Two New Gigs!

Where did I disappear this time?

Other than being constantly tired, I had computer problems, too, and ended up having to reinstall the OS. And that meant creating a backup first, which took me a few days, because my computer was that slow (which is why I had to reinstall the OS in the first place).

It wasn't fun, I can tell you that.

Still, it's done, it's working great with a new, freshly installed OS, and I've got not one new gig, as I've planned, but two!

The gig I've planned is for writing video scripts related to pet shelters, animal sanctuaries, wildlife rescues, and similar organizations, as well as some small businesses that support them financially. You can see it here (and, of course, I don't mind you ordering!). I love all animals, and I'd really love to help organizations that take care of them.

And the other one? Well, after creating the new gig, I've been told about a problem that pet shelters face -- writing pet blurbs -- so I've created a pet blurb for pet shelter websites gig, too!

Now, I don't expect huge demand for either one of them, but I did have requests for video scripts related to pets before, and it's not hard to understand that creating a unique blurb for each and every pet can be a bit difficult with all the other work necessary for pet shelters to survive, so, hopefully, I'll be able to do things I love, while helping organizations I appreciate.

Any other news? Yes: another freelancing account! Still, this is a blog about my Fiverr experience, so, if you want to check out what I'm doing elsewhere (the platform is British, but open to everyone), just click on that link.

And my old gigs? I plan to reactivate some of them soon (as in, in the next few days), and then we'll see how it goes.

That's it for today, see you next time!

Find me at https://www.fiverr.com/catwriter!

Coming Back!

What have I been up to? Where have I gone?

I was busy with a full-time job, and I did great, if my boss, my supervisor, and my colleagues are to be believed. However, due to some unexpected circumstances (read: illness in the family), I'm going back to freelancing, with some changes and new ideas. Hey, family and health first - and then some business, too!

So, what changes?

Some adjustments in the gigs I already offer (one is activated, others will be activated soon, once I make the necessary changes), and a new gig - I love that one, and will be offering it soon! Yes, of course, I like the others, too, otherwise I wouldn't be offering them, but the new one? Right up my alley!

The one I activated? It's the good old book title gig, one of my favorites, this time with revisions (for a price). I might experiment with that one again at a later point, after I see how it goes. I haven't decided yet which one I'm going to activate next, book blurbs, or video scripts.

Any other plans? Many, and they're not all related to Fiverr, since it would be unwise to depend solely on one platform. More writing, certainly, at several places, plus I'm still in touch with the wonderful people from my job, and might be working with them again. As for Fiverr? New ideas, a new gig, more activity in the social media... I'm definitely going to be busy, both with Fiverr and elsewhere.

What Does the Fox... Err, What Do the Customers Say?

I could brag about my skills and experience and abilities, but then again, so could everyone else. The question is: what do the clients say? Do they like my video scripts, book blurbs, and book titles?

Without further ado, here are some of the 1,000+ reviews I've got during my time on Fiverr.

While I love writing book blurbs, that's not my main service. My clients like my video scripts, too, and they keep coming back when they need a new one.

And book titles?

Of course, since I offer creative writing, I can't make everyone happy; my style and my ideas are not, and can't be, a good match for everyone. However, since 99% of my clients believe that they have received a great service for their hard-earned cash, I guess I must be doing something right. And with over 1,000 positive reviews, I must have done it many times.

A Bit of News and a Friendly Reminder

Paid reviews are forbidden by most websites, and when a big website gets fed up with paid reviews, they start suing those who write and sell them.

There's the matter of ethics, too. Readers would like to see some real reviews before buying a book, and if they get deceived into buying something that's very much not what the review promised, they feel disappointed. They feel that somebody openly lied to them to get them to spend their money on something they ended up hating (and can you say that they're wrong to feel that way?). And then they return the goods and possibly complain to the website. Mass complaints and refunds are, of course, an incentive for the said website to strictly forbid paid reviews.

