The Freelance Introvert Work The Way You Want Without Changing Who You Are

Are you an introvert? If you're happy in your own company most of the time, have just a few really close friends and prefer to work alone, the answer is probably yes. Introverts find external stimulation overwhelming, so they look for ways to retreat from it. A situation that’s easy or fun for one person can be way too much for an introvert. That's fine as long as they have a choice. But that can change when they go to work. Modern working styles like open-plan offices, brainstorming and teamwork can be really hard on introverts. The hands-on work is OK, but the emotional labour of working with others can be draining. Freelancing offers introverts a way out – a chance to work alone, control their workload and create their own workspace. It can be ideal. However, it also takes work. Going freelance means running a one-person business. It means setting direction, organizing your schedule and setting priorities. It means hustling for work and setting prices. And it means building a network that will offer vital support. Doing all that is hard enough for anyone - but particularly for introverts. To make a success of freelancing, you'll need to learn some new skills, push yourself to meet some challenges and build up your confidence. The Freelance Introvert will show you how to make that happen. It will teach you all about creating and managing your freelance business, from setting aims and getting set up to time management, working with clients and marketing. Written by Tom Albrighton - author, veteran freelancer, ProCopywriters co-founder and a confirmed introvert - The Freelance Introvert is the book you need for the life you want. What you’ll learn - Getting started - How to tell if you're an introvert - Why work is tough on introverts, and how freelancing can help - Why introversion is a strength, not a weakness Choosing your future - Deciding what you want - Identifying all your skills and qualities - Building your freelance work - Identifying your clients - Setting an earnings target Getting set up - Getting the right workspace and equipment - Taking care of your physical and mental health - Building a network of collaborators and suppliers - Setting boundaries – physical, temporal and psychological Managing your time - The three time horizons you need to watch - How to steer clear of 'time suckers' - How to balance exploration and exploitation Working with clients - What makes a good client? - Why saying 'no' is so important - and how to do it - How to spot rogue clients - What to do when clients move on Marketing yourself - The best ways to find new clients - Building a marketing mix that works for you - Creating your website, testimonials and personal pitch - How to survive a networking event Setting and agreeing prices - How to shoot for the top of the 'deal zone' - How to set and frame your prices - How to stop self-sabotaging when quoting for work Building your confidence - How to build confidence - When to go beyond your comfort zone - Understanding your explanatory style - How to overcome impostor syndrome - Choosing self-supporting beliefs - Letting go of self-limiting beliefs You can build a thriving freelance career and enjoy the lifestyle you want without changing who you are. The Freelance Introvert will show you how.

So you’ve gone freelance. And you’re making a living. But have you made yourself a life? Freelancing can be a wonderful way to work. But if you want to build a thriving freelance enterprise, just being good at what you do is not enough. You also need a business brain that will drive your freelancing forward and safeguard your success. The Freelancer’s Business Brain will give you all the commercial, strategic and management skills you need to build and grow your freelance business. You’ll learn how to: * Define your service and understand the unique value you bring * Craft a strategy to guide every decision you make * Identify your ideal clients and how you can reach them * Set prices that will bring you the rewards you deserve * Negotiate deals without losing your cool or compromising on price * Market yourself and build a personal brand * Get a firm grip on your finances and keep the money flowing in * Understand your clients and work with them in a positive, productive way * Manage projects and make best use of your time * Collaborate with others and explore new ways to work * Take care of yourself, gain confidence and maintain a positive state of mind. If you want a freelance life of happiness, security and wealth, start reading The Freelancer’s Business Brain today. With a foreword by Sophie Cross, editor of Freelancer Magazine.

