The good news: it’s not game over. It’s what I like to think of as the "start up" game. Here are the rules.

1. Things are changing. Ten years ago,nobody knew what an iPhone app was because nobody had an iPhone. Look around. Every big change puts somebody out of a job–and opens a big door of opportunity to somebody else.
2. Don’t be afraid to give up. The old notion of persistence just doesn’t hold up to a culture where technological advances occur almost hourly. If something is not working for you, ask yourself why–and if it’s because things have changed, give up. Freelancing for newspapers used to be a viable way to make a living. It isn’t anymore, so if that’s your gig and you’re starving, give up.
3. Be bold. The other day I talked to a guy about search engine optimization. His company marketed itself as an SEO provider. I knew more than he did. But shame on me, I’m not out there selling my expertise because I’ve only been doing SEO for a few years. Guess what? In this environment, a few years experience makes you a veteran. Nobody has been in Internet marketing for 20 years.
4. Look for opportunity. A lot of us look backward at old models of how to earn our livings as writers and then try to shoe-horn our way in. Instead of that, we should be looking at the world we live in and see where writers and things writerly are needed–and try to offer those services. It’s a variation of the old adage, "find a need and fill it." To do that, you need to go out and look for what people need, not for what you want to provide.

Is this a good time to be a writer? Well, if your goal is to sit around a hotel and get drunk every lunch, like Dorothy Parker, and toss off a few bon mots for glossy New-York-based magazines … that train has left the station. Nobody gets to be that kind of writer any more.

But if you want to earn a living by using your way with words, the Internet and new technology has opened up some new opportunities. Here are some ideas.

• You can sell content to websites. Most writers bemoan this because many websites pay starvation wages. But not all do! You can get $1 a word for online content if you know the right sites and have the right expertise and some killer clips.
• You can market yourself as an SEO, pay-per-click, or online marketing person. You need to get some expertise but it’s not that hard and writing is a crucial skill in this stuff. And remember, nobody has been in this racket for 20 years.
• Since websites are such good business, why not develop one of your own to sell a product (could be a book) or advertising?
• Most business clients do not understand social media, public relations, and online marketing. You can package your services in that vein. You and I know that you’ll be writing for them, but the client will be purchasing "PR and social media" expertise.

The world is full of all kinds of new stuff. iPhone apps, software program, online magazines.

I started a business in communications seven years ago. When we started, we did a lot of promotional writing, invitations, and printing. We hardly do any of that anymore. Our clients have migrated to electronic formats and tend to keep that work in house. We are doing more article writing and website stuff than ever before. But our writing is much more subject-matter intensive than ever before. We don’t write much fluff, but we write and edit a lot more "expert" level type materials.

A viable writing career these days is going to have a lot of starts and stops. Just re-start. Keep going. Look back at careers 20 or 30 years ago and notice that so many of them have totally disappeared. That cycle has vastly accelerated, particularly in the realm of communications.

Change and prosper.

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I have worked freelance for more than 20 years, and while I have seen tremendous almost unbelievable advances in technology in that time span, I have seen virtually no improvement in human nature. In specific, I have observed a very common flaw in freelancers.

This flaw is not unique to writers. Anyone who goes into business for herself or himself is susceptible to this disaster. It can ruin your career.

The weird thing is, you won’t even know you’re doing it.

So allow me to meddle briefly in your private life and tell you what you should watch out for if you want to write freelance or do any other business-for-yourself enterprise.

Keep your private life to yourself.

This requires a bit of an explanation, since most business in America and other parts of the world demands a bit of a personal touch. People do want to know about you when you approach them for assignments. If you work for a client, the client will over time get to know a bit about you. Things that often come up are marital status, presence or absence of kids or grandkids, and possibly some hobbies or interests.

People may find out where you live (in general) or where you went on your last vacation (very general). If anything newsworthy happens to you, like a car wreck or winning the lottery, clients will very likely be interested in that, too.

But there are 14 things you should not talk about to your clients, including clients you have had for years and years.

