Every Perfect Job has a Downside August 19, 2006
Posted by Christine in the writer's life.add a comment
Yes, even writing! I saw a great post showing exactly how frustrating writing can be sometimes. We are not all free spirits; we do need a system, even if that system is unique to every writer. I can completely identify with the writer; although I don’t use an outline for my fiction work (perhaps I should, then I wouldn’t be stuck at page 1) I do need to be systematic about my freelance projects. I need to actually define in the morning what I am doing that day, and if I forget to take a project with me, for some reason I cannot focus on any other ones. I need to work on that I suppose, but I just need a to-do-list to work off of. If I don’t do that I am perpetually scared and nervous about forgetting something or forget about a project (which has happened before!).
On the flip side, I have stuff on my to-do-list I never even get around to, like working on my book. Very frustrating…
Project Billing Options August 10, 2006
Posted by Christine in the writer's life.comments closed
There are several options when determining a pricing structure for a project. But because each project, and each client, is unique there is a need for flexibility in the billing department. Some clients are comfortable with a per hour rate, while others only get to sleep at night if you quote a flat rate per project.
I personally used to be a big fan of the ‘per project’ quote, but I am really starting to see the benefits of billing by the hour, for both me and my client. It gives me the reassurance that my hourly rate is not diluted, regardless of the amount of time a writing project ends up taking. For single one time projects the per-item quote makes sense for the client, but if the client is looking for a longer term relationship with a copywriter then quoting for each detail is cumbersome, time consuming and silly.
Recently I was faced with the dilemma of whether to quote a long term client per-detail again (yes, it became a bit silly, it wasn’t even ‘per project’ anymore), or per hour. My main objection against the per-hour quote is that I feel bad: the client cannot see me arrive in his office and leave again at the end of the day. Although I am a professional, and I would sooner under-bill than over-charge a client I worry that the client may feel the work should have been completed in less time. Sometimes one sentence can take hours, but that one sentence can make a difference that ranges in millions of dollars in profits.
So one quote is never like another: per hour or per project, it depends on the writer, the client and the work the writer is contracted to do.
Blogging gone wild August 4, 2006
Posted by Christine in writing for the web.add a comment
Who reads blogs? Well, better asked who doesn’t! Blogging is already becoming old in the internet age, but few companies or websites starting up don’t implement one! It’s better than SEO and a more interactive way of marketing or spreading information. Blogs need writers, and there are probably already more blogs on the net than there are internet users, thanks to those multi-bloggers. These are bloggers who are not really monogamous with their blog, they switch back and forth between two or more. This is fine, but it leads me to question: if there are more bloggers than users, who will read all this information?
I think blogs also adhere to the “survival of the fittest” rule. Blogs will come and go, and some will only be read by family and friends, others by the world and some by none.
In the mean time, writers can find interesting ways of adding blog writing to their regular work repetoir:
- Find a company in your line of business who either has a blog or would benefit from it.
- Certain online publishers and communities actually hire regular bloggers (e.g. I write for the health section of families.com)
- You can publish your own articles on a variety of places online that pay you part of their revenues in return. One such site is suite101.com, another option is triond.com
- You can find paying jobs at job sites for writers, such as writerlance or elance
