I'm very much a specialist. I have lots of interests that I would like to write about - politics, popular culture, travel - but my name isn't Anthony Lane and unlike Caitlin Flanagan, I don't get invited to dinner parties attended by editors at The Atlantic. What I do know that they don't is how to read a financial statement, explain how SEC regulations will affect Web hosting companies, and edit a textbook on monetary policy.

Many freelancers think that they'll get more work if they are generalists. If they can write about anything, then editors will find a way to use them. Actually, that's not how it works. Editors are busy people. They'll call people they know who understand the assignment. If you have a specialty, the editor will think of you first when your subject comes up. If you are a generalist, you won't get the first call.

In addition, specializing helps you work more efficiently. Once you've mastered the background research, you know who to talk to, what questions to ask, and how different people are affected. I write a lot for a newsletter that covers SEC compliance matters, and I have written other articles on how SEC regulations affect different industry groups. I don't write the same story and I don't reuse quotes (I rarely even have to reuse sources), but I've saved a few hours of valuable time that I can use on other projects or to spend at the Y.

To start specializing, pick a subject that you like where you have a few clips. Research the area, and keep your queries on that topic. Remind editors that you are the expert! Eventually, they'll catch on and think of you when they need an article on your specialty.

But here's the real secret of specializing - no one ever said that you had to have one specialty. You may position yourself as an expert on exercise with one editor, a hard-core foodie with another, and a pet lover with a third. That's more productive than telling all three editors, "I can write about anything!"

(As specialized as I am about business, I also know a lot about family travel by rail. If you want a story about great train rides for kids in Ireland, New Mexico, or New York City, my email is annielogue@gmail.com.)