Get Paid to Write Online » freelance writing

Lessons Learned From Getting Stiffed On Writing Jobs

Sharon Hurley Hall — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:00:59 +0000

My writing business has changed a lot since I started freelancing. Then, I did lots of one-off jobs for a wide range of small clients, getting many of them through copywriting agencies and the occasional job board posting or ad. Now, I work for a few bigger clients, and many of those have come to me via word of mouth and referrals from other people who have been happy with my work.

One of the advantages of having this type of client is that it makes for a more stable and reliable income. I know that each month, unless something major happens, there’s a basic amount that will be coming in – and I can always increase my earnings by taking more work for a couple of clients who offer regular single item jobs (like resumes).

Of course, that only works when the clients pay up on time. Most of them do, but then there are the others. I’ve been lucky enough not to get stiffed too many times in the last five years. That’s because I ask for a 50% deposit on all work for new clients and keep that up till we have established a relationship of trust. But it’s after that point that things can go wrong, especially if your client runs into financial difficulty.

Case Study One

One of the sites I blogged for a few years ago (I won’t say which one, as it’s now under new management and it wouldn’t be fair to the new owner) started off as a good gig, where the owner always paid in arrears, but on time, promptly on the first of every month. So when he was a couple of days late one month, I didn’t panic. I figured he was on vacation and would pay when he got back. After a while, though, so much time had passed that I realised that there had to be another reason. After several weeks he finally responded to my email, saying that he’d had a health problem (read ‘an addiction problem’) and had no money but would pay up when he got on his feet. I’m still waiting. One of the problems I had in this case was that I didn’t have all his contact details. That was a $500 lesson. It’s something that’s now at the top of my client questionnaire.

Case Study Two

In the second case, I was writing for a publication that operated like a print magazine. In other words, you invoiced and got paid once you had delivered the articles. That’s the way it works, and they weren’t going to give a deposit to suit me, though they did make a one-off good faith payment at the start.

I feel a bit sorry for this client, actually, because the recession hit and the client’s advertising income (which basically funded the publication) dried up. Big companies moved from 30 to 90 day payment and the client’s ready cash disappeared. The only trouble was, the client still owed me money and tried to persuade me that I should hang in there a bit longer. I did the maths – had I waited another month, the client would have owed me double the amount, with even less prospect of paying me. So I got out, and the client has paid the debt in increments, though some is still owing. The lesson I’ve learned is to only work on that basis for a bigger, well established publication and to make sure it’s not a big part of my income.

My writing career is a constant learning experience and there’s nothing to make you learn like not getting paid. I have to be honest – the missing money isn’t hurting me financially, it’s just the principle of the thing. I did the work, I should get paid. The big lesson is that even when you do everything right in managing your career, random events can affect the bottom line.

The Lessons

1. Make sure you have full contact details for every client.

2. If you have clients who pay in arrears, make sure they don’t represent too big a chunk of your income – and be rigorous about collecting payment on time.

3. Know when it’s time to end the relationship and get out; don’t be sweet talked or pressured into continuing to deliver work you’re not getting paid for.

4. Remember to consider the effects of random happenings and chance events on your writing income.

Lessons Learned From Getting Stiffed On Writing Jobs was originally published on Get Paid to Write Online, copyright 2005-2010, owned by Sharon Hurley Hall. If you are not reading this in an RSS reader, please contact Sharon.

Are You Writing In The Most Efficient Way Possible?

Dan Smith — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:24:25 +0000

Have you seen an increase in your productivity after changing the way you write?

August has been a busy month for me outside of work. I spent a week in London visiting family during the second week of the month, followed by a long weekend with friends an hour’s drive away last weekend and then this weekend we’re heading back down to London for 4 days.

All in all, I’ve had around 18 available working days, including weekends.

And then there’s the point that mid way through the month one of my regular clients increased their order. Great stuff in general, but I really could have done with it waiting until September.

So, due to the fact I had a month’s worth of work to do in under 3 weeks, I started thinking about how efficient my writing process was and if there was anyway I could improve my productivity.

Traditionally, I would receive a request from a client, have a quick look through it and put it to one side for a few days until I had completed the project that I was working on.

When the time would come to work on the next project, I’d open up a Word document, write down a few sentences that I thought I could use or which could come in useful, carry out some research or look for quotes / statistics, write the piece and then proof and edit it straight away.

