Welcome to THE WELL-FED E-PUB!

The companion monthly ezine to the quadruple-award-winning how-to
guide, “The Well-Fed Writer.” Serving up food for thought and tasty tips
for the prospering FLCW*. Come on in, sit anywhere and bring your appetite!

*FLCW, peppered throughout the ezine, stands for “Freelance Commercial
Writer”—anyone who freelances for businesses (vs. writing magazine
articles, short stories, poetry, etc.), typically earns $50-125+ an
hour, and is the sole focus of this e-newsletter.  

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VOLUME 13, ISSUE 8 – AUGUST 2014
Publishing the first Tuesday of every month since May 2002  
Read it online HERE.

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2014 EDITION OF “THE WELL-FED SELF-PUBLISHER” NOW AVAILABLE!
And it’s a TRIPLE award-winner! Check out various book AND ebook
(multiple formats!) products/bundles HERE!

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"PARTNER WITH DESIGNERS" EBOOK - 25% OFF THROUGH AUGUST!
Want a LOW-EFFORT FLOW OF WRITING JOBS? Discover the "gift that
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WANT TO BUY “THE WELL-FED WRITER” IN BULK (AND SAVE BIG)?
Buy for writer’s group, class or workshop! Details HERE!

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Check out THE WELL-FED WRITER BLOG! Weigh in on “Has ‘Busyness” Become
an Excuse for a Lack of Professional Courtesy?”; Put These in Place,
and You’ll Grow Your Copywriting Business Faster, and with Less
Stress”; “Do You Manage Your ‘To-Do’ List, or Does It Manage You?”; & More!

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THIS MONTH’S MENU:

I. APPETIZER: THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE HIDDEN “ART STROLL”
Yours Truly Encounters Yet Another Client With a “Marketing Blind Spot”

II. “FIELD” GREENS: AN ODE TO CONSISTENCE AND PERSISTENCE
MA FLCW’s Emailed Blog Links to His List Yield Little, Then the Floodgates Open!

III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: DO YOU “VET” YOUR CLIENTS? (PART 2 of 2)
WA Designer: To Keep Stress Low, Remember “Vetting” Isn’t a One-Way Street

IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips
IN FLCW Finds Past Magazine Sources Fertile Commercial Prospects!
TIP: NY FLCW Suggests “Creative Ice-Melter”: Don’t Start at the Beginning

V. COFFEE, MINTS AND TOOTHPICKS
- MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? Ebook Serves Up “How-To” - at 25% OFF!!
- GOT ANY SUCCESS STORIES YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE? Email ME.
- THE WELL-FED E-PUB NEEDS ALL COURSES!
- The WELL-FED WRITER BLOG is Rockin’!
- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get Bonus CD!
- How Can My Mentoring Service Serve You?

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I. APPETIZER: THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE HIDDEN “ART STROLL”
Yours Truly Encounters Yet Another Client With a “Marketing Blind Spot”

So, a few months ago, I was looking for something fun to do on the
weekend, and I came across one of those Friday night “art strolls”
that happen in the funky, artsy, lofty, up-and-coming-but-still-kinda-
dodgy areas of major-metro downtowns.

It’s an area of Atlanta called Castleberry Hill, and the neighborhood
association had sent out a mass email about the event. Looked good,
but I wasn’t sure of the location, so I visited their web site, where
certainly there’d be a map/directions, etc., right?

Wrong. Nothing. Nada. Just a lot of stuff about the neighborhood,
along with lists of merchants, art galleries and restaurants. I hunted
everywhere, even figured I’d Google one of the galleries, get their
address, and go from there. But then I thought, “No. This is
ridiculous. There’s no reason why there shouldn’t be directions.”

So, I found the “Contact Us,” emailed them this (excerpted):

Was planning on going to the Art Stroll this Friday. I went to the
site, and, unless you’re hiding it really well, was sort of amazed
that I couldn’t find ANY directions to the neighborhood. By digging
deep here and there, I could find an address of a gallery or two, but
nowhere did I find a prominent and dedicated link telling me “How to
Get Here” from different parts of the city.

Not to be a smartass, but don’t you think that’s somewhat important
information? Why make people hunt to find something so basic? YOU know
where you are, YOU know exactly how to get here, but you assume
erroneously that everyone else does as well. And we don’t.

This is The Curse of Knowledge at work (covered in this blog post).
And what do you know? I got back this reply:

Thanks Peter! Funny how no one really caught that before, but we now
have this page, thanks to you. The turn-by-turn, Google map and link
to the map showing parking, should help a bit.

We will also add mentions of the directions to the sidebar so that it's seen
on every page and link on the Art Stroll page itself, which needs some love.
Have a great day and thanks for the note!

Yes, I felt better, having made the world a bit clearer and more
understandable than it was before. Just one example of countless that
we all encounter, and yet another reason why folks like us are SO
needed out there—not just to create good writing, but to make companies,
web sites, products, services and concepts more accessible.

