Author Archive
Life’s a pitch (but freelancers together are stronger)
It was a packed house last night for the freelance panel discussion, “Yes We Are Worthy: Making it in the freelance world.” At the event on the University of Toronto campus, a roomful of freelancers swapped business cards and battle stories. We also received some sound advice from the panelists: writers Ann Douglas and Andrew […]
Links roundup! Image resources for bloggers
If you have a blog — and there are some who think that all freelance writers, authors and journalists should — you might have an image problem. Specifically, unless you’re a photographer, it can be hard to find decent pictures to break up the text and beautify your blog posts. Here are a few good posts […]
Freelancers and crowdfunding
We all know how tough a career in journalism has become over the past few years. Newspapers are in poor shape, many magazines are struggling, and CBC has been hit with budget cut after budget cut. This week, J-Source took a close look at how all of this affects freelancers, with a post on the challenges […]
Pressfolios: a new option for freelance portfolios
A potential client recently asked me for some writing samples. “No problem,” I thought, and went to my website to gather some links. But when I clicked — horrors — several of my choicest samples opened to a “404-page not found” message. Fortunately, in an uncharacteristic fit of foresight and organization, I’d saved most of the […]
Google+ for writers
So I’ve been thinking a lot about Google+ lately. I’m not happy about this. It’s a site I’ve been trying to ignore for two years now. I mean I’m barely keeping up with Twitter, and my LinkedIn page is a poor, stunted thing. Do I really need another social media site to neglect? But last […]
Freelancer tax tips
As soon as Christmas is over I start to feel it… the creeping dread of the approaching tax return deadline. I usually ignore it until around mid-March, when I dig out my file full of receipts and spread them all over the kitchen table where they make my life miserable for several consecutive evenings. If […]
Vine as a tool for journalists
There’s been a lot of excitement this week about Twitter’s brand new micro-video app, Vine. Although much of the buzz so far has been about Vine’s seedier side, there’s also been some discussion about its usefulness to journalists. A social app that allows users to film looping six-second videos and post them to Twitter, Vine gives journalists an […]
How to be a Better (Food) Blogger
If you have a blog — or are thinking about starting one — there’s some valuable advice for you here. It’s a recording of a Google+ Hangout involving several established food writers that happened earlier this month. The hour and a half long discussion amounts to a free blog-writing workshop — and it’s not […]
2013: The Year of the Freelancer?
Pointing at shifting employment trends that include an increasing use of independent contractors, the online employment platform Elance predicts that 2013 will be The Year of the Freelancer. We’re only a few weeks into the year, but already there’s been a lot of talk in the media about freelancing. From the Guardian’s feature on work-life balance to the […]
Professional liability insurance for freelancers in the works
Freelance contacts are sprouting some worrisome clauses these days, with many publishers attempting to shift responsibility for defamation onto writers. As a result, Writers Coalition (the plan developed by Actra Fraternal Benefits Society to offer group insurance to independent content creators) is looking into the possibility of offering professional liability insurance to freelance writers. Jason Saulay, […]
