Writers and Editors

I've been freelance most of my career (after several years as an editor in book publishing), so I know it's possible to make a living this way. Eventually I'll provide more advice here about how to do it. Slowly (while also making a living freelancing) I'm focused on getting the bones of this website in place and providing links that serve as a gateway to the information and resources you will need to do the same yourself.

Freelancing doesn't suit everyone. I happen to prefer working alone because it helps me concentrate, and being selectively gregarious I go out when I need the company--but I don't need to be working around people all day. The loneliness gets to some freelancers, as do the serious problems with cash flow (because even if you have enough work, payments are sometimes slow in coming). Many people say they want the security of a job, but when job security became an issue for many people, a few years back, my comfort level with not knowing what I would be doing a year later served me well. You need to be able to market yourself, but that doesn't mean you have to be a salesperson so much as you have to let people know you are there, are dependable, and can and will do the work you're being hired to do. There is a learning curve, but there are places to learn and books to learn from. More on those later.

I'm adding some items on telecommuting, because I'm getting lots of queries from people who can't afford to keep their jobs, and for some telecommuting may be a good alternative. To the extent that I can post links to advice on how to make that work, I will do so. I will also post links on how to run a small business, because that is essentially what a freelancer is doing. Some present themselves as a company. I haven't done so only because I have been more interested in the work than in managing other people doing the work--although of course I do subcontract parts of my work. (On a book, for example, I always hire an editor; even though I edit, I can't edit myself effectively; nobody can. I also hire proofreaders. On books I help others self-publish, I also farm work out to designers and book production people. And increasingly, in the memoir market, I subcontract to video people.

How Much to Charge?

