Freelance Book

Earn More Money
as a
Freelance Writer
BY NICOLE DIEK ER FOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................... 3
Featured Writers................................................................................................................. 5
Chapter 1: Setting Goals.................................................................................................. 6
Nicole Dieker on Setting Goals.................................................................................... 8
Freelancers in Action: Kristen Pope............................................................................10
Chapter 2: Building a Presence Within Your Beat......................................................11

Freelancers in Action: Arin Black.................................................................................13
Chapter 3: Making Connections With Editors and Writers......................................14

Alexis Grant on Twitter................................................................................................15
Nicole Dieker on Getting Started With Conventions..................................................17
Arin Black on Becoming a Convention Panelist...........................................................19
Freelancers in Action: Susan Shain............................................................................. 20
Chapter 4: Improving Your Pitches................................................................................21

Susan Shain on Pitching the Right Editor....................................................................24
Chapter 5: Negotiating (and Re-Negotiating) Rates..................................................26

Sharon Hurley Hall on Re-negotiating Rates...............................................................28
Freelancers in Action: Sharon Hurley Hall.................................................................. 29
Chapter 6: Managing Your Time....................................................................................31

Meg Dowell on Staying Productive............................................................................ 33
Chapter 7: Becoming a Contributor............................................................................. 35

Alexis Grant on Becoming a Contributor................................................................... 36
Chapter 8: Saying Goodbye to That Low-Paying Client Holding You Back..........41

Freelancers in Action: Meg Dowell............................................................................. 44
Chapter 9: Re-evaluating Your Goals and Setting New Ones.................................45

Kristen Pope on Setting Higher-level Goals............................................................... 46
Conclusion..........................................................................................................................49
EARN MORE MONEY AS A FREELANCE WRITER | 3
INTRODUCTION
New freelance writers often have a lot of questions. How much should you charge? How do
you negotiate a contract? How do you make those connections the other writers all seem
to have? How do you get your byline in that dream publication?
You might not know how to identify a good client, when it’s time to drop a client who’s
holding you back, how to pitch a story, or the best way to connect with an editor on
Twitter.
Figuring things out can be daunting. I know what it’s like because I’ve been there.
When I started freelancing, I was working those content gigs that paid three cents a word
and didn’t give you a byline.
Four years later, I’m freelancing as a senior editor at an online publication, and I have a
large portfolio of clients eager to book me for projects. I’m earning between $5,000-
$10,000 a month, and I anticipate my income will continue to grow.
As I’ve added to my income, I’ve also added to my skills and experience, figuring out the
answers to the questions above. In many instances, I did that by talking to other freelancers
— so I’d like to serve as that same resource for you.
Consider this a conversation between the two of us, in which I share everything
I’ve learned over the years I’ve spent as a full-time freelance writer.
This ebook includes nine chapters that’ll take you step-by-step through the process
of setting freelance goals, finding your beat, making connections with new editors,
negotiating higher rates, and many of the other tools freelancers use to — you guessed it
— get better clients and earn more money.
I’ve also included advice from other freelancers in this conversation, because no two
freelance careers are alike. Look for the “Freelancers in Action” sections to learn from these
freelancers’ stories.
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When I get my hands on a new ebook, I tend to read the entire book at once. I hope you
have the same experience here, and this proves to be the kind of book you can’t put down!
Once you’ve finished that first read, I encourage you to take some time to go back through
the pages and identify specific tips or actions you can use to improve your career.
While you’ll learn a lot by reading, you won’t see results until you start doing the work.
Thanks for joining us,
Nicole Dieker
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FEATURED WRITERS
Nicole Dieker (@hellothefuture) is a freelance writer and a senior editor at The Billfold.
She writes the Tracking Freelance Earnings and Pitch Fix columns at The Write Life, and her
work has also appeared in The Toast, Popular Science, and Boing Boing.
Arin Black (@arinblackwrites) writes about writing, travel, fashion, and arts and culture.
Her journalism has appeared in gonola.com, ARTVOICES, Turnstile, flypaper.com, and
elsewhere.
Meg Dowell (@MegDowell) blogs daily at Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers
put their ideas into words. Follow her on Twitter to start learning how to live a smarter,
healthier life.
Alexis Grant (@alexisgrant) is founder of The Write Life. She worked as a freelance writer
early in her career, then hired dozens of freelance writers while running a content marketing
company that specialized in managing high-volume blogs. She now oversees the editorial
team at Taylor Media, growing The Penny Hoarder.
Sharon Hurley Hall (@shurleyhall) is a professional writer and blogger who has
previously worked as a journalist, editor and journalism professor. Her work has been
published on IBM Pivotpoint, CrazyEgg, Unbounce, Search Engine People, Search Engine
Journal and elsewhere.
Kristen Pope (@Kristen_E_Pope) is a Jackson Hole, Wyoming-based writer and editor.

Her work has appeared in Discover, Backpacker, Western Confluence, International
Journal of Wilderness, and Planning Magazine, and she is the managing editor of JHStyle
Magazine.
Susan Shain (@Susan_Shain) helps people shake up their lives through travel and
adventure. If you’re sick of the daily grind, sign up for her free email newsletter.
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CHAPTER 1
SETTING GOALS
Where do you want your freelance career to be six months from now?
Since you’re reading this ebook, I bet you want two big things:
1. Better clients
2. More money
It’s great that you’ve set those goals for yourself, and the tips in this book will help you get
there.
What else do you see when you envision your freelance life six months from now — or
even just three months from now?
Do you see yourself researching a feature article? Or publishing a personal essay and
sharing it on Twitter? Or perhaps you see yourself writing tweets for another company?
Go deeper: Are you working at home or in a coworking space? Are you taking on editorial
responsibilities in addition to writing work? Are you a regular contributor to a publication,
hopping onto Slack every morning to chat with a team before writing the day’s posts and
articles? Are you working more — or less — than you’re working right now?
My goal with this ebook is to help you get better clients, earn more money and reach
whatever goals you just pictured when I asked you to visualize your ideal freelance
career.
What’s your goal?
If you had trouble envisioning yourself here, push yourself to set a few freelance goals as
you start this book. You’ll refer to these goals throughout the book, so make them good!
Goal 1: Your Writing Work

First, consider the type of writing you want to do. If you’re the kind of person who’s
writing low-paid content articles, for example, what would you like to write instead?
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What beat do you want to be known for? Do you want to work with a specific editor, or get
published in a specific publication? If you have a dream, write it down.
I’d also like you to consider the types of writing you feel comfortable doing, even if they
aren’t your dream gig. The feature articles that many of us enjoy writing might pay the bills,
but they rarely pay all the bills.
How else might you earn that paycheck? Are you interested in writing advertorial? Product
copy? White papers? How about ghostwriting?
If you don’t yet know what kind of writing you’d like to do, The Write Life’s ebook on 71
Ways to Make Money as a Freelance Writer is a good starting point. You could also talk to
other freelancers you know. Either way, jot down every idea that sounds intriguing.
Goal 2: Your Earnings

Now that you’ve set a work goal, I’d like you to set an income goal.
Take a look at my article on setting goals so you can learn how to make your income goal
realistic.
If you’re earning $1,000 per month as a freelance writer, for example, you could set a goal
to earn $2,000 a month. If you’re earning $3,500 a month, try setting a goal of $5,000.
You’ll work towards this income goal by building expertise, making new connections,
pitching new clients, and saying goodbye to low-paying clients. If all of that sounds
overwhelming, don’t worry — we’ll work through how to do all this, one step at a time.
Goal 3: Your Work Style

Lastly, I’d like you to set a work/life goal. How many hours per week do you want to spend
at work? It will be challenging to earn a full-time living as a freelancer without working full-
time hours, but you don’t want to get stuck working 60- or 70-hour weeks, either.
Likewise, what do you want your workday to look like? If you’re the type of freelancer
who works from home and can only get 30 minutes of writing done before you have to go
pull a load of clothing out of the washing machine, maybe it’s time to think about working
from a coffee shop or coworking space.
Identify whatever gets in the way of getting work done, whether it’s chores, lack of
inspiration, or plain old procrastination — and then think about what you’d have to do to
remove that obstacle from your workday. (Yes, for some of us, that means turning off the
Wi-Fi for a while!)
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At this point, you should have a handful of solid goals.
Be as specific as possible, so a few months or years from now you’ll be able to tell whether
you’ve achieved them. Here are a few examples:
1. I’ll get an article placed on The Write Life.