I say, it’s a wonderful and noble calling. On that warm-fuzzy note, let’s eat!

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II. “FIELD” GREENS: AN ODE TO CONSISTENCE AND PERSISTENCE
MA FLCW’s Emailed Blog Links to His List Yield Little, Then the Floodgates Open!

A great piece from Lynnfield, MA FLCW Tom Condardo about the power of
persistence. It can often seem (as Tom felt) that your outreach efforts are
wasted, but nay, nay. Read and heed. Thanks, Tom!

Peter: In the category of Persistent Prospecting. As you’ve preached
in your books when discussing ezines and blogs, it’s all about a
“regular monthly presence in front of your client and prospect base
saying: I’m still here and ready to serve you.”

This business is all about timing and you want to be “top of mind” when a
prospect has a need. I reaped the rewards of that advice recently.

Each month, I send a link to one of my blog posts to everyone on my
prospect list (opt-in only) just to stay in touch. In most cases,
months go by without any responses. The temptation after a while is to
stop sending the emails since nothing seems to be happening. As I
learned, that would be a mistake.

In a one-month period this past April, I suddenly heard from four of
these prospects. This was after sending between 8-10 monthly “touch
base” emails. It turns out that all of them had changed jobs and found
themselves badly in need of content with no writing resources. Guess
who they called?

The first wave of business was worth over $7K and it looks like at
least two of them may have some long-term work for me.

The moral: Be consistent and persistent. As Woody Allen once said, 80%
of life is just showing up.

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III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: DO YOU “VET” YOUR CLIENTS? (PART 2 of 2)
WA Designer: To Keep Stress Low, Remember “Vetting” Isn’t a One-Way Street

Part 2 of a two-parter (Part 1 HERE, under "Main Meat Course"), with
great dead-on advice from Mike Klassen from Ferndale, WA. Though now
a designer (formerly a copywriter), given the similarity of both fields, his
thoughts are always applicable to our world.

I love that this is a subject writers almost never talk about: the
need to “vet” your clients, just as they vet you. It’ll no doubt make
many who read it uncomfortable, but at its heart is a sentiment dear
to my heart: Respect Yourself. They may be paying us, but it’s still a
two-way street! Thanks, Mike!

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Last month we considered the idea of getting more information about
new clients before accepting their projects. Why? So that we spend
more of our time with clients that are the best match for us, and
doing what we can to avoid “problem” clients.

Don’t be afraid to probe beyond just the scope of the project. For example,
“I’d be curious to know how easy you feel you are to work with."

Believe it or not, some clients will be very honest and tell you if
they’re hard to please or if they tend to require a lot of revisions.
If you take the job, fine. At least you know what to expect and can
charge accordingly. A great career can be made by freelancers willing
to work with clients no one else will touch.

Don’t be afraid to ask about their payment schedule. Some clients pay
as soon as they get an invoice; others pay at set times of the month.
Just because your invoice says “Due on Receipt” doesn’t mean the
client is cutting the check that day. Or some clients will pay your
deposit immediately, but take forever to pay you the balance once the
project is complete.

Here’s a big one: Don’t be afraid to ask who did their writing work in
the past and why that person is not doing it now. I once didn’t pay
attention to the warning signs on that point and got involved with a
client that was very hard to please.

The client’s negative comments about the last creative firm, and the
fact that their internal creative team wasn’t even cutting it for her, should
have raised a red flag big enough to cover my house. I cut the client free
after the first project.

You might be saying, “Those questions sound good in theory, but I’m not the
type that can be so direct.” I hear you. Let me give you a few ideas.

I’ve been a freelancer for over 10 years. Recently, I altered the "About"
pages on my sites to explain how I do business and how I bill for projects.
On one site, I give a link to the About page right by the contact info and
strongly encourage them to read that page before they contact me.

You might use that page to list the questions you’re going to ask. If
they don’t have great answers or are offended by them, they probably
won’t call which, personally, suits me fine. I actually want to scare
away people who won’t be a good fit. Better to let my website do that
than to waste my time on the phone.

Another option is to create a PDF that potential clients can download
which includes info about you, questions you intend to ask new
clients, and samples of your work. This all-in-one PDF makes a great
marketing piece.

Is there a downside to this approach of asking more in-depth questions
about the client? Sure! The biggest one being that you might lose the
client. Clients often think of themselves in the driver’s seat. After
all, they’re the ones signing the checks, right? If you’re just starting out,
you don’t want to lose any potential clients. I get that.

But here’s something I’ve learned from years of experience: Some
clients simply aren’t worth it.

These are the clients who pay too little and demand too much, who are
rarely happy with what you do, who see you as disposable, who decide
something one day and change their mind the next, who cause you to get
a knot in your stomach when you see an email from them or see that
they’re calling, who make you toss and turn at night, and who, even
worse, make you question your decision to be a freelancer.

