative area? First, yeah, you need some blogging experience; clients will want to see examples of your work. Second, consider your background and topics you've covered before. If you've written about a particular industry or profession, look for blogs in that subject area and draft an LOI highlighting your relevant qualifications. Make it your goal from the outset to nab an ongoing gig, not just write a post or two--that's hardly worth your while. 

While your client probably already has ideas for posts, coming up with your own can make you more valuable. Stay up on what's happening in the topic you're writing about--the more you know about your client's industry or business, the more valuable you become. Ask if the client wants your help coming up with art/photos for the post, and whether he wants you to promote the posts on social media sites. Your goal is become the go-to person for blog posts for your client; when you do that, you ensure steady work with zero marketing time, which boosts your hourly rate and your productivity! 

** Last chance! If you're reading this before July 1, 2013, you have a few hours left to take advantage of my 50 percent discount on print editions of  Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money, Second Edition or Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets. Order directly from Improvise Press,and use the discount code, THANKYOU (all caps/no breaks) for 50 percent off of your order, the best price you'll find in any brick-and-mortar or online bookstore. The last shipment of books will mail Monday, July 1, 2013, so don't wait! 

Five Ways to Build a Better Blog: Advice from Jane Boursaw

Got a blog? Thinking about starting one? You're not alone. Seems like everyone I know has a blog, but that doesn't mean you should, too. In fact, I suggest freelancers blog with purpose--whether it's to make money, to sell books, to build your platform, to attract clients, or a combination of all of these.

I came late to the blog-o-sphere, but freelancer Jane Boursaw was blogging, and making money for it, long before most of us considered trying to master the form. Boursaw, who writes about entertainment, started her blog to accompany her main website, ReelLifeWithJane.com. Today, her blog still serves as a "moving picture show" to her site, which holds clips, testimonials, syndication info for editors, a list of syndication partners, links to her social media networks, full-length movie reviews, and other related info--but it makes money has well, and has attracted the interest of advertisers and sponsors.

Sounds great, huh? But it’s not as simple as just deciding to blog and then watching the cash roll in. You need passion--and some kind of plan--before you launch a successful blog. Identify the purpose(s) for your blog, your audience, and what topic(s) you'll cover before you launch yours. I played with the idea of blogging for several years (and took Boursaw’s excellent blogging e-class), considering and discarding potential topics before I settled on one that stuck. This blog was created for four primary reasons:

• To sell copies of my (then) new book on ghostwriting, Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks, once it was published;
• To continue to sell copies of my earlier freelance-related books;
• To attract potential ghostwriting and collaborating clients; and
• To continue to build my platform as a freelancing expert.

The tagline of my blog is “helping nonfiction freelancers make more money in less time.” That identifies both the purpose and audience of my blog. While I occasionally stray from the strictest interpretation of this phrase, my blog posts always relate to the challenges and benefits of freelancing. My readers know what to expect every time they visit it.

So make sure you’ve identified the your audience and your purpose before you jump in. There’s nothing wrong with blogging because you’d like to write and sell a book--that’s becoming a common way to nab a publishing deal, especially when your platform is still "in progress." My friend Polly Campbell started her imperfect spirituality blog, to help build a readership, and sell her book of the same name--and a traditional publisher picked it up. Freelancer Denise Schipani’s blog, Confessions of a Mean Mommy, http://www.confessionsofameanmommy.com, got her noticed and led to her first book deal, too.

Ready to blog for bucks? Follow Boursaw's five keys to successful blogging:

1. Pick a topic you love;

2. Create a business where your blog blends well or is the foundation for the rest of your business;

3. Have faith in your abilities and your message, whatever that may be;

4. Always, always, always provide quality content on your blog, no matter whether the post is short or long. Great writing is what sets the professional blogs apart from the rest of the pack; and

5. Network with other bloggers and people in your niche as much as possible. Spend time on Twitter and Facebook and join groups with like-minded bloggers. If there isn’t a group for your niche, start one.

Boursaw has found that the more she blogs, the more readers she draws, and the more advertisers and syndicators she gets. She offers a variety of blogging classes for both new and experienced bloggers.

While you may not have as much success with your blog as Boursaw has, I suggest your blog for more than pleasure. Your time as a freelancer is limited and finite, remember? That's why I believe your should, at the minimum, attract new clients and build your platform--and hopefully much more.

**Readers, do you blog for passion, profit, or a mix of both? Have you found work through your blog, and if so, how has it helped you build your business?