Freelance Writing

I cannot stress this point enough: if you are a freelance writer, you need to backup your work on a regular basis. This is not the first time that I have said this, and it probably won’t be the last. The reason that I keep harping on this is that I am always hearing horror stories of freelancers who did not do this. Even if you are not a freelance writer, you will still want to back up your work as much as possible.

If you neglect to do this because you think you are invincible, you could be in for a big downfall soon enough. What would you do if you suddenly lost an entire project that is due in a few hours? While you can only hope that this never happens, you would not be the first person to be dealt this cruel hand. But guess what? If you backup your work, it is safe to say that you will not lose any part of your project.

There are many things that can happen that can cause your work to be suddenly deleted. This can include anything from a hard drive malfunction to the power suddenly going out in your office. Just a couple weeks back I was in the midst of a 2,000 word feature article when the power blew. Was this a big deal? It wouldn’t have been if my work was backed up. But since I just started the project that morning, I had yet to save it anywhere. The result: losing two hours of work and being forced to start over at step one.

If you are going to take your freelance writing work seriously, make sure that it is always protected against unforeseen incidents. I know this is easier said than done (see my story above) but it is a very important part of your business. The only thing worse than losing a project that you worked so hard on, is losing a client because you could not deliver their work on time. 

As of late I have received a run of emails on how to become a more productive freelance writer. More specially, people want to know how to manage their time so that they can make the most of each day. I totally agree with wanting to be as productive as possible. After all, freelance writing is one of those careers that pays based on how much work you can do. While this is not always the case, the more time you have the more money you should be able to make.

Here are three freelance writing productivity tips to keep in mind:

1. Make sure that you know what tasks you have to complete before the day begins. As a new freelance writer I never kept track of my daily workload. Instead, I simply worked from the emails that clients sent. While this worked for a bit, soon enough I was getting off track and having a difficult time remembering what I needed to do. My best advice is to write out each task that you need to complete, and then cross it from your list when done.

2. Work at least eight hours a day. This is the amount that you would work at an office job, so you should carry this over to your freelance writing career; at least when you get started. If you are lucky, you may be able to cut back on your working hours after you are established. But until then, make sure that you are working a full day. If you go beyond eight hours, expect to see a huge bump in productivity; just make sure that you do not burn out.

3. Try to get rid of low paying jobs that take up a lot of time. When you replace these jobs with projects that are higher paying, you will notice an increase in your hourly rate. Yes, this is easier said than done, but it should be your goal. Set a goal for how much you want to earn per hour, and then wean out low paying, tedious projects until you get there.

These tips should help you to become a more productive freelance writer. They are all general in nature, and despite the fact that they are basic I still rely on them day in and day out.

To tell you the truth, I never really thought much about the sex of freelance writers in the past. But a few hours back, I saw a picture on John Chow’s blog that got met thinking. He is attending the Affiliate Summit West conference this week, and as usual, is posting pictures for the rest of us to see.

Last night, it appears that John took part in a huge party at Tao nightclub. He stated that this bash was open to all conference attendees. While glancing at the pictures, I noticed that most of the attendees were of the male persuasion. While this may have been a coincidence, it got me thinking about which was more popular: male or female freelance writers. From what I can see, it appears that most affiliate marketers, at least those at Affiliate Summit West, are male. In the second picture of John’s post, I could only find six or so females. This is in comparison to approximately 40 males.

So what do you think about this? Is there a similar trend within the freelance writing industry? From where I sit, I would guess that female freelance writers are a bit more common. But then again, this is a one sided view.

If you do think that one sex is more popular than the other, do you believe there is a reason for this?

While this has nothing to do with becoming a better freelance writer or increasing income, it is something that is fun to think about. Let me know your thoughts!

What is one thing that every freelance writer needs? While there are probably hundreds of answers to this question, one thing comes to my mind: patience. This may sound silly, but over my years in this industry I have found that patience is one trait that every successful freelance writer shares.

Why is patience so important? Here are three reasons why:

1. As a beginner, you will have to go through a trial and error process while growing your career. If you are not patient, there is a good chance that you will end up quitting when things get tough. It is not easy to be patient when everything you do seems to come out wrong, but you simply have to stay calm and keep moving forward.

