By Lior Levin

If you are looking for a great online business with hardly any startup costs and a great market then you need to become an outsourcer. No special education is required, and the only skills you need are to be a good negotiator, middleman, go between or whatever you want to call yourself, although my name for it is the “outsourcer”. Here are some tips to get you going. First though a brief explanation of what an outsourcer is.

The Outsourcer’s Job

There are tons of individuals that offer freelance services to clients. For example, writing web content, directory article writing, press releases, transferring domains, trouble shooting, or transcribing and this is just a few examples. The outsourcer becomes the jobber. He will go and find clients that are in need of these types of services. Then ultimately he will act as the go between for the freelancer and the client.

In summary both of these parties have now become the outsourcer’s client. So the outsourcer will offer to do the job for $50. for example, then will turn around and hire a freelancer to do the job for $35. So the outsourcer has made himself $15. for just being the middleman. Sounds like a good plan doesn’t it? It is, but it does have it quirks.

The Outsourcer Workplace

Freelancing Sites

These are sites that provide the meeting place between freelancers and clients. Now clients or freelancers do not have to go though a middleman (outsourcer), they can deal direct with each other. However, there are individuals being the outsourcers, who will bid on these freelancing jobs and then hire the freelancers to do the work for them. The focal point for all this to take place is on these freelancing sites. Some sites are better than others, and although they all offer the same type of service they do differ.

ScriptLance.com – This is a freelance site that often is considered as a beginner’s site. This means for individuals that are just starting into the freelancing business. Outsourcers will often use this site because they can pick up the services of new freelancers who are not established and will work for low pay.

Freelancer.com – This site works on the same premise as being a freelance directory but is a step up in respect to scriptlance. Here the freelancers have a little more experience although many of the jobs are low paying. A lot of this has to do with the fact that there are a lot of outsourcers that use this site as well. Most of this is based on the premise that many of the freelancers do not have English as their native language therefore they will work for very low wages. This gives the outsourcer the opportunity to capitalize on hiring these individuals at a low rate and still meet the average price the clients will offer.

Elance.com —  Both the freelancers, clients and outsourcers conduct themselves in a more professional manner here. There is a mixed group in that many projects are conducted directly between the clients and the freelancers, but there are also many outsourcers that use this as their working foundation as well. What makes this site different is several factors.

The clients are willing to pay more for higher quality work. Their expectations are far greater however compared to clients on the other mentioned sites. The freelancer is willing to produce much better caliber work because they are getting paid well for it. The outsourcer here does well but often will favor bulk work or large volume contracts.

So why an outsourcer?

So the big question is why in the world would a freelancer go through an outsourcer when they have the opportunity to go directly to the client? Good question, but there is a sound answer for this. Freelancers are good at what they do, but many of them just want to do their job without the extra tasks of having to deal directly with the client. They make their money doing their job not at the admin. part of it. So really the outsourcer is looking after all the administrative type duties for them.

He is the one setting up what the job entails, how it is suppose to be done, the deadlines, the approvals and ensuring payment is made. This can be time consuming for the freelancer and many times it is much easier for the freelancer to deal with an outsourcer as opposed to the client. In addition to this, with freelancers many times it comes down to a lack of confidence or poor presentation skills and they are not able to land the jobs, whereas an outsourcer is a pro at this.

So now you have the basics of becoming an outsourcer, so how about it? Are you a negotiator? If so then it can make you money.

Author Information

Lior Levin is an owner of a SEO company working with a nursing wear brand called Milk Nursingwear and also working with a task management start-up.

Are your articles forever green or evergreen?

One of my clients recently discussed with me his desire to include a story on his blog that was newsworthy, but there was a problem: almost as soon as the information was to be posted, it would become outdated.

Now posting what you want, when and how you want on your blog is your business. That’s the beauty of online journaling—you’re the writer, editor and publisher all wrapped up in one and you get to say pretty much whatever you want to say.

Article Freshness

But we also know that there are other reasons for posting something online, reasons demanding a carefully constructed plan following much thought. One of the most important reasons is the article’s strength long term–many weeks, months, perhaps years after it was originally written.

How fun is it to find an article you wrote in 2007 still getting hits? Importantly, those hits are translated into income (through ad clicks) or business (through client inquiries) because you had the presence of mind to write in such a way to make sure your article never aged. You kept it green, as in evergreen.

