The Writers’ Co-op – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Starting a new publication or production network has long been a big dream for many freelance journalists. Some have become disenfranchised with the status quo of how publications are run and are contemplating striking out on their own. Others see an opportunity to fill a niche that's been overlooked. But what does it take to bring a new media company from idea to execution?

In this episode, Wudan talks with Amy Westervelt. 

Amy is an award-winning investigative journalist working in print and audio who covers accountability and the climate crisis. She’s been working as a freelancer for over 20 years, and has written for NPR, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and more. In 2017, she founded a podcast production company, Critical Frequency, which is home to multiple award-winning podcasts, including Drilled and Damages. 

Amy and Wudan dive into the nitty-gritty of funding a new network and setting up a team. 

Resources: 

• Follow Amy on X @amywestervelt and on LinkedIn
• Critical Frequency website
• Listen to Drilled, Damages, This Land and Unfinished: Short Creek
• Join the Writer’s Co-op on Patreon at an All-Access level to receive episodes early, discounts on events and online resources, and access to our Slack channel — a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers
• TWC just launched a brand new course! Check out our latest addition to the TWC Academy on Teachable: THE FRESH PAINT COURSE. The course is an asynchronous adaptation of the popular Fresh Paint Clinic, which teaches freelancers to build a business website that will attract the clients you want. 
• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

If you've been on LinkedIn lately, you might have noticed bios that include a “fractional” C-level job. Traditional C-suite jobs can be all-consuming, require deep expertise, leadership and ownership. For many freelancers, we probably don’t imagine holding a C-suite position, besides being the CEO of our own businesses. 

So — what’s the hype over these fractional C-level positions? 

In this episode, Wudan talks with Matthew Fenton. 

Matthew is the founder of Three Deuce Branding, a consultancy with a simple mission: to help good people build great brands. Since 1997, his company has helped hundreds of clients — including Fidelity Investments, Wrigley, and Valvoline — to achieve "brand clarity" by better positioning, strategy, and messaging. Matthew has spent seven years in brand management.  For a year and a half, he's worked as a fractional CMO/CSO for Bob Rogers Travel. He's also the founder of the coaching business Winning Solo. 

Wudan and Matthew dive into the benefits of fractional roles, how to determine if a fractional role is right for you and what you can do to work your way up into a fractional position. 

Resources: 

• Follow Matthew on LinkedIn and Winning Solo on X

• Subscribe to Matthew's newsletter, Soloist Sundays

• Join the Writer’s Co-op on Patreon at an All-Access level to receive episodes early, discounts on events and online resources, and access to our Slack channel — a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers

• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website
  

As freelancers, we’ve probably all worked with clients who couldn’t pin down exactly what they wanted. Maybe they never had a clear vision for the project, or maybe they constantly changed their mind—and your scope of work. The experience can be incredibly frustrating. Yet, even these clueless clients need (and deserve) help from freelancers.

In this episode, Wudan talks to content marketer and strategist Sara Gates. 

Before Sara started her freelance business, she did a bit of everything at a high-growth startup. She was hired for marketing and did it all: SEO, social media, email, content strategy, messaging development, and so much more. You can follow Sara on Linkedin. 

Wudan and Sara dive into how to approach clueless clients without costing yourself too much money, emotional energy or sleep. 

Resources:

• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

• Join TWC as an All-Access member to get a very handy project proposal that Sara has shared on how to best work with a clueless client. All-Access level gets you more of these great resources, early access to episodes, and an in to our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack Community

• If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/

A very overdone and true statement about freelancing is: “You’re running a business!” Businesses of all sizes have things like income targets, goals, creative direction—and even business plans! While some of those terms can sound a bit like “corporate speak,” these ways of doing things and problem solving in the corporate world can also be applied to your freelance business. 

In this episode, Wudan talks to Melody Burdette. Melody is a freelance content strategist and copywriter based out of Billie, her Ford Transit. (Yes, that’s a van.) She spent the early part of her career working in editorial and e-commerce, and more recently in startups as a content strategist and copywriter. You can follow her on Instagram at @melskyburd and stay up-to-date with her course @PlayBigPlayBook. 

Wudan and Melody talk more about how to check in with your business on a regular basis – the same way that any company performs quarterly or annual reviews – and how to set up your own business retreat. 

Resources: 

• Video: Creative Retreat Structure

• Course: The Play Big Playbook and follow on Instagram @PlayBigPlayBook

• Interested in joining an inclusive and psychologically safe community for freelance creatives? Join The Writers’ Co-op on Patreon, and get access to our Slack community. Sign up anytime at www.patreon.com/twcpod 

Most of us who work for ourselves probably don’t love marketing but know that it’s a necessary task to attract more clients. Some take a more traditional approach—constantly sharing work and services on social media or socializing at conferences. But that might not work for everyone.

In this episode, Wudan talks with Ruxandra (Rux) Guidi. Rux is a narrative journalist working in print and audio based in Tucson, Arizona. Her work is published in the BBC, NPR, Marketplace, High Country News, The New York Times and The Atlantic, among others. You can follow her at https://www.fonografiacollective.com/ or on Instagram.  

Rux and Wudan dig into how to reframe ‘marketing’ as something that is anti-hustle and anti-capitalistic, discuss the importance of community, and talk about drumming up work in a way that is unique to YOU.

Resources:

• TWC Podcast Episode: Embrace Authentic Marketing
• Authentic Marketing Booster Pack
• Interested in joining an inclusive and psychologically safe community for freelance creatives? Join The Writers’ Co-op on Patreon, and get access to our Slack community. Sign up anytime at www.patreon.com/twcpod

Most of the time, freelancers who work with clients do not own the rights to the creative work that's produced. Even retaining a modicum of your rights is frequently a prolonged legal battle that results in very little. But some freelancers who want ownership over their work are turning to another source of income: newsletters. 