1. Do not talk about your romantic life, significant others, marital problems, infidelities, or dating doldrums. It is fine to mention the presence or absence of a spouse. It is fine to announce an engagement or upcoming wedding. But whatever you say in this arena should be brief and positive. If your husband is being indicted on racketeering, don’t tell your clients.
2. Do not talk about how busy you are. I’ve had occasions where I did not subcontract work to a designer (who actually wanted the work) because she whined so much about how busy she was. I thought I was just adding to her burden. No matter how busy you are, don’t let your client now. Act like you’ve got all the time in the world for this particular client.
3. Do not mention other clients. In truth, your clients probably all know that you have other clients but they all operate in the delusion that they are your favorite. Most of them pretend like they are your only client. Do not damage that illusion.
4. Do not trash talk anyone, but in particular, do not trash talk other clients or people that you may know mutually. If your client tries to lead you down that road, resist. Make sure you speak positively about all the people you can, and neutrally about the others. You’re a wordsmith, you know how to phrase things.
5. Unless you have a physical condition that impedes your ability to work, keep your stomach cramps, diarrhea, cluster headaches, aching joints, and other ailments to yourself. Even if you don’t feel well, that’s more than your client needs to know unless it is going to make it impossible for you to work. If you’re sick enough to be hospitalized, you can mention that. But your client is not your friend; he is your client.
6. Don’t be an Oprah. Oprah Winfrey is a celebrated television personality who gives lots of advice. She has a platform and reputation for this, so it’s OK for her, but it’s not OK for you. Resist the urge to educate or counsel or coach your client.
7. If your client wants to do something that you think is not a good idea and it falls under the scope of your duties, you may gently and tactfully offer your opinion once. After that, abide by the client’s requests. Don’t do anything illegal, but there is nothing illegal about a poorly organized PowerPoint. If that’s what the client wants, deliver.
8. If your clients asks you to do anything illegal or that goes against your principles, fire the client. It’s not worth it. But don’t lecture the client. Just say that you won’t do this or that and end it. The client isn’t interested in your ethics.
9. Don’t talk about your kids, grandkids, pets or even plants at work. You may notice the staff people jibber-jabbering all day long about such things, but you’re not staff. You get paid more than them, for one thing, and you’re regarded as having special status. They can chat. You can’t.
10. Don’t insist your clients look at personal pictures.
11. Don’t tell your client your financial troubles.
12. Don’t tell your client any of your troubles at all. As far as the client is concerned, you’re happy, stable, normal, and prosperous.
13. Resist the urge to think of your clients as your friends. This was mentioned above, but it bears repeating. You may spend more time with some clients than your friends, and you may be in the trenches with clients to the point that a kind of rapport develops. That’s fine. But never cross the line into friendship. They’re not your friends. Treat them like a friend, and you’ll lose a client!
14. Feel free to remember your client’s special occasions (like birthdays, anniversaries, awards) but never expect the client to do the same. Don’t get your feelings hurt when your birthday is overlooked. In fact, go out of your way so that your special days are overlooked. A client-vendor relationship is one that puts the client in a privileged position … but pays the vendor money.

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There is a tendency among non-writers to think that writing is easy. Furthermore, there is a perverse streak among the non-writing that seeks to educate writers.

If you write for businesses, you will be revised. Sometimes these revisions are whimsical and capricious. Sometimes they are mean-spirited and are accompanied by personal attacks on your intellect. Sometimes they introduce errors into the text.

And sometimes they improve it.

The point is, when you get revisions, you just don’t know what you’re going to get. Work long enough as a writer and you will get every variety of revision going. Your job as a writer is to take all revisions seriously. I generally say, "Thank you for your valuable input" the same way we Texans say, "Well, bless his heart," when we mean, what a bonehead or the way we use "darlin’" as a euphemism for "moron."

But there is some value in revisions, even the cruel and capricious variety. As a young writer, I used to hate revisions because–to be very frank–I took them personally. I don’t know too many professions where a person is subjected to the constant, non-stop criticism as writing. I mean, are lawyers critiqued every time they write a letter as somebody scrutinizes it line by line? Are teachers critiqued for every word that comes out of their mouth? Are waiters discussed by groups of men in suits in paneled rooms who dissect every word out of their mouths? No, but we writers are.

The reason for that is there is a sense that people have that written words are more important than spoken words and that what you are creating is important. Some people will critique your writing just to be part of the project which is more interesting than anything on their own desk. Some people make revisions to be helpful, others to show they’re awake, and still others to sabotage the project.

