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Where is Jenn Querying Today?

August 21st 2008 13:15

I spoke on my other blog, Reality Mom, about how I’ll be able to work on more freelance projects when my children return to school on September 2nd. This will be the first year all three of them will be attending a full day of school, so this opens a new door of opportunity for this freelance writer. Planning ahead will help keep things steady.


Here are some of the sites I’ll be visiting today to find work:

· Freelance Writing Gigs
· Journalism Jobs
· Media Bistro
· AbsoluteWrite.com’s Paying Markets Forum
· CraigsList.org

I’m going to be perusing my handy-dandy copy of Writer’s Market, as well. There are a number of ideas in my writer’s notebook I want to formulate queries for and find markets for. If I can’t find markets in there, I’m going to do keyword searches on google. I also do topic and rate searches, too, and come up with some very good results.

Are you facing a new writing schedule when the school year starts? If school has already started, what changes have you made to your summer work schedule? Do you find yourself working more, less, or the same amount when school starts?
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Posted By: Jenn Hollowell - Category: finding freelance work
   


Job Boards vs. Querying Ideas

August 14th 2008 14:57

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how my query methods have changed over the past nine years. In the past, I would:
· Write out a list of ideas and keep them in a file
· Search for submission guidelines on the ‘net, and in my copy of Writer’s Market
· Formulate a query based on how my idea matched up with the publication or website’s needs

· Send off the query
· Make note in my calendar or tracking sheets of their response time, and when to follow-up with the query
· Negotiate and firm up the details of the assignment, and then begin

Now, things have changed. I have found that the use of job boards have opened a new door of opportunity I wouldn’t have thought of venturing through before. I use freelancewritinggigs.com, craigslist.org, journalismjobs.com, and I subscribe to a number of “markets for writers” type newsletters.

Does this mean that I’ve become a “lazy” freelancer?

It’s an interesting thing to think about because, while my query process has been cut considerably because I’m responding rather than approaching, I’m far busier “writing” than I was before. Before, my time was spent querying, responding, negotiating, firming up details, and then writing. Now, it seems all that legwork is done for me.

I’m not sure if that’s good, bad, or none of the above. How has your freelance writing career changed over the years? Do you feel it’s for the better? If there were something you could change, what would it be?
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Posted By: Jenn Hollowell - Category: finding freelance work
   


Where is Jenn Querying?

August 4th 2008 13:46

Below you’ll find where I’m querying, along with a brief description why. Finding good leads is important, as well as learning WHY we’re lead to these leads:

Freelance Content Writer
Really Long Link
I set my target on this lead because I have connections to the real estate market from my current book research, as well as the proposal I’m writing for Adler & Robins. As noted in the query, I’d like to stay active in the industry and on my toes!

Freelance Writers/Editors Online Magazine
Really Long Link
My sights were set on this one primarily because I enjoy publications and websites slanted toward women, women’s issues, and other related topics. Of particular interest is their mention of career development. We’ll see what happens!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I typically query one lead per day. I decided to query two today, though, because they really got my creative juices flowing. If you’re leery about querying craigslist.org leads, don’t fret – I’ve landed some very good jobs as a result of querying a craigslist.org post.

It’s been awhile since I’ve examined leads on mediabistro.com, journalismjobs.com, and the paying markets thread on absolutewrite.com’s forum . . . that might be on the agenda for later on today. Never know what kind of nuggets will turn up if I don’t dig for them!

Where are you querying today?
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Posted By: Jenn Hollowell - Category: finding freelance work
   


Get Your Query ON!

August 4th 2008 12:56

Seriously, no one is going to come begging for you to work for them. And, let’s be honest, you’re not really up to your ears in work like you’d like to be. Or, if you are, that steadiness will not always be your reality.

These are hard facts; which are a very real truth freelance writers have to face on a daily basis, though. It’s important to keep yourself at the top of your game, though, through frequent queries. What I mean by frequent is . . . more than once per month and more than when you’re completely out of work!

It’s a huge mistake to wait for things to fizzle before getting your groove on with queries. The ability to forecast is something that’s learned from freelancer to freelancer. For example, if you know a job is ending in three weeks, start querying for new work to make up for that loss NOW. If you have a job that is going to last at least six months longer, start querying it’s replacement five months from now.

Does that make sense? How often queries are sent really depends on how many hours per day you have available to spend on your writing career, how complex the projects are that you’re taking on, what your income goals are, and how aggressive you want to be in the market. Again, it’s based from freelancer to freelancer.

How many queries do you send out per day, per week, or per month? I try to keep my workflow steady by sending one new query out per day. In the past, I’ve been known to send out ten per day.

Do you feel you’re sending out enough to keep your workflow steady? When was the last time you examined your querying techniques? Do you tend to send out too many, and then become overwhelmed by your workload?
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Posted By: Jenn Hollowell - Category: finding freelance work
   


Diamond Magazine

May 9th 2008 11:40
Diamond Magazine
Diamond Magazine: Online or Print


Coming Soon! An article by me about summer getaways will be published in the May/Junne 2008 issue of Diamond Magazine! If you like to travel, or if you are looking for great places to hit during your next vacation then you don't want to miss the locations I've covered! Check it out!
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