And to be honest, it seemed pretty efficient.

However, I’m a big believer that there is always room for improvement and so I made 3 changes to my writing process.

Firstly, when I received a new order through, I’d spend 10 minutes jotting down some notes that could help me write the piece. I’d also check out some websites I use regularly for statistics and quotes to see if there was anything immediately obvious that could be of use,
Secondly, I decided I would leave the editing to the end of the whole project. I wondered whether going from writing to proofing to editing and then back to writing was lowering my productivity and was interested to see whether it would increase if I carried out all of the writing first, followed by all of the proofing and editing,
Finally, I wanted to try something that I haven’t done before, which was to complete a project in one sitting. Usually, I look at how many words are going to be needed approximately overall, look at how long I’ve got to the deadline and divide them up so that I write a small amount each day. This time, however, I was going to complete it all in one go.

Did it work?

Well, yes and no.

On the first point, I found that this is possibly the best thing I could do.

When I used to get an order of, for example, 20 articles, I would treat each one separately, not looking at the next until I’d finished one. This month, I discovered that if I jotted down ideas for each (or at least most) of them first, there was no time spent at the start of each article thinking what I was going to write about. Things just flowed a lot better.

Unfortunately, the second point is arguably the worst thing I’ve ever done. In fact, it was so bad I only did it for one project.

When I proof and edit each piece as I go along, it does mean that I spend extra time on it, but once it’s proofed and edited, it’s completed and out of the way completely.

I nearly cried when I realised I’d just finished the twentieth 500 word article but still had all 10,000 words to proof and edit.

My reaction to the third point is mixed. I experimented on it first with a 22 article project and completed over 11,000 words in around 12 hours. It was pretty intense and the words weren’t as free flowing after around 7,000, but it felt great when I woke up the next morning and could start a completely new piece of writing.

Considering this month has been pretty hectic, I’ve actually learnt a lot about my writing. I’ve realised that I’m not as efficient as I thought I was; that proofing and editing in one go really isn’t a good idea and that when I want to be, I can be a writing machine!

Do you have a writing process that you always stick to? Is it efficient? Have you ever tried changing it around to see if you can increase your productivity?

Are You Writing In The Most Efficient Way Possible? was originally published on Get Paid to Write Online, copyright 2005-2010, owned by Sharon Hurley Hall. If you are not reading this in an RSS reader, please contact Sharon.

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Putting The Free Into Freelance

Sharon Hurley Hall — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:00:03 +0000

One of the things I like best about freelancing is the ability to arrange my life to suit myself. When I first started freelancing, being a freelance writer simply meant doing additional work for someone who was not my regular employer. It wasn’t particularly liberating, but it did bring in some much needed extra cash.

However, as I made the transition to full time freelancing, I discovered that there were untold benefits to the lifestyle. Although I still have deadlines and commitments to clients, I work for myself and in theory I am able to set my own hours. I can also work from anywhere in the world as long as I have a laptop and a decent internet connection.

I think many freelancers value that freedom, though what it looks like differs for different people. For me, freedom is about:

having the ability to say yes to a last minute trip because I know it won’t affect my work
being able to spend time with my family, especially my young daughter
deciding how much I need to earn in a given week or month and tailoring my working hours to suit
taking time off to have lunch on the beach, go to the gym or have coffee with friends.

For me, these things put the free into freelancing. What puts the free into freelancing for you?

This post originally appeared in Writing Lab News.

Putting The Free Into Freelance was originally published on Get Paid to Write Online, copyright 2005-2010, owned by Sharon Hurley Hall. If you are not reading this in an RSS reader, please contact Sharon.

Do You Always Have Your Business Hat On?

Dan Smith — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:30:51 +0000

How often do you take your business hat off?

If you follow me on Twitter (or simply realised due to my lack of comments), you’ll be aware that I’ve been away for the past week.

We – my girlfriend and I – have a lot of family in and around London and try to get down there as often as we can.

Just like every other time, I worked longer days the week before we set off so that I could take the time off without having to think about any aspect of my business and could enjoy the time away fully.

This time, though, things were slightly different.

Whereas I usually don’t think about work at all or consider my actions in a business sense (I don’t mean I act wild or recklessly, I just mean that I’m not thinking about what might happen to my work if I do one thing or if I don’t impress a person), I found that I was looking at ways to develop my business and speak to people in a way that could be considered networking.

