Welcome to THE WELL-FED E-PUB!

The companion monthly ezine to the quadruple-award-winning
how-to guide, ÒThe Well-Fed Writer.Ó 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 ÒFreelance
Commercial WriterÓ—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 10 – OCTOBER 2014 - OUR 150th ISSUE!
Publishing the first Tuesday of every month since May 2002
Read it online at HERE.

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IÕM PRESENTING @ THE NO-HYPE COPYWRITING SUMMIT – NOVEMBER 3-7!
Turned off by—and hate writing—overly Òhype-yÓ copy? You CAN be
true
to your ethics AND make good money. Join me and others who
share this philosophy
. Details HERE!

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2014 EDITION OF ÒTHE WELL-FED SELF-PUBLISHERÓ NOW AVAILABLE!
And itÕs a TRIPLE award-winner! Check out various book AND ebook
(multiple formats!) products/bundles HERE!

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ARE YOU PARTNERING WITH DESIGNERS? IF NOT, YOUÕRE MI$$ING OUTÉ
Get the real-world scoop on a low-effort flow of writing jobs HERE!

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NEW 1-ON-1 COACHING PROGRAMS: SAMPLE/SITE REVIEW & ÒSIDECARÓ!
Low-cost peace of mind and guidance. Details HERE.

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WANT TO BUY ÒTHE WELL-FED WRITERÓ IN BULK (AND SAVE BIG)?
Buy for writerÕs group, class or workshop! Details HERE.

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THE WELL-FED WRITER BLOG! Weigh in on "Is Your Web Site
Bio Creating Trust or Indifference?Ò' WhatÕs Your ÔDiscomfort ThresholdÕ
for Growing Your WritingBusiness?Ó; ÒHas ÔBusynessÓ Become an Excuse
for a Lack of Professional Courtesy?Ó; & More!

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THIS MONTHÕS MENU:

I. APPETIZER: QUIT THINKING CLIENTS ARE SO MUCH SMARTER THAN YOU!
Yes, Our Field Pays Well, But Clients Are Just Like Us

II. ÒFIELDÓ GREENS: THE DAY I SAID ÒNOÓ TO THE HOURLY RATE QUESTION
NY FLCW Finally Sticks to His (Pricing-Style) Guns and the World
DoesnÕt End

III. MAIN ÒMEATÓ COURSE: GOLD NEEDLES IN THE ONLINE JOB HAYSTACK
CA FLCW Navigates the Online Low-Ball Dumpster and Makes a Good Wage

IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips
Quick Chat at the Gym Turns into $1200 Gig for Brooklyn FLCW!
TIP: AZ FLCWÕs 4 Quick Tips to Help You Find More Time & Joy in Your
Work Day!

V. COFFEE, MINTS AND TOOTHPICKS
- MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? Ebook Serves Up ÒHow-ToÓ!  
- 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 RockinÕ!
- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get Bonus CD!
- How Can My Mentoring Service Serve You?

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I. APPETIZER: QUIT THINKING CLIENTS ARE SO MUCH SMARTER THAN YOU!
Yours Truly: Yes, Our Field Pays Well, But Clients Are Just Like Us

Was talking with a commercial-writing coaching client the other day,
soon to launch her practice. She had decent writing experience, but
practically no exposure to the business-type clients that hire folks
like us. She said something like, ÒI just have this image of them as
SO much smarter and savvier than me, and it freaks me out. I wonder
how in the world IÕd ever be able to help them.Ó

Sound familiar? If youÕre new to our field and the clients that
populate it, itÕs easy to put them on a pedestal and sell yourself
short. DonÕt. Certainly, youÕll meet plenty of smart and experienced
folks, and yes, for the fees theyÕre offering, they do expect good
work. But typically, theyÕre just like you and me. For the most part,
theyÕre not marketing superstars, and are often overworked and even in
over their head. And, if youÕre a good writer, smart, and a quick
study, you CAN make a difference for them.

I recently did a big project for a large northeast US office of an
international financial services firm. While I thought the ideas,
advice and creative directions I came up with were pretty good, they
struck me nonetheless, as pretty basic, marketing-wise. Yet, the
marketing director, while he was as nice to work with as they come,
received them like epiphanies. Sure, IÕve been doing this a long time,
and it picked up quite a few skills along the way, but stillÉ

Certainly good for the ego, but, point is, here was someone in charge
of the marketing of a pretty big outfit, and I was serving up
solutions to market his company that had never occurred to him. So,
bottom line, hone your chops, get up to speed, but just assume youÕre
good enough to play with the big boys. On that uplifting note, letÕs eat!

P.S. It's Our 150th Issue of The Well-Fed E-PUB! I've been publishing
this go-to ezine for the commercial freelancing industry EVERY month,
non-stop, since May 2002. Let's give ALL of ourselves a BIG hand for 
quite a milestone accomplishment. By definition (since most of it comes
from YOU,  I couldn't have done it without you!


