Six-Figure Freelancer Blog

You get to decide the next blog entry!

It’s summer time and I guess I am feeling a tad lazy today. With that in mind, I’d like you to suggest ideas for the next blog entry. Or you might have a question that you hope I can answer. Either suggest a topic or ask your question by posting a comment here or by emailing me - info@paullima.com. Let’s see if we can make this blog more interactive than ever!

Broadly speaking, I write about freelancing for newspapers and magazines, freelancing for the corporate market, writing non-fiction books (I’ve written eight), self-publishing or print on demand and optimizing your website for search engines. With those topics in mind, comment here or email me. I’ll do my best to answer you questions and will pick topics from your suggestions to write about.

Posted in Freelance Writing - General | 1 Comment »

Eight ways to recycle articles

Many freelance writers spend a great deal of time writing articles. Each article they write never contains close to all they’ve learned about the subject matter. However, they never revisit the topic again. Sad, really, when you think about it.

I for one am a proponent of recycling research, interviews and aspects of articles. Why? Think of the beat reporters who covers movies, theatre, sports, city hall, crime, and so on… Those reporters are constantly reusing what they learns in most article. Yes, they provide new information or take a different slant on an old topic, but they also reuse their interviews, research, knowledge and the expertise they develop.

For freelancers, recycling articles means a little less work and a little more money. But that is not the only reason to recycle. You can also become know as an expert in a particular area. Once that happens, editors will come to you for articles in your area of expertise. For instance, I’ve written about Search Engine Optimization (optimizing your web site so it ranks high in Google results), Pay Per Click, and how Canadians using the web to sell goods and services to American a dozen time each. In fact, I’ve written about SEO and PPC so many times that I combined the two topics and wrote a book about it: Do you Know Where Your Website Ranks? How to Optimize Your Website for the Best Possible Search Engine Results.

The Queen of Recycling is freelance writer Barbara Florio Graham. The remainder of today’s post was written by Barbara (all rights reserved) and reviews eight ways to recycle articles. The eight ways include:

1. EXPAND: into a longer, more detailed piece.

2. REDUCE: to a sidebar, to a shorter “front or back of the book” piece.

4. CHANGE SLANT for a different audience: religious, general business, specific trade, juvenile/teen, senior, travel, sports, and so on.

5. TWIST IT: serious to satire, or vice versa.

6. TURN IT: inside out or upside down: opposite point of view, different order (general to specific, specific to general, outcome before chronology, etc.).

7. SLICE IT: take a fragment and transform it into a new piece, such as anecdotes for humorous fillers, practical tips for women’s and home mags, factual information for department pieces and so on.

8. COMBINE IT with other articles to create a “round-up” article.

c 2008 Barbara Florio Graham. Barbara Florio Graham is the author of Five Fast Steps to Better Writing, Five Fast Steps to Low-cost Publicity, and co-author (with Simon Teakettle) of Musings/Mewsings. She has recycled previously-published articles to magazines and anthologies in four countries, as well as to websites, newsletters and e-zines.
____________________________

If you are looking to boost your freelance writing business, check out the following books: Everything You Wanted to Know About Freelance Writing…, which combines the following two books: The Six-Figure Freelancer: How to Find, Price and Manage Corporate Writing Assignments and Business of Freelance Writing: How to Develop Article Ideas and Sell Them to Newspapers and Magazines (each available separately).

Posted in Freelance Writing - General, Freelance Writing - Newspaper/Magazine | 1 Comment »

Republished: Are You Ready for Your Media Interview?

Fundraiser Cyberzine has republished my popular media interview training article, “Are You Ready for Your Media Interview?” As I say in the article, you never know when journalists will call, so be prepared!

“Are you seeking media attention? Have you sent out media releases to promote your company, product, service or event? Are you attempting to use the media to reach potential customers, shareholders, sponsors, donors or other stakeholders? If so, you need to be prepared for interviews. [Full Article]

Click here to read more about my media interview training services.

Posted in Business Training, Media Relations | No Comments »

Review: How to Write a Non-Fiction Book in 60 Days

My book - How to Write a Non-Fiction Book in 60 Days - was recently reviewed on CanadaOne.com, a small business web portal.

