Top 12 Blunders PR People Make When Reaching Out to Bloggers

A while back, after receiving yet another terrible pitch from a public relations (PR) person, I Tweeted in jest, “Next book idea: feature a bunch of emails from PR people, pointing out exactly what they’ve done right and (more often than not) wrong.” The response I received was that YES, yes this book did need …

How to Create Your Blog Media Kit

Want to go pro with your blog? You need a blog media kit!  A blog media kit is an absolute must when working with brands. It includes the basic info and stats about your blog, as well as the types of partnerships you’re willing to do and your fees. I initially created my lifestyle blog …

5 Big Mistakes Bloggers Make On Facebook

While I’ve been waiting (and waiting) for my book designers to send me the proofs for The Business of Writing & Editing, I’ve been writing a new book on social media tips for lifestyle bloggers (silver linings!). In my research, I’ve reviewed many different social media accounts… and I’ve come across some major (and common) mistakes …

10 Tips to Create an Awesome Blog Content Calendar

Last month, I got a nice long break from doing some client work. And that meant I could focus more of my attention on my projects and this blog!  I had a lot of fun creating my 2016 business plan and goals, and also putting together my blog content calendar. If you have a blog and are …

home office tips for freelancers

Home Office Tips for Freelancers

Grab your FREE ultimate home office checklist >> Get the (free!) ultimate home office checklist: Perfect for solopreneurs… Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email Address Yes! I want this Powered by ConvertKit Thinking about starting your own home-based small business or …

When Freelancing Is NOT Right For You

Here on the blog, we talk a lot about how to be successful with a freelancing business, and why freelancing might be a great choice for you. But… what if you start a freelancing business, and it’s not going quite as you planned, and you start wondering if maybe you should have stuck with a …

How Do You Know When to Say “No” to More Work?

This is SUCH a tough question. When you own your own business or you’re a freelancer, it can be challenging to assess when you’ve taken on too much work, and when you can still add more to your workload.  Here are some questions you should ask yourself if you’re hesitant about whether or not you …

18 Traits You Need to Be a Freelancer

With my new book on The Business of Writing & Editing coming out in just a few weeks (squee!), I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the business of freelancing.  I adore freelancing and it was one of the best choices I ever made. Of course, freelancing isn’t for everyone! But it might be for …

Q & A: How Should You Use Twitter for Business?

Last week I was at a potluck where some of the people I was enjoying dinner with, upon learning that one of the things I do as a freelance writer / editor is to manage social media for clients, began asking me how I go about marketing a business on Twitter. People should know better …

dos & don'ts of working with editors

The Dos & Don’ts of Working with Editors

National Novel Writing Month has come and gone… next comes the rewriting, and more rewriting, and yet more rewriting, until at last it will be time to send books off to editors! Grab your FREE home office checklist now! But before you do that, here are some DOs and DON’Ts to keep in mind if you are …

The Business of Writing & Editing: NEW Book (join the launch team!)

***Launch team opportunity is now closed*** I’ve been working on a special project for many months now and I am SO delighted to finally announce it: I am launching a new freelance business book!   The Business of Writing & Editing: Practical Tips & Templates for New Freelancers is a step-by-step guide for planning, launching, …

Q & A: Instagram Hashtags 101

In the last couple weeks, I’ve had a couple people tell me that they don’t *get* Instagram, and they don’t understand how to use hashtags on it. Clearly it’s time for a Q & A blog post about it! Q: How should I use Instagram as a brand? A: If you’re using Instagram for your …

writing prompts for NaNoWriMo

10 Writing Prompts for NaNoWriMo

We are into Week 2 of NaNoWriMo! This is a time when the novelty might start to wear off for some writers. If you’ve been jumping around in your novel, like I have, instead of writing in a linear fashion, you might have already written your favourite scenes.  …But you still have 2/3 of a …

4 ways to edit your own writing

Top 4 Ways to Edit Your Own Writing

If you don’t have a background as an editor, it can be a really good idea to hire an editor to edit your work for you. But what if you don’t have the funds to do so? In that case, you’ll want to brush up on your own editing skills! 3 Steps to 10x Your …