Philippa Willitts

21Nov 2014 by Philippa Willitts

Book Recommendation: The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Making $1,000 More This Month

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="338" class="zemanta-img"] Bookshelf (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption] You may remember Mridu Khullar Relph who I interviewed on the podcast recently. Well, she's written a book. And it's really good. Full disclosure: Mridu and I are friends and she gave me a free copy of the book. However, if I thought it was terrible I would simply have never mentioned it again. Instead, having read it and been inspired, I actually can't recommend it highly enough. Firstly, her credentials. Mridu has years of experience in journalism and counts the New York Times and TIME amongst her credits; this shows in her writing. The Freelance Writer's Guide to Making $1,000 More This Month is packed full of tips to get more work and improve your income and these tips are not vague, they are…

23Oct 2014 by Philippa Willitts

Sometimes you just need to hear something nice

About Proofreading

I read Show Your Work by Austin Kleon a few months ago but, despite my best intentions, I keep forgetting to actually show my work. I set up a Pinterest board for the purpose but it's sparse, to say the least. So today, as I was designing a flyer for my proofreading services, I remembered the concept and decided to show my work on Twitter. https://twitter.com/PhilippaWrites/status/525316396784558081 I was really pleased, then, to get the following tweets from a former proofreading client in response. https://twitter.com/_la_mysterieuse/status/525317236899459072 https://twitter.com/_la_mysterieuse/status/525317346958016512 I really like proofreading. I know a lot of freelance writers do it just because it's an extra skill they can offer, but they don't really value it much. However, I thoroughly enjoy having the opportunity to fix things and improve somebody's chances, so it's absolutely…

16Sep 2014 by Philippa Willitts

Podcast Episode 79: Turn a drawback into a strength and boost your freelance career – an interview with Mridu Khullar Relph

Freelancing, Podcast

Many freelancers are in a situation that could work against them in the commercial or media market. Combining freelancing with caring responsibilities, living in a part of the world that has a poor reputation for the quality of its writers, or having health problems or being disabled (as I am), for example. In this episode of the podcast, I interview Mridu Khullar Relph, a freelance writer who has written for the likes of the New York Times, Time magazine, Ms magazine and more, and we discuss how you can turn something that is arguably a disadvantage into something that is undeniably a strength! Apologies for the inconsistent sound quality in parts of this interview. However, it's well worth tolerating it for the great content! Show notes Mridu's website (UK / US) The…

06Sep 2014 by Philippa Willitts

I was interviewed on the @CherishedIdeas podcast: freelancing, pricing and marketing yourself

Freelance Self-Promotion, Freelancing, Podcast

[caption id="attachment_1703" align="aligncenter" width="492"] "Often, I find, my most creative thinking has to come in my work that involves the most boring topics" - Philippa Willitts[/caption] [tweetherder]Listen to @PhilippaWrites talk to @CherishedIdeas about freelancing: [/tweetherder] A couple of months ago, I was really excited to get an interview request from the then-new Cherished Ideas podcast. It is a podcast for freelancers of all stripes and I chatted to Simon Knapp all about freelancing, how to make it work, how to stay up to date, and plenty more. [tweetherder]"Often, I find, my most creative thinking has to come in my work that involves the most boring topics"[/tweetherder] Have a listen below, enjoy, and let me know what you think! [tweetherder]"Guest blogging doesn't have to be for free. I guest blog and…

19Aug 2014 by Philippa Willitts

Podcast Episode 78: How to self-publish without embarrassing yourself

Podcast

Self-published books have a bad reputation and, sadly, that is partly the fault of self-publishers themselves. If you want to publish your own work, it's time to up your game. In this podcast episode, Lorrie and I explain a series of self-publishing 'don'ts' and offer recommendations and tips to make sure your self-published work is the best it can be. Show Notes DIY: How to Understand Self-Publishing Acronyms Lousy Book Covers Fiverr Authors are a**holes Written? Kitten! There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, do 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the…

06Aug 2014 by Philippa Willitts

Podcast Episode 77: What to do if a client won’t stop bugging you

Podcast

Sometimes, freelance writing clients cross the line. They might send text messages to check you got the email they sent moments earlier, call you at 7pm on a Saturday night, or email 12 times a day to check on progress. In this solo episode, Lorrie goes through some tricks and tips to return professional distance to a working relationship. Show Notes 35 tech terms translated into plain English There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast!

03Aug 2014 by Philippa Willitts

Googling yourself

Freelancing

As a freelancer, it is always a good idea to keep an eye on what people are saying about you. If you're being criticised somewhere online, you may want to address the issues head on or do some damage limitation. Or, if you find that someone has praised your work, you may want to publicise this, or even just quietly bask in the glory for a few minutes. Keeping an eye out for social media mentions is also important. If people are talking about you on Twitter, for instance, being aware of what is being said could help you to address concerns, improve your business practices, or - if it is glowing praise - enjoy a bit of a morale boost. Despite these benefits, I rarely remember to do it.…

23Jul 2014 by Philippa Willitts

Podcast Episode 76: Writing for Agencies

Podcast

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="292"] Don Draper of Mad Men works on Madison Avenue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption] Many freelancers are curious about the idea of writing for agencies, which can be a great way to boost the stability and income of your freelance writing business but it doesn't suit everybody! In this podcast episode, Lorrie and I discuss how to decide whether writing for agencies is right for you and, if so, to how to find the best agencies to suit your needs and working style. Show Notes If you’re feeling unappreciated, give someone else credit 14 brilliant pieces of literature you can read in the time it takes to eat lunch Freelance writing: to specialise or not to specialise There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss…

07Jul 2014 by Philippa Willitts

Twenty-seven essential books to boost a writer’s creativity

About Writing

It is a well-known fact that you can never have too much creativity or too many books. So I have gathered together the best of the best - an epic list of 27 books to provoke and inspire creativity for writers, artists and business people. The links below are for Amazon. If you would prefer to support independent bookshops, try Hive Books or Bookshop.org in the UK or Bookshop or IndieBound in the USA. For people in other countries, a quick Google should help you to find an independent alternative. [bctt tweet="You can never have too much creativity, or too many books..." username="PhilippaWrites"] Amazon.co.uk WidgetsMake Your Creative Dreams Real: A Plan for Procrastinators, Perfectionists, Busy People, and People Who Would Really Rather Sleep All Day by SARK Discovering SARK's books, some ten years ago, was a revelation to…

30Jun 2014 by Philippa Willitts

Podcast Episode 75: Twitter Tools to Streamline Your Social Media Marketing

Podcast

Do you find that you waste time posting on Twitter and keeping track of your followers? Social media is an unavoidable part of marketing a freelance business, but there are tools available that can help freelancers to avoid wasting time and energy on their Twitter tasks. In this podcast episode, I talk you through a series of tools that can help you to streamline your Twitter marketing and make it a far more efficient process. Show Notes Tweetdeck Hootsuite Buffer ManageFlitter FollowerWonk Tweriod Tweepi Twitter is like… There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, please 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to…

Author: Philippa Willitts