Article by Wendy McCance
I started my day by unsubscribing to a few writing advice sites. I was getting tired of getting bombarded almost daily with what sounded like a good topic, only to read through and discover a badly hidden call to action. It seems that some of these writer sites will email me way too many times a week and provide no information unless you sign up for a course.
Back when I began writing, these were the sites I looked up to. I wanted to be one of the “popular writers who blogged” who seemed to know all of the other popular writers who blogged. These were the people who I thought had figured out how to make unlimited incomes and knew all the ins and outs to becoming a freelance writer. I’m sure they are just that, but I didn’t like the idea of making most of my money by selling the information I had learned.
It took a ton of reading and picking through many sites to get at the good information that would really help me achieve a life as a writer. It didn’t take long before I was worn out from the pop-up’s, the signing up for emails to get a free information packet full of writing advice and the onslaught of courses offered to me straight to my email box.
Sadly, I found very little solid information in the “free” packets and the longer I looked at some of these sites, the more frustrated I got. There was that same regurgitated information with a bright bow and shiny new title. Although the titles were always compelling, I would get to the end of an article without the answers that were supposedly going to be provided.
If , for instance, I was looking to find out how much freelance writers were charging, I wanted to know actual numbers and not a wishy-washy answer like, how much do you want to make and charge what you feel you are worth.
Here is a list of the actual fees I charge: http://www.searchingforthehappiness.com/pricing-chart/
If I wanted writing advice on how to write an email to a person seeking a writing assignment, I wanted an actual template, not a sign up form where I could pay for a course.
Here is an article with a template like the one I use:
http://www.searchingforthehappiness.com/using-linkedin-to-find-freelance-writing-assignments/
If I was searching for a way to set up my business and find clients without using an online content mill, I wanted some good advice, not just a general piece on how I should just write to a company that interests me. I wanted a little more hand-holding so that my confidence was up when I took a chance and wrote to them.
Here is a free 3 week course I put together to help you take you step by step:
http://www.searchingforthehappiness.com/jump-start-writing-career/
If you have any questions that aren’t covered here, type in the word writer or writing in the search bar and I guarantee you will find several topics to choose from. If you still don’t have the answer you are looking for, ask it in the comment section. I will either guide you to an article about it, answer it (if the answer is short) or I will write an article about it (I have done this many times).
I hope you enjoy this blog and get all of your writing advice questions answered. I will never make you sign up just to get a free guide, you won’t deal with pop-ups, and I won’t charge you a fee just to help you get off the ground in your own career.
Wendy McCance
To contact Wendy McCance about a writing or social media assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]
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Hi Wendy,William Clark here,I am an author living in Coloma Michigan,having just put my forth book out on Amazon.Your information is correct,most of the “Writing “sites are barley hidden snares for promotion and money,leaving the hungry writer with nothing of real value.
I have found that if you really want to improve and do well in the ego bruising world of writing, you need to sit down and write what you REALLY feel.Get past the idea of being commercial and get to the hard truth of what you are trying to say.Fiction,Mainstream,Fantasy or what ever you are putting into print, make your distictive voice heard.dare to offend,dare to say something about your self that you have never said before in the lives of the people in your story.
If you do this,and are honest with the reader,they will know on some deeper level that you are taking them by the hand and leading them through a wonderful tale. you are trusted,and for a writer that is one of the highest compliments you can get..Bottom line ,write and then write somemore,you will get better….
Hi William, nice to hear from another Michigan native. Thanks for sharing such wise words. An honest voice and telling a story from the heart can be felt when read. I totally agree with your thoughts on writing.
Thank you, Wendy. I can always count on you to be straight forward and honest. I truly appreciate you and what you put out there, my friend. You’re the best. 🙂
Thanks Pat. You put a smile on my face. Have a wonderful weekend!!! Hope the weather is nice by you. 🙂
You’re welcome, Wendy. I’m always happy to share the love and happy faces 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hope you had a nice Mother’s Day and your weekend was lovely. Wish I could say the weather has been nice here this weekend but Colorado has been slammed with a spring snowstorm.
