Laurie Lewis

Pricing—and my book What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants—is the focus of my attention in April, with three scheduled events.

On Wednesday, April 17, I’ll be doing a live webinar for Writers’ Life Academy (www.writerslifeacademy.com). The topic is 10 Tips for Pricing Your Freelance Jobs. If you can’t attend the session, you can purchase a recording at the same site within a few days.

Then it’s off to Middletown, Connecticut, where I’ll be giving a presentation on pricing to the Connecticut chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association on Monday, April 22. Learn more about this event at www.the-efa.com.

Finally, I’ll be selling books again at the annual American Society of Journalists and Authors (www.asja.org) meeting in New York on April 26 and 27. If you come to the meeting, be sure to stop by the table to say hello.

February is my anniversary month. Twenty-eight years ago this month, I began my freelance medical writing and editing business. Two years ago in February, the second edition of my award-winning book What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants was published. Last February, I followed that with the ebook Freelance Fee Setting: Quick Guide for When a Client Demands a Price NOW.

To celebrate these anniversaries, I have reduced the Kindle price of the most recent ebook to just 99 cents. Only for February, only for Kindle. Take advantage of the anniversary special at http://www.amazon.com/Freelance-Fee-Setting-Demands-ebook/dp/B0077STDEC/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1.

This was an unusual year for my freelance writing and editing business. It was the year that business almost wasn’t.

I began the year putting the finishing touches on my new ebook Freelance Fee Setting: Quick Guide for When a Client Demands a Price NOW. In February I made it available for most ereaders, and I watched Kindle sales skyrocket with the initial wave of publicity. It was a heady experience, and I thought of dozens of other ebooks I could produce if I feel so inclined.

I was not disappointed in the lack of work during the first quarter, because I needed the time to market my new ebook and to continue to promote last year’s prize-winner, What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants. Winning more awards offered more excuses for media contact but failed to show meaningful results in terms of book sales.

By April I was tiring of book promotion and wanted to sink my teeth into some meaty editing and writing assignments. When none materialized, I began, somewhat half-heartedly, writing my next book for freelancers. Only when I gave myself deadlines did I make progress. The first draft is almost done, my goal for this year.

The summer solstice passed without any paying work. I began to refer to myself with a term I had been avoiding, although it describes my business approach in the past several years: semi-retired. I wondered if the “semi” part was accurate, given the dearth of clients.

And then the work began. I was busy with several new clients and one old one for most of the fourth quarter. The returning client is a long-time favorite. The new clients are ones I might not have taken on a few years back, when business was strong and I could afford to be choosy. One is a graduate student to whom I am giving a steep discount because she needs the editing help but cannot afford fees my corporate clients readily pay. Another is a magazine for an ethnic audience, a stretch because I am not a member of that ethnic group. The third is a publisher of nonfiction for young adults. I took on each of these assignments because the work was interesting, the projects had some social merit, and, frankly, I wanted to be working. None of these new clients pays a lot, but they pay adequately for today’s world.

When I get philosophical, I realize I am ending my freelance career the way I began: taking on as many new clients as possible because the work is interesting if not lucrative. I know that many freelancers have been working for years for the rates these new clients pay. For more than twenty years I had turned away such assignments because I could make so much more money from clients with deep pockets. In some ways, it’s good to be home again.

My phone didn’t stop ringing for days when Hurricane Sandy hit New York. Friends and family saw pictures of the devastation and called to see if I was okay. They didn’t realize that New York topography is highly variable. I am at a relatively high point, and I was spared the storm surge. Although the streets were dark just a few miles away, my area never lost power.

That’s not to say that the neighborhood was unaffected. With the subway system shut down and many businesses without electricity, most people stayed home for a week. They became bored and went out to find something to do. Stuck in the neighborhood because of the limited transportation, these residents flocked to the restaurants and the stores where employees managed to arrive. My normally quiet neighborhood looked like Times Square in rush hour!

