Hello friends,

There’s something about this time of year. Maybe it’s all the new beginnings and New Year’s resolutions?

Or maybe it’s just the fact that layoffs in journalism are a way of life, and everyone knows better than to job search at Christmastime?

Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because there are suddenly more opportunities in our little industry than there have been for the past year or so, and everybody’s getting ready to pounce?

Whatever the cause, I’ve been getting a lot of requests to talk to people about how I built my freelance journalism business.

(In fact, I’m gonna be talking about some of this stuff at a free online webinar tonight! Scroll all the way down for more details.)

What does this have to do with pirates?

I’m so glad you asked…

Back in 2020, I was laid off from the place I thought I’d work my whole life.

This is not an exaggeration. I started there at 18, when I was a freshman in college. I started as the person who took the trash to the elevator (long story) and worked all the way up to a job that had the word “executive” in its title. I really thought that this was my home. My family. The place where I belonged.

So, suffice it to say, when my show got canceled and I got laid off, I was devastated.

Like truly, truly devastated.

I hadn’t updated my resume in at least a decade. I couldn't remember the last time I applied for a job. Or went through the interview process.

I hadn’t negotiated a salary. Like…ever. The last time I was hired onto a new job, I didn’t even know that negotiating was possible!

I felt so far behind. My peers had been building these skills for decades, and I needed to figure out a way to catch up.

Like, now.

And so I decided to become a freelancer. A job that would require me to apply and interview and negotiate over and over and over again.

I wanted to keep doing it until it wasn’t scary anymore. Until it didn’t fill me with dread.

But every time I had to talk to someone about a possible gig, I’d get really nervous. And so, as a way to help me, my husband came up with something that became my mantra.

“Be a pirate.”

Followed closely by…

“Arrggh.”

Every time I was getting ready to have one of these conversations, and I was nervous and jittery and felt like I was going to puke my guts out, my husband would remind me, “Be a pirate.”

“Arrggh.”

It was silly. But it worked. And after enough “arrgghs”, I found that I wasn’t terrified any more.

Look, I still don’t love having awkward conversations about my pay rate. Asking for what you’re worth is hard! And it’s never going to feel natural, at least not for me.

But it’s no longer terrifying. It no longer fills me with dread. And over the past few years, I’ve come to realize that I really, really love freelancing. I like being a pirate!

So, just in case you think a pirate’s life might be for you, here’s the code I live – and work – by.

Pirates Know What They Want

A good pirate doesn’t wait until they’re standing on the decks of an enemy ship to consider what they’d like to plunder. They’re not all, like, “What will you give me? A bucket of grain? Okay…I guess I’d be okay with a bucket of grain.”

A pirate walks right up to the enemy captain and demands all their gold and jewels.

And look, if a bucket of grain is what you want, that’s cool. There are jobs that I take for money and jobs that I take because they feed my soul. Both are valid.

All I’m saying is that you should absolutely know what you want. Your rate should be set in your mind. Or written down on a post-it note. Or scribbled on the top of the notebook as you’re writing down details about a potential job.

You might have different rates for different types of gigs. I certainly do! I absolutely charge more per hour for voice coaching than I do for executive producing a multi-episode narrative series.

(There's an inverse relationship between # of hours and $ per hour. The more hours you're gonna guarantee me, the lower I can come down on my rate. All of that interviewing and negotiating and contract-signing takes time. And having work that I can count on has a positive impact on my business.)

But you shouldn’t wait until you’re on a call to think about your rate. You should practice saying that number out loud, so that your voice doesn’t crack when you do.

“My rate is X per hour.”
“I would be willing to do this job for Y.”

And don’t let yourself get too deep into conversations about projects without talking about rates and total costs. In my experience, there are a lot of people who have absolutely no idea what it costs to make a podcast. And it really sucks spending hours talking through ideas and writing up a proposal, only to be ghosted when they see the bottom line.

Trust me, I know.

Pirates Plan Ahead

Look, a pirate captain doesn’t just float around in the ocean, hoping that an unarmed merchant ship overflowing with gold happens to drift by. Pirates pay attention to currents and prevailing winds and shipping lanes and harvest schedules. They know when they’re likely to hit the jackpot and when it’s better to just stay in port.

I always plan a big vacation for January and/or February. It includes at least a week for me to completely disconnect from work. And almost always in recent years, I’ve spent at least two weeks in deep winter, working from my parents’ house in Southern California.

I do this because January and February are generally very slow months for freelance audio work.

In my experience, things don’t really heat up until March. And then I might find myself working back-to-back jobs until mid-December.

So I take the time at the beginning of the year to recharge my batteries. And I “work” from my parents house because 1. I genuinely enjoy spending time with my family and 2. sitting at my desk and freaking out about my lack of gainful employment isn’t going to do anyone any good.

So yeah, I plan ahead. I prepare myself for when I know it’s going to be slow. I save up money and I schedule fun distractions.

And once I get busy, I don’t just turn down every offer that comes my way until I'm free again. Instead, I try to “stack” jobs.

What do I mean by that?

Many of the projects that I take on have a certain cadence to them. There's often be a flurry of activity at the beginning, but things slow down as we reach out to guests and wait for them to return our emails. And then, as launch day approaches, things get busy again.

So, I try to schedule the “flurry” of one project into the “lull” of another. So I’m never just working on one thing at a time.

