We review ebooks, courses and tools for writers, so you can make good decisions about how to invest in your writing career. Thanks to Ali Luke for sharing a review copy of this ebook.
Product: The Blogger’s Guide to Freelancing
About the Creator: Ali Luke is a professional freelance blogger who writes at her own site, Aliventures, as well as for sites like Problogger, Copyblogger, Men with Pens and Write to Done. She’s written several books on blogging and runs the teaching and community group Writer’s Huddle.
Price: $29
Who It’s For: Writers interested in finding steady, fun, well-paid jobs blogging for other people — specifically, by working as a staff blogger (writing regular posts for someone else’s blog). But also useful for freelance bloggers looking for projects here and there.
What It Will Help You Do:
Learn how to find (and then get) jobs. Learn what staff blogging is and whether it’s right for you. Discover the various ways to find staff writing jobs and how to apply for them, including: 1) how to leverage guest posts to create a paid blogging relationship; 2) how to maximize your chances when applying “on spec”; 3) which job boards are actually worth your time and how to make sure your application stands out from the crowd; 4) how to network with existing contacts to find job leads; and 5) how to market yourself through your web presence.
Learn how to nail those jobs once you get them. There’s a great rundown on basic guidelines for writing for the web: post structure, style, selecting images, etc, as well as tips on how to come up with post ideas, how to keep yourself organized, and how to follow up on posts once they’re published.
Tricky issues you’ll face along the way. How to navigate the waters of negotiating terms for a new gig, how to invoice for your work and (every blogger’s nightmare) how to collect on invoices that aren’t being paid. How to juggle writing for multiple blogs (including when working a day job!). How to stay inspired and motivated and deal with blogger’s block. How to (fairly and legitimately) rework a post idea for several blogs.
What’s Included: Worksheets (how to determine your freelancing goals, how to come up with headline ideas, templates for various post types, etc.). In-chapter advice from web pros like Glenn Allsopp of ViperChill. An appendix of posts for further reading around each chapter’s topic. And a $10 discount code on Ali’s The Blogger’s Guide to Effective Writing.
The Best Part: You emerge from the book feeling like you’ve just gotten a comprehensive 101 course on staff blogging from day one to day-infinity. With easy to understand, actionable steps and smart, real-world tips from someone who’s been there and learned from that, this book is highly digestible and full of things you can do today to grow your blogging career, no matter what stage it’s at.
What Would Make It Even Better: Honestly? I can’t really think of anything it’s missing. It’s a thorough review of all the need-to-knows and packs in a lot of info for an affordable price.
Our Recommendation: While aimed at aspiring staff bloggers in particular, most of the knowledge and tips in this book could easily be parlayed into freelance blogging in general. Topics like finding and applying for jobs, networking, negotiating your rate and handling your workload are things all professional bloggers need to know. If you’re looking to break into the world of paid blogging (or grow your current presence), this book is a great resource.
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