19

Wear All the Right Hats

I know it sounds a little harsh. To be successful, which for me means to accomplish the goals I have set, you must be willing to get rid of the things in your life that are not producing results you can be proud of.

~ SHERI MCCONNELL, MOTHER OF FOUR

Writer mamas wear many hats. As a freelance writer, you are a creative being, but you are also a businesswoman and an entrepreneur. With these roles come a whole variety of responsibilities — for example, taxes — that add to your already overloaded day. But moms are supposed to be really good at multi-tasking, right?

While there is some truth to that, let's face it — that story has been played so much that a mom starts to feel like if she's not a multitasking fool, something must be wrong with her. So if your mind feels like it's permanently set on spin cycle from all that you've got going on, don't be too proud to call for help. Every mama has her gifts — don't let your choices be dictated by what some other mama can handle.

Check out the hats listed in this chapter. Try them on. See how they fit. But don't feel guilty for even one second if you start to wonder if you couldn't use some professional help in any of the hat departments — especially the one where you have to pay The Man on April 15. (And if you're even wondering whether you need an accountant, you probably do.) Take good care of your business and your business will take good care of you (and your family).

The Accountant Hat

Even if you don't make a lot of money in your first year of writing for publication, it's important to treat your writing like a business from day one. You may think that you've got plenty of time before you need to start keeping careful track of money spent vs. money earned, but don't wait because, if you do, I guarantee you will have lost track of some of your all-important deduction receipts, and that is just perfectly good money wasted.

You may feel like there is little point in treating your writing like a business instead of a hobby, unless or until you make more than a certain amount of money. But that is foolish if you are serious about working steadily and consistently until you make what you would consider a decent income. Through the eyes of Uncle Sam, there is no magic amount of money that causes the IRS to view you as a business; rather it's how you conduct your business — no matter what your profits (or losses) — that grants you professional status.

Here's a simple system to set up from the first day you start to write that will help you track the important documents you need to keep. Use it, and you'll have everything you need when you sit down with your accountant, bookkeeper, or tax preparer (which I strongly suggest you do, unless you or someone close to you knows how to file taxes for a small business) at the end of the year.

Important Documents to Save and File

If you can print, file, and save these documents as you go along, you will save yourself a lot of headaches and regret.

Submissions: Keep Every Single One. You will be tempted to skip saving your submissions (meaning every doc you send in for publication consideration). For example, you may think, “Nah, this silly little tip isn't that important — besides, it didn't get accepted.” But get in this habit: submit, print, file. Make it a weekly routine. From the IRS' point of view, your submissions prove that you are in business. If you don't have them, you can't prove anything. So get in the habit of keeping them or you will be cursing yourself on April 14. (Especially if you aren't backing up and you have a computer crash. Yikes!)

Contracts, Assignments, Rejections: More Proof You Get Paid to Write. Along the same lines as tracking all your submissions, you need to keep careful track of all your contracts, letters of assignment (aka letters of agreement), and rejections. The reason is the same as with submissions. These documents prove that you are actively in the writing business, as opposed to trafficking rare coins.

Invoices and Payments=Money Earned. Certainly by the time your income hits the one thousand dollar mark annually, you should start filing your writing income and expenses as a business. Until now you may have viewed your efforts as a hobby (even though I suggested not to), but once you cross that all-important income line, you need to keep careful track of your income and expenses in a simple profit and loss sheet. Until that time, keep payment stubs or check copies stapled to the appropriate invoice as a way of visually indicating that you got paid, so you will know how much income you are earning.

You will have everything you need when the time comes to do a profit-and-loss analysis (a bookkeeper can do this for you or you can learn to do it yourself) if you use folders to contain your expenses (receipts) and income (pay stubs or photocopies of checks). When you're just getting started writing and publishing, you can create a quarterly spreadsheet, but once you start making more money you will want to track your income and expenses as you go.

To create a basic profit-and-loss statement, write the name of the income or expense in the left-hand column, and then put the categories, date, amount, income or expense, and all of your tax deduction categories across the top. Most computer software will let you enter your income and expenses in any order and then sort it by date. You will want to stay on top of your income and expenses so that you can make quarterly estimated tax pay ments once you start earning. When you do, consult a tax professional — the fee is tax-deductible.