If you love spending time alone, One for Joy is for you. Solitude is more than the absence of other people. It’s an experience just like any other, and it can be as joyful, valuable and inspiring as any other aspect of our lives. It’s time we rediscovered the lost art of being alone. One for Joy is a treasure trove of ideas, stories and reflections that looks at every side of solitude: - Why solitude is so important for introverts, and why our need to be alone is sometimes hard for others to understand - How we experience solitude, and how solitude and company relate to each other - The many ways to be alone, from brief daydreams to solo journeys, everywhere from wide-open spaces to cosy nooks - The benefits of solitude, from resting and recharging to focused work, self-care and deep reflection - Ideas and reflections on solitude from Byron and Charlotte Brontë to Bo Burnham and Kate Bush, and fictional characters from Pippi Longstocking to Darth Vader - How digital technology and social media have changed our experience of solitude. Wide-ranging and insightful, with a light and readable style, One for Joy is a fun and fascinating read for anyone who’s happy on their own.

Copywriting is writing with purpose. It’s about using words to reach people and change what they think, feel and do. This easy-to-read guide will teach you all the essentials of copywriting, from understanding products, readers and benefits to closing the sale. It’s packed with real-life examples that will show you exactly how the ideas and techniques will work in the real world. And with dozens of useful illustrations and diagrams, Copywriting Made Simple shows you the ideas that other books just talk about. Plus there's a whole chapter of handy tips on writing ads, websites, broadcast media, direct mail, social media and print. Copywriting Made Simple is the perfect introduction to copywriting today. No wonder it hit the #1 spot in Marketing & Sales at Amazon UK, Canada and Australia, and is featured on the BA Advertising course at the University for the Creative Arts. What you’ll learn… Understand the product and its benefits • Pinpoint how the product helps people. • Turn features into benefits and seek out USPs. • Identify tangible and intangible benefits. Get to know your reader • Uncover your reader’s inner fears and desires. • Use empathy to get inside the reader’s feelings. • Decide how your copy will change how they think, feel or act. • Capture your aims in the brief. Engage the reader in your message • Talk to the reader and make your copy more like a conversation. • Use the same words that the reader uses. • Bring the product to life with rich, sensory language. • Make your copy active, positive and specific. Craft compelling copy • Learn eight proven formulas for enticing headlines. • Choose a rock-solid structure. • Create powerful calls to action. Use 20 proven strategies for creative copy • Show the product in a new light. • Use humour, wordplay, metaphors and contrasts. • Turn weakness into strength. Make persuasion and psychology work for you • Learn the six proven principles of persuasion. • Overcome the reader’s objections. • Exploit cognitive biases to nudge the reader into action. What industry experts say… 'Where was this book when I started copywriting? A must for every newbie copywriter (and a few old copy dogs too).' Kate Toon, Co-host of the Hot Copy Podcast 'Impressively thorough without ever losing its rhythm. Deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the copywriting classics.' Ryan Wallman, author of Delusions of Brandeur ‘Tom’s put a lifetime of learning into this book.’ Dave Trott, Creative legend, agency founder and author of Creative Mischief, One and One Make Three and Predatory Thinking ‘From insights gleaned from NLP and psychology to real-world examples of great, effective copy - this is educational, entertaining and energetic. Prepare to dig deep, enjoy and see your results skyrocket!’ Katherine Wildman, Host, The Writing Desk ‘Tom has written the best all-round introduction to copywriting available today.’ Leif Kendall, Director of ProCopywriters, copywriter and author of Brilliant Freelancer ‘I didn’t think you could teach copywriting. Turns out, @tomcopy can. What a terrific book.’ Doug Kessler, Creative Director & Co-founder of Velocity

A practical guide to help introverts harness their natural gifts and entrepreneurial spirit Think you have to be loud and brash to be successful in business? Think again. The strengths and traits of the typical introvert lend themselves well to entrepreneurship, as well as “intrapreneurship” and a range of business roles. In The Introvert Entrepreneur, professional coach Beth Buelow shows readers how to harness their natural gifts (including curiosity, independence, and a love of research) and counteract their challenges (such as an aversion to networking and self-promotion). She addresses a wide range of topics --from managing fears and expectations and developing a growth mindset to networking, marketing, leadership skills, and community-building--informed by interviews with introverts who have created successful businesses without compromising their core personality. Filled with fresh insights and actionable advice, this essential guide will support anyone who’s striving to make a difference in a loud and chaotic world.

