SAHM Writer Blog

Once you’re busy writing for money – what if you get too busy?

12th August, 2009 - Posted by admin - No Comments

Looks like we’re onto a topic – even if you’re just starting to learn about writing for money, many of you can fathom getting too busy. Beginners always have that sense of “Really? I’m just trying to get my first gig!” But you could easily get to the point of calendar-fullness within six months or less.

For some seasoned writers (and hey, I totally feel you…) you might be facing a “Winter” of sorts – and it happens… and it won’t last forever. You’re wondering whether you’ll ever see the day again when you’re so busy you need to build a team of writers to help with the load. Hang in there, and approach it with “beginner’s mind” – you may want to look for work in places you’ve never looked. You may want to rebrand yourself. You may want to try your hand at some new skill in writing – or in writing for yourself as an information marketer. Don’t get discouraged – you’ve got the goods!

So, what DO you do if you start getting too busy?

As I mentioned before, you’ve got a couple of options.

Let’s tackle the fastest solution first: Scarcity

People want what they can’t have, right? And if something’s scarce, they value it more – and are willing to pay more (either in time or money) to have it.

The easiest way to handle a full schedule is to first of all, KEEP MARKETING! (sorry for yelling – but it’s important)

Don’t stop marketing just because you’re currently busy. It’s your marketing that got you busy in the first place, and if you stop, the projects will likely coast to a stop (or come to a screeching halt).

But…

Handle your marketing a little differently. In your proposals, it’s always a good idea to include a proposed start date for a project. Some pros suggest you should never say you’re available immediately because it looks like you’re desperate. There’s probably a lot of wisdom in that. But, I do it a little differently because I have a team of writers, and a line of other writers I can call on if I fill up the team’s schedules. So that’s a selling point for working with my firm – we can generally start immediately on a client’s project.

If you’re on your own, you’ll have to look at your schedule and availability more closely.

When you’re reaching capacity, you can propose a start date a bit further out than normal. There are many writers I’ve heard of (usually B2B writers) who are booked six months in advance or further. (They’re still marketing, by the way.) Some clients will wait – others won’t. The scarcity of your availability may communicate to your clients that you’re wonderful, and worth the wait… and thank goodness they got in line when they did!

Or, they may say, “Forget it – I need it now.”

The other thing you could do, and it’s a bit more of a long-term solution, is to raise your fees. You may thin the herd this way, and end up working for fewer clients – but if you raise your fees enough, your bottom line can look the same or better by working with a smaller client base.

Of course, both of these take a bit of gathering your nerve first : )

But, if you’re staying busy… too busy, it’s the fastest way to get some sanity back into your schedule and keep growing your writing business.

Feedback time:

Have you done either of these before? What response did you get? What’s your advice?