National Association of Independent Writers & Editors
Because your professional affiliations are part of your résumé, a “Member of NAIWE” badge image is provided so that you can add it to your social media profiles or other websites you own. Then when someone clicks on the link from your page and joins NAIWE, you earn 10% of their initial dues payment. It’s NAIWE’s way of saying, “Thank you for posting your NAIWE affiliation.”
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.
We wanted to get to know Jake Poinier (NAIWE’s Freelance Expert) better, so last month we sat down with him. Here is what he shared with us.
Are there standards to setting the fee structure?
Setting a freelance fee structure is a taste of the Wild West. The simplest calculation is to know your hourly rate and accurately assess how long the tasks will take, but there are countless factors that can influence what you charge. It’s also important to consider fee structure from the client’s perspective; what makes sense for one might not appeal to another. If a client wants a firm project estimate, you shouldn’t suggest an hourly rate or per-word rate, and vice versa.
What information on an industry rate sheet is helpful?
Industry rate sheets give basic, broad guidance on what others are charging, so they’re arguably most helpful for freelancers who are new and have absolutely no idea where to start. The challenge is that you don’t know what the inputs were: What types of industries, projects, and clients? What part of the country? How many years has someone been freelancing, and how skilled are they? A successful, experienced freelancer will often have rates above the upper range shown in industry charts.
What are some tips for how to properly use an association survey?
An association survey can be one of the components to create your rates, but should not be the only one. Do the math on what you would like to earn annually, and break it down to an hourly rate or range. Networking with other freelancers is an easy way to check your math.
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As a freelancer, pricing and estimating your services properly is the foundation of your long-term financial prosperity and day-to-day psychological well-being. In this webinar, Jake “Dr. Freelance” Poinier offers a strategic, value-focused approach to setting your fee structure, taking into account the numerous factors that can’t be found on an industry rate sheet or association survey. Topics include formulating your basic pricing, creating persuasive estimates, dealing with challenging negotiations, raising your prices, and much more.
You can join in this conversation on March 30, at 3 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a discussion on figurative language. The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! Non-members can join for $30. Register today!
Does it take all of our senses to bring a word to life? Explain.
Prepare for the Writing Challenge
During Words Matter Week, we host a writing challenge. Each day we will post a question on our blog and various social media outlets.
Respond to the question on your blog or social media page (be sure to include #WMW2021 in your response), and then link back to it in the comments of the corresponding article on the NAIWE blog. For each challenge you respond to, you will receive one entry (and a bonus entry for each response written on your NAIWE blog).
At the end of the week, we will have a drawing, and one person will win a fabulous prize, along with a mention and link in the next newsletter.
For the most part, to produce feelings pertaining to a word, the word must be said or written. What are some other ways to feel a word?
Prepare for the Writing Challenge
During Words Matter Week, we host a writing challenge. Each day we will post a question on our blog and various social media outlets.
Respond to the question on your blog or social media page (be sure to include #WMW2021 in your response), and then link back to it in the comments of the corresponding article on the NAIWE blog. For each challenge you respond to, you will receive one entry (and a bonus entry for each response written on your NAIWE blog).
At the end of the week, we will have a drawing, and one person will win a fabulous prize, along with a mention and link in the next newsletter.
Is the power of words less effective and more easily misunderstood when only heard and not seen? Why?
Prepare for the Writing Challenge
During Words Matter Week, we host a writing challenge. Each day we will post a question on our blog and various social media outlets.
Respond to the question on your blog or social media page (be sure to include #WMW2021 in your response), and then link back to it in the comments of the corresponding article on the NAIWE blog. For each challenge you respond to, you will receive one entry (and a bonus entry for each response written on your NAIWE blog).
At the end of the week, we will have a drawing, and one person will win a fabulous prize, along with a mention and link in the next newsletter.
Do you find words more powerful when in the written form? Why?
Prepare for the Writing Challenge
During Words Matter Week, we host a writing challenge. Each day we will post a question on our blog and various social media outlets.
Respond to the question on your blog or social media page (be sure to include #WMW2021 in your response), and then link back to it in the comments of the corresponding article on the NAIWE blog. For each challenge you respond to, you will receive one entry (and a bonus entry for each response written on your NAIWE blog).
At the end of the week, we will have a drawing, and one person will win a fabulous prize, along with a mention and link in the next newsletter.
To help bring your words to life, how do you use them so your readers hear them?
Prepare for the Writing Challenge
During Words Matter Week, we host a writing challenge. Each day we will post a question on our blog and various social media outlets.
Respond to the question on your blog or social media page (be sure to include #WMW2021 in your response), and then link back to it in the comments of the corresponding article on the NAIWE blog. For each challenge you respond to, you will receive one entry (and a bonus entry for each response written on your NAIWE blog).
At the end of the week, we will have a drawing, and one person will win a fabulous prize, along with a mention and link in the next newsletter.
Words Matter Week, which is in its 13th year, is a holiday that is celebrated annually the first full week in March by the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.
Words are the basis for communication, no matter the language spoken. Babies make sounds, which eventually are formed into words. Here at NAIWE, we know the importance of words, and we want to celebrate it!
We may only celebrate it for a week, but we believe in the importance of words all year long!
Spread the Word
Join us in promoting Words Matter Week! You have NAIWE’s permission to reproduce the poster on your website, with a link back to this page, and you may also print and display it. Please invite your friends to participate in this year’s event and show your support for Words Matter Week by placing the poster in your newsletter, on your blog, or in your social media. Words really do matter, so let’s spread the reminders!
Prepare for the Writing Challenge
During Words Matter Week, we host a writing challenge. Each day we will post a question on our blog and various social media outlets.
Respond to the question on your blog or social media page (be sure to include #WMW2021 in your response), and then link back to it in the comments of the corresponding article on the NAIWE blog. For each challenge you respond to, you will receive one entry (and a bonus entry for each response written on your NAIWE blog).
At the end of the week, we will have a drawing, and one person will win a fabulous prize, along with a mention and link in the next newsletter.
March: Small Press Month. Shine the light on many of the great authors, and publishing houses, around the world.
March 2: National Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss Day). This day is a motivational and awareness day, calling all children and youth in every community across the United States to celebrate reading.
March 4: National Grammar Day. Some people might suggest that grammar is a set of rules for language, but it is a system for understanding language.
March 7-13: Words Matter Week. Words are the basis for communication, no matter the language spoken. Even babies make sounds, which eventually are formed into words. Here at NAIWE, we know the importance of words, and we want to celebrate it!
March 7-13: Read an E-book Week. This is an opportunity for book lovers and writers alike to share their passion in digital form.
March 8: National Proofreading Day. This day was created to bring awareness to the importance of proofreading.
March 14: National Write Down Your Story Day. This day challenges you to tell your story in written form.
March 30: National Pencil Day. Hymen Lipman received the first patent for attaching an eraser to the end of a pencil on this day in 1858.
Your book will have the opportunity through a Book Chat interview to be featured on the NAIWE blog and podcast and in The Edge: Success Strategies for People Who Work with Words, one of NAIWE’s newsletters. This benefit has great PR potential, as you can post the recording of your Book Chat interview on your own site, and it will be archived on the NAIWE site for as long as you remain a member. Doing a Book Chat will provide an opportunity for you to share your story with readers or potential clients and network with other members. This is the kind of positive press that helps to build your career!
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.