Interview with a Freelancer: Debbi Mack, Mack Research and Writing

You can reach Debbi through her company's site or email her at debbi AT debbimack DOT com. You can also find her through her three blogs:

• Writing for Hire (a blog about the business of writing--freelance, fiction, etc.)
• The Book Grrl (a blog with book reviews and news)
• Random and Sundry Things (my little blog about whatever)

Here are also some articles regarding the fundraiser she recently organized and ran for the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, she's been busy!

• Freedom Ride for Dystonia
• The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation
• The Gazette article about her ride
• The Examiner article
• The Howard County Times article (scroll midway down)

DEE-ANN: Why did you choose to use your own name or start your own business to work under?

DEBBI MACK: If you mean, why did I choose a trade name, I did it primarily to establish my business as an entity of sorts. It's a sole proprietorship, but having a business name tells people what I do and lends my business some gravitas. Also, if I ever want to become a government contractor, it fits within their paradigm better than just operating under my own name.

If you mean, why did I start my own business, it was so I could be my own boss, choose my own work, work from home at the hours of my choosing. All the usual reasons, I think.

DEE-ANN: What type of freelance work do you do?

DEBBI MACK: I've done a wide variety of writing for many types of clients. I'm currently doing a lot of work on marketing and promotional materials for businesses and nonprofits. Some of it's pretty standard--Web copy, brochures, pamphlets. Some of it's a bit unusual--I recently wrote a script for a school's fundraising video (that was fun).

I've also written articles for publication, including consumer press and trade magazines. I'm currently writing book reviews for a community newspaper. As I have a legal background, I've also done research and writing for legal publishers.

For six years, I wrote a monthly article for a magazine for in-house counsel. Unfortunately, that gig ended--taught me a lesson about keeping up with marketing, that's for sure. My legal and environmental background also led to a proofreading project for an environmental think tank. In addition, I've done research for law firms.

DEE-ANN: What lesson did you learn about keeping up with marketing? What did you do to get through that?

DEBBI MACK: Well, there's nothing like losing a steady, good-paying client to teach you the importance of continuing to market. If you don't keep marketing, you run the risk of relying on a few key clients and suffering the consequences if they decide they no longer need your services.

How did I get through it? Financial and moral support from my husband was a huge part of that. Plus my own stubbornness, determination and willingness to try new things--take on new types of projects and try new marketing and networking strategies.

DEE-ANN: What have you found to be the most effective way to find such a variety of work?

DEBBI MACK: The most effective way I've found is to go out and meet people and tell everyone what I do. I try to listen to what they do and think about their needs. Then I can tell them what I can do for them. I try to be open minded and willing to do things that are new, if I feel up to it.

I've tried query letters and cold calls--without much success. Frankly, I do better with personal referrals than queries. I've gotten a few article writing assignments because someone referred me to an editor. In fact, my long-term association with Corporate Legal Times was the result of a referral. Occasionally, I've gotten work through Job Banks and other online job listings--but it hasn't paid very well, for the most part. So I tend to focus on marketing, networking and referrals now.

DEE-ANN: Could you expand a bit on in-house counsel? Is that a company's own legal staff?

DEBBI MACK: Yes, an in-house counsel is simply an attorney who works on staff for an entity (a legal entity, like a corporation). As opposed to an attorney who works under contract either solo or with a law firm.

DEE-ANN: What's your legal background?

DEBBI MACK: I practiced law for nine years. My experience included several years as an attorney for the federal government--first, handling disability appeals in federal court for the Social Security Administration, and later, with the general counsel's office at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where I advised the pesticides and toxic substances program offices. At EPA, I also worked with Justice Department attorneys on cases that went to federal court, and was responsible for handling suspension and cancellation hearings for pesticide registrations  (a small portion of my work).

Between government jobs, I worked at a law firm, first in the litigation department, then later in land use and zoning. After I left EPA, I opened my own office--a general practice. What an attorney friend of mine called "door law." Whatever came through the door, we would take it. (I'm exaggerating a little--but just a little.) After three years in practice on my own, I decided I'd rather be writing, after taking a couple of freelance assignments for legal publishers. I was a journalism major in college and had always wanted to write for a living.

