
The Writers 'Co-op is een geweldige nieuwe podcast over hoe je je freelance schrijfcarrière kunt laten werken
juni 30, 2020
Translating…
CBD Olie kan helpen bij ADHD. Lees hoe op MHBioShop.com
Huile de CBD peut aider avec TDAH. Visite HuileCBD.be
I’ve worked with Jenni Gritters at several media companies now, including Upworthy and Wirecutter, and I have no qualms saying that she is probably the best editor I’ve ever worked with. As such, I can’t say I was surprised when I learned that she pulled in $120,000 in her first year as a full-time freelancer.
Jenni is certainly a hustler, but she’s a gracious soul who’s eager to share advice and help others to succeed as well (even if that means setting timers for me to indulge my weird ADHD research wormholes). So she and her friend/fellow freelancer Wudan Yan decided to start a podcast called The Writer’s Co-Op, examining the ways they both got started in freelance journalism, as well as the trials and tribulations they’ve stumbled on along the way. They’re also chock full of experience and advice about how to actually run your business, including planning for taxes, time management, and budgeting out how much money your actual time is worth (including all that paperwork and booking you forgot to factor in).
Here’s how they describe it:
The idea for this podcast was born in the middle of the desert last fall when I (Wudan) pulled up to a rest stop in the middle of a long drive. In the months leading up to that moment, I had noticed more and more people reaching out to me for freelance help. And nearly all the questions that I was fielding were related to the business of freelancing: what terms to negotiate in a contract, how to get paid on time, how to demand late payment, and more. I kept sharing the same advice over and over, and Jenni and I also talked about similar issues from time to time. Instead of sounding like a broken record, I wondered if this advice should live somewhere.
I texted Jenni something along the lines of, “Yo, should we start a podcast about the business of freelance writing?”
And she said, “Yes, yes we should.”
Since then, we’ve received a grant from the National Association of Science Writers to fund season one, which allowed us to hire audio extraordinaire Susan Valot to edit us. (We’re very much audio newbies.)
The Writer’s Co-Op just completed its first 10-episode season; they also have a Patreon that gives you access to worksheets and Excel documents and other bonus content to help you get ahead in that freelance life. My personal relationship with Jenni aside, I have found this podcast to be remarkable informative, comforting, and accessible. Jenni and Wudan speak honestly and openly about the privileges that have helped them take some risks — even things as simple as spouse-provided healthcare — as well as the things that have made it more difficult for them (including but not limited to gender and race). The episodes are about a half-hour long each, and they’re surprisingly refreshing and inspiring. I tend to find most professional advice content like this feels like a pyramid scheme; like of course they’re not going to share with me the real secret to their success. But Jenni and Wudan want you to succeed along with them, and they even give you some of the tools you need for that. And I think that’s pretty awesome.
You can check out the Writer’s Co-Op on iTunes/Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, etc., or subscribe to their Patreon for bonus content.
Image: Indi Samarajiva / Flickr
My new favorite pen – the Pilot Precise V5 Stick
The Pilot Precise V5 Stick ($9 for a dozen on Amazon) has replaced my old favorite, the Uni-Ball Vision Elite. The line is finer and darker, is ideally paired with my favorite notebook, the Rhodia Orange Dot Grid Webnotebook (better than Moleskine)
READ THE REST
Fun with FriXion pens
Last year my friends and I formed a club for (as Cory puts it) “people who aren’t good at magic tricks.” (Actually, Cory, John Edgar Park, and I are the only ones in the group who aren’t good at magic tricks. The others are pretty accomplished magicians and passed the audition to become members of […]
READ THE REST
Is Alphasmart STILL the ultimate writers’ tool?
I’ve written about the Alphasmart before, but David Kadavy explains succinctly why it’s so good: the creative focus of a typewriter, and you get a text file. The things that are crappy about this piece of “technology” are the things that make it great for writing. Productivity is all about mind management, not time management, […]
READ THE REST
Learn how to utilize WordPress to its full potential with the help of these training classes
The saying goes that everyone is looking to build a better mousetrap. In the case of Elementor, they decided to take a swing at WordPress, the platform used to build a third of the world’s websites, and make it better. Four years later, there are already three million sites using Elementor, a WP plug-in which […]
READ THE REST
These new monitors can bring a whole new shine to your WFH world
Whether you’re working from home or working from the office, a few elements of the grind are universal. Emails never stop. Meetings go on way too long. And a bad monitor makes your day monumentally more difficult to tolerate. Staring at a screen that’s too small or isn’t bright or sharp enough can be enough […]
READ THE REST
Topic is an international favorites streaming service that’s on sale for just $2.50 a month
When you sit down on your couch to watch TV, the volume of options is truly staggering. However, a strange thing happens once you start cycling through page after page of Netflix suggestions and Amazon options. You invariably find yourself constantly considering the same set of giant Hollywood blockbuster films and major US television network […]