Ask a Freelancer: Is It Ethical for a Company to Make Me Write a Sample on Spec?
I’ve been freelancing full time for a few months and recently applied to work at a digital health site. As part of the application process, they asked for five article pitches, which I sent over. Then...
View ArticleAsk a Freelancer: Is the Grass Always Greener on the Other Side of the Church...
I’ve been doing well as a freelancer for consumer publications and have written for dozens of top websites, newspapers, and magazines. But I know that the publishing industry is changing and that B2B...
View ArticleAsk a Freelancer: Help! A Client Owes Me $2,000!
I’ve had a terrible time with a new client—a major publication. One of the editors of this publication wrote me last fall to see if I’d do a couple of stories for them, which I agreed to. Shortly...
View ArticleAsk a Freelancer: Should I Crowdfund My Next Creative Project?
So you’re a journalist with a big idea. Maybe you want to travel and embed yourself in another country for a story. Or maybe you want to turn a long story into a book and produce it independently. Or...
View ArticleI Have No Idea How to Syndicate My Work. What Should I Do?
I’m publishing a lot of work these days but as soon as an article goes live and I get paid, I forget about it. I feel that I might be missing out on a lot of opportunities to syndicate my existing...
View ArticleWhy Every Freelancer Needs a B Team
How do you know when you’ve “made it” as a freelancer? To borrow a sports metaphor: when your bench is as deep as your starting lineup. Over the last few years, I’ve worked hard to get to the point...
View Article10 Mistakes That’ll Ruin Your Freelancing Career
A while back, you asked for questions or concerns from experienced freelancers looking to make a move upwards. I’ve been an agricultural writer for 17 years and write for regional and national trade...
View ArticleWhen Should You Forgive a Client That Burned You in the Past?
When is it a good idea to forgive a client who’s burned you (e.g. paid late, cancelled your article, etc.) and give them another chance? —Forgive, or Forget? This is a surprisingly complicated...
View ArticleI’m Coming Out as Gender Non-Binary. Should I Tell My Clients?
Last year I started questioning my gender identity, and I’m close to feeling comfortable telling people that I’m non-binary. Should I tell my editors? (I’m not changing my name but I’m considering...
View ArticleWhat I Learned From Writing 62 Advice Columns
On June 2, 2014, I pitched The Freelancer the idea of running a weekly advice column. Here’s the pitch in its entirety: Once a week, I will answer real questions from real readers. Advice columns tend...
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