What can a writer or editor expect? Proofreader? Designer? Ghostwriter? Copywriter? Resume writer? Some of the ranges of fees reported in various genres -- and articles on how to set rates. Be warned: many fees --especially for consumer magazines, the ones people buy at the supermarket -- are far lower today than they were even recently. Scroll down to three articles at the very end of this list of great links for a depressing exchange between Nate Thayer and Alexis Madrigal
Not surprisingly, several articles bear this title or one like it, including the following:
• How Much Should I Charge for My Freelance Services? (Lifehacker)
• How much should I charge? (Dan Wilson, Editor's Desktop, on why freelancers' rates aren't standardized)
• How much should I charge? By the hour or by the project? (Allena Tapia, About.com) There is also "per diem."
• How much should I charge? (Lynn Wasnak, NJ Creatives Network, 2011). Lynn provides ranges of fees for various types of work
• How Much Should I Charge? (Lynn Wasnak, Writers Market, PDF of easy-to-read chart, based on summary of 2005-2006 fees)
• Cha-Ching! Hourly Rate Calculator (Freelance Switch), based on calculating your business costs, your personal costs, how many hours you can bill, and how much you want in savings and profit.
• Freelance Fee Setting: Quick Guide for When a Client Demands a Price NOW (Kindle edition, 2012) by Laurie Lewis, author of What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants (see below)
• Why should I bother using an editor, and how much would it cost? (Judith Broadhurst, The unexpected benefits of hiring a professional editor, Polished Prose)
• Tip of the Week: What a Copyeditor Earns (Erin Brenner, Copyediting, 3-13-12). Includes rates for Content Development & Management, 2012, copyediting rates, 2012,
• Tip of the Week: More Copyeditor Earn Rates(Brenner, Copyediting, 3-20-12). Discusses rates in England, Ireland, and Canada.
• Common editorial rates (Editorial Freelancers Association) and typical pace, per page. Rates are on the low side, reflecting the low rates book publishing traditionally pays--now more than ever.
• Rewards and Drawbacks of Editing ($ section of So You Want to Be an Editor, Editors Association of Canada)
• Bay Areas Editors' Forum (PDF, summary of results from 2005 member survey of rates and types of work done)
• How to Charge: By the Project, by the Hour, or by the Word or Page? (Katharine O'Moore-Klopf, KOK Edit, 1-24-11)
• Tips for Putting a Price on Your Work (Alina Tugend, New York Times, 1-27-12)
• Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines (13th edition, free when you join the Guild
• How to calculate your effective hourly rate, or EHR (American Editor, 10-6-10)
• How to Set Rates FAQ (HTML Writers Guild, but principles applicable to all entrepreneurs). See also, from the same group: Discussing prices (HTML Writers' Guild FAQ, explaining the organization's rules against discussing prices online, in view of federal regulations against price-fixing
• The Designer's Guide To Marketing And Pricing: How To Win Clients And What To Charge Them by Ilise Benun and Peleq Top
• Hourly rate calculator (Freelance Switch)
• How Much to Charge (Paul Lima, Chapter 38 from Everything You Wanted to Know About Freelance Writing)
• Just how do you price corporate writing/​editing (or training) work? (Paul Lima, Everything You Wanted to Know About Freelance Writing, 7-5-08)
• Triangulate your rate before you quote (Paul Lima, 4-13-12). You need an hourly rate, a per page rate, and a per word rate to triangulate.
• How to price a corporate writing/​editing job (vs. periodical work) (Paul Lima, 1-19-08). Paul provides a useful chart for calculating time on various stages of a project.
• New Publisher Authors Trust: Themselves (Leslie Kaufman, NY Times, 4-16-13). Taking advantage of a new service offered by his literary agency, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Mamet will self-publish his next book. Publishers don't deliver the marketing they promise, and money is also an issue. "While self-published authors get no advance, they typically receive 70 percent of sales. A standard contract with a traditional house gives an author an advance, and only pays royalties — the standard is 25 percent of digital sales and 7 to 12 percent of the list price for bound books — after the advance is earned back in sales."
• Freelance ghostwriting rates (Dr. Freelance)
• Ghostwriter (Wikipedia--see section on Remuneration and Credits, credits being a factor in pricing on collaborations).
• Pricing for ghostwriting (The Penn Group, a business writing service)
• Cost of Ghostwriting (Manhattan Literary)
• Expensive, Affordable, and Cheap Ghostwriters
• Four Ways to Compensate a Book Ghostwriter (ghostwriter for hire, byline discount, revenue share, or business partner -- Helen Kaiao Chang, Ghostwriter Needed)
• Freelance ghostwriting rates (Dr. Freelance)
• What Should I Charge to Ghostwrite a Book? (Brian A. Klems, Writer's Digest, 6-10-08). Klems writes: “As-told-to” ghostwriting often nets you less money per hour because you get other benefits—such as a byline, an advance and a split of the royalties (up to 50 percent). But if you’re willing to skip the byline and future earnings, you can act as a work-for-hire ghostwriter and charge more on the front end."
Most of the ghostwriters and collaborators I know go for more upfront money and charge more for no byline. Authors (the ones with content to be shaped into a book) often think the writers (the ones who will actually get the book written) will be willing to write a whole book for their share of income. Most professional writers know that there are rarely many royalties beyond the publisher's advance and many authors are willing to pay a writer's fee higher than the publisher's advance--because for many authors, the income is not the most important goal. (This is particularly true in this era of falling advances.) Indeed, for many "authors" of nonfiction books, in particular, the book is a credential and the ghostwriter is a business expense--the real money will be made from the business (or speaking fees) that come because of the book. For a book that is self-published (an increasingly common practice), of course, there is no clear way to share "royalties" and ghosting a book may be part of a bigger package: both writing the book and handling production (particularly with memoirs and family histories).
• How to Be a Successful Ghostwriter (Kelly James-Enger, Writer's Digest, 6-7-11). Covers typical ghosting fees and terms to cover in your collaboration agreement.
• Services and fees at Story Circle Editorial Circle (affiliated with Story Circle Network, by, for, and about women)
• Freelance Fees Guide (National Union of Journalists, UK)
• SfEP suggested minimum freelance rates (Society for Editors and Proofreaders, UK)
• Pay rates for technical, business, and trade editing (Megan B. Wyatt, Suite101.com, 8-23-09). Average payment for medical, science and corporate editors (the ones who get paid a decent amount, by contrast with those who work in trade book publishing)
• How to find and price medical writing jobs (Norman Baumann, 1999)
• Thinking About Money: What Freelancers Need to Understand. How to calculate your effective hourly rate, or EHR (American Editor, 10-6-10)
• How to Set Your Copywriting Fees and Earn What You’re Worth (Dean Rieck, Men With Pens). Many comments!
• What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants, interview with Laurie Lewis for National Association of Independent Writers and Editors
• What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants (Barbara L. Jones's notes on Laurie Lewis's book,AMWA Mid-Atlantic Region)
• Folio's Five-Year Editorial Salary (infographic for salaries for 2008-2012, for top three editorial management levels, at consumer magazines, business-to-business magazines, and association magazines--just to give you a sense of the markets)
• What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants by Laurie Lewis (a book about pricing as part of a career strategy, not just a job strategy--solid practical advice and templates)
• Go Ahead, Raise Your Business's Prices (Jason Fried, Inc., 11-1-10). "Sure, some customers will complain, and others might take their business elsewhere. But there’s a good chance you don’t want those kinds of customers, anyway."
• Freelance Writer Rates: Who Pays the Most Online? Paul Tullis, TravelersNotebook, on Matador Notebook). Freelancers’ newsgroup polls members; range is $0.03 to $2.00 per word, for travel writing. The links to publications go to the "writer's guideline" pages.
• Ghostwriting Prices (Writers for Hire, with fee range on the low side--the ghostwriters of bestsellers are paid more than that)
• Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians . Read chapters 9 (Structuring a Business) and 10 (Set Realistic Fees)
• Avoid Pricing and Discounting Mistakes (Karyn Greenstreet, Self-Employed Success)
• Pricing strategies and cost factors (Encyclopedia of Business)
• Should you post your fees? Publish your pricing? Hit yourself with a stick? (Walt Kania, The Freelancery, 3-22-12). See response from American Editor: The Business of Editing: To Post or Not to Post Your Fee Schedule?
• How Much Should You Pay a Personal Historian? (Dan Curtis, 7-8-09)
• Seth Godin's pricing formula (S&S). Substitute & Story. Is there no good substitute for your product? Does your price tell a story?
• Pricing Strategies for Resume Writers (Resume Writers' Digest, which has no accent on final e)
• What to say to your low-balling clients (Laura Spencer, FreelanceFolder)
• Why should writers work for no pay? Contributors to the Huffington Post have begun to chafe at its no-pay policy. They could take a lesson from stand-up comedians who faced a similar insult in the 1970s. (Michael Walker, OpEd, Los Angeles Times, 4-1-11)
• Should I work for free? (Jessica Hische's amusing and realistic chart)
• When to work for nothing (Michelle Goodman, New York Times, Shifting Careers, 11-9-08)
• Proposals and bids: Put the price on page one. In bold. (Walt Kania, The Freelancery, 3-27-12)
• Per diem rates, U.S. Department of State. If you're estimating travel costs abroad, these might help.The foreign travel per diem allowances (which vary by country and within a country) provide for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses when an employee is on temporary duty overseas.
• Benchmarks for Estimating Editing Speed by David W. McClintock (originally published in Corrigo: Newsletter of the STC's Technical Editing SIG (June 2002), pp. 1, 3.
• How long does editing take? (Jean Weber Hollis, Technical Editors' Eyre: Resources for technical editors)
• How much can you earn? Really. (Walt Kania, The Freelancery, 4-2-12).
• Why Low Self-Worth Drives Lower Wages for Women Freelancers — and What You Can Do About It (Dianna Huff, for International Freelancers Academy
• 2012 Freelance Industry Report (rates paid for various skills, broken down in various categories--a helpful survey)
• The Best-Paid Moonlighting Jobs in America (Kimberly Palmer, U.S. News & World Report, 8-23-12)
• Female Editors-in-Chief Make $15,000 Less Than Men (Alexander Abad-Santos), Stat of the Day, The Atlantic Wire, 9-26-12)
• Boost Your Freelance Brand 100 Percent with Your Expert Status (Thursday Bram, Freelance Marketing, Freelance Switch, 9-4-12)
• How much to expect in a book advance. One of the best sources for recent book deals is Publishers Marketplace, a subscription website that tracks book deals (by $$ size), with agents listed and a wealth of information, including a contact database, hosted web pages, a rights and proposals board, a book review index, a book tracker. Publishers Marketplace publishes Publishers Lunch, a free sampler of the more comprehensive Publishers Lunch Deluxe ($20 a month), which keeps you up to date on recent deals.
REALITY CHECK IN THE DIGITAL ERA:
• A Day in the Life of a Freelance Journalist—2013 (Global Editor of the Atlantic Magazine asks Nate Thayer to write a story, for $zero. Hello??? Nate Thayer responds.)
• A Day in the Life of a Digital Editor, 2013 (Alexis Madrigal, a senior editor at The Atlantic, responds to Nate Thayer. "The biz ain't what it used to be, but then again, for most people, it never really was."
• When People Write for Free, Who Pays? (Cord Jefferson, Gawker, 3-8-13)
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Affiliate marketing
• What Is Affiliate Marketing (Commission Junction)
• Getting Approved At Affiliate Networks
• HTML Tips: Anatomy of an Affiliate Link (Lynn Terry's clear explanation of the part for which most people's eyes glaze over)
• Rosalind Gardner's Super Affiliate Handbook (explaining how she makes $30,000 to $50,000 a month in affiliate commissions)
• You Can Make Money: A Step-by-Step Guide to Passive Income Through Affiliate Marketing (Terry Whalin's ebook, a free download in exchange for giving him your name and email address, one of the tricks of the biz!).
• 30 Days to Massive Traffic (Anthony Morrison, a free 76-page ebook)

Content mills (sweat shops for writers)

