Author John Clausen shows readers how to turn their love of writing into a moneymaking business. They'll learn that freelancing is about more than just knowing how to string words into sentences and sentences into paragraphs. Clausen shows how a person's life experiences, friends, hobbies, skills - even former employers - all come into play to make a career in freelance writing. Too Lazy to Work, Too Nervous to Steal takes writers through the process of becoming a freelancer one step at a time, from getting organized and getting an attitude to finding and keeping an "anchor client," earning an honest buck, spending it smartly and overcoming unexpected challenges. Clausen shows them how to: develop a realistic business plan, design a system and live with it, find an "anchor client," market their services, and deliver the goods every time. His friendly, funny style - a cross between a pep rally, a workshop, stand-up comedy, and good old-fashioned storytelling - will get readers prepared and keep them inspired, enabling them to live their dream and succeed. This affable book about freelance writing champions two winning aspects of working without a boss: first, your time is your own, and second, there's no cap on your salary. Of course, there's no minimum wage, either, as anyone who has taken on an unprofitable project can surely attest. Author John Clausen happens to be a freelancer extraordinaire with a knack for direct mail and other promotions (though he's also written newspaper and magazine articles, advertising copy, and, obviously, books). He generously shares the wisdom gleaned from his many freelancing experiences, and those of many of his colleagues, regaling us with a remarkable array of freelancing adventures along the way. Clausen's formula? Among other things, "get an attitude" (read: demand big paychecks), find an anchor client, spend half your time scouting for more work, and "don't get sloppy." As a freelancer, he says, every time you are hired, your work will be scrutinized anew; it must always be topnotch and completed by deadline. Don't fret. Almost any writer, he says, "even a marginally talented one, can make a living as a freelancer if he or she will approach the profession with a businesslike attitude, positive thinking, and a sense of humor and fun." --Jane Steinberg "The simple fact is that almost any writer (even a marginally talented one) can make a living as a freelancer...if he or she will approach the profession with a business-like attitude, positive thinking, and a sense of humor and fun." -- John Clausen Used Book in Good Condition