I thought back to the last time I was down. It was for a family wedding in May and although some of it is now a bit hazy (after the church there was a garden party with free alcohol, ahem…), I remember being introduced to people and rather than brushing over the fact I was someone who ‘does a lot of different things’, I focused on the fact I was a writer.

The time before that, however (February 2010), I can’t think of a time where I had my business hat on.

And thinking about it, this fits almost perfectly with how my writing career has developed since the start of 2010. I ended 2009 being a writer who was plodding along quite contently and I don’t really know what happened over Christmas and New Year, but I got a massive kick up the ass and decided 2010 would be the year that I pushed my writing career forward.

I found that this time in London – the city which is supposedly paved with gold – I was looking at everything as a business opportunity.

For some of the break we stayed in a hotel that was heavily business orientated and I couldn’t help but think what would happen if I spent the time striking up a conversation with some people in the lobby or bar and then handing over my business card.

Yes, I guess it’s cold calling, but surely the few minutes it would take saying a quick hello, mentioning a generic topic and working my writing business into the conversation would be worth it eventually?

Even now I’m back home, I’ve realised that I’ve still got my business hat on most of the time. Not to the extent where I’m constantly working, but that I’m looking at everything as an opportunity and a way to develop my career.

This has been a kind of light bulb moment for me. Over the past 8 months things have slowly clicked into place with my writing career and this seems like another piece of the puzzle falling into the right slot – I’m no longer having to think of ideas and ways to develop; they seem to be coming naturally.

The reason I posted this was because I’m interested in hearing from other writers who find – or don’t find – that they’ve always got their business hat on.

Are you constantly looking for opportunities? Is it a bit of a strain or do they flow naturally? Do you like having your business hat on or would you rather you could take it off?

Image: Quinn.Anya (Flickr)

Do You Always Have Your Business Hat On? was originally published on Get Paid to Write Online, copyright 2005-2010, owned by Sharon Hurley Hall. If you are not reading this in an RSS reader, please contact Sharon.

How Do You Become A Freelance Writer?

Sharon Hurley Hall — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:28:20 +0000

How do you become a freelance writer?

Many of the people who search for my blog are looking for the answer to this question. They are hoping that there is some magic formula that will move them from being wannabe writers to published professionals without passing ‘go’.

Sorry, but there is no simple answer.

Don’t be discouraged. I really believe that almost anyone can learn writing skills. Learning the skills is not the problem. The issue is wanting a writing career enough to put in the ground work that’s needed to make it successful. That ground work includes doing some actual writing regularly and consistently and publishing it somewhere where others can see it. That’s why I always recommend a blog – and I’ve had enough clients find me through my blog to know that my advice is spot-on.

There’s also the need to sustain your skill level and write cracking good copy even when it’s a topic you wouldn’t normally be interested in. (Believe me, I’ve done my fair share of those, too, and still do.) The point is that your client should never pick up on your lack of enthusiasm. If you can sound like a fan even when feeling jaded, then you’re well on the way to becoming a professional writer.

This post originally appeared in Writing Lab News.

How Do You Become A Freelance Writer? was originally published on Get Paid to Write Online, copyright 2005-2010, owned by Sharon Hurley Hall. If you are not reading this in an RSS reader, please contact Sharon.

Hit A Dip In Your Freelance Writing? You Are Networking, Right?

Dan Smith — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:00:02 +0000

Are you plugged in to a network?

We all hit a bit of a lull in our freelance writing careers. For some, it’s not a massive problem as they’re fully prepared. For others, however, the dip can seem like it’s going to be devastating.

Fortunately, if you fall into the latter group, there’s one thing you can do to ensure any loss of work is only temporary – network.

I’m by no means an accomplished writer and compared to some other writers you probably know of, to all intents and purposes I’ve only just started my career.

But whilst I may not be at the peak of my career, I wouldn’t have got to the stage where I am today without networking.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, you’ll always be networking to some extent. It might not be on a major scale and you might not even think what you’re doing can be classed as networking, but unless you’re sat in a room without interacting with anyone, you’re going to be carrying out networking of some form.

The problem that a lot of writers face, however, is that they don’t understand the real importance of networking and just how beneficial it is, especially when they’ve hit a dip in their freelance writing.

When I first started freelancing, I used to read blog after blog, taking in all of the information and whilst I gained a lot of knowledge this way, I made one major mistake – I very rarely left a comment.

