Interview of Anne Wayman

If you are a regular reader of Sports37 then you must have noticed that in the last few days, we have presented some great interviews. Our today’s guest is Anne Wayman. I know her for more than 5 years. In fact, when I decided to try to become a freelance writer on 2003, hardly anything was free in Internet. I live in a country where we still do not have any form of online (Internet) transaction system. So, I could not (and still cannot) buy any ebook or any other thing from Internet related to freelance writing. Fortunately, I found Anne and used to visit Freelance Writing Website and Forum under About.com.

At that time, Anne was the Guide of About.com for Freelance Writing Topic. I was a regular (daily) visitor and I learnt a lot from the forum. Then, she started her own website About Freelance Writing in 2005 and I am a regular visitor there too. 3 times a week, she puts news of freelance writing jobs and it is very popular and useful. If you aspire to be a freelance writer then I have to say that please visit About Freelance Writing and I am sure that you will come back and thank me for mentioning about it.

Anne Wayman is a veteran freelance writer with over 3 decades of experience. She realized the potential of Internet as a publishing medium much earlier than many others and that is the thing I really admire about her. She has changed the life of many freelance writers like me. If you have any question about freelance writing then you can visit her website and ask it yourself.

I have given a long introduction about Anne Wayman because my life has changed thanks to her. Here is the interview for the readers:

Razib Ahmed: You have been in the field of freelance writing for quite some time. How would you evaluate the changes in this field that occurred in the last few decades?

Anne Wayman: Razib, I think the biggest change is technology. I started writing back when we had typewriters and if you wanted to change say a character’s name or add or subtract a sentence or two, you had to retype everything. It was awful. Word processing freed us from that nonsense, allowing the energy to go into creating, not retyping. (I never had a secretary or a wife who would type for me.)
Obviously the web, which is another publishing medium, has also make another huge difference. It’s put the “printing press” in the hands of almost anyone. Sure there is suppression in some countries, but so many more can express themselves. Of course the fact that there are so many means it can be hard to reach a truly large audience, but it’s fairly easy to reach a niche.
Finally, world around email has meant we all can get know people we’d never have a chance to any other way. You and I are perfect examples!

Razib Ahmed: Recently, you turned your website AboutFreelanceWriting to a blog format. What was the reason behind it? Have you enjoyed this transformation?

Anne Wayman: AboutFreelanceWriting was originally a website because I started it before blogging was easy. Blogging makes it simple to keep a web site updated. Plus, with commenting and links to social media, and video blogging and podcasting (whew!) it’s possible to build some community around your writing. That’s new. Until the ‘net and blogging, writers rarely had much interaction with their readers. It’s not always easy, but it’s worthwhile.

Razib Ahmed: You have been blogging for 4-5 years. What advice would you give to a new blogger who wants to break in this field?

Anne Wayman: Lol, I started blogging before I knew what it was! The first thing someone considering blogging should do is create a Vision or goal about the blog. Who is it for? Why do you want to do it? What kind of time can you devote to it? There are all sorts of reasons, from making money to staying in touch with family and friends. But you need to know what you’re trying to accomplish first and foremost.

Razib Ahmed: Many people think that blogging is very easy and everyone blog and earn money. What is your view about this kind of opinion?

Anne Wayman: You’re asking me? You know and understand that making money with a blog while possible is anything but a sure thing. Darren Rowse of ProBloger did an informal survey (I link to it at http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com/2008/12/problogger-earning-survey-for-bloggers/ ) and 30% of all bloggers make $10US a month or less; and over half make $99US per month or less. Interestingly, at the other end of the scale, 7% make $15,000US per month which truly big money.
It’s not easy; it’s possible. It takes serious day in and day out effort for at least a year, and probably more.

Razib Ahmed: The ongoing economic recession has hurt almost every industry in USA and Europe. What would be your advice to a freelance writer about surviving the tough time?

Anne Wayman: Actually, the recession will probably be good for freelancers as more companies out source more writing work. My advice is the same no matter what the economy is doing. Save at least 10%, invest at least 10% back in the business, more if you can and keep your living expenses as low as reasonable.

Razib Ahmed: Thrice a week you post Freelance Writing Jobs in your blog. What kind of response do you get from the visitors of your blog about this?

Anne Wayman: Visitors love the job postings and frankly, it’s bait for both traffic, advertisers and readers. People who check the jobs usually hang out to read at least some of what I write about (writing). It works for me.

Razib Ahmed: You have been both a freelance writer and an active blogger. Do you feel there is any major difference between these two?

Anne Wayman: Everything I do these days is self-assigned. I ghostwrite books for people as well as blog. It’s been years since I’ve worked as a journalist or as a magazine writer, working off assignments from others.