2. Patience will help you get by when every query letter you send is getting rejected. No matter how talented you are, there will be times when you receive rejection after rejection. You have to be willing to put up with this until something breaks your way. Patience will help you to stay sane even when things are not going your way.

3. It takes time to build a freelance writing career. This holds true with any type of business that you may decide to start from scratch. Sure, some people begin to achieve high levels of success right off the bat; and if you end up being one of these people, good for you. But even if you do have success early on, you will still need to exercise patience as you wait for more clients to come your way, and for more money to make its way to your bank account. There is plenty of time to accomplish all of your goals if you stay patient, and don’t get too far ahead of yourself.

To be a successful freelance writer, you need to be extremely patient. Believe it or not, this is something that you will get better at as your career moves forward. As long as you hang tight and continue to move on, things will break your way and your level of patience will increase. 

Over the past few months, I have noticed more and more freelance writers and webmasters taking shots at one another. Generally speaking, I notice this in two places.

First off, I usually get a couple of emails per week from fellow freelance writers or webmasters who do not like me for one reason or the next. Some of the mail is downright funny, but other times, there are accusations and threats that are out of this world. Obviously, there is no place for this in the freelance writing world; or any other industry for that matter. From all of these emails, I have come to the conclusion that most of these people are simply jealous.

Moving on, if you check out forums such as Digital Point, you will notice the same thing. There are a lot of members who do nothing more than lurk around the forums waiting to shoot down other people, as well as their ideas and dreams. Once again, it is only a small group of people who act like this, but all in all, it can be annoying to say the least. It is people like this who scare away those who have legitimate questions and concerns.

Personally, I feel that the best way to deal with people like this is to simply ignore them. When I get an email stating that my freelance writing income is nothing special, there is no point in writing back. Simply put, I run my career the way that I best see fit, and use this blog as a way to help others.

It always amazes me that some people feel better by tearing others down. If you are being targeted by these jealous types, make sure that you do not get down on yourself. Instead, laugh it off and move on. You are not going to better your career by dealing with people like this! 

Do you make your phone number available to freelance writing clients? This is something that the majority of writers neglect to do. Instead, they would rather communicate with clients via email. While there is nothing wrong with this, sometimes a quick phone conversation is much better.

The first year or so of my freelance writing career, I used my cell phone for work and personal use. Since I was only receiving a couple calls a week, this was no big deal. But as my freelance writing career continued to expand, the number of clients who wanted to talk on the phone also grew. For this reason, I decided to put in a business line. There were two reasons that I did this:

1. To keep my personal and business calls separate. Before, when my cell phone rang I had to guess whether or not it was a business call. But now, since my business line is for professional calls only, when the phone rings I know it is time to talk business. Unless it is a telemarketer on the other end, of course!

2. Having a business line looks more professional to both prospective and current clients. And by putting out a professional appearance, you have a much better chance of landing new work.

As a freelance writer, you do not necessarily need a separate phone line for business. But when you feel that you are getting too many phone calls and that you want to take your business to the next level, you should definitely look into adding another line. Sure, it will cost some money, but in the end it offers many benefits that will help your career.

How do you prefer to receive payment for the freelance writing projects that you complete? If you want to give yourself the chance to make as much money as possible, you should be open to several different payment methods. After all, the more flexible you are, the more clients you will be able to work with.

Personally, PayPal is my number one method for receiving funds. I receive approximately 95 percent of payments this way. Although there are some freelance writers who do not like PayPal, I urge you to give it a try. Sure, there are some horror stories about this service, but in the end it is the most efficient way of getting paid.

From time to time, I also receive money via check and bank wire. During most months I receive two to four checks in the mail, as well as one bank wire. The bank wire is a great method for receiving money because you don’t have to do a thing. Simply sit back and wait for the money to arrive in your account. Additionally, checks are not bad either, but you do have to spend time going to the bank to make a deposit, etc. The nice thing about being paid by check is that you will not get hit with any PayPal or bank wire fees; this means more money for you.

Be open to any method that a client offers. You do not want to lose out on a lucrative job because you can’t agree on how to receive payment.

Just like any business, as a freelance writer you are going to run into clients who are a nightmare to work with. Although you will probably do your best to avoid these people, there is no way of knowing when they are going to pop up in your career. Even if somebody appears to be respectful and easy going when you talk with them the first time, this can change soon enough.

