Guest post from Chris Eirschele (If you’re interested in writing a guest post, please check out our guidelines.)

Of course I am always viewing my path of writing through the muse of my particular brand.  I am a garden writer after all.  The first time Cherie Burbach interviewed me I was soooo new to the writing life that even today I am still in the shadow of most of my peers.  But no matter at what stage you are, it is always wise to look back on goals or plans you thought worthy of pursuing way back whenever.

Early on, I was determined to simultaneously keep in play multiple payment structures and I remain committed to that strategy.  The recent algorithm changes by Google were probably felt most acutely by writers solely posting to electronic publishers of high content.  Whether they were self-named web magazines or snidely called content farms, freelance writers who routinely published in any of these venues were negatively impacted, both in page-views and revenue. However, the recent algorithm changes from Google were cautionary signs for freelance writers not solely focused on electronic media too.

So how do you interpret “not keeping all ones’ chickens in one basket?”  A pronouncement lately repeated ad nauseum even as wailing and nail biting was carried on by us writers, no less by me.  Perhaps the better questions to consider are, “Is it just about the number of baskets? Or, is it also about the kinds of chickens?  Or, should it even be chickens?

Not only is it about the payment structures offered by electronic content sites, but should it also be about print versus electronic, article magazines versus whole books versus e-books and their structures of compensation?  One recent arrangement I have participated in and grown to appreciate is with a print publisher that offers e-newsletter and blog structures to write in, as well publishing books. Of course, each of these platforms offers different compensation streams and expectations, and still, it is that one basket, one publisher stream.

Garden writers, often more broadly referred to as garden communicators, for a long time have fanned out with more than the written word to spread their brand of telling and to receive payment back.  Perhaps writers struggling to find their place among the electronic media and their algorithms will need similar strategies to keep their footing.  Perhaps stepping back to take the wider view and block out the static noise might be what is needed to write for any brand. Ahhhh, how easy were the days when wanting to see one’s name in print was payment enough.

Bio: Chris is a garden writer at Suite101.com as feature writer for their topic page, Flower Gardens.  Most recently in print, she was read at Ohio Gardener and Greenhouse Grower magazines.  Her blog is Staygardening.com

More resources on freelance writing income:

• 101 No Cost (And Low Cost) Techniques To Turbo Charge Your Freelance Income
• The Moonlighter’s Guide To Online Writing For Immediate Income
• Secrets of a Freelance Writer, Third Edition: How to Make $100,000 a Year or More

 

Image: sxc.hu