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II. ÒFIELDÓ GREENS: THE DAY I SAID ÒNOÓ TO THE HOURLY RATE QUESTION
NY FLCW Finally Sticks to His (Pricing-Style) Guns and the World DoesnÕt End

Another Òflat-rate-not-hourly-rateÓ voice weighing in here: Wesley
Hills, NY FLCW Alan Zoldan, a 20-year copywriting pro, who shares
the moment when he realized he could (and should) speak his truth,
and stop getting bullied into quoting hourly rates heÕd regret. Thanks, Alan!

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I prefer to charge by the project for all the usual good reasons. It
gives my client a precise figure he or she can use when budgeting. It
rewards me if I work fast, and doesnÕt penalize my client if I work slowly.

Finally, IÕm concerned thereÕs a certain ÒshockÓ to quoting an hourly
rate, as I suspect the rate is well above what their employees usually
earn. Nevertheless, I usually do end up stating a rate, even if IÕve
made a strong case for a project-based fee. In other words, I shoot
myself in the foot.

But the other day, deep into an initial in-person meeting with a
prospective client, the question once again loomed: do I have an
hourly rate? With bated breath and the cumulative confidence of a 20+
year
FLCW career, I simply replied, ÒNo.Ó And smiled.

And guess what? The ceiling didnÕt cave in. Security wasnÕt summoned
to escort me from the building. The client simply considered my reply
for a moment (as I had already presented two other payment options)
and said, ÒThatÕs fine.Ó

Gee, I thought, why had I been avoiding that terse negative reply for
lo, these many years? Probably because I feared that no hourly rate
meant no new client—or that itÕs best to do whatever the client prefers.

And yet, at least for this prospect, it was a perfectly acceptable
answer. Much to my surprise (and relief), it was not an issue it all.
In fact—and in retrospect—it might even be viewed as a good client
qualifier: clients okay with my going off the clock might be more
worthwhile clients. Time will tell!

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III. MAIN ÒMEATÓ COURSE: GOLD NEEDLES IN THE ONLINE JOB HAYSTACK  
CA FLCW Navigates the Online Low-Ball Dumpster and Makes a Good Wage

Got this exceptionally useful piece from Watsonville, CA FLCW Tom
Bentley
about potentially financially promising writing opportunities
through online venues. While IÕm not a big one on these directions
(crazy-low rates are the rule), Tom seems to have made it work by
steering clear of the bargain-basement crapola. Tom describes
himself as Òa business writer and editor who also writes and edits
fiction and other writerly goods.Ó

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Pitching Copywriting Online: Throw Strikes
ThereÕs a lot of low-hanging fruit on the Net for copywriters: places
like oDesk and Elance post scads of copywriting jobs, the various
CL sites are filled with solicitations for writers, and there are a number
of revenue-sharing sites that propose to give you a cut of ad revenue
in exchange for article eyeballs.

The problem with this kind of fruit is that itÕs rotten. When you are
competing with writers willing to compose a 500-word article for five
dollars (such as on Fiverr), the only competition taking place is a
race to the bottom. ThatÕs a deep pit from which to crawl.

However, for the judicious writer, one who is both selective both of
his or her time and of the projects pitched, there could be some sweet
Net fruit ripe for the picking. For instance, IÕm registered on Ebyline
which hooks up writers with set-fee projects, and takes a cut whe
the project is completed and paid for by the client.

ThereÕs a broad range of projects there, and many of them donÕt pay
enough (or arenÕt interesting enough) for me to pitch. However, there
was a pitch for writing a 1,000-word piece for the premium-scotch
distiller, Glenlivet, to be published on their iPad app. The app is a
nicely laid-out ÒlifestyleÓ publication of travel, dining, gadgets and more.

I bid on the $500 project—handled though an intermediary, Forbes
Connect. The client liked the initial draft, but wanted a deep sidebar
added and a few changes. Easy enough, particularly when the Forbes
person said that theyÕd toss in $300 extra for my trouble, without me
even asking (and I was going to ask—but not for quite that much).

HereÕs the finished piece, which landed me $800 for 1,300 words.
And Ebyline handled all of the payment process, putting the dough
in my Paypal account as stated.

Contented with Contently, Soaring with Skyword
IÕve also written a couple of articles for Contently, where you put up
a colorful portfolio of your published articles, which could be useful to
direct potential clients to for promo, regardless of internal pitching.
Contently editors check out your stuff to hook you up with potential
clients, with the same take-a-cut basis as Ebyline. Clients can vet
your portfolio and decide if youÕre suitable for the project.

The business writing IÕm doing for Contently (oddly enough, about
international banking, not a field I would have pretended expertise) is
at an experienced copywriterÕs rate, and IÕm discussing more future work.

Lastly, IÕve also written a couple of short pieces for Skyword, where again,
you put up a portfolio, and editors contact you for writing that seems
suitable to your background. IÕm right now discussing a multiple-article
project from Google that looks interesting and will pay well—stay tuned.

