A while back I wrote that social networks like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are great ways to get people to visit your writing website and online portfolio. Today I took my own advice and signed up with a Twitter account.

Twitter is like a cross between a blog and an instant messenger, what the “tweeters” call a “micro-blog”. Twitter lets you post short, 140-character text updates to a public website, which people can follow and respond to if they feel like it.

At first glance, Twitter seems like just a bunch of people writing messages about nothing.

“I’m at the airport!”

“Politics is stupid.”

“Spilled an entire coffee in the back seat of my car. Starting the day off right.”

Sound pointless? That’s what I thought at first. But after a couple days of using Twitter, I am starting to see its purpose, especially for writers like me.

Publicize Your Website and Writing Portfolio

Like all social networks, Twitter lets you have a profile where you can add a link to your website. While this is great in itself, Twitter takes this a step further by letting you post a message whenever you’ve made a change to your website or blog. Write a tweet whenever you’ve published an article and post a link to Twitter.

Deborah Ng of FreelanceWritingGigs.com does this whenever she’s updated her blog. She uses “Twitter Feed” to send these announcements automatically:

What I like about it is how posts are automatically tweeted out everyday, even if I didn’t do it manually, and even if I didn’t write the post myself. Anything on my RSS Feed is sent out over my Twitter Feed.

Freelance writer Robin Shreeves also uses Twitter to get feedback on her website:

It’s a good way to promote my writing - especially my blogs that thrive on page views. It’s also a good place to go when a post isn’t doing so well to ask people to trade a stumble or a digg.

Network With Other Writers and Make New Friends

This is undoubtedly the best thing about Twitter. Deborah Ng has used it to amass quite a following:

I started out with one follower and now have about 1200. I met new people, did some business, swapped ideas and stories, and received breaking news. Because Twitter is 140 characters or less, I’m not committed to some deep conversation.

In fact, this 140-character limit completely changes the face of conventional “networking” by embracing the small details of life. These may seem trivial at first, but as social media strategist David Griner argues, these trivialities let you get to know people in a more “three-dimensional way” than ever before:

…if all you do is post little tidbits like this, it’s true that you’ll probably never get much of a following. But if they’re sprinkled in with thoughts from your professional life, the result will be a well-rounded expression of who you are. (You might also find someone else to get coffee with in the same airport, or some suggestions for better places to buy scones.)

Find Sources

Need to interview someone for a story? Twitter is full of useful subjects. Robert Janelle follows people in the sector he covers, which often leads to insights that can lead to a story:

From the tweets I follow, I can see who likes or dislikes a certain product, who holds certain views on a subject and well, almost anything folks are willing to share with their followers.

Learn From Writers Like You

If you’re an aspiring writer, why not follow other writers and see what they Twitter about? As writer Stacie Connerty points out, you may learn a thing or two:

I also follow a lot of people on Twitter who I find interesting or seem to do the type of work that I would like to do. I learn a lot that way.

If you having trouble finding writers to follow, check out this list of UK journalists on Twitter for a start.

Show Interest In Others and They Will Show Interest In You

This is the golden rule of Twitter. Like all social media platforms, Twitter is a community and you’ll get as much out of it as you put in. What you put in may seem trivial at first, but those details will actually help people get to know you on a more personal level. That way, when you do post something work-related, people in your community will notice.

But don’t take it from me - I’ve only been using Twitter for less than a day. What do other writers have to say about it?

Robin Shreeves:

Building a network went slowly at first, but the more followers you have the more you’ll get. I now get a few new followers each day, and about once a week I actively go looking for followers.

Stacie Connerty:

I absolutely love Twitter. I have gotten some great leads and some fabulous ideas. Twitter really works and I think that I am developing an addiction but it sure is fun!!

Are you on Twitter?

Let us know, and don’t forget to follow me @MonicaShaw.

We just released a set of improvements and updates to Writer’s Residence.

You can now reorder entries within your résumé/CV which makes it much better for adding new jobs, qualifications etc. Click on the Reorder link next to the section you’d like to change.

We’ve doubled the individual picture and attachment upload limit to 10mb from 5mb for larger scans of tear sheets and the like.

