Went to Freelance Camp TO almost 2 weeks ago, and was very impressed by the speakers and the crowd the event drew. So first off, I’d like to express a major thank you to all the organizers, sponsors and volunteers!

I met a lot of interesting people and again, I found I was the only MISt present. (Note to info professionals: if we want people to understand the value of what we do, we really need to get out more! And don’t be shy. When I went to the Health 2.0, everyone I met admitted they love librarians.)

Anyways, being the informationista that I am, I have compiled a handy bibliography after the “cut” based on resources from the Toronto Public Library. Resources here focus on beginner freelancers but some resources should be useful to all levels; please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments as well!

Freelance Bibliography @ TPL

last update: November 9/10

Databases & E-Resources

Marketline: Marketline is a very powerful and expensive database and a boon for freelancers conducting market research. It is an excellent source of business information with company profiles (scope out your competitors and learn from their strategies), industry profiles (learn where your industry is headed), and country information. Reports are current and easy to read, providing PESTLE, 5 Forces and SWOT analysis. UPDATE: Marketline is now merging with another database (Business Insights) to become Datamonitor 360. Finding the same information on the new interface is a bit tricky. Feel free to leave me a tweet @cyborgess if you need any help!

FP Advisor: Great source for Canadian business information. It’s a database that requires a bit of exploration as there are databases within this one database. For starters, you can use this database to search for industry information.

Canadian Business & Current Affairs: Research industry news or find older information on this database. Hint: use the link near the top of the database to select multiple databases at once to search in and save time! Also consider Canadian Newstand or CPI.Q.

E-STAT: Census information will help you understand demographic trends for your business. Also see Canada’s 2006 census.

Market Share Reporter: An invaluable resource. Exactly what the title says. A powerful compilation of stats, with the sources provided. Know your competitors!

Books

My So-Called Freelance Life: A well organized how-to guide written in a friendly, witty style. Jam packed full of great hints and tips. Geared toward women, which is reflected in design and writing style, but still has relevant information for men. Bonus point: it’s small enough to slip into your purse for subway reading.

The Accidental Entrepreneur: A concise how-to guide with great advice, lists and exercises to guide you in thinking more in depth about your own freelance style, set concrete goals for yourself and learn what business strategies are best for you.

The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers and the Self-Employed: An excellent resource full of very handy checklists and templates to help you budget your business and get organized about your finances. If you are hesitant to approach managing the dry stuff like taxes, this book is highly recommended.

Business Plan, Business Reality: Although this is geared more toward small business owners than freelancers, this book is comprehensive in scope and chock full of helpful information and factors you should consider. Like The Money Book, this resource has all manner of templates for logistics, finances, etc. that you can use/photocopy. A great intro to topics like marketing, insurance, legal considerations, and it’s all Canadian info.

N.B. TPL also has a lot of industry specific freelancing books for journalism, editing, design, etc.

And now I’m turning this post over to you. Do you have any favourite books, magazines, websites, blogs, Twitter feeds, etc. about freelancing? Please consider adding that in a comment below. Thanks!

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