Re: Writing Offsite

[Jean Weber <jhweber -at- WHITSUNDAY -dot- NET -dot- AU>]

I work offsite. I live nearly 2,300 km from my major clients, who are
used to dealing with projects that have team members all over the world.
However, I do mostly editing rather than writing. I also have over 20 years
of experience with a good track record.

I am always looking for new clients, but it's unusual to find anyone who
will seriously consider working with an offsite person they've never met
(even if the work is suitable and they might consider locals working
offsite). (This reluctance is quite understandable, I hasten to add.) My
best effort was editing a book for an author in New York (I am in
Australia). Effectively I was on the night shift, so it was very convenient
for the author.

I keep reading about a shortage of skilled technical writers, at least in
certain parts of the world. Offsite work is part of the solution, and also
allows people who might otherwise be unemployed or underemplayed to use
their skills productively.

In marketing ourselves to potential clients, we need to remember to
emphasize what's in it for them -- not "I want to work at home" but "I can
offer these advantages to you by working at home." Certainly there are
practical problems (and not all work is suitable) but we should not be
deterred. However, in most cases, you'll need to start with clients
in your geographical area, to overcome the _who are you_ problem.

I have co-authored a paper (with Suzanne Townsend of Nova Scotia, Canada)
on _Marketing Your Remote Editorial Services_ which is available at this
URL for anyone who's interested:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jean_weber/remote.htm

Another relevant paper is _Taming a Telecommuting Team_ at this URL:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jean_weber/taming.htm

Regards, Jean

Jean Hollis Weber
P.O. Box 640, Airlie Beach, QLD 4802
Australia
Ph. (07) 4948 0450
Fax. (07) 4948 0435
jhweber -at- whitsunday -dot- net -dot- au