Ruth Thaler-Carter Member of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors

The business of a business plan

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© Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, Networking Member, NAIWE Board of Experts

Based on a similar post for the An American Editor blog.

I often see advice from colleagues and outside experts who say the key to success as a freelancer or consultant is to have a business plan, ideally before you launch your editorial business. Most recently, National Association of Independent Writers and Editors executive director April Michelle Davis reminded members that December is National Write a Business Plan Month, saying, “As a freelancer, you are a business owner, so consider writing a business plan this month!” Inspiration struck!

I can’t argue with the advice and urge NAIWE colleagues to at least keep it in mind, even though I have to admit that I’ve never had a formal business plan. I started freelancing when I was in high school, kept it going while in college, and took on freelance projects when I had full-time in-house jobs in journalism or communications.

The closest I ever came to a business plan was when I reached that point of “can’t do this any longer” at a full-time job at a trade association where I enjoyed the work of writing, editing and producing a monthly newsletter but was tired of the slog to and from the office, meetings, and other aspects of being in-house, along with the demands of focusing almost exclusively on one topic. My one and only formal plan involved preparing a pitch to my boss to turn my “regular job” into a consulting contract and going from there, backed up by the resources of a regional writers’ organization to find more freelance gigs. The pitch worked, and I was in business — and that was as planned as I ever got.

Essentially, my business plan has always been:

  1. Get trained and experienced.
  2. Network and become known for skills and willingness to share knowledge/resources with colleagues.
  3. Find projects/clients.
  4. Do the work.
  5. Get paid.
  6. Suggest that clients with one-shot projects use me for future projects and pitch ideas for new topics to cover or services to offer.

Boom!

And repeat. That last item has been a huge factor in keeping my writing, editing, proofreading and speaking business/career going for lo these many years. Clients often told me that I was the only freelancer they used who was proactive in keeping the relationship going beyond what was conceived of as a one-time assignment.

It wasn’t really anything conscious, formal or structured, and a lot of what the experts advise were things I did without realizing I was contributing to a plan. If you’re thinking about going out on your own, or have already started your editorial business but want to expand or improve it, here are some of those elements that you can adapt into a formal plan of your own.

Training and experience

The ideal — at least in my book — is to start with an in-house job where you get hands-on experience and meet colleagues who can provide guidance and mentorship. A lot of people skip that step these days, which can be understandable. Editorial jobs can be hard to find as publishers and publications merge, consolidate and even shut down, but I still think that working in-house is an important source of experience. It’s where you learn how publishing works and start building your network of colleagues and contacts who can be invaluable sources of not just advice and examples, but future connections with or as potential clients for your business.

A regular job can also pay for tools like training, software programs, memberships, events, etc. Look for memberships, courses, conferences, books, blogs, videos and other resources to learn or enhance the skills you need to be professional. You don’t have to take a full-scale degree-type certificate or certification program — there are lots of practical, reputable sources of training to build and enhance your skills.

If you haven’t joined a professional association yet, do it now. That’s a great way to find sources of development and skill-building, as well as enhance your visibility and value to colleagues and potential clients. It’s also often a way to find new projects; some clients only post work opportunities to associations, or go there first, and some associations have their own job services. Those can be highly competitive, but someone gets those gigs, and it might as well be you.

Networking and interacting with colleagues

One of the best ways to get freelance work is through former employers and co-workers, as well as colleagues we meet through professional associations, online groups and social media, and — if you have them — previous clients. As I’ve often said, be more than a “checkbook member” of any association or online group you join, especially this one. When you offer advice and answer questions, you become known as a valuable resource and someone whom colleagues will recommend, refer, hire or subcontract with.

That doesn’t mean you can’t post questions or ask for help. Such posts can create fascinating and useful conversations. It just means that you give at least as much as you take — and you don’t sit back and wait for the organization(s) to do the work for you of becoming visible and finding leads to projects or clients.

Since you’re reading this in my NAIWE blog, you already understand the value of association membership — but you could probably make even better use of this one. Blog regularly (do as I do, not as a I say!), present a webinar, answer group discussion list questions, write for our newsletter, respond to NAIWE’s Facebook writing prompts, etc. The more you do, the more you benefit. As NAIWE colleagues, we’ll buy your books, subscribe to your blog or newsletter, and otherwise support your publishing efforts.