2. I’ll pick up a new ecommerce client.
3. I’ll earn $5,000 per month.
4. I’ll write between 40 and 50 hours a week.
5. I won’t do household chores while I write; I’ll save those for evenings.
Keep these goals in mind as you continue through this book.
MORE TIPS ON SETTING GOALS:

If you’ve followed my Tracking Freelance Earnings columns since
the beginning, you might remember that in my first column, I
listed my annual freelance earnings in 2014 as $43,059.02.
In 2015, I increased my freelance earnings by $20,000. That’s

the kind of raise you rarely get in a so-called “real job!”
How’d I do it? It comes down to two basic components:
I set the goal

Freelancing is different from other types of jobs because it
doesn’t have specific boundaries. I can take on as many or as few
pieces as I want — my only limit is the number of hours per day I
am willing and able to work.
So, when I decided at the beginning of 2015 that I wanted to

earn $5,000 a month from my writing, I made a commitment to
myself — and to you — that I would actively work to take on
enough pieces to hit that goal. If I lost an income source (and I
did), I would find another one. If I didn’t have enough work to fill
out the month, I’d start hustling for more.
It’s important to note I didn’t hit my $5,000 goal every month.

Setting a goal doesn’t guarantee it will happen.
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Sometimes your regular clients won’t have the budget to assign

you an extra piece, and sometimes the pitch you send out will
get turned down. (If every pitch you send out gets turned down,
I offer suggestions in my other column, Pitch Fix.)
But since I was working to earn at least $5,000, that meant some
months I earned $4,000 and some months I earned $6,000. It
averaged out to a successful freelancing year, even though I
didn’t always hit my monthly goal.
I had the freelancing background to achieve the goal

I had two years of full-time freelancing experience before I set
my 2015 income goal. I didn’t go from $0 to $60,000; I went from
$35,000 to $43,000 to $63,000. Without two years of building
my skills and growing my network, I wouldn’t have been able to
achieve this goal.
I also picked a monthly income goal close to what I was already

earning; by the end of 2014 I was regularly earning around
$4,500 per month, so I decided to see if I could bump that up to
$5,000.
This goal was a stretch for me, but it was also a realistic
stretch. If you want to set your own income goal, it’s important
to choose a realistic stretch goal of your own, such as:
• Take your highest monthly earnings from last year and trying
to match those earnings every month in the coming year
• Find one new higher-paying client every three months
• Send one new pitch per week
Whatever goal you choose, make sure it’s a reach, but achievable
enough that it doesn’t feel impossible. Then stretch yourself to
make it happen.
As you work towards your goal, you’ll probably start meeting

other writers, editors and clients who can help you achieve it
even faster. That’s what happened to me.
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Freelancers in Action:
Kristen Pope
How did you get started as a freelancer?
I had always dreamed of becoming a freelancer, but it didn’t seem like an attainable goal.
Then I started pitching a variety of local publications. Over time, I was able to place a few
stories in small local magazines. I kept pitching editors, both ones I had already worked with
as well as new ones.
I also reached out beyond local publications and pitched larger markets. While I never heard
back about many of my ideas, a few editors did respond and I slowly built relationships with
them.
Before long, I had a number of regular clients. I was working full time, had a part-time job,
and was also a part-time freelancer. Something had to give.
I decided to focus on freelancing and made the leap, resigning from my full-time job. A year
later, I was able to build my business enough to quit the part-time job as well. Now, I work as
a freelance writer and editor full time, and I love it.
What’s the best technique you used to level up and get better clients?
Go for your dream clients, but be sure to focus on your “bread and butter” clients as well.
Make a list of your dream publications and spend some time each week pitching them, even
if you think it’s a long shot.
What advice do you have for freelancers looking to build their careers?
1. Ask for what you want; that’s the key to getting it. If you want a raise, ask for it.
If you love writing for a publication and want to be a regular contributor, let them
know.
2. Be persistent. Even if you spend a whole day crafting what you think are great
pitches and they’re not well-received by editors, that doesn’t mean it’s time to give
up. Study the publication some more and try again.
3. Prioritize networking. Freelancing is really the business of building relationships,
especially with editors and colleagues. Be reliable, dependable, friendly, and
produce high-quality work, and you’ll be someone they remember.
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CHAPTER 2
BUILDING A PRESENCE WITHIN YOUR BEAT
Now that you’ve taken some time to think about your big writing goals,
how are you going to start working towards them?
One way to get closer to your goals is by building a presence — becoming known or
recognized — in your writing beat or niche.
If you have zero presence in your beat, don’t worry. You can still become a journalist/
blogger/pop culture writer/tech analyst/etc. All you have to do is make your expertise
known, one story at a time.
I’m assuming you do have some expertise, by the way. You don’t need a lot of expertise
when you’re starting out — you’ll learn it on the job, trust me — but it’s going to be a lot
easier if you’re well-versed in the vocabulary, style and standards of your chosen beat.
Here’s what I mean: One of my first big “freelancing breaks” came when I started writing
for personal finance blog The Billfold. I had little professional experience when I began
writing for them, but I did have a personal blog where I regularly discussed my own
finances, and I read a lot of personal finance websites.
That meant I went in knowing the vocabulary of personal finance, the style of writing that
was appropriate for a blog, and the standards The Billfold expected from its writers. I was
an avid Billfold reader before I made my first pitch, so I was able to offer something that
proved I not only knew what I was talking about, but also knew what the site — and its
readers — wanted.
You probably have a Billfold in your life, too. Think about all of the blogs, magazines and
news sites in your beat that you read every day. (If you’re not reading blogs, magazines and
news sites in your niche, add it to you to-do list immediately.)
Chances are, at least one of those sites has a submissions page.
That’s where you can pitch your first article and begin to build a presence in your
beat.
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We’ll look at pitching more thoroughly in Chapter 4. Right now I want you to think about all
the ways you can start establishing a presence in your beat.
If you need some help brainstorming, here are a few ideas:
• Develop a personal blog focusing on your beat.