We’ve only gotten 8″ but some places around us have gotten over a foot or more and it’s still snowing. We’re supposed to have another hard freeze tonight so people will have to keep their plants covered and shake off the snow from trees and bushes and hope for the best.
Ughh — I’ve been in hibernate mode but their talking about 80’s by this weekend. Crazy. 🙂
Hi Pat,
I heard that there had been a spring snowstorm. Sorry you were in the middle of it. 8″ is no small amount, especially for this time of year.
Take care. I hope the weather is gorgeous in your area very soon. 🙂
Thanks Wendy. It’s all good and the earth is getting a good drink. We’ll be grateful when the weather turns warmer and the days get hot. Happy Monday! 🙂
Wendy - it’s great to hear another freelance writer has been getting sick of the (slightly hidden pseudo-marketing) noise from some writers. Great post!
And, like Jon said, the whole interconnected web of affiliate-linking of fellow writers’ seminars is getting a bit out of hand. Many freelancers are trying to score clients to generate their own income, so asking them to purchasing ANOTHER thing that adds to some other “writer’s” income? Come on..
Oh, by the way, your transparency inspired me to post a small fee schedule on my site as well. So thanks! 🙂
Hi Craig, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I never realized how many other people felt the same way. It’s wonderful to know that there are so many people out there that are happy to share what they have learned without strings attached. I’ll have to check out your site, it sounds like I would enjoy it.
Yes, there do seem to be many sites offering advice on How to Write Better.” It’s like all the blogs that offer “Ten (or five or twelve)Tips for a Successful Blog” -the same ones you find everywhere.
Thanks for your comment Christine. There do seem to be a lot of sites with the same tips.
This something I have been running into quite a bit recently. It is also a reason why I refuse to advertise on my site.
Sure, I don’t approach my site from a selling or freelance stand point, but I also don’t want people to come there and feel like the only reason I enticed them to visit was to sell them something.
Thanks Jon for your take on the writing sites. What about the sites that list all of their favorite plugins and hosting sites and they are affiliated to each one.
That just feels, icky too. I don’t know if you read his blog ever but I read Dean Wesley Smith everyday. Yes he does have writing seminars, but his approach to them is conversational.
He has been writing a daily journal that he uses to share a project he is working on right now, essentially showing his day as he does his writing work. The seminars come up as part of his day. But usually when he has new ones coming up there is a separate post about them and only the one just to say they are available. A bit like you showed your information in this post.
He is one I have never felt the used car salesman vibe from. But there are so many that have that vibe to them. You get the uncomfortable feeling that you should slowly back away without making eye contact.
His blog sounds pretty interesting. I’ll have to check it out. Love that he details what he is doing. I wish more writers would do something like that.
Thank you for sharing this information! I know it varies by client, but generally are the social media contracts for 7 days a week, or business days? Also, have you taken on more visual social media responsibilities such as Instagram and Pinterest, or do you leave that to the client and stick to the written/link posts? Thanks for your insights -
Hi Nancy, great questions!! The amounts are per day. Listed below the amount is what the client can expect me to do on that day. Once a month I check in with the client and ask for photos, any staff members I should put in the spotlight under, “meet our staff”, what promotions they may be running and what topics they would like emphasized. I bill once a month and get a retainer fee up front. I recommend the client uses 3 days a week as a minimum amount of time on their platform with 5 days being optimal. The reason I charge per day is so that there isn’t sticker shock and the client feels they have control over the price. The days of the week are set up in the beginning (such as Mon., Wed., Fri.) and run the same way each week.
I shy away from Instagram because it is used mostly by kids and my clients aren’t targeting that group. Generally my clients will use Facebook and Twitter in combination. I hope this answers your question. Feel free to ask more if you need more information.
That’s great, thanks again for the details!
🙂
Wendy
Thanks for great article, useful and timely links and I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog! I do some writing for a friend’s website and eventually, will start my own blog. Thanks for all the great advice and tips.
Karen Lee
Thanks so much Karen Lee, you made my day!!