Evergreen content is always fresh, it never ages and is useful years after it was first written. News stories are not evergreen because they focus on a specific time and place. Articles about particular holidays, a sporting event, a world crisis or any other event that has passed are not evergreen. Even writing about the location of the 2015 Super Bowl now will only guarantee a few years of freshness before that article is old and outdated.

Evergreen Example

Certainly, I am not against writing articles locked in a specific time and place, because they do have their place in the writing sphere. If you were to look through what I’ve written on this blog since it launched in December 2005, you would find mostly evergreen articles, but also a fair share of dated material included.

Timeless articles such as, “The 5 Components of the Writing Process,” written by me in September 2007 continue to perform well. In the past year alone that article has been visited 941 times, and has been referenced elsewhere well after it was first published. I believe that articles like this one have helped raise my visibility while offering advice that will never change. That’s something you’ll want to consider doing as well.

New Approach

Now let’s get back to what my client wanted.

I knew he was looking for something that could be cited time and again, thus we killed the original story and decided to develop something that will endure. The subject matter is right, but the approach we’re now taking is far different with an eye toward long term usefulness.

There isn’t anything wrong with writing articles that are not evergreen. In fact, if an article is hot and cited by others, you may want to consider visiting what you wrote from time to time and updating your material. I do that with an article I wrote several years ago about Operation Christmas Child here because it continues to do well in the SERPs and is referenced frequently by people who want to help this worthy project each year.

Update List

I keep a list of articles to update from time to time, but I keep that list short because the last thing I want is to be held hostage by dated material needing my constant attention.

Evergreen writing is my preference because once you have published what you wrote you can put your time and energy into advancing your other work.

The internet has changed the way that we write and the way that we read.

Her choice of fashion may not be on the mark (what does that have to do with anything?!), but reading a good online article should be as enjoyable for her as flipping through the pages of a favorite magazine.

Lengthy paragraphs and sentences are out while bulleted paragraphs and numbered lists are in. How did that change come about? For the simple reason that when we view a screen, our eyes tend to scan the text looking for information to jump out at us. Unlike printed copy which can be folded, turned or read while on the potty or in the lazy chair, we tend to place ourselves in front of a big screen or before a laptop perched atop a table at our local coffee shop.

Really now, who do you think is the more comfortable reader? In most cases that would be the person folding the pages of a newspaper who can kick back and relax, taking her time to read the morning news without worrying about spilling coffee on a keyboard or going buggy eye in the process. But then, newspaper readership is disappearing almost as fast as internet participation is growing.

Two Kinds of Writing Styles

So here you have two different styles of writing – one designed for more leisurely and relaxed reading, the other to convey short, but high impact data designed to drive home a point with all the fluff removed.

Don’t get me wrong – there are a number of excellent pieces online that are several thousand words long. In the early days of the internet, I learned to print those kinds of articles out, stapling the pages together and saving the best of the lot. I’m a writer, therefore lengthy articles, short stories, novellas and books are fine with me. But they aren’t fine for mostly everyone else, particularly for the online reader.

How can you best write what you want without droning on and on? That’s easy – write what you want and then pick at it later.

That’s right, if you have something to say, then say it. Don’t worry about article length or trying to adhere to certain restrictions that others are urging you to embrace. I’ve come across many bloggers who worry that they’re being too wordy, leaving out important content to keep their article lengths under control. That’s just wrong – you’re proofreader and editor as well a publisher and writer – you are the one solely responsible for the way that your article reads. Your audience validates your work by subscribing to a feed or by leaving comments.

Cutting Out the Fluff

Now there is a big difference between the article that is 1500 words long and lacking substance versus the 500 word article that says it all. What readers don’t realize is that a good number of articles which may be short and to the point may not have started out that way. In some cases, the writer may have “skinned” her article down to take out excess data or remove fluff, in order to leave the reader with concrete, helpful, concise, but highly effectual information.

To reiterate my point the length of your article doesn’t matter as much as what is inside of it. If you can say what you want to say in 500, 1000 or 2500 words or more while keeping your reader’s attention, then you have succeeded in your endeavor. Cut out the junk and you’ll be left with an article worth reading no matter how many words you used.

