Is it possible to work entirely online? And if your writing samples mostly include your own blog content, can you use those blog posts in a portfolio? That’s what freelance writer, Sarah, wanted to know when she reached out. Fortunately, working entirely online (and in the professional blogging space) is something I have plenty of … Read more
As a freelance commercial writer, you might have spent years building writing samples. You might have wondered whether or not you can use samples in your portfolio, or if you need to ask your clients first. The simple answer is: it depends. But chances are good you’re fine using past projects in your portfolio. In … Read more
Deciding on a fee structure is an important business decision for freelance commercial writers. Should you charge an hourly fee? A flat project rate? Something else? In response to a reader question, The Well-Fed Writer’s Peter Bowerman and Jennifer Mattern share their thoughts on freelance writing rate structures. Hourly Fee or Flat Fee? This is … Read more
Q: As a custom publisher, I work with clients who complain that an article or some other piece of writing isn’t “right” but can’t make any suggestions as to what’s wrong. I verify that content, quotes, etc. are accurate. “What exactly don’t you like,” I ask? “Well, I’m not a writer,” they say, “you’re the … Read more
Q: How do you deal with a client who refuses to pay the total amount agreed upon in the contract? (i.e., you receive a check upon agreement of your contract for a 1/3 of the amount and in the end that’s all they decide to pay you – saying they feel you’ve charged them too … Read more
Q: How do I know how many words it’ll take to fit in, say, a trifold brochure? Does the client give you a word count? Do you just guess or do you have to meet with a design person first? Because of the variables, determining length of copy could be difficult. For example, a trifold … Read more
Q: One of my hi-tech clients I mentioned has become a regular, and I’ve been asked to offer a quote for writing a private placement memorandum (PPM) for a real estate partnership. The gig would be ongoing, with one PPM every quarter. The first PPM would be the toughest, and follow-ups much simpler as they’d … Read more
Q: I am about to work with my first client, a high-tech company specializing in WiFi. The client has sent me my first projects: a 20-slide PowerPoint presentation and a three-page white paper that both need revision. I’m not developing any content from scratch. I’m working on an estimate right now for this but I … Read more
Q: I read all of the display ads in my local paper for leads. I consistently find ads that, while the content is pretty good, have grammatical errors. How would one approach such businesses to offer his/her services without offending them? A: I’m not sure that’s the best way to land work, unless, perhaps, you’re … Read more
Q: PB Note: I was recently steered to a reader’s site and her writing business used a word that looked like a misspelled version an every day word. I pointed it out, to which she replied that the word wasn’t in fact misspelled, but was a variant of the word. I’m not ashamed to admit … Read more