The Renegade Writer

Why You Should Do a Kick-Ass Job — Even When You’re Being Paid a Penny a Word

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Lately I’ve been hearing a lot of stuff like this:

“I accepted this assignment at a low rate thinking I could whip it out in an hour or so. Is it okay if I just quote from other articles instead of interviewing sources?”

No. No. No, no, no!

No matter how much you’re being paid, if you accept …… Click here to keep reading…

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May 13, 2013 Advice, Money, Motivation, Rants

Trouble Paying Your Bills? 4 Ways to Make Your Freelance Writing Career More Secure

Dawn Witzke-Cry

By Lisa Evans

Is freelancing more secure than traditional employment? That was the question asked by a 2012 survey from the MBO Partners State of Independence.

The result: 39% of respondents said independent work is more secure than traditional employment. This is up from 33% from 2011 and 15% before the recession.

The primary reason for …… Click here to keep reading…

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May 9, 2013 Advice, Money

How Mastering the Query Letter Will Change Your Life — and 6 Steps to Doing It

Dawn Witzke-checkmark

By Susan Finch

I’ve been writing query letters since I was 19, when I sent out pitches to the likes of Penguin Press, assuming they would immediately buy my novel and scribble out a check for an enormous advance. I’m sure you know how that turned out. A tiny rejection slip of paper appeared in my …… Click here to keep reading…

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May 6, 2013 Advice, Query letters

Why You Shouldn’t Create Your Own Writing Samples–And What You Can Do to Get REAL Clips Instead

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By Carol Tice

It’s hard to get an assignment from a magazine when you have no previously published articles to show the editor.

And it’s hard to get any article clips if you can’t get an assignment.

Often, when I meet writers like this, they’ll tell me they’ve got an idea on how to break out of this …… Click here to keep reading…

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May 1, 2013 Advice, Marketing, Writing

4 LOI Mistakes That Will Cause a Prospect or Editor to Trash Your E-mail

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By Linda Formichelli

A good Letter of Introduction (LOI) is a powerful way to build relationships with editors and prospects and get gigs.

The bad news is — many writers are missing out on a great opportunity by sending out weak LOIS.

Here are the top four LOI sins that can cause an editor to pass on you:

Mistake …… Click here to keep reading…

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Apr 29, 2013 Marketing

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