Too Lazy to Work Too Nervous to Steal: How to Have a Great Life As a Freelance Writer

By John Clausen

An experienced freelancer shares his knowledge of how to succeed as well as anecdotes of the times he didn't in this entertaining book. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 089879997X
• ISBN13: 9780898799972
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Have A Great Life As a Freelance Writer... In under a week?

I'm an English major at the University of Texas at Austin with ajournalism background. I have to thank John Clausen for writing "Too Nervous To Steal...". Despite my predeliction towards writing of all sorts, I thought I would only be able to make money from it as a full time journalist or (as my hope is) as a novelist. My mother, a successful librarian, offered a copy of this book to me that some patron had donated but the library did not intend to stock. I read it on a three hour trip to Ingelside Naval Station (I'm also a midshipman in the NROTC program) on Saturday. By yesterday morning I had an interview with a client, a law firm. Using the principles Mr. Clausen outlined in his book, I obtained my first assignment and was paid last night when I turned the assignment in.Without his book, I would not have known where to go to obtain the client nor how to negotiate during the interview. The law firm intends to use me again for other assignments in several categories. Last week I was living on ramen and one dollar worth of gas in my tank. This week I have a steady client and options for further expansion. I also was informed that I won an essay contest worth a small amount of cash. Suffice to say, it's nice to see my writing make the account balance go up, rather than the other direction.I only regret that I was not the individual who purchased the book originally. I'd consider it an investment to see that Mr. Clausen made enough to continue in his ability to help new freelance writers.

Different from most, if not all

Other books have that same message: "You CAN get into freelance writing." I've read many of those. A few chapters in and you get to their "easy" how-to's: Why, you simply open up the ol' Rolodex and start contacting all those folks you met during your days as a staff writer at [insert major magazine title here]. Yeah. Easy.What makes this book different is that John Clausen does NOT assume that the editor of Family Circle or Sports Illustrated are old work buddies you can just call up for a favor. Yet he still makes freelancing look accessible and manageable instead of daunting. and his writing style is far more user-friendly than most. (I'd hate to have to count how many 'encouraging' books on writing start with chapter after chapter of DIScouragement first!)If you're really serious - and you're really scared (or even just a little clueless on where to start) - this is the book you should read FIRST.

Excellent!

John Clausen's book is excellent. It is both entertaining and informative. Every chapter contains a bit of wisdom in the writing field and a small personal story that tugs the reader along for the ride. I've found most "How-To" books dull and unimpressive. Clausen's book is neither. I was entranced from the opening to the end.As a comparison, I've read "Stephen King's On Writing" this month as well, and Clausen's book, was far more entertaining and informative. Where King would include endless pages of self-dramatizing autobiography, Clausen would wax poetic with stories about writers, which actually relate to the message he is trying to convey in each chapter. It is not often that I can pick up a non-fiction book and laugh until I fall out of my chair, and learn something in the process. Clausen's book accomplished this feat.

Great motivation.

John Clausen, a North Dakota farm boy whose earlier careers also included mobile home delivery man and carnival barker, found his calling as a freelance writer, and has become one of the best in the business. His book is as much a freewheeling autobiography as it is a blueprint for success as a writer -- in advertising, direct mail, magazine features, public relations, and marketing/consulting. Clearly this is a profession that can be tailored to an individual's talents and preferences. For most freelancer wannabes, the hardest part is gaining the confidence to make the commitment. That is where this book works best --- Clausen gives you the motivation to get up off your duff and do it: you'll work for yourself, you'll make as much money as your drive permits, and you'll have time to stop and smell the coffee. A great read.

You'll love this book

I read every how-to book for writers I can get my hands on, and this is the most entertaining I've ever read.If you are a freelance writer or want to be one, you'll find inspiration, motivation, sensible advice, and great ideas here. Highly recommended.