An actual plan

The smart move is to actually have a plan before launching an editorial business. That isn’t always possible; many of us are forced into freelancing without time to plan or organize ourselves because we get laid off or fired, our employers go out of business, we have to cope with a health crisis of our own or a family member. Responding to such crises is a lot more fraught than moving into freelancing/consulting with forethought and foresight.

The foundation of any such plan is to have some funds set aside to cover basic life’s expenses until the freelance effort starts to pay off and become sustainable. It isn’t easy to do, but try to set aside something every month in savings to tide you over during the first few months to a year of being in business. Knowing you have a savings cushion means you won’t feel desperate if it takes time to build up your client base and will be less likely to accept bargain-basement rates or work you don’t enjoy.

A new plan — for the future

If you’re already in business, or if you had a business plan focused on launching your business, now — the dawn of a new year, but really anytime — is a good time to think about a plan for the future. Have a plan for expanding, enhancing or adapting your editorial business to be more profitable, incorporate and offer more services, or otherwise change to fit current conditions. A new plan for an established business could include looking as far ahead (which for some of us isn’t very far at all!) as succession and retirement.

Elements could include:

  • Financial goal
  • Increased rates
  • Amount to save every month (this time for paying self-employment taxes and for updating or purchasing essential equipment and software, memberships, conferences, emergencies)
  • New associations to join or activities to participate in with ones you already belong to, such as board or committee service
  • Potential new clients/outlets to query
  • Projects, assignments or story ideas, or services to pitch to current and past clients
  • Training to take to develop new skills or strengthen current ones
  • Promotional outlets to use and efforts to make, such as creating a website (or updating the one you have), blog or newsletter; platforms to join; posts to make about new successes, etc.
  • Conferences to attend — and maybe speak at
  • Charitable cause to support
  • Vacation

And by the way, you can develop a business plan for your career even if you are or plan to remain an in-house writer, editor, proofreader or other publishing professional (photographer, graphic artist, website designer, content creator, etc., etc., etc.). It might be called a career plan or matrix, but it can still considered a business plan. That plan could include:

  • Salary raise and/or higher title
  • Expanded responsibilities
  • Additional training
  • Memberships, including committee or board service
  • Expanded benefits (conference or membership support, work from home, etc.)
  • Move to a new department or location

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter (www.writerruth.com), NAIWE’s Networking member of the Board of Experts, is an award-winning provider of editorial and publishing services for publications, independent authors, publishers, associations, nonprofits and companies worldwide, and the editor-in-chief and owner of An American Editor. She created the annual Communication Central Be a Better Freelancer® conference for colleagues (www.communication-central.com), now co-hosted with NAIWE (www.naiwe.com) and sponsored by An American Editor. She also owns A Flair for Writing (www.aflairforwriting.com), which helps independent authors produce and publish their books. She can be reached at Ruth@writerruth.com.

Networking is back!

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By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, NAIWE Board of Experts Networking Member

The past few weeks have been so exciting for this super-extrovert because it looks like in-person networking is back, and I’m loving every opportunity connect, or re-connect, with colleagues in real life. I’ve been on a plane, at a sizable conference, in a restaurant, at a couple of local events … life is starting to feel almost normal again. (I’ve been vaccinated and boosted; have at-home COVID testing kits; and am still masking, especially in airports and on flights.)

Networking never really went away during the past two years or so of coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s been conducted remotely, and I’ve really missed getting together in person, both formally and informally. I’m very appreciative of the ways we’ve been able to stay connected through social media and online events, and I don’t see those virtual or remote interactions ending any time soon; I had three Zoom meetings just the week of publishing this post, and I love the way that technology can connect us with colleagues (and family and friends) all around the world. It’s just so much more energizing — at least to me — to meet in person again.

