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PODCAST

The Writers’ Co-op

The Writers" Co-op

The Writers’ Co-op is an audio business handbook for freelance creatives. Host and executive producer Wudan Yan leverages her and co-hosts" experiences to provide a transparent look at what it takes to run a resilient freelance business. From negotiating higher rates, to protecting your business and intellectual property, to taking time off and organizing your workflow, to doing the mindset work needed to achieve your goals, you"ll walk away from this podcast with actionable tips to implement right

education how to

All Episodes

00:39:16

Surviving a Layoff

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2022/03/07

Today we’re talking about a subject that’s near and dear to Jenni's heart: getting laid off. At this point, being laid off feels like a rite of passage, particularly in the media space. Jenni herself was laid off in 2018 as part of a restructuring at her job, and she knows from personal experience how grief-filled the experience can be as you grapple with your work identity, anger, loneliness, and so much more. But when we asked you about layoffs on Twitter, you also reminded us that there are

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00:33:58

Why We People Please

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2022/02/21

This week on the show, we’re talking about yet another issue we may all run into: being people pleasers. In some ways, people-pleasing feels inherent to being a freelancer. After all, we get hired by our clients, and then we help clients with their projects. Or even if we’re pitching journalism stories, we’re still creating a story for someone else. We’re in the business of keeping our clients happy by creating good products. But being a people-pleaser can also harm our businesses. It can make us

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00:42:32

Taking Caregiving Leave as a Freelancer

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2022/02/07

Today we're talking all about how to take an extended leave from your business when you’re preparing for a baby, surgery, illness, or any other kind of caretaking. We're purposefully keeping the lens of this episode wide because we want this to be helpful to anyone who needs to step away from their freelance business for an extended period of time, although we'll discuss parental leave most heavily. Life is unpredictable and medical/ caregiving leave is one of those benefits freelancers usually miss

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00:51:33

The Roots of Overbooking

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2022/01/24

Today we're talking about how to stop yourself from overbooking your freelance assignment roster. And we know, that description may raise a doubtful eyebrow or two – but we promise you, it’s possible! In this episode, we dig into the myriad reasons why freelancers tend to overbook, like: We’re in a scarcity mindset and think that more work will never come. Or we believe freelance work pays so little that we have to take on more work whenever it comes our way. We don’t have a good accounting of

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00:30:20

Q&A: Ask Us Anything

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2022/01/10

Welcome to the new year! We’re back from our holiday break and getting ready to dive into all that 2022 has to offer. Today we are focusing on answering audience questions! We do a Q&A episode each season, and the questions get better each time. This episode, we’re digging into: Why agencies can be helpful for jumpstarting your career as a new freelancer, and some red flags you might encounter related to agency work How to incorporate your values and standards into your website and social

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00:35:24

Creating a Sustainable Business Structure

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/12/20

In this episode, we address a topic that freelancers don’t talk about enough: getting to a place of neutrality and sustainability in your business. Many of you who follow the podcast may remember Wudan talking (a lot!) about burnout earlier this year. Suddenly, she felt like there wasn’t much more space for her to grow as a freelancer. She was already writing for the publishers who could get her stories to a broader audience. She was already earning six figures. Publishers believed in the big

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00:28:28

The Six-Figure Freelance Obsession

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/12/06

You asked and we're giving it to you: Today, we're finally digging into the obsession with being a six-figure freelancer. The bottom line for us is that the only people who truly care about our finances are the families we’re supporting... and our accountants! But when someone talks about 5-figure months or 6-figure years on Twitter, everything seems to light on fire. There are obsessors, doubters, and everything in between. Why the heavy emotions? And more importantly: What is the context behind

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00:28:35

Leveling Up in Your Freelance Business

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/11/22

As the holiday season approaches, you might be anticipating a bit of a lull in your freelance business. Perhaps you're planning to take time off, or perhaps you're excited to work on your own stuff while your inbox quiets down. Whatever your approach, we're using the next few episodes of season 4 to talk about ways to shift and grow your business in 2022. Today's episode is about leveling up, taking your business to the next level, and refining strategies that may no longer work for you. First, we

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00:25:27

Limiting Beliefs: Removing Mindset Barriers

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/11/08

We're back, this time digging into limiting beliefs. These are beliefs that get in the way of you achieving what you want to achieve; usually, they come from people other than ourselves. They can be stereotype-based ("starving artists don't make money!"), fear-based ("there's not enough work out there for all of us") and can come from our upbringing or culture (ie: freelancing isn't a "real" job). We all live with dozens of limiting beliefs, but when they start to get in the way of our goals it can

