The Golden Pencil: The Freelance Writer’s Resource

May 8th, 2008

Q&As for Freelance Writers

Have you got questions about making money writing as a freelancer? We’ve got answers:

Do I Need a Degree?
How Do I Submit Clips?
What am I doing wrong in responding to ads?
Can I charge a late fee for a late payment?
Pricing Ghostwriting
Asking for Pay
Manuscript Format
Why Am I Not Getting A Response?
Are The Writing Jobs You Post […]

By Anne Wayman -- 1 comment

April 2nd, 2008

Back In The Swing of Things

Am running the fog warning this morning because that’s how I feel! Last week it was the stomach flu, then Monday I woke up with the world’s second worst head cold.
I don’t know about you, but when my nose is itching like mad, and my eyes are swollen and dripping and part of the […]

By Anne Wayman -- 3 comments

March 17th, 2008

Q&A - Getting Started With No Credits

Lara, who blogs at The Crayon Virtuoso, posted this question in comments here:
This is nice advice, but I never had a career before staying home with my kids. And I’m more interesting in copy writing/copy editing. How do you convince prospective clients you know what you’re doing when you have no experience? How do you […]

By Anne Wayman -- 4 comments

July 3rd, 2007

Q & A - Don’t Be Shy To Ask For Pay

I did some work for a client who seems to have forgotten to pay me. It’s been a little over a week and I haven’t gotten the promised Paypaled cash, or a response to my last email. The money in question is small, so I won’t be starving over it, but it’s still lame. I […]

By Anne Wayman -- 1 comment

May 25th, 2007

Why Am I Not Getting A Response?

Anne,
Hello, I’ve been attempting to get myself into the world of freelance writing and have sent out numerous emails responding to ads on various websites. To this date I have still not heard anything back from any of the companies. I generally respond to new ads (within a couple days of posting) and post […]

By Anne Wayman -- 1 comment

March 4th, 2007

Q&A: Which Comes First? An Agent or a Publisher?

Hey Anne,
I’m writing a memoir. Some people know that, some don’t. I blog about it from time to time. Anyway, I spent a couple of hours last night with my nose buried in 2007 Writer’s Markets. Read up on literary agents, made note of those who represent memoirs, and studied the […]

By Anne Wayman -- 3 comments

January 19th, 2007

Q & A: Submit on Spec or Query?

Yesterday I got an email from a fellow who asked “Should I submit a completed article to a trade magazine in hopes they accept it, or should I submit a query first?”
(Somehow I deleted the email without responding – I hope he reads this.)
The answer, like so many things in the freelance writing business, […]

By Anne Wayman -- 5 comments