Certainly, there are a lot of garbage ÒopportunitiesÓ out there for
writers. But if you donÕt waste time bidding on, or accepting low-ball
gigs, you can land some projects that make sense. As mentioned, I
wouldnÕt bother with the heavily trafficked sites, where you might be
sending in your bid or resume along with 1,000 other humble seekers
who are also registered at 50 content-mill sites.

Considering my experiences on sites like Ebyline, Contently and
Skyword, there seem to be some businesses out there that present
potential work in a straightforward fashion, donÕt hide that theyÕre
taking a cut (usually transparent to the writer regardless), and
manage the process without significant problems.


Just donÕt steal the jobs IÕm pitching.

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IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips
Quick Chat at the Gym Turns into $1200 Gig for Brooklyn FLCW!
TIP: AZ FLCWÕs 4 Quick Tips to Help You Find More Time & Joy in Your Work Day!  

Great early-on success story from Brooklyn, NY FLCW Will Molinar.
ItÕs all about speaking up and telling people what youÕre up to. Not a
bad dayÕs work, Will! After that, four great (and quick) time-management
tips for improving your FLCW business, from AZ FLCW, Christine Bailey.

 
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I work part time as a personal trainer and Pilates instructor. About
30% of my income comes from freelance writing now, with that chunk
increasing over time. I mentioned to a guy at my gym, Mark, who owns
some restaurants in Manhattan, that I was also a freelance copywriter.
A week or two later he asked if I could help him with the motto/history
of his new restaurant near Washington Square Park.

Mark said he knew what he wanted to say but wasn't sure how to put it
into words and needed a writer to coalesce these thoughts into a
compact couple of paragraphs to put on the restaurantÕs (called White
Oak Tavern) marketing materials.

Mark, whoÕs Irish, wanted to invoke an old school, historical feel,
harkening back to the days when Irish taverns were places people
could go and have drink with their friends, back in the old country.

I charged him a flat rate of $1200, giving him the right to use it on
any materials. It wound up being very fun, as I needed to study the
history of taverns and check out what other similar places had done
around the city. It was maybe 8-10 hours of work. Not a bad way to
make some extra coin. A ten-second conversation really paid off!

Update from Will: I just started a new project for a group of investors
to help fund a new company's foray into an emerging market. The
presentation and business plan IÕm working on will help my client
garner millions for her project. Crazy, right?

The challenge: To translate her thoughts, often jumbled and verbose,
into something concise and compelling for investors with ADD (her
words), who only care about profits. I went back and re-read the
Features v. Benefits section in your book and it's helped a lot. All
my
client talked about was ÒI do this, I do that,Ó and I said great,
but how is this good for your audience? That section in your book
helped me structure the presentation.

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As FLCWÕs, our businesses can often consume us, leaving little time
for the work we love (like writing)! Or so we think. According to
Laura Vanderkam, author of "168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You
Think
," itÕs not that we need more time, we simply need to be smarter
about how we use the time we have. Apply some of VanderkamÕs tips to
your FLCW business.
 
1) Keep a log for one week: Use 15-minute increments. YouÕll start to
see trends and that knowledge is power (did you really need that extra
hour on the Internet?).

2) Create a ÒList of 100 DreamsÓ: Apply this concept to your business.
What do you want to accomplish as a FLCW? What types of projects and
clients do you prefer? Knowing the answers to these questions helps
you say ÒyesÓ to the right work and ÒnoÓ to the work that leaves you
uninspired. (PB: If starting out, you might need to do some
uninspiring work to pay the bills, but over time, yes, move towards
what lights you up).

3) Identify your core competencies: Since weÕre in the business of
writing, itÕs most likely a core competency, but what about the other
work like research, paying bills or organizing your files. Who says
you have to do it?

4) Re-write your work week starting with a blank log: Fill in your
core competencies, include the types of activities that will bring you
closer to your dream projects/clients, and then ignore, minimize or
outsource the rest.

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V. COFFEE, MINTS AND TOOTHPICKS
- MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? Ebook Serves Up ÒHow-ToÓ!
- 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 RockinÕ!
- 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 Serves Up ÒHow-ToÓ
ThatÕs not hype. ItÕs how my business has worked for the better part of
18 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. And I put all the how-to details down on paper. Check it out HERE.

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GOT ANY SUCCESS STORIES YOUÕD LIKE TO SHARE?
While my call for submissions netted some things a few months back, IÕm
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 FLCWÕs), send it on to ME.

100-300 words is great.    

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IÕM (STILL) SERIOUSLY LOW ON ALL WELL-FED E-PUB COURSES!
Got a great strategy, approach or specific expertise youÕre willing to share?
Turn it into a Feature (MAIN COURSE) for the EPUB (500-600 words;
query first). ALSO, send your ÒGREENSÓ (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 RockinÕ!

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AWAI COPYWRITING (& OTHER) COURSES: Register Here, Get Your
Choice of Bonus CD Program! Six-Figure Copywriting, Graphic Design,
Internet Writing, Fundraising, Health Market and more!

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HOW CAN MY MULTIPLE MENTORING PROGRAMS SERVE YOU?
For details and testimonials, visit HERE.

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