• Use social media to follow other writers, editors and publications in your beat.
Read the links they share, and engage them in conversation (more on this in
Chapter 3).
• Use social media to share thoughts about your beat.
• Use social media to share links to well-written articles in your beat.
• Look for new publications in your beat that you aren’t already reading. Seek out the
smaller publications or blogs, since they’re more likely to accept pieces from new
writers. If they have a “submission guidelines” link at the bottom of the website,
you’ve found a good candidate. Get to know that publication, because you’re
probably going to pitch it later.
• Think of your beat like climbing a ladder. Work your way up from smaller to
larger publications. Shane Snow’s Hacking the Freelance Ladder is a great primer
on this technique.
• Go to events related to your beat, and talk to speakers and attendees.
While you’re doing all this, continue to pitch articles related to your beat. As the pitches
get accepted, you’ll build your presence and your expertise — which in turn will help you
get even more pitches accepted.
One more thought on building a presence in your beat: Make sure you’re choosing the
right beat for you.
Don’t tell yourself that you want to become an investigative journalist when what you really
want to do is tally rumors about the newest Marvel franchise installment.
How can you figure out what beat might be right for you? Ask yourself: What publications
do I read every day? What sections of the newspaper do I look at first? When I blog or
share thoughts on social media, what topics do I usually focus on? Am I well versed in those
topics — knowledgeable enough to write about them?
Getting really honest about who you are and what you’re interested in can help you
find the right beat for you. After all, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to take writing
gigs “just for the money.”
Make sure your beat is something you love.
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Arin Black
I started writing for my hometown newspaper when I was 17 years old and then went on to
start my own zine in college.
I’ve always written, but initially journalism terrified me, and so, despite much encouragement
from professors and others, I didn’t fully pursue it for many years.
I’m not as good at this as I should be. I admire the moxie of so many freelancers who
network, network, network. That’s really the best way to make a sustainable living as a
freelancer: constantly build a portfolio and put yourself out there.
For me, many of my jobs came out of things I already loved — such as art — and so I had the
connections built in from my passions.
In all things writing, it’s important to self-advocate. Put yourself out there for jobs, demand
the money you want, and don’t let people bludgeon your voice.
I did advertorial copy for a few years, and I understood that what I was writing was for the
client, so I approached it differently, but I also worked in documentary on a project where
I felt the parent company distorted my source’s story. Because it wasn’t just about me, but
also about the reputation of my source, I fought back.
Someone I used to work with would often say, “You’re always interviewing for your
reputation,” and I take that very seriously. People who let you tell their stories are giving you
a gift, so treat it with respect.
Similarly, when you put your words on the page for a publication, you’re doing so as an act of
courage, so don’t disrespect yourself in that process either.
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CHAPTER 3
MAKING CONNECTIONS
WITH EDITORS AND WRITERS
Pitching articles is great, but you’re going to get to the “better clients
and more money” stage a lot faster if you start making connections with
editors and writers.
At this point in my career, I rarely send out cold pitches. All my best-paying jobs come
through my connections.
There are two ways to make connections with editors and writers: online and in person.
Online connections are nearly always made through Twitter, which is the social media
service that most resembles a public conversation. (I can’t think of a single writing
connection I’ve made through Facebook, although I did connect with one editor through
Tumblr.) Read below for Alexis Grant’s great guide to building connections through Twitter.
There are many ways to make connections with editors and writers in person, especially if
you live in a major city.
But these types of events are sometimes structured to make it difficult to have a real
conversation — if you’re going to an author signing, for example, you probably won’t have
much time to talk in the 30 seconds it takes for the author to autograph your book. (Also,
being the person who hangs around until the very end in the hopes of getting more time
with a writer or editor can come off as creepy.)
There are, however, public events that are structured entirely around helping writers and
editors connect: conventions and conferences.
Not only can you use conventions and conferences to meet other people in your
industry; as you move up in your career you can also become a panelist and continue
to establish your expertise.
I’ve got two guides for you to read about getting involved in the convention scene: my
guide to getting started, and Arin Black’s guide to becoming a panelist, both below. Who
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knows — maybe I’ll see you at an upcoming convention!
One more tip: As you continue to make connections, don’t be afraid to ask for referrals.
Ask the editors and writers you know if they can connect you to other clients looking for
work — or, if you see a job you want and you know someone with a connection to the
client, ask if they’d be willing to offer a recommendation.
I find it’s best to ask for a referral after you’ve worked with another writer or editor; that
way, they can speak to your writing style, your work ethic and your ability to hit deadlines
and respond to revisions.
All this pitching and connecting and asking for referrals may sound difficult, but it’s an
important part of a freelancer’s career.
If you don’t ask for the work you want, you’ll never get it — and if you don’t get to
know other writers and editors, you’ll never get connected to the best-paying jobs.
ALEXIS GRANT ON TWITTER

Adding @mentions is one of the smartest things you can do to
grow your Twitter presence, the best way to get a big bang for
your buck on this social media channel. For every single tweet
you send, look for ways to incorporate an @mention, maybe even
two.
Mention a blogger? Look up that person’s handle and include

it in your tweet. Sharing a link from a publication? Add that @
mention to your update. Notice someone is simply mentioned in
the article you’re sharing? Find a way to work their handle into
your tweet, too.
The @mention is your way of getting the attention of other

people, of saying, “Hello! I exist, and I’m tweeting about YOU!”
If you fail to include the @mention, that person or publication or
organization you’re tweeting about will probably never see what
you have to say… and in that case, is your time spent on social
media even worth it?
After the @mention, lists are one of the best ways to get the
most out of Twitter — and yet so many people don’t use them.
Lists help you filter through all the noise on this platform and
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hear only the things you want to hear — so you can create
connections that matter.
One of my favorite ways to use Twitter lists is by creating what

I call a Notice-Me List. This is a private list that includes lots
of people I’m hoping to form a relationship with on Twitter:
bloggers, publishers, writers, social media strategists, etc.
Anytime I come across someone who I want to know me, I add
them to this list, which means the list is always changing.
But it’s what you do with that list that counts. Once you’ve
created it, take a few minutes each day or week to scroll through
that list and look for ways to interact with people on it. That
could mean @replying to their tweets or RTing their tweets with
a short comment, or even clicking through one of the links they
share to their blog and leaving a comment on the latest post.
By interacting with these people, you’re opening the door to

a relationship. If you respond in a smart way, they’ll hopefully
write back. And even if they don’t respond, they might notice
you and your work — which means they’re far more likely to
respond to an email you send down the line.
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GETTING STARTED WITH CONVENTIONS

Why I’ve made writing conventions an important
part of my career strategy
Conferences are kind of like school: You attend panels or courses
with other attendees, you all go to the same hotel restaurant for
lunch and dinner and — depending on the convention — you
might end up at a dance or rock concert together.
It becomes relatively simple to start up conversations, whether

you’re asking someone “What type of writing do you do?” before
a workshop begins, or asking “Didn’t I see you at the pitching
panel?” when you run into someone at the bar. (If you enjoy
social drinking, the hotel bar is one of the best places to meet
people at conventions.)
The fact that you’re all sharing a similar experience makes it

easy to interact with people.
Remember how you made friends at school just because you

happened to be in the same homeroom? Conventions are like
that — and that’s why they are an important part of my long-
term career strategy.
Which conventions should you attend?

Now that I’ve sold you on the importance of attending
conventions, which conventions should you attend?
It depends on a few factors, including distance, reputation and

your interests.
If you’re in a major city, start with a convention in your city. If

you’re in a small town, see what you can find in a day’s drive.
Sure, if you’ve got the time and the cash, you could drop
everything and fly to New York for Bindercon in the fall, but it’s
easiest to get your convention feet wet close to home. Plus, if
you start attending conventions in your home city, you’ll get
to know other local freelancers and writers — an invaluable
resource.
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You also want to consider a convention’s reputation. Good

conventions attract good people, and you should look for a
convention that is likely to attract people working both at your
current career level and at the levels above you. You don’t want
to spend the money and time to attend a convention only to find
you’re the most experienced writer in the room!
Look for conventions that reflect your interests. The people

who attend FinCon are going to be very different from the
people who attend AWP.
There are conventions for content creators, for novelists, for sci-fi
and fantasy writers, and for bloggers. It’s your job to find the
convention that is closest to both your interests and your
career goals.
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ARIN BLACK ON BECOMING A CONVENTION PANELIST

Don’t say, “I’m a great writer with a new book coming out and I’d
like to come to your event.”
Instead, provide a brief bio (really, one paragraph should

suffice) and then suggest a panel you think fits well with the
organization’s programs.
Think like a journalist: Create a succinct pitch that compels

organizers to see how your topic might work at their event.
The more complete your proposal, the more likely you are to
advance in the process.
Many literary festivals look for a wide variety of content, so if you

don’t write mainstream fiction, don’t be dissuaded from pitching
a great idea.
Some of The Tennessee Williams Festival’s most fascinating

panels have come from academics exploring leprosy or literary
theory. Remember, festival staff want smart, new ideas that come
fully formed.
Cookbook author? Propose a session where you tell the stories

behind a few choice recipes, offer tastes to the audience, and
share tips on getting a cookbook published. Such an event
appeals to foodies and aspiring Ina Gartens alike.
Think about what you would like to see at a literary event or