“Many consultants dream of writing a great non-fiction book, but never put the idea into practice because the task seems too overwhelming. If you fall into this category there is hope, which comes in the form of Paul Lima’s new book, How to Write a Non-Fiction Book in 60 Days….” [Full review]

Posted in My Books | No Comments »

Interview with Lorina Stephens, author of Shadow Song

Interview with Lorina Stephens, author of Shadow Song

Q: Boston Mills Press published two books authored by you, both of them non-fiction. You’ve worked as a freelance journalist for local, regional and national publications. What compelled you to write a work of fiction?

A: I suppose you could say I have a lot to say. To be honest, writing fiction is where I started 27 years ago, bashing out short stories to sell to small press magazines and later a few larger periodicals. The sale to Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress series was, I suppose, my best sale. But, then again, isn’t that what writers do? Write. It’s never been a consideration to me that I should focus on one field of writing. One thing leads to another. It’s all connected.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Freelance Writing - General | No Comments »

Article: Online businesses outlive their owners, so plan ahead

It’s wise to do some advance planning around your virtual estate, experts say
By Paul Lima for CBC News

When Henry Ford died, the mighty Ford Motor Co. carried on and cars were manufactured, marketed and sold. It’s a different story for small enterprises that now make up a substantial portion of the economy — when a self-employed person or independent practitioner dies, so does the business.

Independent practitioners are responsible for marketing, taking orders and delivering product or service. They typically don’t have anyone to fill in when they’re gone, so without the independent practitioner, there is no business. But with the advent of the web, many independent practitioners sell their goods and services online. Most website names are purchased for periods of two to five years and many online e-commerce systems are automated these days, so there is a good chance that a self-employed person’s website will outlast his death.

The problem for small businesses is that on the Internet, nobody knows you’re dead.

This brings up some interesting issues that many business owners probably haven’t thought about. My own website will probably be around for a couple of years after my death, for example. People will be able to e-mail me from the site to ask about my business writing and communications training services, but I won’t be able to reply. I could show my wife or daughter how to remove my website. That way, prospects will not be able to contact me and my e-mail server will not overflow and start to bounce messages. However, like many online business people, I also have automated aspects of my order fulfillment process.

In my case, I sell business writing books and books on the business of freelance writing through my website. I use a third party, Lulu.com, a print-on-demand firm, to process payment and ship books, and the company sends me royalty cheques every quarter. When I am dead, Lulu will still be able to sell my books — and cheques payable to Paul Lima will still arrive in the mail. Scores of independent practitioners depend on third parties to process payments and fill orders. Lynda Green runs Canadian Actor Online (CAO), an information resource site for Canadian actors. The site includes a subscription-based discussion forum where industry experts answer questions about the biz. CAO members pay for their subscription fees online and are automatically granted access to the discussion forum. Payments are automatically deposited in CAO’s bank account. The system will survive Green, as long as the website is online.

Who gets to cash my royalty cheques? Who gets to control CAO’s bank account? Who gets to profit from manna falling from cyberspace after the small business owner is gone?

Succession planning
A small business owner with an automated online fulfillment system should pay attention to succession planning if she wants to conduct business from the afterlife and direct revenue to the right heir, says Diane Mason, a lawyer practising in wills, estates, and real estate law with the Toronto law firm Mitchell, Bardyn and Zalucky LLP.

For instance, cheques payable to my personal business may possibly be accepted for deposit by a bank post-mortem in the short term, “but your spouse can’t take money out unless she has signing authority on the account,” Mason says. Deposits will be tied up in that account until the estate’s legal representative deals with the estate assets.

When a person dies, the estate needs to be administered by a representative — an executor if there is a will, or an administrator if there is no will, she says. The contemporary term for these two appointments is “Estate Trustee, With or Without a Will.” If a will is in place, the executor calls in and then distributes the estate’s property — including the deceased’s business — in accordance with the terms of the will. But include a cyber property that automatically generates an income, often through a third party in the U.S., and the process can become quite complex — even with a will in place.