See Also — Should You Schedule Your Blog Posts?

Photo Credit: Viktoria Sav

Scheduling your blog posts can help you maintain control over your site, while giving you the opportunity to write when your creative juices are flowing.

This article is dedicated to Dominique who solicited my thoughts on blogging in advance. Make sure you check out her blog, An Unlikely Perspective 2, to find out what is on Dominique’s mind.

How Often Do You Write?

One question that some bloggers have about blogging concerns their writing schedule. At some point, you’ll discover a rhythm that works best for you – perhaps you like posting on Mondays and Thursdays or maybe you prefer a more frequent schedule which includes Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and the weekend. Or whatever.

Regardless of how often you write, you can probably agree with the following sentiment – there are days when inspiration flows, but there are other times when you’d rather not write. However, by not adhering to a consistent schedule your blog could eventually fall to the wayside, perhaps even die. No serious blogger would allow that to happen to their blogs which for some folks serves as an extension of themselves.

Scheduling Your Articles

An important way to ensure that your blog is always fresh is to write articles in advance and schedule them to appear (drip) at certain times and on specified days. Even though I don’t have to tell you, I wrote this article on Labor Day when things were quiet and slow. I completed the article shortly before noon, then took the rest of the day off. Thanks to scheduling, I have enough articles set to appear on my other blogs for the coming days as well.

What this ultimately means is that I can work writing around my own schedule without being tied down – a measure of freedom I want and crave. Likely, you feel the same way too.

Assuming that your blog platform allows you to schedule articles in advance, developing a schedule certainly makes sense. Even though the calendar says September, I’m already thinking about articles I’ll write for the remainder of the year, including seasonal topics such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. I may write and schedule my Christmas message in November, especially if I feel particularly inspired.

Three Tips For Successful Article Preparation

Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind when writing in advance:

Don’t Date Yourself – You may think it odd to write your new year’s message when the leaves have yet to change, but that’s something entirely up to you. If I’m writing well in advance, particularly for a holiday, I write as if the holiday is in the present or “today” – not the future. That goes without saying that you should never reference the actual date when you wrote your article – your readers don’t need that distraction nor will they care.

Pick And Choose – With several of my blogs, I usually write one or two articles in advance, but with one particular blog I go much further. For example, sometimes I’ll write an article about a special event taking place one or two months out, then I fill in the remaining dates here or there.

Don’t Force It – One bad habit to avoid when writing in advance is to force yourself to write when you aren’t prepared to write. I have a personal policy that works well for me – I write only when inspired. Maybe I have only one article to write; perhaps three or more. If I write when my creative juices aren’t flowing, then I’ll torture myself to complete the task. And, who wants to read tortured writing?

In the end, writing in advance is something completely up to you. Sometimes, I will write in advance and amend the article before it is published. There are other situations where I’ll change the date when an article is to appear. My readers aren’t aware of these changes, but I like to maintain control over the publication process as that gives me the freedom to write and publish as I see fit.

Photo Credit: Maxime Perron Caissy

In my nearly four years of constant blogging, I’ve launched numerous blogs and sold off quite a few. Right now, I manage six blogs which sounds like a lot. But, only three are updated daily with the other three updated 1-3 times per week.

Writing Quickly

Eyepopping articles can be written in a short span which can be helpful if you find that you're especially pressed for time.

Still, that means I’m writing at least 23 weekly articles for my blogs alone, with another ten to fifteen articles for my customers. There are times I need to spend a couple of hours on just one article, but there are other times when I will get an article done in just 15-20 minutes, including this one.

Please allow me to share some tips with you on how to write quality articles fast:

Quick Outline – I’ve grown accustomed to creating most of my outlines in my head. When things are a bit more complicated, I can jot down some notes on a scratch pad to keep everything in order. Fortunately, I rarely have to take the extra step; this doesn’t include my magazine articles which are more thoroughly researched, however.

Killer Headline – I’ve seen people waste too much time on a headline. Instead, think of three or four words related to the article you want to write and then build the rest of the headline around those words. The headline I’m using here is eight words, but to get your attention I capitalized the word fast.

Brief Introduction – Your introductory paragraph should be brief, with two or three sentences being sufficient. One in that group is your topic sentence which will drive the rest of your article.

