A. James Editing, Inc » freelance writing

You Can’t Outsource Good Writing

Amber — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:10:19 +0000

I responded to a question on LinkedIn Answers this morning that asked about the various sites like Elance and Simply Hired that churn out low-paying copywriting gigs.

I gave my two cents as a professional freelance copywriter and remembered a post I read a few months ago by Peter Bowerman about this very topic.

He talked about the kinds of jobs that typically get “outsourced” like computer programming and customer service, for example.

But what about quality writing?

Well, quality writing doesn’t get sent overseas necessarily, but certainly the market has been saturated with sub par work by writers who are paid $5 or so per article they write. Obviously if this is going to be any kind of income source for them they’ll have to churn out as many articles as possible in as little time as possible.

It sounds scammish, but it happens. Regularly.

Instead of paraphrasing the whole article, read it here.

How to Decide When to Go Freelance and When to Continue Working for The Man

Amber — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:56:02 +0000

When the Universe tells you to.

That’s a cop-out answer, I know, but it’s not far from the truth.

I was working at the Library right before I went full-time freelance and it was a painful awakening. No really, something in my wrist actually popped.

I was working in the Sort Center, the place where all the books from the 19 library branches go to be sorted and shipped back to their home branches, when it happened.

The job involved a lot of lifting, holding and hefting of books and crates full of books. (Ok, you’ve got that picture in your mind?)

Now throw in my history of wrist tendonitis and you’ll see where I’m headed.

One day, I was performing a routine task with a hand truck, moving a five-crate high stack of book crates to its proper place, and

BOOM!

My wrist goes pop and my vision goes white.

I didn’t scream, because I’m not a screamer, but I was definitely in pain.

It’s worth mentioning that not two hours before this happened, I had asked the Universe whether I should stay in my position at the Library, or focus my precious energy on my freelance copywriting career, which had been consuming more and more of my time by that point.

The Universe gave me a prompt response (by way of an appropriate book title, which I have now forgotten) that said I should pursue my passion to be a full-time freelance copywriter.

This made me smile. I decided then that I would pursue my career…but not immediately. The fear of financial insecurity hung low in the air, as the economy was still reeling after the Bush years. I decided I would wait a little longer.

The Universe did not like that and smote me down with an injury that could take a lifetime to heal, and more immediately, prevented me from doing my job.

“Ok,” I said to the Universe, “my bad. I heard you.”

And so I quit my 10-6 at the Sort Center, and embarked on the lovely, never-ending adventure that is self-employment.

Is it easy?

Sometimes.

Is it fun?

Always.

If you’re having difficulty deciding whether you should go full-time freelance, part-time freelance or stay at your office job, try asking your Deity of Choice for a little help with this life altering decision.

You may not like the answer you get, but hey, that’s what you get for asking. Besides, “Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t.” So says Erica Jong.

Truer words were never spoken.

How Being a Freelance Creative is Like Being a Survivalist

Amber — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:25:44 +0000

According to Webster’s, a survivalist is “a person who advocates or practices survivalism” or “one who has prepared to survive in the anarchy of an anticipated breakdown of society.”

Being a freelance creative won’t necessarily prepare you to survive a natural disaster or societal meltdown (though I’m positive we have some transferable skills), but it will enable you to take control of your income.

Yeah, yeah, we’ve all heard the term “starving artist.”

And conventional wisdom tells us that being a freelance anything is dangerous because you never know how much money you’re going to make in any given month.

This is only partially true, and far more alarmist than it needs to be.

As freelance creatives, we have the power and the privilege to steer our own careers and set earning goals that could change every month if we chose.

We, not our passive-aggressive supervisors or the faceless CEO of the company, have the power to give ourselves raises, take 20 weeks of vacation per year, work remotely from anywhere on the planet, and climb our industry ladder as quickly, or not at all, as we see fit.

Our position is unique too, in that we can change the course of our business or work as quickly as our personal and client needs dictate. What’s easier, turning your car around or turning it around while a trailer’s hitched to the back?

We just have less baggage, less bureaucracy and way more flexibility in every aspect of our business.

Is being a freelancer really all roses, rainbows and sunshine, as you say?!

Hell no!

Being a freelance creative is hard work and sometimes we don’t make our monthly earning goals. C’est la vie.

But we don’t do it because it’s easy.

We do it because we love it.

We do it because it’s our right livelihood.

We do it because we wouldn’t want it any other way.

We know what to do and where to go to make our dreams come true. We’re certainly not islands, but we each produce enough of our own natural resources, to at least be self-sustaining.