Networking over Zoom, e-mail or social media has its own conventions. We need to know about making our Zoom presence its most effective and professional, which means remembering to wear something appropriate for the event, placing lighting in front of our computers and faces, reducing noise and interruptions as much as possible, using the mute function out of courtesy to other participants (as well as to reduce that noise), and trying to read participants’ faces and voices to understand both intent and spoken words. It also means showing up as promised — so many online events have been free that a lot of people got into the habit of RSVPing and bagging the commitment at the last minute — and doing our best to contribute something positive and constructive to conversations rather than wasting time on irrelevancies.

Now that we’re going back to networking in person, I’ve noticed a few aspects that we might want to keep in mind for that next event, whether it’s an organization chapter session, large-scale conference or your own webinar/speech presentation.

  • Remember the process.

Networking is still a two-way process. Colleagues are usually more than willing to provide advice, resources and shoulders to lean on, but expect to see some response as well. For every time you use your network to get something, try to give something back.

  • Look your best!

We can get away with minimal “dress for success” efforts for Zoom and other virtual platforms, but for in-person events, it’s time to make the effort to look professional. That doesn’t have to mean a three-piece suit or stockings and high heels, but it also doesn’t mean T-shirts and jeans, at least for most of the events we’re likely to attend. I tend to prefer dressing up a bit to dressing down, so you won’t see me in anything super-informal or sloppy, but I’ve had to stop myself to put on earrings and a dash of lipstick before heading out the door.

It also doesn’t hurt to keep a few breath mints at your door, in your car, and in your pockets and briefcase or other bags. Now that we’re breathing on people again, we want those breaths to be fresh and enjoyable!

  • Take along a mask.

Most of the in-person events I’ve attended recently have not required that we wear masks, but I take them along anyhow, even though I’m fully vaccinated and boostered. Some venues still require them (at least some airports and planes leading the pack), and we don’t always know the people we’ll meet well enough to assume that they’ve taken those basic precautions over the past year or two.

  • Carry those cards.

Business cards remain important. Even when a lot of attendees seem to use their phones to record contact info of newly met colleagues, I still prefer to get and give business cards, and many people seem to agree — every meeting I’ve attended so far this year has included being asked for, and asking others for, business cards. I’d rather go home with all of my cards still in hand than be the person who says, “Oh, it’s been so long that I went to a real meeting that I forgot all about business cards.” I keep a stash of cards in every jacket pocket, briefcase and handbag, and in my car, so I don’t become that person.

I also use business cards with nametags, especially tags hanging from lanyards. You know how those hanging tags can flip over when you aren’t paying attention to them? I tuck a business card on the other side of the nametag so if it does flip over, people still see my name and affiliation rather than a blank surface. If I’m wearing something without pockets, I put a few cards in the nametag holder so I don’t have to fumble around when someone asks for one.

Your card is part of your marketing strategy. Don’t leave home without it!

  • Show up.

In-person events cost money, either for the venue or the refreshments, if not both. If you sign up for an event, show up unless there’s a really, really good reason not to. The host, whether an individual or an organization, is counting on you and probably wasting money on you if you’re a last-minute cancellation.

  • Speak up.

Getting together in person might mean refreshing your “elevator speech” skills. Take some time at home to practice introducing yourself.

  • Keep hands off.

Figure out a smooth escape from shaking hands or unsolicited hugs if you or the people around you are not yet comfortable with physical contact, and don’t be the one who tries to hug everyone else. Yes, it’s great to be back together in person, but even mild physical contact can still feel risky.

Business planning as networking activity

For me, an important part of networking is to take a few moments early in a new year to think about what did and didn’t work for my writing and editing business in the past one, and what I might do more or better in the new one. Doing so plays into my networking strategy (yes, I have a strategy!) because sharing those thoughts could help colleagues enhance their professional efforts for the year. That might mean you think of me when you need someone to help with or take on a project for some reason.

These are some of my resolutions for my editorial business in 2022; I hope they are useful to my NAIWE colleagues.

