Hi book supporters, 
 
I am delighted to be able to share the book cover for The Pyjama Myth! 
 
<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/PM_APPROVED_copy__281_29.jpg?v=1690913806" width="326" height="500"> 
 
Isn't it lovely? I love how positive it feels – that's very much the vibe of the book and I'm so pleased it's captured in the cover. It's so bold and cheerful, and it it will definitely draw attention in bookshops. I hope you love it as much as I do. 
 
<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/PM_pbk_packshot_copy__281_29.jpg?v=1690913806" width="500" height="500"> 
 
The next few stages are a lot of fun – copy editing, tweaking, polishing – all of the things that make the book shine before it gets into your hands. Thank you all for being incredibly patient, I know it's going to be worth the wait! 
 
Sian 
x

The Pyjama Myth COVER REVEAL!

The relief when you finish a huge project is palpable. Hitting send on the book manuscript felt exhausting and brilliant in equal measure. My to-do list was finally free of the thing that had been lurking on it for months! I could play video games without the nagging feeling of guilt dragging me back to my desk. 
 
You've already had the email telling you that the book has gone into the development edit stage. What does this mean? It means an editor has spent the last few weeks poring over my 58,000 words and properly honing them. Giving them a bit more shape. Flagging every single time I use the word "really" (234, apparently). It's more than a lick and a polish (that comes later), it's about pulling out my themes and ideas, and making the book really shine (there's another really). After you've spent over a year staring at the same document, you need someone else to do this. You can't see your work any more. 
 
Something's happening while you're waiting for that edit to come back (not just biting your nails because you're incredibly nervous about what someone outside of your early readers might think). You don't realise it, but you're preparing yourself for the next stage. You relax and rest, because goodness knows you need it. And you have some much-needed time away from your work so you can be objective about it again. I didn't realise until this week how important that breathing space was. 
 
Yesterday the edits landed back in my inbox. And today I'm ready for them. I'm going in. 
 
Sian 
x

Here's what's happening now

Hi everyone, 
 
An update on The Pyjama Myth has been a long time coming! I’ll give you the short version: the first draft is complete! I’ve been bribing myself with cake every 5000 words. As a writing tool I really recommend it.

The longer version of this update is that the first draft needs a lot of work – more than the initial optimistic deadline that I set myself allows. Writing through a pandemic and dealing with a bout of mental health issues recently mean that I need a little more time to get those words into top shape. There’s a really great book in that draft, one that’s more intricate and involved than my initial outline, and I really want to explore this fully.

So a little more time is what I’ve got: a few more months before I submit this version and get to work on it with the good folk at Unbound. I hope that I’ll be working on the development edit with Unbound early in the new year, which pushes publication back a little. I know that this time will make for the best and most useful book that I can write for freelancers.

Thanks again for all of the support and cheerleading, it really means a lot. 
 
Sian

All of the right words in the wrong order

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/happy.gif?v=1690913802" width="500" height="375">


There's a huge mountain to climb when you're crowdfunding. 100% funded is the end goal - the book doesn't happen otherwise. It's a huge way to the summit and the significant points along the way: your first ten supporters, then 20%, 40%, 75% – are all steps towards that huge goal. And because it's such a long journey – The Pyjama Myth is 42% funded as I type this – it's so easy to whoosh straight past milestones without pausing for breath.

And so it often is with freelancing.

I've always been target-driven. In many ways, freelance writing works with this mentality. When you work for a large organisation you often have other people meddling with your goals. You have other people's targets and aims (and meetings that could have been emails) to juggle. When you're freelance, you can focus on what's most important to you. Sometimes that's your imminent deadline, but sometimes it's a newsletter about <a href="http://bit.ly/FreelanceWritingJobsUK">freelance writing jobs</a>, or a spark of an idea for a book pitch. The freelancers I know are always busy working on something.

And we don't always remember to pause and look at what we've achieved.

When you get that big commission, you're already planning the outline. When that big invoice finally gets paid after you put pressure on the accounts department, you're busy chasing two more. Your celebration lunch is cereal because you don't have time to go to the shops. Maybe it's Weetos, though. Awesome.

I think when we stop and celebrate the smaller achievements, our bigger goals are much more manageable. 
 
We're often told that success is a destination, but that's not true. A goal is a moveable feast. By the time you reach it, it's changed into something bigger, something that you couldn't have even imagined a year ago.

I can't reach my target or my goal without going through every single step. There's no shortcut here. The 10th pledge for The Pyjama Myth is just as important to me as the 100th. The first is just as significant as the last.

We're so focussed on being productive that we don't take a moment to recognise that we did something really cool. And we don't often have colleagues around to tell us. We forget to stop for a minute in the flurry of our huge to-do lists.  
 
