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3d1ff626
Community Member

Question about portfolios for writers

Hi,

 

I'm new to Upwork and looking for some advice on portfolio building for writers. I've been lucky and successful here so far. I have two clients for large fixed-price projects and am in talks with a third. These projects are all fairly extensive and should keep me pretty busy for awhile, but I want to improve my profile going forward. Specifically, I want to build a strong portfolio but am not sure how to best go about that.

 

The success I've had has been with medical writing projects, working in healthcare for years has been a big help for me, and I think it's something I'd like to specalize in on Upwork. I want to build a portfolio that reflects my writing style for those sorts of projects. However, most of the nonfiction writing I've been paid for in the past is ghostwriting, so it can't be used. The Upwork clients I already have are also ghostwriting, so I won't be able to use those after they're done. I've written other pieces online, but they are mostly humor or pop culture related, and don't fit the tone of what I want for my portfolio. I don't want to use anything i've written that's fiction for the same reason.

 

The pieces I've been sending as samples with proposals are in word documents, and not published, so I don't want to use those in my portfolio either. 

 

Should I be creating content specifically for my portfolio? Since I've already found work here, should I not worry about my portfolio for now and build it once I have pieces through clients I can use?

 

Any advice would be fantastic!

 

 

11 REPLIES 11
tlbp
Community Member

Yes. Create content specifically for your profile. Woman Happy

e_luneborg
Community Member

I don't have a portfolio, and I'm doing just fine without one. I see other writers insisting on that you should have one, so I have thought about creating one as soon as I have the time. Maybe next year...

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researchediting
Community Member

Stephanie,

 

Publishers traditionally extend the courtesy of reprinting or claiming credit, particularly for portfolio use, to "paternal" (original/actual) authors.

You may ask publishers/copyright holders for this permission after the fact. With a hesitating client, you may try to negotiate your credit down to something like "developmental editing." For work done on Upwork, you may simply upload the item to your portfolio; Upwork automatically contacts the client for permission on an opt-in basis—where silence is taken as consent—and will release the item for portfolio use if there is no response.

For future work, you may present clients at the outset with a contract that specifies the rights you wish to retain upon copyright transfer, or the courtesies you request.

 

Best,

Michael

tlsanders
Community Member

I've never used a portfolio, here or in any other context since the days when I'd carry a binder to an onsite interview. If that's done me any harm, I can't tell--I have to turn down work nearly every week because I'm fully booked.

ryzaack
Community Member

 

Having a portfolio will help potential clients decide whether or not to invite you to work for them. This makes the portfolio a two-way street as the client might not like the writing in one of your examples which may be outdated or not contain your best work.

 

Bottom line: If you're going to create one, make sure your portfolio contains your absolute best work.

 

I think that having / using a portfolio is smewhat contingent on the type of writing you do.

 

Because the bulk of my U work is for client websites I have a number of items in my portfolio - all of which link to the client website.  If I do collateral projects for them - those are an easy add.

 

Clients actually gain some exposure and sales (client verified, BTW).  

 

No matter what field you're in, it is important to ask client permission first.  

 

 

shahrus
Community Member

I know this is rather late, but here's my 2 cents' worth.

 

I started on this site back in the neolithic when it was still called Odesk. To get work, I faithfully put up samples of my portfolio, but most of my first jobs were ghostwriting ones. To build up my reputation, I asked clients for permission to include their pieces in my portfolio.

 

Some were fine with it, while others went berzerk at the mere suggestion and threatened death, destruction, and mayhem. Fortunately, most took a middle route -- include them, but make sure they're heavily excised. An even smaller few kept changing their minds which drove me out of mine. 

 

My solution was to remove my entire portfolio and put up a note that reads: Samples Available Upon Request.

 

I now send, or offer to, samples that I think are relevant to what the client may want, whle keeping my portfolio section blank. 

Russell, you know that the same issues regarding client permission apply when sending samples directly as when posting them in your portolio, right?

Update 'cos I failed to include this earlier -

 

Work done for non-Upwork clients does not appear in my U. portfolio for a number of reasons. When these jobs are applicable to a particular RFP I include links or PDFs to them in my proposal. (Again, I have client approval to use these jobs as portfolio pieces.)

 

Why I don't keep non-U work in my U portfolio:

- Avoidance of idjits looking for work from hassling clients

- Outright theft by 'providers' claiming the work as their own

 


@Wendy C wrote:

Update 'cos I failed to include this earlier -

 

Work done for non-Upwork clients does not appear in my U. portfolio for a number of reasons. When these jobs are applicable to a particular RFP I include links or PDFs to them in my proposal. (Again, I have client approval to use these jobs as portfolio pieces.)

 

Why I don't keep non-U work in my U portfolio:

- Avoidance of idjits looking for work from hassling clients

- Outright theft by 'providers' claiming the work as their own

 


 That was the source of my initial hesitation for including portfolio items. 

Yes. But I had issues with some changing their minds in the past, even though they set the parameters of what I could or could not show. As a newbie, back then, I wanted to avoid further hassles, so I just removed them all.