At the end of last week I blogged about having finished the book My So-Called Freelance Life by Michelle Goodman.  At Kiki's suggestion, I thought I would share a little more about it with all of you since so many of us are interested in some form of freelancing.  

I have looked at several books on freelancing (and purchased a few) and this is by far the most comprehensive and least boring.  Goodman covers every single thing any beginning freelancer could want to know and lots of things I would not have thought to ask.  She discusses all these things in a tone that makes you want to keep reading.  I particularly liked the introduction, which is titled, "Eat, Pray, Quit", and deals with whether or not you are ready to leave your job and do full-time freelancing.

The chapters cover: drafting a business plan, getting real with your finances, what you need and don't need in an office, licenses, lawyers, getting and keeping clients, how to make a sales pitch and negotiate terms, understanding contracts, dealing with the client from hell, getting your cash flow and savings in check, paying taxes as a freelancer, etc.  It also includes resources throughout the book, as well as a short list of resources at the end of the book.

There were a lot of things in these pages that I had no idea were essential knowledge for freelancers.  I would highly encourage you to pick this book up if you are interested in learning more and getting started.