I'm going to try and do a bit more of that. Not just in freelancing, but with crowdfunding, too. I'm hugely, overwhelmingly grateful for every single pledge so far (all 308 of you!) and I know that every single one is playing a huge part in the book becoming a reality. I'm so excited for the next steps and milestones that I hope will follow, but today I'm just taking a moment to be thankful for it all.

On celebrating the small things

Hi Pyjama Myth supporters! 
 
I've been crowdfunding for a whole month now, and it's absolutely flown by. Your support means the world, this book literally cannot happen without you. Last week on Twitter I <a href="https://twitter.com/SianySianySiany/status/1157273140394901504">wrote a series of tips</a> for becoming a better, happier freelancer. Here they are, with some extras added for that all-important Added Value Content.

1. Your freelance writing career won’t look exactly how you imagined it would and this is a brilliant thing. Don’t stick to what you feel like you “should” be doing. Follow your own path. You can totally change your “niche” if you want. You’re the boss of you.

2. We don’t talk about rejection enough. Your peers *are* being rejected. All the time. Daily. In the time it took you to read this. Don’t get hung up on other people’s successes or failures. The only way you’ll be successful is to focus on your own work.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="194" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/bigdeal.gif?v=1690913798" width="346">


3. All writers need editing. Especially the ones who think they don’t. Use it to learn how to make your work better. Don’t be Giles Coren.

4. Don’t put off dealing with tax. You owe it to your mental health to get your finances in order. Seriously. Do it now.

5. Keep pitching even when you’ve got work on. It sounds counter-intuitive until you finish a contract and have nothing to move on to.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="404" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/eyeroll.gif?v=1690913798" width="402">


6. Don’t continue to work with people who make you feel bad for asking for money that you are owed. They do not value you, your work, or your time.

Not every company that screws up a payment is terrible. Human error is a thing, mistakes happen. How companies deal with those mistakes is really important.

7. You’re not in competition with everyone. Make friends. Freelancing can be lonely.

8. Start your own projects, if only so you have something to work on instead of constantly refreshing your inbox.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="267" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/emailsbritney.gif?v=1690913798" width="500">


9. Stop refreshing your inbox. Go and write something.

10. People will try to copy what you do, but they will always do it badly. You’re the one with the good ideas, and you will keep creating brilliant things.

11. Say yes to scary/exciting things. Especially weird stuff. This is how I ended up in the Arctic Circle. And erm... sleeping in a haunted plague pit.

12. But learn when to say no, too. There are only 24 hours in a day, spend some of them asleep. Or playing Mario Kart. Or eating spaghetti. Or reading books. Or having sex.

13. Don’t make yourself sick for work. No one is impressed with how much you work, only the end result. Put your wellbeing and health first.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="280" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/kermit.gif?v=1690913798" width="500">


14. Most deadlines are movable. Editors are understanding if you keep them in the loop and discuss issues as they happen. Don’t wait until an hour after your copy is due.

15. Everyone you know (and sometimes people you don’t!) will want to “pick your brains”. You get to decide how much of your expertise you share, but remember that you don’t owe anyone anything.

16. Make friends with people in accounts departments. If nothing else it’ll make inevitable invoice chasing less of a bitch. Oh, and start adding late payment charges to your invoices.

17. The Impossible Task on your to-do list will take much less time than you think. Tick it off now.

18. Your writing will improve so much in the next 12 months that occasionally you’ll stumble upon a familiar article and won’t even recognise that it’s your work.

19. Anyone who emails you about an "amazing opportunity” is about to ask you to do something for free.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="270" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/cereal.gif?v=1690913798" width="480">


20. Always have cereal in the house - sometimes you will be too busy to cook/prepare lunch, but you are never too busy for cereal. Ditto toast.

21. Don’t forget to celebrate the small achievements. Sometimes they can pass you by if you move onto the next thing on your list.

22. Even on days when work is kicking your ass, being a freelance writer means that you get to shape how your work day looks. You get to shape your career to suit you. And sometimes you get to do that in your pyjamas. Ain’t that great?

23. Always know what you're pitching. Don't expect an editor to decide for you. Otherwise you could end up with 6000 words to write instead of 600, or vice versa.

24. Remember that no one in an office is productive for a solid eight hours every day, and you don't need to be. Pay attention to your productivity times - creative in the mornings? Don't spend that time on emails. Lose focus in the afternoons? Save that time for admin or mindless tasks. And if you're a night owl, lean into it until it becomes antisocial.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="379" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/flowersalice.gif?v=1690913798" width="500">


25. Leave the house. Even if it's just to get milk for all that cereal you've been eating. Some of the best ideas happen when you get some fresh air. Some of them happen because you also bought a bag of Hula Hoops.