And I say “yes” to a lot of smaller projects. Things that can fit into the cracks.

And yeah, that means that there are days/weeks/months when I’m completely overwhelmed. But let’s face it. I enjoy being overwhelmed.

That’s one of the things that makes me a good pirate!

Pirates Set Boundaries

This one might be controversial, but I don’t take full time gigs. Ever. If you want someone to be at your beck and call for 35+ hours a week, I’m not the pirate for you.

Plus, I really think that if you’re asking someone to work 35+ hours a week, you should be offering benefits. And stability.

Pirates don’t get those things. They don’t want those things. I mean, sure, those things are nice. But pirates have decided to prioritize other things. Things they want even more.

So, yeah…no one gets ALL of my time.

For me, this has huge benefits to my mental well being. After decades of feeling like every waking hour belonged to my employer, I now can join my husband for the occasional two hour lunch. I can schedule walks with friends. I can grocery shop on weekdays, when the stores are practically empty.

Sure, sometimes this means that I have to work late into the night. Or on weekends. But that’s okay.

That’s the life of a pirate.

Pirates Diversify

Okay, I don’t know if actual pirates diversified much. The words “plunder” and “pillage” come to mind, but they basically mean the same thing – at least as far as pirates are concerned.

But YOU should diversify! Don’t just offer one type of service. Sit down and figure out all the things that you know how to do.

And then, if you find yourself with some extra downtime, learn how to do new things! There are gobs of classes and webinars out there. Many of them are free.

Attend. Ask questions. Take notes.

At the beginning of my freelance journey, I committed to attending one workshop every week. And I found it an incredible way to learn new things and make new friends.

Speaking of which…

Pirates Make Friends

I really thought that I was stretching the pirate analogy with this one. But then I asked Google, which took me to a Reddit post that claimed:

“Pirates seemed to not want to fight each other - they were both doing the same thing and pursuing the same goals. Pirates who met might even talk and decide to work together as sea, aka work in consort.”

Who knew?!?

Look, I consider myself to be a very successful pirate. But I have never – not once – gotten a gig because I applied for it.

That’s not to say that you will never get a gig through applying. I’m sure it happens.

It’s just never happened to me.

I speak from experience when I say that the folks who post freelance gigs on the listservs are getting hundreds of applicants in the first hour. It is truly overwhelming. And so, in my experience, most gigs go to someone who was personally recommended by someone else.

Freelancing is all about connections. So when things get slow, I start reaching out to folks. I let them know that I have some free time on my hands. And I tell them what I’m looking for.

Be specific! Don’t just say, “I’m looking for some freelance journalism work.” Say, “I’m looking for my next showrunning project.” Or, “I have some time in my editing schedule for another podcast.” Or, “I’m looking to report on X, Y, and Z…do you know of anyone who’s accepting pitches right now?”

I have a friend who sends me these emails every now and again. And I’m always amazed at how relaxed and effortless she makes it seem.

Just checking in to say hi. Wanted to see how you’re doing. And by the way…

And it works. I rarely have something for her at that exact moment. But more often than you might expect, something will come my way that I can’t fit into my schedule. And then I know exactly who to pass it along to.

One of the things I truly love about this industry is how we help each other and lift each other up. And if you’re not already doing that…it’s time to start.

Pirates Know When to Stop Pirating

Those of you who have taken my WTF is Narrative Story Structure class know that I’m a big fan of The Princess Bride. And one of my favorite moments is when Wesley turns to Inigo Montoya (You Killed My Father, Prepare to Die) and says, “Have you ever considered piracy?”

See, Wesley had accomplished everything he needed to accomplish as the Dread Pirate Roberts. He had made his fortune and rescued Buttercup. It was time for him to leave the pirate’s life behind.

And there’s absolutely no shame in that. If you're currently a pirate but are finding that the pirate’s life no longer suits, I want you to know that you have the skills for all sorts of amazing jobs.

If you don’t yet follow Jessica Alpert on LinkedIn, I suggest you change that. Jess is the amazing co-founder of Rococo Punch and just an all-around lovely and helpful human. And lately she’s taken to re-posting job listings on LinkedIn.

But not just for jobs in journalism. Jess has been posting all sorts of jobs that journalists are well-prepared to do. Jobs that we’d be great at. Jobs that pay. And have benefits. And rarely require use of the word, “arggh.”

We’ve got skills, my friends. And those skills are transferable.

Okay, as promised, some details!

Tonight (Feb. 13, 7-8pm EST) I'll be joining the Stony Brook Podcast Incubator Open House for a chat about "The Audio Job Market in 2025." It should be a really fun chat with the amazing Yowei Shaw and Keisha "TK" Dutes, moderated by my personal podcast business hero, Amanda McLoughlin. It's free...so you should really, really click that link above to sign up!

I've also been asked to remind you that entries are now open for the International Women's Podcast Awards. This is a really cool award show that showcases small and independent podcasters. And there's a "Bursary Fund," which seems to be a British way of saying that if you can't afford to enter, you can apply for a complimentary entry -- no questions asked. It's really cool, and I've volunteered to judge again. So apply now, so I can listen to the amazing stuff you've produced!

And remember, you can help our community grow by sharing this newsletter with a friend, get bonus content by joining our Patreon or support this whole endeavor by dropping a few bucks in the Narrative Beat tip jar. Like they say in public radio, every dollar makes a difference!

Karen