That’s why being a freelance creative is like being a survivalist.

Because we have the skills to survive and thrive, regardless of the economy. Unfortunately, wage earners are not always so fortunate.

Why Copywriters Should Get Piggyback Rides from Graphic & Web Designers

Amber — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 20:01:46 +0000

In a previous post, I discussed the challenges freelance copywriters face in getting paid what their work is worth compared to graphic and web designers.

So, assuming it’s true that decision-makers think about the design of their website, for example, before they think about the writing (which, IMHO, is indeed the case), the designer will get to name their price with little to no negotiating required, while the copywriter, the second-born/afterthought, has to scramble for the bits of the budget that remain.

This does not have to be so.

I strongly recommend that freelance copywriters form partnerships with freelance graphic and web designers. This way, when they’re contacted to design a website, it’s easy for them to ask their client, “Who do you have working with you on the copy?”

And Voila! You’re in.

This also puts the designer in a unique, value-added position with the client. And very likely, the client will take their designers’ copywriter recommendation without shopping around for the best (read lowest) price because let’s face it: how many decision-makers/business owners know a good freelance copywriter or even where to find one?

Not many in my experience. (Except, of course, those who know me.)

By piggybacking on the success of your designer partners, you’re now able to get more work, in addition to receiving compensation that is closer to your work’s true worth.

(Hopefully you would have let your designer know what your preferred rates are so they can let their clients know what to expect, thus, paving the way for you to be paid what would be equivalent to at least a living wage.)

A freelance copywriter who is near and dear to my copywriting heart, Peter Bowerman, has written an e-book about this very subject: “Profitable – By Design!”

How Long Do You Wait For A Late Client/Prospect?

Amber — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:37:29 +0000

It’s only happened to me twice in the five years I’ve been working as a freelance copywriter. But both times I struggled with how to handle it. One automatically assumes that professionalism demands punctuality and woe to those who do not harken to these standards. (“Woe” and “harken”? Amber, what’s up with the archaic-speak? I studied Latin and Old English in college, alright? Just let me have my moment.)

The first time it happened was a bit ridiculous. We were supposed to meet at Vita Cafe on Alberta Street in NE Portland, OR. I’d been there once before and the cafe I was sitting in seemed to be on the opposite side of the street from where I remembered it. 15 minutes went by with no word from my prospective client. Yes, my phone was on. No, I didn’t have any messages. And yes, I’d forgotten to bring his number with me (Being in Business 101, folks.)

I asked the server if he knew of the location of my client’s business, but he’d never heard of it. I explained my situation to him and he informed me that there was another cafe a few blocks down the street called Vitta Cafe. Seriously? On the same street? And on the same side of the street? Come on, Portland!

So I book it over there, I’m 25 minutes late at this point, and I burst into the cafe to find…that he’s not there. Well, that’s all I had. I lowered my head and drove home. (At this point in the narrative, you may be wondering what my lateness has to do with the title of this post. Wait for it…)

As soon as I got home, 10-15 minutes later, I call the client to express my desperate apologies. He doesn’t answer, I leave a message, he calls me back. He says, “Well, your message put me in a position where I could be honest or just let you take the fall for this…I’ll be honest: I was never there.”

My jaw dropped.

“I actually forgot we were meeting today.”

He was a no-show while I thought I was sitting in the wrong cafe. But it’s ok, now. We’re friends.

Though this situation was stressful while it was happening, I learned a valuable business lesson that I will now share with you:

The Moral of the Story

Send a confirmation email the day before you’re supposed to meet with a client. Something like, “Hi Jordan, I just wanted to make sure we’re still on for tomorrow morning at 11 at Vita Cafe at 3023 NE Alberta.” (I might take out one of the “at”s though.)

The second situation I mentioned would claim a post about this long and I’ve never really been a fan of long blog posts, or long emails for that matter. So, projecting my desires and dislikes onto you, I’ll save that story for another post that will be entitled something like: “When Random Things Happen and There’s Nothing You Can Do But Roll With It.”

Your homework:

What’s one of your late client stories? What did you learn from it that could help others?

The Cost of Creative

Amber — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 20:28:02 +0000

I’ve recently worked with a few clients who have been quite taken aback when they hear what my hourly or project rates are for a piece of copy. This has led to some instances of conflict and discomfort (not to mention drama) and I want to prevent such occurrences in the future.

The only way I could think to do that was by letting it be known what a copywriter charges for her work. It obviously varies based on experience and market, but the rates below come to this post by way of Writer’s Market, an invaluable resource for any writer. The rates are broken down by lows, averages and highs. I’ve included categories that I typically work under, but if you want a more extensive list you can probably find the latest edition of Writer’s Market in any library or bookstore.