This is a mere sampling of the negative things you'll hear about content mills.
• Freelancing Basics: One Way Not to Start Freelancing (Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, STC's notebook, official voice of the tech comm community, 2-28-13).
• Master Content Mill List (Entrepreneur Cure)
• The Answer Factory: Demand Media and the Fast, Disposable, and Profitable as Hell Media Model (Daniel Roth, Wired Magaine, 10-19-09). "Plenty of other companies — About.com, Mahalo, Answers.com — have tried to corner the market in arcane online advice. But none has gone about it as aggressively, scientifically, and single-mindedly as Demand. Pieces are not dreamed up by trained editors nor commissioned based on submitted questions. Instead they are assigned by an algorithm, which mines nearly a terabyte of search data, Internet traffic patterns, and keyword rates to determine what users want to know and how much advertisers will pay to appear next to the answers."
• Content Mill Demand Media Expands Its Reach -- To More Newspapers! (Erik Sherman, CBS MoneyWatch, 5-21-10) "For its normal web pieces, a typical Demand Media rate for an article of a few hundred words is $7.50, with copy editing paying about $3.50 an article, according to many freelancers I've communicated with who work for Demand."
• Erik Sherman's pieces on Demand Studios
• Content farm (Wikipedia-- firms that use freelancers to generate "large amounts of textual content which is specifically designed to satisfy algorithms for maximal retrieval by automated search engines"
• Writers Explain What It's Like Toiling on the Content Farm (Corbin Hiar, MediaShift, 7-21-10)
• How Much Are Examiner.com Writers Really Earning? (Writers Weekly, 5-13-09)
• Are Content Mills the Future of Online Publishing? (Aaron Wall, author of SEOBook--read his blog )
• 3 Ways to Escape the Content Mills and Earn More as a Freelance Writer (Linda Formichelli, The Renegade Writer, 5-21-12)
• Here’s the Escape Hatch for Writers Who Want to Leave the Low-Pay Grind (Carol Rice, Make a Living Writing...practical help for hungry writers). See also In Which I Confront Content Mill Owners About Their Rates…In Person [Back to Top]

Sample contracts and agreements for services

• Rights 101: What Writers Should Know About All-Rights and Work-Made-for-Hire Contracts
• Standard Freelance Editorial Agreement (download from site of Editors' Association of Canada, EAC)
• Standard Freelance Editorial Agreement (Sarah Jolly, SJ Editorial). This excellent contract VERY clearly spells things out in important areas most editors probably never think about.
• Sample Contracts for Freelance Writers
• Model Contract for Translators (PEN)
• Collaboration agreements (samples, Writers and Editors)
• Permissions and release forms (many samples, Writers and Editors site)
• How to Deal with Indemnification Clauses (ASJA position paper, 2003, posted on Writers and Editors website)
• A no-nonsense editing contract (Jefferson Hansen's)
• Sample copyediting contract (Erin Hartshorn, The Well-Chosen Word)
• A complex agreement for services (The Proofreaders)
• Independent Contractor (Self-Employed) or Employee? (IRS--believe me, this issue will come up, if you freelance.)
• Agency Contracts for Freelancers
• Contract Advice (for members of the National Writers Union, NWU)
• Contracts 101: Negotiating Contractor Agreements (Vimeo, Dave Putt, VP of Client Services, MBO Partners). Putt,not a lawyer, explains the terms of a sample consulting agreement helpfully for independent contractors (and those who hire them)--especially why to avoid overbroadness in noncompete, indemnification, nondisclosure/​confidentiality, warranty, injunction, arbitration, errors and omissions insurance, and other clauses. Hire a lawyer when the expensive words "liens" and "bond" appear.
• The Copymancer's sample contract for editing work (Rose Jasper Fox).
• Taxes and Freelancing
• Book Contracts, in the page on Copyright, work for hire, and other rights issues. See
Contract terms (book publishing, including reversion of rights clauses) and Books about rights, contracts, copyright, clearance, and other issues of importance to writers and editors.

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Work for hire (work made for hire)

• Work for Hire (Wikipedia's helpful entry)
• RIGHTS 101: What Writers Should Know About All-Rights and Work-Made-For-Hire Contracts (2003 ASJA position paper)
• Works Made for Hire Under the 1978 Copyright Act (PDF, Circular 9, U.S. Copyright Office)
• Sound Recordings as Works Made for Hire (Statement of Marybeth Peters, The Register of Copyrights before the Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property Committee on the Judiciary, May 25, 2000)
• Work Made for Hire Agreements and Derivative Works (Ivan Hoffman, BA, JD)
• More stories on work for hire (Copyright and Work for Hire, Writers and Editors site)
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General information, tips, resources for freelancers

How to make money as a freelance writer or editor
• Alternative Income Sources for Writers, Norman Bauman's summary of an ASJA meeting on the subject in 2002 may be helpful, especially about technical writing. See also the material he added to his website: Catherine E. Oliver on what's required for technical writing. Norman's other reports include How to find and price medical writing jobs (1999). For more such summaries, including an interesting piece on text retrieval and search engines, go to Bauman's website, Medical Writing in New York.
• 8 revenue ideas for authors/​experts (Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound)
• 22 income streams for authors, experts, consultants (Joan Stewart, Publicity Hound, 9-26-12)
• What rich authors know that poor authors don’t (Joan Stewart again!)
• Become a Six-Figure Writer (Marcia Layton Turner's free e-zine)\
• 8 Points to Smarter Client Contracts (Erik Sherman's WriterBiz, 11-19-09)
• Freelancers’ Guide to Getting Paid—on Time (Diana Middleton, WSJ, 7-16-09)
• Go Ahead, Raise Your Business's Prices (Jason Fried, Inc., 11-1-10). "Sure, some customers will complain, and others might take their business elsewhere. But there’s a good chance you don’t want those kinds of customers, anyway."
• Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money by Kelly James-Enger
• Think Beyond The Book: Authors Or Anyone Can Make More Money By Achieving Maximum Audience And Revenue For Your Knowledge Faster, Better And Easier! by Melanie Jordan

Affiliate marketing
• What Is Affiliate Marketing (Commission Junction)
• Getting Approved At Affiliate Networks
• HTML Tips: Anatomy of an Affiliate Link (Lynn Terry's clear explanation of the part for which most people's eyes glaze over)
• Rosalind Gardner's Super Affiliate Handbook (explaining how she makes $30,000 to $50,000 a month in affiliate commissions). Reviewed here by Lynn Terry (the review is helpful but I'll bet she also makes a commission if you buy Gardner's book; this is how it works!)
• You Can Make Money: A Step-by-Step Guide to Passive Income Through Affiliate Marketing (Terry Whalin's ebook, a free download in exchange for giving him your name and email address, one of the tricks of the biz!)
• Warning: "Thin Affiliate Sites"

Adventures in Freelancing (Part I: The Trend Story). An amusing but all-too-close-to-true video spoof of a magazine editor assigning a story to a freelancer)

And Now, the Tricky Part: Naming Your Business (Emily Maltby, WSJ, 6-29-10) and Name Choices Spark Lawsuits (Emily Maltby, "Start-Ups Can Get Mired in Costly Trademark Scuffles With Bigger Firms," WSJ, 6-24-10)

The Answer Factory: Demand Media and the Fast, Disposable, and Profitable as Hell Media Model by Daniel Roth (Wired, 10-19-09). With "content" replacing "writing," the only participants who lose out in this model are the writers. Amy Green continues the conversation in an SPJ blog: The dilemma of Demand Studios.

Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) Online. IRS process for getting a permanent number (instead of your social security number) for filing business and tax reports, for anyone paying subcontractors, including cleaning workers.

