If writing corporate newsletters, co-authoring a book with a physician/author, or creating promotional materials make you shudder, then this article is not for you. However, if you are a freelance writer concerned about the growing death toll of science publications (Omni, Longevity) and wanting to expand your business, then you may be anxious to diversify in order to maintain, or bolster, your income.
I was asked to write this article for ScienceWriters because of a message I posted on the NASW CompuServe forum. In that message, I blithely noted that the freelance world is one of limitless opportunity--limited, in fact, only by the writer's imagination. I still believe that statement is true, and this article will share with you some of the avenues that I have found worthwhile exploring as I sought to build a business and now seek to expand it.
One of the things that has helped me be flexible in my pursuit of jobs is that I consider myself a science and medical communicator as well as a writer. Even though I did serve a brief stint at the Atlanta Journal/Constitution in the mid-1980s, most of my career has been spent in a public-information capacity: senior medical writer at Emory University for one and one-half years, director of medical and scientific communications at the American Cancer Society for the past six years. (I started my freelance business in December, 1994.) I do have both education (BA, BS, and graduate school) and work experience (2.5 years working in a cancer research laboratory) in the sciences in my background. Coupled with a masters degree in communications, this combination has given me broad connections in addition to making me fairly marketable.
Before I left the corporate nest I spent a lot of time doing basic business planning, i.e., consulting my accountant, evaluating my strengths and weaknesses, and generating a healthy clientele list with a guarantee of a certain level of income. I also did the softer side of business planning, such as creating a business and personal mission statement and talking to people in the business for their advice. (Some of the best advice: "pay the most attention to the part of the business you like the least," and "don't market when you're hungry.") From all this I derived a guiding principle: diversify. While this does not work for all freelance writers, it provides me with a healthy income, a variety of projects, and it spreads my risk.
So, how to diversify? The first thing to do is to take a realistic look at your skills, all of them, from writing to copy editing to project management to meeting planning to radio voice-overs, and evaluate what the open market will pay for them. From my PIO days, I was able to gain experience not only in print, but also radio writing and producing and video script writing. I did marketing and promotion. I managed scientific meetings. I wrote congressional testimony and organizational white papers. All these areas are outside of the typical freelance writing business, but are areas that hire freelance talent. If your main skill is print, there are opportunities in new media: CD-ROMs, interactive computer-based training, and on-line services. I have been fortunate in that one of my clients, who originally hired me to write a monograph, was willing to let me learn how to write the script for a CD-ROM based on my monograph. Another stroke of luck: I live near the Georgia Institute of Technology, a reasonably priced public institution with a great multi-media certification program. I plan on obtaining more formal education in this area to enhance my multi-media skills. Most cities have at least one university with a similar program. The bottom line message is this: The more skills you have to offer, the less your chances of being without work.
Following are some specific areas in which I have found solid project work:
* Corporate information. These include non-profit organizations, universities, and for-profit companies. Projects that can pay fairly well include newsletters, speeches, annual reports, news releases, patient information, special events, and meeting planning. However, one thing a journalist will need to get used to is the rather lengthy review process. If you are writing medical or scientific information, count on having a reviewer representative of that area edit your work, in addition to having corporate copy editors look at your work to ensure it fits with the corporate style. Your contract should clearly spell out the review process and your fee should reflect the understanding that the review process is as much a part of the final product as the initial writing is. If you have to attend meetings to gather your information or make presentations, make sure your contract covers that aspect, also.
If you can supply more than editorial skills, you may be able to sell the client on a package deal. Does the company want someone who can supply an entire newsletter including writing, editing, reviews, layout, printing, and distribution? Put together a proposal by hiring subcontractors for each step of the process. Working this way does entail more risk (more opportunity for things to go wrong) and work (overseeing some typically non-editorial details, such as paper stock and postage), but you also receive more money.
* Pharmaceutical companies. The royalty of the money scene, pharmaceutical companies, have the budgets and sophistication to create stellar publications. Most of my work in this area has been through a private agency hired by various pharmaceutical companies. I mainly focus on broad topics, such as genetics, immunology, or virology, and write monographs that are accredited for Continuing Medical Education (CME). However, that is just my preference. There is a lot of work in package inserts, product roll-outs, and FDA-required new drug submissions.
A benefit I have received in writing lengthy monographs or booklets on a particular area for others' CME has been my personal continuing education: When I was in graduate school in the early 1980s and taking a class in molecular genetics, I was using the first-ever published book on the subject. A recently completed project on genetics not only allowed me to interview in-person James Watson, Francis Collins, and other researchers across the country affiliated with Human Genome Project, but paid me to learn about current thinking and future plans in this field. A ten-chapter booklet on immunology that I wrote also gave me invaluable knowledge about a very complex subject--knowledge that will continue to pay off down the road when I incorporate it into other projects.
If you are interested in this type of work, I highly recommend the American Medical Writers Association, which offers classes, through its annual meeting and select regional meetings, on how to write for this specialized audience.
* Science museums. Now we're back to non-profits. But, there is work at these museums, ranging from proposal and grant writing to fundraising to advertising to public relations, and maybe to exhibits. However, if you're interested in exhibit work, the best place to search would probably be firms that create museum exhibits. Project management experience and a history of handling large budgets would be an asset here.
* Newsletters. These are the type of newsletters not covered under corporate information. Many companies that generate newsletters use stringers or idea people. Professional newsletters are expensive and editors/owners of them will pay a good fee to writers in order to give the audience its money's worth.
* Journalistic outlets. Print, broadcast, and radio all use freelancers to a certain extent. However, if you participate in any of the aforementioned areas, such as corporate communications, you need to carefully and completely disclose the nature of your work and your clients to avoid any conflict of interest. Last spring, I wrote an article for Science magazine on connexins and heart disease, not really my field of expertise. However, since I was still doing work for the American Cancer Society, I could not cover oncology, the area in which I am most familiar. Journalism typically does not pay well monetarily, but the intangibles you receive, such as name recognition and clips, are money in the bank when you consider their importance in marketing yourself to future clients. Additionally, you may be able to re-sell the article, or a similar article, based on what your contract allows, turning a small-paying job into something more lucrative.
While we're on the subject of disclosure, I should note that it has always been my policy to disclose to all clients, not just journalism ones, the nature of my other projects. For example, since I still do a lot of work for the American Cancer Society, I always tell my contact person there about projects for pharmaceutical companies or newsletters. Since I do not generally get involved in drug applications, my pharmaceutical work has never been a problem, but the client appreciates the knowledge.
Finally, I would like to say that a much-maligned business necessity is important in evaluating your success at diversification: paying your taxes. When I was reviewing my 1995 records I was shocked to find that the bulk of my income was derived from two companies, even though I did work for over a dozen. I am far too cautious to depend on the kindness of only two companies, so I have set new client-generation goals for 1996 in addition to continuing education goals. Freelance work is an evolving process, but it should always be considered first and foremost a business, and you should have a plan outlining where you want to go with it. The ideas I've shared with you in this article are merely what have worked for me. Since everyone has different strengths and skills I'd like to hear other freelance communicators' thoughts in response to this article. You can e-mail me at 102713.3440@compuserve.com (CompuServe users need only to use 102713,3440).
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