Seven Must-Read Articles for Freelancers

It’s July 4th in the Unites States, and you know what that means—hot dogs, fireworks, sunburns… and one or two people might drink a bit. But let’s not forget what else this day signifies.

That’s right… The Fourth of July is the day President Bill Pullman declared the world’s independence day from those pesky alien invaders from outer space, thereby rallying the troops and horrifying international film critics.

Apparently, a guy named John Quincy Adams said something similar with regard to Great Britain a bit further back. Sorry chaps, no hard feelings I hope.

But since the underlying meaning of this day is really about freedom, let’s focus on freelance. Here are seven articles that will help freelancers and those who hope to go freelance themselves.

20 Must-Read Blogs For Freelance Writers

To become a freelance writer, you gotta love writing. But you should also consistently work on sharpening your skills. And how do you do that? Reading well-written articles and blogs is a very good start.

Pricing Your Design and Writing Services

Are you charging too little? Are you overpriced? Are you using the wrong method to calculate your rates? Cutting yourself short? Still on the per-hour method? Stuck on the per-piece? What about charging what you’re worth?

5 Things Freelancers Should Know About Sales

For many non-sales professionals, the mention of salesperson is synonymous with manipulative money-grubber to be resisted at all costs. This attitude is a quick way to end up with a job again.

How to Deal With Writer’s Block

Terry Starbucker shares his method for dealing with writer’s block from a blogging standpoint. His technique may surprise you.

80 How-To Sites Worth Bookmarking

These eighty sites are the places the author turns to when she’s trying to figure out how to accomplish a new project. She basically starts searching for how-tos that help her figure out how other people did similar things.

Writing Content In A Web 2.0 World

Here’s a nice white paper on content for the social web. If you’ve been reading Copyblogger for awhile, this may not be new to you, but it’s a good clarifying summary.

Are Freelancers Really Independent?

Ah, here’s the inevitable fly in your beer. Are freelancers truly free? This post weighs the pros and cons for existing freelancers and those thinking of giving it a go.

If your answer comes out in the negative, you could always read the Teaching Sells report and decide to use your skills to develop online training programs and membership sites. Or, just have another beer… you’ll feel better (until tomorrow). 🙂

About the Author: Brian Clark is the founding editor of Copyblogger, and co-founder of Teaching Sells and Lateral Action. Get more from Brian on Twitter.