Does It Pay to Sell Reprints?

Writers love to talk about all the ways to recycle writing. However, in my experience, most editors, even those of small or regional publications, prefer content written specifically to suit their readers. And they will usually find writers who are willing to take lower pay to generate that original content before they will take a reprint on a non-regional or non-reader-specific topic that has appeared elsewhere.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, and I have sold plenty of reprints. But the fact remains, when I asked writer moms what percentage of their income came from reprints, the response was only about ten percent. An original idea — whether in query form for an assignment or many smaller pieces submitted with cover letters — brings in more income than unoriginal work (reprints) sold again (and in some cases again, and again, and again).

So ask yourself this: Does it make more sense to invest a whole bunch of time and energy into finding markets for your reprints or into digging deeper into your specialty? To my mind, discovering and cultivating a niche is a smarter way to go when your time is scant.

The time to explore selling reprints is once you have a specialty, or even a few specialties. I suggest you wait until then. In the meantime, reuse the research you've already gathered from one feature (or any type of piece) to pitch to a non-competing market (this is called reslanting). You will make more money, and expand your expertise and visibility as well.

Tax Deductions=Money You Reinvest (and Don't Have to Pay the IRS). You are the keeper of your own books, and an accordion file and updated tax information are what you need to prepare for a meeting with your bookkeeper or accountant. I recommend ordering Foolscap & Quill's Writer's Pocket Tax Guide as a preliminary guide. It's only ten dollars and walks you through tax preparation line by line, including the all-important Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business, Sole Proprietorship).

Other Freelancing Hats

Remember in chapter two when you looked at your roles and chose keywords that best described you? There wasn't just one word that described who you are; there were four, or ten, or twenty. You are many different people, all wrapped up in one great package.

You'll play many different roles in your career, too. When it comes to the many hats that writer mamas wear, just remember that your hats are here to help, not hinder, your business. The ability to shift gears in your business helps create harmony and increases success. Here are some of the hats you may find yourself wearing:

General Manager: In charge of planning, delegating (even if only to the family), watching the bottom-line.

Marketing Specialist: Identifies clients, analyzes markets, studies how other writers market themselves.

Copywriter: Generates copy for all business communications including cards, Web site, catalogs, and brochures.

Graphic Artist/Printer: Responsible for laying out and printing documents; also designs Web sites and makes copies.

Production Manager: Creates work schedule, oversees quality control, brainstorms spin-off services.

Mail List Supervisor: Tracks and updates e-mail lists and newsletters.

Customer Service Associate/Administrative Assistant: Fields calls, answers questions, makes offers, orders office supplies, writes and sends correspondence, buys and sends professional gifts.

File Clerk: Sorts and files important papers.

Bookkeeper/Accountant: Sets up and updates ledgers, approves and pays bills, balances checkbook, prepares for taxes, stays current on tax laws, makes deposits.

Computer Expert: Keeps all business documents backed up on a daily basis, registers Web pages, stays up to date on technological advances that affect business.

Communications/Networking Coach: Stays current on industry policies, joins and attends professional associations and events, gives back work in kind or money to like-minded causes.

Publicity Director: Uses press releases to alert media and professional organizations of professional advancements.

Proofreader: Makes sure documents are error-free before they are sent out.

Does this sound like a lot of hats to juggle? Just for fun, buy yourself some actual hats to help motivate you to do the tasks you enjoy least. And don't forget to reward yourself for doing the business tasks you don't enjoy. After you do some unavoidable administrative or bookkeeping work, take yourself out for coffee or buy yourself some colorful new pens. Positive reinforcement works well here — and don't forget, those pens are a tax deduction!

exercise

Try on the Editor's Hat

You've come a long way, mama. Far enough to be able to borrow someone else's hat. How about trying on the editor's hat for a change? Pick a publication off the rack — maybe even one you've never seen before — and play editor for a little while. Writer Diana Burrell likes to take herself out to the local bookstore, buy herself a cuppa joe, and sit down with a pile of magazines in front of her. She then puts on her editor's hat and forgets herself altogether.

