One year ago this week, Freelance Writers Den opened its doors.
It was scary times.
I had invested a ton of time and a not-insubstantial sum to create a community for freelance writers who needed expert advice.
I hoped it would be a place where other writers would also come together to support their efforts to get better-paying work.
I didn’t see anything out there like what I envisioned and what I was hearing writers needed.
Was I crazy? Did anybody really want this?
My fantasy was that maybe, as the years rolled on, the Den would slowly catch on and grow to my maximum imaginable size of oh, maybe 500 members.
I thought that would be amazing!
Turns out there was a need for a learning community for freelance writers…and I wasn’t crazy.
Membership will top 500 this summer.
And it’s not just the unexpectedly fast growth and the size of the membership that makes me say, “Wow.”
It’s the success stories. The writer who pitched five blog post ideas after getting some Den support…and got them all assigned at pro rates (watch for his guest post in the coming months).
Answering serious writers’ questions — more than 3,000 of them so far — and watching writers get it, and go right out and get hired, for living wage writing gigs.
Bottom line: The Other Den Mother — Linda Formichelli of The Renegade Writer blog — and I are thrilled beyond belief that we’ve been able to create something that’s so darn useful to freelance writers.
We want to say “thanks”…
To celebrate the Den’s 1-year anniversary, some new features are coming to the Den.
- First off is transcripts of all our live events going forward. We’ve been doing some, but now it’ll be standard. That’s a feature many writers asked me for, and now it’s here.
- Shortly, ebook versions of some of our bootcamps will be making their way into the Den as free member perks, too. (They’ll turn up on Amazon for nonmembers.)
- We’re also in the process of making the whole site mobile-enabled so events can be viewed from your smartphone.
- New and expanded orientation videos to make it easier for new members to get the most from the Den.
- As we expand, we will keep adding expertise. Recently, I brought John Soares of Productive Writers on as another expert in residence. Expect more announcements as we grow.
So we’re having a contest
We’re having a contest that starts today and ends July 31st. Grand prize — Linda and I are each going to give out one free year’s stay in Freelance Writer’s Den, along with a whole mentoring package designed to kick your career into high gear.
We know that times are tough out there still for many writers, and want to offer an opportunity for those who haven’t been able to afford the Den to get in there.
To enter, here’s all you do:
- Do a post on your blog about why you should win a free year in Freelance Writers Den. What would you do with all those resources? What are your goals? What’s been holding you back? (Financial sob stories will not win you points — tell us about your writing journey.)
- Come back here and share your headline in the comments of this post, with a link to your post so we’re sure to check it out.
- Spread the word about your post in social media. Social sharing volume will be a factor (but not the whole deal) in our judging.
Linda and I will each pick a winner and announce them on our blogs August 1.
What-all can you win? All together, it’s a package that you’d otherwise pay more than $500 for, but you could nab it all here with some standout creative writing.
The prize deets:
1st Place Winners (2) will get:
- 1 year free in Freelance Writers Den
- A half-hour mentoring call with both Carol and Linda
- Access to our Freelance Writers Blast-Off Class Audit
- Access to our 4-Week Journalism School Audit
- Entry in the Basic version of Linda’s Write for Magazines e-course
- Linda’s ebooks on freelance writing: Get Unstuck, the Guide to Marketing Your Writing, and The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters That Rock
- Carol’s ebook Make a Living Writing: The 21st Century Guide
1st Runner up:
- 1 month free in Freelance Writers Den
- Blast-Off Class Audit
- The J-School Audit
- Admission to Linda’s Basic level of Write for Magazines
- Linda’s and Carol’s ebooks
2nd Runner up:
- 1 month free in Freelance Writers Den
- Linda’s and Carol’s ebooks
3rd Runner up:
- 1 month free in Freelance Writers Den
Best of luck, writers! Don’t forget to come on back and leave us your post link.
