For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Freelancers Union, it’s a NYC based organization that supports freelancers all over the country. One of the biggest aspects of it is the formation of the only nonprofit insurance company in the country so that freelancers can access group health care as well as long term disability insurance and retirement savings plans. It also raises money, endorses candidates, and lobbies to change laws that effect us, such as the double tax penalties freelancers face here in New York. Right now the union is working on the Freelancer Payment Protection Act, which would give us the ability to file wage disputes with the New York Department of Labor for unpaid debts instead of having to go to small claims court, among other things. Ultimately, it would make it cheaper and easier for us to chase our money from nonpaying clients.

Finally, it offers resources and information to help you run your business, including webinars from business experts and the free contract tool on the website that helps you create your own project contracts. They also have a directory of clients so you can see what other said about working with them and add your own reviews, too. Members can also receive affiliate discounts with lots of vendors, including T-Mobile and GEICO.

Why You Should Join (Even If You Don’t Live in New York)

If you live in New York, it’s a no brainer that you should join the Freelancers Union. Something like 120,000 of the Freelancers Union’s 160,000 members live in New York state. So it focuses much of its physical efforts here. The insurance options are all available to New York residents. You also have access to the events, which include regular meetings, networking events, and activist events. All you have to do is just sign up.

Although most of its constituents are in New York state, it also has strong numbers in some other states, like California and Texas. The web tools, the webinars, and the other forms of support are available nationwide. The organization is working to expand its physical presence in other states, including benefits and political lobbying. The biggest reason you should join the Freelancers Union if you don’t live in New York is that it helps to say “Hey there are people here who are interested.” The more members in your area, the more likely your state will be on the short list for physical expansion.

So Go Join

The Freelancers Union is a small but growing organization that does some great work. They don’t charge for membership and they offer a number of growing resources to any independent worker, solopreneur, or freelancer that signs up. I don’t care what state you live in, joining the union couldn’t possibly hurt you, but each new signup helps strengthen the union numbers and put it on the fast track for expansion.

Princess Jones

Princess Jones is the evil genius behind Diary of a Mad Freelancer and P.S. Jones Communications. She blogs about freelance life, copywriting and being self-employed. She can usually be found tweeting away or rambling over on Google Plus.

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Coworking spaces are all the rage in the freelancing scene. From Los Angeles to Berlin, freelancers of all shapes and sizes are getting out of the home office and relocating their freelancing to open-plan, relaxed-style office spaces where enthusiastic and creative freelancers can collaborate together on projects, hold workshops and even hire out rooms for meetings with important clients. However, these coworking spaces are not for everybody and of course, many professionals opt for a life of freelancing in order to work from home and be closer to their loved ones, which spending 9-5 in a coworking space would obviously not facilitate. So exactly what are the benefits and drawbacks of coworking spaces?

Coworking spaces in a nutshell.

Coworking spaces are essentially office spaces which are open to freelancers to utilize in their daily work. The spaces are not owned by any one company in particular, and any freelancer is able to book the use of the services and facilities offered by these spaces. The first coworking spaces sprung up in the States, but the concept has evolved into broad coworking communities; where freelancers can share ideas and assist each other both in the coworking space or online.

The good…

Increasing your professionalism. Coworking spaces typically offer a range of services and equipment that many freelancers operating on a tight budget (who doesn’t?) would not be able to afford on a regular basis. Take office space for example, presenting a professional face to your freelancing operations is absolutely vital in convincing potential clients of your experience and capabilities to undertake their project. If the project is large enough then Skype conference calls and emails will not be enough to land the job, this is where coworking spaces come in. Freelancers can hire the use of meeting spaces in order to hold presentations and negotiations over a project and this beats coffee shops and front living rooms hands down.

The financial benefits. Hiring the use of a coworking space on a temporary basis will suit both your professional and financial needs, and saves the costs involved in operating a permanent office space. Moreover, even the little things such as paying for a fast internet-speed and professional computer software for the home may be beyond the financial reach for a graduate freelancer coming straight out of university. Thus, taking advantage of the facilities at a coworking space can form the perfect platform for your first steps into freelancing.