At the time I didn’t think much of it. Things were ticking over quite nicely and whilst I wasn’t making a fortune or becoming particularly well known, I was content with how things were going.

Then 8 months ago I had a bit of a…moment. An epiphany. A light bulb moment. Call it what you will, I realised that I wanted to carve out a career as a freelance writer and I really started to network, particularly with other writers.

I started off by commenting on some of the primary freelance writing blogs (thinking back now, if I’d left a comment on every blog post I’d read, there’s a good chance I would have been known as a freelance writer a lot sooner than I was) and setup a Twitter account to add the writers I had discussions with on blogs.

I then decided one day I’d just e-mail one or two writers directly. I wasn’t asking for work and I wasn’t sucking up to them, I simply said hi, introduced myself and explained that I liked their work and just wanted to network with them.

I was lucky enough to strike up a good relationship with one of those writers and it led to two regular gigs, as well as referrals to some of their own clients to use my services.

I continued networking on a regular basis and I still do to this day. I even still contact writers directly now and again if I haven’t spoke to them before, just to say hi.

If you’re going through a bit of a dip at the moment or you simply want to prepare yourself should you be faced with a drop in your writing work, get out there and start connecting with other writers.

Don’t be afraid if you don’t know them or haven’t talked to them before and don’t think that just because they’re making a full time living from writing they’re not going to want to talk to you because you’re only just starting out as a writer or you aren’t as popular as they are.

From my own experience, freelance writers are arguably the friendliest and most sociable bunch of people I’ve ever come across and – truthfully – I’m yet to meet a writer who has been unhelpful, arrogant or just plain rude.

There’s masses of writing work out there – you’ve just got to remember that it’s not often going to come to you. Start networking with other writers, get your name known and you’ll soon find that your workload picks up once more.

Image: saschaa (FlickR)

Hit A Dip In Your Freelance Writing? You Are Networking, Right? was originally published on Get Paid to Write Online, copyright 2005-2010, owned by Sharon Hurley Hall. If you are not reading this in an RSS reader, please contact Sharon.

Coping and Prioritizing in Your Freelance Life

Dana Prince — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:45:51 +0000

Prioritization and Time Management

Freelancers are regularly tested on their focus and prioritization skills. How you cope and deal with time management challenges will impact your business, your wallet, and your physical and emotional health.

Someone invites you to lunch but you know you have to put your nose down and hit that deadline… A loved one needs you but you have to juggle and make them and your client happy, too…. One client wants to be put ahead of other clients that are important, too… A client is being a royal pain in the rear and you need to decide what to do about it… Sometimes the juggling act is tricky! The good news is that it’s your business and you’re in control. Sometimes you need to just remind yourself of that fact. I’ve had to do so recently.

Anyway, here are some tips for prioritizing that I’ve learned in the last few years. If you have any tips you’d like to share, please do!

Pad your deadlines. Doing this will give you a bit of wiggle room for emergencies. And, if you treat that fake deadline as the real one most of the time, clients will be delighted at your consistently delivering early.

If you’re outsourcing, pad even further! When you have to rely on anyone but yourself, you want some extra EXTRA wiggle room.

Overquote. Overquote on money and on time. Give yourself extra time and don’t bid too low.

Turn off distractions. Shut the office door, forward the phone to voicemail, etc. When you need to focus, don’t be tempted by email alerts or instant messaging applications. Focus on one thing at a time and the feelings of being overwhelmed will soon be diminished.

Find a proven tracking system. Whether it’s a note pad, task lists on Gmail, a big desk calendar, or a digital time management application, find something that works for you and use it consistently so you never miss a deadline.

Have a plan B. I’ve had some technology problems lately so I started keeping a small stockpile of offline work so that I could work if my ISP went down. I also invested in a Smart Phone so I can keep in touch with clients on the go. The phone also keeps me more relaxed when I’m away from the office for extended amounts of time. Beware you don’t stay plugged in to work 24/7, though. That’s something I’m working on…

Get up early when you’re swamped. (Something I struggle with but when I do it, I always say I should do it more often!) Often the best time to work on a difficult project is to do so before the rest of your house is up and before your clients are calling, IM’ing, or emailing.Why? Fewer distractions and more time in the day to hit that deadline. It’s often said that ‘morning people’ are more productive than nighthawks. Not sure if that’s true but I’m much more relaxed and productive starting work early in the morning to working until the wee hours when I’m under the gun.