There are a bunch more fit and finish improvements like:

• Title based links for writings samples. Rather than /samples/8 in the link you now have /samples/this-is-the-title-of-the-article. This will help with search engine optimization on your site.
• Recent blog entries are listed in the dashboard to keep users up-to-date with the goings on at Writer’s Residence.
• Your information is now pre-populated into the résumé/CV and contact information pages so less typing is required.
• Clicking the sign in link on the home page will take you straight to your dashboard if you’re using the “Remember Me” sign in feature.

We really hope you find the improvements useful and, as ever, please let us know if there’s anything we can do for you.

Thank you,

- Monica and Tim

One of the biggest challenges in starting out as a freelance writer is getting your first article published. But to get published, you need show editors what you can do. How do you do that when you’ve never been published before?

To find out, check out my guest post at The Freshman Writer, a blog for new freelance writers. My article, Getting Published Without Writing Clips, features a few tips for dealing with clips in the early stages of your career.

If you’ve already created a writing portfolio website for your clips and writing samples, then congratulations: you’ve just taken the first step in getting your work seen by others. But how do you get people to actually visit your site?

The key to gaining traffic is to get as many websites linking back to your writing portfolio as possible. Here are a few simple ways to do that without look like a spam-bot:

Signatures

Add a link to your writing portfolio in your online signature. This not only goes for email - add it to posts on forums and blog comments, as well.

Participate in Writing Forums

Related to your signature, forums are a great way to interact with fellow writers and build a name for yourself in the field. Add a link your writing portfolio in your profile and your signature. Not sure where to start? I’m a big fan of Absolute Write, but there are loads of similar forums out there for every type of writer.

Social Networks

Join social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Virb, LinkedIn and Flickr and make sure your profile links back to your writing portfolio.

Get Blogging

Blogging is a great way to gain exposure and establish yourself as a professional in your market of choice. You can start your own blog or guest post on others. As always, remember to link back to your writing portfolio wherever you go.

Business Cards

Business cards may seem old school, but they’re still a great way to market your writing when you’re interacting with people in the real world. Put your portfolio website address on your business cards and give them out whenever you can - at conferences, in meetings, or at the pub. Always keep a few extra in your wallet; you never know when they’ll come in handy.

Remember, you’re not just a writer; you’re an entrepreneur. Treat your writing like a business. Your words are your products and clients must pay in order to receive those products. It makes it much easier for you to take yourself seriously and to project a professional image.
- Lori Widmer (via The Golden Pencil)

A couple weeks ago I took a free course on Becoming Self Employed offered by the UK’s HM Revenue & Customs. Although I always knew that I should treat writing as my business, I never really knew what that meant until taking the course.

I suspect I’m not the only freelance writer out there who takes business sense for granted. Most of us are so focussed on getting published that we forget about the business altogether. This is a mistake - learning to run a business is extremely valuable for freelance writers, and it’s one of the few things that make the pros stand out from the wannabes. It’s also the only way to keep track of your income, save on taxes and stay organized.

So where can you begin learning about business?

Take a course

I highly recommend signing up for a course or workshop that covers business basics. You could pay for a college or university course, but don’t neglect the wealth of free stuff out there.

In the UK, HM Revenue & Customs offers several free workshops, including Becoming Self Employed, and Self Assessment (Tax Return) for Self-Employed People.

In the US, the Small Business Administration offers free online business courses, including a Small Business Primer, Developing a Business Plan, and Marketing 101.

Read all about it

There are loads of blogs out there that regularly feature articles about the business side of freelance writing. Here are just a few.

• Men with Pens have a slew of Better Business articles including their latest Open Debate: The True Costs of Starting a Freelance Business.
• Freelance Switch is full of great advice, such as 5 Tips for Marketing Your Freelance Writing Business.
• The Writing Journey has a whole series of posts on How To Start Your Freelance Writing Business.
• Laurie has 10 Ways to Treat Freelance Writing Like a Business, including keep an accurate list of submissions and keep track of your expenses.
• Freelance Writing Success has another 10 Ways to Make a 6-Figure Income as a Freelance Writer which covers revenue goals, time management, outsourcing and royalties.

Talk to people

And I don’t just mean freelance writers - get in touch with other entrepreneurs. I find that talking to other small business owners actually energizes me to be more business savvy.

There are plenty of online business forums full of people giving out free advice and support on marketing, accounting, PR, and anything having to do with running a successful business. I participate in the A1 Business Forums and ukbusinessforums, both of which have been great resources for advice and conversation.

