Would you pay $14 for five oranges to avoid bartering?

Spend $18 on bananas to appease screaming children?

Walk 15 minutes in toxic rain to a store and pay double for the same fruit sold right outside your apartment?

I would. I did. And how I hate to admit it.

Hello, my name is Amy and I’m a recovering non-negotiator. I’m proof people pay up to 100% more (and beyond) to instantly escape uncomfortable situations.

For me, “stressful” used to mean negotiation. It was one of my biggest weaknesses as a freelance blogger.

Fortunately, I came across an amazing business teacher when my family moved to Tianjin, China this summer. Over the last three months, I’ve used my newfound negotiation skills to generate thousands of dollars more than I used to through freelance blogging and writing.  [Read more…]

Imagine for a moment that you’re driving down the highway and you’re low on fuel.

You pull off at the next exit and see two gas stations. To your surprise, the one on the right side of the street wants $4 a gallon, but on the left side of the street they’re only asking for $2.

Where are you going to fill up?

For most of us, the answer’s obvious: at the cheaper station. After all, gas is a commodity. Shell and Exxon both sell the same product, no matter how hard they try to differentiate themselves.

So why do we question why our clients balk when we try to command a higher price or reach beyond the invisible ceiling of “market rates”? If all we’re selling is words, why should they pay you twice as much as what I’m proposing?  [Read more…]

This is #19 of 28 daily prize contests. Read to the end for your chance to win.

Ugh. Taxes.

No matter what you do in your freelance writing career, you’ll have to face the tax monster man, right? And it looks pretty complicated, especially if you’re not a big fan of mathematics.

Chris Peden (a CPA and freelance writer) wrote a very helpful post last year about how to keep your financial records for U.S. taxation as a freelance blogger. But I know there are plenty of bloggers in the UK who need to know what’s required of them, too. So I’ve interviewed a UK taxation expert to give us the info we need. 🙂

Rosie Slosek founded One Man Band Accounting to provide tax return help for solopreneurs who want to do their own tax return, and support and coaching for one man band limited companies who want to understand what their legal obligations are.

She talks plain English, explains the jargon you need to know (tax-deductible, anyone?), and she’s always on your side. She also has a great sense of humour, and promotes the use of cake and other incentives to meet your tax and accounting obligations.

Here are Rosie’s top tips for UK freelancers to handle your taxes with confidence and grace (and cake). [Read more…]

You love writing. You’re inspired, you have the skills and you live for those moments when you can settle down with a cup of tea, in the peace and quiet, alone with your thoughts and just write.

And if this was all that was involved and you got paid handsomely for it, freelance writing would make you a fortune.

But you and I both know there is much more to making it as a paid writer than just the craft.

There’s the whole money thing.

Yep, that’s right. At some point, somewhere, you have to sell your services to a client who will reward you with the green stuff. And herein lies the problem.

The vast majority of writers I’ve met (and there have been a lot of them) are paralysed when it comes to:

1. Charging for their services
2. Charging what they’re worth, and
3. Putting themselves out there

If this sounds familiar, you’re going to want to keep reading because there IS something you can do about it.  [Read more…]