What are some of your favorite reference materials?

[thewriteones]

We freelances are an odd bunch. We’ll work 80 hours a week for ourselves to avoid being on the clock for 40 for someone else. Early mornings, late nights, holidays, all in the name of building our personal brand. In an effort to keep improving my business, I’m thirsty for every bit of wisdom I can glean from any useful resource I can find. Videos, books, mentors in my field, there’s a world of knowledge just for the taking.

My service offerings are writing gigs, so I often read books and sites geared towards the freelance writer, but I’ll also dig into materials that cover SEO techniques, marketing, and even motivational books. What I’m curious to know, fellow freelances, is whether or not you have reference materials you wouldn’t mind sharing with the rest of our community? Any learning materials would benefit sellers both new and established, and we all know that knowledge is power!

I’ll start with a book that’s become a bible of sorts for myself, titled Writer for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success, by Kelly James Enger. It provides small tidbits of info that reads well and provides actionable steps for anyone trying to make a go at working for themselves.

[writer99025]

Well, some crook of a doctor scared me about a “progressive vision loss” (not true, as I later found out)…so I’ve realized health is more important. Cutting down on my freelancing by 50% at least and planning to focus on health.