Use Bullets – If you have three or four points to make in you article, use bullets to separate each point. In some cases, numbered lists are an appropriate way to get your point across.

Conclude Smartly – Once you’ve made your case, conclude your article with a nice, clear wrap up. If you’re trying to sell a product, then include a call for action. Otherwise summarize what you’ve said and leave it at that.

Add Some Meat To Your Work

I’m not a fan of super short articles as I believe those articles which are four hundred words or longer are more likely to get indexed by Google. Thus, if you’re writing fast you’ll want to check your word count before ending your work. Once done, be prepared to include a related photo, links to other articles, the appropriate tags, etc. Proofread your work, tweak a sentence here or there and you should be done.

Writers are just like piano players.

There, I said it – people who write for a living are just like a pianist. In what way? The more you practice the better you sound (or read).

If you’ve ever played a musical instrument, then you know that there was a time when you sounded dreadful. However, if you stuck at it then your skills eventually improved, perhaps to the point where people actually enjoyed how you played. Maybe they even paid good money to listen to you in person.

Push Yourself To Succeed

The pianist didn't get to where she is at without long practices and much refinement. For the writer pursuing excellence, the same road is traveled.

Throughout my life, my writing skills have ebbed and flowed. While in high school, I had a literature teacher who encouraged me to write, pointing out my strengths while helping me conquer my weaknesses. Run-on sentences were my chief scourge back then, something I eventually mastered through consistent writing.

In college, my term papers were rewarded with high grades because I researched each topic thoroughly, taking the time to fine tune my drafts until I was ready to type my report on an electric typewriter, double-spaced, with no smudge marks please.

Use It Or Lose It

But as with any skill, if you don’t use it you lose it. A restaurant manager’s job followed by a nonprofit gig and six years had passed me by before I got to write consistently again. Even then, I was tasked with writing technical manuals primarily with the occasional newsletter thrown in. I hated the former and craved the latter, a point my boss made note of.

Seven years ago the dreaded technical writing job ended which put me at a critical crossroad. Should I look for employment or should I strike out on my own? I chose the latter and haven’t looked back (okay, the occasional glance over my shoulder when things were particularly gloomy), doing what needed to be done in order to get the job done.

Put Your Career In Gear

Which brings me to the whole point of this piece – if you’re looking for work or are desiring a career change you have to start someplace which may include doing a few freebie projects in order to build your portfolio. Specifically, if you’re wanting to write and you need to show your “clips” in order to pull down paid opportunities, consider taking on the following tasks:

• Write articles for a quality article directory such as EzineArticles.com which happens to be one of the best ones out there. Show yourself no mercy; submit only your best work to this site. Labor over your article(s) until you believe that you have created a masterpiece.

• Contribute an original article to a blog in order to get your name out there. I currently manage six blogs and welcome (related) contributions for each one. However, many of the submissions I have received have been sub-par, demonstrating that the writer hasn’t done his/her research or has written poorly. Usually both. Find a blog of interest to you and ask the blogger if he/she welcomes submissions.

• Contact a non-profit or charity and ask them if they need some writing completed. Many organizations still produce hard copy newsletters while others have blogs that haven’t been updated in ages. Interview someone, write a feature story, explain a new service, etc. Write like you’re getting paid big bucks – you’ll come away from the project with your needed clips and a solid recommendation.

Keep It Up

Once you get a few articles under your belt, you’ll begin to notice a couple of things – your writing has improved and your confidence has gotten a much needed boost. Expect criticism, but learn to deal with it  even if delivered to you with ill intent.

The accomplished pianist got to where she is through countless hours of hard work; if you want to succeed as a writer, then you must be relentless in your pursuit of excellence as well.

See Also — Is It Time For You To Raise Your Rates?

Here it is 2009 and I can tell you that print writing is alive, even if it isn’t doing terribly well. The days when newspapers and magazines dominated media are over thanks to the emergence of the world wide web, a relentless blob that appears to be swallowing up nearly everything in its path.

For talented writers, especially those with a journalistic flair, change means one thing – learning to adapt to online writing or hanging it up and moving on. Perhaps most disturbing for veteran writers is that the pay scale for most online work isn’t usually as rewarding nor is the prestige comparable to getting published in Better Homes & Gardens, The New York Times or Forbes.

