In May, mediabistro's first book, Get a Freelance Life, by Margit Feury Ragland, goes on sale. It's a soup-to-nuts guide on being a success -- everything from deciding whether freelancing is the right choice for you, to getting and keeping key contacts, negotiating contracts and managing tight deadlines.

We're releasing this excerpt from Chapter 2 to AvantGuild members ahead of publication. And in May and June we'll be running panels in cities throughout the U.S. on how to "Get a Freelance Life," hosted by successful freelancers and experts. You can find the one nearest you on this page [come see me if you're in Chicago!] Here's part of the excerpt:

Remember these key tips when creating your freelancing resume:

* Keep it relatively simple and straightforward. Nothing too fancy or flowery, unless you're hoping to pitch a gardening story to Martha Stewart Living. Use a clean font, in an easy-to-read size. Go with traditional, white or off-white résumé paper.

* You might want to skip the "objective" (it's not necessary to say, "I'm hoping to obtain some freelance writing assignments") and instead consider including three or four bullet points illustrating why an editor should toss some assignments your way. For example, mention your nutrition background if you want to develop diet plans for women's magazines. Or play up your ability to meet tight deadlines, even if it's in an entirely different line of work. If you've worked as a physician's assistant, bring to the forefront your ability to interview people and get them to reveal personal information quickly and accurately - that's a valuable skill for an investigative reporter.

* Keep it fresh. Because freelancers are often involved in many small projects at once, it's important to keep your résumé updated. For instance, if you have an article in a publication currently on the newsstand, be sure that fact is featured prominently on your résumé. If you are just finishing up two or three assignments that are scheduled for future issues of a publication, you might not want to reveal the title or specific topic of the article, but you can state the assigning publication. For example, under your list of recent work, you can write "Family Circle: How-to article to appear in upcoming issue." If you know the actual issue when the piece will run, list the issue date. Once that date arrives, update your résumé to list the exact title of the article and verify the issue.

* Consider creating several different resumes if you plan to write on different topics for different kinds of publications. One version might focus on your background in finance and another on your culinary expertise. Tailoring your sales pitch always helps you close the deal.

* Be sure to use strong, action words - it sells you better, and it shows you can write. Instead of saying you're "good at making things sound exciting," describe yourself as a "prolific writer." Instead of saying you'll "hand in error-free assignments," talk about yourself as "meticulous."

Read on here, if you're an AG member.