Easier collaboration with others. Coworking spaces were formed on the principle of sociability. By working with other freelancers in the field on a daily basis, the exchange of ideas and assistance is made easy like never before. Coworking spaces also serve as great social networking hunting grounds and what better way to deliver professional results to your clients than by working with other creative and committed individuals? Moreover, those blocks on your creativity that we all suffer from time to time will be reduced by the constant interaction with others.

The not so good…

The 9-5 mission creep.

You ask any freelancer about their decision to jump into the world of freelancing and one of the responses you hear time and time again was the need to kill the 9-5 attitude to work. Flexibility in your working schedule is one of the most desirable advantages of a freelancer’s life so you must learn to take advantage of the benefits of coworking spaces on a flexible basis that works to your timetable. The idea is not to rely on the features offered by these spaces all of the time, but to make use of meeting spaces and professional equipment. Do not treat the coworking space as your old office space and certainly do not treat your time there as “going to work” – otherwise this will stunt your creativity and make you dread the commute there.

Peace and quiet. In my experience, whilst coworking spaces can be fun, creative spaces within which to work, they cannot be characterized as being quiet, peaceful places to work. Every coworking space is different and unique, however the young demographic of the members usually leads to music being played and of course a frank exchange of ideas can always lead to heated discussions, libraries these coworking spaces are certainly not. If you are struggling to meet a deadline for a client then it is far more advisable to work from home.

The support of your loved ones. Many freelancers, especially those with young families, choose to work from home in order to balance the care of looking after young children with their partners. Plus, in times of need – when there is an avalanche of client enquiries and unforeseen problems and delays on a project, the support from loved ones can prove a crucial factor in keeping you sane. Of course, if you are working in a coworking space then this close contact with your nearest and dearest will be difficult to ensure.

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David Sumner

David Sumner is a writer living in Berlin who is amazed by the possibilities that coworking spaces can offer to the adventurous and curious freelancer. Twago is Europe’s leading online platform for freelancing connecting freelancers to customers in the fields of programming, web design, graphic design, copywriting and translation.

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What do all of these people have in common? Well, I’m jealous of them, that’s what.

I don’t often tell strangers this but I really, really love my husband. For every story I tell about how he thinks the Internet is a person or how he annoys me, I have at least three about the time he jumped in a dumpster to find my debit card I accidentally threw away. Or tracked my lost phone down while I was sleeping by retracing my steps. Or how he rescued my phone from the toilet, took it apart and made it work again. (Wow. This paragraph makes me sound like a flake. I swear I’m not.)

Sometimes I wish he was more of a word nerd.

But as much as I love him, there’s something about him that sometimes irks me–his complete disinterest in the written word. He doesn’t read at all. (Well, unless you count the occasional comic book or his video game magazine.)

He’s never read anything I’ve written, even when it’s about him. He does not know what any of my websites look like. I can’t bounce ideas off of him because it’s just not his thing. He does hand out my business cards, bringing me in quite a few leads. But, that’s just because he believes in me and he tends to meet a lot of soloprenuers trying to get their websites or communications materials in order. But if I needed to work out a paragraph, I couldn’t ask his opinion on it. Having him edit my blog posts isn’t going to happen.

And then I remember…

My last boyfriend before Hubs was a writer like me. I talked all the time about my work and my reading list. We went to the library together. Sometimes, a date would just be me, him and a long wander around Barnes and Noble. We wrote short stories with each other as writing partners. When he was deployed, we would exchange partially written pieces and finish them for each other.

It didn’t work out. And I guess I could say why but it all boils down to that we just weren’t right for each other. We still send each other short stories and compare books, though. We still meet up for drinks and spend hours debating plot points. We have fun. We’re not in love, though.