DEE-ANN: How long have you been freelancing?

DEBBI MACK: I took my first freelance project in 1995, but didn't start my business (officially) until 1998.

DEE-ANN: Full time or part time?

DEBBI MACK: That has varied. From 1998 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2006, I held part-time jobs. I also spent 2000 to 2002 getting a Masters in Library Science. I was freelancing, too, but school took a lot of time. After I left my last job, I decided it was full-time freelancing or bust. I also write crime fiction and struggle to balance my time on both endeavors.

DEE-ANN: Are you published with your crime fiction? If so, where?

DEBBI MACK: I had a novel called Identity Crisis published in 2005 by Quiet Storm Press. It's a hardboiled mystery featuring a Maryland lawyer/sleuth named Sam McRae, who investigates a case of murder and identity theft when her client is accused of those acts. It's written in the style of a private eye novel, rather than a courtroom thriller (I don't write those).

I also have a short story in a mystery anthology called Chesapeake Crimes--the first anthology of a series--which was published in 2004 by Quiet Storm, but has been reissued since then through Lulu.com. I recently had another short story accepted for inclusion in Chesapeake Crimes 4, which will be released by Wildside Press in March 2010.

DEE-ANN: Do you write your crime fiction under the same name or a different one?

DEBBI MACK: My own name--Debbi Mack.

DEE-ANN: How do you use your existing freelancing skills for your fiction?

DEBBI MACK: I suppose if there's a set of freelancing skills I use as a fiction writer, it's primarily in marketing and promotion. Just like a freelance business, you have to market your fiction. You have to identify who you want to market to and do your marketing accordingly. Being a fiction writer is like having a separate business--with all of its own marketing, promotional, networking and other responsibilities.

I also use my research and interviewing skills quite a bit to get background info for my novels.

DEE-ANN: What new freelancing skills have you had to learn for the world of fiction?

DEBBI MACK: Don't know that I've had to learn new skills. I think it's more a matter of applying the skills I have to achieve the ends I'm seeking (e.g., a well-researched book, more readers, reviews, greater sales, etc.).

DEE-ANN: Can you describe a typical, or at least recent, project for us?

DEBBI MACK: Wow--typical. That's hard, actually. Let's go for recent, shall we? :)

The video for the fundraiser. I got that job through a contact in a networking group I'm in called Network Referral Group (NRG). I worked collaboratively with a videomaker to create a video to raise money for a school's foundation. It involved a couple of meetings with school foundation officials and a tour of the school.

Based on what I learned during the tour and meetings, plus reading some of their existing written material, I wrote the script for a 10- to 15-minute video. After writing it, I had to read through it at a narrator's pace, to make sure it would fit the time constraints.

The script went through a lengthy editing process after that--when you work with a non-profit foundation, the board scrutinizes things carefully, tweaks the wording and so on. After the script was finalized, the videomaker filmed it. They showed it at an alumni fundraising dinner--and it was a huge success. Now I have my own copy of the video. The project paid well and there's nothing like seeing your name in closing credits. :)

DEE-ANN: Could you tell us a bit about [the NRG] and how you found it? What was nvolved in joining?

DEBBI MACK: Simple. I found them online with a Google search on "networking groups" (or something like that). I probably limited my search to Maryland, where I live. I checked them out, went to a meeting, and signed up. Joining is just a matter of paying the dues ($400 a year--I've made it back many times over in business I've gotten through the group) and agreeing to show up for weekly meetings. A relatively small commitment that's given me great results. And the more you put into it, the better your results tend to be.

DEE-ANN: How do you approach a project when it's a new type of work to you, such as the script writing? Scripts have a very specific structure, etc.

DEBBI MACK: I try to find examples and use them as templates, for one thing. I also read what I can about the sort of project I'm working on (in short, do my research). The script writing gig worked out well, because I met the client in my NRG networking group. She knew I was new to this and gave me a sample of a video script--which is very different from a feature film or TV script (though I've written them, too--or, at least, tried).