If the terms of the will provide that the estate should continue to operate, or if the business must continue operating for other reasons, then the executor will need website addresses, user IDs, passwords and contact information to ensure the domain does not expire and to communicate with any third parties involved in the processing of payments and distribution of orders. In addition, the executor will need file transfer protocol (FTP) information to alter a website. For instance, on my website, the executor (or a designate) would have to:

• Remove those pages that promote my writing and training services since I could not deliver such services.
• Remove my e-mail address or have it forwarded to another address.
• Make my book promotion page, which connects to my bookstore on Lulu.com, my home page.
• Alter my profile on Lulu.com so cheques are payable to my estate, so that income can be distributed in accordance with the terms of my will.
• Work with Lulu to transfer payment of royalties to my spouse, which can be more complex than one imagines — depending on the terms and conditions wills and of contracts with third parties.

As more and more business owners generate income online, even when they leave for the great beyond, “executors are often left scratching their heads over what to do with the funds and how to wrap up the business or to ensure it continues to function and that the right people benefit from it,” says Mason.

If the executor does not have access to appropriate information, the third party, webhost or ISP can ask, ‘What authority do you have to speak on behalf of the deceased?’ Having a proper will, as well as IDs, passwords and so on make the process run much more smoothly.

“We personally decide what we want to happen after we die. If we don’t make a will, we leave everything up in the air, until someone steps forward to look after what we’ve left behind,” Mason says.

Will won’t cover everything
She cautions that a will is not a panacea. It is “part of a carefully-drafted estate plan” that will help the estate representative continue to carry on the deceased’s business and distribute the income from that business.

“Making sure your affairs are in order involves not only a will, but ensuring whoever looks after your affairs has all the information available to make the process run as smoothly as possible,” she says.

Mason has one caution about revealing user IDs and passwords: “To avoid fraud, such information should be kept in a safety deposit box, which your executor would have access to immediately following your death, provided he has a notarized copy of the will and your funeral home’s death certificate.”

In short, if you want to keep on giving after taking your last breath, it might be a good idea to get your affairs in order today. Make sure you have a detailed will, double-check any legal agreements that you have with online third parties, and make sure those who you leave behind have all the information they need to communicate with third parties on your behalf, says Mason.

Posted in Published Articles | No Comments »

Is the Internet Stealing Your Precious Time?

To become a successful freelance writer or editor, you need solid technical skills. However, you also need to dedicate a certain amount of time each day to the marketing tasks required to develop your business. At least you do if you are not earning the money you want to earn.

Let’s say you want to work 20 (or more) billable hours per week (billable hours are hours when you are
working on paid assignments; they do not include the time spent issuing invoices, writing pitch letters or sorting files). And let’s say you are currently working zero to ten billable hours. I suggest that you dedicate the difference (at minimum) between the number of billable hours you are working and the number of billable hours you want to work to marketing your services and developing your business.

Do you feel yourself resisting? “I am a born procrastinator. I do not know how to manage my time.” If
that’s what you are thinking, then you should understand such resistance is natural. But it is your job to make resistance futile. Start by taking a deep breath. There. Doesn’t that feel better? (If it doesn’t, it may be because you forgot to exhale!) Unless you manage your time effectively, you will have difficulty developing your business or meeting deadlines when you land gigs. Your business priorities should be based on billable tasks that editors or clients are willing to pay for and on non-billable tasks that generate billable work. Your productive but non-billable tasks can be found in your marketing plan, which you should have if you want to succeed in any business.

If you don’t have a marketing plan —a road map for generating work— you may find that the Internet, e-mail in particular, will become (has become) a great time waster.

Do you, like many freelancers, turn on your computer at the beginning of each day and spend considerable time reading and replying to personal email, reading electronic newsletters and online newspapers and surfing the web? If not, congratulations. The Internet is not stealing your precious
time. However, if you start your day reading non-business e-mail and other material (Do you really need to read three newspapers every morning?), allow me to ask you a simple question:

Why are you allowing others to steal your precious time?

Many freelancers (website designers, graphic artists, consultants and small-business owners) start their day wasting time because they do not know how they should spend their time. They may have some vague idea of what they aspire to, but they do not have a road map to lead them to that destination. They do not have a business vision. They have no goals. They do not have a marketing plan.

Such people fritter away valuable hours hoping that work will find them and that assignments will fall like manna from heaven. If you have been a freelancer or an independent practitioner for a number of years, occasionally a former editor or client might call. But can you afford to sit back and wait for that to happen as you read newspapers, watch TV, play computer games, surf the web or read personal e-mails?

