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54th out of 100 books
—
2 voters
The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success
by
Linda Formichelli,
Diana Burrell (Goodreads Author)
Written by two freelancers who broke the rules to win the game, this handbook contains a wealth of information for writers who are frustrated by the seemingly limited ways to operate in the freelance market. It explains that freelancers can negotiate for more money and better terms without risking their careers, shows that editors are not the writer-gobbling monsters many...more
Paperback, 206 pages
Published
November 1st 2005
by Marion Street Press, LLC
(first published July 2003)
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This book provided many practical tips for bucking convention in a freelance career. From what to write about to how to negotiate contracts, I learned a ton.
The authors are very successful writers themselves, and their stories are quite useful. Both are moms and wives, so their lives are pretty full. They fold their hobbies and activities into their writing, bringing all facets of their life into their career. While I don't especially dream about writing for Parenting or whatever baby talk rag i...more
The authors are very successful writers themselves, and their stories are quite useful. Both are moms and wives, so their lives are pretty full. They fold their hobbies and activities into their writing, bringing all facets of their life into their career. While I don't especially dream about writing for Parenting or whatever baby talk rag i...more
Generally, what this book does is naming the basic common rules of freelance writing and selling to print publications, telling you to forget just-named-rule and do the exact opposite. Which also applies, so the authors, to all the newly appointed rules in the book.
So basically, it boils dow to "do what you feel is right for you and don't be a douche on the way." (There, I said it and spared you reading through the book, now go away and write.)
*sigh*
Look. It's not a bad book, for it encourages y...more
So basically, it boils dow to "do what you feel is right for you and don't be a douche on the way." (There, I said it and spared you reading through the book, now go away and write.)
*sigh*
Look. It's not a bad book, for it encourages y...more
Having read the Renegade Writer blog for a while, I finally picked up the new Kindle version of THE RENEGADE WRITER: A TOTALLY UNCONVENTIONAL GUIDE TO FREELANCE WRITING SUCCESS. Although there is brief mention of business writing, this book is geared toward freelance writers who want to write for high-paying magazines, trade journals, and other periodicals. This isn’t the book newbie freelance writers should read first. This isn’t the book that provides step-by-step idea generation or querying g...more
Nov 13, 2011
Martha
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Any freelance writer, newbie or experienced
Excellent resource for any freelance writer. The style is entertaining -- very engaging (without being too cute) and easy to read. The chapters take you step by step from the beginning of the process (starting out as a freelancer and planning properly before leaving your full-time job) to the end (billing and collecting your fee after you've sold and finished writing an article).
The advice in this book would have been great to have when starting out, but even as someone who's been freelancing fo...more
The advice in this book would have been great to have when starting out, but even as someone who's been freelancing fo...more
One of the better guides I've read for novices, this book focuses specifically on article and non-fiction writing. It is practical rather than creative, and homes in on the business aspect of writing. For writers seeking to put bread on the table by selling articles under their own name, this book is a great guide to keep around. I recommend it highly. If your aims are more toward the business of creative writing, this book is less useful, though it is encouraging and can get you thinking latera...more
Oct 09, 2008
Emily
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
very green writers, students, journalists, work-from-home people, the unemployed
Shelves:
reference
A freelance writing friend of mine recommended this book to me. I was glad she did because at first I thought I could really use the material in here, but the more I read it, I discovered the advice wasn't all that revolutionary or necessary for the kind of writing I want to spend my life doing.
If your goal is to write for money - as in, write ANYTHING for money - then this book is good for you. There's excellent tips on wheelin' and dealin' with editors and snagging multiple assignments in the...more
If your goal is to write for money - as in, write ANYTHING for money - then this book is good for you. There's excellent tips on wheelin' and dealin' with editors and snagging multiple assignments in the...more
It may be one of those "when the student is ready, a teacher appears" moments, but The Renegade Writer spurred me into a flurry of query letters. I have been a professional writer for a very long time, but haven't actually done article writing for more than a decade. With the help of this book, I expect this to change soon.
Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell will help you cast off those cliched "rules" that many freelancers learned in the Bad Old Days. There's a ton of practical advice, told wit...more
Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell will help you cast off those cliched "rules" that many freelancers learned in the Bad Old Days. There's a ton of practical advice, told wit...more
A handbook to the business of being a freelance writer, rather than how to write freelance work. Plenty of common sense, as well as some good marketing and promotional tips. The best part was that it was well written; a must for any book about writing! A good skim for me rather than a full read, but it was easy to do with the headings for each tip (or rule to break), had some insight and was engaging and a pleasure to read.
Well, I can't say that there was TOO much unconventional wisdom in here, but consider that that's coming from me.
However, the book was very inspiring to me, in that I need to face up to my fears and start submitting articles to magazines. I may need to do more research on what's expected, but I need to get submitting, and damn the clips.
And that means that this book was a success :)
However, the book was very inspiring to me, in that I need to face up to my fears and start submitting articles to magazines. I may need to do more research on what's expected, but I need to get submitting, and damn the clips.
And that means that this book was a success :)
This book would have been more helpful if it had been updated since it was released in 2005. My guess is that much of the advice re: using email and the Internet is outdated by now. I just read Writer for Hire by Kelly James-Enger, which was more up-to-date and more practical.
Recommended by a peer...a fresh take on freelance writing best practices. Good ideas, a bit sarcastic, but certainly a fresh take on things. Not a typical "how to freelance" read. Not too surprising that this is a "hot book" at the local library.
Great book for any writer who believes they have to struggle to survive, especially when freelancing. This book is full of tips on how to succeed in ways the new writer might never expect.
Practical, straight forward info on how to succeed as a freelance writer written in lay terms with easy flow. Good information presented without all the fluff and buff.
I had fun reading this guide to magazine writing. The Q&A format made the structure of the contents feel a little bit scattered but overall a great resource.
Excellent Book - very motivating but aimed at american market; but its ideas translate to UK
An excellent resource for freelancers. Very practical; a good tip per page!
A really good book for the budding freelance writer. Divides the myths from reality.
A practical field guide for the freelance writer. It encourages wise rule-breaking and offers some upbeat and candid advice on starting out as a freelancer and making it work. There are oodles of appendices containing additional sources of information for writers.
My only warning is that the book was written before the recent "Great Recession." So some of the sources -- and even a couple bits of advice -- are now defunct.
My only warning is that the book was written before the recent "Great Recession." So some of the sources -- and even a couple bits of advice -- are now defunct.
The authors are enthusiastic and encouraging, but this book reads a little like a get-rich-quick scheme. Nonetheless, I did find some helpful information when it comes to generating ideas and negotiating contracts. There's a fair share of information about writing for corporations and technical publications—the authors are far from snooty and don't limit themselves to newsstand glossies.
This book was given to me as a gift, and it's been very eye-opening. Freelance writing has changed so much in the past 20 years, I think this a must-read seasoned freelancers as well as new ones.
Excellent book about freelance writing. I've been freelancing for alomst three years now, and the Renegade books are still useful. Highly recommended. Love the blog, too, at www.therenegadewriter.com.
Great book with great advice to jumpstarting your writing career the way you want to...not based on passe rules!
view 2 comments
Fun and practical. Not stuffy, like many writing guides.
Started reading this book last week. Great tips.
May 22, 2013
Rebecca
marked it as to-read
May 16, 2013
Cheryl
marked it as to-read
May 13, 2013
Libby Sellers
added it
May 09, 2013
Stephanie
marked it as to-read
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