A few weeks ago, Jill L. Ferguson, founder of Creating the Freelance Career and Women's Wellness Weekends was a guest on Erin Keam's Conversations About Closets with my Closest 1000 friends. That podcast episode was released today. Listen as Jill and Erin discuss Team Rubicon,  new books, including this forthcoming one from Melbourne University Press, and all of the ins and outs of self-employment. 

Dragon Sisters founder Michelle Harton invited Jill L. Ferguson, founder of Creating the Freelance Career, to talk about writing books, the books Jill has coming out in 2021, and how she got started in the business. You can see that interview on YouTube by clicking on the link. 

The image below is the front cover of The Advocates, written by Robyn Gulliver and Jill, and being published by Melbourne University Press on July 2, 2021. Preorders are available  through the MUP website, by clicking on the book's title. 
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Over the past 18 months, we have worked with U.R. Choix to refine the book Who Are You Being? Navigating the World We Live In. While the book author chose a pseudonym, the book itself has been endorsed by some well-known names in the self-help and self-empowerment space: Jack Canfield, T Harv Eker, Jude Bijou and Jill Morris of Choice Works. 

If you like to read books that ask compelling questions and encourage self-exploration and knowledge with the idea of using what you learn to better yourself and the work around you, then this book is for you. It's available in English worldwide at booksellers everywhere. 

This week CreatingtheFreelanceCareer.com is thrilled to announce the new books of two of our clients. First, Emily Wyant, owner of Bond Hair Bar, poured out her life story and her infectious enthusiasm in Happy by Design: How to Use Your Five Senses to Trigger Yourself Happy Anytime, Anywhere.This book is a fun-to-read how-to manual on how to boost your happiness and live a more fulfilling (and exciting and sensual life). Through personal examples, raw vulnerability and a sense of humor, Wyant dishes up quick-to-implement ways to take charge of and get more from you life. (And the audio book version she narrated herself and it starts with a jingle. Yes, this may be the only book with its own commissioned jingle.)

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 Second, Dr. James Dohn, Long Beach, California-based Chiropractor and Hellerwork practitioner, released his first book, Structural Integration is Not Massage. Through using his own life's journey as an example (and it is one fascinating life), Dr. Dohn explores the lessons and steps in Ida Rolf's Rolfing techniques and Joseph Hellerwork's name-sake technique and how each of these steps affected his body, as well as his mind, emotions, relationships, and all parts of his life to create lasting, positive changes. Towards the end of the second half of the narrative, Dr. Dohn questions what medical services and patient interaction would look like if all doctors practiced integrated medicine, that inquired about a person's whole being (body, mind, and soul) and addressed all areas to create "whole" and healthy people.

We are grateful to have accompanied both of these authors on their first book writing journeys. Thank you for working with us to achieve your goals.  

Last week my friend Marjory Kaptanoglu wrote on her blog about Audible's policy to allow people to listen to audio books and get refunds and to loan their books to others free of charge and how authors then don't get royalties from these sales or freebies. Enough authors have protested that today, Audible (an Amazon company) said they have heard and they are changing their policies. I'm still not sure it will be enough to fully address the situation, but it is a start. 

Here is the letter ACX sent authors, publishers, and others:

Launched in 2011, the Audiobook Creation Exchange has paved the way for exponential growth in audiobook production and consumption, today supplying over 200 audiobooks in store per day to Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. The ACX online rights marketplace and production engine is available to all authors, publishers, literary agents, narrators and studio pros in the US, UK, Canada, and Ireland. ACX.com connects and educates independent authors and rising actors—many of whom are among 20,000 professional actors who have worked with Audible in the past 5 years—in the art of audiobook performance and creation, and provides title-promotion tools and methods to drive sales and audiobook awareness, allowing our creative stakeholders to reach new audiences on Audible and beyond. Free programs, including ACX University and the Promo Code Tool, seek to level the playing field and further expand opportunity for authors, narrators, rights holders and producers alike. 

As you know, we've been working to address some ACX authors' concerns about Audible's overall exchange policy, and we appreciate your feedback. The intent of this program is to allow listeners to discover their favorite voice, author, or story in audio. In instances where we determine the benefit is being overused, Audible can and does limit the number of exchanges and refunds allowed by a member. But as designed, this customer benefit allows active Audible members in good standing to take a chance on new content, and suspicious activity is extremely rare. 

