How an Economic Recession Might Affect Freelancers (And What You Could Do About It)

When talk of a recession hits the business world, all of a sudden there’s more attention to that “bottom line.” As a freelancer, if you haven’t been through this before it can be pretty daunting, especially if you haven’t figured out how to stabilize your finances to handle the ebb and flow.

Even though there’s still a lot of debate about whether or not we’re actually in a recession, it’s always a good idea to keep your finger on the pulse of the economy when you’re looking for jobs. Here are some articles I’ve found on this topic from resources I trust:

U.S. near recession amid global slump – IMF from CNN Money
Worries grow of deeper U.S. recession from CNN News
Buffett: US Essentially in Recession from Yahoo! News
Key Forecaster Says U.S. In Recession
Read More…

April 16, 2008
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Increase your Network through your Sphere of Influence

As I’ve been talking about all week, just writing a book and throwing it up on a website is not marketing a book. One of the keys to success for your book is not only writing, but networking. Like anything else, networking does take work, but it’s a lot easier for me because I visualize it.

Sphere of Influence ThumbnailOne of the networking ideas that I’ve been playing around with is something called a “Sphere of Influence.” It probably looks familiar or even mundane, but it’s a visual aid that helps me take a look at how different aspects of my life might overlap with one another, to identify different contacts I have. Maybe a friend from college is someone I used to work with; it could be that the person I met at a seminar also performs charity work for the same organization.

By looking at what your “spheres of influence” currently have, like the image I created at left, networking can suddenly appear a little less daunting. Click on the thumbnail to see the full size.

Reconnect with People in Your Network

I recommend reconnect with the people you already know in your network, to nurture your current contact list. (Friendly emails are a great place to start.) Do you owe anyone favors? Have to return a book you borrowed? Promised someone a guest blog post? (Oops, sorry Alana Joli, I’ll get right on that…) Or are you on the receiving end of that favor; does someone owe you an autograph or recommendation?

Whether you schedule time for coffee or send an e-card, nurturing people within your existing network is akin to watering your garden to get plants to grow. As cheesy as it may sound, if you don’t recognize each and every person you’ve “friended” on LiveJournal, MySpace or Facebook, then you probably have some work cut out for you.

Expand your Network, One Person at a Time

While you’re nurturing the people within your network, you can slowly expand your pool of contacts to include new people and (eventually) new spheres. The key thing, though, is that you have to reach out to people in a friendly, mutually beneficial way. For example, if I were to network with Stephen King, I’d probably try to figure out if there something I could do for him. Maybe I would recommend him for an interview with horror webzine Flames Rising, or maybe I would find out where he was next speaking at and alert the local newspapers (if they didn’t know already).

I’ve found that by just being me (all moody, ranty, and random parts of me), people are a lot more receptive than if I were to generate a writer’s public persona that so many authors are wont to do. You have to do what’s best for you, mind you, but it’s really easy to misstep when confronted with a rather, large ego. I can honestly say that that’s something I’ve had to work on, partially because I believe in the idea of a writer’s community where we support one another. Ego has no place in that world, for me.

So before you get frustrated that you’re not on the New York Times bestseller’s list, or that you’re not making enough freelancing or on your beautiful book, keep in mind that getting there is not just a matter of talent, it also depends a lot on “who you know.” Fortunately, networking is something we can all manage.

Feel free to network with me; I’m including my LinkedIn page even though it’s not 100% complete. (Working with HR on job descriptions). I may not always be accessible, but I do my darnedest to try. If you have something specific you’re looking for, feel free to ping me or use my contact page. If I don’t know the answer to your question, I might know someone who does.

Darkshiver: Monica’s LiveJournal
Monica’s FaceBook Profile
Monica’s LinkedIn Profile

Happy socializing, and thanks for reading!

April 3, 2008
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Freelance Writing Tip #32: Use Competition to Your Advantage

Out of all the networking activities that you can do, the hardest concept to deal with is the green monster. I’m talking about jealousy, of course, that destructive force that can sabotage your career and take down other talented people right along with it.

While there is healthy and unhealthy competition, a lot of times what jealousy boils down to is not necessarily whether or not you’re jealous–but how you react to different situations.

