WritingThoughts

The amount of online resource for freelance writers can seem overwhelming.

Recently I ran across three inexpensive resources that most freelance writers will find helpful.

In this post, I’ll share a mini-review of each resource.

101 Copywriting Tips eBook

When Carole Seawert of the FreelanceFactFile blog recently asked if I’d review her new e-Book on copywriting, of course I said “yes.” I’ve been enjoying her blog for months now and I’m a copywriter. Doing a review just made sense.

I looked through the 101 Top Copywriting Tips eBook and found it to be a useful checklist. Carole has shared some real gems here. Reviewing this right before quoting a large project could be very helpful.

In all honesty, the book was shorter than I had expected. A table of contents would also be a nice addition. However, the ebook currently costs less than $5.00–so it’s definitely a worthwhile investment if you’re a copywriter.

2012 Freelance Industry Report

This is the second year in a row that I’ve participated in and received the Freelance Industry Report, spearheaded by Ed Gandia of the International Freelancers Academy and released in anticipation of International Freelancers Day on September 21st.

In my opinion, the 2012 Freelance Industry Report is a must-read if you freelance or work with freelancers. It’s based on a sample that’s large enough to be significant. It also addresses all the right questions–how much do freelancers earn, how much experience do freelancers have, and so on.

All of the information provided in the Freelance Industry Report is beautifully illustrated with brightly colored graphs and charts. There’s also a lot of detail here that you’ll want to study–the entire report is 71 pages long.

Best of all, the 2012 Freelance Industry Report is free. You can download a copy here.

MyPrice iPhone App

Since I know that most freelancers under price their services, I’m always interested in the different pricing methodologies that freelancers use. That’s why when I noticed the free MyPrice iPhone app from MD Interaktiv, I downloaded it.

The app calculates an hourly rate and project pricing based on the freelancing profile that you create. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the profile is fairly detailed.

After entering my profile, the hourly rate quote I got was what I would consider to be the low end of what I would actually charge. To make sure that the tool wasn’t just spitting out the same rate for all freelancers, I changed my profile and was pleased to discover that the rate changed as well.

The beauty of this tool is in its mobility. I can definitely see pulling it out at a face-to-face client meeting to give a rough estimate quote. However, the tool assumes that you’ll work (meaning billable hours) 5.6 hours a day (after accounting for sick days, vacation, and holidays). In my experience, that number of billable hours is a little high and I wish there were a way to adjust it.

Still, this tool is worth a look if you struggle with pricing.

Your Turn

Have you discovered any worthwhile low cost or free writing resources lately? If so, feel free to share them in the comments.

(Disclosure: I was not paid to perform any of these reviews. This post does not contain affiliate links. I did receive a free copy of Carole’s eBook for review. I also received a copy of the 2012 Freelance Industry Report.)