We hope this helps convey perspective to our valued writers and ACX partners as to the impact of our current returns policies. However, in recognition of these concerns, moving forward and effective as of January 1, 2021, Audible will pay royalties for any title returned more than 7 days following purchase. This adjustment does not impact our customers' current benefits of membership, and we look forward to continuing to welcome millions of first-time listeners, enabling our members to discover new content they enjoy and growing the audience for our valued creative partners.
Respectfully, 
The ACX Team

Do you think this is doing enough? 

If you've read the book The Go-Giver, you know one of the gems of wisdom in the book is to find a way to distinguish your service from that of others in the industry. For me, this means I send holiday gifts to my property manager and to the tenants in the homes I own; writing a personal message on the back of every canvas I've painted; and writing LinkedIn recommendations for my clients and for anyone with whom I've worked. 

Yesterday, I received my copy of Amy Henderson Harris's latest book Wilder Dreams. Within the packaging was her business card, two stickers (including one black and white illustration from the book), an affirmation card, and a postcard thanking me for the purchase plus letting me know more about what Amy has to offer. (She's a singer, songwriter, musician, children's book author and all-around badass.) :)

The other thing Amy included was on the receipt, and that was a personal note to me. 
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I smile and chuckled when I saw it because a) it made me feel good to be appreciated and b) I do the same thing on the invoices/receipts I sent people. Gratitude goes a long way in establishing goodwill and repeat business. 

Think about the ways you can inexpensively (or for no cost) show your customers and clients how much you care. Some suggestions include the things Amy did shown above, or you could send personal e-mails periodically, a snail mailed postcard or card, a referral fee, a small gift, or even a shout-out on social media or your website with a backlink. 

Department store founder and businessman Marshall Field said, "Goodwill is the only asset that competition cannot undersell or destroy." Keep that in mind the next time you interact with potential or current clients and customers. And make your business stand out from the rest.
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We worked with Amy Henderson Harris last year on her debut book Dreamcatcher, which won a Mom's Choice award. Now, last month, Amy not only gave birth to her second child, but her second book, took when Wilder Dreams made its way onto bookshelves and into virtual stores. Congratulations, Amy, on another fabulous children's book. We are so blessed to be on this journey with you.  

It's been a busy month at Creating the Freelance Career. Three clients have books being published this month. Jill L. Ferguson's eleventh book, Voice of Love, was published last week. We have signed a number of new clients, and we had to "fire" one. And that last bit brings us to this month's guest post by money and women's business coach Debbie Page.She writes:

It's happened to us all. Taking that client that we knew we shouldn't have. Doing that deal just one time. Just t h i s one time.

Most entrepreneurs I know admit to doing more of this early in their journey, and many will still say that at least once a year they did that deal, project or took that client in spite of KNOWING it wasn't the right fit. 

As I've considered why this happens it always comes down to not having a documented vetting system, checklist or process that assures them the right thing to do. To not take the client or project.

Here are three ways you can ensure you don't take the wrong client or project anymore. 
​Create an ideal client profileThis should include demographics and psychographics as well as characteristics, traits and attributes you know you work well with in your work (PS - this also helps guide your marketing efforts). If you've never done this, start by taking the 3 best clients/projects or deals you've ever done and write out what made each one individually so perfect. Once you've done that for each client/project look for the commonalities amongst all of them and begin building your profile. 
Have qualifying questionsYou are interviewing your prospects as much as they are interviewing you. Have 2 or 3 questions that get to the heart of how you evaluate how they might be a fit...or not. In my coaching practice I always ask potential clients to describe a time they worked with a coach and what worked and what didn't and how they want their next relationship to be different. If I hear a lot of "they didn't do..." it becomes concerning that perhaps this is someone who is not ready to take the accountability for the actions necessary to be CEO. 
Script out why they are not a fitIf you think this conversation is hard, think back to the one you had to have to end a bad business relationship you never should have started. Having the words to use to let a prospect know that they aren't right for your product or program or service reduces the likelihood that you are going to end up in a deal that shouldn't happen.

Mine goes something like this; "I really enjoyed our time together today and learning about your business. As I listened to where you are in the evolution of your company, I don't think we're a fit. What I'd recommend is (give them a couple of resources or actions to take) that will lead you closer to the better fit for you and your search for a coach. I appreciate you taking the time to reach out and I wish you the very best in your business."

As the economy continues to evolve during our current world situation I don't want to see small business owners slipping back into taking any deal just to get some cash. Remember a bad deal is worse than no deal. 