conference and move beyond the staid and well-worn topics to
offer fresh insight.
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Susan Shain
Though I already had a personal travel blog, I didn’t have any clients — so when I saw that
a successful entrepreneurship blogger was looking for a social media assistant, I jumped on
the opportunity. She eventually gave me more writing duties, and with her as a reference, I
started gaining other clients.
Asking for referrals has been effective for me. Letting my clients, colleagues and friends
know I’m open to more work has led to some fantastic new gigs.
Network your heart away. Even though we mostly work online, people are still the most
important part of a successful freelance career. Make friends on Twitter and in Facebook
groups, reach out to old colleagues, and attend conferences or meet-ups.
Let everyone know you’re a proven freelancer looking for more clients — and then kick ass
when you get them.
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CHAPTER 4
IMPROVING YOUR PITCHES
In Chapter 3, I warned, “If you don’t ask for the work you want, you’ll never get it.”
In this chapter, let’s look at how to improve the way you ask for that
work.
We’re going to focus on pitching articles, blog posts and stories. Pitching isn’t the only
way freelancers get gigs — I’ve gotten jobs by submitting a resume and clips, as well as by
completing a sample assignment — but it’s one of the most common.
If a job wants you to submit a resume and clips, it’ll say so in the application guidelines.
For everything else, including the majority of the blogs and online publications out there,
you’re going to need to get really, really good at pitching.
How do you write a good pitch? If you’re pitching a publication with a set of submission
guidelines, start there. A lot of publications tell you exactly what they want; The Atlantic,
for example, offers extensive guides for pitching its most popular verticals.
Be aware that the submission guidelines are sometimes hidden under “Contact” or “FAQ,”
and it never hurts to search “[PUBLICATION] submission guidelines” if you can’t find
anything on the outlet’s website.
Sometimes editors write blog posts or tweets describing what they want in a pitch. If you’re
interested in working with a specific editor, it doesn’t hurt to search their name plus words
like “submission,” “submission guidelines” and “pitch me.”
Once you’ve figured out what submission guidelines to follow, the next step is to get really
clear on your story.
One of the most common mistakes people make is failing to state the story they want
to tell.
What do I mean?
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Well, writers often say they want to write about something. “I want to write about Famous
Person X.” “I want to write about gender in the workplace.” That’s an idea, not a story.
(I’ve written about the difference between topics and stories both in 10 Mistakes That’ll
Ruin Your Freelance Career for The Freelancer and in The Write Life’s Pitch Fix column, so
take a look at those resources to learn more about this common pitch error.)
By the time you pitch, you should have enough background research to be able to pull the
story out of your idea, as follows:
Hit Musical Hamilton Is Great — But Is It Addictive? Just about everyone

I know is obsessed with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s new musical Hamilton, to the
point that we’re listening to the 2-hour 22-minute cast recording nearly once a
day. What makes music like this feel addictive, to the point where the first thing
we want to do after finishing the album is start it at the beginning again? I’d
reach out to a musicologist and a psychologist for their thoughts on the nature
of addictive music.
That’s a real pitch I sent to Popular Science, which they accepted. Notice how my pitch
included not only the story, but also the method by which I plan to research the story?
Writers often skip this step, but adding a sentence or two describing your
methodology shows an editor that you’re serious about your idea. It also lets an editor
know that you have a plan of action, and that your finished draft will be backed up with
both sources and substance.
Not all stories require research, of course. Personal essays, for example, don’t necessarily
need a methodology statement. But too many writers pitch stories as if they were personal
essays: “My thoughts on why Hamilton is addictive,” for example.
No editor cares about my thoughts on Hamilton. They care about a music expert’s thoughts
on Hamilton, crafted into an eye-catching story that promises a reader an answer to a
question they’ve probably asked themselves: Why can’t I stop listening to this album?
That bit about promising the reader an answer to a question they’ve probably asked
themselves? That’s the pitch’s benefit. Whenever you craft a pitch, think about how it will
benefit the publication’s audience.
Will it give them the answer to a question?

Will it prompt a discussion in the comments?
Will it ask them to think differently about a common experience?
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You don’t need to state your benefit directly in the pitch — in fact, please don’t write
“this story will prompt a discussion in the comments” — but it’s important to consider the
benefit as you put your pitch together.
After all, publications aren’t interested in what you want to write. They’re interested
in what their readers want to read.
Lastly, my Hamilton pitch was only a paragraph long because I had already built a
relationship with one of Popular Science’s editors. If you’re pitching a publication for the
first time, put a short bio at the end with links to a few relevant clips that — you guessed it
— establish expertise in your beat.
In a moment, we’ll look at Susan Shain’s tips on pitching the right editor. Those will help
you start thinking about your next pitch and how you’re going to structure its story,
methodology and benefit.
But before we do that, here’s a sample pitch, so you can see exactly what a solid pitch
looks like.
Sample Pitch
Writing a sample pitch email is tricky because every publication has slightly different
guidelines. With that in mind, here’s what a good pitch email might contain:
SUBJECT LINE: Check the publication for guidelines. I often write “PITCH: [HEADLINE]” in
the subject, e.g. “PITCH: Are Dogs Better Pets Than Cats?”
SALUTATION: You can go with the formal “Dear [EDITOR]” here, although I often just start
my emails with “Hi!”
INTRO PARAGRAPH WITH HEADLINE: Introduce your relationship to the publication, if

relevant, and your pitch’s suggested headline. (I got the “always add a suggested headline”
advice from Carol Tice.)
STORY AND METHODOLOGY PARAGRAPH: Briefly explain your story and the
methodology by which you will tell it.
BIO PARAGRAPH: Share a bit about yourself and link to relevant clips.
NAME AND CONTACT INFO: Thank the editor and “sign” the email with your name and
contact info.
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Here’s what your pitch might look like when you’re ready to send it:
Hi! I’m a huge fan of Dogs and Cats Daily — I comment as DogFan27 — and I wanted to
pitch a story that I haven’t seen on the site but I think your readers will appreciate: Are dogs
better pets than cats?
This story will look closely at three different families, each of whom have dogs and cats
in the home. I’ll interview each family, asking them to share stories about their pets’
behavior and comment on which pets they enjoy interacting with most. I’ll also interview
a veterinarian and a pet psychologist to learn more about animal behavior and discuss
whether dogs or cats make better pets for certain personality types.
I’ve previously been published in Dogs Are Great Monthly and I Love Cats Magazine. My
clips include: “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Puppies,” “Cats Are Purrfect,” and “Do
Dogs or Cats Save More Lives?”
Thanks for considering my pitch!
Goldie Retriever
GoldieRetriever.com
@DogFan27
SUSAN SHAIN ON PITCHING THE RIGHT EDITOR

1. Get as specific as possible
Unless it’s a really small publication, avoid pitching the editor in
chief; she’ll probably just delete your email.
Instead, try to find the editor who oversees your story’s beat.
If you’re writing about an up-and-coming clothing designer, for

example, look for the fashion or style editor. The easiest way to
determine this is to Google “Real Simple fashion editor,” or “Real
Simple masthead” and then search for “fashion” or “style.”
If you can’t find that information, “Go for a senior, deputy, or

associate editor,” says freelance-writing expert Linda Formichelli.
“If that editor isn’t the right one, she’ll often send your query
along to the correct editor.”
She says not to bother with contributing editors or copyeditors,

as they’re not responsible for assigning stories.
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2. Call the publication

This may sound old-fashioned, but it works. If your target
publication has a phone number listed, call and ask to be
connected to the relevant department. Once you have someone
on the line, ask, “Who should I contact with a pitch about travel
to Greece?” Easy peasy.
“I sound like a broken record… ‘Pick up the phone! Pick up the

phone!’” says Formichelli. “Many of my students are pleasantly
surprised that they get a quick answer.”
3. Ask your contacts

If you’re a member of any writing groups on Facebook or other
social networking sites, ask your fellow members if they have a
contact at your target publication. If they’re familiar with your
work, they may even be willing to introduce you over email —
bonus points!
“Be sure to supply your e-mail address on the forum or invite

direct messages so respondents won’t have to share the info with
the whole group,” suggests Formichelli.
4. Search Twitter
Smaller websites and publications may not publish a masthead.
One of the best ways to find otherwise-unlisted editors is
through Twitter, since users often list their place of employment
in their bios. In Twitter’s search tool, type in the word “editor”
plus the @handle of the publication you’re targeting.
Some editors even prefer to be pitched on Twitter before moving

the conversation to email, so it doesn’t hurt to send a direct
message.
If you’re really keen to make a connection, you might even create