So when I think about the fact that my work is not something I share with Hubs, I have to let it go. Because I used to have someone I could share that with and I ended up passing. I needed someone who knew that a well placed sandwich could change my whole day. Or that parallel parks for me whenever I need it, which is every time there’s a parallel parking situation.

Of course, ideally I’d have picked someone who would give me the best of both worlds like those people I mentioned at the beginning of this post. But if I had to rank which one was more important, I think I’d look at the big picture. I may not always be a writer, but I’ll always need a live-in sandwich maker.

Photo Credit: Lel4nd

Princess Jones

Princess Jones is the evil genius behind Diary of a Mad Freelancer and P.S. Jones Communications. She blogs about freelance life, copywriting and being self-employed. She can usually be found tweeting away or rambling over on Google Plus.

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I realised though that this internal editor had the best intentions and that perhaps he just needed a little training to offer more constructive criticism. I reasoned with my internal editor that he had to cut me some slack so I could do my job as a writer. By using these tips below I could ensure that the editing process now enhanced my writing instead of destroying it.

Take a break

When you finish a piece of copywriting it can be useful to sit on it for a couple of days and purposely not think about it. This gives you the distance you need to look back over what you’ve written without being too precious about the work.

Go with your instinct

The most helpful tool I have in my editing toolbox is gut instinct. Following your instincts can’t be taught but it can be developed with experience. You’ll know when you’ve found your instinct when you get that nagging feeling during editing that you have to rework a sentence or paragraph, even if you don’t want to, because something tells you that it just isn’t working. Your instinct can also highlight the positives in your work and if your gut tells you that something’s good then leave it alone as you’re probably right.

Shorten your work

There are always opportunities to shorten what you’ve written and make it easier for your audience to read. Shortening your work includes keeping an eye out for long words or phrases and switching these with one word alternatives e.g. choosing ‘forget’ instead of ‘fail to remember’. If you get stuck, pull out your thesaurus, it might seem a bit old fashioned but it will make your job much easier. Also look out for words or sentences which slow you down when you’re reading and cut out anything boring or irrelevant.

Ask opinions

Letting go of your copywriting and showing it to other people is not easy, especially if they take on the persona of a hardnosed editor. Even if you’re a freelancer who works solo you should still be able to find friends, family members and business associates who will be happy to read your work for you. Ask them to be honest and be prepared for their feedback but remember you only have to take on board their constructive criticism.

Editing doesn’t have to be the brutal job I once thought it was. By stepping back and following the tips above, I can now edit my writing in a much quicker and more effective way.

Photo Credit: Nic’s Events

Sarah Evans

Sarah Evans has been creating content for clients' websites and offline projects for over five years and has worked with clients such as Avon, Best Western, Ford and the Private Health Partnership as well as a range of other companies in the B2B and B2C sectors. Sarah specialises in search engine optimisation copywriting, developing tone of voice for clients’ brands and also crafting blog posts for social media.

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Selling is fun. I could never actually understand why so many freelancers resent it so much. It allows you to see your business growing. It helps you to be busy. It brings cash to your bank (and who doesn’t like that?). Let’s face it, not matter what you might think, it is also the most important part of running a business. Without selling your freelance career will end with a bang louder than 4th of July fireworks.

But here is the thing, selling is also difficult. It involves learning new things, leaving your comfort zone quite often and, well, working really hard (that’s a novelty, eh?). However, selling is not magic. It’s not a mystery art that only a handful (your competition?) have mastered and you are forever left behind. You can learn how to sell, quite easily in fact. And, to begin, practice those three traits of a successful salesman:

1. You Need to Learn to Listen to Others … a Lot!

Clients are interesting. And, so are their stories. Sure, you might not be particularly keen on listening about their latest investments or plans to build a Facebook killer but face it, all this info will help you to service them better.

In selling, listening is one of the keys to your success. Fail to listen and you stand a strong chance of boring your prospect to death. Let them talk though and the sale is (almost) yours.

2. You Need to Be Bold to Ask People About Whatever You Want.

OK, maybe not exactly but you can ask questions, a lot of questions. In fact, this is what you should be doing all the time when selling.