The question is: do you deal with nasty freelance writing clients? Or do you simply get rid of them and move on with your career? Personally, I do not take a stance in one way or the other. Instead, I make a decision on a case by case basis. If you have a hard and fast rule for getting rid of disrespectful clients, you may make the wrong decision from time to time.

There are several things that I take into consideration when trying to decide if I should get rid of a client. First and foremost, it is important to take a close look at what they are doing to you. Are they sending you nasty emails when your work does not meet their expectations? Or are they holding payment over your head in some way, shape, or form? Maybe both? If you are dealing with a serious situation like this, it is time for you to kick the client to the curb. Remember, there is no reason that you should have to take part in these games. Simply put, collect any payment that you are owed, and then send a quick note to the client telling them that it is time to part ways.

Of course, you will want to consider how much the project is paying before you make a rash decision. If you are earning a lot of money from the client, it may be worth it to put up with their bad attitude and snide comments. This is a decision that you will have to make. What is more important to you: money or your self worth? It may depend on what other projects you have going on.

A couple days back I received a note from a past client asking if I was available for work. Although I broke things off with them a few months back because of a slow payment problem, I was feeling generous, so I agreed to hear them out. Before they even sent the details of the new project, an email came across saying that they would not be paying any portion of the project fee upfront. In other words, they wanted me to work for them on their timeline and their terms. It only took me a few seconds to respond and say, “thanks but no thanks.”

If you feel that a client is treating you poorly, it may be time to move on. The bottom line is that you are a professional and you deserve the same respect that you give.

As a freelance writer, one of the best ways to garner business is to show interested clients your past work. Not only will this give them a chance to become familiar with your style, but they will also get the feeling that you are a professional since another company or publication was willing to work with you. As you build your clips folder, you are going to be in a much better position as your freelance writing career moves forward.

If you are lucky enough to have your work published in a magazine or newspaper, it is important to get at least one copy for your records. This will allow you to keep your portfolio up to date. Believe it or not, most publications are more than happy to send you at least one free copy showing your work. In some cases you may have to ask, but this should never be a problem. If for some reason it is, there is nothing wrong with paying for a copy. 

In many cases, your work may not be published in-print, but instead online. If this is where the majority of your work appears, you should still keep track of your accomplishments. The best way to do this is to keep a “links folder” on your computer. This will allow you to organize and save the links to all your articles that have been published online. When sending a cover letter, resume or query via email, you will be able to include these links for the recipient to check out.

As your freelance writing career grows, the size of your clips and link folders are going to get out of control. You may think that this will never happen, but a year from now you will have more samples than you know what to do with. This is why it is very important that you stay organized from day one. The clips and links that you collect will go a long way in helping to secure future work.

While keeping track of these clips and links can be time consuming, you should keep in mind that it is also enjoyable. After all, there is nothing better than seeing your name next to a piece that you put a lot of time into! 

Just like every freelance writer, you are probably most interested in high paying jobs that are fun to work on. For instance, I have completed 1,500 word feature articles on various sporting events for close to $1,000. Unfortunately, these jobs come around only so often. Of course, as you grow your freelance writing career, they are sure to become more and more common.

The question is: what are you going to do until you can build up a decent amount of high paying work? For me, chasing high quantity, average paying projects is the way to go. As you can imagine, “high quantity” and “average pay” means something different to every freelance writer. Generally speaking, it depends on what stage of your career you are in, how fast you work, and what you currently charge clients.

I recently picked up a job that I would describe as high quantity with average pay. I am being paid $250 per week for five articles per day of 250 to 300 words. This is not a large project by any means, and some may even see it as a time waster. But for me, it works out to an extra $1,000 per month for a relatively small amount of work.

If you are searching for jobs that fit these criteria, make sure that you are very careful. You do not want to accept a job that requires 100 articles per month for a total pay of $200. If you do, you will find out soon enough that you are not spending your time wisely. It is always important to breakdown any project offer that you receive. By break down I mean find out how much time you will have to put in, and what per hour rate you will be able to earn. This will give you an answer as to whether or not you should accept the project.

Until you start to consistently reel in high paying regular jobs, you may want to consider those that are high quantity with average pay.