She plays a little game in which she pretends she's an editor in an assigning mood. That's right: By studying a magazine, Diana Burrell has developed a knack for reading an editor's mind (or at least trying to).

What would happen if you tried this technique? Forget your long list of ideas for a change. Forget what you know and what you want to write. It's helpful to forget yourself sometimes and just focus on how to provide articles that will be a perfect match with what an editor needs and wants. The point when you can switch points of view between editor, reader, and writer is the point at which all your preparation, practice, and professionalism start paying off. You might be ready to try this technique sooner than you think. You might be ready now. Why not give it a go? Then switch back from your editor hat to your writer hat and pitch those ideas! You will find that you draw on everything you've learned so far when you pitch this way.

Seventeen Ways to Avoid Writer Mama Burnout

From time to time, writer mamas feel the burn of being overworked. Too many deadlines and not enough fun make mommy a dull (and crabby) girl. Here are some really simple reminders to help get you back on track when you start feeling fried, so you can nip mommy burnout in the bud.

Say “no” to assignments until you find your smile again. The creative cycle has downtime built into it. Have you been doing enough nothing lately? Gather the family onto the bed or couch and just veg for awhile. Watch TV, have a picnic in bed, watch movies — anything to get out of work mode.
Seek succor: Recognize you are on overload. Talk about it to someone supportive. Ask for input. Make a list of your options. Consider the possible outcomes if you ease up. Consider the possible outcomes if you don't ease up. Then ease up.
Spend time walking in nature. Walking or exercising, even in short spurts, will refresh you. Go alone or take the kids. Try a trip to the local zoo, or another activity that gets you out in the fresh air and reminds you that there are species outside of the publishing business! Do something nice for yourself, especially something you “shouldn't” do, like get a massage, pedicure, or pretty piece of jewelry. How about a mom's day at the spa? Buy yourself fresh flowers. How about a bouquet in each room? Seriously, you deserve it! And if you create a pretty environment for yourself, work might not seem so bad.
Take care of yourself. Drink lots of fluids, take your vitamins, and eat a healthy diet. You get your kids to do it, but you may have forgotten yourself. Time to pony up on self-care.
Join or form a writer mama support group. Make it sometimes work and sometimes social, or half-work and half-social, or whatever everybody wants.
Quit a group that is draining you or taking up too much time. Avoid people who are draining you or who try to make you feel bad about yourself. Do something nice for someone you love and truly appreciate. Recruit your kids and do something nice together.
Find someone who is supportive of your career ambitions. Talk to a career counselor, spiritual counselor, or therapist about your inner challenges on an ongoing basis. This includes the times when you don't think you need to talk, like when you make great strides. This will help you avoid a backlash or guilt.
Go on vacation. Even if it's the middle of the week or not the same time everyone else goes on vacation. When you need a break, you just need one. Maybe a day away from home or a night in a hotel by yourself? Can you imagine? Scandalous!
Take a break from writing for a day or two. Keep your computer turned off, if you can possibly swing it. Banish cell phones. Tell technology to go away. See if you feel better. If so, you may be suffering from technology overload. Try not to be so plugged in all the time.
Do something else creative. Pottery, mosaic, scrapbooking, or jewelry making are fun. Other creative outlets can revive your weary muse. How about something with the kids? Finger painting, blowing bubbles, or sidewalk chalk are good possibilities.
Go to the library or bookstore. But this time, go without an agenda or list of research for a change. Browse. Hang out. Lose track of time.
Read for pleasure. Read to your kids. Read books you used to like as a kid. Don't read anything for work. Read magazines you'd never consider writing for.
Volunteer to do something that has nothing to do with writing. Caveat: Don't overdo this. Volunteering is a slippery slope, especially if folks know you are “available.” Know that you can say “no.”
Kick back. Take more long showers and hot baths. Do housework at a leisurely pace. You might enjoy it. Now there's a switch!
Forget you are “a writer.” Try being “just a mom” again. A wife or a partner. A daughter, a sister, a cousin, or a friend.
Have a backwards day. Have everyone in the family do everything backwards. Stay in bed. Eat pizza for breakfast. Read the paper backwards. Try it, and see what happens.
Recover an area of expertise that makes you feel excited and alive. Go in that direction with your writing career when you are ready to get back to work.