Behance Network (platform for creative professionals)

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"Brevity may be the soul of wit, or lingerie, or texting, or quail eggs, but all subjects are not the same. Efficiency of expression is in some realms a virtue and in some realms a vice. Brevity is certainly not the soul of news, if by news you mean more than information. 'The point' is not always easy. There is not always a 'takeaway.'" ~ Leon Wieselter, on the impoverishment of writers providing "content" for the new media, in Washington Diarist: Writers Have Become the New Proles in The New Republic

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Benefits of freelancing
• Freelancing: a choice not a punishment (Tam Harbert)
• 2012 Freelance Industry Report
• 4 Reasons why being a freelance copywriter is one of the best and safest jobs in today’s new world (Excess Voice)
• On Returning to “a Job” After Freelancing (Deb Ng, Kommein.com, 12-28-10, on why many freelancers do not yearn for a steady "job")
• 101 Reasons Freelancers Do it Better (HR World). Whether they're entrepreneurs, Web workers or something in between, freelancers enjoy a better lifestyle than their cube-dwelling brethren.
• Quit Your Day Job: How to Sleep Late, Do What You Enjoy, and Make a Ton of Money as a Writer by Jim Denney. The book is more realistic and helpful than the title.

Best Business Practices for Writers, 2012 (a roundup of links to stories on the topic)

Best tools for freelancers and entrepreneurs:
• Dropbox (a free service that lets you post your photos, docs, and videos online for accessing on the road or sharing privately with others--particularly helpful for files too big to email)
• Hootsuite (social media dashboard to manage and measure your social networks)
• Endnote (software tool for publishing and managing references and bibliographies)
• Mendeley (desktop and web program for managing and sharing research papers, discovering research data, collaborating online privately or in groups, reading and annotating PDFs
• Evernote (organize your notes and thoughts in one spot)
• AwayFind (let urgent emails cut through the clutter and find you--don't keep checking email constantly)
• 5 Timekeeping Apps for Your Small Business (Mashable)
• Online billing tools (Dave McClintock, on Entrepreneur, 11-19-10, reviews five billing and receivables tools for security, payment plans, support, mobility, and branding ability(how well you can brand your bills with your logo etc.): QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks, AcceptPay, and PayPal, with nods to Outright and Xero.
• Top 10 Productivity Tools for Entrepreneurs
• Five Best Note Taking Applications (Lifehacker review 2011)
• Five Best PDF Tools (Lifehacker review 2011)
• Five Best Desktop Personal Finance Tools (Lifehacker review 2011)
• Five Best News Aggregators (Lifehacker review 2011)

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Business Cards:
• Moo (good quality and service for short-run business cards -- better quality than Vista, and you can have variations: same front side but different images on back, etc.)
• 30 Creative QR code business cards (Webdesigner Depot)
• 10 Tips for Designing a Professional Business Card (Andrea Campbell, Bright Hub, 3-11-11)
• Using Adobe Photoshop to Make Your Own Business Cards (Laura Jean Karr, Bright Hub, 11-16-10)
• 7 Free Business Card Templates for Microsoft Word (Tricia Goss, Bright Hub, 12-23-10)
• Cost of Printing Business Cards: Is It Really Cheaper to Make Your Own? (Linda Richter, Bright Hub, 2-21-11)

Business gifts. There's a $25 limit, says IRS, Publication #463

Blog roll -- blogs for freelancers, about freelancing and consulting
• ABC Copywriting
• About Freelance Writing
• All Freelance Writing (Jennifer Mattern manages a team of bloggers)
• Irreverent Freelancer
• Active Voice
• Clients from Hell
• Copyblogger
• Diary of a Mad Freelancer
• Dr. Freelance (Jake Poinier's advice on freelance jobs and client relationships)
• Dumb Little Man (Jay White and others with tips on how to be more productive)
• Freelancedom
• Freelance Switch
• Freelance Writing Gigs
• Freelance-Zoe.com
• Inkwell Editorial
• Red Pen Management
• Smiling Tree Writing (some interesting interviews on "independent writing")
• The Renegade Writer
• The Urban Muse
• The Well-Fed Writer Blog (income-boosting resources for commercial writers)
• Writers and Editors
• The Writing Base (rock solid tips for freelance writing success)
• The Top 100 Freelancer Blogs (Heather Johnson, Bootstrapper), including blogs on writing, copywriting and marketing, design, programming and Web development, finance and business, photography, consulting, and freelancing and parenting

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Clients from Hell

Clutter (Stuff) Management
• It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh (consultant on the cable TV show, Clean Sweep)
• Clear Your Way to a Clutter Free Life by Maartje de Wolff (explores feelings and thought processes)
• The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life by Francine Jay
• Unclutterer (site of Erin Doland, author of Unclutter Your Life in One Week)

College is a waste of time (by 19-year-old Dale J. Stephens, CNN Opinion, 6-3-11). Stephens dropped out of college when he was awarded a $100,000 Thiel fellowship (for entrepreneurs under 20). "Employers are recruiting on LinkedIn, Facebook, StackOverflow, and Behance. People are hiring on Twitter, selling their skills on Google, and creating personal portfolios to showcase their talent."

Colman Andrews interview: He'd Never Recommend Food Writing as a Career (Dianne Jacob interview for Will Write for Food, 10-9-12). Either the pay rates have gone down or people are writing for free, for exposure. Instead of accumulating clips, they start a blog. " Most of the markets are online and most don’t pay or pay token amounts, ourselves [The Daily Meal] included."

Consider gigs as a virtual assistant. According to the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA), a virtual assistant is an independent contractor who (from a remote location, usually a home office) supports multiple clients in a variety of industries by providing administrative, creative, and technical services. AssistU provides advice on becoming or hiring a virtual assistant. This is a fast-growing category of home-based businesses. Services the IVAA lists include association management,coaching support, graphic design and editing, transcription services, author assistance, desktop publishing, multimedia presentations, social media services, and website design.

Days can be endless when you are an independent contractor (Vickie Elmer, Capital Business insert, Washington Post, 9-18-11).

Don't Exaggerate Your Size. Nearly every entrepreneur exaggerates his or her company's size to impress clients. Jason Fried (Inc. June 2011) says such behavior is silly—and unnecessary. Don't exaggerate your experience either!

8 tips for interviewing freelance writing clients (About Freelance Writing)

Elders in Action. Get certified (or not) as elder-friendly. Their website (see its upper right corner) is elder-friendly.

Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) (a clear explanation by IRS.gov). An EIN is a federal tax identification number used to identify a business entity or household employer (e.g., of cleaning people or caregivers). Just as you get a Social Security number (SSN) when you first start earning income, so you should probably apply for an EIN when you become an entrepreneur. It's required if you have employees or are incorporated, and useful if you are filing 1099 forms sent to subcontractors--on which you're probably better off providing an EIN than an SSN. Here's IRS on How to Apply for an EIN. Here is NIST's explanation of TIN/​EIN. A federal Tax Identification Number (TIN) (a "95 number") is similar in function, according to NIST -- in being a 9-digit number issued by the IRS, as a way of uniquely identifying a business entity. Many companies use them as a way to facilitate financial management when an individual or firm may operate with different names, or names may change over time. A TIN/​EIN is used by "employers, sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships, nonprofit associations, trusts, estates of decedents, government agencies, certain individuals, and other business entities," explains NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology).

