Freelance Writing

Expand your areas of expertise, and you can expand the amount of money that you earn. As a freelance writer, you may not think that this makes sense. But before you stop reading, let me go on.

Most freelance writers concentrate in one area such as corporate marketing material, web copy, etc. And as you have heard me say before, specializing in one area is a great idea. The downside of this is that you may be missing out on a lot of work that you are capable of completing.

If you are going to expand your areas of expertise, make sure that you are ready to do so. For instance, if you have yet to master the art of writing compelling sales letters, do not move onto another type of writing unless you are willing to take on the learning process with a full head of steam. Expanding is good, but if you spread yourself thin, you will find soon enough that you have no focus and no one thing that you do great.

There are many types of writing that you can get involved with. Start out with what you like to do best, and then move on from there. Soon enough you will realize that you mastered your first love, and that you can expand your offerings. Over time, this will allow you to become good at many different things. And when this happens, you will notice that your workload and income are steadily climbing.  

This is one of those posts where I am going to ask you guys and gals for help. In the past, I have used freelance writing bidding sites such as GetAFreelancer. My main reason for choosing GetAFreelancer is that it is free to sign up. While I am aware that Elance is the leader in this industry, my question is quite simple: is it worth the money?

I have been contemplating giving Elance a try for several months. While I really don’t need to use it to find more work, I have heard conflicting opinions on what it has to offer. Some have told me that Elance brings them a few thousand bucks per month and others say that it is just like GetAFreelancer and you must bid low in order to find clients who are willing to do business.

So what is it? With all of the great comments that I have received on past posts, I figured that my audience is the best people to ask for advice on this topic. If you guys and gals think that Elance is worth the time and money, I may give it a try. And if I do, I will definitely keep everybody up to date on how much work it is bringing me.

Should I sign up for Elance, or will I be wasting my hard earned cash?

As a freelance writer, it is always good to be busy. After all, when you are working you are making money. With that being said, is there ever a time when you can be too busy? This all depends on what you believe in, and how much time you are willing to put into your business.

The more hours you work the more projects you will be able to accept. The question is: how many hours are you willing to put in each day? If you work a traditional eight hour day, you will definitely be able to get a lot of work done. But if you increase this to 12 hours, you are obviously going to have more time for additional projects.

Personally, I do not mind if I am super busy; even if I have to work a few extra hours. I know that there will be months when I can work six hour days, but also times when 12 to 14 hours will be the norm. One thing you should know about being self-employed is that you do not have a set schedule. You can try to stay on the same schedule as often as you can, but it can be difficult no matter how hard you try.

If you feel like you are overwhelmed or about to crack, it is time to start cutting back. Remember, if you begin to get bogged down, all of your work is going to suffer. The end result will be disappointed clients; and that is never a good thing.

What should you do if you are already too busy, but have another project offer on the table? If you are absolutely sure that you do not have the time, the best thing you can do is be honest with the client. Tell them that you would love to help with the project, but you cannot proceed for a few days, a week, or whatever will give you enough time to clear some space. If the client really wants to work with you, they may be willing to wait.

You should never be upset when you have too many projects to work on. This may make for long hours and lots of stress, but it will also increase your freelance writing income. When you tally your income numbers at the end of the month, you will realize that staying busy was not all that bad!

The question of whether or not you should guide freelance writing clients is up for debate. Some feel that it is their duty to give a client their input, while others would much rather do what they are told. Personally, I think that this question is difficult to answer unless you have a firm grasp on the word “guide.”

What some people call guiding, others may call forceful or vice versa. Make sure that if you are going to offer input that you are not overbearing to the point of coming off as arrogant or a know-it-all. Remember, the client more than likely knows what they want better than you. With that being said, it is your job to take what you are given, and make it work for the client.

Of course, the main exception to this is if your client asks you for help. I have had many of people call me to help them with a project, but not have any idea on what they want to do. They know that my work is solid, and feel that I can also guide them in the right direction as far as the scope and direction of the project is concerned. While I am more than happy to do this for those who ask, I try my best to not push a client in one direction or the next if they are not open to new ideas.

All in all, you need to deal with each client on an individual basis. You will have some that want you to do what you are told, others who ask for help every step of the way, and a few in between who want to collaborate with you to come up with the best idea. There is no way of saying that you should always lend your assistance, or that you should always back off and let the client make the decisions.

Perhaps the best thing that you can do is let each client know that you are willing to help them with any details that they are unsure of. This way, if they want your help they know they can ask for it. And at the same time, you will not come off as arrogant or forceful.

As a freelance writer, you are responsible for everything, including customer service. This means that if a client has a problem with your work, you are the one that is going to have to handle the situation. Even if you are a great freelance writer who tries to do everything right, you are going to have disagreements with clients from time to time.

Here are five of the most common freelance writer – client disagreements. While you will want to attempt to avoid these issues, sometimes it is not possible.

1. Not every client will like the work that you complete. While I have a pretty high success rate in this area, there have been times when a client tells me my work is unacceptable. This is something that freelance writers have to deal with all the time. If this happens to you, have thick skin and be the bigger person. You never want to argue with a client. Instead, attempt to find a resolution.

2. To go along with number one, either you or your client will act in an offensive manner. One thing that I have found out is that you need to be careful when composing emails. The way that something looks to you on the screen may not be the way that a client takes it. You must choose your words carefully as to avoid this issue.

3. You miss a deadline because of what you think is a good excuse. Unfortunately, your client may not be forgiving even if you have a good excuse for why you had to push back a deadline. This is why I always try to stay ahead of my work by a couple of days.

