Freelancers: Here’s how to talk money to clients and prospects

Freelancers: Here’s how to talk money to clients and prospects

A friend of mine once confided in me that she was having trouble getting paid for her freelance work. After a little conversation, we figured out that she wasn’t sending invoices because she was embarrassed to talk about money with the client. No bill, no pay. It is embarrassing to talk about money. We’d all…

How to become a ghostwriter with a six-figure income
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How to become a ghostwriter with a six-figure income

In the Wall Street Journal, Jacqui Shine just published a piece called “Want to Earn Six Figures as a Writer? Try Ghostwriting.” Before you writers all start rushing into the ghostwriting field with your hands out, I thought it might be instructive to describe what it actually takes to become a well-compensated ghostwriter. First, a…

How to create productive engagement between freelancer and client

How to create productive engagement between freelancer and client

When freelancers get together, they complain about clients. “You won’t believe what she’s making me do.” “He thinks he has the right to spell words any way he wants.” “They’re violating all the rules of design and logic.” When clients get together, they complain, too. “Everything has a price tag.” “He didn’t listen to me…

How to succeed when you’re overcommitted
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How to succeed when you’re overcommitted

I’m going to let somebody down this week. I have to choose one of the following options: Something’s gotta give My simple philosophy on working with clients is: start strong, continue strong, finish strong. My objective is that at any given time, anyone who contacts the client about me will hear, “Yes, he’s excellent to…

Take note: Why I write everything down (and you should, too)

Take note: Why I write everything down (and you should, too)

Early in my career, I became a project manager. Working for many startup companies, I found myself managing lots of projects, and that continued throughout the 30-plus years I worked in the corporate world. I brought three assets to my work managing projects: I lean on the written word as a prosthesis for my brain…

In a match between the putrid Patriots and Christopher L. Gasper’s mixed metaphors, everybody loses.
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In a match between the putrid Patriots and Christopher L. Gasper’s mixed metaphors, everybody loses.

I’ve written before about Boston Globe sportswriter Christopher L. Gasper’s penchant for mixed metaphors, as a way to illustrate how metaphor overload can interrupt the reader’s trance that makes great writing work. But things here in New England pro football have gotten desperate. The New England Patriots, not to put too fine a point on…

How not to regret buying anything (including consulting)

How not to regret buying anything (including consulting)

I’ve bought a lot of things in my life. Computers, cars, houses, smartphones, snowblowers, refrigerators, socks. I’ve got 50+ years of experience in buying things. The most important question is not the price. It’s not the features. It’s not the reviews. The things you purchase look great when they’re nice and shiny in the store,…

How to talk to a graphic designer about figures or illustrations
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How to talk to a graphic designer about figures or illustrations

I love working with graphic designers. First off, they have a talent I completely lack. You describe what you want, then something beautiful comes out. That feels like magic to me. Second, they’re problem solvers. I solve communication problems with text. They solve them with graphics. The process is similar and the goals are similar,…