Here’s the thing though, don’t ask them about stuff like politics, religion or fantasy football, at least not if you want  to walk out with their signature on the dotted line.

3. You Must be Available to Them … Often!

Oh that’s a bit of my pet peeve but also something absolutely crucial if you want to win new work for your business. In sales you have to be available for your prospects, often outside work hours (within reason of course). They will ring or email you to ask questions, verify some information or even just to talk to you to reassure themselves that they really want to buy from you. Needless to say, your availability and attitude may make or break the sale for you. But wait, isn’t that a part and parcel of a freelance lifestyle anyway?

Photo Credit Vector Portal

Pawel Grabowski

Pawel Grabowski works as an SEO Specialist and web content writer for a leading serviced apartments provider in the UK. He is also the author of "The Smart Business Guide to Winning New Work," the best guide to selling for beginners. For more information, you can follow Pawel on Google+.

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I’m a voracious reader. The librarians know my name when i walk into my local library–even some of the non-local ones. (This is actually a step up from when I was younger and my mother would yell down the hall into my room at least once a week “There’s a librarian on the phone for you!!”) From biolographies to industry reads to murder mystery to chick lit and even a nice soft cheesy romance novel that would make me blush if you saw me with it, I always have a book. (Um, no vampires unless it’s Anne Rice or Charlaine Harris. I think it’s the southerness that makes it bearable to me.) I’d say I finish about a book a week, which isn’t too shabby considering my chances to sit and read are few and far between.

Fun fact: People always think I’m weird because I love doing laundry at the laundromat, taking long rides on public transportation or standing in line at the DMV. The reason I like these things is that’s when I get to read. Generally, I’ve a ridiculous multitasker. Yeah, I watch a lot of TV, but I’m never sitting on the couch staring directly at the TV. I’m writing something, folding something, sewing something, cooking something, etc, etc.

It doesn’t stop there. I’m eating lunch while I’m washing dishes. I’m making voice notes about my next big idea on my phone while I’m walking my dog. I’m filing while I’m on the phone with my mother. I’m cleaning my bathroom on conference calls about a project. The laundromat, the train and the DMV are just a few places I’m forced to stop multitasking. Then I have no choice but to sit in one place and crack open something to read.

Google Reader Overload

Books are one thing but my Google Reader overflows. I have more interests than I can keep up with–both professionally and personally–and my subscriptions show it. My reader often gets over 200 entries a day and between picking through the stuff I like, I may read about 100 articles a day. Sometimes more. Sometimes less. And because I have OCD, I have trouble letting entries just sit there. I either have to read it or clear it. I hit up my Google Reader two the three times a day, taking a break from other things to read about what’s going on in the blogosphere. It keeps me informed and on top of things.

But, lately I haven’t been as excited to click my Google Reader shortcut. I’m not as inspired or intrigued by what I find. I think it’s a combination of a number of things. I don’t think I had enough variety of subjects or points of view so I feel like I’m in an echo chamber sometimes. There were a few blogs I’d outgrown because it had a very specific audience and I’d moved onto something else. Some websites had changed owners or directions. Honestly, there were a few in there that were pity subscriptions–stuff I read just because I knew the person that wrote them but didn’t interest me in any way.

At the beginning of the year, I unsubscribed from every single blog/online magazine/website that I’d been following. As I hovered over the “Unsubscribe” button, I must have talked myself into and out of it two or three times. I kept saying “You’re going to miss something important.” Then I’d say “But what about such-in-such? You should keep that one.” But, I finally stopped talking to the voices in my head and just did it. And, I instantly felt good about it. I felt so good that I started thinking of other things I could start over on. Twitter? Facebook? What else could I go back to zero and start from scratch? Right now, the possibilities are swirling around my mind about starting over with a clean slate.