Whatever you're writing, you have to make it clear. You could be writing a website, a brochure or a client presentation. You could be preparing a job application, an email or a classified ad. Or you might be writing an article or a book. Whatever it is, the clearer you make it, the better your results will be. How to Write Clearly will help. It's an authoritative yet easy-to-read guide that will make your non-fiction writing more colourful, expressive and precise. Writing is more than just words on a page. It's a process of communication. That's why How to Write Clearly draws on cutting-edge ideas from psychology, education and linguistics to look deep inside the reader's mind and explore the 'why' as well as the 'how' of writing technique. It's ideal for marketers, businesspeople, journalists, educators and anyone who needs to communicate with the written word. You'll learn: • How to understand your reader and tune into what they need • How to use plain language to make your writing accessible, readable and relatable • Ten treacherous traps you must avoid • Proven techniques for explaining new ideas • How to captivate your reader with storytelling, humour, intrigue, perspective and more • What really changes readers' minds • How to craft clear sentences and paragraphs • Using empathy and pacing to put the reader at their ease • How to choose the right structure, length and title • Pages of pro tips for drafting, editing and using feedback. Fully illustrated and referenced, with a wealth of examples throughout, How to Write Clearly is the definitive guide to non-fiction writing today.

From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together

Survival Skills for Freelancers will help you achieve freelance success, and get more enjoyment from self-employment. Through a combination of personal anecdotes, practical advice and tales from the freelance community, it busts the myths about solo working and takes an honest look at the reality of freelance life. Discover how to survive and thrive as a freelancer - without neglecting your mental health and wellbeing. THE CASE FOR FREELANCE LIFE The freelance dream is often portrayed as: Earning good money doing the thing you love+working where you like+working how you like+working when you like Why does no one tell us just how relentless the business end of freelance life can be?! There are 2 million freelancers in the UK alone. Yet 20% of self-employed businesses don't make it through the first year, and 60% don't survive beyond five years. Those are scary stats! Yes, working alone can be damn hard. But going into self-employment with your eyes wide open gives you the best chance of success. Survival Skills for Freelancers shares an honest and realistic view of self-employment, to help you rock the socks off freelance life. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sarah Townsend has spent the past 20 years as a freelance marketing copywriter. She built a successful freelance career with very little guidance - but you don't have to. In Survival Skills for Freelancers she shares the secrets and surprises she's learnt from self-employment: both the things that worked AND the things that didn't. She guides you through the highs and lows all freelancers face - from isolation, uncertainty and self-doubt to knowing what to charge, when to ask for help, and when to say no. These tried and tested strategies are based on her own experience, backed up by research, resources and quotes from the freelance community. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING "I've been freelancing for over 15 years and I wish I'd read this book on day one. Every page is packed with practical advice and hard-won wisdom. Get it!" Tom Albrighton Author, Copywriting Made Simple "A brilliantly relatable and comprehensive guide that holds your hand with compassion and humour through the rocky yet undeniably exciting world of self-employment." Louise Goss Founder of The Homeworker "Genuinely useful advice, delivered in an honest, charming and witty style, with a focus on mental health and wellbeing. An essential read whether you're a new or established freelancer." Steve Morgan Author, Anti-Sell "An honest and human perspective of 20 years of freelance experience. This book is like having your own personal business mentor." Anna Gunning Copywriter and speaker "Before you take the leap into self-employment, spend your first few pounds on this book. It'll make every subsequent pound and hour better spent." Matthew Knight Founder, Leapers WHAT'S INCLUDED Survival Skills for Freelancers covers issues such as: the fundamentals of freelancing three strategies to deal with isolation knowing your worth - and what to charge trusting your instinct, and learning to say no achieving balance and avoiding burnout the importance of investing in your business the qualities that help you survive and thrive as a freelancer