I’ve been a full-time freelancer since 1997, and in the last 13 years I’ve come up with tons of little tips and tricks for getting more assignments, writing faster, and generally making the freelancing life easier. Here are my top 13.

1. Stop a Rambler

At the end of almost every interview I ask, “Is there anything else you’d like readers to know, or anything you thought I would ask but didn’t?” But if I get a source who rambles, I don’t ask the question for fear of having to listen to another half-hour monologue. Learn to read your sources and know when you have what you need so you don’t waste your (and your source’s) time. (Thanks to my Facebook friend Dianne for reminding me of this tip!)

2. Build Your Top 10

Instead of trying to get your byline in as many magazines as possible, develop a core 10 or so markets that love you and pay you well. You know how the marketing gurus always say it costs less to keep a client than to get one? Garnering new magazine clients is a time-intensive process — you have to pitch them, sometimes multiple times, and when you get an assignment there’s a learning curve. Once you make your way into an editor’s stable of freelance writers, you won’t have to pitch as often because they’ll come to you with assignments — and as a bonus, you’ll know what they want from you and be used to their editing process. Pick 10 clients that you already have or that you’d like to have, and start building relationships with them.

3. Write in Your Head

One of the reasons I can write so quickly (I’ve written 800-word articles in 45 minutes) is that I write much of the article in my head before I even sit down at the computer. When I’m drinking tea, taking a shower, or driving, I always find my thoughts drifting to my assignments, and I often come up with leads, kickers, and article organization in my head.

4. Find Markets Everywhere

To the writers who don’t know where to pitch: Markets are everywhere! You can find magazines you never heard of at your doctor’s office, the library, and the airport. Once I saw a local health insurance company’s magazine at the house of a friend in Rhode Island who was a customer. I called the editor and ended up writing several articles for them before they sadly stopped publishing. Also, if I find a trade magazine that seems like a good market, I backtrack to their publisher’s website to see what other titles they publish.

5. Take Control

You’ve probably heard me whining about how I have six assignments due on the same day. (A high class problem, I know.) You know why that happened? Because I let it happen. Now, I try to space out deadlines. Editors generally don’t mind if, when they give you the assignment, you ask for an additional three to five days on your deadline.

6. Don’t Over-Research

If you write in your head (as in the tip above), you’ll have an idea of what you need in terms of research so you won’t run the risk of spending hours generating notes you won’t use. Do just the research and interviews you need, and start early — so if you do end up needing more, you can always get it.

7. Have a System

When I get an assignment, I go through the same process every time: I create a folder with the same name format, label my interviews the same way and store them in the same place, invoice right after sending in the assignment, and even use the same subject line format when I send the interview file to my transcriptionist. Having a system streamlines the assignment process so you don’t have to spend time thinking about where to put things, how to name them, when to invoice, and so on. (Also, I learned that Evernote/OneNote is a great system for storing all your article files in one place, but I couldn’t get into it myself.)

8. Yes! Send Simultaneous Pitches

Even though The Renegade Writer has been out since 2003, my e-course students are still aghast when I tell them to send their pitch to multiple magazines. What if two editors want it at the same time? they ask. Talk about a high-class problem! I’ve been freelancing for 13 years and this has only happened to me once. In an industry where editors take months to get back to you — if they ever do, that is — it seems silly to worry that two of them will knock on your door at the same time.

9. But Rank Your Target Markets

I don’t send my query to every possible market at one time: I send it to my top markets first, then the second-tier markets, and finally (if it gets to that) the markets that pay the least and/or have the least prestige. The lower-paying markets tend to be much more responsive (whoda thunk?), and you don’t want to sell your idea to a C-list magazine before your dream pub gets a chance to look at it!

10. Take a Shower

This was one of the most comment-provoking tips I’ve ever had on this blog. As much as we writers romanticize being able to work in our jammies, taking a shower and putting on clean clothes every morning will help you feel more productive and in control of your day.

11. Don’t Say No to Yourself

I often have mentoring clients who say, “I didn’t send my idea to X magazine because I don’t think I have enough relevant experience” or “I didn’t think my idea was exactly right for them so I didn’t send it.” Now, of course you want to send relevant ideas to magazines that need them. But you are not the expert in what the magazine needs — the editor is. Give the editor a chance to say yes or no. You risk more rejection when you put your ideas out there, but you also increase your chances at acceptance by an infinite amount. Why limit yourself?

12. Write the Lede Last

If you’re having trouble coming up with a lede for your article, write the rest of the article first. Sometimes it’s difficult to write a lede because you have nothing to go on — and if you write the body and conclusion, a lede that ties into the rest of the text may naturally present itself.

13. Read Writer’s Market — Cover to Cover

One thing I love about the print version of Writer’s Market is that you can read it cover to cover. If you only look at the sections you’re normally interested in, such as women’s magazines or pet magazines, you’ll miss out on hundreds of potential markets that you may end up also being interested in. Just remember that WM is often out of date since editors move around so much, so you need to supplement your search by calling the magazine to verify the info before you send your pitch or letter of intro. [lf]

If you liked that post, you might also like:

• You Ask, I Answer: How Can I Find Niche Markets?
• The Art of the Simultaneous Query
• 3 Spaces Left in My Write for Magazines E-Course
• Why Your Article Ideas Aren’t Working
• Bust My Excuse: I Get Held Up Researching markets