If not, start your day doing marketing tasks (developing ideas, pitching editors or prospective clients)
that will generate billable hours. If you need to, or want to, make more money (or, quite frankly, if you
want to write the next great Canadian novel or accomplish anything else your heart desires), set a plan and stick to it. Don’t let the Internet thwart your efforts. Don’t sacrifice your time on the altar of e-mail when you have work to do or a business to develop.

Paul Lima is the author of How To Write A Non-Fiction Book In 60 Days and seven other books on business writing and the business of writing. You can read more about his books online at
www.paullima.com/books.

Posted in Freelance Writing - General, Marketing Your Services | 1 Comment »

The Wealthy Freelancer blog now online

Steve Slaunwhite, a successful copywriter and writing/business trainer, and a few associates have created a new blog that is well worth reading - The Wealthy Freelancer. Although this is a relatively new blog, there are already posts in the following categories: Finance, Getting Clients, Have a Life!, Strategy, The Mental Game and Time Management. I have contributed a post to the blog on a topic that is near and dear to my heart - the importance of having a business vision. If you are looking for more good reads on the freelancer’s life, and how to make a go of it, drop by The Wealthy Freelancer.

Posted in Freelance Writing - General | No Comments »

Article: When it really matters, face-to-face matters

By Paul Lima
(Previously published in the National Post)

A senior executive of a major enterprise did not like the results of a new marketing campaign. He was on the road when he received the report and sent a concise e-mail from his Blackberry to the executive in charge of the campaign: “Dead-end campaign. Reverse course.” Moments later he received this reply: “Bullshit!” The cyber fur flew as the executives rapidly exchanged expletives. Each message took them further away from the marketing campaign and into more personally insulting territory. When they met in the office the next day, they almost came to blows.

Up to 90 per cent of communication in the workplace is routine — regular and casual — and can be conducted effectively by electronic means, says Ron McMillan, vice president of VitalSmarts LLC, a communication training company located in Provo, Utah, and co-author of the best-selling books, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High and Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Resolving Broken Promises, Violated Expectations, and Bad Behavior (McGraw-Hill).

E-mail and instant messaging make communication faster and easier, Mr. McMillan admits, but when separated by cables and airwaves people miss important non-verbal messages — such as eye contact, voice inflection and body language — that help them interpret and relay messages, avoid misunderstanding and defuse potentially volatile situations.

When casual turns crucial, as it often does in business communication, people need to meet face to face, or at least pick up the phone if travel is an issue, says Mr. McMillan who holds advanced degrees in sociology and organizational behaviour from Brigham Young University and the University of Utah. “E-mail is a great way to convey information but not in crucial situations. That’s a recipe for disaster,” he says.

Casual turns crucial when the stakes are high — when something really matters, when there are opposing opinions, when strong emotions are present, or when there is a significant amount of money is on the line, Mr. McMillan says. Those factors are there, to various degrees, in all crucial situations. “Unfortunately, when it matters most, most of us meltdown or hide behind text.” It is also when master communicators shine because they communicate in person and they communicate well. They listen, paraphrase, understand and state their case in a calm, rational manner, he says.

A situation does not have to be volatile to warrant a face-to-face meeting. For instance, stakes are high during sales meetings. The sale matters. The prospect may have opposing opinions on price or proposed delivery dates. Sales are often closed, or lost, based on logic (a need for the product or service) and emotion (trust, a good feeling or rapport). It is difficult to establish the latter by e-mail, says Mr. McMillan.

James Moutsos, president of Dynamix Solutions Inc., a Markham, Ontario-based information technology support company, agrees. After initial e-mail or phone contact is made, he meets with prospects. “It’s important to get in front of the client to build trust, something that can’t always be done by e-mail or on the phone,” he says.

Mr. Moutsos uses the Internet to remotely monitor and service computer networks. Ironically, he does not have to visit clients to deliver his service but finds it necessary to see them to sell virtual support. “Because our services are delivered remotely, it’s even more crucial for me to make the conscious effort to meet clients.” Meetings also enhance subsequent electronic communication because he has “a feel” for the person he is e-mailing, he adds.

