Over the years, I’ve answered a LOT of questions from readers on many aspects of the commercial writing business. All those contacts ultimately spurred me to start my one-on-one paid mentoring service, as I found I just didn’t have the time anymore.
In one of my better moves, I saved a lot of those commercial writing-related Q&As and here’s the result.
Questions from the Well-Fed Writer Mailbag
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Are commercial writers expected to do graphic design too?
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Should the freelancer be paid before or after the client pays the middleman?
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Companies that only take resumes / job inquiries through email or their web site
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Should I discount my regular rate for a “middleman” client?
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Writer seeks info on landing gigs writing informational booklets
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Does writing a blog help generate more business?
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Is it feasible to be a well-fed writer as a specialist writing for nonprofits?
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Should I drop my fee to $20 an hour for an easy job?
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Do I charge less than my normal rate for a not-for-profit?
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Is $25 for a Press Release Too Cheap?
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Can I Use My Blog Posts in a Portfolio?
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Is it important to get permission from clients to use samples in your portfolio?
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Should I charge a flat rate or an hourly fee?
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Clients who complain that some piece of writing isn’t right, but can’t explain why
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How do you deal with a client who refuses to pay the total agreed-upon amount?
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How do I know what the word counts should be on a particular project?
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How should I quote this particular project?
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I’m not sure what the client wants, and hence what to charge.
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How might spotting grammatical errors in newspaper ads lead to work?
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Avoiding esoteric references on your web site (or in marketing materials)
Want to add your Q&A to the list?
Have you recently figured something out about the freelance copywriting business that you didn’t know? Be generous and share your new-found knowledge! Just phrase your revelation in the form of a Q&A and send it to mailbag@wellfedwriter.com and we’ll get it loaded up. Pooling our writing experiences will make this resource grow quickly and ensure that it covers a lot of ground. Thanks in advance for sharing your stories!
Do you have a question you’d like answered in the Mailbag series? Use the form below to submit it and Jenn Mattern will post your question and her response as soon as she can.