What’s on the iPod: Untitled (Love Song) by Counting Crows
The last Friday of June — I took yesterday afternoon off (every June 27th is my day off), and I’m going to do just a little work this morning before shutting down the work side of my brain for the weekend. My son is coming for a visit, and it’s going to be a full weekend. Plus I fully intend to be at Molly Maguire’s Sunday afternoon for the Irish music. It’s been too long.
I feel like I’ve just coasted through this month, but I really did work. Thanks to another interrupted month, I didn’t quite make what I usually do, but I came close (Monday we’ll get into the monthly assessment). It proved to me that writers can indeed work smarter, not harder.
Over on the 5 Buck Forum, there’s a discussion going on about how to get the career to the point where you can charge more and leave behind the bidding sites. No magic bullet — you just do it. I was once part of the Guru.com bidding site, and it was quickly apparent that bidding against others, even privately, was no way to build a successful business for the long haul. You work your arse off and earn a fraction of what you should — and can — be making.
So how does a writer get to the point where the work is minimized but the payoff is maximized? Try these:
Charge more. The first time I heard someone say the more you charge, the busier you’ll be, I thought it was crazy talk. Until I tried it, that is. Why this works — you’re leaving behind the low-payers, nitpickers, complainers, and late payers. Serious clients who don’t mind paying top rates for quality work see you as a serious professional who isn’t afraid to expect a competitive rate.
Aim higher. You’ve been writing articles for 50 cents a word for years. Why aren’t you going higher up the food chain to those 75-cent/$1-word gigs? You’ve already proven yourself. Use those clips to score assignments from the higher-paying publications. And don’t forget to use those same clips to secure ghostwriting gigs from companies,which also like to submit articles to trade pubs.
Arrange retainers. If you’re working with a client on a regular basis, it just becomes a hassle to figure out the next per-project rate every few weeks. Instead, offer a retainer. You get a set monthly income. They get a budget-friendly contractor. Everyone wins.
Cherry pick your assignments. This month, I turned down two assignments. One was intriguing, but didn’t pay enough for the work involved. The other simply didn’t pay enough, even with the promise of a great clip for the portfolio. Sometimes those clips just aren’t worth it. Always opt for work that makes you happy in spirit and in financial terms. Not only that, the minute you lose a low-paying gig, somehow or other the higher-paying stuff shows up. It’s like charging more. It’s that weird yin-yang thing that can’t quite be explained. Don’t think about it — just go with it.
Keep the budget on your horizon. I know any given day how much I’ve earned in a month (unless I’m really busy and lose track). Knowing how much you’ve invoiced helps you stay on target to your monthly earnings goal (which you should have). It helps when you’re planning out your marketing, accepting/rejecting assignments, etc.
Prioritize. I have deadlines for the next two weeks. One of the assignments is half done and I have another 10 days to finish it. The second assignment is due in 15 days and should take a total of 8 hours. Then there’s an ongoing project that I devote an hour a day to. Having a plan for each day and prioritizing according to deadline can help you work smarter and avoid those last-minute races to the finish line.
How do you work smarter? What changes have you made to your work day or work process that has simplified things for you?
I don't use bidding sites. Period. There's no reason to do it. A "client" who posts on a bidding site is only interested in the cheapest person for the job, not the best. It's a waste of my time.
I'm looking for some more retainers — I'd like to add a couple more steady blog gigs to the roster, and I'm pitching to higher-paying publications. I'm also working more in the mission-specific entertainment category, which is gaining interest — work I like that's also well-paid.
Devon just threw out a new term "mission-specific entertainment category."
I know I've said it before, but I wish you'd do some posts explaining the nuts and bolts of how retainers work. Are you paid regardless of how much or little work you do? Does the client pay more if you exceed a certain limit? If the assign less work than the monthly fee covers, do you have to make it up later on? Or is the retainer just a token amount paid to ensure your availability should they need you?
To someone who's never worked on a retainer, it's very confusing.
My work process usually revolved around priorities, which I try to keep as fluid as possible. (Important this week, since my phone and internet were only partially functional until yesterday, and more torrential rains left me with a wet basement to dry out. Again.)
Yesterday my priorities shifted quickly from working on two short pieces due just after the 4th of July to handling a small copywriting job with a quick turnaround time. It was an easy choice, since the copywriting pays more and is due sooner.
Good question, Paula. It works like this — your client agrees to pay, say, $1,500 a month to have you on retainer. That's what you'll get every month regardless of how little or how much you work. I just came off a retainer where I had some months with just one small project and other months with several. It evens out.
Devon, bidding sites often promise too much and deliver too little. I hate seeing writers trapped in that type of situation, or thinking that's normal.
But if a client continually assigned more work than the retainer covered, you'd be able renegotiate it?