  • Remain or become more visible in at least one professional membership organization to enhance credibility and expand networking.
  • Update membership profiles, and look for new organizations to join and network in.
  • Review style guides and check for any updates, revisions, additions and other changes that might affect work for various clients — and share them with colleagues as part of my networking services.
  • Learn a new skill or service to offer to existing clients; something new about the topic area of a client; or an entirely new topic to write or speak about, edit, or proofread (or index, photograph, illustrate or otherwise work on) to expand my business.
  • Create or refresh my website to reflect recent projects, client testimonials, new skills or training, and whatever else will make me look good to past, current and prospective clients.
  • Draft a few potential posts to use for my own blog or as a guest on colleagues’ blogs; being a guest blogger is a great way to network, and having posts ready to go will make it more likely that I’ll actually get them out there.
  • Seek new clients on a regular basis, through cold queries, responding to membership association opportunities, social media resources, etc.
  • Make networking an active, constant part of every business day, or at least every week, by giving something back to colleagues or communities.
  • Update or change all passwords.
  • Establish or refresh a connection with a family member, friend or colleague to back up passwords and access to phone, e-mail, social media, banking and other important accounts — just in case.
  • Save toward retirement! And think about colleagues to hand off work to when I’m ready for that life moment.

Here’s wishing my NAIWE colleagues a successful approach to networking together as — we hope — the world starts to tilt back toward what we think of as normal.

How are you enhancing your networking efforts in this new year?

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter (www.writerruth.com) is the Networking member of the NAIWE Board of Experts and the owner of “I can write about anything!”® as well as the “Be a Better Freelancer”® conference (hosted by Communication Central and NAIWE), the An American Editor blog and the A Flair for Writing publishing business.

How networking can help a writing business get off to a good start

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By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, Networking member, NAIWE Board of Experts

A lot goes into launching a successful writing business, and networking can be one factor in that success. I’ll be talking about the practical aspects of such a venture in the NAIWE May webinar about launching a writing business (link to come). This post focuses on the networking aspect of your writing work.

Writers might not think of networking as an element of their new businesses, but that could mean losing out on valuable ways to learn about craft and business, and to develop connections that could not only improve those aspects of what they want to do, but also lead to a greater likelihood of getting published.

All writers probably share a common goal: for our words, thoughts and perspectives to find audiences and outlets. Individuals might be at different stages of creativity, visibility or success, but every writer wants — even needs — to be seen and heard. For the new writer, that first sale or outlet is so exciting, and networking is one way to get there.

Whether you’re writing a novel or a press release, a poem or a white paper, a play or a case study, a how-to book or a personal blog post, you want what you write to be seen and appreciated. Beyond being seen, we also want everyone who sees our writing to understand it, respond to it positively by publishing reviews or acting on it somehow, recommend it to others, and read or buy the next piece we write. Networking can help that happen.

Where networking comes into play is in providing resources for learning to write better by joining critique groups, taking classes or lining up beta readers; identifying reputable editors and proofreaders, and understanding and managing their input; finding appropriate agents and publishers for our work; getting paid; and related details of a writing business or the writing life.

Through networking, you can meet colleagues who will provide advice, insights and resources, and who might become beta readers or refer you to writing projects and clients. You could be seen by and connect with potential agents to represent your work or publishers who might consider bringing you into their houses, saving you the effort of searching for the ideal agent and outlet. If you plan to self-publish work that needs illustrations, networking can help you find the artist you need.

It’s important to remember, by the way, that networking is a two-way process. In fact, that might be the most important aspect of networking. A writer needs to create a net of contacts and colleagues who can help them do their work better and enhance their likelihood of publication. One of the best ways to do that is to be a useful strand in the nets of colleagues. If you ask questions and get helpful answers, look for ways to provide answers to other people’s questions.

And don’t let being new to writing or networking make you feel that you can’t contribute to the networking process. You can! If you don’t have any answers yet, look for resources you can share — books, courses, blogs, organizations, etc., that you have found useful or have seen in your real-world and online visiting. Keep in mind that we all had to start somewhere, first by actually writing something, next by getting it published, and then by becoming visible and active in some corner of the writing world. Even extroverts like me had to learn the ropes of networking effectively; it isn’t just a matter of paying dues and showing up or using the resources of an association to enhance our own writing work.

In the continuing pandemic era, we can’t do much networking in person, so the introverts among us don’t have to worry as much about fitting in at events as in the past (and, we hope, the future). Nowadays, you can use the virtual world to your networking advantage by “lurking” in online communities and professional associations for a while, to take the temperature of the environment and decide whether it will be helpful before you spend money on a membership or speak up with your questions and suggestions. Oh, and anything you do invest in joining an organization is a tax deduction!

