The title of this post says it all. As a freelance writer, there may be times when you have to communicate with clients in a different time zone. While this may not sound like a big deal, there are some things you have to be aware of.
To start, what is the difference in time? I have some clients that are only an hour behind my time. That being said, there are others, on the other side of the world, who are sleeping when I am working – and vice versa. As you can imagine, this makes communication and staying on the same page a bit more difficult.
Before you ever start working with a client in a different time zone make sure you discuss this potential problem. It is important that both parties are aware of what this will mean for the relationship. By knowing what you are getting into, things will work out much better in the long run. The last thing you want is to be at odds with a client because you cannot find a time to speak, or are having difficulties getting on the same schedule.
For clients that are three to five hours ahead or behind, communication is not much more difficult than usual. You can use email or phone – just make sure you keep the other person’s time zone in mind. A situation in which a client is five or more hours ahead or behind, more planning and discussion is necessary.
You can find a way to communicate with a client, no matter what time zone they are in. You just need to make sure that everybody involved is aware of this difference, and is willing to make the relationship work.
Last month, I did not have any open spots in my freelance writing course. While this was great fun for me and all my students, it meant no opportunity for those hoping to get involved. Fortunately for those who have been waiting, I currently have two open spots for the upcoming month. I am happy to say that both members who left the course are now working as part-time freelancers, with the hope of going full-time in the near future.
If you are interested in nabbing one of these open spots, contact me as soon as possible. I am confident that both of them will be filled by the end of the weekend at the latest.
It is never fun to see a student leave my course, but it does mean they are on the path to future success. Hopefully I have the chance to work with a couple more of you starting next week!
It is a shame, but more and more freelance writers are focusing solely on web content. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this. But at the same time, you do not want to overlook the benefits of writing for magazines and other “offline†publications. This is where I started my career, and to this day I am still involved – even though online work is more prominent than ever.
Breaking into magazine writing is not as difficult as some freelancers make it out to be. As I tell anybody who asks, start with a copy of Writer’s Market. If you don’t want to buy the book version or want to get started right away, you can always sign up for online access. I usually do both, and it works out great in the long run.
Do you really want to get involved with magazine writing? I am not here to tell you that this is something you should definitely be doing. After all, everybody has their own plans. That being said, you should at least consider this type of writing because of the many benefits that it offers. One thing that many people love is seeing their name in print. When you get involved with feature writing for magazines this will happen time and time again.
Along with the notoriety, do not overlook the pay that comes along with being a feature writer. Believe it or not, I have been paid up to $.50/word for some articles. While most gigs start much lower, the ceiling is high.
Even though you may spend a lot of your time generating content for the web, you should never overlook the benefits of becoming a feature writer for print publications.