Distressing Change For Some

Print media is dying or transitioning to the internet. However, some opportunities for work still exist for freelance writers, particular with weekly newspapers and regional (local) magazines.

I don’t come from a strictly writing background but I have friends who have and are mourning the loss of an industry which once provided plum writing jobs, excellent pay and the attendant good life that so many writers today are finding elusive. Some industry veterans have found new life on the web while others have carved a niche for themselves in the safety of a corporate communications department, longing to step out anew but worried that at age fifty-something time is no longer their friend.

Print writing isn’t dead, but it may not endure much beyond the next decade or so. Scores of national and city newspapers are bankrupt, but many of the smaller weeklies have managed to find a niche as have regional magazines, including those glossy “living” publications that you can pick up around town. I’ve written for both mediums and would like to share with you some of the pluses and perils of print writing these days:

Pluses

Portfolio Building – Every print article published is ammunition you can use when sharing your clips when being considered for a new gig. I keep scanned copies on my hard drive and forward these files to editors.

Fair Pay – Forget earning the old dollar-a-word minimum unless you’re well known and extremely good at your craft. Twenty-five cents per word seems to be the new minimum rate while a flat rate for an article of a certain length may do it. Still, these rates are typically higher than most online jobs unless you can snag the copywriter gig for an important website.

Prestige – In every career, peer recognition is important. We may think that we don’t care all that much about what others say or think, but when you get an “attaboy” for appearing on the editorial page under contributing writers, it is just the sort of ego stroke most of us welcome. I know that I do.

Perils

No Kill Fees – I’ve been fortunate in that every article I’ve written over the past two years has been accepted and published as previously agreed. One article was rejected for unrelated reasons, but my publisher promised to pay me just the same. A lot of publications will only accept your work conditionally and many no longer pay a “kill fee” if they choose not to use your work. This means that you have to find a new buyer for your article which takes up additional time and energy, never mind the possible loss of funds if you’re unable to sell it.

Bankruptcies – Reader’s Digest is filing for bankruptcy, but so are many smaller magazines and newspapers. There is a chance that between the time that your article is published and when you’re due payment, that the periodical will fail. If the newspaper or magazine files for bankruptcy you may never see any money or you may have to wait months for full or partial payment.

Invisibility – Declining readership means that fewer people will read what you wrote. I’ve noticed that some magazines have cut out their “letter to the editor” sections which means that you have no idea what someone thought about what you wrote. Feedback is important, but some of the smaller publications have scaled back in order to cut costs.

Finding Your Place

Although print media is under tremendous assault, a number of magazines and newspapers have transitioned to the internet or offer online access in addition to their print copy. Advertising income, which is the financial bedrock for media, can determine whether any publication succeeds or fails. Your success as a freelancer writer is being aware of these changes and pricing your work accordingly.

See Also — Considering Blogging? Weigh These Points First.

A new year is terrific time for you to take stock in all that you do. If you're a new freelancer or simply considering striking out in that direction, the following tips are offered to help you with your decision.

Most people who have followed me on this blog or elsewhere over the past few years know that I am self-employed. Self employment didn’t come to me by choice, at least initially, rather it began to unfold “naturally” beginning in November 2002 when I was laid off from my aviation job.

At that time I was working as a technical writer for a business aviation company in New Jersey, a company who had been ailing for well over a year due in part to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Thirty of us were let go, an event that took place over a two week period. Oddly, my boss gave me two weeks notice before I was terminated which gave me plenty of time to wrap up loose ends and begin to plan my future.

Once work ended, I quickly created a business through LegalZoom and called it Matthew C Keegan, LLC. Not a very original name, but I wasn’t interested in coming up with something that people wouldn’t be able to connect to my name. Most of my then intended customer base knew me very well, therefore why be different? Besides, I’ve learned over time that most people are interested in who you are and what you do, not what the Internal Revenue Service and the State of North Carolina recognize to be your business name.

From the start, I imagined myself providing technical manuals to small businesses, particularly in aviation, but that really didn’t work out for me. I got some work, but then my mother and my mother-in-law became ill, both dying the following summer within weeks of each other. My main income during the first two years was through advertising as I managed to do quite well with Google AdSense.

However, managing my mother’s estate and dealing with the aftermath of losing both grandmothers took a lot out of our family. It really wasn’t until September 2004 when we made the move to North Carolina and I also transitioned from technical writing and website building to freelance writing did my business begin to take off.