But nobody really makes revisions to annoy the writer (although that is a happy byproduct for certain ill-intentioned folks).

Dealing with revisions can mean the difference between being a successful writer without ulcers and a drinking problem and failing in some measure at your chosen profession.

How do you deal with revisions?

1. First of all, take all revisions seriously at least at first. If somebody makes a comment that seems silly, think about it with objectivity. If one person in your revision group misunderstood a sentence or thought the title sounded silly, that means that probably a lot of other people will, too.

2. Recognize that not all revisions are worth making. Some introduce errors. Some are made arbitrarily. Sometimes you get two reviewers whose input contradicts each other. So sort through the revisions carefully, recognizing that not every revision will necessarily be made. (You would think this would panic reviewers, but it never does.)

3. Pick your battles. Even if a revision seems ridiculous, superfluous, or annoying, if you can make it with no damage to the text, you should make it. The point is, you need "cooperative equity." That’s the notion from the group of reviewers that you are accommodating and will heed their valuable input. Sometimes you won’t, so you need to build up all the equity you can while you can.

4. Think of revisions in the "spirit of the change" rather than the letter of the change. Some revisions will be made that include typos, grammatical errors, and other problems. Don’t take it verbatim but try to figure out what the reviewers’ point was and accommodate that.

5. Improve on revisions, if you can. If one reviewer makes a suggestion, you may be able to kick it up a notch and make that change plus a bit more. If that improves the text, that is a good example of a positive, powerful revision.

6. When you get contradictory input, you must recognize that it is not your job to be the group psychiatrist. It’s your job to be the negotiator. You "control" the text. If reviewer A wants to say this and reviewer B wants to say that, you need to get them in the same room (or on the same phone line) and hammer out the issue. On the other hand, if you know that A is right and B is wrong, then you may be able to diplomatically state that. It is very tempting at this point to speculate on people’s intelligence, degree of competence, product knowledge, or intentions, but that’s a rabbit trail. It wastes time. The key is to negotiate a swift resolution.

7. Be patient. A lot of time, revisions help improve the final text.

So what happens if you get a harpoon and a personal attack? The best way to deal with this is to act like you don’t get it. Just sort of look befuddled and ask, "Excuse me, I don’t understand what you mean." That works pretty well in the group face-to-face setting. If you have obnoxious clients, remember, you can fire them.

But it’s a lot better business to learn to deal with them. In my experience, very few revisions come loaded with barbs. And if they are a bit toxic, just refuse to swallow the poison.

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Unfortunate circumstances recently forced a creative friend of mine to go freelance. As many before him, he approached the freelance life as some sort of extended vacation to be punctuated by only occasional periods of work, of which he would choose only the assignments to his liking and do them as time permitted.

As you can guess, he is floundering. He has few clients, only sporadic work, and bill collectors breathing down his neck.

So now I will tell you what I am telling him, namely how to start a freelance business.

1. Before you pick a name, design a logo, or decorate your office area, decide on your business hours. Here’s a hint. They should completely overlap the business hours of your clients. Since I work in the United States and live in the middle of the country, my business is open 9 a.m. Eastern Time to 5 p.m. Pacific Time, which means the office is open at 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. I also work Saturdays, but that’s another story. The point is you need to establish a business that exists more than just in your head.

2. Force yourself to go to work and stay at work for your business hours–even if you don’t have anything to do. Do not "play" or waste your time. Put in a full day’s work of business activities. This one trick alone will jump start your business. How? If you don’t have much to do, you’ll have to start doing things like calling potential clients, setting up a business website, or researching potential clients. The point is, you need to develop a habit of either working or looking for work for 40 or 50 hours a week. Do that for enough weeks, and you’ll have some clients.

3. While it may be casual day every day when you freelance, it is not vacation. Do not allow yourself to take off in the middle of the day, run errands, or (as my friend has done) watch TV. These are strictly off limits until you get so profitable you can hire somebody to mind the store for you.

4. Think about systems. I know you may feel that you are a "creative person" and not one of those organizational drones. Well, boo and hoo. You need systems in any type of business. Figure out how you are going to keep your books, track your jobs, measure your progress. Talk to banks to get the right kind of account. Figure out a way to be sure you keep in touch with prospects.

