The Renegade Writer » Help us!

Ch-ch-changes at the Renegade Writer Blog

Linda Formichelli — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 18:21:43 +0000

I’ve been doing a lot of work to make the Renegade Writer blog more user-friendly and to reflect what I’m all about; for example, I revamped the About Us page and created a new tagline.

Also, I finally decided to suck it up and get a professional redesign. My fabulous designer Reese Spykerman will be doing the honors in mid to late February. The site will have a clean, new look, and we’ll be making it easier for you to get to the free stuff as well as to share posts via Twitter, Facebook, and so on.

In the meantime, lately I’ve gotten several requests from readers to be able to sign up for the blog feed via e-mail. We used to have that capability, and I’m not sure where it’s gone. So I created a new e-mail feed, and you can now sign up for Renegade goodness by clicking on Subscribe to the Renegade Writer By Email in the right-hand column (under the archives). Please do sign up to get Renegade posts right in your inbox!

If you have any suggestions for what to include (and what not to include) in the new blog design, I’m all ears! Of course my budget is not infinite, but I’ll do what I can to make the new design as user-friendly as possible. [lf]

Do You Really, Really Like Us?

Linda Formichelli — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:11:36 +0000

If you really, really like us, please nominate the Renegade Writer blog for the 5th Annual Top 10 Blogs for Writers Contest! I’ve been working hard to bring readers a good mix of posts about marketing, craft, motivation, productivity, and personal development for freelance writers. I love the writing life, and my goal is to help other writers break the chains of the 9-5 and make a go at freelancing. I hope the blog has helped you gain more confidence as a freelancer!

EDITED to say thank you to everyone who… Click here to keep reading...

Do You Freelance on the Side?

Linda Formichelli — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:00:02 +0000

I had a mentoring client ask me how people who work full time make freelancing work, and I promised I would pose her question on the blog. Last year I did a survey of our readers, and many of you say that freelancing is a side job for you on top of your regular job. How do you find time to write? Do you get up early, stay up late, write during your lunch hour? How about scheduling interviews when you work 9-5? And how do you keep from being exhausted?… Click here to keep reading...

Do You Have Ideas for Renegade Writer Video Posts?

Linda Formichelli — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:00:06 +0000

I’m thinking of creating some video posts for fun. Are there any topics you’d like to see me tackle on video? It seems the medium isn’t the best forngetting into the nitty-gritty of query writing and other writing-heavy topics, but it would work well for more personal subjects like motivation and confidence. But outside of those thoughts, I’m stumped. What do you think? Thanks in advance for your comments! [lf]

Please Take Kelly James-Enger’s Freelancing Income Survey

Linda Formichelli — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:00:56 +0000

I’m posting this request for Kelly James-Enger, author of Six-Figure Freelancing:

When I was working on Six-Figure Freelancing several years ago, I found only two surveys about freelancer’s income. One was a 2003 survey of 369 ASJA members. At that time, 41% made more than $50,000 a year, including 12% grossing more than $100,000 annually. Another survey of nearly 500 freelancers conducted by Doreesa Banning in 2004 found that while nearly 68.9% of respondents made less than $50,000 a year, more than 30% made more than that, including 7% who made more than $100,000 annually. (Visit http://www.asja.org/pubtips/050324a.php for more about the survey.)

What about you? Where do you fall on the income bell curve? I’ll tell you that in 2009, I grossed about $52,000, working an average of 15 hours/week. In 2008, I made $57,500, working about 18 hours/week. However, this year I’m on target to make significantly less than that, which means it’s time for me to market myself much more aggressively.

Still, I’m curious about what other freelancers are making and thought about asking for feedback on my blog. Then reality interceded; after all, I do realize not everyone is as willing to share their annual income in a public forum. So I’ve set up an anonymous survey to report on the current state of what we’re making as freelancers. Please visit http://www.kwiksurveys.com/?s=KNMIOF_cdf53ce4 to participate in the survey (it will take you 3 minutes or less!) and I’ll report on the results by the end of June here and on my blog. After all, more information about money=more power for freelancers. And that is an excellent thing.

Kelly