NAIWE NewsWire

Join us for a special episode of The Freelance Life, Tweet Your Tips to Create a New Product While Marketing Your Expertise, with NAIWE Expert Paulette Ensign.

The Freelance Life is hosted at TalkShoe, and you can listen in on Wednesday, 1 February 2012, at 3:30 p.m. EST.

As a freelancer, you have lots of great business tips to share with the world. And you keep hearing that social media for business is the way to go. Yet there are so many social media tools you’re not sure where to start. Plus you’re running a small home business or a micro business. You want to create products from those tips marketing your business at the same time, on what little time you have. Maybe you’re thinking of a tweet book and don’t know how to do it.

This session shows you how to do that and more, a minute at a time in very short order, a tip at a time, doing double time as you market your freelance business and create a money-making product simultaneously. You’ll develop a social media strategy that is painless, with big results both online and offline.

What you’ll learn in this session not only gives you a way to create a product for your business, it gives you another service to offer your clients and prospects.

Paulette Ensign has successfully been in the tips business for more than twenty years, selling well over a million copies of her tips booklet online and offline. She has clients worldwide who have surpassed her results. You can be the next one!

Why learn ghostwriting if you don’t want to be a ghostwriter?

- Ghostwriters can complete a novel in 12-14 months, concept to final draft.

- Ghostwriters can complete a nonfiction manuscript, fully edited, in 6-8 months.

They’re not necessarily better writers, they simply have a perspective and skill set different from the ones taught to writers and aspiring authors. NAIWE’s Ghostwriting Expert Claudia Suzanne will talk about the differences between writers and and ghostwriters, including what you need to see your manuscripts the way agents and publishers do.

Join us on Wednesday, 18 January, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. EST to learn more about ghosting and why it might be a good addition to your skills toolbox.

Members will find call-in information in the member area. Just log in at the top of any NAIWE page; click on the “Library” link, and then the “Members-Only Blog” link. We’ll send a reminder via e-mail as well. Be sure that you’ve whitelisted *@naiwe.com (an asterisk, followed by @naiwe.com) in your e-mail program so that you receive the message.

If you’re not a member and you’d like to join in time for the teleclass, you may click on this “Join NAIWE” link to do so. If you would like to register for the teleclass only, you may do so by visiting the Teleclass page.

Want to know how to knock out those projects that just hang on and on? Join us for this month’s member teleclass, “How to Complete Your Projects . . . Especially the Ones That Have Been Bugging You,” with NAIWE expert Meggin McIntosh, The Ph.D of Productivity. She’ll delve into her experience to share sharp strategies for finishing even the most challenging projects.

Thursday, 12 January 2012

3:30 p.m. EST

Click this link for Meggin’s very helpful handouts.

We’ll talk about:

• The #1 reason too many of your projects remain uncompleted.
• The belief that is preventing you from ever getting some of your projects into the pipeline–so of course they never get completed.
• The 3 tools you must have to get your projects completed.
• The best secret for giving yourself peace of mind–even if it gives you a jolt of overwhelm first!
 How to get started so you have meaningful projects completed in a reasonable timeframe.
• The 5 questions to ask and answer to know whether you are actually going to make any progress on your projects – or if you are woefully resigned to continue to live a life of frustration, unfulfilled possibilities, and lost opportunities.

Members will find call-in information in the member area. Just log in at the top of any NAIWE page; click on the “Library” link, and then the “Members-Only Blog” link. We’ll send a reminder via e-mail as well. Be sure that you’ve whitelisted *@naiwe.com (an asterisk, followed by @naiwe.com) in your e-mail program so that you receive the message.

If you’re not a member and you’d like to join in time for the teleclass, you may click on this “Join NAIWE” link to do so. If you would like to register for the teleclass only, you may do so by visiting the Teleclass page.

Meggin’s workshop can help you enter the new year with confidence and a clean slate. We hope you’ll join us!

