Comments on: Freelancer’s Survival Guide, Money, Part One

By: Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Kristine Kathryn Rusch — Sat, 07 May 2022 20:54:45 +0000

In reply to Meagan Sheppard. Take a look at my book, Discoverability.

By: Meagan Sheppard

Meagan Sheppard — Thu, 05 May 2022 23:28:32 +0000

In my high school naivety, I thought that this (what you wrote above) is what they would show us in college: seven years and one diploma later, I’m here and still mostly clueless. How to market yourself as a business. I’m not mathematically gifted at all, my nine-year-old niece laughs when I have to pull out pen and paper to help her with homework, but I’m so willing to learn. Do you have any resources that you would recommend? I did a brief google search on small business marketing and all I found was the usual (marketing to the client, engage on social media, ect).

By: Kris

Kris — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:03:00 +0000

In reply to AudryT. Thanks, Audrey, for the offer. One of the Game's designers owns a major gaming company. We've talked about marketing the Game for years, but the problem is that 90% of what happens seems random. Only with the instructors explaining why something happened does the Game have any value. So far none of us, including several Gamers, have figured out how to bottle that part of the Game. When (if?) we do, we'll market it.

By: AudryT

AudryT — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 05:02:15 +0000

There are a lot of aspiring freelancers out there who could use that game. As you yourself said, most people really don’t understand what managing your own money is going to entail when they strike out to be their own boss, and even those with a basic understanding of finances can end up making big mistakes.

Is it something you could transform into a board or card game? I ask because I recently discovered a DIY company called The Game Crafter (http://www.thegamecrafter.com/home) which allows individuals to develop and sell physical games without having to launch their own business for doing so. When I was reading your post, I immediately thought to myself that if you could utilize such a company to sell the game you’ve devised, you might save a lot of prospective freelancers a lot of hard-earned heartache, and make a little extra money while you’re at it.

I & my husband are accustomed to being self-employed (as well as to starting businesses), but I know a *lot* of newly-published or soon-to-be published authors who want to write full-time for a living, and I would love to be able to point them to a resource like that game. If you do decide to get it published in some form, please let me know so I can offer to be a beta-player, or at the very least let others know about it.

By: Karen T. Smith

Karen T. Smith — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:04:17 +0000

It sounds fantastic, and is a great concept. People learn best when they’re actively participating in the learning. I apologize for not being clear in my post – I work in eLearning. It seems to me there’s an opportunity to leverage what you do in your workshop in an online environment (thinking like a businesswoman – in a fee-to-play kind of setting, ala iPhone app business models of very low cost and/or some content free, additional content available for a fee.)

By: Kris

Kris — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 04:56:46 +0000

In reply to Karen T. Smith. We do an actual role playing game for writers, Karen. Dean, Loren, and I invented it and are constantly tinkering with it. We provide it for writers at various workshops to teach them how the profession works. It's a good experience, at least they say it is.

By: Karen T. Smith

Karen T. Smith — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 04:43:37 +0000

Wonderful post, Kris, thank you for making it available.

I wish I could save everyone from the stress I had in my early 20s with a stratospheric credit card bill. My frustration always came back to this – I’m a smart woman. How did I get myself into this mess?

You’re onto something in your post here about wanting to provide a game-like experience to freelancers (both those who want to go into the freelance environment, and those already in it.) I would love to talk more with you about it – am also going to reach out to Loren Coleman. Loads to think about.

By: Laura Ware

Laura Ware — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:48:32 +0000

Forwarding this to my husband. He is constantly studying finances and looking to keep us going strong. Even though I complain soemtimes that he is a penny-pincher, I honestly can say he’s much better at managing the money than I am.

By: Jeff VanderMeer

Jeff VanderMeer — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:32:13 +0000

Great post. Really good stuff.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:10:32 +0000

Hi Kris,
Great and thank you for this guide. I do have one question that no money management article thus far has answered: what’s your money advice for security-loving tightwads like me who’ve already prioritized paying off the mortgage and car, getting disability insurance, RRSPs, education plans, etc.? I’ve recently incorporated as well. I’m not looking for financial advice as much as mental advice.

I think I’m supposed to be living the happily-ever-after financial part, and I am slowly starting to treat myself instead of always saving for a rainy day, but I’m sure there’s more advice for people who’ve spent their whole lives suppressing their “wants.”

This may apply to a freelancer’s life in the form of the “golden handcuffs” Scott Carter mentioned: I may never quit my day job because I love the money as well as security and cachet. Which may mean my writing career keeps at the small potatoes level until I retire, although I sincerely hope not.