For example, say you have a fellow writer who perhaps isn’t as experienced as you are, or doesn’t have as many publications as you do. For whatever reason, you are on an unlucky streak, unable to get anything published–or written–for weeks. Then, your comrade-in-words announces they’ve signed “the” deal, the one you’ve been waiting for.

It is absolutely normal to feel jealous of other people who advance their creative careers. There is a lot of competition in the creative fields, and it has become increasingly difficult to break into those areas successfully. In order to devote yourself to a creative industry, you have to be passionate and dedicated about what you’re doing–something that can take a toll on relationships with other people.

You can turn your jealousy around by channeling that negative energy into something positive. Instead of calling your fellow peers a host of slurs, congratulate them on their success and motivate yourself through their “wins.” Remember, the more time you spend ranting about someone else’s work–the less time you have to think critically and be smart about your own efforts.

Overcoming jealousy is essential to networking and, unfortunately, since this is a basic human emotion, some people will get over it and some people won’t. What does that mean for you? It means that if someone shuts you off because they’re acting like they are in the 6th grade, you deal with that situation in your own way, and then find other writers to network with.

Writing is competitive, yes, but careers are wholly unpredictable and hard to plan. You may think you’re on the path to becoming the next Neil Gaiman, when in fact your book may never see the light of day. On the flip side, you could be the next J.K. Rowling, even with a delay in your career. Because of that, it not only pays to be nice, it is essential that you understand which of your writing peers support you and which ones don’t. Having a basic comprehension of the people around you gives you the opportunity to tap into a support and resource network, something that can exist outside of the competition.

July 18, 2007
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Freelance Writing Tip #31: Use Technology Wisely for Online Networking

In a previous post, I talked about how it’s necessary to avoid flame wars and advised you to exercise diplomacy with editors.

While it is true, you do have to be careful about what you post, you also need to be concerned with how you publish your thoughts, emails, etc. online.

What was I talking about here? Emails, IMs, blogs, vlogs and forum posts. When you throw yourself out there on the web, you open yourself up to criticism–especially if you are a writer. It’s essential that you realize this, because every word you type could be read by a potential employer and many do research you online as part of the hiring process.

The most common complaint that I hear publishers, editors, and colleagues talking about is this: “Why would I hire someone to write for me who can’t spell?” While Human Resource departments have the luxury of screening employees out based on a resume, many freelance writing jobs do not require one. I’ve been hired for quite a few assignments based on networking alone.

Over the years I have run into several writers who rely on the fact that “someone else will edit their work.” Those writers have yet to be published or, if they were, they quickly developed a reputation as a “hack” writer and were not invited for subsequent assignments. As a manager for a book line, I’ve also received resumes and emails from several people asking for work. Of those resumes and emails, almost a full quarter of them had misspelled submissions, poor grammar, and horrid typing.

While the idea about improving online communications may sound fairly high-brow to some, try to think about it another way. If you are a writer, words are the tools of your trade and sentences are your building blocks. If you can’t find the right words to put a grammatically correct sentence together in an email, why would someone pay you for your finished work?

So avoid l33tspeak, typing in all caps, fumbling around on the keyboard, and bad punctuation–represent yourself well so your potential client has no reason not to hire you.

July 16, 2007
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Freelance Writing Tip #17: Don’t Get Too Personal

Many writers “write what they know,” that is they use personal experiences to fuel their stories, articles, and essays. Believe it or not, this happens quite a bit because some authors intentionally get personal to use “writing as therapy.” Generally speaking, this isn’t a good idea, unless you’re an established writer, because it’s infinitely harder to look at your work objectively if your words are infused with emotional, personal memories. Passages about powerful childhood experiences that are very clear to you could be unreadable; it’s also easier to take criticism more personally and your work will suffer as a result.

Above all, if you’re writing with the intention of getting paid, remember that most folk don’t care about your personal issues—but they do want to be entertained and/or informed. If you are using a personal experience as a backbone for an assignment, keep in mind that you are writing your piece “for sale.” That alone should help you tailor your assignment toward an audience.

May 22, 2007
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