5. Study. If you’re not making the amount of money you want, you don’t know all that you need to know (or don’t practice it). Read everything you can, from building your own website to promoting your business to why people buy to how to write. Things change constantly, and you are going to have to get used to being a lifelong learner.

6. Make contact. There are three types of people you need to deal with. If you already have customers, you need to maintain a constant (but not annoying) upbeat constructive communication with them. These are the best source of business for you. It’s much easier to get work from a customer than a stranger. Of course, if you’re new to freelancing you won’t have this. The next source are prospects. These are folks that you think could use your services. Include in this circle people you know. You may or may not know these people personally, but you figure they will be positively disposed toward your service either because (a) they need it or (b) they like you. The third group are cold calls. These are folks you don’t know and don’t know if they are candidates for you. Make contact by emailing, writing, sending postcards or direct mail, or calling.

7. If calling sends shivers up your spine, it’s because you don’t know how. Pick up the phone and dial. If you don’t know who you want, ask to speak with the head of marketing. (You can often research online and get the  person’s name–even better.) Call the person up and be very brief. Don’t do the old telemarketing, "Hi, this is Bob, how are you today?" Most marketing types are busy and have ADD besides. Simply say, "Hi, this is Bob from Studio 27. We do freelance writing. I’m just wondering if your company ever uses freelance writers?" If you get a no, you’re done. But if you get a yes, the next question is, "What would I need to do to be considered for freelance writing assignments?" You’re not asking for a job–you’re asking what you need to do to get on the list or to be considered. You may be told to send in a resume or samples or fill out a form. Do that promptly and follow up in a week or two to confirm that it was received. Send your best stuff. Periodically, send email or written reminders of your services–after all, you’re now a vendor (you’re on the list, even if they never bought from you). Only send your best stuff. Always be brief. I think in this arena it is much better to have frequent but brief contacts (rather than rare but lengthy contacts).

8. Build a website so you can refer folks to it. When you make your calls, you can always say, "Check out our website at studio27.com." And then you can put that on your business cards and so on. Most businesses will check out your website before they hire you. They don’t hire you because of your website, but they may not hire you because you didn’t have a website.

9. If you can’t fill your day will billable hours, then work on spec. I know some people hate spec work, but if your hours are netting zero anyway, why not audition and see what comes of it. I once translated part of an article and sent it to the author, stating that I was a translator and thought I would be a good fit for translating his works. I was thinking articles. He emailed me back–in 24 hours–and said he had a book that needed to be translated. I got the job! I never got paid for the partial article I translated but I got $5,000 for the book.

10. From now on, you no longer have the luxury of being discouraged. You will hear "no," and often. You will also do spec work that leads nowhere. You will pitch work and not get the job. You will make contact with people you know who hire other people. All of that has happened to me and more than once. You can’t let it get to you. Every day, you start over. Every day can be the big day that you get the huge assignment or win the prize or get the long-term client.

11. Don’t waste your time with chambers of commerce, civic groups, or ad federations. These are feel-good clubs for folks who aren’t working. I paid dues to all of them and never once got a job from any of them, although there were people there who dined with me on rubber chicken who could have hired me. Ever see Donald Trump or Martha Stewart at one of these associations? That’s right. They’re too busy with their business to fritter their time away.

12. Think creatively, not about your work but about your marketing. Who could use your services? How can you market it cleverly? Who else do you need to talk to?

Last but not least, do not let anything fall between the cracks. Being in business is a hornet’s nest of details. Don’t slip deadlines. Don’t deliver substandard work. Don’t fail to answer your phone professionally (and get voice mail or some way for clients to leave messages). Return all emails. Be courteous, prompt. Everybody is your friend and everybody’s business is valued highly. (Sometimes we tend to think that small jobs aren’t worth our trouble. Watch out if you think this way! You should be delivering the highest levels of service to all clients.)

And that leads me to one last warning. Please do not despise your clients. I know a lot of creative people who mock, ridicule, and make fun of their clients. These guys wind up losing business because no matter how careful you are, that attitude leaks out. It’s true you may have clients who don’t know your field as well as you do, and you will get clients who are impatient or who pester you. But you have to really like them to make this business work and you have to want to please them.
 

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