Get the hardest and most important projects out of the way first. This was a valuable lesson I learned from a writing client who wrote career and life coaching books. It can be awful to feel dread about something that has to be done before you can go to sleep at night and worrying about it will slow you down all day long until the job gets done. Do the hard stuff first thing in the morning. Get it over with so you can move on with your day. If you do the most difficult and most vital things first, you avoid pitfalls of interruptions and being pulled in multiple directions later on in the day and you’ll feel accomplished earlier instead of later!

Make time for family. I don’t know about you but there are more family flare-ups around here when I’m overworked. As the peacemaker of the house, if I’m somewhat available and plugged in to the family instead of just my office, the house seems to buzz along more happily and that results in less stress for all of us. Have you had a day off lately? Have you spent time reading a story to your toddler or having a leisurely cup of tea on the porch with your spouse? Keep the home fires burning and work will probably be smoother sailing for you.

Speak your mind. If a client is being too demanding, push back a little. If a spouse’s help could make a big difference to you, ask for help proactively (if I ask when I’m calm, rather than wait until I’m on the verge of a meltdown, chances are I get better response anyway).

Say No. I’ve said “No” more often lately and it has served me well. Be selective about the writing jobs and personal favours you take on. It’s your business and your life so you need to stay in charge of it!

Sometimes you have to take a close look at your priorities and do some shifting around. I’ve had to do that lately and when I do take the time to make decisions and action plans and then stick to them, I work and feel much better.

Please share your words of prioritization wisdom with us!

Coping and Prioritizing in Your Freelance Life was originally published on Get Paid to Write Online, copyright 2005-2010, owned by Sharon Hurley Hall. If you are not reading this in an RSS reader, please contact Sharon.

How Profitable is That Writing Job, Really?

Dana Prince — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:12:36 +0000

If you‘re a freelance writer, you write for more than one client ,and …have any control over your rates, there are a lot of things to consider in terms of setting your writing rates. I’ve had jobs that have paid great and jobs that have bled money. I’ve made mistakes in setting rates and I’ve had scenarios go much better than expected. It’s a learning experience that is ongoing and I’ve made some rules for myself that typically helps my gigs bleed cash a little bit less often.

If you have an opportunity to set your own rates, which I highly recommend striving to do, consider many factors when setting your pricing. Here are a few things you’ll want to consider:

-How much you want to earn per hour and how many hours the job will actually take. It can be tough to estimate so weigh it carefully. Don’t just think in terms of writing time. Consider research and time for revisions, conference calls, and any other time you’ll spend working on the project. (Tip: give yourself a raise on a regular basis!)

-Consider how they’ll pay you. If you’re doing the job through a bidding site, you could lose a chunk of change in terms of per job fee, membership fee, etc. If payment will be via PayPal, what sorts of fees will there be? Different countries and different payment methods will impact the fees. There’s also the issue of exchange rates. Maybe you prefer your local currency or perhaps you prefer to bill in your client’s currency. Weigh this carefully as things like fluctuation of exchange rates and fees can add up.

-Is it a one-off or a client that could be ongoing? I don’t advocate dropping your rates drastically but there may be benefits to offering a slight discount for a bulk rate and a client that pays instantly,rather than once a month, for instance. And, if you don’t need a one-off gig because you’re busy enough already, consider plumping up that quote. What have you got to lose?

-Consider ease of doing business as well as the joy of doing the research and the writing when setting your rates. If you don’t love a particular type of writing, you may opt to charge a bit more to make it worth your while. If you find a particular client’s communication style difficult and find it more labour-intense to do business with them, it’s probably a good idea to ensure your rates reflect the extra effort involved.

-Consider what other writers charge for similar services. Talk to writing friends, look online, check out job bidding sites for insight. Maybe your cost of living or your experience level is different than the rates you find but some guidelines could be helpful.

Many writers accept rates offered by content mills, advertised writing jobs, or they bid low in order to win business. But setting your own rates and setting them adequately really does make freelance much more “free”. How do you set your own rates? My #1 tip is to help clients find you, rather than applying for jobs with a set rate. Have your website at the top of the search engines for the keyword phrases that relate to your writing specialty. Use tools, such as social media , to your advantage for self-promotion. And, present yourself well to prospects and chances are that you’ll command the sorts of rates that will make writing a profitable and enjoyable venture.

