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A Freelancer Hocks His Lance

The last couple weeks up here in my mountaintop fortress have been filled with scramble, as our operation got hit with a financial one-two gut punch.

On that fateful Tuesday, AI-driven downsizing hit the remote gig that supplied the “regular” part of our operation’s income. Consequently, my partner-in-pioneering Kitty NicIaian (who co-hosts The Every Day Novelist podcast, and has a couple decades of work as a personal assistant, and who does the graphic design, editorial, and layout for my books) is now looking for a new gig.

Irritating enough, but not something to panic over…or it wasn’t until one of my regular clients got hit with his own automation-driven downsizing and had to cut me loose later that same week.

The Freelancer’s Life

When you choose the life of a freelancer, you build your life around the inevitability of this kind of thing happening. Clients move on, markets change, and you’re working on the front line without a net. The same forces that push you around eventually come for people in big corporate jobs, but it happens sooner and more often to you—which is fine. That’s part of the price you pay for the freedom to be your own boss, and the right to design your life so that when these things happen, you’re not in danger of losing your house the next month.

One of the ways you insulate yourself is to have multiple streams of income going on at any one time, because it’s unusual to have more than one string of income go poof all at once.

But sometimes it does.

So, here we are.

The Pitch

If you’ve been considering jumping into paid support of this Substack, now would be a perfect time. To entice you, I’m offering 20% off the annual subscription rate for the next little while (a discount which will persist for the length of your subscription).

Of course, I don’t just write this column. Those of you who are new won’t have heard yet, but I’ve got over thirty books to my name so far—nonfiction books about creativity and the arts, and fiction across a number of genres, all filled with my trademark blend of sarcastic humor and unflinching tragedy. If you’re reading this column, you’re above average in creativity and curiosity (otherwise I’d bore the hell out of you), which means you’re also always on the lookout for stuff to scratch your intellectual and aesthetic itch. If you like this Substack, you’re gonna dig my other stuff. You can find everything currently in print here.

I’m also available for hire. I do:

• Ad copywriting

• Strategic consulting

• Research

• Editing

• Voice over and audiobook narration

• A/V post-production

• Tutoring in English, History, Creative Writing, Psychology, and Systems Analysis

• Photography and portraiture (portfolio available upon request)

My educational adventures led me to a double-major in history and English with a concurrent Master’s program in clinical psychology. I left the academic world to pursue a career as a freelance writer and producer, and have several dozen titles (concerts, albums, podcasts, radio ads, audiobooks, and independent films) to my credit.

I work to deadline, turn things around fast, and enjoy tackling challenging projects with/for people who know what they want.

Kitty NicIaian is also looking for work. She has twenty years solid experience as a Personal/Executive Assistant, Auditor, Editor (for both fiction and non fiction), and graphic designer.

I didn't know how to end this, as shilling my services is the part of freelancing I enjoy least and get the least practice at, so I asked someone for a testimonial.

Superstar Substacker Holly MathNerd has this to say about my work:

"When I was writing about politics, I always knew that, being heterodox (neither lefty enough for the left nor conservative enough for the right) I needed solid receipts to back up all the main points of my arguments. But doing the research myself would often take time I didn't have. I hired Dan to do research several times, and his work was always thorough with a fast turn-around. He has also provided invaluable help on several of the more successful pieces of my Substack -- sometimes full-on editing, but often just reading and giving me strategic feedback for how to improve my argument, presentation, and flow. I trust him implicitly and recommend his services highly."