E-payment and accounting systems:
• Bay Business Group (Web-based bookkeeping for small businesses
• Bill.com (Web-based payment system)

Ergonomic office chairs (Ergogenesis) (customized chairs for if your body is not "normal" size) and an adjustable keyboard tray(The Human Solution) so you can stand while writing. (Tips courtesy of Susan Bairnsfather). Others rave about Aeron chairs, Herman Miller chairs, slightly tilted foot rests -- and setting a timer every hour to remind yourself to get up for two minutes, roll your eyes from side to side (they've been staring at a screen), and stretch. If you want to stand and type, consider the Geek Desk.

Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur by Pamela Slim (foreword by Guy Kawasaki)

Everything You Wanted to Know About Freelance Writing by Paul Lima. You can read this excellent primer free online, clicking on chapter-by-chapter hotlinks. Sample chapters:
• Sample Query Letters (Chapter 12)
• Sample Pitch Letters (Chapter 35, on selling yourself to a corporate client)
• How Much to Charge (Chapter 38, on quoting a price to a corporate client)
• Accurately Pricing Services (Chapter 39)

Fax services. With electronic faxing service (a fax comes through e-mail as a PDF) you no longer need a dedicated fax line. E-colleagues have recommended these reasonably priced fax services in the U.S.: MyFax, OneSuite Fax ("you can call it fax-to-email, FoIP, Fax over IP, web fax, or ifax; either way, it’s essentially a virtual fax machine to which you can affordably subscribe from your OneSuite account." OneSuite provides low-cost long-distance phone connections, which are particularly handy for calling in to long teleconferences--which you can do from outside your office.

Fitness tip: Trek Desk Treadmill Desk (about $400 and you can get a treadmill for it for $200 or so)

The 5 D's of a Successful Freelance Career (Jon Phillips, Freelance Folder, 8-25-2007)

5 Ways to Boost Professional Credibility Credibility Tops Freelance Writer and Editor Wish List (National Association of Independent Writers and Editors survey)

Foreign transfers. Payment between countries may be a problem if you use a small bank or credit union; they're easier in a bank with a SWIFT account. Three terms to understand for transfers from Europe (IBAN, BIC, and SWIFT) are explained well at http:/​/​auctionfeecalculator.com/​iban_transfers.html"target. As that site explains: BIC + IBAN is often the cheapest way to transfer money internationally and is now free of charge in much of Europe. In the U.S. you are charged a fee if an international transfer has to go through an intermediary bank, so read up!

Freelancer Directories
Many writers and journalists organizations have begun offering freelance directories, so if you're looking for a freelancer in a special field, that's one place to look, and if you're freelance, make sure you're listed in the directory of organizations to which you belong. Here are some directories. I'll list more as I remember or you make me aware of them:
• Association of Health Care Journalists (see AHCJ's list of independent journalists)
• Editorial Freelancers Association (search by state, skill, specialty, hardware, software)
• Find a personal historian (Association of Personal Historians, to help Mom and Pop write their memoirs)
• Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) (freelancers in an organization that traditionally attracts staff journalists)

***Freelancer's Survival Guide by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (read free online) If you're still even a bit dewy-eyed, read what Rusch has to say. In addition, if you want your books published, read this long blog entry on how you can't count on publishers to give you a fair contract and you cannot always count on agents to watch out for your interests: Advocates, Addendums, and Sneaks, oh my. In short: read every line of every contract and educate yourself on what to watch for. Read also: Giving Up on Yourself, Part 1

Freelance writing's unfortunate new model (James Rainey, On the Media, LA Times, 1-6-10). With many outlets slashing pay scales, the well-written story is in danger of becoming scarce. "With the advertising-driven income in a state of disarray, the source of future freelance dollars remains in doubt." Media analyst Alan Mutter worried about "journicide -- the loss of much of a generation of professional journalists who turn to other professions."

Freelance-Zone.com. "Work smarter, not harder." Has job bank, various sections, helpful articles, such as A Job Opp You May Not Have Considered, Amanda Smyth Connor's story about Community managers, who are in charge of developing and maintaining the style and tone of content (social media, etc.) that is posted within a community

Geezerguts: making a buck, no matter what . Download this free eBook PDF by Jane Genova, Speechwriter-Ghostwriter. (Oy vey - All those [middle-aged] unemployed writers--her story of loss and comeback. She lost everything at 60 and started over as a freelance writer-entrepreneur.

Getting Paid, Not Played (how not to get stiffed by clients)
with thanks for the title to:
• GetPaidNotPlayed: Deadbeat Client Stories, Twitter thread (hashtag #getpaidnotplayed), run by Freelancers Union spring 2012. Among items tweeted
• Don't fall for "you'll get publicity"
• Small claims court in your jurisdiction is a good resource for small claims.
• Get part of the payment up front (25%, say), the rest in scheduled payments, and last 10% on completion.
• Always get it in writing.
• Freelancers Union conversation: What's your worst deadbeat client story? (run by Sara Horowitz)
• Teeshirt submission to Threadless ("If i wanted to work for free I'd choose to be a volunteer, not a freelancer")
• 11 Things to Do When a Client Files Bankruptcy (Carolyn M. Brown, Inc., 11-22-10)
• The danger of speaking the truth. Marc Canter, Marc's Voice blog, What really happened at Broadband Mechanics (getting stiffed by Radio One, the Black media empire, etc.)
• Makeup Artist David Tibolla Explains Why He Supports The Freelancer Payment Protection Act
• Support the Freelancer Payment Protection Act (in New York). Read the Summary of 2010 Independent Worker Survey or the full report .

Getting Started as a Freelance Writer, expanded edition, by Robert Bly

Getting Started in Consulting (Alan Weiss, Contrarian Consulting 9-5-11). See also his column Ten Things You Should Know Before Meeting With A Prospect (9-12-11)

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen (see Wikipedia entry about GTD, which also lists proprietary and free software). The idea of this excellent system for improving productivity is to get those ideas and to-dos out of your head and down on paper (or app) so you can manage them; to organize them in order of time and priorities (doing quick and easy projects sooner and breaking larger projects down into tasks that can be done quickly, and so on).

Home Office Tax Deductons
• Tough Rules (Julian Block)
• Tips to Get It Right (Julian Block, HouseLogic.com, click on arrows for slide show illustrating home offices)
• Don’t Forget These Home Office Tax Deductions (Miranda Marquit, Peak Personal Finance 1-25-10)
• Office-in-Home Tax Deductions - Home Business Use of Your Home (Randy Duermyer, About.com)
• Red flags for audits (Julian Block, NY Financial Writers' Association)

A home-worker’s resolutions (Liz Broomfield, Adventures in full-time self-employment). And here is A typical day for Libro -- see her blog for Libro Editing

