Poet For Hire

Shades of Cyrano

One way to work as an affordable writer is by writing poems for hire, something some poets have done for many centuries. Bards in medieval Wales and Ireland, for instance, composed praise-poems for chieftains, hoping to be rewarded with generous gifts. They were supposed to have the additional power of writing magical satires, so the whole procedure was really a form of extortion- noblemen would make the gifts as generous as possible out of fear of the bards' magic. The Irish bards were even supposed to be able to make the earth swallow them up if they weren't generous enough.

In the modern world, poets-for-hire usually ply their trade online, advertizing their services largely through personal websites. I've never done this kind of work for money, but I've done essentially the same thing as a personal favor on several occasions. If a friend asks me to write a poem he can give his girlfriend, or something to read aloud at their wedding, I usually oblige.

 

Of course, that's a matter of my personal relationship with the person who's asking me. Poets-for-hire take it one step further, offering the same service for a fee to anyone in the world. The clients are generally asking for the same thing, though- a little literary help in the romance department. The quality of the poetry is likely to vary quite a bit from one poet to another, but if you don't feel confident enough to write your own love poem, this might be a good idea- and it's certainly a bit more imaginative than another bouquet.

 

 

Try Your Local Chamber of Commerce

Finding work as a writer can be challenging, and even if you find a little bit here and there, getting enough clients to keep you working steady can seem almost impossible.  One of the best ways to find long term work is to cultivate connections.  Your local Chamber of Commerce is an excellent place to start.

When you get involved with the local Chamber, you get a chance to get to know businesspeople, like you, who are in your local community.  Now, I don’t know about you, but if I get the chance to shop local instead of padding the pocket of an overseas corporation, I will choose the former.  The same is true for many people, but when it comes to finding a specialty service provider, such as a writer, potential clients might not know where to look.  For that reason, when I advertise on Craigslist, I always emphasize that I am a local writer because people want someone they can connect with.

By cultivating connections through your local Chamber of Commerce, you are showing your community that there are local options, and giving people a chance to get to know you.  Attending local Chamber meetings is a great way to meet new people.

While your efforts might not pay off immediately in terms of work, you will be getting to know people, establishing relationships and enjoying the benefits of being involved in a community.  So before you find yourself in need of work, head on down to your local Chamber of Commerce and get involved.

Maintaining Your Workspace

Being successful at working from home requires the ability to keep a certain mindset.  For me, part of that mindset involves keeping my work area neat and clean.  This is just one of many ways to stay focused and motivated, but I find that if my workspace is messy, I have a terrible time staying on track. 

Cluttering your desk with papers and things to do is the type of distraction that adds unnecessary stress to your workday.  It is too easy to get distracted by that bill that needs to be paid or the stack of papers that need to be filed.  Putting them away, or at least having a dedicated place for items that need attention, will keep your mind clear and focused on your writing.

If your office is in a communal part of the house, like your kitchen table (been there, whew!), do what you can to keep other people’s clutter from taking over where you work.  Make it a rule that your kids – if you have any – must keep their toys and projects away from the table while you are working.  Sure, it’s the kitchen table and there for everyone, but not during work times.

Keeping your workspace neat and organized will help keep your tasks running smoothly, your mind clear from the stress of things yet undone, and improve your overall mood by looking tidy and clean.  If you can improve one area of your home business methods, I think this should be the one.  I can’t stress enough how important a clean workspace is.

Putin's Army Of Bloggers

Always Write Your Conscience!

According to a story in the Guardian, Russia's “Nashi” youth movement of Kremlin supporters has been funding the dissemination of propaganda by a network of paid bloggers, creating the false impression of widespread and enthusiastic support for the Russian leader.

That kind of thing goes on in the US too. A lot of the insane right-wing comments you see on the bottom of news stories are actually by paid corporate shills funded by shadowy backers. If your political opinions are genuinely and honestly right-wing or left-wing and you happen to be a writer, I don't see anything wrong with accepting payment to advocate for the things you already believe in. If someone wants to pay you to express your opinions, whether right-wing or left-wing, you get the opportunity to make a living while also working for the causes you believe in. That's a win-win situation.