what The Write Life founder Alexis Grant calls a Notice-Me List,
then strategically interact with editors you want to write for.
TheWriteLife.com
CHAPTER 5
NEGOTIATING (& RE-NEGOTIATING) RATES
Your first few pitches may be for publications that don’t have a lot of wiggle room in terms
of payment. (These are the outlets that are glad to take on new writers, but also state, “We
pay $50 per piece” in their submission guidelines.)
It is possible to negotiate a higher rate starting with your very first successful pitch. But, as
with most careers, your ability to negotiate grows alongside your experience.
The tricky part is knowing when you have enough experience to start asking for better pay.
Ideally, you want to open up the rate negotiation conversation at three key moments
in a client relationship:
1. When the scope of your work increases (e.g., you go from writing 800-word pieces
to writing 1500-word pieces)
2. When the amount of your work increases (e.g., you increase from writing one piece
a month to turning in three pieces a month)
3. At the end of the calendar or fiscal year
Some clients will start the rate-negotiation process for you; you may get an email to the
effect of “We’ve been pleased with your work and would like to bring you on for two
pieces every month at $150 per piece.”
That’s your opportunity to reply with a counter-negotiation, such as, “Thanks! I’ve gotten a
lot of new opportunities since we started working together and my typical per-piece rate is
closer to $200; would that fit into your budget?”
If your client doesn’t start the rate negotiation process, you can open the conversation
yourself using a similar template.
Start with a few sentences about how much you enjoy working for the client. List your
biggest successes, note any increases in scope or amount of work, and then get to the
point: “I’d like to talk about renegotiating rates for my upcoming work. Is there room in
your budget to discuss this?”
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Let your client offer the first number, then counter the rate if necessary. (You don’t
always have to counter-negotiate, either. If you like the rate they offer, there’s nothing
wrong with accepting it.)
Two words of warning:
• Not every client has the budget to negotiate a higher rate. If a client offers you
$125 per piece, you counter with $200, and the client comes back with “I’m sorry,
we can only do $125,” it’s time to think carefully about whether you can afford to
take on that client.
At certain points in your career, $125 is going to sound better than nothing! At
other points, you’ll know that spending time working for a low-paying client will
lose you money in the long term, and it’s time to say goodbye to that client and
move on. (More on this in Chapter 8.)
• You may be tempted to say, “My typical per-piece rate is closer to $200” before
anyone has ever paid you $200 for your work. Clients can tell when you’re bluffing.
I don’t know how they can tell, but artificially inflating your “typical rate” has never
worked for me — and believe me, I’ve tried.
There’s one more piece of rate negotiation advice I’d like to offer.
As you progress in your career, clients will start to seek you out. You’ll get emails from
people asking you to write for their publication or their company, and these emails will
often ask you for your rate.
Once you’re clear on the project scope, give them a rate that’s slightly higher than
what you usually earn for similar work. If you’re getting $300 per piece, ask for $400.
That’ll put you one step closer to telling your other clients, “I’ve gotten a lot of new
opportunities since we started working together and my typical per-piece rate is closer to
$400. Would that fit into your budget?”
Sharon Hurley Hall also has some great advice on rate negotiation, including advice for
freelancers who write their own contracts.
She and I both agree that rate negotiation is essential to successful freelancing — not only
because it gets you better pay from one client, but also because you can use that increased
rate as leverage to get better pay from all your current and future clients.
It’s a win-win for your wallet, and a must-must for your career.
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SHARON HURLEY HALL ON RE-NEGOTIATING YOUR RATES

Once you have an ideal rate in mind — a figure that makes
you slightly uncomfortable is a sign you’re on the right track
— you’re ready to have the conversation with your client about
raising your rates.
A good starting point is to show clients the value you’re

providing. When I looked at my work for one client, I realized
I was doing way more than we originally agreed. I itemized
the value I brought in terms of writing experience, research
capability, subject matter knowledge, SEO, and technical ability
and compared that with the rate offered by similar clients. I got a
hefty raise with no questions asked.
Other ways to raise rates for existing clients include:
• Have a contract and state up front that rates will be

renegotiated at the end of the term. It sets client
expectations and makes the process easier.
• G
ive yourself a yearly raise. I used to do this every January.
I’d give clients a few weeks’ notice, then bill at the new rate
when the time came.
Look out for opportunities clients provide during your

relationship. One of my clients updated their writing guidelines
and sent an email to let me know. I replied and asked whether
the update came with a pay raise, and I got one. It wasn’t much,
but it covered the additional time needed to comply with the
new guidelines.
There’s also a law of increasing returns with successful

negotiations. Once one client agrees to pay more, you have more
negotiating power with others so your overall income can get a
nice boost.
TheWriteLife.com
Sharon Hurley Hall

In 2005, I left my full-time job as a journalism lecturer to go freelance. Before taking up

teaching, I’d been a full-time writer for trade magazines, so I was confident about my writing
skills.
I spent a lot of time online looking for freelance work and connecting with other new
freelancers, but my first freelance gig came via my old job. A former student of mine who
was promoting a charitable cause needed a professional to do a write-up that he could
publish. He called me, and I was happy to oblige.
After that, it was question of sniffing out opportunities for paid writing. I did as much writing
as I could, looking at this as a way of honing my skills.
Eventually, I landed a few contracts blogging regularly about writing, blogging, WordPress
and web apps and that set me on the road to financial stability.
Once I had enough freelance writing work to be a bit more picky, I analyzed my client list
to figure out which were my best clients and which ones I needed to replace. Factors that
helped me work this out included:
• How easy it was to work with them

• How much time, effort or research their writing jobs took
• How much they paid
At the same time, I kept marketing my services and applying for writing jobs. When I applied,
I quoted a rate slightly higher than the maximum I was charging my current client list. The
way I saw it, I had nothing to lose because my client books were already full.
This turned out to be a good move, and resulted in increasing my income by about a third
between my first and second full years of freelancing.
When I took on new clients, I parted from the old ones on good terms. This was also useful,
as some of these clients came back to me later when they had bigger budgets for writing.
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My best advice for freelancers looking to build their careers is to pay attention to marketing.
Look for opportunities to get your name out there, especially on sites that attract a lot of
eyeballs.
But don’t be afraid to experiment, either, because you never know which opportunity will
turn out to be a career builder.
I wrote my first paid blog post as a blogging competition entry. After I won, I used that
sample to get myself another blogging gig writing four posts a month. And that gig led
to three other lucrative blogging contracts. All that happened because I took a chance by
entering the competition.
TheWriteLife.com
CHAPTER 6
MANAGING YOUR TIME
When you first get started as a freelancer, your biggest problem will probably be, “How do
I earn enough money?”
Once you start bringing in a little cash, your problem likely becomes, “How do I make
connections and get better clients?”
Once you have started to make those connections and land those clients, you will have a
new problem: How do you manage your time?
If you’re a full-time freelancer, chances are you have a lot of work to complete. I write
roughly 10,000 words a week, or the equivalent of a short novel every month.
All this writing is in addition to research, meetings with editors, emails, pitches, social
media and promotion, and all of the other tasks that make up a busy professional’s day.
How do I do it all? Here are my time-management strategies:
1. Use a task-management system. I can’t remember everything I need to do unless

I write it down, and I can’t manage my tasks unless they’re all in the same place.
I’ve been using David Allen’s Getting Things Done task-management system for
years, but even something as simple as an online to-do spreadsheet can help you
corral all of your outstanding tasks in one place.
Figure out a task-management system that works for you, and stick to it.
2. T
urn my phone ringer off when I write. I don’t want to be disturbed by robocalls
or texts from friends. I turn my phone ringer off when I write, and I often turn my
phone face-down so I won’t see any new email or social media notifications.
Every time I choose to look at my phone, I distract myself from getting my work
done. So I make it easy to forget my phone is there.
3. B
uild in breaks. Every day I take a 30-minute walk after lunch. It clears my head
and helps me get ready for an afternoon of work. On days when I tell myself I’m
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“too busy” for that break, I find it hard to focus in the afternoon. I’ve learned that
taking those 30 minutes helps me work faster (and better) later in the day.
4. Have a designated end to my workday. My workday ends at 6:30 p.m. I don’t

always finish all my work by then, but knowing that my workday should, in most
cases, end at 6:30 p.m. helps me clarify that, when I continue working after that
time, it’s a special case — not an everyday occurrence.
5. T
urn off social media after work. It’s way too easy for me to spend my evenings
responding to people on social media, so I close my tabs at 6:30 p.m. and try to
keep them closed until the next morning.
Not all of my time-management tips will apply to you, but take note of how each of my
time-management strategies solves a specific problem:
1. My task-management system solves the problem of “How can I remember

everything I have to do?”
2. S
ilencing my phone ringer solves the problem of “How do I write without
unexpected distractions?”
3. B
uilding in breaks solves the problem of “How do I stay motivated in the
afternoons?”
4. Having an end to my workday solves the problem of “When do I stop working?”
5. T
urning off social media after work solves the problem of “When do I stop
checking social media?”
When you set up your own time-management strategies, start with your biggest
problems and work towards easy-to-implement solutions.
If you procrastinate by surfing the internet, for example, try using an app that prevents you
from accessing certain websites while you get your work done. If you find your workday
getting broken up by chores, write down “I don’t do laundry during my workday” and stick
the note to your desk.
Whatever your time-management problem, find a solution that works for you.
Want some additional help? Take a look at Meg Dowell’s guide to staying productive
below, and check out these productivity tools The Write Life recommends in its resources
for writers:
• Harvest: This time-tracking software provides an easy way to measure the time you
spend on each project, record expenses and generate invoices.
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• F
reshbooks: This cloud accounting service makes it simple to track your time,
manage expenses and create invoices.
• RescueTime: RescueTime runs in the background and tracks the time you spend on
each app and website — giving you an accurate, detailed picture of how you use
your time.
• S
crivener: Scrivener is a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows
you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents.
MEG DOWELL ON STAYING PRODUCTIVE