Since then I’ve been providing a variety of writing services to clientèle, most of whom are not aviation related. Honestly, I found that my writing interests were much broader than aviation, so I began to write on automotive, travel, human interest, and other topics. Today, I include two print publications as regular customers, several blogs, an automotive parts company, and a handful of miscellaneous projects that I tackle from time to time.

Advertising revenue is now only a small portion of my income base as AdSense pretty much dried up for me in 2005. However, for 2009 I plan on expanding my advertising opportunities across the four blogs, three mini websites and one flagship site that I still manage.

So what are my personal tips for the self employed? That’s easy: work hard!

Seriously, hard work is only part of the equation when it comes to being your own boss. I’ve learned over the past six years that other qualities need to be built and nurtured in order to achieve your goals. These qualities include the following seven points:

Be Passionate! — If you don’t like what you’re doing, why do it at all? Likely, you’re interested in freelance work because it is the right path for you. You’ve seen people who are miserable in their jobs and have decided that doing something that has no appeal for you is just plain wrong. Therefore, whatever you find to do with your hands, do with all of your might!

Make A Plan – This one tripped me up because my plans were all wrong. Well, not really – they just needed to change as doors closed and other ones opened. If you are planning to work for yourself, give thoughtful consideration to what type of work you want to do. For example, if you want to blog professionally, who will you write for and how will you make money? Likely, you’ll need to write for several blogs and pull in some other gigs to keep your head above water. Be flexible – nothing in written in stone unless, of course, you have a written contract. Even then, contractual agreements eventually come to an end.

Get Established – Here in the US, there are a number of things a freelancer can and should do to establish a business presence. By no means am I a legal professional so make sure you learn from the state what you need to do in order to set up a business. What I did was to create legal documents (as mentioned previously with LegalZoom) and I contacted the IRS to establish an EIN – employee identification number. Also, I registered my business with the state (originally New Jersey, now North Carolina) and I acquired a local license to operate my business. In addition, I file an annual business report with the state of North Carolina and pay whatever business taxes are owed. One note: you’ll be taken seriously by clients if you go through all of the steps to set up and maintain a business.

Market Yourself – With any business, getting the word out to others that you are in business for yourself is important. This means keeping a list of contacts handy and letting these people know that you’re in business for yourself is a critical foundation. Approach these people via phone call or in person (if possible) and explain to them how your services can aid their business. Beyond a foundational supply of contacts, you’ll want to join the appropriate organizations to support what you do. For example, I belong to SEAMO which is an organization made up of automotive writers. In addition, being active online via social media is very important so join LinkedIn, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Digg and other sites that can help you spread the word. Oh, by the way, you do have a website, right?

Be Flexible — “Blessed be the flexible for they shall not break.” Okay, this isn’t a Biblical admonition, though it sure sounds like one! For those of us who are involved in any kind of Christian ministry work, we understand that being flexible is important to helping others. No “customer” is the same and each person will want you to tailor your work to fit their project. Find out what the customer needs (you may have to tell them as some don’t know) and come up with a plan to help out. Expect to make many changes as you fine tune your work and always be ready to adjust on the go!

Get Educated – No, I don’t mean returning to school to earn a degree although that could be a good idea for the person who needs to complete their education. Rather, taking the occasional course, seminar, or enrichment class that can benefit you and your business. I took a class two years ago from SCORE – which is an organization of retired executives that helped me make my business run smoother. Also, I educate myself by doing a lot of reading which includes subscribing to print publications such as The Deal, Money magazine, Kiplinger’s, and most recently The Wall Street Journal. I cover a lot of business subjects; these publications and certain online sites help keep me abreast of all of the trends.

Don’t Give Up! — Yes, working for yourself can be difficult especially if you’ve always worked for someone in the past and are used to a regular and steady paycheck. It isn’t easy – I should know as I’ve been doing this work as the sole breadwinner for almost the entire time. If I don’t make it, we struggle. That’s where my Christian faith really kicks in – I’m dependent on Almighty God to supply us with all of our needs. That supply often runs low but I have never seen it run completely out nor do I expect that it ever will.

