When
did you know you wanted to be a writer and what happened?
When I was eleven, my parents sponsored a family from Laos.
Their story inspired me to write an essay about them. My
dad's secretary typed it up for me, we sent it off to the
local paper, and they published it. Although I'd always
loved writing, that moment solidified my career choice.
What was the
first piece that you sold for money and how much did you
make? In
the old days, I got paid by the inch. I think I made $12
off the first article I sold. How
long have you been writing and in what capacities? I
have been writing for 22 years as a reporter, a copywriter,
a public relations specialist, an author, and a freelancer.
Although we would all love to have our names on a book and
in a print magazine this is a time consuming process and
the money doesn't flow in like clockwork. For
those that are thinking of writing as a career, would you
mind simplifying the process, so they have a better understanding
of what you go through? Well,
I should preface this by saying that even though I am a
full-time writer with a couple thousand articles under my
belt, I only sell about 40% of what I pitch. It's all about
being in the right place at the right time with the right
product. I work on assignment with some publications, which
means the editor contacts me and asks if I'd be interested
in writing a particular story. Sometimes, I pitch an idea
to them, but by and large, they already have their editorial
list solidified. Twice
a month, I send out queries, both to publications I have
worked for before and to at least two new publications I
haven't worked for before. Then I wait. And wait. And wait
to hear back. Sometimes, I never hear anything. Other times,
I get the form rejection letter. And other times I make
a sale. I can't count on those as income, so those are usually
my "bonus" monies. If I get an assignment, great,
if I don't, I keep sending out ideas until I do. The other
part of my business is well...business. I have to keep track
of my invoices, my billing, and my hours. Chart my mileage,
keep up with my bookkeeping, pay my bills, and order supplies.
Read contracts, negotiate terms, etc. I wish it were just
about the writing, but to be honest, it's about far more
than that.
What
do you do to supplement your income so that working from
home gives you a more steady income? The
marketing writing (brochures, press releases, etc.) really
helps keep my income steady. I do a 50/50 mix of freelancing
and marketing writing and although the marketing writing
generally involves a faster response and shorter turnaround
time, I'm paid faster. There
is a lot of talk going around that one should never give
away an article for free, under what circumstances have
you allowed your work to be printed without monetary compensation
and what is your reasoning behind it? I
give articles away for free as a means of giving back to
other writers. I wouldn't have reached the point I am at
in my career without help from other writers. By providing
articles on the craft or book reviews or author profiles,
I give back. I should mention that I am also the writing
teacher for www.iVillage.com, which is a volunteer position.
I teach one class a week and write a monthly writing lesson
article and exercise for the Readers and Writers Channel.
Although I do get some PR benefit from this and the articles
I give away, my main reason is to help other writers achieve
their dreams.
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Alyice Edrich is a Freelance Writer and Telecommunications
Representative. Are you a struggling writer looking for
ways to cut costs? Check out http://thedabblingmum.com/communications.htm
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