1. Shut down the internet
The quickest way to bring your writing productivity to a halt is
to try writing with readily available internet access. Think you’re
just going to do a little research? You might … after you check
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and finally drag yourself
out of the Tumblr black hole.
Search online for apps or plug-ins that will disconnect your Wi-Fi
for a certain period of time or temporarily block you from visiting
certain websites. Or write in a location that doesn’t have a good
connection — or any connection at all!
Oh. And you might want to turn off your phone, too. Yes,
seriously.
2. Create a “do not disturb” nook

It’s not always our own fault when our writing time gets
interrupted. Sometimes others are involved, whether in person or
through text messages. And we’re not always eager to turn down
social interaction when it’s standing right in front of us (admit it!).
When it’s time to write, though, it’s time to write. If you don’t
have an office or room to isolate you while you work, create
your own space. Designate it as the space where you absolutely
cannot be disturbed while writing.
And if you can’t turn your phone off (sigh), just shoot back a
message telling the person your characters are holding you
hostage and you’ll text them back later (maybe).
TheWriteLife.com
3. Set a time, word or page-count limit

Setting a specific milestone for yourself is another effective
way to get a lot of writing done with minimal or no distractions.
Thinking about how much writing you should be getting
done when you’re just not into it is discouraging and leads to
procrastination.
But if you sit down and know you only have to write for 45
minutes before you can move on to the next task, you’re much
more likely to breeze through it in no time. And by the time
you get to the end of your session, you might have a hard time
convincing yourself to stop writing.
Tacking on a reward like “I can answer my text messages when I

write 500 words” will help fuel your motivation to meet or even
exceed your goals for the day.
TheWriteLife.com
CHAPTER 7
BECOMING A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR
Pitching a lot of different clients every month is a great way to build a career.
Becoming a regular contributor with one or two of those clients is a great way to
sustain a career.
Look at it this way: If you’re pitching every month, you never know if those pitches will get
picked up. You’re never quite sure how much money you’ll make, and you don’t know how
to structure your workload because you don’t know how many of your pitches will turn into
jobs.
If a publication or a company brings you on as a regular contributor, you know exactly how
many pieces you’ll be writing each month and how much you’ll get paid.
You may still have to pitch ideas to an editor, but since you’re a member of the contributor
team, your editor will respond to those ideas much more quickly — after all, the two of you
need to work together to publish a specific amount of work.
Becoming a regular contributor is, in many ways, almost like having a “real job.”
You may be asked to attend editorial meetings (which, in my experience, nearly always take
place online). You may be required to turn in a piece at noon every day, Monday through
Friday.
You’re less likely to be able to take those random “days off” that you see advertised as one
of the benefits of the freelance life, because you’ll need to be available at specific hours.
On the plus side, you’ll get a steady paycheck and a steady amount of work to
complete. You’ll also get to build relationships with editors and writers who may help you
get additional work down the line. (You should also look for opportunities to help them.
Referrals go both ways.)
Perhaps most importantly, becoming a regular contributor gets you a steady byline, which
helps establish you as a professional. You’ll build an audience interested in your work, which
will make you more attractive to other publications and clients.
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How do you become a regular contributor? Alexis Grant has a great guide, so check that
out next.
Keep in mind that you can rarely ask for a contributor job. Sometimes publications
post staff-writing job listings online, but most often these jobs go to the people who have
already proven that they can write well, hit their deadlines and work with the publication’s
editors.
In other words, do the best work you can, and you might get asked to do more of it!
ALEXIS GRANT ON BECOMING A CONTRIBUTOR

For about five years, I ran my own business, a blog management
company. We wrote all the content for a number of blogs, so we
constantly hired regular contributors.
But we never advertised these openings. Why? Because we

pulled from writers we already worked with; contributors who
wrote a great first post for us, then another great post, then
another.
When we hired a regular contributor, we wanted to know we

could count on that writer to submit high-quality content on a
regular basis. We might take risks when assigning just one post
to a writer we’d never worked with before, but to bring on a
regular contributor, especially one we planned to pay, we had to
be absolutely certain the writer would pan out.
So how do you impress an editor to the point that they want

to hire you for a recurring blogging job? Here’s what we
looked for:
1. High-quality writing
This sound obvious, but it’s surprisingly difficult to find awesome
writers. With so many freelance writers looking for blogging
work, you’d think editors would be up to our eyebrows in quality
contenders. But the truth is, every editor I know is on the hunt
for people who write well.
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If you’re up for a blogging job though, you don’t just have

to write well — you have to blog well. I’ve hired writers with
excellent reputations and experience… only to find out they
don’t know how to blog.
What’s the difference? Blogging requires a certain style, a

conversational voice that’s fun and interesting to read.
And while we all hate to admit there’s a formula for good writing
— because the best writers can deviate from it and still hit the
nail on the head — most blog posts do follow certain guidelines.
They include an engaging introduction that pulls the reader in,
they talk to the reader in the “you” voice, and they’re broken
down into sections or bullets that are easy to read and digest
online.
If you’re able to deliver well-written blog posts consistently,

editors will clamor to hire you!
2. Meet deadlines… every time

For an editor to rely on a writer on a regular basis, she has to
be absolutely certain that person will meet deadlines. When
writers don’t file posts when they say they will, we find ourselves
scrambling for content to fill that spot, and that makes our job
stressful.
Guess what editors don’t like? Stress. Guess what we do like?

Writers who make our job easier.
This deadline aspect is so important that I’ve declined to work

with writers simply because they missed their first deadline. Sure,
emergencies happen and things come up, but if you’re working
with an editor for the first time, get your work done ahead of
your deadline, so you’re not trying to finish it under the wire.
As a bonus, if you complete a piece and file early, that will most
certainly put you on that editor’s list of writers he wants to work
with again.
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3. Turn in your posts ready to publish

Take time to do little things that make the editor’s job easier.
For example, look to see how the blog is formatted. Does it use
H2s for subheads? Use those to format your post. Does each
story include links back to other posts on that blog? Find relevant
places to add those links. Is each author bio just two sentences
long? Shorten your four-sentence bio before you file, so the
editor doesn’t have to ask you to do it later.
Go out of your way to adhere to those little details, because

it means less work for the editor.
You might not know all the rules the first time you write for a
blog, but if you carefully watch all changes the editor makes,
you’ll be able to make those same tweaks next time before you
file the post. Believe me, your editor will notice!
On several of the blogs my team managed, for example, posts

needed a two-sentence excerpt that showed on the homepage.
First-time contributors don’t typically add this to the top of their
posts, but sometimes, when we asked a contributor to write for
us again… that writer added the excerpt without us asking for it.
That’s always a sign of a mutually beneficial relationship!
Look for ways to self-edit and deliver the post so it’s completely
ready for publishing, and you’ll make your editor very happy.
4. Be open to edits, and note the editor’s

preferences
Writing a blog post is only half the job; you also have to be ready
to make edits per the editor’s request. Contributors who are easy
to work with are open to ideas for making their posts better and
don’t take edits personally.
While I didn’t expect writers to know my preferences the first

time they wrote for us, I did watch closely to see whether they
tried to incorporate my changes on subsequent posts before
they filed.
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For example, if I used track changes to add subheads to a

writer’s post, I watched the next post he filed to see if he added
them himself. If I asked a writer to trim a post to 500 words, I
hoped she’d know to do that with the next post, without me
pointing it out.
In other words, I like to work with bloggers who learn quickly and
are smart and thoughtful enough to incorporate feedback. This
not only shows your ability, it also demonstrates that you respect
my time as an editor.
Time to ask for a regular blogging gig?

