‘Advice’
The Born Freelancer on the Five Phases of Freelancing
Freelancing requires a certain toughness and duality of mind. You can dream dreams and make them come true but you also must live with your feet firmly on the ground and be well versed in the necessary life skill sets in order to survive let alone thrive. Most folk lean heavily towards only one of these seemingly contradictory paradigms. It is the rare individual who can successfully embrace both with equal ease and ability. They are a breed apart.
Build your freelance business with these five easy social media tweaks
by Robyn Roste In October 2010 I joined Twitter. I had heard it was a good place to get freelance work so I put up a profile, followed a few people and tweeted when the mood struck. In general this was while I watched sports or when something interesting happened. While I was having a […]
Is it possible for freelance writers to beat the rap of “starving artists”?
This article is written by Vanessa Chiasson, a freelance writer based in Ottawa who specializes in travel and human interest stories. Freelance writer Julian Hoffmann got a lot of laughs recently when he Tweeted the following: This evening, at a routine traffic stop to check papers, the Greek police were surprisingly well-versed on the issue […]
I negotiated every rate in 2022. So why didn’t I earn more money?
In weekly call for pitches newsletters, it’s striking how many outlets offer $25. Requests for highly personal or densely-reported stories go for $100 or less. As such, it feels like a real victory anytime I can sell a story for $300 and negotiate up to $325. But is that enough?
The Born Freelancer Gets Hacked!
Please allow my holiday gift to you to be this advice: Never take your online safety for granted. When you least expect it, you might be manipulated by the most simple and basic social engineering.
In 2022 I negotiated my rate on every freelance assignment. Here’s what happened
This essay is written by Vanessa Chiasson, a freelance writer based in Ottawa who specializes in travel and human interest stories. She challenged herself to negotiate her rate on every assignment in 2022. Here is part one of two on her results.
Taking time off when you’re a freelancer
by Robyn Roste As a freelancer, taking time off from work can be a scary thought. What if an inquiry comes in while you’re away and you miss out on a great opportunity? What if there’s a client emergency and you let them down? And what if you go on vacation and then have no […]
The Born Freelancer Talks with Mary Ito About Podcasting
Mary Ito’s latest bold venture has been to return to freelancing in order to take on a number of projects including an exciting new challenge: podcasting. Never one to do anything by half-measures, it will surprise no one familiar with her work to learn Ito has launched not one but two original podcasts this year.
Why I killed my newsroom career
I still want to be a journalist. I quit my last full-time job in October and started freelancing. I sell single malt scotch whisky at a Scottish public house on weekends for extra cash. I have enough energy to develop interests I didn’t study in university. I’ve started a podcast about outdoor adventure sports. I don’t have an office job. I don’t have a salary. I don’t have the career I planned for. I’m fine with that. I am happier. I have control.
The Born Freelancer Reveals: Secrets of Where I Like to Work
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. Working freelancers learn to create under the most challenging circumstances. Loud noise. Flashing lights. Distractions of every kind. But each of us […]