 

On the other hand, if your actual political opinions are different from what you're being paid to say, or if you are actually politically apathetic but are willing to rant fanatically on some news story if the money is right, then this is not an honorable way for a writer to make a living. Being a paid political blogger is not wrong, but being a paid political liar really is. In writing for a living as in everything else, there are ethical standards we must all do our best to live up to. I wouldn't write a political essay I didn't agree with no matter what I was offered- some things are just more important than money.

 

 

 

Careful About Contracts

"When you are ghostwriting, you give up the copyrights to a piece, typically once payment is received."

It is not uncommon to be asked to sign a contract when you are working with private clients to provide writing services.  A contract can help make sure both parties are covered and will get what they are expecting from the deal.  Typical contracts may cover payment agreements, turnaround time and the copyright status of work done.

When you are asked to sign a contract, be sure to read it very carefully.  Most clients want to simply ensure they are protected, but some contract terminology may leave you in the lurch if there are disagreements about the work completed or other factors.

Be sure you have communicated clearly with the client before you get to the contract signing part, so that you both know what this agreement will entail.  Clearly state your terms of payment, the turnaround time you will provide and how the rights will be assigned once work is completed.

When you are ghostwriting, you give up the copyrights to a piece, typically once payment is received.  Make sure both you and the client understand exactly when the rights ownership will be transferred. 

It is a good idea to consider all of these components before you begin accepting clients, so you will be prepared with your own terms and already know what you are willing to agree to.

Contracts are not a bad thing and should not dissuade you from taking on a particular client, but you do need to take responsibility for thoroughly reading a contract to be sure you can fulfill the requirements.

Origins of the Word "Freelance"

This Gun For Hire...

The word “freelance” was invented by the novelist Sir Walter Scott, to describe a type of medieval warrior that really existed. Most knights and men at arms were loyal to specific feudal overlords, through an exchange of mutual obligations. Some knights and men at arms were direct retainers, working for what was essentially a wage at the lord's own castle. The modern equivalent of this would be the “company man,” working directly at corporate headquarters.

Other knights were semi-autonomous, ruling small fiefs of their own. They didn't exactly own these fiefs as private property, because they had to pay a type of rent to their lord in the form of military service. The modern equivalent of this would be a franchise owner.

 

Still another type of warrior was the “free companion,” essentially a mercenary knight or man at arms. Free companions could serve and fight on a temporary basis for any lord who would have them. Sir Walter Scott, in one of his historical novels, referred to them as “free lances,” because their lances (and other weapons) were freely available to the highest bidder. It was a “this gun for hire” kind of situation.

 

So whether you're a freelance writer or a freelance marketing consultant, database person or engineer, your position in the modern economic system is equivalent to that of a “free companion” in the system of feudalism. You're a mental mercenary, a “gun for hire.” Self-mythologizing like that can really help get you through the work day!

 

Writing For A Profit Split

When Does It Make Sense?

Are there any circumstances under which you should agree to ghost write or re-write a book on a profit split rather than a cash-up-front basis? I would personally do it under only one set of circumstances. If the book in question is written to appeal to an easily definable niche market, and if there is an easy and inexpensive way to appeal to that market, then it might be worth my time to take on that project.

For example, if a client approaches me with a rough draft or outline of a book about the mountain dulcimer, I would next want to find out if there are any forums or discussion groups about the mountain dulcimer on the internet. I would then want to know what the rules of those forums had to say about commercial posts. If I would be allowed to make a post promoting the book, I would have an easy way to reach out to mountain dulcimer enthusiasts without spending a bunch of money.

 

From a sufficiently detailed set of notes or a rough draft, I could probably produce a publishable manuscript working a few hours a day for a month or two- depending on the length of the manuscript, of course. Let's say the total amount of work required added up to a hundred hours. If we ended up selling each book for a ten dollar profit, I would get five dollars for every book. If the book sold as many as two hundred copies, I'd earn ten dollars an hour for my work. It might take a little while for such a niche topic, but it would be fairly reliable. It would be surprising if the book didn't sell at least fifty copies in a year, and at that rate it would take four years to reach my goal. If I can count on earning at least ten dollars an hour, then a project is worth my time. If I can't, then it isn't.

 

Set a Minimum Order Amount

When I first started writing for private clients, I would take anyone who wanted to hire me.  As I started getting busier, however, I started to realize that I spend the same amount of time getting to know a client if I write one page or one hundred, and I realized I was investing way too much time on some of these smaller one-page projects.