Have I missed anything that you find helpful in setting your rates? If so, please share!

How Profitable is That Writing Job, Really? was originally published on Get Paid to Write Online, copyright 2005-2010, owned by Sharon Hurley Hall. If you are not reading this in an RSS reader, please contact Sharon.

Recognizing the Signs of Freelance Writer Burnout in Yourself

Dana Prince — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 02:17:44 +0000

Do You Juggle too Much?

Usually, I’m a pretty positive person. But yesterday, I had an ‘I suck’ moment. I had a meltdown during a difficult assignment and didn’t feel good about the work I’d done. I got stuck. I questioned my abilities. It was awful. It’s not always easy being a freelancer and having to go it alone. It’s been a while since I’ve taken any time off. Thinking back, if I’d looked at myself yesterday as an outsider I probably would’ve said, “She’s got burnout.”

I’ve had to give myself an awful lot of pep talks, lately. I think that’s a sign that something that needs to change.

My meltdown wasn’t pretty. But, there’s no crying in baseball… so, finally, I emailed the client and told them I was sending them what they should treat as a draft and asked them to come back to me with feedback to help me deliver what they wanted. Then I got out of the house for a few hours to clear my head.

I’ve been working a lot of hours in the past few weeks. I’ve also had about half a dozen things go wrong around the house so I’ve been feeling stressed. I don’t want to suck. Maybe I didn’t. Maybe I just felt burnt out. Maybe I did suck. I guess I’ll find out when the client replies to yesterday’s message.

I had trouble sleeping last night. Then this morning I looked at a very long to-do list and felt very overwhelmed. I decided to just break it down and do one thing at a time. So far it has helped.

-I wrote mini to-do list on a Post-It with most urgent projects. That way the to-do list is short, rather than long. One thing at a time!n

-Did a quick clean up my work area so I don’t feel so buried.

-Got food in my tummy and took my vitamins.

-Found something for the little one to do so I could work uninterrupted for a bit.

-Decided to try to have a positive attitude.

I did a press release for a new client first. I probably shouldn’t have even taken the job since I had so much on my plate this week but that’s another problem I have — not being able to say “No” to work. When I got started, I felt so apprehensive thatI toiled over it for about an hour longer than usual. Yesterday had left a lingering feeling of doubt. But…no revisions. They loved it and placed a new standing order. I don’t suck today. So far… :)

When I’m overworked it affects my eating, my sleeping, my family, my confidence, and my writing. Another client wrote today to point out an error I’d made that I probably wouldn’t have made if I weren’t so darned…overwhelmed. I decided that yesterday was a big red flag warning of freelance writer’s burnout for me. I’m going to work hard to get through this to-do list and then take a day off. Then, a 3-day weekend next weekend… away from the house AND away from the computer. I bet it’ll do me wonders. Do you recognize the signs of burnout in yourself? Please make sure you watch for it and act on it. I’m pretty sure that your health, your frame of mind, and your writing will all thank you for it.

P.S: On previewing this post I saw that Sharon Hurley Hall has a post from about 3 years ago here that’s highly relevant: How to Cope With Writer Burnout. Check it out.

Recognizing the Signs of Freelance Writer Burnout in Yourself was originally published on Get Paid to Write Online, copyright 2005-2010, owned by Sharon Hurley Hall. If you are not reading this in an RSS reader, please contact Sharon.

Yahoo Style Guide – Interview and Initial Review

Sharon Hurley Hall — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:08:32 +0000

You’ve probably seen all the publicity about the new Yahoo! Style Guide – a guide that, according to the publishers, is ‘the first of its kind to address questions about online writing’. I got the chance to look at a review copy and it certainly covers a lot of ground in six sections and about 500 pages:

Write for an online audience (4 chapters)
Speak to your entire audience (2 chapters)
Write UI text, email and mobile friendly content (3 chapters)
Manage the mechanics (3 chapters)
Clean up your copy (3 chapters)
Resources (4 chapters)

I got the chance to do a short interview with Senior Editorial Director, Chris Barr, about the Yahoo! Style Guide:

Chris, why have you decided to bring this book out now?

Because there was a glaring need for this book. While excellent style guides exist for print publications, none addresses writing for the Internet exclusively, or even in depth. Two popular sellers are The Chicago Manual of Style, and The Associated Press Stylebook, each with millions in print. Neither offers much guidance for writing and publishing for the Web.