How to
• How to Be a Freelance Writer (Angela Hoy, free e-book, PDF--once over lightly)
• How to Bribe Yourself to Do Nasty Things (Taylor, Men with Pens)
• How to create an invoice (Allena Tapia, about.com)
• How to Enlist a Global Work Force of Freelancers (Kermit Pattison, NYTimes, 6-24-09), and good luck to all
• How to Generate New Business by Delivering Talks to Organizations and Professionals Groups (International Freelancers Academy)
• How to Handle Rejection and Criticism as a Freelancer (Mark McGuinness, for International Freelancers Academy) Above all, do not take it personally.
• How to Pitch (X magazine), through Avant Guild
• How to Share a Folder Over Your Network (for Beginners -- Adam Dachis, Lifehacker 6-6-11)
• How to start up as a freelancer or contractor, British-style (Tim@​Caprica)
• How to Critique Fiction (Victoria Crayne)
• How to Cope with Critiquing (Rich Hamper, including advice on how to critique)
• How do I get started in freelancing? (Western New England Editorial Freelancers' Network)
• How to Ensure Your Freelance Business Survives: A Ten-Point Plan (Anthony Haynes, guest-blogging about continuity management on Louise Harnby's site)
• How To Use Contract Work Sites to Break Into Freelancing (Allena Tapia, About.com on Freelance Writing)

Incorporate? Or not? Which way?
• The Nuts & Bolts of Running Your Freelance Business. PDF of genuinely informative slideshow from Lisa Breck's presentation 4-2-11 to AMWA freelancers (program here, includes other helpful resources). Breck's slideshow includes overview of sole proprietorships and partnerships, of LLC (Limited Liability Company), of S-Corp.
• Introduction to LLCs. Nelson on the dangers of sole proprietorships and partnerships and the advantages of forming a limited liability company (LLC), plus FAQs about LLCs
• A CPA Explains the Advantages and Disadvantages of an S Corporation (Stephen L. Nelson clearly explains the many disadvantages and advantages of an S Corp tax status, and provides SCorp Kits for each state of U.S.)
Google these terms and others in these presentations and you'll find even more, but this will give you an overview.

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INSURANCE FOR FREELANCERS Health and Disability Insurance I am not qualified to recommend any particular insurance provider, but I am listing sites others have recommended. Some freelancers look for very high-deductibles, mostly basic coverage for catastrophic (highly expensive) care (mostly in-hospital, but outpatient chemo can also be extremely expensive). Others look for an integrated healthcare system (such as Kaiser Permanente), believing in preventive health maintenance. It will be interesting to see how things change under the Affordable Care Act. • Affordable Health Insurance Options for Members of the National Press Club (Affinity, etc. -- some journalists accept steady gigs on small papers to qualify for NPC membership and health insurance) • Freelancers Union insurance • FracturedAtlas (liberate the artist)(various kinds of insurance for artists) • HealthCare.gov (learn how new federal rules about health insurance may affect you) • eHealthInsurance (compare different insurers' plans side by side; ask for advice from an agent) • HealthInsuranceInfo.net(consumer guides, by state, for getting and keeping health insurance, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute) • Health Insurance Consumer Information (News You Can Use from Healthinsuranceinfo.net) • "Your most important asset is your ability to earn": Private disability insurance for freelancers (Meg Cox interviews financial advisor Amy Keller, on Freelance Feast, 7-20-12). Why freelancers need private disability insurance, and when to get it. Liability and Property Insurance Many authors routinely strike out or modify the part of any contract that holds the client or publisher blameless for any suits related to a particular story. Clearly it makes no sense for writers to agree to indemnify and hold blameless the client or publisher. Some publishers' contracts include indemnification clauses that hold the publication blameless and assign the burden of liability to the writer (even though editors may change the content). But even for a nuisance lawsuit, legal costs can be substantial. Ask that such a clause, or any indemnification clause, be struck from the contract, or change the wording so that the writer is liable for content only "as submitted or approved by the writer," as one health writer suggests--see also the language suggested in the following important position paper on how to deal with warranty and indemnification clauses: • How to Deal with Warranty and Indemnification Clauses (Writers & Editors site) and Contract terms (especially but not only in book publishing) • Media Liability Insurance (Authors Guild). The Guild has an agreement with AxisPro to offer its members professional liability insurance. Download the FAQ for more details. See application form for Axis Pro WriteInsure liability policy, for three covered activities: freelance writing (including commentary on third party websites and blogs), book authorship, and/​or your own blog. • WriteInsure, through Axis Pro/​Argo Insurance Group (media and entertainment liability coverage, professional and miscellaneous errors and omissions, and cyberspace liability). Leading underwriter of media liability insurance. Available through Authors Guild and ASJA, among other organizations. Axis Pro offers four levels of coverage through WriteInsure, ranging from $100,000 per claim (with an aggregate payment limit of $300,000) to $1,000,000 per claim (with an aggregate payment limit of $1,000,000). The program covers legal expenses incurred in defending a claim and any monetary damages or settlements you may be required to pay. The "self-insured retention" (similar to a deductible) ranges from $2,500 to $5,000, depending on the amount of coverage you purchase. • Affordable media liability insurance is available for members of the National Federation of Press Women (through Walterry Insurance Brokers). Walterry appears also to offer Chubb's MediGuard errors and omissions liability insurance for broadcasters and for newspaper publishers. I know nothing about these except that they exist. • AxisPro's booklet Media Law 101 (a loss-prevention guide, this PDF booklet provides basic info on defamation, defamation, invasion of privacy (more complex than you might expect), trademark infringement, and copyright infringement). See also its loss-prevention guides on Copyright Best Practices and on Trademark and Trade Dress Best Practices. • Liability insurance for writers; taxes and incorporation (Kay Murray, The Writer, 12-3-02) • Indemnity clauses and liability insurance (The Writer, 1-31-02) • MusicPro Insurance (for instruments and computer equipment) • Liability Insurance — Nyet (Rich Adin, Business of Editing, An American Editor, 5-22-13). When a client insists that a freelance editor has errors and omissions insurance, what does the editor do? Explain why it makes no sense for editors. Please let me know of other insurance available to creative professionals!

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Income Tax for Entrepreneurs and Freelancers

• Independent Contractor (Self-Employed) or Employee? (IRS--believe me, this issue will come up, if you freelance.)
• IRS Gives 10 Tips on Employees Versus Independent Contractors (posted by Tax Institute)
• Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) Online. IRS process for getting a permanent number (instead of your social security number) for filing business and tax reports, for anyone paying subcontractors, including cleaning workers.
• A Simpler Form for Home Office Deductions (Ann Carrins, NY Times, 1-17-13) If this form becomes reality, and if you take $1500 or less for your home office deduction, this will be good news for you.
• Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). A tax payment system provided free by the U.S. Department of Treasury. Pay federal taxes electronically via the Internet or phone 24/​7.
• Taxes for Freelancers (Durant Imboden, Writing.org)
• A Primer on Taxes for Freelancers (LaToya Irby, All Freelance Writing, 1-14-13). Irby also posted these pieces:
~ 4 Types of Tax Deductions (standard, itemized, above-the-line, and business/​schedule C)
~Documents You'll Need for Tax Time (9-10-12)
~Freelance Writers Have to Pay Quarterly Estimated Taxes (6-8-12)
~What to Do When You Can’t Pay Your Taxes (3-29-10)
~The Downside to Taking Business Tax Deductions (5-27-11)
• Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) . Your Voice at the IRS. "Our job is to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly, and that you know and understand your rights. We offer free help to guide you through the often-confusing process of resolving your tax problems that you haven’t been able to solve on your own. Remember, the worst thing you can do is nothing at all!"
• How to Avoid Income Tax Deduction Problems With Home Office Deductions (eHow.com) If you take a deduction on the depreciation value of your home, you will have to pay capital gains taxes on this amount when you sell your home. Make sure to keep copies of your tax records so that you can calculate this amount in the future.

