To minimize downtime and ensure a full writing schedule, you have to create a demand for what you are selling. And one way to make sure you are always in demand is to specialize.

You can specialize in a subject: gardening, content management, wastewater management, investments, interpersonal skills, health and fitness. Or you can specialize in a format or medium: multimedia presentations, Web sites, e-mail marketing, direct mail, speeches, annual reports.

Must you specialize? No. But as a rule, specialists earn more than generalists, are more in demand, and have an easier time finding work than generalists.

A few more words about specializing:

* Being a specialist and a generalist are not mutually exclusive. You can develop a specialty -- even several specialties -- and still take on general assignments as they come up. My friend Richard Armstrong has three specialties: writing direct mail for publishers; speechwriting; and political fundraising. Dan Poynter also has three specialties: parachuting, self-publishing, and being an expert witness.

* The narrower and more focused your specialty, the greater your value to clients and editors who need someone to write on those subjects. An example of a narrow focus is mutual funds, a sub-topic within the broader area of investing and personal finance.

* The less popular your specialty is with other writers, the greater your competitive edge. If you are only one of a handful of known experts on your topic, the demand for your writing services will exceed the supply, and you can pick and choose your assignments.

10. The secret to getting repeat business. The most profitable assignments in freelance writing are repeat assignments from current clients.

Why? Because you are familiar with the client and their organization, your need to learn about them diminishes with each new assignment. You can charge the same price per job, or maybe even more if they like you. But you can do the jobs much faster because of the knowledge you have accumulated.

How do you get lucrative repeat assignments?

* Give every writing job your best effort. The more satisfied the client, the more likely they are to give you another job.

* Provide excellent customer service. Don’t be a prima donna. Clients avoid working with writers perceived as difficult or demanding.

* Ask the editor or client for another project. Often you won’t get the work unless you ask.

Doing good work stimulates referrals as well as repeat business. Freelancer Charles Flowers was chosen to write A Science Odyssey, a companion volume for the PBS series, because the editor knew him from another project.

May I share a secret with you? In the aftermath of 9/11 and with the anthrax scare, my main business -- writing direct mail -- got hit hard. And 2002 was the worst year I’d had in some time. Yet despite that, I still grossed well over $300,000.

The point? There is no “bad time” or “good time” for freelance writing. There is only now. And right now, you can make $100,000 a year writing. Just follow the advice above and watch the checks come rolling in.

Written by: M H Ahsan