Several clients have selected Dynamix because Mr. Moutsos has been the only service company executive who has met with them. “If the value offered is similar, a short meeting can make a big difference,” he says. In addition to closing sales, he learns more about specific business needs when he meets clients. “New opportunities that don’t occur on the phone or in e-mail open up,” he says.

Face-to-face meetings can create opportunities or solve problems but many people hide behind electronic devices, says Mr. McMillan. A manager who took one of Mr. McMillan’s workshops brought in 20 pages of e-mail messages that he had exchanged with a colleague. The pages represented several weeks of “fiery exchanges” and the manager wanted to know how to resolve the issue. The combatants, it turned out, worked for the same company in the same city in the same building on the same floor. And, in fact, they were “lobbing grenades” at each other from adjoining cubicles.

Instead of hiding behind electronic communications, they had to step out of their cubicles and resolve their problems face to face, says Mr. McMillan.

Mr. McMillan acknowledges that distances cannot always be bridged due to time or budgetary constraints. Video conferencing is an interesting alternative to face-to-face. It saves time, costs less than air travel and allows people to see body language and hear vocal inflections. However, some people experience stage fright when looking into the camera and others are concerned about privacy and confidentiality issues that might arise if meetings are taped. If the stakes are high and people cannot meet, at minimum people should pick up the phone, Mr. McMillan says.

When talking on the phone, a person can hear verbal inflections, pauses and tone of voice. Picking up on verbal cues, actively listening — such as paraphrase what is said — can help a person diffuse a volatile situation or overcome objections and close a sale.

If people have to communicate by e-mail when angry, Mr. McMillan advises them to “take a strategic delay.” Compose a reply, save it as a draft and walk away. Revisit the reply 24 hours later, when high emotions are diminished, and revise the e-mail before hitting send. That strategic delay can mean the difference between fuelling the fire and putting it out.

Posted in Published Articles | No Comments »

Sat. Sept. 20: Wordstock 2008 at Ryerson (Toronto)

Wordstock 2008 at Ryerson - Professional Development day for journalists and freelance writers
> Sat. Sept. 20, 2008 (full day event); preregistration required

WHAT: Wordstock 2008 (13th straight edition)
WHEN: Saturday, September 20, 2008 - Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.
WHERE: Ryerson School of Journalism, 80 Gould St. (Corner of Church and Gould), Toronto.
COST: $80 / person
CONTACT: Bryan Cantley at bcantley@cna-acj.ca
INFO: Download the PDF program for Wordstock 2008 - click here

PURCHASE TICKETS:
Option #1 - Print out the PDF program (link above) and mail in your registration form and cheque
Option #2 - Pay online using PayPal (including Visa & Mastercard) - go to the Wordstock website and scroll down to the “Pay” button

The 13th annual Wordstock will be held Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Ryerson School of Journalism, with a continuing emphasis on reporting, writing and editing in multi-media. The Hamilton Spectator’s Bill Dunphy will be the keynote speaker. He will recap what he has done for the past year as director of WebU, the ambitious Torstar newspaper group online awareness training program. It will ultimately have sent more than 600 employees—editors, reporters, ad sales, marketing and others—through a course designed to demystify and open eyes to the Internet’s vast potential.

Steve Buttry of the American Press Institute in Washington will be back to lead a session on live blogging, an enhanced session on alternative forms of storytelling, and another on short writing. The latter will be useful for journalists and editors facing reduced news holes. We’ll feature sessions on new-and-improved tools for today’s journalists and an anatomy of how a newspaper today can tell a story in many ways.

Paul Lima of PWAC will put on two sessions for freelancers, one on finding opportunities in the corporate world and another on freelance writing for newspapers and magazines.

Other speakers include:
Kevin Scanlon - Editors & Writers on the same page & Editing in a 24-hour news cycle
Nicole Macintyre - Benefits / pitfalls of a blogging journalist
Steve Buttry - Telling a story in a multi-media world
Thane Burnett - Great features: 1,000 words or less
Andrew Clark - Great journalism on film and television
Paul McLaughlin - The first step is the interview
Don McCurdy - Headlines don’t have to suck
April Lindgren, Jon Wells, Rosemary Aubert - The mystery novel you’ve wanted to write
Phil Andrews - Small markets, big coverage

For more information, contact Bryan Cantley, Wordstock Director, at bcantley@cna-acj.ca. or visit the Wordstock web site - www.ryerson.ca/alumnigroups/journalism/Wordstock2008Promo.html

Posted in Workshops, Seminars & Online Courses | No Comments »

Define your business vision. Seriously. Before you do anything else.