Invoice for "ruining my day" (designer Jessica Hische's invoice can be adapted for other service providers)

Landing Big Money Clients: Who they are, what they want. (Walt Kania, The Freelancery, 7-22-11)

Leaving the Staff: Freelancing Without Freefalling (transcript of Authors Guild Foundation symposium, 2006, with panelists Nick Taylor,Susan Dominus, William Georgiades, Meryl Gordon, and Michael Greenberg)

Lessons Learned in Auditioning for Job (Alina Tugend, NY Times, 12-3-10). Advice on how to handle prospective employers' requests to produce creative samples or give business advice -- when to do it and how to protect your work.

Lessons (Re)-Learned From the Other Side of the Editor-Writer Equation (Karen Berger, CreateWorkLive--a blog about surviving and thriving in the creative economy, 5-30-11). This is healthy advice that will probably go unheeded by the people who need it: How to be helpful to editors looking for writers and how not to create a bad impression by being too eager and self-focused. Recommend it to chronic listserv bitchers and moaners.

Life Remotely – Redefining Travel While Living and Working Anywhere (Martha Retallick, FreelanceSwitch, 8-1-12). Ever dreamed of hitting the road and picking up interesting freelancing gigs along the way? Imagine it. Finishing a client project in Rio. Or landing one in Paris.

“Mothers: Don’t let your babies grow up to be freelancers,” cracks one journalist, freelancing after leaving a staff job, as quoted by Rebecca Rosen Lum in California Progress Report story
Freelance Journalists Suffering in Second Wave of News Media Collapse 6-23-10

Motivational books by Steve Chandler:
• Time Warrior: How to defeat procrastination, people-pleasing, self-doubt, over-commitment, broken promises and chaos
• 100 Ways To Motivate Yourself: Change Your Life Forever
• 17 Lies That Are Holding You Back and the Truth That Will Set You Free
• MindShift: The Ultimate Success Course (boxed set, audio CD)

My Top 5 Biggest Freelancing Mistakes (Chris Garrett, Freelance Folder, 10-9-07)

National Writers Union (NWU) list of publications that pay $1 a word or more, one of several resources listed on SPJ page of Tools for Freelancers

The New American Job: Are freelance and part-time gigs the future? (Linda Stern, Newsweek/​Daily Beast 1-27-09)

Newspaper Guild: Constitution amended to admit freelancers (9-10-04). The Newspaper Guild/​Communications Workers of America "reversed decades of history by agreeing to open its ranks to freelancers....a belated recognition that the fight for full-time jobs in the newspaper industry has been lost, at least partially, to publishers advocating workforce 'flexibility.'"

No!Spec (educating the public about speculative (spec) work

Nuggetoids of helpful freelancing truth (Walt Kania, The Freelancery, 4-5-12). Sample: "Most times, the client is just as uncertain and clueless as you are. Especially if they are yelling. So don’t take it personally."

On Returning to “a Job” After Freelancing (Deb Ng, Kommein.com, 12-28-10, on why many freelancers do not yearn for a steady "job")

101 Reasons Freelancers Do it Better (HR World). Whether they're entrepreneurs, Web workers or something in between, freelancers enjoy a better lifestyle than their cube-dwelling brethren.

Pay the Writer, Harlan Ellison getting mad at people expecting freebies
Click here for readings and film clips starring Harlan Ellison (writer of "speculative fiction"),a series of Sundance "digital shorts." BEGINNING WRITERS: In particular watch this one: Pay the Writer

The Power of Personal Passion: How entrepreneurs can turn what they love doing into successful businesses (Eileen Gittins, creator and CEO of Blurb, for Forbes 5-26-10)

Prompt payment for freelancers (contractors, suppliers), with discount! Gawker reports that Time Inc. will pay you promptly, if you pay them for the service. And NBC Universal has a different version of the payday loan scam for freelancers.

PR Work (Norman Bauman's excellent notes on Doing PR Work, an ASJA panel featuring PRSA members--year? I'm not sure!)

Purposeful Porpoising: working smart when you gotta word hard (Meg E. Cox, Freelance Feast, 10-06-12)

Quit Your Day Job: How to Sleep Late, Do What You Enjoy, and Make a Ton of Money as a Writer by Jim Denney. The book is more realistic and helpful than the title.

Referral Key. I do not know from personal experience if this is worthwhile. Someone I know who thrives uses it, however.

The Savvy Freelancer blog (Lexi Rodrigo)

Science and medical writing (Writers and Editors webpage of helpful links)

SCORE, a nonprofit that helps small business owners learn the ins and outs of starting and running a business, offering inexpensive classes and free one-on-one mentoring by retired, successful businesspeople

Secrets of a Freelance Writer:How to Make $100,000 a Year or More by Robert Bly (third edition), how to make the big bucks writing ads, annual reports, brochures, catalogs, newsletters, direct mail, Web pages, CD-ROMs, press releases, and other projects for corporations, small businesses, associations, nonprofit organizations, the government, and other commercial clients.

Seven Tips for Freelancers: Looking for Work Online (Cynthia Haggard, 11-12-08, reprinted at QuinnCreative)

Seven Years as a Freelance Writer, or, How To Make Vitamin Soup by Richard Morgan (The Awl, 8-2-10)
"Freelancing is basically just courtship, but the freelancer-editor relationship is nothing more than friends with benefits. The editor likes you because you remind the editor of when they had enthusiasm and appetite and vision and so you make the editor feel powerful in the way that nostalgia empowers people. But the editor will never choose you over the publication to which they are married." An excellent description of freelance journalism: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Should You Pay For Referrals? (Bob Bly, guest-blogging on Successful Customer Follow-Up 5-30-11). Bly doesn't give referral fees because he wants his clients to know his referrals are objective. Referral gifts are another matter -- and not a bad idea if someone has referred a client to you. (You can send ME lobster!)

Show Me the Money: Getting What’s Due (Karen Berger's blog, CreateWorkLive 11-30-08).

Social Security. Several possibly helpful articles: Collect now, or later? Timing your Social Security benefits (Tara Siegel Bernard, NYTimes, Your Money, 7-10-09), Continuing a conversation on Social Security (Tara Siegel Bernard, NYTimes, 7-16-09), A boot camp to prepare for retirement (also by Bernard, 7-24-09)

Solopreneurs, freelancers hoping for more help from the election winner (Shane Snow, Washington Post, On Small Business, 11-6-12). "Contingent worker, freelancer, contractor, temp, solopreneur — a variety of aliases serve the growing ranks of Americans who brave the economy [... as part of the contingent of ] independent workers that makes up as much as a third of America’s workforce, some of whom have been forced from salaries to 1099s, but many of whom choose freelance as a lifestyle."

