Tools of the Trade
People ask me, on a pretty regular basis, how they can get started writing on the web. What’s especially interesting about this is the fact that some of these folks are the same ones who, three or four years ago when I started this gig, sort of snickered. They figured I’d fallen into some crazy scheme that would bottom out in a few weeks.
Five years on, and it hasn’t exactly bottomed out. In fact, things are going swimmingly.
My purpose on this blog, as my regular readers are well aware, is to help Internet writers achieve their dreams. There are several ways I go about doing that:
- There are my regular blog posts, of course. While their frequency can vary, I try to always post at least a couple of times a week, though my unofficial goal is four posts a week.
- There are my guest posts, like I have over at Freelance Folder. My ongoing Violent Truths column and my Seven Deadly Freelancing Sins series are examples. I’ve also been featured on Freelance Switch, Remarkablogger, Freelance Writing Jobs, Meryl.net, and many other sites.
- There’s my writers’ mentoring program, which I’ll be talking about more as we get further into the month of July. I’m still hammering out a lot of details, but I’ve got some interesting surprises coming in that area that I think you’re going to be absolutely thrilled about.
- I also occasionally offer product reviews that I think will be useful to my readers. I don’t do paid reviews, but I’ll often do affiliate reviews. Affiliate reviews are ideal because they allow me to unleash both barrels when it comes to a product. Like the Pen Men, I refuse to review something that I think is completely useless or overpriced.
That’s where I want to spend some time today, on that last bullet point. I want to briefly cover four key products that I consider extremely useful for the new freelancer. One of them is free, and you can get all four of them for less than $100. If you’re just starting out as a freelancer or if you’re exploring the freelance route, each one of these resources will give you a huge boost - if you follow their advice. Understand that I put my own word behind these products. I won’t recommend something to you that I don’t fully believe in myself.
Rockstar Freelancer
I’ve done an extended review of this book previously. I still recommended it as an important resource for new freelancers. Several of you have purchased this book and I haven’t heard any complaints. Check out the review for more information, as well as a link to buy the thing.
Men with Pens’ Write For The Web
To my own dismay, I haven’t yet reviewed Write For The Web here. This book is the perfect companion, though, to Rockstar Freelancer. What Rockstar Freelancer doesn’t tell you about Internet-specific writing, this book does. Oh, and did I mention who the authors are? None other than James Chartrand and Harrison McLeod of Men with Pens. Their advice has proven to be indispensable, even for an old hand like me. These boys know their stuff.
Ninja SEO School
Naomi Dunford over at Itty Biz is, in my mind, one of the sharpest small business consultants on the planet. At the very least, she’s the wittiest. Her SEO School is a well-written, highly readable and amazingly reliable guide to Search Engine Optimization. The best part about it is that she truly advocates for good writing, and recognizes that SEO is only as good as the rest of the writing involved.
Blog Mastermind
Yaro Starak’s Blog Profits Blueprint is available for free download. I’ve said it before, and it holds true to this day: This document was instrumental in convincing me to start a blog, and was also instrumental in helping me get the blog traffic that I have. I haven’t had a single week where I’ve had fewer subscribers than the week before, and Yaro’s Blog Profits Blueprint was instrumental in that. Yaro also has a blog mentoring program that you might consider if your focus of freelance writing is going to be your own blog.
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6 Responses to “Tools of the Trade”
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Cheers, Bob. I can solidly support your selection of resources (especially ours). I’ve read each one, and yes, these are value-for-reader resources that don’t waste money, don’t waste words and that come from people who provide solid, applicable information.
Anyone starting on the web could take these four resources and truly pack their career foundation with good support and advice. Well done.
Great list, I agree with James. (You might want to check your very first sentence real carefully!
).
@ James - thank you for the supporting words. These are, for the most part, resources I’ve used over and over again.
@ Michael - Good eye. Fixed it. My proofreader is sick today
Your last recommendation looks interesting. Being free, how can I not give it a whirl? Cool list.
Bamboo Forests last blog post..Be Embarrassed about Nothing
Hi Bob - It’s strange how people’s attitudes towards something change, when they realise you can make money from it. Trouble is, they’re probably wanting to write for the wrong reason.
I’ll check out those products. I already have Freelance Rockstar and it’s great.
Hi Bob! I’m looking forward to checking out your writers’ mentoring program. Also, I’ve read a few of the ebooks you’ve mentioned and there are a couple of treasures in your list. SEO School is one of my favorite ebooks.
Melissa Donovans last blog post..When it All Comes Crashing Down