Several years ago, I wrote some paid reviews for a website, but they were purchased by them, and used for promotion (and I still refrained from claiming that the books were good or bad, I merely stated some easily verifiable facts about the topics, the plots, the characters...). On Fiverr, I don't offer book reviews, only book blurbs (the obvious promotional piece placed on the cover). Paid reviews are forbidden, anyway. There was even a big lawsuit because of paid reviews. And yet, someone wanted me to write a review of their book, so the bit of news that I mentioned in the title is that I've changed the FAQ of the book blurb gig to add that no, I do not write reviews. Why is it even necessary to state that I don't offer a forbidden service? I don't know, but it apparently is, and I can only hope that it will help. Another thing I've added to the FAQ is that I don't offer discounts; with the base price of $5 for a service that can't be automated, offering a discount doesn't make sense, no matter the size of the bulk.

And the friendly reminder? I've got a Facebook page, and I even post stuff there sometimes! If you wish, check it out and like it.

Why I Don't Offer Advice/Consultations

Sometimes, buyers don't know what they want, and they ask for the seller's advice on the matter. Some sellers are happy to advise their buyers, while others offer consultations as a separate service, and suggest to the buyer to purchase it (some buyers do it, and some believe that they're entitled to free endless consultations).

Me, I state in the gig description or FAQ that I don't offer ideas/advice/consultations/suggestions.

Why?

Because it's a hassle, and the kind of hassle that often leads to unpaid work. In my experience, it's not that buyers don't like my advice; they love it, but because they'd entered the whole thing without knowing exactly what they want, they change their mind, and they usually do it after I have delivered the work. And then? Then they ask me to redo it from scratch, and refuse to pay for additional work. Because, hey, they have already paid for the script, and they have a revision available (never mind the fact that a new script can't be a revision).

Could I simply redeliver the same work, explain to the buyer that, if they want a new script, they have to purchase it first, and risk a bad review? Certainly; with my current rating, one bad review wouldn't change things. However, it would still be a hassle, and with my prices, that kind of hassle is neither worth my time, nor does it help the buyer. Actually, even if my prices were higher, dealing with undecided people who keep changing their mind would be too much of a headache; they still wouldn't know what they want, and they would still be unhappy with whatever I send them, no matter how many times I modify it.

It's much more efficient to work only with those who know what they want, so that's what I do. On top of that, the questions and explanations I send to the potential buyers before I tell them that we're not a good match (because I don't offer consultations) sometimes actually help them realize that they're not ready yet to place an order, and that they still need to think things through before they can get something that would help them and something they will love. Will they get it from me? Probably not, but, hey, I've helped them, and I've avoided something that neither the buyer nor yours truly would enjoy.

How I Started On Fiverr

I have heard of Fiverr when looking for freelance sites, but dismissed it at first. I was already on Elance, which looked like the best site for freelancers, with the most serious buyers. Even on Elance, I've noticed a bunch of buyers who treated it like a content mill and offered $1 for 500 words. Fiverr seemed like yet another place where freelancers worked for spare change.

However, a freelance writer in a LinkedIn group mentioned that $5 was for beginners, and that she, as a Top Rated Seller, could earn up to $125 per assignment. And in Writing For Money by Stephen G. Davies I found not just a recommendation for Fiverr, but a very useful advice, something like: Don't write more than 300 words, it's $5.

I decided to give it a try.

I created my first gig, and got my first order the very next day. I was lucky, in a way; there was a buyer who needed texts for his website about pets, and it looks like he was checking out all the pet gigs on Fiverr. I completed it, got 5 stars, and for about a week, that was it.

I've used the time to browse the forum, learn as much as I could about Fiverr, and also to check out other gigs and see what else I could offer. I created the gig for About Us pages, figuring that people with websites could use it, and another one, for video scripts (I'm a script writer by trade, so that was something I could easily do). Thanks to my first gig, I was already a 5 star seller, and so, a week after the first order, the second one came. This one was for the About Us page, and it was the first such page I have ever written for a client.

It was scary. It was exciting. The client loved it, and immediately ordered another one. He was very nice in his reviews, too. And I was... Wow. I did it. I actually did it. And it was good.

The next day, I got another order. The day after that, another one. And so it began. I got promoted to Level 1, and then to Level 2.