Join us on The Freelance Life as we talk with NAIWE member Susan Bowman, author of the memoir, Lady Father. We’ll talk about the book and its unique title and the writing process and how it impacted Susan’s life. We’ll also touch on marketing tips she’s has found helpful, and maybe even a few tips for other writers who are planning to write a memoir.

We interviewed Susan at 3:30 p.m. EDT on The Freelance Life, Wednesday, 7 December 2011. She has a great story, and shared a number of helpful writing and marketing tips. Here’s the recording:

Susan writes, “Lady Father” is a narrative account of my journey through the ordination process in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia of the 1980’s and the subsequent years of ordained ministry.  As the first female admitted to the ordination process by the Rt. Rev. C. Charles Vaché, seventh Bishop of Southern Virginia, who was then a strong and vocal opponent of the ordination of women, I was a “reluctant pioneer.” Read more . . .

NAIWE members: Have you recently published a book? The Book Chat is an informal interview about your book, your writing process, and your publishing story. Once it’s complete, you may download it and post it on your website and/or blog for the enjoyment of potential readers. It’s a benefit for members only.

We are excited to announce that the outstanding book What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants by our Pricing Expert, Laurie Lewis, is a finalist in the USA Best Books 2011 awards.

What to Charge teaches you how to:

• Set rates
• Assess fees dictated by clients
• Evaluate your pricing experiences
• Dig for information before quoting a fee
• Examine the pros and cons of different pricing methods
• Keep records that will enable you to maximize your profits on future projects
• Use the only two rules of pricing (and why following them will guarantee you pricing success)
• Analyze your income retroactively
• Raise your rates with little effort

We believe it’s a one-of-a-kind book, and we’re proud to offer it in the NAIWE bookstore. If you freelance and you want to boost your bottom line, this book should be on your desk!

Note to Members: Have you or your book won an award? Let us know so that we can share the good news!

How’s your manuscript? Are you participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) or have you been working on your book for many months? If you’re serious about the book you’re writing, you know that your rough draft will need more work when you’re finished.

To complement this month’s celebration of NaNoWriMo, we’ve invited NAIWE Editorial Expert Barbara McNichol to speak on 7 Writing Problems that Editors Constantly “Fix” to Make Your Book Sale-able. Barbara will discuss editing techniques—for both fiction and nonfiction writing—that will give you ways to immediately improve your prose. Even when you step up your productivity with the NaNoWriMo schedule, you can have an eye on quality as you go.

Barbara is a freelance editor who works with authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs to add power to their pen through the written word. She am author of Word Trippers: The Ultimate Source for Choosing the Perfect Word When It Really Matters - a reference guide for writers everywhere in searchable Kindle format.

This members-only teleclass will be held on Thursday, 11/17/11 at 03:30 PM EST. **UPDATED DATE**

Members will find the call-in information in the Members-Only section of the NAIWE website. Just log in at the top of any page of the site and go to the Library. Click on “Expert Teleclasses,” and you’ll find the information you need.

Remember, our expert teleclasses are always free for members. Non-members will find additional information about the teleclasses on the Member Teleclass page.

You may visit Barbara at her member website, barbaramcnichol.naiwe.com, or at Barbara McNichol Editorial.

Whether you’re a writer, entrepreneur, academic, or top-level editor, you need digital skills in order to succeed.

This webinar will outline 10 steps — and critical websites, social networks and gear — to help you become more tech savvy. You’ll get complete notes as well as a primer on how to manage information overload. Don’t sweat the tech! Dominate it!

This is free webinar and open to the public. Our host for this event is NAIWE’s new benefit partner, Knowledgewebb.

Register for the Webinar

Important note:  You must have pre-registered for this free session and received a confirmation message from Knowledgewebb’s office in order to participate.

Date:    Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Time:    2:00PM – 2:45PM EDT

Learn more about the webinar at the Knowlegewebb site.

Join us on The Freelance Life as we talk with Sarah Mackey from The Office of Letters and Light about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which is coming up in November.

You’ll learn about the origins of the event, writers whose NaNoWriMo books have been published, and how to use the month of November to create a complete 50,000+ word rough draft in just 30 days. Imagine what that can do for your productivity!

