Again, before you put my tip to the test, don’t forget to backup important files. I’m looking forward to trying some other downloads at www.answersthatwork.com. For now, though, I rest in the knowledge that, indeed, I have done something good for my computer’s health.

Jennie Logsdon Martin spends many hours at the computer helping others access and participate in her Internet discussion board, www.ifish.net. Through trial and error, she seeks ways to make her members' Internet experiences less frustrating and more productive.

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Marketing 101: Success attracts success

By Emma Hitt

I want to dispel the notion that a career in freelance writing necessarily leads to a life of poverty. I know from experience and from talking with other freelancers that many of us earn excellent incomes, although they do have to be earned. A strong marketing effort is necessary, especially in the first years. After all, you are building a business. But as time passes, you can relax. Clients start finding you, and you can tell the less appealing ones that you’re booked, which is fun. These days, amidst a furious 40-50 hours of work a week, I find the following strategies useful whenever I want to stir up the client mix:

·          Create (and then maintain) a professional-looking Web site to which you can refer prospective clients. I write about building a Web site on my own.

·          Try not to turn down work so that your regular clients don’t start calling someone else (but don’t take on so much that you compromise quality). 

·          Send out 25 or more e-mails each week referring people to your professional-looking Web site, which includes your resume and samples. 

·          Send freelance applications to full-time positions (tell them you know it’s full time, but ...). 

·          Network. Talk to people at conferences; help other writers who are just starting out; offer to talk to schools/colleges about a career in writing; recommend other writers to your clients.

·          Visit your clients at least once, if possible, so they know you by more than name. A brief “just-in-the-area” pop-by works well; it encourages editors to select you for assignments over those they haven’t met.

·          Sign up for conferences, and pitch to several clients/prospective clients who would be interested in that particular conference. 

·          Remind clients that you would like them to recommend you to other clients. The best time to do this is after a client pays you a compliment. 

·          Hire an assistant to transcribe tapes and answer the phone for less than your hourly rate. 

·          Employ technology to increase your speed and efficiency. 

·          Consider yourself a specialist, but be a generalist. I take jobs in a broad range of topics not related to my specialty.

·          Diversify your client list and seek clients in academia, education, news, journals and magazines.

·          Always be reachable during work hours by phone and e-mail. I have wireless e-mail and can be reached any time, such as when I’m sitting in a meeting or stuck in traffic.

·          Focus less on the per-word rate and more on the hourly rate. I won’t do a job for less than $50 an hour. However, I have a couple of clients who pay as little as 25 cents a word, which meets my minimum hourly rate. 

·          Send query letters to print magazines only if your idea is likely to be accepted or you desperately want to write for them. The querying process takes too much uncompensated time, and it’s a gamble. This process is what people think freelancers do all day and is why they think freelancers can’t make a living. And based on this assumption, they’d be right.

·          Always answer the question, “How’s business?” with the response, “Great” or “Excellent, thank you.” Using this response has never made me a liar. Perhaps success attracts success.

Many of these marketing ideas are based on providing superior customer service. Constantly acquiring new clients is a grueling way to keep a business going; the more effective strategy is to make yourself invaluable to a client. Any competent writer can accumulate clients. Unfair as it may seem, talent does not guarantee freelancing success. But even competent writers – not necessarily talented ones – are likely to be successful if they approach writing as a business.

Emma Hitt, Ph.D., is a full-time, freelance science writer based in Atlanta. Her clients include Medscape/WebMD, Reuters Health, Allure Magazine, Doctor's Guide and others.

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Electronic tearsheets

Sending tearsheets is time consuming and costly. Replace snail-mail tearsheets with electronic editorial coverage notifications.

I made a stationery file in my e-mail program specifically to let sources, manufacturers and other interested parties know that an article has run. I open the stationery, type the recipient e-mails in the BCC (blind carbon copy) address bar (I don’t want everyone’s addresses showing) and click “send.”

No, the recipients don’t get an actual copy of the article, but I rarely even get them from magazines anymore. I simply add the name and e-mail address of a contact at the magazine that can provide copies. If I’ve sold Web rights, I include the URL to the online article.

Here’s a copy of one of my form letters:

Hello (source’s name if you want to personalize the e-mail):

I included (portions of our interview, you, your company’s products) in the (date) issue of (magazine). This feature/column also will be posted to (the publication’s) Web site. A link or contact information for (your service/business) is included at the article’s end.

You can see the online version of the article at (URL to Web site).

To receive copies of the magazine, please contact (name and e-mail address).