For almost three months now people who live in my neighborhood have been setting off fireworks on a nightly basis. Fireworks have been used n the U.S. to celebrate America since 1777, according to Smithsonian Magazine, and they are used at the culmination of sporting events and other festive occasions. But repeated use of them or an ongoing onslaught dulls their importance and turns them from a spectacle into a bunch of noise. 

The messages we send can have a similar effect. Whether we post frequently to social media without really saying anything of value or whether we flood people's inboxes, LinkedIn or Alignable message centers, or traditional mailboxes with repeated offers or comments about how great we are and why people should work with us, we are creating noise not much different from nightly pyrotechnics. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "You're speaking so loudly that I cannot hear what you are saying." 

In other words repetition and bombardment in an effort to get someone's attention does not manifest in effective communication or messaging. To effectively communicate your message:
1) Know your audience.
2) Make your message relevant to that audience.
3) Be focused. (Meaning don't ramble or create a bunch of noise. Be succinct. Don't waste people's time. Say what you need to and be done.)
4) Be authentic, compelling and distinctive. 
5) Use words and visuals. (Back when I was a professor, we were taught to understand people's different learning styles (auditory, visual, kinestetic) and to incorporate all into our curriculum.)

And also be open to feedback (or to other's influences as Forbes calls it). 

What we want when we message others is to get the equivalent of the oohs and aahhs received at professional fireworks shows; what we don't want is for people to shut down emotionally/mentally/psychologically like we do from too many Presidential tweets or marketer messages. We never want others to think, oh there they go again and dismiss us without even reading/listening to our message. 

Plato said, "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."  Be a wise man in your messaging and reap better results than those who compulsively message but say little of value. 

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from someone saying she needed a writer to create a conference presentation for her on a health and wellness topic. She provided the timeline and the length of what she was looking for and asked if I'd be interested in taking on this project. I was a bit skeptical as to the authenticity of the request, which came from a gmail e-mail. I mean first, no one is running conference right now as the world is going through a pandemic. Second, if she's giving a presentation on a topic, why isn't she an expert and needs someone else to research the material and write it? 

Since I didn't want to say no outright, and was curious what kind of game she was playing (as I was pretty sure it wasn't legit), I asked for more information. The response was almost instant, thanking me for being interested, providing an outline of a ten tips type of article that is all over the Internet for any number of health and wellness subjects, including the one being suggested, and then there was the phrase "I need 2000 words and will pay .90 per word. Payable by check." Say what? 

By the second e-mail, I was sure the writer was a non-native speaker of English and most people know that checks drawn on foreign banks aren't cashable. And the rate?! Way too high to be offered from an unknown source. To put this in perspective, many 800 word articles at the top newspapers in the U.S. (NYT, Washington Post, etc.) fetch $250-350, which if you like math, know isn't even .50/word. 

I mean there are plenty of companies and organizations and magazines that pay $1/word or more, but that is not the norm. And would especially not be the norm from an unknown entity. And the majority of payers pay through electronic means, ACH, Venmo, PayPal, direct deposit. 

I responded, "I'm not interested. Thank you."

The same day I got that e-mail, a thread appeared in an online group of women writers to which I belong and which has more than 80,000 members worldwide. Many people in the group received the same e-mail and the name on the e-mail signature was one of two consistently. One of the group members who had decided to take "the deal" a month before filled the rest of us in. She had done the assignment and received a check for the work but the check was for more than the agreed upon amount. The person asked for her to return the difference. She did only to find out the original check that she had deposited bounced. 

This whole scam is very similar to those that have proliferated on Upwork and other gig economy based sites, especially since the pandemic started and more people have flocked to those sites in an attempt to get work. NBC News reported that people have lots thousands of dollars to scams. They reported, " As of May 21, the Federal Trade Commission said it had received more than 52,000 reports of coronavirus-related fraud costing people almost $40 million." 

​Scammers aren't just sending bouncing checks. They are using things like Cash App, Venmo and Zelle, too. And they are going after people who are accountants and bookkeepers, in addition to people who work in writing/journalism, editing, art and architecture, as virtual assistants, and many other fields.

So if you're approached by a stranger or if you see a work from home position, do your due diligence. Google the name of the person and the company, check out their online ratings at the gig economy sites, schedule video meetings, and talk to your colleagues. And remember the old adage, if it seems to good to be true, it often is.     

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