A mentoring client recently told me she was going on vacation and was wondering if being unavailable for a month would hurt her career.
Au contraire — I think a vacation is a great excuse to keep in touch with your editors. Whenever I go away, I e-mail all my editors beforehand — even ones I haven’t worked with in a while, or editors who I’ve built a relationship with but haven’t written for yet — to tell them I’ll be away and unavailable for assignments between dates X and Y.
Then, when I get back, I e-mail them all again to let them know I’m back and ready for more work if they need someone.
When I do this, I often get replies from my editors that they’ll have work for me soon.
Editors and clients typically have a stable of writers, and if you want to be the one who garners assignments, you need to be top of mind when those assignments come up so it’s you they think of.
Here are some “excuses” you may have to stay in touch with your editors and clients:
1. You’ve moved. Of course you’ll want to send all your editors your new address!
2. You have a new phone number or e-mail address. Ditto.
3. You’ll be unavailable for new work for a while. For example, if you’re going on vacation, moving, on maternity leave, or booked up with work.
4. You scored a writing coup you want to share. For instance, you broke into an impressive market or won an award.
5. You have an opening in your schedule. I like to let my editors know when I’ve finished a batch of deadlines and am open for new assignments.
6. You have a new website you want to share. Send editors and clients there to get a look at your clips, client list, and more.
7. You’ve just added a bunch of clips to your writer site. This shows that you’re a successful freelance writer who gets lots of work — and shows your editors and clients what you can do!
I typically write to my editors every month or two — not every single week. Just enough to remind them I still exist without coming off as a stalker.
What excuses do you use to stay in touch with your editors and clients? Share your insights in the Comments below! [lf]
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