Creating a newsletter is like running your own mini publication. There are questions about when to publish, how frequently to publish, how much to charge your subscribers, and more.

In this episode Wudan talks to Leah Sottile. 

Leah is an independent journalist based in Portland, Oregon. Leah covers extremism in the US and has built an audience and a monetizable newsletter without the benefit of a staff job. You can follow her on Twitter. 

Leah and Wudan talk more about ownership over your work, building an audience and creating your own publication.  

Resources: 

• Newsletter: The Truth Does Not Change According to Our Ability to Stomach It
• Webinar: Build Your Audience & Monetize Your Newsletter
• Book: When the Moon Turns to Blood
• Podcasts: Burn Wild, Bundyville, Two Minutes Past Nine

Interested in joining an inclusive and psychologically safe community for freelance creatives? Join The Writers’ Co-op on Patreon, and get access to our Slack community. Sign up anytime at www.patreon.com/twcpod

Determining rates can be really tricky for freelancers. We need our clients to agree to a price for a project, but we can’t sell ourselves short and leave money on the table. Naturally, freelancers might wonder: How much can I charge before I price myself out of work? 

In this episode, Wudan talks to freelancer Kat Boogaard. 

Kat is a Wisconsin-based writer focused on blog content for software clients in the productivity, project management, and business ownership spaces. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter. Kat’s a high earner: In 2021, she grossed over $300k in income (netting over $175k after expenses) – which puts her effective hourly rates well above $100/h. Then, she welcomed a newborn last year and scaled back her work days even more, all while still earning six figures. 

Kat and Wudan talk about growing earnings, asking for raises, and how to know whether we’re really testing the limit of what we are making. 

Resources: 

• I Run a Six-Figure Business, But Now I Want to Take a Pay Cut by Kat Boogaard 

• Interview with Amanda Castleman

• Webinar: How to Price Freelance Writing Projects

• Join us on Patreon for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers

• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/

Navigating crossroads in our careers isn’t easy — not when we’re traditionally employed, and certainly not as freelancers, where we pick the rules. The possibilities can seem endless. One assignment, one client, or maybe even one email can completely change what we decide to do next. While considering making a big career shift, we can sometimes feel stuck, and the next steps might not feel immediately obvious. 

In this episode, guest host Simone Stolzoff joins Wudan to talk about how to navigate big career transitions. 

Simone is a journalist and designer based in San Francisco who’s published in The Atlantic, New York Times, and many other national outlets. He’s also an expert on work and teaches a whole class on designing your next career step. His first book, The Good Enough Job is out on May 23. He has had a fascinating career, weaving from journalism to working at the international design consulting firm, IDEO, and back to media. You can follow Simone on Twitter here. 

Simone outlines steps to take while considering making a big transition and drops some tips so you can go from idea to action!

Resources: 

• Simone’s course, ​​Designing Your Next Career Step
• Values card sort
• How to write a good email by Anne Helen Petersen
• Our episode on smaller career pivots
• Join us on Patreon to get access to this episode's resource: a worksheet to help you sketch out your next career step. Sign up at any time!
• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website
• If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/ 

If you consume media, are a media worker, or just happen to pay attention to what’s happening to the media landscape, you might have heard that the industry is having… a bad time, to say the least. Hundreds of reporters and media employees have been laid off this year as newsrooms are shutting down or downsizing. 

Some who are affected by these cuts try to move on to another full-time job, but other times, a layoff can lead to the freelance life.

In this episode, Wudan is joined by guest co-host Karen Given 

Karen is a freelance audio journalist, host, producer, editor, and voice coach based near Boston, MA. You can follow her on Twitter here. After more than 20 years working for WBUR and NPR’s “Only a Game,” she was laid off during the pandemic. 

Karen chose freelancing after having a full-time job for decades and gives advice for others to do the same. She helps create a game plan for full-timers to consider. Karen and Wudan talk about maintaining relationships, understanding the freelance market, building your own brand and so much more. 

Resources: 

• Because of the state of media right now, the worksheet for this episode will be available for free
• Our ⁠Layoff to Freelance Survival Guide⁠, which combines multiple resources on business planning, coming up with potential clients, and more, for those who are considering freelancing after getting laid off
• A free worksheet on processing your layoff⁠
• Join us on ⁠Patreon⁠ for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers
• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our ⁠website⁠
• If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/

A big reason why many of us feel drawn to freelancing is because we love the freedom and flexibility that it offers:  we can work when, where, and how we want.

Still, even as freelancers, we might feel pressure to adhere to working a “full-time job” – a 40-hour, or even longer, week, despite not needing or wanting to. But we have the power to opt out. We can work when it suits us best, setting boundaries with ourselves and our clients to make this possible. 

In this episode, Wudan talks with guest host Anna Burgess Yang. 

Anna is a freelance writer and workflow consultant based outside of Chicago. She is super passionate about time management and a big proponent of time-blocking, or setting aside chunks of time dedicated to certain tasks or clients. You can follow her on Twitter, Substack and Medium.

Anna talks about how she condensed her workweek down to about 3.5 days while still earning enough to support herself and her family. She also shares tips and tricks so that you, too, could shave hours (or even days!) off your week. 

Resources: 

• Anna’s free eBook: Manage Your Time + Content Across Multiple Platforms

• Join us on Patreon to get access to this episode's resource: A worksheet that will help you figure out how to integrate time-blocking into your weekly routine. All-Access members are already continuing the conversation of reducing their workweek in our Slack, which you can join at any time.

• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

• If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/