Freelancewritingtips.com

Authors' advice: Should you pitch to an agent or publisher?

I'VE seen lots of discussion of this, with contradictory opinions expressed. I've also attended writers' groups and events where the same question arises. It's hard sometimes to know who to believe. 

So when I asked for challenges to address here, it was no surprise that this  was one of the first raised, from blogger and former production director CoffeeCurls. 

Is it a better idea to pitch your book idea to an agent or a publisher?

My experience

My view has always been that for fiction you should pitch an agent, while with non-fiction you may want to talk directly to a publisher. Guidance I latched on to was if you are an unknown writer, there may not be enough money to be made in non-fiction by an agent working on your behalf -- the publisher could offer a tiny advance and/or royalties. This is definitely the case with small presses responsible for many non-fiction titles.

Can you support a family as a freelance writer?

Thanks to Huw for this question.

Here's my answer.

Yes you can. I'm basing that on my experience as someone who has built up writing work over several years and the experience of other parents who work as freelance writers. But, guess what, it's not easy. (Already I feel like I'm stating the obvious - sorry.) Rates have hit a downward spiral for one thing and publications or sections that used to welcome freelance contributions are no longer so accommodating. More seem to be springing up, asking you to write for free. Many freelance journalists and writers, whether they are parents or not, will tell you how much of a struggle they are finding things.

My own situation is that at times I have been the sole earner due to my husband being made redundant and at present he can't work. We have twins aged 13.

The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World: Book, blog and training

THE Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World was published in November 2007 and can be bought in bookshops and from Amazon here.

See a selection of reviews, plus feedback from readers, here.

Listen to a podcast about The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World.

This blog was set up to help publicise the book.

Here are some of the most popular posts:

Back to basics: Ten mistakes to avoid when writing a news story

The most important thing? Learn multi-media skills

The fine art of negotiating press trips, by Andrea Wren

Should you write for free?

Coping with rejection: Editors are people too!

Freelance journalism: Start low, aim high?

How networking can boost a freelance writing career

How journalists can survive a recession, by Sara Edlington

Making the most of Twitter

Going freelance after being made redundant by a regional paper? Hard-learned lessons to help you on your way

Can you send the same pitch to different editors?

How journalists can reap the rewards of blogging, by Craig Mcginty.

Six myths about freelance writing.

Depression, my story and how journalists should speak up when they are feeling down

Six characteristics of a successful freelance journalist

Real life, real profit? Selling features to women's weekly magazines

A small selection of pitches that worked

Freelance writers describe their writing day.

Ten blindingly obvious things I have learned in my first year as an author.

Think you know "mummybloggers"? Think again!

My work as a writer continues to be varied, interesting and fun. My latest project, a site reporting on holidays, short breaks, days out and activities, is called Havealovelytime.com

I'm the director of the Midlands agency, Passionate Media, and our blog chronicling news from our company and clients is here.

We also run training sessions for freelance journalists wanting to make more money. The following is feedback gained from a London session:

Great course. Up and at 'em now! Anne Marie Flanagan

Thanks again for yesterday, feel very motivated today!  Rachael Glazier

Thanks for a very enlightening day. I feel like a Jedi Knight to your Obe Wan Kenobi. Catherine Goddard

Thank you! It was a fantastic day! Emma McNeil

Thanks Carol and Linda for today and the kick up the bum, enjoyed course. Michael Cross

Had a great time on Saturday. Course was brilliant, thank you. Really useful. Siobhan O' Neill

Thanks so much for the fab seminar - it was sooo helpful and have come away full of ideas and plans. You and Carol were both brilliant. Olivia Gordon

Thanks to you and Carol for a really great training day today - definitely the best course I've been on for a while. You two should add life coaching to your list of talents. Olivia Holcombe

Just wanted to say thanks for the fab course, Linda and Carol - very informative, inspiring and good fun too. Judy Yorke

I'd like to add my grateful thanks for the well-delivered and extremely interesting course - it was great to meet such creative, positive and friendly people and I now feel inspired and ready to take the plunge into a new and different world.  Ruth Derrick

Brilliant, thank you both for a very informative and enjoyable day.  I think much of what we learned will be of huge benefit in all areas of our working life. Amanda Lees

I thought it was the best course I've been on - full of practical advice and illustrative examples. It has really got me motivated and excited about getting out there and chasing down the commercial work. Thanks. Emma Jayne Jones

Please get in touch with me via email Linda@passionatemedia.co.uk if you would like to know more. Our next training date is Saturday, June 27, in central London.

Commissions drying up so I started a blog: How we've got on so far

ARE you being told there's no budget for UK travel features? So ran a recent question on the Journobiz forum.

The answer from the forum's resident travel writers was pretty much a resounding "yes."