Learn and profit from networking, and try to give as much as you take. Your writing business and efforts will blossom as a result, along with your reputation.

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter is a widely published freelance writer/editor and the creator of Communication Central’s Be a Better Freelancer® conference, now co-hosted by NAIWE and the An American Editor blog. Through her active participation in a variety of professional associations, she is often called the Queen of Networking.

Tips for staying productive during the holidays

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By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, NAIWE Board of Experts-Networking
Owner, I can write about anything!®, Communication Central, An American Editor

Related to the idea of making the most of any pre-holiday downtime is the companion concern of balancing work and family demands to stay productive from mid-November through the end of the year. No matter what you celebrate, the holiday season imposes emotional and practical demands that make a lot of people just wish for it to be done and dusted … yesterday. But you can still produce the writing and editing work that must be done.

The first step is to check that you know exactly what is due when. Make sure you have some kind of list of current and upcoming deadlines, whether it’s handwritten, in Word, in Excel, in Google Docs … Don’t let anyone tell you how to keep track of assignments and deadlines; do and use whatever works for you. I have a combination of a tabbed Word document with assignment specifics, notes on my paper calendar and a daily to-do list to help me stay focused on what I need to do when (and when I’ve billed and been paid!). Consider posting your deadlines in your workspace so you can get the satisfaction of checking things off as you finish them — and so your colleagues or family can see when you’ll be too busy to be interrupted or thrown off track with new requests.

Take advantage of any slow time in November to do some December work early. If it’s starting to feel overwhelming already, see if some projects can be pushed into January.

Learn to say no. If clients suddenly want you to churn out a ton of new work before the end of the year and you feel overburdened, find tactful ways to push their projects into the new year. If family and friends expect more than you can handle, be equally tactful, but firm, in saying no.

If you can’t get out of doing new work or projects that are already in hand and can’t be moved to 2020, try getting up an hour earlier for a couple days a week to keep yourself on schedule. That’s often easier than staying up later than usual; most of us are more fresh and energetic in the morning than late in the evening after several hours of work and family time.

Make another list to track your holiday or family commitments — travel plans, meal plans, gift planning. Use the next few weeks to get a head start on those elements whenever you can. In fact, doing some early holiday shopping and cooking can be a good break from a heavy work schedule (as long as it doesn’t interfere with those deadlines).

If these tasks feel as overwhelming as an overload of work demand, speak up! Kids and partners or spouses, siblings, even parents can and should pitch in, but if you don’t ask for help, or even tell them what to, that won’t happen. Some of them may have been waiting for years to be more involved in holiday activities, but for whatever reason, haven’t felt as if they could take a more-active role.

Let go of perfection. Remain meticulous in your work, of course, but don’t push yourself into high gear for meals, decorating, gifts, parties and outings that could be downsized and still be fun. Most of us don’t need more stuff; let relatives and friends know that you don’t want fancy or expensive presents this year. Hire someone to clean the house. Take advantage of prepared foods for some of the holiday feasts. Skip the lengthy annual letter and just do a card with a couple of photos — and send it electronically instead of by regular mail. Consider not traveling out of town and state for the big dates.

Staying productive through the holidays requires focus and discipline, but also a healthy dose of flexibility. Try not to get so locked into a 9-to-5 (or whatever hours you usually work) schedule that you miss out on holiday-related fun stuff. It’s good for our mental and physical health to play. To relax. To have a life other than work.

Whatever you celebrate, enjoy — and however much work you have to finish, best of luck.

Current writing activity by Ruth Thaler-Carter

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I’m having a great time writing for two new outlets:
MetroWire Media St. Louis, a news company focused on commercial real estate –
http://www.metrowiremedia.com/stlnews/irem-asks-where-will-you-go-in-cpm

St. Louis American newspaper –
http://www.stlamerican.com/business/people_on_the_move/bjc-healthcare-ramps-up-diversity-commitment-tapping-steven-player-for-elevated-role/article_c5b5fa62-5837-11eb-a480-df844b086d24.html

The blog of one of my clients –
https://www.jaffepr.com/blog/great-style-debate-one-space-or-two

and, of course, the On the Basics column of the An American Editor blog –
On the Basics: Coping with — and heading off — problems

On the Basics: Scams are always with us

Presentations by yours truly this month!