I’m sure I’ll resubscribe to some of blogs/websites. I’ll come across them organically again and decide I need to get in on everything that comes from that feed. I’ve already found myself saying “Oh wait. I haven’t read so-and-so in a while. Let me go over there and see what’s up.” I take that as a sign that whatever that person is putting out is valuable enough for me that I missed it when it was gone. And if that doesn’t happen, maybe it’s for the best.

Photo Credit alex_lee2001

alex_lee2001

Princess Jones

Princess Jones is the evil genius behind Diary of a Mad Freelancer and P.S. Jones Communications. She blogs about freelance life, copywriting and being self-employed. She can usually be found tweeting away or rambling over on Google Plus.

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In The Beginning. . .

I started the site when I was in college. All the latest and greatest job-hunting advice recommended blogging. So I began writing about the publishing industry.

The site grew even as I did. When I decided to begin freelancing part time, I focused my writing on freelancing. When I left my editing job in August to become a full time freelancer, the blog yet again followed my progress.

However as my business got busier and I invested more time into actually freelancing, I found I had less time to write about it. “Write a post for JW” got pushed further and further down on my to-do list. A week would go by without time to write a post. Then another week. Before I knew it my last post was 2 months ago.

A Hard Decision

I began thinking about calling it quits. I was hesitant—I enjoy writing about freelancing, connecting with other writers and sharing all the bumps along the way. Plus I was emotionally attached. Jargon Writer had been my first blog, my first baby, out there on the interwebs for all to see. But my readers deserved more than the occasional post. And, although it took me two months to admit it, I simply didn’t have time for more than that.

So I began doing what anyone would do…looking for a way to get all the good stuff without the price tag. I began looking for something that would give me an outlet for crazy client stories (which clearly can’t go on my business blog) without the time commitment of my own site. Guest posting seemed the obvious answer.

Just one problem: I’m lazy. Like, really lazy. (I could tell you that I’m just super busy running an online magazine, managing my client workload and updating my business blog, but let’s avoid the excuses, okay?) If I don’t have to do it—if it’s not something that I feel someone, somewhere is expecting—it probably won’t happen.

Finding A Compromise

With my own site I felt like at least my readers might be looking for a post and you saw how that turned out. (Need I repeat? My last post was 2 months ago.)

If all I was going to do from here on out was guest post, I knew I’d probably wind up not doing that either. So I decided on a compromise.

I chatted up Princess about the possibility of writing a post a month for Diary—a post one week a month that she wouldn’t have to write. If you saw her post last week, you know she’s down for that. So here I am.
Deciding to close down Jargon Writer was probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve made since I made the decision to become a full time freelancer in the first place, but I just didn’t have the time to post there consistently, let along promote the site and help it grow. The benefits of having the site just were not matching up with the cost in time to keep it going. And, fortunately, other options were available—I even like the one I ultimately chose.

Photo Credit: viZZZual

Melissa Breau

Melissa Breau spent the last three years as an editor at a magazine but in 2011 decided to launch full speed ahead into the freelance life. She currently offers copywriting for small businesses and professional editing for authors, as well as blog posts on each of the above, over at melissabreau.com.

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The other reason I love guest posts is that I get to host work from writer who have different views, experiences and talents than I have. There are far more talented people out there than I am and one way to prevent yourself from getting jealous about that is to embrace them. Guest posting is like if someone came to your house, put on your clothes and was awesome in your place for the day while you sat around in your pjs saying stuff like “Good point” and “I agree!”

What I’m trying to say here is that I love a good guest post and I’d love to get one from you if you’re interested.

But Not From You Over There

Well, I’d love to get a guest post from you unless you’re one of those people who writes guest posts for various sites so you can promote some irrelevant product or website as a part of the most mediocre marketing tactic on earth. You know what I’m talking about. You want to write me a generalized post about freelancing (or self-employment or pop culture or whatever this particular site is about) in exchange for a link back to a site about plastic surgery (or online dating or home improvement or whatever this particular site is not about).

And you email me with something like “Free article for [Insert website’s name]” with a form email that I then receive on the emails for six other websites I either own or manage for clients. Oh and you address me as “website owner,” “admin” or “P.S.,” even though the about page on the site or on my author’s page clearly says that my name is Princess.