You can also check the freelance-focussed forums, such as freelance folder, Absolute Write and Freelanceswitch, where you can talk with more people like you who are trying to make it as a freelancer.

And of course, never forget the value of talking to someone face to face. My friend Rory told me about something called The Tuttle Club here in London, a “loose association of people finding a way of working better together both online and off”. There are loads of clubs like this all over the place. Search Google or check on craigslist. And if you can’t find one, start your own, just like George is doing in Wasilla, Alaska.

Do you have business sense?

How did you learn? Where did you start? What have I missed? Leave your tips in the comments.

Users of Writer’s Residence now have a new theme to choose from. We’re pretty excited about this one - it’s our first theme that uses an illustration for the header rather than a photograph. We like the cool, bright colors and hope you do to!

To activate the new theme, sign in to your account and click on the Themes tab.

Google Alerts are email updates of the latest Google results based on a “search term”. For example, I have a Google Alert set up for “Writer’s Residence” and get an email whenever a blog or website mentions that phrase.

Writer’s can also use Google Alerts as a handy way to see when their articles are published on websites. Susan Johnston at Urban Muse has this tip:

Here’s how to do it: Go to Google.com/alerts and create an alert for “Your name” Site:website.com. For instance, I could set up an alert for Experience.com by typing “Susan Johnston” site:Experience.com. Then, once I find a new article I’ve written, I bookmark it in Delicious for future reference.

Tip for Tracking Your Writing Online

“You may be the most brilliant writer in the world, but if you don’t have a clip to show me, I won’t know that.”
- Rachel Clark, deputy editor of Premier magazine

Writing samples, or “clips”, are a critical part of the writer’s marketing machine. They demonstrate to editors proof of your abilities and should be included with all queries and pitches unless otherwise noted in the publication’s guidelines.

This may sound simple enough, but it’s not always clear what qualifies as a “sample” or how to send that sample in an email query. In this article, I attempt to demystify writing samples by defining what they are, how to format them, and how to send them with an email query.

What is a Writing Sample?

Writing samples, also called “clips” or “clippings”, are samples of your published work. This is sometimes confusing, because “published work” can take one of many forms:

• Text, PDF or Word document
• Scanned image of a magazine tearsheet or newspaper clipping
• Blog post, either on your blog or someone else’s
• White paper
• Academic thesis

In some cases, unpublished material can also be used as a sample if you haven’t been published before.

So you have a newspaper clipping in one hand, a blog post in the other, and a magazine article dangling off your big toe. How do you put this hodge podge together into a tight package that won’t give editors a headache?

How to Make Your Writing Sample Email Friendly

The easiest way to make your writing samples suitable for email is to host your writing samples and clips in an online portfolio website. This allows you to simply include a link to your portfolio in your email pitch to editors. Here is an example of how to do this:

I am a full-time writer with numerous online and print credits, including The Daily Telegraph, The Hackney Citizen, and SmarterFitter.com. You can read samples of my work at at http://monicashaw.com.

Alternatively, you can include links to individual writing samples that are targeted to the publication.

A general rule is: don’t send clips or writing samples in an attachment unless requested. As Jenna Glatzer points out in her book Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer

Many editors will delete attachments unread because of the risk of viruses, and many spam filters will toss them out before an editor even has the option of making that decision. I can’t emphasize this point enough; I’m amazed by the number of writers who continue to ignore this advice and have their queries deleted because of it.

How to Format Your Writing Sample in Your Portfolio

All of your writing samples should be hosted on their own web page and include the sample title, name of the publication, and date it was published.

Whenever possible, include the text of your writing sample on the webpage itself (click here to see an example). If copyright issues prevent this, here are a some tips for dealing with specific sample formats:

• Newspaper and Magazine Clippings: First, scan your clipping as a high-resolution jpeg file. Then create a web page that includes a smaller, thumbnail image of the clipping, plus a link to an image of the full-resolution scan OR to the full text article on the publication’s website (click here to see an example).
• Documents: Documents are risky because you can’t be sure the editor will have the right software to read it. So if you must contain your writing sample in a document, make sure it’s in a standard format such as Word (.doc), text (.txt) or PDF (.pdf). As with all writing samples, host your document on its own web page that clearly displays the title, publication and publication date. It’s also a good idea to include some text that summarizes what your sample is all about (click here to see an example).
• Blog posts: If copyright issues prevent you from including the full text of the post in your portfolio, then include a link to the original blog post. As with documents, it’s also good to include some text that summarizes the post.