Once you’ve proven just how great of a writer you are and how
easy you are to work with, don’t be afraid to ask whether any
regular contributor slots are available. But make sure you’ve
strutted your stuff first!
Sometimes I got requests from writers who wanted to contribute

to our blogs on a regular basis — and get paid — before
they’ve even written one post. I always expected them to write
for us at least three or four times before committing… and 90
percent of the time, that writer did not turn out to be the type
of contributor we were willing to invest in. This post-by-post trial
period saved me from spending money on a writer who wouldn’t
turn in the quality we needed, and it also helped me spend less
time editing blog posts that weren’t up to par.
Once you’ve proven yourself, let the editor know you’d

love to contribute on a more regular basis. Some blogs want
regular writers to contribute once a month, while others might
look for posts from regulars twice a month or even once or
twice a week. This varies according to the blog, so don’t be
disappointed if a once-a-month column is all the editor can offer
you.
If you’ve written for the editor several times and they still don’t
bite when you ask for a regular gig, it’s probably due to one of
these factors:
TheWriteLife.com
• Your writing isn’t good enough. Keep practicing!

• The editor doesn’t have space for another regular contributor.
• The editor doesn’t have the budget to pay you regularly.
Even if you don’t score a regular blogging job, it isn’t a waste of

time to ask. Budgets and blogging teams are always in flux, and
if the editor truly likes your work, he’ll keep you in mind the
next time an opening comes up.
Good editors have high standards. But if you check all of these
boxes, you’ll put yourself in the position to land a blogging gig
— or two or three! — as a regular contributor.
TheWriteLife.com
CHAPTER 8
SAYING GOODBYE TO THAT LOW-PAYING
CLIENT HOLDING YOU BACK
One of the hardest things you’ll ever do as a freelance writer is end your
relationship with a low-paying client.
Why is this so hard? Freelancers know that jobs can come and go at any time. A
publication can shut down a vertical, or a company can announce it’s going to focus less on
writing and more on infographics and multimedia.
Why quit any job once you’ve got it, even if it’s a low-paying one? If you lost all your other
jobs tomorrow, wouldn’t you be glad you still had that low-paying client?
And if you’ve been working with that low-paying client for a while, you probably have a
stronger relationship with that client than you do with your newer, higher-paying ones. That
low-paying client took a chance on you when you were just starting out and made you part
of their team.
How can you quit a team?
The truth is that you have to quit. To move up as a freelancer, you have to figure out the
right time to say goodbye to your low-paying jobs.
How do you know when it’s the right time? Ask yourself these questions:
1. Am I taking on more work than I have time to complete? Am I working 70-hour

weeks, or putting less time than I would like into a project because I have so many
projects on my plate?
2. I f I dropped my lowest-paying client, how would it affect my income? Could I still
pay all my bills and have money left over?
3. I f I dropped my lowest-paying client, what could I do with that extra time? Could I
ask a another client for more work? Could I pitch a higher-paying client?
There’s one more thing to keep in mind as you decide whether it’s time to say goodbye to
a client: Are you sure your lowest-paying client is the one you think it is?
TheWriteLife.com
Grab a piece of paper (or open up a spreadsheet), list all your current clients and rank each
of them by the following:
• Payment per piece

• Estimated number of hours to complete each piece (include research, revisions,
email conversations with your editor, etc.)
• Payment per hour, based on the two items above
You may quickly learn that working with the client paying you $600 per piece means you
earn less, per hour, than when you work with the client paying you $200 per piece.
There are two more columns to add to your list before you part ways with any clients:
• D oes this job bring me additional clients?

• Does this work bring me closer to my dream job?
I get a lot of emails from editors that begin “I saw your piece in Publication X. Would
you like to write for us?” Publication X is not my highest-paying client, but it consistently
connects me with more opportunities to make money.
Likewise, if Client A pays a little less per hour than Client B, but Client A is helping me build
expertise in my beat, I might keep Client A and let Client B go.
It all depends on what’s important to you, and whether your clients are helping you
get closer to what’s important. If they aren’t, it’s time to say goodbye.
Write a pleasant email, give ample notice if you deliver assignments regularly, finish any
outstanding work, and let them know that you’ll keep them in mind for the future. That way,
if one of your other clients suddenly cancels a gig, you can always double back and say,
“I’ve got a free slot in my schedule — need any writing?”
But if you’re consistently pitching and building new client relationships, you shouldn’t need
to do that. You’ll be too busy earning more money from your new clients.
TheWriteLife.com
Sample “Saying Goodbye” Email

Subject line: Finishing outstanding projects and transitioning to new opportunities
I wanted to let you know that I’m taking on some new writing opportunities and will not be
available to complete work after [DATE]. I plan to finish [OUTSTANDING PROJECT] and will
of course be available for any revisions as we discussed in our agreement.
[OPTIONAL: If you are looking for freelancers for future work, I can recommend [NAME].
I’ve worked with [NAME] on [PROJECT] and can vouch [GOOD QUALITIES]. Email [NAME]
at [EMAIL].]
I’ve really enjoyed getting the chance to work with you, and will let you know if I have
writing availability in the future.
Thanks,
[YOUR NAME]
TheWriteLife.com
Meg Dowell
I started out using a website called Upwork (formerly oDesk). Like a job bank, but for
freelance work. It actually took a really long time for me to land a job there. I spent over a
year building up my portfolio and learning through experience how to market myself as a
writer. Once one client hires you, it gets a lot easier.
Honestly? You just have to sit down and work. Before I started getting paid to write, I had
a lot of experience, but not the right kind. So six months before I found my first client on
Upwork, I started writing for free on as many websites and blogs as I could.
The way I see it, getting paid in experience is worth it. After I started working with one
client, it seemed like a lot more proposals for work went through [with] other clients. The
nice thing about Upwork is it categorizes your experience level the more hours you work. So
I just kept working, and that pays off in both experience and what I call “student loan funds.”
It’s not just about writing; it’s about working with a client and giving them exactly what they
need when they need it. You’ll have great experiences and you’ll have really tough ones.
I was lucky to sign on with two of my first clients within a week of each other. One was really
great, he paid well, communicated often and gave me great feedback as we went. It was a
partnership. The second one was the exact opposite in every single way possible.
I’ve learned something new from every experience, and that’s the best part about it. No
matter how much experience you have, you never really stop learning. So just keep writing.
It’s not always going to be fun. You’re going to make mistakes. That’s how you learn. As long
as you keep going, it will get easier with time.
TheWriteLife.com
CHAPTER 9
RE-EVALUATING YOUR GOALS AND
SETTING NEW ONES
At this point, if you’ve been following the steps in this book — setting goals, building a
presence in your beat, reaching out to editors, and so on — you’ve probably started to
make connections, get better clients and earn more money.
This means it’s time to re-evaluate the goals you set in Chapter 1 and start setting some
new goals that reflect your new (and improved!) freelance career.
Why do you need to re-evaluate your goals?
Here are two big reasons it’s important to reflect on previous goals:
1. To see how many goals you achieved

2. To consider what got in the way of your other goals
Chances are, you achieved at least a few of the goals on your list. Congratulations!
But why didn’t you achieve your other goals? Was it because the goal became less relevant
as your career progressed? Was it because the goal was based on something that was out
of your control, such as getting hired by a specific client? (You can build your network and
improve your pitches, but you still can’t guarantee that a specific person will want to work
with you.)
Was it because you didn’t work as hard on this goal as you did on your other goals?
I’m a firm believer in the idea that we put effort into what is important to us.
If you didn’t put as much effort into one goal as you did into another, it might mean that
goal wasn’t really that important to you. That’s great news, because it’s information you can
use when you make your next set of goals.
TheWriteLife.com
As with your first set of goals, take some time to think about the type of work you’d like
to be doing, the amount of money you’d like to earn and whether you need to adjust your
workday or your work-life balance.
And, now that you’re starting to get better clients and earn more money, it’s time to start
thinking about setting higher-level goals. Kristen Pope has a great guide to help you get
there.
KRISTEN POPE ON SETTING HIGHER-LEVEL GOALS