I am often asked questions about finding corporate work (or getting published in newspapers or magazines). To the corporate work question, I reply with this: “What can you write? For what sectors can you write?” To the newspaper/magazine question, I reply with this: “What can you write about? For what types of publications can you write?”

In both instance, I am frequently greeted with blank stares. Often, people reply with something like this: “I want to write anything for anybody.”

Allow me to be blunt: If you want to write anything for anybody, you will most likely write nothing for nobody. (And if the double negative negates my meaning, let me put it this way: If you want to write anything for anybody, good luck with that.)

The only way you can market your writing services to the corporate market, is to define what you can write (the deliverables or collateral) and define the corporate sectors you should target — all based on your previous writing and work experience, as well as your education, interests and knowledge.

The only way you can write for newspapers and magazines, is to define what you can write about, the types of articles you can write, and the types of publications that publish such articles. Your definitions are all based on your writing and work experience, as well as your education, interests, and knowledge.

In other words, if you have never written a white paper, you would not position yourself as a white paper writer. Leave that up to thatwhitepaperguy. If you know nothing about the automotive market, why would you target the automotive sector? If you have never written an investigative feature on political intrigue, why would you pitch such an article idea to The Walrus or The Atlantic Magazine.

I am not saying you will never write a white paper or a political feature. I am saying start marketing the writing services or types of articles that make sense — to you and to your potential clients. Grow in terms of your scope and range as you gain experience and as your business and business contacts grow.

If you think you need help defining what you can do and who you can do it for (what I call defining your Business Vision), consider buying the $4.95 Business Vision short eReport.

Having a business vision is no guarantee of success. But not having one can lead directly to failure. Why? If you don’t define your business vision — no matter if you aspire to be a freelance writer, editor, photographer, webmaster, graphic designer or any other type of independent practitioner — you will struggle with your business plan and your marketing plan. And if you don’t have a business vision, business plan and related marketing plan, you will struggle with your business. It’s that simple.

If you want to know more about marketing your services, read my marketing blog posts. If you think you need help clearly defining your business vision, consider taking my business vision email seminar. At minimum, download the free Business Vision short eReport to get started.

All the best with your business!

Posted in Marketing Your Services | 1 Comment »

800

I just checked my book sale statistics on Lulu.com, the print on demand (POD) company I use to publish and sell my books for freelance writers and business/promotional writers. I am pleased to say that as of today, I have sold… (drum roll, please)… 800 books.

Not bad for a self-published author who really does little or no promotion beyond what I do on my website and here on my blog. Sure, 800 is not a Canadian bestseller, but it’s far more books than I thought I’d sell when I was asked if I could convert some of my business of freelance writing and business/promotional writing workshops into books for folks who could not attend my workshops. Not only that, but each quarter, my books sales go up–so I’m pleased with that too, and look forward to hitting 1,000 books by the fall. (And the really neat thing is that it has cost me absolutely nothing to publish and sell my books through Lulu, which is not a vanity press–a company that charges you an arm and a leg to self-publish and doesn’t give a fig if you actually sell any books.)

If you are interested in self-publishing and print on demand, you can read a dozen or so of my blog posts on the topic here. POD is not for everyone. However, if you have a book in you and have an audience in mind, and if you don’t have the patience it takes to find a traditional publisher (let alone have them actually get around to publishing your book), you too may want to check out POD. Oh, and if you have a non-fiction book in you and you are having difficulty getting it out of you, do read about my latest books (quickly becoming one of my bestsellers), How To Write A Non-Fiction Book In 60 Days. Maybe you will be the 801st person to buy one of my books. (See, I told you I use my blog to promote my books.)
____________________
Paul Lima is a freelance writer and business writing instructor. He is also the author of several books on business and promotional writing and the business of freelance writing.

Posted in Self-Publishing & Print On Demand | No Comments »