I was writing the voice-over for a school's fundraising video that was going to emphasize the students today, as well as harken back to yesterday (it was geared toward an alumni crowd). I was told what emotional tenor to try to reach. Once I had an example of the format and an idea of what they wanted to achieve, I simply wrote out something that seemed appropriate.

I knew I had to make it readable and listenable, too, if that makes any sense. I wrote the script keeping in mind that it would be a guide for the images the video would include and read the narration aloud to see if it sounded good when spoken. I hope that answers the question.

DEE-ANN: About how much of your time do you spend on the business side, and how much on creating?

DEBBI MACK: That's another tough one. I do a lot of networking and marketing, both online and in person. If I add up the networking events I attend, my blogging and promotional writing, plus administrative duties--it could vary anywhere from 30 to 70 percent of my working time (totally rough estimate) on any given week, depending also on my workload.

This is just considering day-to-day marketing and administration--it doesn't count conferences or workshops I attend. Even so, the remaining time might not all go to "creating"--there are tasks like research and planning a project that seem to fall outside the scope of creating, but not under the heading of business.

DEE-ANN: What types of projects do you find require the most planning?

DEBBI MACK: I don't know. I think they all require some level of planning. I'd be tempted to say articles, since I like to do research before I start calling sources and plan what I'm going to ask them. But I also do research before I work on client's marketing materials, so I have some familiarity with their business and some idea what kind of questions to ask the client.

DEE-ANN: Do you have any project planning tips you want to share? Techniques? Tools?

DEBBI MACK: I started to write out a long-winded answer to this question, when I realized I was repeating things I'd already written about in my monthly Web site column for May on work-life balance at http://www.debbimack.com/. I actually discuss some of my approach to project planning as part of achieving work-life balance. I hope this answers your question. :)

DEE-ANN: What types of projects require more planning than you'd imagine?

DEBBI MACK: Not sure there's been one that required more planning than I imagined, but then I'm an obsessive planner. :)

DEE-ANN: What is the most important piece of advice you could give to someone starting out or transitioning into your specialty?

DEE-ANN: What's been your biggest step out of your comfort zone?

DEBBI MACK: I suppose the biggest step outside my comfort zone may have been writing the video script. It was, as you've noted, a very different sort of writing. I guess the other area which has been a bit different for me is grant writing--a specialized skill, but one I didn't feel completely uncomfortable with because of my legal training.

Following directions exactly on grant applications and providing information in a succinct, persuasive way seemed like something a former attorney could do with little problem. My only concern was lack of experience with non-profits and the grant-making process in general. But, again, it's surprising how much one can learn and accomplish when you apply yourself.

DEE-ANN: What was the most surprising one?

DEBBI MACK: I'm surprised to be doing anything other than article writing. I didn't figure I'd enjoy marketing or promotional writing. But some of my most interesting work has been either marketing, promotional or fundraising work for businesses and nonprofits. But I still enjoy writing articles.

DEE-ANN: What’s your favorite part of your work?

DEE-ANN: Any networking tips you'd like to share?

DEBBI MACK: I think it's important to not only network with potential clients, but also one's peers. You can learn a lot from other writers, make important connections and pick up work from one another. In general, it pays to be as visible as possible in as many places as possible. And you can do this not only face-to-face, but online through social media sites and Twitter.

DEE-ANN: At what point did you realize you were starting to enjoy networking?

DEBBI MACK: I couldn't tell you when precisely, but after doing a few networking events at which I kind of hung back and didn't say anything, I realized I wasn't getting anywhere with that approach. I decided I needed to change my attitude--look upon a networking event as being like a party, rather than a work obligation. Except treat it like a party where I'd be prepared to tell people who I was and what I did.

I also found that asking questions and listening to other people was interesting. The more you listen to what others do, the more you learn about what you might be able to do for them.

DEE-ANN: What are your favorite modes of networking?