For that reason, I implemented a minimum order amount for all clients.  This means I will still take on any size project, but the minimum order ensures I get paid enough to make that extra research time worth it.  How you set your minimum order depends on what your target hourly rate is, and how much time you spend with each client.

It makes no sense to spend an hour talking with a client or researching their business type, and then spend the same amount of time writing for them, unless you get a larger amount up front.

For me, my minimum order is the same as my anticipated hourly wage.  This gives my clients up to that many words, but they will not get refunded if what I write is less than the word equivalent of their deposit.  If I go over that, which is usually the case, my standard per-word rate applies.

Setting a minimum order will help you make the most of your time and make sure you are getting a fair wage for even the smallest of projects.  Most serious clients will have no trouble with such a condition, and I certainly haven’t noticed a decrease in business since implementing that policy myself.

Self-Publishing Through Lulu

It Depends On Your Goals

If you want to try to make a living as a writer, you can do it by writing articles, you can do it by writing SEO content or website content or by several other methods. One of the least likely options is that you will make any significant amount of money by writing books. Why? Because most books don't ever find a publisher, and most of those that do find a publisher don't receive an advance, and most of those that do receive an advance don't ever earn enough royalties to pay back the advance (yes, you read that right- the advance is a loan!) and most of those that earn enough to pay back the advance don't earn their authors more than beer money when all is said and done. So if you write a book, beer money is what you're working for- with a few exceptions, such as a book with a clearly-defined niche audience eager to buy it, or a book so brilliant and so lucky that it beats all the odds and becomes a hit.

But what if you've been working on a pet project for a very long time, such as quirky little novel? Let's say you've sent it out to every single known publisher that would possibly be interested, and none of them have taken it. What can you do? Lulu and similar print on demand self-publishing options can provide you with the opportunity to at least make your book available. I have used this service myself, and I've also ordered books from the Lulu website. But I don't think any of those books was ever a novel. Why is that? Because just by reading the author's descriptions on Lulu, you can tell that the far majority of these books were unable to find publishers for the simple reason that they are not good books. You would have to look long and hard through the Lulu catalog to find any undiscovered masterpieces.

 

If you are the author of such a masterpiece, Lulu is an option of last resort. At least it makes it easy for you to have copies made so you can send them to your friends and relatives. But you won't sell any books. If you're the author of a nonfiction book in a niche market, and you have some idea of how to market to that niche, Lulu is an excellent option. You set the book price yourself, so you'll be making an actual profit on every book- not just royalties. If you've written that kind of book, Lulu can be a better option that a traditional publisher.

 

 

Self-Publishing Through Lulu

It Depends On Your Goals

If you want to try to make a living as a writer, you can do it by writing articles, you can do it by writing SEO content or website content or by several other methods. One of the least likely options is that you will make any significant amount of money by writing books. Why? Because most books don't ever find a publisher, and most of those that do find a publisher don't receive an advance, and most of those that do receive an advance don't ever earn enough royalties to pay back the advance (yes, you read that right- the advance is a loan!) and most of those that earn enough to pay back the advance don't earn their authors more than beer money when all is said and done. So if you write a book, beer money is what you're working for- with a few exceptions, such as a book with a clearly-defined niche audience eager to buy it, or a book so brilliant and so lucky that it beats all the odds and becomes a hit.

But what if you've been working on a pet project for a very long time, such as quirky little novel? Let's say you've sent it out to every single known publisher that would possibly be interested, and none of them have taken it. What can you do? Lulu and similar print on demand self-publishing options can provide you with the opportunity to at least make your book available. I have used this service myself, and I've also ordered books from the Lulu website. But I don't think any of those books was ever a novel. Why is that? Because just by reading the author's descriptions on Lulu, you can tell that the far majority of these books were unable to find publishers for the simple reason that they are not good books. You would have to look long and hard through the Lulu catalog to find any undiscovered masterpieces.

 

If you are the author of such a masterpiece, Lulu is an option of last resort. At least it makes it easy for you to have copies made so you can send them to your friends and relatives. But you won't sell any books. If you're the author of a nonfiction book in a niche market, and you have some idea of how to market to that niche, Lulu is an excellent option. You set the book price yourself, so you'll be making an actual profit on every book- not just royalties. If you've written that kind of book, Lulu can be a better option that a traditional publisher.

 

 

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