All my best,

Laurie Lee Dovey

Gearing up to shoot digital

For converting your photos to digital you need:

·          A computer with maximum memory on its hard drive (the more gigabytes the better), the fastest processor speed and a high-resolution monitor (19-21 inches)

·          A high-quality, color printer

·          A slide scanner, such as the Nikon CoolScan 4000

·          A photo manipulation program, such as Adobe Photoshop Elements – good enough for most of us who are not graphic specialists, less expensive than Adobe Photoshop 7.0 (the photo editing leader)

For shooting digital photos you need:

·          A digital camera: 5.0 megapixels or higher, with features similar to a film camera; image transfer software (comes with camera); appropriate lenses and other standard equipment (tripod, etc.)

·          Spare rechargeable (lithium) batteries or a battery pack

·          Extra memory (a couple 256KB compact flash cards or the equivalent)

·          “Digital Wallet” capable of storing 10-20 gigabytes. This palm-sized storage downloads the photo files from your camera memory cards (useful if you’re in the field). Downloading via your laptop is another option.

Bob Knopf

Clean up your hard drive!

ContentAudit is an online detection tool that detects files containing “offensive” material (sex, drugs, violence, gambling) on your PC. If you suspect that unwanted files have wormed their way into your computer, check out the site. You can search your hard drive for free. 

When I scanned my computer, over 60 files were flagged for questionable content. None, however, contained any truly offensive material; the flags were triggered by keywords (such as “naughty” or “dice”). Members who write about hunting should know that every file containing the keywords “gun” or “rifle” will be flagged as “violent.” After the search, I was informed that clean-up software is conveniently available for purchase via the site. But by doing a simple “find file” search of my hard drive, I located most of the files identified in the search. This site offers a useful service, yet the free search is a hook for marketing pricier products. Caveat emptor! 

Katie McKalip

Investing in an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system? A few points to consider:

·          Most UPS systems are really standby UPS systems because they power components off of regular power until a problem is detected, switching to battery power (in about five milliseconds) when necessary. While more expensive UPSs offer higher power output and a longer battery life, a basic computer system with few components requires only a simple UPS.

·          When comparing UPSs, check the length of time they can run off batteries and at what wattage. If you are powering only your computer and monitor, consider a UPS with at least a 210-Watt output.

·          Another desirable feature is a user replaceable battery. Like standard batteries, UPS batteries eventually must be replaced; do it yourself and avoid paying a technician.

·          Some UPS systems have an interface to connect to your computer, either by USB or serial port, allowing you to configure your system to work with your UPS. If an extended power loss occurs, your computer will shut down safely and properly.

Other features are available in a UPS system, but these are key elements. Anything extra is icing on the cake.

Brian Stevens, Lockergnome

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Boating, fishing tackle, outdoor industry groups meet online

E-mail based networking and discussion groups have opened their membership to OWAA. Members discuss industry trends and issues with colleagues. The groups are a great resource for industry professionals to ask questions and receive instant feedback. The marine and fishing tackle groups are well established; I recently created an outdoors industry group. This group is dedicated to professionals working in the outdoor industry – manufacturers, media, retail, distributors, associations – and to specific activities, such as hunting, paddling, camping, skiing, surfing, surf kites, climbing, kayaking and fishing. Join these groups and hear what your colleagues have to say! 

Greg Hoffman

On target shooting news

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a trade association of the firearms and recreational shooting sports industry, wants to promote better understanding of and more active participation in shooting sports. Its Web site fosters an exchange of information about hunting and target shooting sports – between industry and public, the media and their audiences and within the industry. It features the latest breaking industry news, current events and literature available for purchase. Subscribing to NSSF’s weekly e-mail newsletter, Bullet Points, is free. 

Katie McKalip

Anchors aweigh!

Boating Writers International (BWI) is looking for good writers. If your field of interest is boating or fishing, or if you’d like to break into those fields, BWI is the writers’ organization for you. A membership fee of $35 includes entry into the annual writers’ contest, which has $15,000 worth of prize money; a monthly newsletter; listing in the directory and inclusion on BWI’s Web site.

Mike Walker

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www.tonydean.com

Nominated by Mike Walker. 

“Check out Tony Dean’s Web page,” enthused Mike Walker’s e-mail. “It’s a masterpiece of the freelancer’s business.” After I visited his site, I could only agree, and I join Walker in recommending Dean’s site. Tony Dean is host and producer of “Tony Dean Outdoors,” a nationally ranked outdoor television show, and produces a daily radio show, “Dakota Backroads,” which airs across both Dakotas and also has won numerous regional and national programming awards. Dean’s Web site features fishing and hunting reports, coverage of conservation issues and more, including fish and game recipes such as Space Alien’s Cajun Fish Gumbo and I Can’t Believe It’s Snow Goose.