It’s easy to go too long without thinking about your higher-
level goals.
You might spend hour upon hour cranking out $20 articles about
pigeons when you really want to be writing $2,000 articles about
new, cutting-edge dental procedures.
Taking the time to step back from your immediate deadlines and
projects allows you to think about where you’d like to be — and
chart a path to get there.
Ready to recharge with a goals check-in? Here’s what to do:
Step 1: Decide the types of goals you’d like to set

The first step in goal setting is to identify what categories of
goals you’d like to set. Be as specific as possible.
Instead of setting a goal like “writing,” break your goal

categories down into “non-fiction magazine writing,” “corporate
clients,” “personal projects,” “career development,” and more.
Step 2: Choose your goals

Now that you know what types of goals you’d like to set, it’s time
to come up with the goals themselves. Look at each category
and decide what you’d like to achieve.
It’s helpful to set a time frame, since your one-month goals will
likely be very different from your 10-year goals. I find setting
goals for three to four months at a time works well. You
might also consider adding a target income goal for each quarter
or the entire year.
TheWriteLife.com
When setting goals, it helps to set “SMART” goals: “specific,

measurable, assignable, realistic, and time-bound.” By matching
your plans with these criteria, you have a better chance of
achieving what you set out to do.
For example, if you want to publish articles in women’s

magazines, setting a goal of “publishing articles in women’s
magazines” isn’t as helpful as planning to send five pitches per
week to certain publications (specific, measurable, and realistic)
by Wednesday of each week (time-bound). Assign yourself the
task (assignable) and write it in your calendar to make sure you
remember.
Step 3: Conduct a self-review

After you’ve set your goals, it’s easy to set them aside and forget
about them. The antidote to this is to conduct regular self-
reviews.
First, decide how often you’d like to perform a self-review. I

like to aim for quarterly reviews with some flexibility, but others
prefer monthly or bi-annual reviews. Whatever schedule you
pick, be sure to write it on your calendar and make your review a
priority.
When you sit down with your goals, take a few minutes and write
about how you are doing in each category. If you planned to
send five pitches each week, see how often you’re actually doing
it.
The point isn’t to feel bad if you’re not meeting your

goals. Instead, use this knowledge to adapt your goals as
necessary.
If you find yourself too busy with client work to send out five
pitches a week, consider revising the goal to three pitches a
week. It’s much better to send three pitches a week than to feel
overwhelmed at falling short of your goal and give up entirely.
Alternately, if you’re not getting much traction and find more

time in your schedule, consider upping your goal to a higher
number of pitches per week.
TheWriteLife.com
Step 4: Review your clients

While you’re doing your self-review, it’s also helpful to do a
client review. Take an inventory of your clients to see which
relationships you’d like to develop further and which ones it
might make sense to put on the back burner.
This review is for your eyes only, so feel free to be brutally

honest.
First, go through and make a list of all the clients you’ve worked
with over the past month, quarter, or year. If your clients change
from month to month, it’s often most helpful to evaluate clients
over a broader period of time (such as quarterly or once per
year), especially when you have a number of occasional or one-
off clients.
Consider each client and calculate how much money you’ve

earned from them during that period. Did they pay you on time
and in full? Did you like working with them? Were the projects
interesting?
Identify the top clients you’re most excited about developing

or continuing your relationship with. Keep in mind these “top
clients” are not always your best-paying clients. They could
be new clients you’re looking to cultivate relationships with, or
people you just enjoy working with.
You’ll also likely notice a few clients you’d prefer to avoid in

the future. What adjustments can you make so you don’t feel
pressured to work with them?
Step 5: Schedule your next self-review and goal-

setting session
While you’re finishing up your goal-setting and self-review
session, be sure to mark your next session on your calendar.
Having a review every two or three months is a good place to

start and you can always adjust the timing according to your
needs — just don’t forget to keep a date on the calendar!
TheWriteLife.com
CONCLUSION
Now that you’ve read these tips and strategies towards getting better clients and earning
more money, let me offer you some final advice on how to put these strategies into action.
1. Follow the tips in order, but feel free to jump around. Each chapter builds on
what you learned in the previous chapter, so following the guide in order is a great
way to get started.
However, there’s nothing that says you have to try every tip one after the other.
Think of this guide as a map, not a straight line — because maps show you a lot of
different ways of getting to your destination.
2. P
lan when you’ll take action on each tip. This is something I learned from David
Allen’s Getting Things Done: if I want to learn how to pitch The Atlantic, I need
to add “look up Atlantic submission guidelines” to my to-do list, which in my case
means identifying a day on which I’ll complete that to-do.
So don’t just read the book and assume you’ll start doing what it suggests
immediately. Select individual tips you want to take action on — such as “draft
renegotiation email” — and plan them into your workday to get them done.
3. T
alk to other freelancers. At the very beginning I wrote about how much of what
I learned as a freelancer came from talking to other freelancers. (Yes, I count online
conversations as “talking.”)
As you put these tips into action, reach out to other freelancers you know, share what
you’re learning and ask questions. Think of other writers and editors as your greatest
resource.
If you keep working hard, you’ll start learning what you do well and what you can improve.
That, in turn, will put you on the path towards finding your beat, landing those pitches,
building your negotiation skills, and getting better clients. And, in the end, of course,
earning more money.
TheWriteLife.com

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Earn More Money

BY NICOLE DIEK ER FOR

Chapter 2: Building a Presence Within Your Beat......................................................11

Chapter 3: Making Connections With Editors and Writers......................................14

Chapter 4: Improving Your Pitches................................................................................21

Chapter 5: Negotiating (and Re-Negotiating) Rates..................................................26

Chapter 6: Managing Your Time....................................................................................31

Chapter 7: Becoming a Contributor............................................................................. 35

Chapter 8: Saying Goodbye to That Low-Paying Client Holding You Back..........41

Chapter 9: Re-evaluating Your Goals and Setting New Ones.................................45

Thanks for joining us,

Kristen Pope (@Kristen_E_Pope) is a Jackson Hole, Wyoming-based writer and editor.

What’s your goal?

Goal 1: Your Writing Work

Goal 2: Your Earnings

Goal 3: Your Work Style

At this point, you should have a handful of solid goals.

1. I’ll get an article placed on The Write Life.

Keep these goals in mind as you continue through this book.

MORE TIPS ON SETTING GOALS:

In 2015, I increased my freelance earnings by $20,000. That’s

How’d I do it? It comes down to two basic components:

I set the goal

So, when I decided at the beginning of 2015 that I wanted to

It’s important to note I didn’t hit my $5,000 goal every month.

Sometimes your regular clients won’t have the budget to assign

I had the freelancing background to achieve the goal

I also picked a monthly income goal close to what I was already

As you work towards your goal, you’ll probably start meeting

Chances are, at least one of those sites has a submissions page.

If you need some help brainstorming, here are a few ideas:

• Develop a personal blog focusing on your beat.

Make sure your beat is something you love.

knows — maybe I’ll see you at an upcoming convention!

ALEXIS GRANT ON TWITTER

Mention a blogger? Look up that person’s handle and include

The @mention is your way of getting the attention of other

One of my favorite ways to use Twitter lists is by creating what

By interacting with these people, you’re opening the door to

GETTING STARTED WITH CONVENTIONS

It becomes relatively simple to start up conversations, whether

The fact that you’re all sharing a similar experience makes it

Remember how you made friends at school just because you

Which conventions should you attend?

It depends on a few factors, including distance, reputation and

If you’re in a major city, start with a convention in your city. If

You also want to consider a convention’s reputation. Good

Look for conventions that reflect your interests. The people

ARIN BLACK ON BECOMING A CONVENTION PANELIST

Instead, provide a brief bio (really, one paragraph should

Think like a journalist: Create a succinct pitch that compels

Many literary festivals look for a wide variety of content, so if you

Some of The Tennessee Williams Festival’s most fascinating

Cookbook author? Propose a session where you tell the stories

Think about what you would like to see at a literary event or

Hit Musical Hamilton Is Great — But Is It Addictive? Just about everyone

Will it give them the answer to a question?

INTRO PARAGRAPH WITH HEADLINE: Introduce your relationship to the publication, if

Thanks for considering my pitch!

SUSAN SHAIN ON PITCHING THE RIGHT EDITOR

If you’re writing about an up-and-coming clothing designer, for

If you can’t find that information, “Go for a senior, deputy, or

She says not to bother with contributing editors or copyeditors,

2. Call the publication