My cat gigs didn't get many orders, but they made me stand out among other writers who did About Us pages and video scripts. People noticed them in the forum. Buyers noticed them. And some of them ordered animal related About Us pages from me because they figured me for an animal lover (correct). Some others may have noticed my minimalist lifestyle gig, which also serves more to set me apart than to bring me direct income. By seeing those gigs, some buyers get a better idea about me, and an impression that I would understand them and help them. And I do.

While most of my work is written for small businesses, a considerable amount is done for charities and the underrepresented, and that makes me happy. I like working with them. I like helping them to get noticed, to express themselves about the good things, the important things they're doing. And the most common comment I get from them is: She really understood what our website is about. That makes me smile. That makes me feel proud. Just as buyers who return a few months later with a new task make me feel proud of myself. I did well, they remembered me, and they want me to work for them once again.

And so, here I am, 5 months after I started on Fiverr, and doing... Well, sometimes doing good, sometimes not as good as I'd like, but overall, I like it. I enjoy it. I love the small, quick jobs, and exploring new things, and experimenting, and writing for a living. And Fiverr offers the possibility for all that.

Would I recommend Fiverr to others? Yes. I already did. Find something you like doing and can do in 5 minutes, or 15 minutes, or half an hour, and offer it. Be respectful to customers, offer good service, and have fun.

Definitely have fun. If you do, sooner or later, it will work.

Gig Time: About Us Pages

My most successful gig on Fiverr is the one for writing About Us pages. It's not a surprise; many businesses and fansites need them, and as a storyteller, I don't find it difficult to write, basically, a story about a certain business or a passion project (or both at the same time).

What surprised me when I was still new was that some clients thought it wasn't necessary to provide me with information about their business or website. They'd tell me a sentence or two, and maybe send me a link to a Lorem Ipsum website. What was I supposed to do with that? I'm a writer, not a psychic. I tried my best, but quickly learned that, no matter how hard I tried, such clients were not satisfied. Now, when clients don't send me enough information to work with, I ask them for more, and if they still don't send it, I cancel the order.

The information can be in broken English, and/or all over the place. As long as I can understand it and as long as it's there, I can work with it, and shape it into a compelling page.

It took some trial and error until I came up with a solid list of questions to ask the clients. If you need me to write an About Us page for your website, the information I usually ask for is:

• the name of the business/website/project/person I should write about, and the website link, if available
• what does your company do, where is it located, and what area do you cover with your services
• the products or services you provide (at least several specific ones, if possible)
• why are the products or services you provide important, and who is your target audience
• what sets you apart from your competition (that is, why would someone buy from you instead of your competitors)
• what is your vision, what do you dream of, what do you hope to accomplish
• what are your short-term and long-term goals

When I get that information, I use it to create a page called About Us which actually speaks about the website visitors: what you can do for them,  why are your products or services important to them (how they solve their problems with as little hassle as possible), why they should choose you instead of your competitors, and what a great person or team you are, caring, helpful, nice, wonderful to work with. Because that's what your visitors care about: themselves, what you can do for them, and are you willing to put some effort into delivering.

People tend to love such pages. Not everyone will like my style, of course, and I will revise or refund when needed, but most find my texts better than expected.

To get an idea about my style, see the Samples page, and keep in mind that I'm like a chameleon: I adapt to the tone and voice of the client, or the content already on their website (if different from the client's voice), or I adopt the tone and the voice the client wants me to adopt. Every business is different, and I do my best to adjust.

That's it for today. Until next time!

CatWriter on Fiverr

Welcome! We may have met already, if you have contacted me on Fiverr. I'm CatWriter, and I write About Us pages, video scripts, book blurbs, book titles, and articles about cats and the minimalist lifestyle. I might add a few more services, once I feel confident that I can do them properly.

Several people on the Fiverr forum told me it would be a good idea to start a blog to promote my services (incidentally, my sales skyrocketed soon after I got that advice, and the Belgrade Book Fair started, leaving me no time for writing some more), so that's what I'm doing. However, don't expect me to write about my services only; that would be boring. I'll do my best to share useful information and to entertain you, and if you have any question or need advice, I'll do what I can to help.

Until next time!