They are outspoken and enthusiastic while selling their clients` products and services, but are hopelessly shy and reticent about blowing their own horns.

They grumble and gripe about their clients being disorganized and unfocused, but are terminally disorganized and unfocused themselves.

>> Yes, the situation is awash with irony

The thing I hear most from freelance writers is that they feel too shy to promote their own services aggressively.

They won`t make cold calls.

They won`t speak at local business events, at conventions or conferences.

They have never written a direct sales letter to send out to prospective clients.

The result? The result is tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenues.

>> Stranger and stranger...

I would hazard a guess that the majority of freelance writers make only a fraction of the money they could.

Their time is spent inefficiently. They work for too long on jobs that pay too little. They fail to replace low-paying clients with high-paying clients. They fail to negotiate higher fees for their work. They never outsource to other writers and make money on the margin. They pay too much tax. They put no money aside. Their cash-flow is horrible. Their promotional efforts are zero. And so on and so on...

It`s a ridiculous situation. Why ridiculous? Because as freelance writers we expect to get paid well for the very set of skills we fail to use on our own behalf.

>> Double your income by getting serious about your business

Yes, if you work as a freelance writer, you are running a business. And as a business, you need to take things seriously.

Can you really double your income? Of course you can. Just use your time more efficiently and get more and better-paying clients.

We all know we have too many days when we don`t get as much work done as we should. That`s fine if you want to view yourself as a lone `artiste` struggling with writer`s block. But it won`t cut the mustard if you view what you do as a serious business. Use your time efficiently. Get the work done.

And promote your services. If you are truly too shy to pick up the phone or speak in front of a crowd, at least use your writing skills and create a promotional sales package you can send out to prospective clients.

And here`s the easiest way to double your income: get better clients and negotiate higher fees. In fact, the better the quality of client, the more open they will be to negotiation, and the more they will respect your work.

>> Concluding thoughts...

The first step to doubling your income this year is to change your attitude about your work. Think of yourself as a BUSINESS. You are. And apply all the disciplines that are used when running a business. Aim to make money. Organize your time. Get the job done.

It isn`t so very hard. And the result will be that you`ll make a great deal more money, and will probably enjoy your work a lot more at the same time.