IN TODAY’S ISSUE:
- Missing the obvious
- Here’s how you can give yourself a raise
- Want to work with me 1:1?
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
Hey writer friends,
One of the best parts of my week is on Wednesday when we have our Wordling Plus live weekly call.
We usually do a mix of coaching, workshops, and trainings. Sometimes I’ll run a Hot Seat call, where I help members work through specific problems. Other times I’ll do workshops where we’ll talk about a particular aspect of writing and then implement it right there on the call. I’m big on combining learning with action and so I try to bring that to every single one of our calls.
Yesterday was our Pitch Critique Workshop, where I took three pretty good pitches and helped our members see why they might not be selling.
I love calls like this because it brings to the surface issues that all writers, regardless of their experience level, come up against.
It’s so easy to think you know exactly what a story is without realizing you haven’t communicated it on the page.
That happened yesterday. When I asked a member what she most loved about her story, she got incredibly excited and talked through why the idea appealed to her. I had to point out that some of those key details had never made it into her pitch.
This is far more common than you’d think, and it’s something I have to look out for in my own pitches as well.
What is obvious to you is not necessarily obvious to your reader.
It reminded me of a coaching client I had a few years ago, who insisted he’d put important information in a pitch and got really frustrated with me when I kept repeating it wasn’t there. Eventually I asked him to email me again, this time highlighting the places where he was making those aspects of his story clear.
His next email was one of complete and utter shock. And on our next call, neither of us could stop laughing.
This client was one of the best writers I’ve ever worked with. Regardless of his frustration with me, he was open to being challenged and willing to implement my suggestions—and, as a result, ended up placing those pitches in The Economist, Financial Times, and more.
It’s so incredibly common for writers to get in our heads and believe that we’ve been clear about what we want to say—or, in agent and client relationships, about what we want or need.
Hence the advice to step away from a piece of work. To get feedback and critiques. And to practice every chance you get.
Because the more you do it, the more likely that you’ll develop the instinct for spotting inconsistencies and gaps in clarity.
Ultimately leading to more assigned stories and prestigious bylines from high-paying publications.
Enjoy the issue!
Natasha Khullar Relph
Editor, The Wordling
INCREASE YOUR EARNINGS (3 WAYS)
The most common question writers ask is how they can increase their income and the answers—including some of mine—can feel complicated and overwhelming.
Which is why I’ve spent a lot of time trying to simplify this aspect in my business.
Regardless of whether you’re selling services as a freelancer, books as an author, or courses and products as a creative entrepreneur, there are only three basic ways to increase your income:
1. Increase your offerings
This is the aspect most of us look at. If I want to make more money, I need to land more freelance assignments, write more books, and create more products. The more you do, the more you make, right?
As one part of a marketing strategy, coming up with new offerings is an excellent idea. Of course it’s helpful to create more and, especially as a freelancer, the more assignments you bring in, the more your monthly billings.
The problem arises when it’s all you do. There is a limit to how much you can create, after all, both in terms of time and energy, and writers who focus exclusively on writing more will find themselves in boredom and burnout.
2. Increase the price
The reason most writing coaches, including me, will encourage you to step outside your comfort zone and increase your prices annually is because we understand that your hours are capped.
If you want to increase your income and you have no more hours to spare, the only remaining way is to increase your prices.
This will be harder to do as a traditionally published author, much easier to do if you’re a freelancer, publishing independently, or creating products.
3. Increase the frequency of the sale
This is one of the easiest, yet most neglected, ways of increasing your income.
If a reader has bought one book, creating systems and strategies encouraging them to buy the entire series is an excellent way to make more.
Similarly, running a paid subscription newsletter through Substack allows you to make more money without increasing your pricing or continuously having to find new readers.
Upsells, that is, offering additional products or services at the point of sale are also a good way to do this.
No one’s giving you annual appraisals and raises as an independent writer, which is why it’s critical that you keep an eye on your bottom line and find ways to increase your income.
There are really only three ways to do it. Which one works for you?
WORK WITH ME 1:1
I’m opening up 2 coaching slots this month for six weeks of one-on-one coaching with me.
This coaching is intensely personal, laser-focused, and delivers incredible results. Of the three clients I worked with during the last round, one went full time with their freelancing and another doubled their income.
I believe in setting goals, working hard, and redefining your normal. That’s exactly what this coaching is about. You set a goal and over six weeks, I’ll help you achieve it.
We’ll cover:
• Your goals and vision as a writer
• Where you sabotage or limit yourself
• What you’re doing right and what needs to change
• How to love what you do and make great money doing it
• Empowerment, empowerment, empowerment—working from a place of confidence, not desperation.
We’ll have weekly calls and you’ll have access to me throughout the coaching period for marketing help, fine-tuning, and problem-solving.
I want to work with writers who are ready to build their careers on their terms. No starving writer myths here—our work will focus on both creative and financial success.
Interested? Hit reply on this email and let’s chat.
We may have spent more time creating writing playlists than doing actual writing this week at The Wordling HQ. Share The Wordling with a friend who can’t write without their tunes.