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I hope all of my NAIWE colleagues are holding up in the throes of the coronavirus crisis. I have two webinar presentations coming up this month that might help:

“Survival Tips for the Current Crisis,” 7–8:30 p.m. Eastern time, April 16, for the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA). To register, go to:

https://www.the-efa.org/product/survival-tips-for-the-current-crisis-webinar-free-for-efa-members-sp20/

“The Way of Networking: Connecting Effectively,” 7 p.m. Eastern time, April 23, for NAIWE: https://www.facebook.com/events/2793098760806432/

Networking can be especially important these days as many of us struggle to keep clients and/or regular jobs in the face of the crisis. I look forward to providing some reassurance and insights that should help colleagues manage a little better.

Managing work and family during the holidays

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Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, NAIWE Board of Experts-Networking

Related to the idea of making the most of any pre-holiday downtime is the companion concern of balancing work and family demands from mid-November through the end of the year. No matter what you celebrate, the holiday season imposes emotional and practical demands that make a lot of people just wish for it to be done and dusted … yesterday. But you can enjoy the holidays and still produce the writing and editing work that must be done.

The first step is to check that you know exactly what is due when. Make sure you have some kind of list of current and upcoming deadlines, whether it’s handwritten, in Word, in Excel, in Google Docs (don’t let anyone tell you how to keep track of assignments and deadlines; do and use whatever works for you). I have a combination of a tabbed Word document with assignment specifics, notes on my paper calendar and a daily to-do list to help me stay focused on what I need to do when (and when I’ve billed and been paid!).

Consider posting your deadlines in your workspace so you can see them easily and get the satisfaction of checking things off as you finish them — and so your family can see when you’ll be too busy to be interrupted or thrown off track.

Take advantage of any slow time to do some work early. If it’s already starting to feel overwhelming, see if some projects can be pushed into January.

Learn to say no. If clients suddenly want you to churn out a ton of new work before the end of the year and you feel overburdened, find tactful ways to push their projects into the new year. If family and friends expect more than you can handle, be equally tactful, but firm, in saying no. It can be hard to do, but saying no is essential to our mental health and ability to manage stress.

If you can’t get out of doing new work, or projects already in hand that can’t be moved to 2020, try getting up an hour earlier for a couple days a week to keep yourself on schedule. That’s often easier than staying up later than usual; most of us are more fresh and energetic in the morning than late in the evening after several hours of work and family time. You also might be able to set aside a couple hours on Saturdays and Sundays to keep the work flowing but still enjoy family time.

Make another list to track your holiday or family commitments — travel plans, meal plans, gift planning. Take whatever spare moments you have to get a head start on those activities whenever you can. In fact, doing some early holiday shopping and cooking can be a good break from a heavy work schedule (as long as it doesn’t interfere with those deadlines). Unless you’re like me and love to shop in person out in the real world, do some of your holiday gift-finding and giving online.

If these tasks feel as overwhelming as an overload of work demands, speak up! Kids and partners or spouses, siblings, even parents, can and should pitch in, but if you don’t ask for help, or even tell them what to, that won’t happen. Some of them may have been waiting for years to be more involved in holiday activities, but for whatever reason, haven’t felt as if they could take a more-active role.

Let go of perfection. Remain meticulous in your work, of course, but don’t push yourself into high gear for meals, decorating, gifts, parties and outings that could be downsized and still be fun. Most of us don’t need more stuff; let relatives and friends know that you don’t want fancy or expensive presents this year. Hire someone to clean the house. Take advantage of prepared foods for some of the holiday feasts; you really don’t have to cook everything from scratch (or do all the cooking yourself). Skip the lengthy annual letter and just do a card with a couple of photos — and send it electronically instead of by regular mail. Consider not traveling out of town and state for the big dates.

Balancing work and family throughout the holidays requires focus and discipline, but also a healthy dose of flexibility. Try not to get so locked into a 9-to-5 (or whatever hours you usually work) schedule that you miss out on holiday-related fun stuff. It’s good for our mental and physical health to play. To relax. To have a life other than work.