The last thing you should do is take these rates as the literal word of the Freelance Copywriting Goddess, but they should give you a good idea of what you should charge (as a freelance copywriter) and what you should expect to pay (as a purchaser of copywriting services).

Advertising Copywriting

Low: $35-40/hour
Average: $77-92
High: $125-150

Per Project
Low: $150
Average: $2,278
High: $9,000

Copyediting for Advertising

Low: $20-25/hour
Average: $55-58
High: $100-125

Press/News Release

Low: $35-40/hour
Average: $58-97
High: $100-180

Per Project
Low: $125
Average: $479
High: $1,500

Brochures & Fliers for Business

Low: $30-50/hour
Average: $86-106
High: $150-200

Per Project
Low: $300
Average: $2,777
High: $15,000

Business & Sales Letters

Low: $36-40/hour
Average: $75-81
High: $125-150

Per Project
Low: $150
Average: $762
High: $1,500

Business Plan

Low: $35-50/hour
Average: $87-88
High: $125-150

Per Project
Low: $1,000
Average: $6,000
High: $15,000

Grant Proposal

Low: $30-43/hour
Average: $69-96
High: $125-150

Per Project
Low: $500
Average: $1,767
High: $3,000

Newsletter Writing

Low: $30-40/hour
Average: $82-90
High: $125

Per Project
Low: $800
Average: $2,000
High: $5,000

Web Page Writing

Low: $30-40/hour
Average: $66-83
High: $125-150

Per Project
Low: $100
Average: $1,251
High: $7,000

Typos in the Nuwz: Idaho Woman and Haitian Orphans

Amber — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:48:06 +0000

An Idaho woman, Laura Silsby, is under investigation for potentially kidnapping children out of Haiti with her group of Baptist church members. She also has a laundry list of other indiscretions, all financial, that have absolutely nothing to do with the construction of this sentence by The Associated Press:

In the last year alone saw her home go into foreclosure and watched a number of legal proceedings against her and her business wend their way through Idaho’s courts.

You can get the meaning of this sentence as it is, but it could read a lot smoother. Try this instead:
“The last year alone saw her home go into foreclosure…” Or: “In the last year alone, she saw her home go into foreclosure and watched a number of legal proceedings…”

You get the idea. It seems that the author of this piece had two sentences in her head at the same time and attempted (unsuccessfully) to combine them. You can read the article here.

Mexico & Gay Marriage Equality: Typos in the Nuwz…I Mean News

Amber — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:03:54 +0000

In a first for Latin America, Mexico City legislators voted to legalize gay marriage. Though it would seem Mexico seeks unity through inclusion, this article is missing something in an otherwise almost perfect article:

Last month, an Argentinean court narrowly blocked what would been the continent’s first gay marriage.

The word “have”. It should be between “would” and “been”. What can I say? It’s a gift. Read the pithy article here.

Typos in the Nuwz…I Mean News: Huffington Post and al Qaeda

Amber — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:31:40 +0000

I was perusing the offerings on The Huffington Post today and came across two articles, “Rupert Everett: Hollywood is Like Al-Qaeda” and “Critics of Obama’s Exit Strategy Have Argument Backwards,” both with different spellings of “al Qaeda”. I have no first-hand knowledge of Arabic so I cannot say with assurance how to spell it, but after some online research I came across WikiAnswers which claims the correct spelling is “Al Qaeda”. Any Arabic speakers who can second that?

In the first article it was spelled “Al-Qaeda”. In the second article there were two different spellings, “al Qaeda” and “al-Qaeda”. I think most Americans don’t know which spelling is correct (if one of them is correct), but for the sake of consistency, THP should choose one and use it wherever the word occurs.

Advertising Gone Awry

Amber — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:55:19 +0000

As a copywriter and guardian of the written word, I instinctively notice typos and grammatical errors everywhere I go. I learned a long time ago that correcting people’s speech is a good way to get on their bad side so I discontinued that practice. Channeling my grammatical gravitas into more constructive means, like copywriting, has been more rewarding and not to mention socially acceptable.

I came across this restaurant in the course of a previous job and cringed and corrected it in my head every time I passed it. Taste of what village? Did you mean “The Taste of the Village?” What about “Taste the Village?”

To all you business owners out there: I have no doubt that you know your stuff when it comes to your business, but it might be worth its weight in respect to have a copywriter look over your written materials before you go public and have your knowledge of the English language questioned.