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00:29:59

Value: A New Pricing Consideration for Freelancers

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/10/25

Welcome to the 4th season of TWC, where Jenni and Wudan will dig into persistent themes and issues that we haven't had time to cover in seasons past. During this season, anything goes! We’re kicking off this string of episodes with a conversation about value. Writers and creatives often grow up in a world where their work isn’t valued. See: the journalism industry, where we’re persistently told by publishers that it’s somehow okay to spend weeks on a story and get paid a few hundred bucks for your

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00:39:13

Fund Your Passions

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/09/06

We're wrapping up season 3 with a chat about balancing your passion projects with work that pays the bill. Wudan digs in with freelancer Joshua Eaton. Joshua is an investigative reporter based in Washington DC. Prior to freelancing, he was on investigative teams at CQ Roll Call and Think Progress. His work has also appeared at NBC News, The Washington Post, ProPublica, The Boston Globe and elsewhere. You can find him on Twitter @joshua_eaton. Joshua and Wudan talked about journalism and ethics,

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00:35:36

Banish Burnout

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/08/23

Burnout may be common for freelancers and small business owners, but you don't have to live with it. If you've listened to TWC episodes before, you know that Wudan and Jenni believe that time off, and the introspection required to combat burnout-related patterns, are key to running a sustainable business. And that's what Jenni is chatting about on this episode Katie Navarra, a freelance writer from Upstate NY. Katie started her career exclusively as an equine journalist and expanded into

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00:35:24

Retain Your Clients

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/08/09

This week’s episode is sponsored by Lili. Lili is the first online bank account specifically designed for freelancers, where you can manage both your personal and business finances, all from the same place. With Lili, you can organize all your purchases the same way you organize your dating preferences, by swiping left for life and right for work. If you sign up using code thewriterscoop, they’ll add 25 free dollars to your account when you spend $250 within the first 45 days. As freelancers, we

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00:43:04

Embrace Authentic Marketing

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/07/26

For so many of us, marketing can feel like the trickiest part of being a freelancer. How do you sell your services in a way that feels authentic? How do you even get in touch with what is authentic? How can you make yourself stand out in a sea of people who are offering the same things? In this episode, we dive into those marketing questions with freelancer Emma Diehl. After Jenni and Emma met for their coaching session, Emma totally revamped her bio -- and we love it. Here's the new version: Emma

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00:31:43

Inflection Points

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/07/12

Building a freelance career can feel directionless; there are no set rules about where to go. But Jenni and Wudan have both built their own careers (and helped other people craft theirs) by pivoting when they hit moments of confusion or frustration. We’re calling these moments inflection points. An inflection is a slight change in tone, and every person will encounter many inflection points in their freelance business (and in their life!) over time. Jenni's biggest inflection points have occurred

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00:42:08

Balance Your Biz

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/06/28

Here's the thing: If you're only offering one service in your freelance business, you're probably on the train to burnout town. What's better? Offering a few (related) services, which helps you pivot when things get wild (hi, pandemic) and allows you to shift when you're feeling low-energy or craving something more vulnerable. This week's coaching session includes a conversation all about balancing your energy in your business. Wudan chats with Maria Paula Rubiano, a freelance journalist based in

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00:46:45

Ask For Better

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/06/14

If you’ve ever struggled with asking for more money or better terms from a client, this episode is for you. Jenni sits down with Jennifer Barton, a freelance writer, editor and copywriter from New York City. She currently lives in London and has contributed essays and features to a range of publications including The Telegraph magazines, The Independent, Stylist, HuffPost, Metro, Vogue Business, Parents, Mashable and Insider, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her cuddling and/ or

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00:40:08

Boost Your Confidence

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/05/31

If you've ever felt like an imposter or like you don't deserve to ask for a raise, this episode is for you. Our anonymous guest is a freelancer who identifies as a person of color and has over two decades of experience based in the Deep South. But she struggles with remembering how skilled she is and has a difficult time asking for higher pay. She talks with Wudan about the big moves she wants to make as a freelancer in terms of client base and income goals, and they work through how to get there

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00:42:40

Clarify Your Career Direction

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/05/17

Today’s episode -- the second of season 3 -- features a conversation with a freelancer named Hanna Merzbach. She’s new to the game; she graduated from college last year, and the pandemic threw all of her plans (which included teaching English in Japan) into chaos. She started freelancing as a way to dip her toe into journalism and she’s already found a lot of success with bylines and landing pitches. But she’s also interested in taking a staff job. In this mini-coaching session, Hanna and Jenni talk

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00:33:35

Freelance Business Coaching 101

The Writers’ Co-op ·

2021/05/03

Welcome to season three of The Writers’ Co-op: The Business Edit. Each episode of this season involves a coaching session with a freelancer just like you who struggles with issues common to freelancing like imposter syndrome, saying no, finding new clients, and beyond. But before we jump into all of that, we need to define what coaching is. That’s what this first episode is about: Defining the practice, then we'll show you how it works by coaching each other. You’ll get to hear about why Jenni is

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