Here’s the recording:

Recorded Wednesday, 10/26/11 at 02:00 PM EDT at  The Freelance Life Online Radio Show.

Tinie Tao, a freelance writer and editor, is NAIWE’s October Member of the Month. Tinie effectively uses her NAIWE website (TinieTao.NAIWE.com) as a showcase for her fresh, accessible writing style. I think you’ll enjoy her interview. Join us for the audio interview at 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday, the 13th of October at The Freelance Life.

Q: Please share a little of your professional history with our readers.

I’m currently writing and editing for The Infusion Project, an organization that promotes and throws live art events downtown for artists to get their work out there. I also write blogs for New Evolution Video, a San Diego video marketing company.

Q: How and when did you make this business a reality?

I quit my admin/office job, which was my first position out of college, after about ten months there.  I knew from that experience that I wanted to jump into my passion and start enjoying every day of my life now.  I was already writing for New Evolution at the time, and I was able to ramp up the quality and amount of writing I did for them when I liberated myself from the day job hamster wheel.

Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned thus far in your career?

I actually create my highest quality writing when I focus on others.  I stay on track when I ask myself, “How can I help this client?  How can I best serve the readers?” My priority moves from being about  how much money I’m getting out of the deal to creating the most fun-to-read content I can for an audience.

Q: What are some of the teachers, books, or authors who have influenced your professional life in a positive way?

I love Carol Tice’s Make A Living Writing blogs and Steve Pavlina’s personal development blogs.  Steve teaches that we ramp up personal wealth by creating and delivering value.  We already know that we’re talented!

We create financial abundance by getting others to see our talents.  We profit when others recognize and purchase the enormous benefits to themselves from our products and services.

Q: As a seasoned professional, what advice would you offer an independent writer or editor who is just beginning a career?

Take risks, and try new things!

Q: What inspires you?

Sharing positive energy with entrepreneurs building amazing businesses.  I love that my clients’ industries (ie. art, entertainment, technology) are young, hip, and full of life.

Q: How has your membership in NAIWE benefited you professionally?

My NAIWE membership equipped me with the tools I need (ie. WordPress platform, examples by other members) to create and publish my online writing portfolio.

Freelancers: Do you have questions about how to quote a job so that you’ll be earning what your work is worth?

Have you ever quoted a job, then found that it was a lot more work than you expected, leaving you with very little profit?

Do your palms get sweaty when a prospective client asks, “How much would you charge for this project?”

Join us on Wednesday, September 21, at 3:30 p.m. EDT for a special Members-Only Teleclass in which NAIWE’s Pricing Expert, Laurie Lewis, discusses strategies and techniques for creating fair, reasonable, and profitable price quotes. You’ll gain insight into:

• Setting rates
• Assessing fees dictated by clients
• Evaluating your pricing experiences
• How to dig for information before quoting a fee
• The pros and cons of different pricing methods
• Two rules of pricing and why following them will guarantee you pricing success
• How to keep records that will enable you to maximize your profits
• How to analyze your income retroactively
• How to raise your rates

There’s no way that Laurie can cover all you need to know in one short hour, so during the teleclass, we’ll give away one copy of Laurie’s book, What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants, to a member who joins us on the call.* If you’re not the lucky winner, you can find What to Charge in the NAIWE Bookstore.

Members will find the call-in information in the Members-Only section of the NAIWE website. Just log in at the top of any page of NAIWE.com and go to the Library. Click on “Expert Teleclasses,” and you’ll find the information you need. Remember, our expert teleclasses are always free for members. Non-members will find additional information about the teleclasses on the Member Teleclass page.

*Details: You must be a current member of NAIWE, and be present on the call to win. The winner will be randomly chosen by caller number (for example, it could be Caller 8 or 17 or 53, which is the way our conference call service identifies callers). Remember, all you have to do is be there Wednesday, September 21, at 3:30 p.m. EDT to enjoy this informative teleclass and have a chance to win.