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By Laura Spencer on March 03, 2010  |  Comments 8

My Very First Professional Writing Gig Ever (Looking Back)


Getting started as a professional writer can be difficult.

I know I’ve been asked how I got started as a writer before. I’ve always answered in a very general way that I thought would help the most people. I don’t think I’ve ever shared the full story of how I landed my very first paid writing position, though.

Until today…

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By Laura Spencer on December 09, 2009  |  Comments 22

Eight Reasons Why Editing Is a Whole Lot Harder Than You Think It Is…

Editing is hard work.

I read complaints about editors on forums and on blogs all the time. While I realize that sometimes a particular editor may be unfair, there are other times when I just have to wonder what the writer was thinking.

The way I look at it, if someone is paying you to write, then they have the right to ask that your work be edited.

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By Laura Spencer on November 13, 2009  |  Comments 1

Read This Before You Write Your Next Press Release…

Have you ever had a press release bomb?

I mean really bomb — as in generate little to no response even though you followed all the “rules” for press releases?

If this has ever happened to you, I can guarantee that you’re not alone. I will also tell you that it’s not really your fault.

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By Laura Spencer on June 16, 2009  |  Comments 16

Available Now - How To Start a Freelance Writing Business E-Book

Are you just starting your freelance writing business?

Or, maybe you’ve been operating your writing business for a while now, but you wish that you had business advice from someone who’s been there. Wouldn’t it be great if someone with some experience would answer your questions?

I’ve written the How To Start A Freelance Writing Business e-book (published through Freelance Folder) specifically to help you succeed as a freelance writer. I’ve been a professional writer for 19 years, and I’ve been freelancing for seven of those years. I want to share with you what I’ve learned.

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By Laura Spencer on January 15, 2009  |  Comments 13

Book Review: The Unlimited Freelancer

Post Updated 1-21-2009: The price has now been lowered to $19.00

Let me confess something: I rarely read e-books anymore.

That’s because the last few times I read an e-book I was disappointed. Those e-books were twenty or thirty pages rehashing information that was available elsewhere on the Internet (and quite frankly, that I already knew).

That’s why I approached reading The Unlimited Freelancer skeptically, even though it is written by a couple of colleagues that I respect greatly (Mason Hipp and James Chartrand). Click here to visit FreelanceFolder.com website!

unlimited-freelance-cover-250

This time, however, I found more in the e-book than I expected. Much more!

What would you give if you were able to peak into someone else’s successful business and learn all of their trade secrets?

In essence, that’s exactly what The Unlimited Freelancer lets you do.

Mason and James walk you through the methodology, step-by-step, that helped each of them build a successful freelance businesses.

This isn’t some rehash of common knowledge - this is a full-fledged business book (200 pages) that I know I will refer to often. I can easily see a print version of this book (not currently available) becoming a staple for most home offices.

Even if the business model presented in The Unlimited Freelancer doesn’t fit your particular freelancing business - you’ll learn something when you read this book and you’ll find something that you can use.

You can purchase The Unlimited Freelancer through the FreelanceFolder website. Click here to visit FreelanceFolder.com website!

(Note: I received a review copy of this e-book. This post contains an affiliate link.)

Contents (c) Copyright 2009, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

Image Source: The Unlimited Freelancer, used with permission (Thanks Mason!)

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RSSRecent Articles

Are You Trapped in the Writing Web?

Do you feel like there’s nothing available for freelance writers except for low paying web content writing jobs?

Are you frustrated and beyond frustrated because every single client seems to want to argue about rates?

Does it seem like you’re working as hard as you can and getting nowhere?

Debunking the Freelance Writers as Corporate Trash Myth

I can’t believe I’ve been freelancing all this time (over seven years) and I haven’t really run into this myth before. Apparently, some folks believe that those of us who freelance are doing so because we are unable to do anything else. In other words, we couldn’t quite make it in the corporate world and therefore we must freelance because that’s the only thing left for us to do.

When Miscommunications Happen

We writers are communicators, so misunderstandings should never happen — right?
Wrong!

No matter how clearly you write, sooner or later someone is going to misunderstand something that you’ve written. It’s bound to happen.

Why Can’t You Say What You Want To Say?

You’re stuck! You’ve a brochure to write, but you don’t know what to say.

Is this you?

You know the message you would like to communicate to your clients, but when you sit down to actually write that message you just can’t get the right words out.

Have you ever had the frustrating experience of not being able to find the right words?

Are You an Adequate Writer or An Excellent Writer?

Your answer to that question could make all the difference in your freelancing career.

The world of freelance writing seems to be polarizing into two distinct types of writer: the adequate writer and the excellent writer.

Professional Writing - A Key Component to a Professional Image

You’ve been working hard to build your company image online and in local print publications.

You’ve established a website. You’ve even worked hard to create a social media presence. You may even have a blog.

Maybe you’ve even paid to have a special logo designed for your business or to have a custom website created.

An End to the Feast or Famine Cycle? (Demand Studios review)

When a representative of Demand Studios asked me to review their site last month, I was hesitant. Quite frankly, I’ve been very busy lately and I didn’t have a lot of extra time. Also, I try not to get too involved with sites that are considered “content sites” because, in my experience, they tend to pay less than average.

The Economy, New Clients, And You

By Carson Brackney

I just watched the news. The US economy shed nearly 400,000 jobs in July. The latest projections estimate that another 300,000 people lost jobs in August. Amazingly, that’s almost good news relative to the even higher numbers from previous months.

That’s just one of many proofs that our economy is struggling. GDP numbers, foreclosure statistics, bankruptcy forecasts and virtually every other indicator of overall economic well-being point to a single conclusion: Things suck.

Tips For Writing an E-Book

Have you ever thought about writing an e-book?

Personally, I thought about it for years before writing How to Start a Freelance Writing Business.

I had always put it off, though, because I didn’t think that I had enough time. That’s because whenever I’d worked on or edited an e-book for a client there had been lots of complications.

Of Note: About Freelance Writing

Anne Wayman’s About Freelance Writing blog has become a regular stop for me. I first became familiar with Anne’s work when she blogged at The Golden Pencil. I have to say that I enjoy this blog every bit as much as I did The Golden Pencil.

About Freelance Writing contains a good mix of advice, book reviews, and job listings. (Yep, for everyone who has asked me where you can find a freelance writing job, here is one place to look.)