Too Lazy to Work, Too Nervous to Steal: How to Have a Great Life as a Freelance Writer
This affable book about freelance writing champions two winning aspects of working without a boss: first, your time is your own, and second, there's no cap on your salary. Of course, there's no minimum wage, either, as anyone who has taken on an unprofitable project can surely attest. Author John Clausen happens to be a freelancer extraordinaire with a knack for direct mail and other promotions (though he's also written newspaper and magazine articles, advertising copy, and, obviously, books). He generously shares the wisdom gleaned from his many freelancing experiences, and those of many of his colleagues, regaling us with a remarkable array of freelancing adventures along the way. Clausen's formula? Among other things, "get an attitude" (read: demand big paychecks), find an anchor client, spend half your time scouting for more work, and "don't get sloppy." As a freelancer, he says, every time you are hired, your work will be scrutinized anew; it must always be topnotch and completed by deadline. Don't fret. Almost any writer, he says, "even a marginally talented one, can make a living as a freelancer if he or she will approach the profession with a businesslike attitude, positive thinking, and a sense of humor and fun."--Jane Steinberg