4. A miscommunication or misinterpretation can lead to major problems. For instance, a client may not understand what you are telling them about a certain aspect of a project; instead, they assume. In the end, this misinterpretation is put on you. To avoid this, make sure that every detail of each project is clear and in its proper place.

5. Some people simply don’t get along with each other! This is not new to the world. There are going to be times when your personality does not match the person you are working with. While this can make for a miserable relationship, do your best to complete the job on time and without disrespecting anyone.

Freelance writers can try hard to avoid these issues, but it is not always possible. If you are faced with a problem, the best thing you can do is to work with the client until you find a mutually acceptable solution.

The question of what freelance writing clients want is a difficult one to answer. After all, no two clients are the same. With that being said, there are quite a few generalizations that you can make.

Here is a short list of what most freelance writing clients are looking for.

1. They want a writer who will listen to what they say, and then offer input based on what they hear. If you are not listening to your clients, and instead preaching to them, you are missing the boat. Remember, your client is the one paying for the work. They know what they want, and you should do your best to deliver.

2. Every client has a deadline in mind. For this reason, you need to make sure that you are always on the same page. If your client tells you that they need a project by Wednesday at 5pm, you need to take this to heart. Once you miss a deadline, it is safe to say that your client will no longer be able to trust you in the future. And in many cases, you will not get a second chance to prove yourself.

3. Although some people know what they want, others are looking to you for help. Time after time I receive inquiries from webmasters and companies who have a basic outline, but want me to decide on article topics, length, etc. Remember, you are the professional, and many people will base their decisions on what you tell them.

4. Are you easily accessible? This is something that you need to keep in mind. Make sure that your freelance writing clients have access to you via email, as well as phone. This way they can quickly get in touch with you if they have any questions, comments, or changes.

5. Quality work! When you get hired to write anything, no matter how big the project, your client is expecting high quality. Make sure that every project you complete is done to the best of your ability.

These are five things that the majority of freelance writing clients are looking for. If you keep them in mind while seeking new clients and servicing existing ones, you will better your chance of achieving success. 

Everybody needs some time away from their job, and this definitely holds true when it comes to freelance writers. Even if you feel comfortable working longer than normal hours, you still need to be very careful about what you are doing.

When I started out as a freelance writer I thought that working 12 to 14 hour days was the only way to succeed. While there is nothing wrong with hard work and persistence, this was bordering on crazy. Not only was I working these hours on weekdays, but I was doing the same thing on the weekend as well. Simply put, this was not good for my health, quality of life, or the work that I was producing.

When possible, I try to stick with 8 to 10 hour work days. Additionally, some of this time is not spend on writing, but instead on blogging and putting together new business ideas, etc. Time away from writing, even if you are still at your computer, can be a huge help. After all, you don’t want your ideas and mind to become stale and lead to sub-par work for your clients.

Overall, you should not be afraid to take time off from your freelance writing career. Just because you are working normal hours does not mean that you will miss the boat. Do yourself a favor and settle into a groove that you are comfortable with. From there, you will find it easy to work enough hours to get your work done, but not too much that you are being affected in a negative way.

Don’t get hurt! If you are a freelance writer in today’s day and age, you spend most of your time typing. What would happen if you broke a wrist, damaged a nerve, or cut a finger in the kitchen? The fact of the matter is that my freelance writing career would be pretty much non-existent if I could not type at a high rate of speed.

Last week, I began to experience some extreme pain in my left wrist. This always seems to happen when I ramp up my production, and work longer hours. Although it goes away after a couple hours of rest, it is still worrisome nonetheless. Is this pain going to become worse as I get older? I have no idea of knowing, but it is definitely something that I worry about.

All in all, make sure that you are keeping your hands, wrists, and arms safe. If you get injured and cannot type, you will have one heck of a time turning out a lot of work. Can you imagine trying to work with only one hand? This is nothing that I want to try anytime in the near future.

This may sound like a silly tip, but it is very important to say the least. Many people who type all day everyday begin to suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This is not joke, and is a quick way to set your career back. Do not let this injury or any other jeopardize your freelance writing career. 

In December of 2007 I was expecting my freelance writing income to be quite low. After all, this is one of the slowest times of the year due to all the holidays. Despite my pessimistic attitude, I totaled more than $6k last month.

At the start of January, I was not sure of what to expect for the upcoming month. While the beginning of the year is usually a good time for me, with the economy in a downturn, I couldn’t help but to think that things would be slow.

So how did I do last month? While I beat my usual goal of $4,500, it was not as good a month as I had hoped for. With that being said, I did hold over a few checks that I received the last few days of the month because I simply did not have time to get to the bank.

Number of Completed Projects: 28
Payment by PayPal: 26
Payment by Check: 1
Payment by Bank Wire: 1
Total Income: $5,254.46

As mentioned above, I was hoping to do a little better than this since it was the first month of the year. After all, it is always nice to get off to a real good start. Of course, breaking $5,200 is not small change for me. It is not the least amount of money that I have made in a single month, but at the same time, it is far from being the most.

Although I am still putting a lot of time into my freelance writing work, I find myself spending three or so hours a day on other projects as well. As of yet, this has not negatively effected my freelance writing income too much. My goal is to hold steady at my current income level, while increasing non-freelance writing income at the same time. In the end, this will help me to diversify while also adding to my total monthly income.

Although we are only a half day into February, things are shaping up nicely for the month. I have gotten off to a good start by gathering a couple new clients at the end of January. My hopes are that this translates into somewhere between $6k and $7k in February.

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