I am a behind-the-scenes kind of writer. I love doing the work but hate doing the self-promotion to get the work. I don’t cold call. I don’t beg clients for referrals. Even after writing several books with reasonable success, I never spoke in front of an audience or did any public appearances; I agreed to be a guest on a radio show for my first book and decided never to do another one. I am borderline reclusive. So if I go against the grain of every highly-touted self-promotion tactic out there, how do I manage to find clients, sell books, and make a great living as a writer? Read the rest of this entry

This blog is named “Writer Profits” to help you profit from your writing. And I’m not talking about pocket change or sporadic token rewards of achievement. I’m talking about a real-life, day-in / day-out, career-sustaining income for your writing skills and talents.

Others do it and so can you. Here is a not-so-secret formula for achieving your writing career goals: Read the rest of this entry

What do many of the high demand writers have in common? They specialize. Perhaps they know a subject inside and out, like gardening, health and fitness, or investing. Or maybe they specialize in a format like direct mail, annual reports, press kits or multimedia presentations. Regardless of whether or not you CAN write anything for anyone, you will attract more clients and higher fees if you pick a niche and become a specialist—or expert—in it. Why? Read the rest of this entry

Several years ago I placed a fairly detailed ad on Craigslist looking for a freelance copywriter who could take overflow work that I had at the time. I received an overwhelming response with more than 100 emails appearing in my IN box in the span of two days. Yikes! With all that talent available I was certain it was going to be a tough decision.

It wasn’t.

Out of all those responses, only seven were valid candidates. Here’s why: Read the rest of this entry

I have been hearing a lot of “woe is me” stories from freelancers lately. They’ve suffered everything from lost clients to fewer projects to smaller fees.

I get it.

My business suffers, too. Many of my regular clients are now irregular clients, and I find myself competing for new projects with a much bigger pool of highly talented people all scrambling to make up for lost work. Yet, the one advantage that freelance writers have in a down economy is Read the rest of this entry