Given the choice between prospecting for clients or having prequalified prospects come to YOU, I'll take the latter any day. Prospecting is an essential part of marketing your writing business. But getting prequalified prospects to come to you via attraction marketing is much more efficient in the long run. In this episode you'll hear from my good friend and colleague Derek Lewis. Derek is a very successful book ghostwriter who commands $50,000 to $75,000 per book. And one of the many things I love about his story is the fact that he relies 100% on attraction marketing. He explains how he does this so well, and how you can start implementing some elements of attraction marketing in your own writing business.

I remember the blank stares I got in 2006 when I told friends and relatives that I quit my day job to go freelance. Back then, very few people understood what freelancing was ... or that anyone could earn a living writing from home. Boy, has that's changed! Over the past 10 years, there has been a ton of information published about the freelance economy. Freelancing and consulting no longer mean "I'm between jobs." And experts and economists are finally recognizing that we're a real (and growing) segment of the labor force—not a temporary fluke. But exactly how many people are freelancing? Are the big numbers we're reading an accurate representation of the freelance workforce? And what do these numbers and projections mean for us? That's the topic of this episode. My guest, Robert McGuire, is going to pull apart these numbers and predictions and give us his take on what's really happening in the gig economy.

Today we're talking health insurance for freelancers. More specifically, we're exploring two unconventional options to traditional health insurance. This is an extremely hot topic given our current political environment. But I don't want to give you the same information everyone else is publishing. "Where can I get affordable health insurance?" is the wrong question to ask right now. The better question is, "What are my options?" For many of us, getting the same coverage from a different source (and for the same price) isn't a real solution. If your premiums are no longer sustainable—or if you have pre-existing conditions that you're concerned about—you should look beyond the usual offerings. In this episode, I'm focusing on two options most people don't even know exist...

I think every freelancer should work on building a secondary income stream. Doing so diversifies your income and takes some of the pressure off your client work. It can also help fund some really important things in your life... Your kids' college tuition ... your parents' long-term care ... or even nicer vacations and experiences (the bucket list beckons!). In this episode, I detail two different approaches to doing this with an info product (such as an online course or training program).

Freaking out about your niche and how to pick the right industry or topic? Or even basically how to position yourself for success? While I have a very specific process for making the best possible decision about your niche, specialty or target market, there comes a point where you just have to go with what you've got and start taking action! In this interview you'll hear from writer Holly Helscher, a coaching client of mine and a fabulous writer and all-around super person. In our chat, Holly opens up about how she made her "niche" decision, and how she changed and refined that idea once she got out there and started knocking on doors. It's a fun, inspirational and very helpful conversation for anyone who's struggling with this "niche" decision.

Without an attraction marketing strategy in place, you're missing out on a proven way to generate quality prospects—one that can work for you 24/7 and help position you as the obvious choice.

Denise Kiernan transitioned from journalism and commercial writing into writing books for a living. Denise is the New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II, as well as a number of other books. In this interview, Denise gives us a behind-the-scenes look into what it's like transitioning from a freelance writer to a full-time author. She explains what it's really like to come up with book ideas, pitch the best ones, land a book deal, research and write that book for months ... and deal with far-off deadlines, procrastination and negative self-talk. It's a fascinating glimpse into the habits, rituals and challenges of a successful author.

Prospecting for clients is not on the list of things most of us love to do. We want to do it. We know we should do it. But we just don't do it as consistently as we should. Sound familiar? If so, I have some very practical and simple ideas today for getting your prospecting DONE...

Freelancing continues to grow like crazy. More and more professionals are choosing to leave traditional employment for a more flexible work arrangement. And platforms like Upwork have enabled millions to offer their talents to anyone around the globe. So you have to wonder... Is this influx of new freelancers making it harder to command professional-level fees? The short answer: yes. But that doesn't necessarily mean that you're doomed to work for less. The key to maintaining and growing your income as a freelancer is to be very deliberate about how you differentiate yourself. And that's the topic of this week's episode. My guest is freelance copywriter and business coach Steve Roller. Steve is the author of the upcoming book The Freelancer Manifesto: 11 Big Ideas to Stand Out and Thrive in the New Economy. And in this interview he shares several smart ways you can sustainably differentiate yourself in this increasingly competitive marketplace.

All of us are born with a great sense of wonder, courage and boldness. As toddlers, we have tremendous curiosity. And we're not afraid to explore and to express our creative spirit. But somewhere along the way, fear begins to rule our lives. Fear of looking stupid. Fear of rejection. Fear of criticism. Fear of failing. We begin to lose our confidence. We stop taking chances. We start playing small. At times, we may even start to feel like a fraud. Fortunately, there are many things we can do to turn this tide and regain our confidence. And one of them is to get into the habit of doing more of what scares us. In this podcast episode, you'll hear from writer and copywriter Leilani Haywood. Leilani explains how she deliberately does things that scare her in order to grow personally and professionally. And she talks about how this practice has enabled her to launch and grow a thriving freelance business.