How do you avoid them? Well, some times you can’t. That’s a real part
of freelancing. But you can sure cut down your exposure to them when
you take the time up-front to probe a little deeper, or spell out what
you’ll want to know before they call.

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IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES AND TIPS
IN FLCW Finds Past Magazine Sources Fertile Commercial Prospects!
TIP: NY FLCW Suggests “Creative Ice-Melter”: Don’t Start at the Beginning

Are you a magazine writer transitioning to commercial writing, OR
adding more of that work to your mix? Even if you’re not, check out this
great how-to/success story from Auburn, Indiana FLCW Stephanie Weber
about surprising writing opportunities with sources from her past
editorial gigs. Thanks, Steph!

After that, a cool strategy (that I do as well) from Wesley Hills, NY FLCW
Alan Zoldan about jump-starting the creative process even before
starting on a project. Good stuff!

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On two separate occasions, I've had the source of an article track me
down after the interview. And it wasn't because they wanted to throw
in another quote.  

So what did they want? Help. Let me explain...

Thus far in my career, I had focused solely on writing for magazines
and had made a point not to write for businesses. I assumed that line
of work would entail sleazy ad copy and I just couldn’t stomach it.

Talk about uneducated! These clients ended up coming to me because
they wanted to hire me. They needed help with their blogs, eBooks,
newsletters, and even public relations. And they were serious about
snagging a writer who understood them, their industry, and their business.

They didn’t know me from Adam; they were complete strangers until I
reached out to them and asked them to be sources in my magazine
articles. But after they saw the finished pieces, they were impressed
with my ability to "sound like them." While I joke that it’s pretty easy to
do with quotes, we all know how difficult it can be to nail the voice of a client.

Copywriting was an area of this business that I never wholeheartedly
embraced until I met these two clients. The majority of my projects
have now shifted to CW and I’ve been fortunate to accumulate a steady
stream of clients since then. I’m looking forward to seeing how all of
these relationships grow, minus the sleazy ad copy, of course!

A few final notes:

1) Please, please, please, always treat sources with professionalism
and kindness. My story proves that impressions do have a lasting
effect. You just never know when a former source might come knocking
on your door.

2) Don't take sources on as clients until the article you originally
quoted them in has been published. Otherwise, editors may worry about
bias. And always check your contract to be certain you’re allowed to
work with those clients.

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I’ve never been much of a procrastinator in terms of tackling an
assignment. Perhaps having a check in hand is an effective motivator,
because it instills in me a sense of responsibility for getting the
ball rolling, whether or not I’m ready to jump right in.

Meaning, I don’t closely read all the reference material; I skim it. I
circle good stuff and make a few notes. I try to get a general sense
of the points I want to make without getting caught up in the nuts and
bolts, or the “transitional paragraphs” that’ll be part of the final copy.

Two suggestions about putting pen to paper—even at this early stage of
the process:

1) Start jotting down ideas for headlines (or subject line or envelope
teaser copy if it’s a DM package). Doing that is a good way to boil
down the “pitch” your piece makes, to a concise and compelling hook.

2) Write a “boilerplate” part of the piece—some of the facts that must
be included, but that you won’t have to fiddle with all that much. The
virtue of this is that it’s less challenging than coming up with the “big idea”
or the ever-challenging lead-in. And yet, you’re still working on your
project. In fact, you’ve begun—just not at the beginning.

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V. COFFEE, MINTS AND TOOTHPICKS
- MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? Ebook Serves Up the “How-To” - at 25% OFF!
- GOT ANY SUCCESS STORIES YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE? Email ME.
- THE WELL-FED E-PUB NEEDS ALL COURSES!
- The WELL-FED WRITER BLOG is Rockin’!
- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get Bonus CD!
- How Can My Mentoring Service Serve You?

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MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? EBOOK AT 25% OFF THRU AUGUST!
"More work with less effort" is NO hype. It’s how my business has worked
for the better part of 20 years, thanks to some juicy partnerships with graphic
designers. The result? 1-2 jobs virtually every month with little or no effort on
my part. The "how-to" ebook is 25% off thru August. Details HERE.

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GOT ANY SUCCESS STORIES YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?
While my call for submissions netted a TON of stuff a few months back,
I’m still a bit lean on success stories. Whether starting out or
experienced, if you recently had a noteworthy success (i.e., landed a
new client—perhaps in an unusual way—a new gig, new work from an old
client, or anything else that has a good lesson for your fellow
FLCW’s), send it on to me HERE. 100-300 words is great.     

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I’M SERIOUSLY LOW ON ALL WELL-FED E-PUB COURSES!
Got a great strategy, approach or specific expertise you’re willing to
share? Turn it into a Feature (MAIN COURSE) for the EPUB (500-600
words; query first). ALSO, send your “GREENS” (200-400 words), TIPS
(100-200) and SUCCESS STORIES (150-300) to ME. Archived issues HERE.  

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The WELL-FED WRITER BLOG is Rockin’!

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