Whatever you celebrate, enjoy — and however much work you have to finish, best of luck.

Making the most of “the calm before the (holiday) storm”

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By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, NAIWE Board of Experts-Networking
Owner, I can write about anything!®, Communication Central, An American Editor

For many of us, the few weeks from mid-October through late November are a form of calm before the storm. The holidays are coming up fast, and a lot of clients seem to slack off on work requests, creating a false sense of relaxation for some of us and a feeling of “how will I make it financially through the end of the year?” panic for others.

The storm, of course, is the holiday season itself, with all the fun, stress and frantic activity it demands; there’s also the end of the year, with its requirements for wrapping up record-keeping and preparing for tax season early in the new year. We have to balance family plans and expectations against client demands and deadlines, and all of that against the needs of our businesses, and that isn’t always easy.

Here are a few tips for making the most of downtime if you don’t have a lot of work in hand at the moment.

  • Get a head start on organizing tax records. If you’re flush, figure out what business-related expenses you can take care of before the end of this year to reduce your tax burden.
  • Review your recent income and expenses to see where you need to make improvements, and start working on a plan to generate more income in the new year. Plan on a rate increase, identify clients who aren’t worth keeping, look for new markets to explore, etc.
  • File stuff!
  • Update your résumé, website and promotional material.
  • Write a few blog posts or articles to build up a bank of material to publish over the next few weeks or months, so you have it ready to go when you’re mired in the holiday or end-of-year demands. (This is something I have to do myself!)
  • Learn a new skill or program that will benefit your writing or editing business.
  • Look for colleagues to follow online, especially those with blogs you can comment on, to learn something new and build your online presence.
  • Plan your professional development activities for the new year: organizations to join or rejoin, conferences to attend, etc. This will help you start putting funds aside for such expenses (think of them as investments in your writing or editing business).
  • Review past published material to see what you can update and resell or repurpose.
  • Start writing that book!
  • Do some holiday gift-buying or — if you’re crafty — -making.
  • Consider taking a refreshing few days totally “off” — a spa day, a weekend trip to somewhere fun, a family trip when the prices are inflated by the holiday season.

If this time of year is when some of your clients do the panicking about packing a lot of last-minute work into November or December, consider yourself at least somewhat lucky — many colleagues would like to be in your position. Do as much holiday planning and purchasing as you go along as possible, and enjoy being well-employed!

Long-time freelance writer/editor Ruth E. Thaler-Carter is the Networking member of the NAIWE Board of Experts and owner of Communication Central, which partnered with NAIWE this year to present the 14th annual Be a Better Freelancer® conference. Her website is www.writerruth.com and she can be reached at Ruth@writerruth.com.

Why bother with networking?

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By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, NAIWE Board of Experts-Networking

Owner, I can write about anything!®, Communication Central, An American Editor

Fresh from the 14th annual Be a Better Freelancer• conference, co-hosted this year by NAIWE for the first time, I’ve been reflecting on networking.

I’ve been called the Queen of Networking thanks to my active membership in at least a dozen professional associations and many years of contributing to communities of colleagues, including creating and hosting the Be a Better Freelancer® conference. Throughout all this time, I’ve often been asked why I bother to be such an active networker.

It’s a good question, because networking takes time, effort and a commitment to service, and the payoffs aren’t always immediately obvious. Payoffs being important, of course, because there’s certainly a level of self-interest in networking, no matter how much it involves giving back to colleagues, communities or professions.

Why do it

We network for the selfish reason of building our businesses and contacts, but ideally to be of service to colleagues and communities as well. Networking creates visibility and credibility if we do it right, and that should lead to new clients and projects.

Arguments against

Networking can create issues, especially for die-hard introverts. It can be hard work, it requires constant effort and, as noted above, the payoffs aren’t always immediately obvious.

If you aren’t comfortable with communicating frequently — even constantly — with peers and other colleagues, that’s fine: You can be an effective networker even if you only interact with one group or make posts once a month. If you’re shy and introverted, you can network electronically rather than attend meetings or conferences in person.