In February 2008, I reported the following for Press Gazette: What were the chances of building a career in this competitive field for anyone who fancied it?

Author, journalist and trainer Dea Birkett said:

Forget it. The biggest misconception about travel writing is that it’s an easy way to make a living. You have to do other things to pay the mortgage.

Think you know mummybloggers? Think again

I'VE been reading a bit about how PRs are engaging with bloggers lately and some of the discussion has either been sparked by or led to mentions of a recent trip I shared with six other so-called UK 'mummybloggers' to Walt Disney World.

See this forward thinking post from travel journalist Jeremy Head and this interesting piece by Manchester's Sarah Hartley to see what I mean.

Susanna, from A Modern Mother, recently shared guidance for PRs wanting to contact this group of bloggers and I have been meaning to add my thoughts on her excellent post for a while. The one point I disagreed on was that I write for other people, not for me.

Depression: My story and how journalists should speak up when they are feeling down

THE following piece appears in this month's Press Gazette, but isn't online.

I'm posting it here in the hope of further raising awareness that mental illness doesn't have to be a 'dirty little secret' - even if when you are in the midst of it, the last thing in the world you'd ever want to do is tell people!

As someone who is fully recovered, I hope my experience and the advice offered here by freelance journalist colleagues, the NUJ and charities, may help others suffering the effects of a mental illness.

I'd welcome any comments at the end of the post, especially from others with similar experiences. Again, I hope this could help show those going through a tough time that they are not alone.

AS I sat on my bed at 3am, sobbing and contemplating throwing myself through the window, I knew I had to seek medical help. Despite thinking everyone would be better off without me, part of me was still rational enough to know I didn’t want to feel like this.

How I use social media to survive and diversify

THE Black Country Social Media Cafe is described as a place for people interested in social media to gather, get acquainted, chat, plot, scheme, and share.

I attended the first meeting a few weeks back when guest speakers Pete Ashton and Chris Unitt outlined lessons learned on a visit to SXSW.

At the next meeting, to be held on Tuesday, May 12, at 2.30pm in the Alchemy Bar in Wolverhampton city centre, there'll be a chance for members to say a little about who they are and what they do, with a particular emphasis on how they have been able to use social media in their work.

It's unclear whether I am going to be able to make it to the next meeting, because of a work commitment. Nevertheless, I have been thinking about how our work has been transformed by social media, so am posting here about its impact on my professional life. As I think about tomorrow's JEE Camp, I also thought it would be useful to pull some of my experience together in this way.

Overall, I'd say that a growing knowledge of social media has allowed me to:

* Survive and diversify in my chosen career.

* Make and strengthen new contacts whom I never would have met previously.

* Improve ways of finding, researching and completing existing work

* Find new income streams - both directly and indirectly through blogging but also in offering my services to help others get to grips with the concept of social media and understand that it's not about technology for the sake of it 

* Better promote my work across various disciplines

JEEcamp - an 'unconference' for the future of journalism

BIRMINGHAM City University online journalism lecturer Paul Bradshaw has organised a second JEE Camp after the success of a first event last year - and tickets are selling fast.

Paul describes the event, at The Gatehouse, The Bond, Fazeley Street, Digbeth, from 10am on May 8, as being for anyone interested in news, from entrepreneurs to bloggers, developers and those involved in social media.

How freelance journalists are coping in the recession, via Journalism.co.uk

THERE's an interesting piece on Journalism.co.uk today packed with excellent input from the likes of Paul Groves, Louise Bolotin and Guy Clapperton among others.

For some, like Andrea Wren and Lucia Cockcroft, now has been the perfect time to branch out into quite different areas based on other ambitions.

Predictably, others tell of how rates have been cut and jobs are now thinner on the ground. Importantly, they also explain what they have done about it.

• Journalism.co.uk has also published an edited version of my piece from earlier this week with advice for journalists who have been made redundant.
  The original is here. Thank you everyone who has been in touch about it.

Going freelance after being made redundant by a regional paper? Some hard-learned lessons to help you on your way

WHAT can self-employed journalists learn from The Apprentice? While fired candidate Anita didn't look after those dreaded fixed costs, many of the rest are so busy fulfilling some crazed 'killer entrepreneur' stereotype, they'll never get anywhere with the people who really count - their customers.

RECENTLY, Dan Mason wrote this post on things to do before being made redundant if you're currently working for a regional news organisation.

I went freelance 10 years ago after working on regional papers. These days my work has grown into running an agency with colleagues. That's why I wanted to share some advice for those starting out on a similar path.

I've learned some hard lessons. Although I left regional papers under different circumstances to redundancy (I needed to go away and be a mum) these pointers are based on the sorts of experiences anyone moving on from local papers to work for themselves are bound to encounter. In these toughest of times, I'd say they are more important than ever.