Have you signed up for the Taking Your Meds Newsletter? You should. In January, we’ll be talking about how to find new guest posting opportunities and be the perfect guest so you can get invited back again.

I know what you’re saying now. “But part of guest posting is the link back for traffic and SEO reasons. It’s the whole reason for it.” You’re absolutely right. A link back is an expected courtesy. But, that doesn’t mean that my freelancing site should have to link back to some anal bleaching website because you took 15 minutes to write some snoozer about how freelancing is like wearing a hat.

I’m Gonna Have to Pass on That One

As the owner/manager of a blog or website, I have a responsibility to the people who stop by here. If I’m getting compensation for an article or post, I make sure you know. And if I talk about a product, service or brand, it should be useful to you in some way. I can’t just slap up some stuff because I didn’t feel like writing that day and let the chips fall where they may. When guest posting is done the right way, both you and your host are happy. You write something wonderful that the host can be proud to have on her site and you get the benefit of speaking directly to her audience. It’s a symbiotic relationship.

So, while I still love guest posts, I have to pass on the poorly concepted, poorly written offerings I keep getting in my email inbox. Not because I wouldn’t love to read a typo riddled post on organizing my desk with links to some site that promises to teach my readers how to make a six figure freelance living from buying a triple digit email course. But, because I like my readers too much to make them sit through that.

Princess Jones

Princess Jones is the evil genius behind Diary of a Mad Freelancer and P.S. Jones Communications. She blogs about freelance life, copywriting and being self-employed. She can usually be found tweeting away or rambling over on Google Plus.

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A friend and I were talking the other day about my work plans for 2012 and 2013. I was talking about some things I would need to hire out and she reminded me that I live in NYC now because she wanted to twist a dagger into my heart. She pointed out that there are lots of great programs here for writing and publishing that have students looking for part-time work. I told her that I couldn’t hire those people because they would know more than me and show me up every day with all their book learning. I mean these are people who study the art of writing. I know that I should cut back on passive voice. They know why.

Word Nerd I Am Not

Here’s What I Know

Princess Jones

Princess Jones is the evil genius behind Diary of a Mad Freelancer and P.S. Jones Communications. She blogs about freelance life, copywriting and being self-employed. She can usually be found tweeting away or rambling over on Google Plus.

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A while back, I got an idea that could help me connect with other freelancers. I started thinking about how sometimes when I get together with other people in my field, it feels like a group therapy session. One person might bring up something they’re going through and we’ll all talk about our experiences with it, give advice or just commiserate. And I always feel better after these little sessions because I’m inspired to do more and try more. I really liked the idea of starting some “group therapy” in connection with Diary of a Mad Freelancer because the name dovetailed so nicely . . . and we all know that if you got a great name for something, you HAVE to do it.

I’m thinking that we can do Twitter chats for the tweeps and Google+ hangouts for those who are interested on that network. Twitter chats will be less personal topics because I know that most of us are also using our Twitter handles for our business. Google+ hangouts, which are like group video chats, can be private so you don’t have to worry about your clients and prospects seeing you discussing things you don’t want them to know about. I’m still working out the details but I think we could stomach one  chat each once a month. And in all honesty, it’s possible that it will only be me and some guy from Lithuania who is just bored. But that’s ok. I think it still might be worth it. I’m sure that guy has some interesting thoughts on the sweater I put on every time I go into my office to work.

I plan on working out the kinks this month and starting Group Therapy in January 2012. (New year, new thing.) But if you have suggestions or want to keep up with the developments, follow me on Twitter or circle Diary of a Mad Freelancer on Google+. Or you could just post some thoughts about it in the comment section below:

Princess Jones

Princess Jones is the evil genius behind Diary of a Mad Freelancer and P.S. Jones Communications. She blogs about freelance life, copywriting and being self-employed. She can usually be found tweeting away or rambling over on Google Plus.

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