Emma Hitt's Medical Writing Blog

Medical conference coverage — one way to see the world

admin — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:37:36 +0000

For the experienced medical writer, covering (ie, “writing news or information about”) a medical conference is a great way to stay updated in an area of expertise, to build relationships with key opinion leaders (ie, the very well known expert docs in an area) and to keep your writing and interviewing skills sharp by having really tight deadlines.

Some of us even think of covering conferences as “fun” – a break from the daily grind of working on a long article in our pyjamas in the home office (oh poor us!). You can travel the world covering conferences. I have been on paid-for trips to places like Sydney, Budapest, Paris, Copenhagen, Marseilles, Honolulu, and Singapore. I am going to Cape Town, South Africa this month.

For more info on the ins and outs of finding conference coverage gigs and how to do it, go to http://tinyurl.com/nfdygq

Attitude of gratitude

admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:47:20 +0000

Hey, it’s weird out there isn’t it? I’ve had more projects stall and cancel this month than ever before and past due checks from clients who have never ever been late ever. An editor I have known and worked with practically my whole career was just let go from her job of 12 years due to a “reorganization” of her company. Shocking.

Well. What can you do?

Appreciate what you have I suppose. Any little or big project. Any new client. Any on time check. They are all going to get a little more appreciation than before.

What’s your plan?

Freelance Customer Service

admin — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:25:12 +0000

Providing great customer service as a freelance writer requires time, energy, expense, and a well-developed ability to let minor irritations bounce off you. Not all freelancers are especially skilled at this, but it is more important than ever to get skilled at it if you want to maintain your income as a freelance medical writer.

I’ve included some things you can do to ramp up your customer service in a recent article, available here

Try implementing a few of them and see if your repeat business doesn’t increase.

See more articles on freelance medical writing here.

Dr. Jeanne Calle

admin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:34:57 +0000

It is with great sadness that I wanted to comment on the death of Jeanne Calle, a prominent cancer researcher who lived here in Atlanta. She worked at the American Cancer Society for years and was murdered in her home by a 22-year old man posing as a buyer of her condo earlier this week.

Dr. Calle, who was only 57 years old, was gracious enough to come and talk to the S.E. AMWA chapter about her work. I also had the chance to interview her a couple of times, and she stood out because she was so articulate, friendly, and helpful.

It is a tragic loss.

Rocky Economy

admin — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:20:03 +0000

At the time of this writing, the US economy is a bit rocky, and some of us freelancers are wondering how things are going to pan out over the next few months. I say don’t panic.

There will always be a need for skilled writers who can get their head around scientific and medical topics. We will just have to get more intense about our marketing efforts and treat our current clients like gold (if we don’t already).

I am inclined to believe the going market rate for good writing will remain about a high as it ever was or won’t decline that much. We’ll see.

To access my recent article (Feb 12, 2009) on pricing your work in a changing economy, please visit my articles page