DEBBI MACK: I like my NRG networking group and the various events NRG offers (open houses, training sessions and a quarterly trade show). I like mixers--informal events where you can talk to people one-on-one or in small groups. I'm not a big fan of those massive "speed dating" networking events. I mean, you collect a lot of cards and give an elevator speech--and then what? You've got a lot of cards from people who might possibly remember you--maybe. Half the time I can't remember them, so how much will they remember about me? I tend to prefer networking where you can get a better sense of the other person's personality and better connect at a level that might actually blossom into some kind of professional relationship.

I'm also dabbling in relationship building online. It's very efficient. It's time saving. It's "green" (less gas wasted driving to events, less pollution from cars, etc.) Still, I think of it as an adjunct, rather than a substitute, for face-to-face networking. As much as I love doing business online, it's really no substitute for meeting someone in the flesh. Even a phone call beats nothing more than oline contact. And I have done work for people around the country, so sometimes phone contact is the best you can do.

DEE-ANN: What would you rather farm off on someone else?

DEBBI MACK: Anything that's too technical or relies heavily on expertise I don't have and that I can't get from doing research.

DEE-ANN: Anything else you’d like to share with Freelance Survivors?

DEBBI MACK: Your freelancing career is your creation. You get to make all the choices. How long you work, what you work on, how you target your marketing--think about what you really want and figure out how to make it work for you.

I know it sounds like a cliche, but you really should work smarter and not harder. Otherwise, you may find the business running you, not the other way around. Take the time to have a life outside work. Establish regular work hours. And shoot for the kind of work you enjoy. If you're going to build a business, make it a business you love--otherwise, you may just as well find any old job and get a regular salary, right?

DEE-ANN: Do you have any tips on how to narrow in on what you really want to do?

DEBBI MACK: Conventional wisdom is to focus on what you know. There's probably something to that. I've done legal writing, research and proofreading because I know it. I've thought about doing more legal marketing. But I also believe that it's important to focus on what you love. If you feel passionately about a topic or type of writing, you can start small and gain experience. Maybe build up your portfolio while you're working on the stuff you know to pay the bills. :)

Oh, and it never hurts to think about what market exists for the type of work you want to do. If you don't know your market, you won't know who to pitch your work to and you won't find the clients. Without clients, you have no business.

DEE-ANN: Do you have any tips on how to target your marketing?

DEBBI MACK: Consider writing articles for trade or professional journals or speaking to trade or professional groups that might want to use your services. Find the people you want to sell your services to and create a presence among them in some way. Some people buy booths at trade shows (I've never done, but I've thought about it); if you don't buy a booth, you might want to attend one or two.

Let's say you want to write for lawyers. If you spoke at a local bar association conference about legal marketing, you'd probably end up with some great leads. If I were smart, I'd probably do more of that. :)

DEE-ANN: Do you have any tips on the whole work smarter not harder thing?

DEBBI MACK: Try to target your marketing to your niche as much as possible, while remaining open to doing other types of work. Don't try to hit every networking event--you'll just run yourself ragged. But go to a few and figure out which ones seem to be working for you. Think about what you're trying to achieve by attending an event, then gauge your success afterward. Don't go expecting to land a client. Go with the hope of making a connection that may someday lead to a client. If you "feel" you're making those connections (I tend to gauge these things based on instinct), it's probably going to work for you.

Do the best you can on every project you take, but know when enough is enough. Sometimes I think freelancers tend to try to make everything they do perfect. But eventually, you reach a point of diminishing returns. And you just have to say, "Okay. This one is as done as it gets." :)

DEE-ANN: Do you have any business tips for freelancers?

DEBBI MACK:Nothing beyond the ordinary advice. Keep track of all your expenses. Keep careful records. Keep track of your business mileage and everything you spend at conferences involving travel. Also, don't forget about home office deductions.

Bottom line: have someone who knows self-employment tax issues prepare your returns. I just collect receipts, keep a running total of income and expenses in a Dome book and let him handle the paperwork. :)

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