Leaps and Bounds

Hello, World Wide Web!!!!!!!

It's 7:00 AM, and I have been up since 6:00...and I went to bed at 2:00, which seems to be happening more and more these days!

Summer has arrived and school is out, and I LOVE my munchkins but if they don't quit squabbling I'm going to lose my mind! I can't get anything done, 'cause every five minutes I have to settle some type of dispute.

I think I found a solution - daycamp. Twice a week, 8-5, local trampoline and tumbling institute. That way I can get caught up and hear myself think.

The baby, after merrily cutting teeth # 1-7 without a hitch is miserably stuck on #8, and I must go buy some green onions for him to chew on (or so I am instructed by an old and wise friend).

Now for the part you want to hear: How is the freelancing coming?

Excellent! - (except for the 2:00 AM thingie)

I have contracted work closing in on $2K per month, and still quite a few little jobs on the side. I've picked up some new clients, and continue to have a wonderful working relationship with my old ones - a whopping 2/3 of my business is repeat.

RECAP: (Client's names changed to protect their privacy. Nicknames are creative, LOL!)

Acne Guy. This is monthly work, 30 articles, easy, written to specific keyword phrases and only about 300 words long, almost $7 each. (approx $45 per week)

Health Guy. He has a trickle of work for me to do, so far centered around such issues as diabetes, cancer and aloholism. 350+ words each, $10 each. ($40+per week)

SEO Man. Ten articles a week, 6 month contract. 500 word posts, 1 each per day on search engine optimization for news site and blog. $8 each. ($80 per week)

Pearl Lady. Five articles a week, 300-500 words, about pearls and fashion for linking to sales site. $10 each. ($50 per week)

Mom Blog. Three articles a week, comments on the blog, proofing as needed. ($50 per week) I GET MY NAME ON BLOG ARTICLES

The 'How To Guy'. 15 or more "E-How" style articles per week, 200-300 words $5 per article. ($75+ per week)

The UK Gentleman. Editing and tagging press releases and annual reports on energy companies @ $12 per hour for approx an hour per day. ($50 per week)

The SAHM. Two batches weekly of one 800 word article plus two 500 word rewrites for $25 per batch about Stay At Home Moms (get it?) and debt management. ($50 per week)

The VA. Work for paralegal who runs virtual assistant firm - 5 articles per week approx $10+ per article ($50+ per week) MY OWN BYLINE!!!!

Baby Dude. 5 or more articles per week on baby related keywords at 3 cents a word = $12 per article ($60+ per week)

Wow, I hadn't sat down and added it up. And a lot of those are lowball estimates where the clients have indicated they will have more work for me than that, so we are looking at upward of $550 per week, maybe as high as $700.

Holy Guacomole. Now I can afford avocados.

:) Slainte

~Grace