General Rules for Writing Samples

• Keep it to no more than 500 words
• Do not violate confidentiality (i.e., make client names anonymous)
• When sending links to specific writing samples to editors, make it relevant to the job (i.e, if you are pitching to a food magazine, send a sample of a restaurant review or a published recipe)
• Check for correct grammar and make sure your work is typo-free
• If your sample is contained in a Word, PDF or text document, make sure it’s easy to read. Use Times New Roman font, double space your lines, left align the text and use 1-inch margins

Health and fitness writing is a booming market and great place for freelancers to strut their stuff. This post contains an overview a few health and fitness magazine that welcome freelance submissions.

Common Ground

Website
Writer’s Guidelines

Description: Common Ground is a San Francisco-based magazine dedicated to healthy living. They cover “the environment, progressive nonprofits and activists working in the Bay Area, socially responsible businesses, stories about spirituality and personal growth, healthy food and living, organic farming, innovations in education, cultural creatives, music, as well as art and photography spreads, particularly those related to our core themes and story areas.”

What they want: Stories should be based in the SF Bay Area. They are looking for: “pithy”, local news shorts for Mindful Living (350-450 words) at the front of the book; longer features (1500-2200 words) in a strong, lively narrative style; profiles of local visionaries and community activists who are making a difference in Northern California; short 1st-person essays (850 words)

Who they want: Journalists and freelancer writers with a track record of published magazine and/or newspaper articles, books etc.

Payment: Fees vary according to the type of piece and the amount of reporting or research required.

How to pitch: Common Ground asks for a short 1-2 paragraph précis of your article ideas and a brief bio. If you have published clips, send no more than one or two samples, or refer them to a website where they can review them. Submit pitches by e-mail or snail mail.

Eating Well

Website
Guidelines

Description: EatingWell is a U.S. bimonthly food magazine that focuses exclusively on eating healthfully. Their readers are interested in cooking and nutrition science, the origins of food and social issues related to food networks. Their voice is “journalistic and authoritative” and covers nutrition with a “newsy, science-based approach”.

What they want: Articles for their front-of-book sections on food and nutrition - seasonal picks, trends in nutrition/health, food culture, and timely nutrition topics with a service-based slant. Read the guidelines for details on freelancer-friendly columns.

Who they want: EatingWell welcomes new writers for their front-of-book sections. They also accept food/culture-based travel stories and food stories from established writers.

Payment: Up to $1/word.

Tips:
New writers should start off pitching front-of-book ideas.
They prefer pitches via e-mail.
Describe your idea in two-to three paragraphs.
Be sure to explain “why now” and where the story fits in the magazine.
Share a few sentences about your experience.
Do not attach clips; sell them with a great pitch.

How to pitch: Read the guidelines for the appropriate editor.

Her Sports

Website
Guidelines

Description: Her Sports is a bi-monthly magazine for smart, active women who use sports and fitness to balance their busy lifestyles. Readers are “strong, independent women who participate in a variety of active sports or who are motivated to adopt an active lifestyle and are looking to Her Sports for the encouragement to get them out the door.”

What they want: Feature and department articles.

Payment:
Payment will be determined on a per-article basis based on the research requirements and story length, as well as the proven experience of the contributor. Her Sports buys all North American serial rights, and payment is made on publication. General fees range from $150 to $450.

Tips: “The voice of Her Sports is one that is intelligent and lively, while also motivational to women athletes of all ability levels and ages. Please keep in mind that creating a “motivational” tone can be tricky. Stories should encourage women to lead active sports lifestyles through compelling language and stories that avoid clichéd approaches to writing.”

How to pitch: Query letters via e-mail are preferred. Send queries to editorial@hersports.com.

Sacramento Fit

Website
Guidelines
Editorial Calendar

Description:
Sacramento Fit Magazine (SFM) is a health and fitness magazine covering the Sacramento Metropolitan area for people who crave an active and healthy life. SFM covers topics on nutrition, fitness training, healthy living, local athletes, regional sporting events, product reviews, the latest gear, as well as a comprehensive calendar of local activities and events. Published bi-monthly, SFM also features regular articles dedicated to Sacramento style and life, because being fit means more than just working out, it means feeling and looking your best.