As a matter of personal policy I don’t coach people who want to go into business for themselves. I simply don’t have the time nor do I have the inclination. Still, if you follow much of what I’ve shared herein and are willing to work hard, you’ll succeed. Even if you are just a so-so writer your writing will improve over time and the quality of projects you take on will be much more interesting and financially lucrative as you gain the required experience to confidently market yourself as a freelance writer.

>>For another perspective about freelance writing, Laura Spencer’s article, “Your Customers Are Closer Than You Think,” is a great read.<<

Some of my job inquiries are a real hoot

Most of the work that I do is freelance writing with SEO and other marketing stuff secondary projects. Yes, I get the usual requests: please optimize my pages with select keywords, link these pages to other pages on our site and include outbound links, etc. That is a given when I write web content — my clients want an added benefit to go with the words that I write and I happily comply.

Not every job inquiry is something that interests me as the proposal has enough holes in it to walk through. Pay is too low, the research required necessitates using suspect sources, or the topic is simply not something I’m all that keen about covering — ladies hair products, for one!

Last week, I received one of those inquiries that wasn’t worth a response. Almost always I reply to messages sent via my contact forms or directly to my email inbox, but in this case I decided not to answer. The problem with the inquiry was this:

• We would like you to review a variety of car models and write these reviews along the lines of this site (withheld by me).

• Because it isn’t possible to actually drive each car, you can obtain reviews elsewhere on the internet and use those to write your article.

Well, in my book, what this person wanted was for me to plagiarize my work. Sure, I can certainly write about a car based upon the work available online, but I can’t “fake” driving one and basing my article on how a car sounds, feels, turns, starts, stops, etc. Moreover, the inquirer was from Europe and a number of the vehicles to be featured are not on American highways (Skoda, Fiat, Renault, and Peugeot to name a few). My ability to even write a halfway sensible article would  have to be based upon personal experience, not the review of another writer.

As I said, I didn’t respond to this person, choosing to laugh off his proposal with derision. I’ve had similar request to cheat in the past and I treat each one the same way — good-bye, so long, farewell….

I try to answer most of my emails quickly and directly, but that isn’t always the case. There are times when I’m under a deadline or an emergency pops up and I’m just not able to tackle an inquiry immediately.

Sometimes, I’ll simply tweak the person’s question and post it to this blog as part of my mailbag series, leaving off the person’s name as most people would prefer anonymity. Then, I send a note thanking the person for their inquiry and supply the link to where they can find their answer.

The most frequently asked question lately seems to center on starting a freelance business, particularly as a writer. Many of our fellow bloggers hold down full time jobs and are exploring whether pursuing freelance work is right for them. Granted, I cannot give anyone a specific yes/no answer; instead, I try to impart my knowledge and leave the exploring up to them.

It seems that I am not alone when it comes to freelance inquiries as I have found a spate of posts from other freelancers who are also fielding similar inquiries. For a sampler, why not visit the following blogs to see what these freelancers have to say:

All Freelance Writing — Jennifer Mattern suggests that writers should choose a specialty when seeking a freelance career. The reasons? You’ll be much more knowledgeable about a subject and be able to command more money.

The Writer’s Manifesto — Monika Mundell shares her thoughts about freelance writing rates, discussing the disparity between article mill jobs and offline assignments. Yes, there are jobs out there that pay more per word than what some people pay for an entire article.

A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye — Lillie Ammann is at it again, offering a new article series, this one discussing how to become a freelance writer. Lillie always thoroughly covers a subject so check out her blog to follow this series as it unfolds.

I always encourage people to follow their passions when it comes to choosing any career and that is the same bit of advice I offer to prospective freelancers when pursuing a writing career. If you know that this is something you must do, then follow it with all of your heart. If not, then don’t.

Freelancing can be difficult, especially for the person whose sole bit of income is garnered from their clients. Up and down times will come and not everyone has the intestinal fortitude to stick with it.

My freelance career started in November 2002, but it wasn’t until Spring 2005 that I made the decision to stick with writing and jettison the web design part of my business. The transition was tough, but I’m now getting good paying jobs and have the luxury to cherry pick assignments.

There was a time when I said I wouldn’t work for someone full time again, but I’m not sure that’ll always be the case. Yet, where I am at this point in my career is fine with me with still loftier goals within site.

Related Story: Should you follow your passion?