On the weekend after the storm, the neighborhood transformed once again. The local fire station and several pubs joined forces to collect donations for an area hard-hit by Sandy’s wrath. Within a few hours after signs appeared on street corners announcing the collection drop-off point, everyone was flocking to that location. The organizers did a great job posting what was needed and where to deposit it. After reading the signs, I went to the nearest grocery store and returned in the steady stream of shoppers, carrying four bags of canned food, cleaning supplies, and toiletries. I went home and emptied my cupboards and returned for a third time on Sunday with a winter coat, shawl, and shoes. The pace at the donation center never slackened, and it was often difficult to walk on the sidewalk because so many people were getting involved.

It warmed my heart and made me proud of my neighbors. We were spared the devastation, but we shared the pain. Whoever thinks New Yorkers are unfeeling should have seen that scene.

Do you know how to track sales of your books in real time using Amazon. com? That’s the topic of an article I wrote for WOW-womenonwriting.com. (It’s OK, men; you can read it too!) Find the article here: http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/51-How2-TrackBookSales.html

On Wednesday, August 15, I will be a guest on Jackie Peterson’s Internet radio show Better, Smarter, Richer. The show airs at 10 AM Pacific time (1 PM Eastern time) at www.w4wn.com.

Jackie is the author of a book by the same name as her radio show. I met her last year at the Creative Freelancers Conference in Chicago, and I look forward to reconnecting with her on the air.

I’ve never been an early adapter. In fact, I’m just the opposite. I tend to wait so long that the bandwagon has almost left before I finally jump on.

I also am averse to the interconnectedness that characterizes the modern world. Social media—why bother? If it weren’t for NAIWE, I wouldn’t even have a blog.

Yet I have been hearing over and over about the value of LinkedIn. So I finally jumped on that bandwagon—long after LinkedIn became popular as a way to connect with other freelance writers and editors and potential clients.

I’ve been on LinkedIn for about 6 weeks now—too early to come to firm conclusions. I will say, though, that I don’t hate it. I appreciate the way seasoned freelancers share their knowledge and experience, especially with those who have less experience. I like the concept of being able to pose a question and, possibly, get responses in a matter of hours.

Several people have mentioned my books in LinkedIn groups, and I’ve seen immediate increases in sales. When I post a comment about my books, nothing happens. Clearly, members want to hear unbiased opinions before they take the next step. That makes me wonder if anyone can actually succeed in self-promotion using social media.

With so many people participating in the same forums, I can’t see how job opportunities arise. I’m not actively looking for work on LinkedIn, however, so I am only guessing.

The one thing I most appreciate about the discussions is the lack of time pressure. Some threads have been open for months, and people are still talking about the topic. I imagine that the delay in some postings is because work takes precedence. That’t a good thing. I’d hate to think that people are connecting through social media rather than making a living.

I’ll be selling my award-winning book What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants and print copies of Freelance Fee Setting: Quick Guide for When a Client Demands a Price NOW (normally available only as an ebook) at the American Society of Journalists and Authors meeting in New York on April 27 and 28. I hope to meet other NAIWE members at the event. Look for my table, and introduce yourself!

April is a busy month for me, with two book-related events.

On Saturday, April 14,  I’m giving a talk on pricing at the 10th Annual Freelance Workshop sponsored by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the American Medical Writers Association. This meeting takes place in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. I’ll also be selling my books What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants and Freelance Fee Setting: Quick Guide for When a Client Demands a Price NOW.

I have a table to sell books at the 41st Annual Writers Conference of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. That meeting is on Friday and Saturday, April 27 and 28, in New York City.

If you are attending either conference, please look for me. I welcome the opportunity to meet fellow NAIWE members.

My book What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants was one of only two titles to place in multiple categories in the 2011 Reader Views literary awards, which were announced last week. What to Charge tied for first place in the Business/Sales/Economics category and  came in second in the Writing/Publication category.

In November, What to Charge was named a finalist in the USA Best Books 2011 competition, in the Business: Writing & Publishing category.

I am honored that What to Charge is being recognized as a valuable book for operators of small businesses and for those who write professionally.

NAIWE has long recognized the value of this book and has made it available for members to purchase. Just click on http://naiwe.com/bookstore/index.php.