The Writers’ Co-op

Today, we’re releasing the last episode of the last season of the show. After running three businesses for the bulk of a year, Wudan will focus her attention on her editorial business and new fact-checking agency, Factual. The podcast, the resources and everything else that The Writers' Co-op has created in the last five years will still live online and the Slack community will remain active....

It's been 10 years since Wudan started freelancing, and she's learned a lot of lessons over the past decade. Now, she's running three businesses simultaneously. Most of us will probably just run one business at a time, but for those who want to think expansively and start another one, Wudan gives you a peek behind that curtain. In this episode, Jillian Anthony interviews Wudan.  Jillia...

Over the past year, we've heard from many listeners who are curious about scaling up their freelance businesses to an agency. Agencies can allow freelancers to take on bigger projects that they might not have the capacity to do alone. They can also attract more well-known clients, because those big-namers want to work business-to-company, rather than business-to-individual with a freelancer. B...

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, W...

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 ep...

Typically, when we strike out on our own and launch a freelance business, we play it safe and start with what we know. If we previously worked at a marketing agency, we might offer services like copywriting and content marketing. We might target clients in that niche. After all, that’s where the bulk of our professional network — our potential first clients — may be. But what if you want to build...

As a freelancer, the topic of diversification may be on your  mind. The freelance market is what it is, and the pool of freelancers continues to grow - so we need ways of differentiating ourselves from others. You may be wondering how to level up in your business by offering new services, looking to a new client base, or both! But how can you do that in an intentional way? In this episode, Wudan t...

What if we told you that all freelancers are leaders?  The idea might seem counterintuitive at first: After all, freelancers provide services or products to our clients. We’re not leading or managing a team in a conventional sense. But leadership isn’t just about managing a team. It’s how you position yourself, how you talk about yourself, and how you show up every day in your work.  In this episo...

Career transitions often come with an element of fear. For freelancers, this might be a fear of rejection or of losing stable income. It might show up as a little voice in our head that says: “But what if I fail?” Fear is meant to protect us, yet it can also hold us back from trying new things and thinking expansively about our businesses.  In this episode, Nicole Tsong joins Wudan to talk about c...

Welcome to Season 8! We’re calling this year the “Year of Expansive Thinking.” This season will focus on how to think big about our businesses, ourselves, and what we think is possible.  In the first episode, host and executive producer Wudan Yan answers questions from guest co-host Pam Moore about her businesses.  Pam is an occupational therapist-turned-award-winning intuitive eating coach and jo...

This episode is a cross-post between The Writers' Co-op and Freelance Cake , a podcast for ambitious freelancers who want to get more results with less effort, hosted by Austin L. Church. Austin had Wudan on his show to talk about how she cultivated a mindset of 'always be negotiating,' and how she got to a place where negotiations felt comfortable and conversation-like, rather than po...

A preview into what this upcoming season holds! For updates, subscribe to thewriterscoop.substack.com Join our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack community as an All-Access Patreon at www.patreon.com/twcpod

If you’ve been listening to The Writers’ Co-op since the first few seasons, you’ve heard us say: The magic is in the mix of work you get. Slower work – work that is recurring, or on a longer contract or time period – can make us feel both steady and fulfilled. But sometimes, we just need money now. That’s where fast freelancing comes in.  Ideally, you have a mix of both in your business. Too much...

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 st...

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, Wuda...

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 ba...

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....

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 cli...

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 immedia...

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 oth...

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 bou...

Welcome to Season 7 of the Writers’ Co-op! To kick off the season, we wanted to dedicate our first episode to a word that often shapes how we view both work and ourselves: success. We usually believe success is measured by hitting societally-defined milestones or accumulating fame or wealth. But what happens when our personal goals differ from what others expect from us? And what constitutes succe...

Season 7 (!!) will launch shortly, after a month-long break. Wudan will be hosting and executive producing the show moving forward, after Jenni resigned at the end of last year to focus on her family.  The next season will feature conversations between Wudan and co-hosts, who will help us all to navigate ways to reduce our workweek, building our own audience, redefining success, and so much m...

Today we’re playing an episode from July 2021 with freelancer Emma Diehl. This was from our third season, where we coached other freelancers.  In this episode, Jenni and Emma talk about some of the trickiest parts of freelancing, including marketing. If you’ve asked “How do I sell my services in a way that feels authentic?” or “ how can I make myself stand out in a sea of people who are offering t...

Today we’re running our last live episode of the season! Jenni will be stepping away from TWC to focus on her family and health, and Wudan will carry on with managing the community and future iterations of the show. If you haven’t joined our Patreon program yet, please do – the Slack channel is always growing and a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers.  Today’s episode...