Figure out what is comfortable in terms of frequency or types of information to share, and resist pressure to do more than you can handle.

How to do it

The essence of networking is that it’s a two-way process, as well as a constant one.

Start on the right foot by introducing yourself to the group(s) you’ve chosen to join: Let colleagues know something about your training, skills, experience, preferred types of projects and clients, etc. Before asking for help, try to provide something of value to the group. It isn’t that networking can’t involve getting help with your independent writing or editing business in general or with specific aspects of that business, but that you don’t want to be seen as someone who constantly takes from colleagues and never gives anything back to the group. And “Gimme” is definitely not the image you want to present in your message to networking group!

What to share

Networking can include sharing information about yourself — your publishing triumphs, new projects, speaking engagements, awards, certifications, etc. — but is its most-effective if what you share is genuinely helpful to others. That can mean, for instance, letting colleagues know about new books, events and software programs that are useful for our work; providing tips for managing an independent writing or editing business (including how to use standard tools like Word); answering colleagues’ questions about their work or projects; etc.

It can also mean alerting colleagues to new scams aimed at our profession, such as the one that circulated recently through various professional associations involving a fake editing job offer — supposedly from major companies such as Penguin and Bayer — apparently intended to either capture respondents’ identity info or sending counterfeit checks for more than promised to clean out recipients’ bank accounts. Networking also often includes warning colleagues about skeevy clients.

What not to do

If you’re new to networking, keep in mind that — again — it’s a two-way process and not a purely self-promotional one. That means your first message to a networking group should not be a request for “overflow” work or referrals. No one knows who you are, or what your training, skills and experience might be, so why would members of the group hand off work to you or refer you to potential clients on first appearance? We build our networks of clients and colleagues with care, and few people will jeopardize those connections by bringing in or referring someone who’s a total unknown. And few of us would be comfortable with telling a stranger the names of our contacts at publications, publishing houses and other client businesses.

When it works

Doing networking right can have huge benefits. Being seen as someone who provides value builds your credibility and visibility, which makes it likely that prospective clients will learn of your existence and colleagues will contact you about working together, or refer you when they hear of projects that they don’t handle or can’t take on. A good networker is likely to be asked to make speeches, write for professional publications and take on new projects. Your business — and income — should increase as you become noted for your networking chops and contributions.

And while those are the self-serving reasons to network, there is also a strong sense of gratification in being helpful to others in the field; it does feel good to do good. Not to mention that effective networking also can result in making new friends!

Why a website? Highlights of conference session

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By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, Communication Central owner and
NAIWE Board of Experts member for Networking

I’m looking forward to talking about websites for freelancers at “Gateway to Success,” this year’s “Be a Better Freelancer”® conference, coming up October 11–13, 2019, in St. Louis. This topic is always fun to discuss because there’s always something new in the world of creating and managing websites, and because it lends itself so well to graphics and illustrations. It’s also kind of fun to share what doesn’t work in a website, alongside what does make an effective site to promote your freelance business.

It’s become common knowledge that freelancers in any skill set need websites to build and support our business efforts. Sure, you can promote your business at LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, but a website is important because:

  • It’s all yours; no one else controls or limits how it looks and what it presents.
  • It helps you be found — it comes up when someone searches for the skills and services you provide. That’s especially important for anyone starting out, because unknown freelancers won’t be found by their names.
  • It gives you a permanent e-mail address.
  • It’s flexible — you can choose what to post, what and when to update it, the amount of information you provide, etc.
  • It speaks for you with clients who aren’t local; it’s your portfolio in an era when you probably will work with more clients who aren’t in your geographic area than ones who are, and you aren’t likely to meet them in person to show your work samples.

Even if you already have a website for your freelance services, it can probably benefit from insights at this session. You might gain new resources for making it look or read better, and more effective at getting you business and educating prospective clients about who you are and how you work.

Think of your website as the base and office of your freelance business. It’s your showroom. It’s your path to being a better freelancer!

To benefit from this session — and many other ones — by registering for the conference, go to https://naiwe.com/conference/. This is the 14th offering of the conference, and the first-ever partnership between Communication Central and NAIWE. We hope to see you there!

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