This guide started out as an internal reference on how to write “Yahoo!” and was used by Yahoo! Web content developers to attract and build audiences. Little by little the guide grew as Yahoo! ventured into new areas, and was asked for by writers, marketers, editors, programmers, community managers, and product managers. Today it provides guidance for all writers in the company network, whether they’re bloggers, video producers, reporters, newsletter copywriters, or documentation specialists.

We’re happy to share these best practices with the world because everybody benefits when content is concise and easy to read.

This book seems to cover areas that go beyond style – what’s the rationale for that?

We felt it was important to address topics like how to write for an online audience, how to develop your voice, how to write online headlines, how to incorporate SEO into Web copy, and on and on, because nobody else had. The Yahoo! Style Guide also provides lots of Internet-specific information like why you should avoid italics. Other guides tend to be a bit behind the curve when it comes to styling Internet words. For example, we’ve been using ‘website” for years, and AP just closed up “Web site” in April 2010. And they still use “e-mail” while we use “email.” Also, our usage examples are far more entertaining!

Yahoo! Style Guide will not only address overall principles of good writing and editing, but also Web-specific subjects such as:

How to write for online reading
How to choose the right words to bring more people to your site with search engine optimization
Best practices for corporate and personal blogging
How to write effective email and newsletters
Internet law: trademarks, copyright, and defamation
Headlines for online content
Writing and editing English for an international audience

And the Yahoo! Style Guide has exercises where people can test their Web-writing skills.

What’s your vision for this guide?

We feel this guide is essential for anyone writing for English-speaking audiences, including businesses that are creating or improving their websites. While it may appear that businesses have embraced the Internet, Jupiter Research found that just 36 percent of all businesses with fewer than 100 employees had a Web presence (New York Times, Feb, 14, 2008,) Even businesses that already have websites need help optimizing their content for the Web and learning how to create more compelling copy, clearer email, and attention-grabbing, community-engaging blogs.

Journalists, personal and corporate bloggers, writers, technical writer, editors: Anyone who creates or edits content for websites needs to understand the unique requirements of Internet content. From paragraph length, formats, and headlines, Web content is different from what most people have been taught. All writers need to be aware of the burgeoning legal issues of online copyright, including fair use and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, to the issues surrounding user-generated content, third-party content, as well as libel and slander.

Schools, colleges, universities, journalism schools: Students world-wide can learn the best practices for Web content, which is different from traditional writing styles.

Marketing organizations, advertising and PR agencies: Every outfit that writes marketing copy, email solicitations, Web advertisements, business communications, newsletters, customer or employee communications documents require education for using this new media.

Newspapers: Especially those that are augmenting paper distribution with digital distribution. Reporters in newsrooms are being asked to do more to attract online readers. This story from the Washington Post explains the dilemma:

“Now they must also operate in an online environment where ‘search-engine optimization’ is a key goal. That requires new skills and time-consuming additional duties. Separate online headlines must be written in a way that attracts attention on the Web. Links must be found, vetted and inserted into online stories, and so-called “keywords” must be highlighted. All of this is designed to make it easier to find Post content on the Internet and more likely for the Post to win the intense media competition to show up at the top of results lists when readers use search engines such as Google and Yahoo.”

Global English speakers: The Guide will appeal to universal English speakers, including non-native English speakers by stressing clarity and simplicity. It will point out differences between, say, American English and that used in England.

Creators of content for mobile devices: The mobile Web is one of the fastest growing areas of the Internet, especially internationally, yet there are no usage guides available. The Guide will address best practices for developing mobile content.

Web developers, designers, information architects: Many of the pages within a website contain valuable information written to help users. FAQs, help pages, error messages, and user-interface text must be written clearly can concisely. Moreover, user-generated content, and community aspects such as comments will be addressed.

Thanks, Chris. My initial look suggests that this is a useful reference book, and the exercises will help readers to really get to grips with the material it contains. I plan to hang on to my copy and check it out in more detail. There’s also a great site where you can get quick help on many common issues. If you want to buy the book, here’s the link for the Yahoo Style Guide.

Yahoo Style Guide – Interview and Initial Review was originally published on Get Paid to Write Online, copyright 2005-2010, owned by Sharon Hurley Hall. If you are not reading this in an RSS reader, please contact Sharon.