One of the greatest aspects, no, in fact, the greatest aspect of being part of the freelance writing community is the enormous amount of knowledge and support I can call on from my fellow freelancers. Much of that advice is available in book-form on all areas of the freelancing lifestyle. From the little books of Alice Hollis to The Witchy Freelancer by Emma Cownley, freelance writers are incredibly generous in the knowledge and lessons learned that they’re willing to share.
So I thought I’d share five books that I’ve found useful as a freelancer, copywriter, and writer in general. Some have been on my bookshelf for a while; others like The Little Book of Confusables are recent buys that I had to instantly dive into.
Cash Money Freelancing by Tom Albrighton
So, you’ve gone freelance. And you’re making a living. But have you made yourself a life?
Freelancing should set you free. But for some, it’s more like a prison sentence – because they just don’t make enough money.
Cash Money Freelancing will show you how to turn your freelance business into a bona fide money-making machine.
It’s packed with ideas to turbo-charge your freelancing, from setting your goals through to making better deals, earning higher fees and exploring new ways to grow.
Here’s what you’ll learn…
- Understanding work, wealth and money mind
- Setting direction
- Setting and presenting your prices
- Negotiating deals like a pro
- Proven techniques for increasing your rates
- Ways to be more entrepreneurial
If you’ve got the skills, the work and the clients, but your freelance business still isn’t jumping the way it should, Cash Money Freelancing has the answers you need. It’s like a double espresso for your freelance business!
Buy Cash Money Freelancing here.
Copywriting is… by Andrew Boulton
Copywriting is easy. Copywriting is hard. It’s frustrating, rewarding, draining, thrilling and, in almost every way, a lot of fun.
It’s also the job Andrew Boulton has been doing, writing about, and teaching others to do, for more than 10 years.
Now, he’s gathered up all the experiences, observations, lessons, fleeting successes and crushing failures he’s accumulated in that time to help copywriters, new and old, come to terms with the baffling life of an alphabet wrangler.
The Art of the Click by Glenn Fisher
Every business making sales online is engaged in a battle to get customers to click. More clicks equals more sales equals a more successful business. How do you write copy that will encourage more people to buy from you? How do you persuade customers over the line to make that final buying decision? What is The Art of the Click? The answer lies in the power of direct-response copywriting. In this entertaining and highly readable guide, copywriting expert Glenn Fisher boils down over a decade of experience to present a huge array of techniques, tactics and industry secrets to improve your copywriting, get more clicks… and ultimately, get more sales.
You will discover:
— The single thing every great writer must do if they want to improve.
— How anyone can learn to write a headline that will stop all potential customers in their tracks.
— Where to find inspiration and how to feed ideas.
— How you can get a customer physically nodding along with every word you write.
— How to avoid waffle and make your copy more succinct.
— How you can write irresistible offers than no one can refuse.
— And much more!
Buy The Art of the Click here.
The Pyjama Myth by Sian Meades-Williams
Self-employment has never been a more popular career path, and for thousands of writers, freelancing is becoming an appealing – and sometimes necessary – option. But alongside the benefits of a freelance career come very real obstacles that are daunting for anyone going it alone. We all need some guidance.
Sian Meades-Williams – freelance writer, editor and founder of the Freelance Writing Jobs newsletter – knows all too well that while freelancing doesn’t come with hard and fast rules, sometimes there is a wrong way to go about things.
Drawing on her extensive experience and dozens of industry interviews, she pulls back the curtain with tips on how to get out of your pyjamas and:
- pitch effectively
- find new ideas and hone your voice
- build a network of contacts
- deal with edits and editors
- cope with rejection
- know your worth and get more money for your work
- manage your finances, deal with late payments and file your taxes
- care for your physical and mental health
- and ultimately find a path to success that makes you happy.
Inspiring, optimistic and – above all – real, The Pyjama Myth is an essential, practical survival guide for anyone embarking on their career, established freelance writers and everyone in between.
The Little Book of Confusables by Sarah Townsend
How many times do you question yourself when you write PRACTICE or PRACTISE, AFFECT or EFFECT, IMPLY or INFER?
However confident you are as a writer – and however good your grasp of the English language – we all have blind spots.
- BALD men aren’t always BOLD.
- DISEASED may be bad, but DECEASED is a whole lot worse.
- Dramatic CORDS require the fashion police.
- And heaven forbid you ask someone to ‘BARE with me’ – unless you’re a fan of getting naked with strangers.
Using the wrong word can completely change your message – and lead to embarrassing mistakes!
The Little Book of Confusables is your guide to the tricksy spellings even smart people screw up. It’s designed to help you:
- supercharge your vocabulary
- write with confidence
- avoid embarrassing mistakes
- eliminate the fear of looking silly
Copywriter and editor, Sarah Townsend, has helped businesses get their words right for almost 30 years. She’s also author of the bestselling guide to self-employment, Survival Skills for Freelancers.
While some people choose to be outraged by ‘shocking falling standards of English’, Sarah prefers to see mistakes as an opportunity for learning. On the basis that we learn best when we’re having fun, The Little Book of Confusables is designed to amuse, entertain and inform.
Buy The Little Book of Confusables here.