Some Questions to Ask About Potential Work (PDF, Anne Ketchen, Freelance Editor, on the very helpful KOK Edit website

Some Thoughts on Writing, followed by a conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

Spot.Us, Byliner, Atavist Are Showing Freelance Writers the Money (David Cohn, Idea Lab, 6-8-11). "I think gigs or "gigging" will be the way freelancers turn their practice into a career in the future. Instead of pitching story to story, you'll be working project to project or gig to gig.And that means reporters who work on projects will need representation." Among places to be spotted:
• The Atavist. Read also Literary journalism finds new platforms by David L. Ulin (L.A. Times 5-15-11). "Byliner, the Atavist and Virginia Quarterly Review take the form into the future."
• Byliner. Read also Will Byliner Save Longform Journalism? (Elana Zak, New Media Bistro 5-12-11)
• Longreads. Aggregates (links to) the best long-form stories on the web. See its Community Picks section.
• eBuyline
• StoryMarket ("Freelancers: Discover Entrepreneurial Journalism. Showcase your work, bringing editors to you. Sell your original work to publishers a la carte."
("welcome to the future of content syndication")

Super Sad True Habits of Highly Effective Writers: Part 1 ( Courtney Maum's compilation of writers' secret rituals for revving up to write, Tin House, 5-8-12). And Part 2.

10 Myths About Self-Employment (Steve Pavlina, 7-24-06). He also wrote 10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job

10 Reasons Why You Have To Quit Your Job This Year (James Altucher, Altucher Confidential, Business Insider, 5-10-13)

Ten Reasons Why You Should Hire a Professional Writer (Laura Spencer, Wright Thoughts, 6-21-07)

10 Reasons Your Freelance Career is Failing (James Clear, Freelance Switch 12-5-11).

10 Ways To Get Paid Faster (Benjamin Tomkins, Crisis Survival Kit, Information Week, 10-2-08). See also 8 Tips for Freelance Designers to Get Paid Faster (Web Designer Depot, 2-4-11).

3 Ways to Get Paid Faster (Jessica Stillman, Inc., 10-31-12). Cash-flow is key for small businesses. Improving yours could be as simple as changing a bit of wording on your invoices. Here's how.

30+ Ways to Create an Incredible Client Experience (Freelance Switch)

Third Hand Works ("Welcome to the atelier of time" -- readiness educator Cairene's advice for creative types on how to administer their business)

3 Lessons Children Can Learn from a Freelancing Parent Lexi Rodrigo, The Savvy Freelancer, on Freelance Folder. Lexi offers a free copy of 31 Days to Start Freelancing if you sign up for her e-mail.

Trading a Pink Slip for a Passion by Carrie Sloan (Elle, 4-7-10). How an untimely layoff led four women to a whole new career--including Jennifer Campbell's shift from public television to personal history work.

12 Breeds of Clients and How to Work with Them (Jack Knight,Freelance Switch). Very helpful; do you recognize the types? (Note to headline writer: "disinterested" doesn't mean "uninterested.")

25 Secrets for Successful Freelance Writers by Robert McGarvey (Kindle edition, 105 KB, $2.99). From one of the most successful freelancers in the business.

What Can Your Clients Reasonably Expect From You? (Laura Spencer, Freelance Folder, 11-22-09)

What It Feels Like to Be a Freelancer (YouTube video on not defining expectations)

What to Expect When You Finally Do Become a Freelancer (Lexi Rodrigo, creator of The Savvy Freelancer blog, for Freelance Folder, 10-31-11)

What to Expect When You're Freelancing (Laura Spencer, Freelance Folder, 12-6-12)

The Wealthy Freelancer (blog, Steve Slaunwhite, Ed Gandia, and Pete Savage), co-authors of the book The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle, available by Kindle (so you can read it while flying to a meeting with a client).

The Well-Fed Writer. Income-boosting resources for commercial writers (copywriters, business writers, corporate writers or marketing writers) by Peter Bowerman. Check out The Well-Fed Writer Blog (income-boosting resources for commercial writers), his free e-newsletter cum e-zine (subscribe and catch up on back issues), and his books:
• The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Commercial Freelancer in Six Months or Less
• The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living
• The Well-Fed Writer: Back For Seconds A Second Helping Of "How-To" For Any Writer Dreaming of Great Bucks and Exceptional Quality of Life (mostly new content includes case histories)
• FAQs answered by Peter Bowerman
• The Deluxe Well-Fed Tool Box and The Well-Fed Writer Time Line (automatic download after purchase).

We Want a Discount... (translators Danilo Nogueira and Kelli Semolini on the many reasons clients feel entitled to a discount, Translation Journal, 12-20-10)

What Exactly Is $70,000 in Freelance Income? (Kristen King, (ink)thinker blog, 12-28-07)

WhichDraft.com (the blog) and WhichDraft.com (the forms), a self-directed legal resource (not legal advice!), for those who can't afford legal advice and can take advantage of this contract assembly web site (with multiple version tracking, comparison red lining, and online collaboration tools). We haven't tested it. Let us know if it works for you!

When Office Technology Overwhelms, Get Organized (David Allen, NY Times, 3-17-12).

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Organizations Freelancers May Find Useful • American Medical Writers Association (AMWA's freelance directory) • American Society of Journalists & Authors (ASJA). Definitely helpful for freelance journalists & writers of nonfiction books • Association for Women in Communications (AWC), most helpful for women in corporate world • Association of Personal Historians (APH) (personal historians help people tell their life story, or lessons learned, in print, audio, or video) • Association of Work at Home Women (AWHW) • Authors Guild (advocacy, lobbying, and education for American book authors, in particular) • Authors Registry (a clearinghouse or payment agent for organizations wishing to distribute payments to individual U.S.-resident authors) • Displaced Journalists (a community where displaced journalists find common ground and "begin to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get on with our lives and livelihoods." Parent company: Real World Media • Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) • FreelanceWritersEditors (a forum for published professional freelance writers and editors to discuss the business of publishing - getting into print, finding and keeping clients, handling difficult situations, getting paid, networking, useful resources) • Freelance L (discussion group for publishing industry freelancers in all lines of work, including editing, indexing, proofreading, writing, typesetting, design, research, other) • Freelance Folder ((tools, advice, forums, resources for freelancers and entrepreneurs) • Freelance News (journalism.co.uk) • Freelancers Union, a support system to help the growing independent workforce thrive--solidarity, benefits, community, and a political voice. One reason people join this for the insurance; here are some comments in 2010 on the insurance). Here is announcement 6-22-12 that the NY State Legislature ended its session without passing the Freelancer Payment Protection Act • Freelance Success (FLX, to which many freelance journalists subscribe) • Freelance Switch (advice and resources for freelancers • Freelance Writing Organization--Int'l (online resources, job offerings, a free blog listing, as long as it's about writing--I have no personal knowledge of this organization) • Morning Coffee Newsletter (Freelanc Writing.com's blog on freelance writing jobs) • National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE) • National Writers Union (NWU) list of publications that pay $1 a word or more, one of several resources listed on SPJ page of Tools for Freelancers • The Newspaper Guild • The Scriptorium (a virtual room for writers) • Union & Guild Resources for Writers Freelancer Directories Many writers and journalists organizations have begun offering freelance directories, so if you're looking for a freelancer in a special field, that's one place to look, and if you're freelance, make sure you're listed in the directory of organizations to which you belong. Here are some directories. I'll list more as I remember or you make me aware of them: • Association of Health Care Journalists (see AHCJ's list of independent journalists) • Editorial Freelancers Association (search by state, skill, specialty, hardware, software) • Find a personal historian (Association of Personal Historians, to help Mom and Pop write their memoirs) • Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) (freelancers in an organization that traditionally attracts staff journalists)

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