What they want: Unique, creative ideas that are “original, though not outlandish.”

Who they want: Writers from all ages, types and backgrounds. “More important than journalism experience is knowing a subject very well and being able to write clearly about it. Good candidates include degreed health professionals and/or freelance writers who have experience writing health and fitness-related articles for other publications.”

Payment: $250 for feature articles and $50 for department articles.

Tips:
Read their guidelines for example articles and detailed instructions on how to pitch. “Remember, we don’t know exactly what we’re looking for–if we did, we’d simply assign it or write it ourselves. Show us something we haven’t seen. And please–no boring “How aerobics is good for you” type stories, and make sure your cliché filter is turned on before you start writing.”

How to pitch: Visit their website and fill out one of their query forms: query form for departments or query form for features

Yoga Journal

Website
Guidelines

Description: Yoga Journal covers the practice and philosophy of yoga.

What they want: Queries on the following themes: leaders, spokespersons, and visionaries in the yoga community; the practice of hatha yoga; applications of yoga to everyday life; hatha yoga anatomy, kinesiology, and therapeutic yoga; nutrition and diet, cooking, and natural skin and body care.

Payment: Payment varies, depending on length, depth of research, etc.

Tips: “Keep in mind our editorial department’s three E’s: Articles should be enlightening, educational, and entertaining. Please avoid New Age jargon and in-house buzz words as much as possible.”

How to pitch: E-mail queries to queries@yogajournal.com.

I just finished reading the book Purple Cow by Seth Godin. Seth argues that the only way to sell a product in today’s overcrowded marketplace is to create something truly remarkable.

My goal in Purple Cow is to make it clear that it’s safer to be risky –to fortify your desire to do truly amazing things. Once you see that the old ways have nowhere to go but down, it becomes even more imperative to create things worth talking about.

I recently reviewed his book on SmarterFitter, where I wrote that many Purple Cow ideas can also be applied to health and fitness. Strangely, I’m having a harder time applying these rules to freelance writing, an actual business!

Can writers be Purple Cows? In the freelance world, it seems difficult, especially for new writers. Can we really afford to pass up paying jobs waiting for something remarkable to come along? Or is the whole concept of “remarkable” simply relative to the competition?

Seth actually discusses how Purple Cow thinking applies to freelance writers on his blog. He writes about “Bradley”, a freelance writer, who told Seth that Purple Cow thinking didn’t apply to his profession because all of his clients want average work. In response, Seth observed that there are loads writers out there who seem to get paid way too much for the effort they put in. How do these writers get those gigs?

It’s because they stand for something. Because they are at the edges. Because if an editor wants a ‘Bob-Jones-type’ article, she has to call Bob Jones for it… and pay Bob’s fees. Bob would fail if he did average work for average editors just to make a living. But by turning down the average stuff and insisting on standing for something on the edge, he profits. By challenging his clients to run stuff that makes them nervous (and then having them discover that it’s great), he profits.

This is scary. It’s really scary to turn down most (the average) of what comes your way and hold out for the remarkable opportunities. Scary to quit your job at an average company doing average work just because you know that if you stay, you’ll end up just like them. Scary to go way out on an edge and intentionally make what you do unattractive to some.

Which is why it’s such a great opportunity.

Seth added to this in an recent comment on Renegade Writer, where he suggests “If I could offer one idea, it would be to become ultra-specialized.”

Interestingly, other commenters point out that simple professionalism is rare enough in the writing world that simply adhering to deadlines and running spell-check is enough to be considered “remarkable”.

“Get articles in on time, according to spec, and error free,” says Brian Westover of WriterSpot, “that alone will purple your cow considerably.”

Cathleen of LoudWriter adds, “it’s not just any kind of professionalism that will make you go far. I’m talking about sincere, stick-to-your-word type of professionalism mixed with a healthy dash of spirit.”

I can’t argue with the importance of professionalism, but I do wonder how practical it is to be “ultra-specialized”, especially for new writers. At the moment, I spend about half my time writing for a client who isn’t in my target area of specialization, but who does send me a paycheck every month. I spend the other half chasing my specialty - pitching ideas, research, and occasionally writing an article or two. But it’s slow going and I can’t afford to give it my all.

Where do you draw the line between being a Purple Cow and making enough money to pay the bills? Is it possible to have both, even early in a writing career?