26. You won't always get feedback on your work, especially if you're not in an office with your colleagus. You need to find the joy in what you're doing yourself.

27. Ice cream is an acceptable lunch when it's the only thing left in your kitchen and you're on a deadline.

28. Work falls through sometimes, contracts end early, three pieces can turn into one. Don't bank on anything (or mentally spend your commission on dresses and cake) until you've agreed everything. Get that brief in writing. You're the one who stands to lose if you don't.

29. When you haven't spoken to anyone all day, your sudden enthusiasm for chat will scare your postman, your neighbour, the guy who has come to read the meter and the chap in the shop who just needs £3.48 from you and there's a queue forming.


 <img alt="" class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="/images/12044/preview/medium" width="500">


30. Treat yourself to a fancy lunch every now and again, or take yourself off on an adventure in the middle of the day. It is truly one of the best perks of freelance life. 
 
If you haven't supported The Pyjama Myth yet, I would love it so much if you did. It's going to be packed with helpful, useful guidance to help you become a better and a happier freelance writer. If you know someone else who might love the book, send a link their way. 
 
Thanks for reading, 
Sian

30 tips for becoming a better, happier freelancer

Self-employment has never been a more popular career path, and for thousands of writers, freelancing is becoming an appealing – and sometimes necessary – option. But alongside the benefits of a freelance career come very real obstacles that are daunting for anyone going it alone. We all need some guidance. 
Sian Meades-Williams – freelance writer, editor and founder of the Freelance Writing Jobs newsletter – knows all too well that while freelancing doesn’t come with hard and fast rules, sometimes there is a wrong way to go about things. Drawing on her extensive experience and dozens of industry interviews, she pulls back the curtain with tips on how to get out of your pyjamas and pitch effectively, find new ideas and hone your voice, build a network of contacts, deal with edits and editors, cope with rejection, know your worth and get more money for your work, manage your finances, deal with late payments and file your taxes, care for your physical and mental health and ultimately find a path to success that makes you happy.
Inspiring, optimistic and – above all – real, The Pyjama Myth is an essential, practical survival guide for anyone embarking on their career, established freelance writers and everyone in between.
 ‘Invaluable … A wonderful, warts and all book written in a friendly, approachable manner. I wish I’d had a book like this years ago’ Simon Brew

What's in the book?
Starter For Ten You’re doing it, you’re making the jump into freelance writing. You’ve got your new notebooks and a cup of tea. You’ve made your “personal news” announcement on Twitter (excellent gif choice, by the way). You’re even sitting at your kitchen table and not your sofa. So what do you do now? The chapter covers the really early days. You can start freelancing without having a clue what you’re doing – I certainly did – but if you’re smart you’ll have a plan.
“Where do you get your ideas from?”
Your friends and family will ask this question at every single opportunity so this chapter will help you find an answer. This chapter not only talks about ideas, it covers how you spot a unique angle when everyone is talking about the same thing. It’ll also help you muster up ideas even when you are adamant that everything in the world has been written about already.
Pitch perfect
Got a great idea? This chapter will tell you what to do with it: how to hone your pitch, how make it something that an editor cannot refuse and how to spin your idea instead a feature that’s what you really want to write. It will also cover what you should absolutely not do in your pitches.
Writing’s on the wall
This book isn’t a writer’s manual, but this chapter shares tips and stories to help you improve what you do best. It’s about nailing the house style, improving your editing process and polishing your redrafts so the copy gets the thumbs up and you get future commissions.
#selfpromotion
AKA “can I be a successful writer without a Twitter account?” (The answer is a resounding yes, by the way.)
The bad and the ugly
What to do when things are going down the pan. This chapter covers the bad stuff no one else talks about: dealing with rejection, imposter syndrome, the green-eyed monster (you will suffer from it regularly so we’ll talk about how to harness it for good rather than evil). The chapter will also address burnout. It is real, and it is scary.
File under W for writer
If you think freelancing is all writing features in the park under a tree, skip straight to this chapter. We really need to have a conversation about tax. And deadlines. And folders and colour-coding and all the things you’ve been putting off while choosing brilliant gifs. You need a schedule, you need spreadsheets. You need a budget. Most importantly, you need goals.
The side hustle
Seemingly everyone’s got a side hustle but when you work for yourself it’s really hard to tell if you have one or not (maybe it’s just five different jobs that keep you awake at night?!) This chapter talks seriously – and critically – about the multi-gig economy.
It’s not about the money 
You’ll spend approximately 73% of your time as a freelancer sending perky emails while you cry on the sofa about paying your rent. This is the money chapter and it will help you get paid and keep on top of your finances. It’ll also answer the age old question: should you ever work for free?

The Pyjama Myth: The Freelance Writer's Survival Guide

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