Freelance Writing

As a freelance writer it can be quite exciting to find an email in your inbox asking for a quote and more information about your business. With that being said, it can also be stressful if you do not know how to answer the questions that are asked of you. Through my experience, I have found that most clients ask three questions. Once you know your standard answer to these inquiries, you will not have any problems.

1. How much money do you charge? In most cases this is the first question that a potential client will ask via email. Make sure that you are very careful when answering this question. Stick to your rate sheet even if you think that you could get away with higher prices. If the client wants to negotiate, you can then make a decision on how to proceed.

2. What do I get for your quoted price? As you can imagine, there is a big difference between a 500 word keyword article and 2,000 word review. Make sure that you give an honest and accurate quote while also supplying information on what this price includes. This is the best way to protect yourself against a client twisting your words in the future.

3. Do you offer a bulk rate discount? This is a common question that is usually asked by webmasters. While there is nothing wrong with offering a lower price for a bulk order, make sure that you work out your hourly rate to ensure that you are not short changing yourself.

These are three of the most common questions related to quotes. When you know how to answer these, you will be able to quickly and efficiently respond to any inquiry.

Anybody who is self-employed is aware that taking breaks is a necessary part of running a successful business. Early in my freelance writing career I attempted to work non-stop day in and day out. While this did help me to recognize success early on, it also burnt me out to a certain extent. Even a few years into my freelance writing career, I still have to slow myself down to take a break. If you do not want to take a break from your business from time to time, keep in mind that this is much better than hitting a wall.

This weekend is the perfect time to get away as a freelance writer. With Easter on Sunday, it is safe to say that many people will not be working on Friday or Monday. This is not to say that a large number of people are taking off, but you may be able to sneak an extra day to make a long weekend. Of course, make sure that you have all of your work lined up before doing this. Yes, you want to take breaks, but you should not miss any deadlines while doing so.

Believe it or not, most clients are receptive to freelancers who need to take some time off every so often. In fact, several of my clients have jokingly told me to stop sending emails and completed projects at night and on the weekend. They know that I am working more than eight hours per day, and hate to think that they are the reason. If you need a day off and are worried about a client getting upset, explain your situation to them. Chances are that this will not be a problem for them.

You do not have to take days off every week. Instead, when you feel like you are burning out or need a little rest, get ahead on your work and take some time for yourself. You may be surprised to find that a little bit of rest will make you a better worker when you head back to the office.

I try to practice what a preach, but every so often this escapes me. Most recently, I fell prey to a client who promised more work if I could complete his current project in a short period of time. Since I had a few extra hours and had spoken with the client on the phone, I figured that he was telling the truth. Was I right? Of course not. The project was completed on time, early in fact, and that was the last that I heard from the client. Luckily, I requested payment upfront so at least I didn’t lose out in that regard as well.

Time after time, clients will tell you that they have plenty more work if you can just do them one huge favor right now. In my case, the favor was a rush job. In many other circumstances the client will ask for a lower price since they are going to be sending you so much work. Of course, this is nothing more than a ploy to get what they want. This is not to say that every client is lying, because that is not the case. I have had clients tell me that they would send more work after the first job, and then follow through promptly. But in my experience, most people who want special treatment in return for future work have no intention of ever working with you again.

If you plan on doing business with a client that is promising future work and you are skeptical in the least bit, it is important to get paid upfront. Remember, if they are dishonest enough to attempt to trick you, they are dishonest enough to not send payment after the project is complete. If they refuse to pay you upfront for your services, you will then have to decide how to proceed. At the very least, you will not want to accept anything less than 50 percent of the agreed upon price.

If you are like most freelance writers you want to hear from clients that can offer ongoing work. But remember, promises of future work mean nothing. Protect yourself against this scam by only accepting projects that meet your terms, and of course, receiving payment before you begin.

Anytime I take on a new client, I wonder whether or not they will pay me when the time comes. While there are some measures that you can take in order to ensure payment, you never know what a client is going to do down the line.

Keep this in mind: persistence is the key to receiving payment from a freelance writing client that is attempting to dodge you. When it comes down to it, if you forget about the payment the client will probably do the same. But if you stay on top of them, you will more than likely get what is owed to you in the end.

What does it mean to stay persistent? How can I do this without being overbearing? First and foremost, you need to realize that this should be handled on a case by case basis. With some clients, I never have to remind them to pay me; even the first time. They know what they owe me, and send it upon completion. On the other side of things, some clients need a push from time to time. You need to consider when you submitted your invoice, as well as how you will be paid in order to determine when to follow up. For instance, if you are planning on receiving payment by check, you will want to wait a few weeks. Of course, with a PayPal payment you can receive funds instantly. In this case, you may want to check up with a client after five to seven days.

Make sure that you do not accuse the client of nonpayment before you give them a chance. Remember, not everybody pays invoices on a daily basis. I work with many large companies that only send payment once per month. If you are worried about payment, you may want to ask the client their policy. In most cases, this will ease your mind.

In rare cases when a couple months go by, you need to start checking in with the client on a more regular basis. If you are lucky this will never happen because waiting months for payment can be difficult. Again, if the client is being responsive make sure you ask them for a clear cut answer on when your payment will arrive. If they are ignoring you altogether, you will want to get creative. Try to send emails, call on the phone, and even rely on snail mail.

All in all, if you complete a freelance writing project you are entitled to the agreed upon payment. While most people are honest and prompt when it comes to sending payment, there will always be those who are a bit behind. When dealing with these clients, make sure you are persistent until you receive your funds. 

As an aspiring freelance writer, you are probably interested in breaking into the “$1/word market” sooner rather than later. While it is difficult to find clients that pay in this range, they are out there. Believe it or not, some companies and publications pay in excess of $1/word. It would be nice if every client fell into this category, but that is wishful thinking.

If you are striving to break into this market, there are several things that you can do to help your cause. Here are four tips that should help you to earn $1/word or more soon enough.

1. Use a resource such as Writer’s Market in order to find publications that meet this pay scale. This is the best way to break into the $1/word market because you can see which publications offer this pay, and what exactly they are looking for. In my experience, this is the easiest way to break into higher paying markets. A simple query letter is all that stands between you and hitting it big!

2. You can always start at the bottom, and work your way up the ladder as time goes by. I have several clients that increase my pay-per-word as time goes by. While most of them started out by offering $.10 to $.15/word, many of them now pay more than $.50/word. By sticking with a client over the long haul, you may find that your pay will increase every so often.

3. To go along with number two, do not be afraid to ask for a pay increase when you think you deserve it. Many freelance writers increase their prices at the beginning of every year so that they have an “excuse” for doing so. This allows them to tell clients that their prices have gone up across the board, and hopefully talk them into doing the same.

4. New freelance writers are not going to find it easy to locate jobs that offer $1/word or more. You need to exercise patience when building your freelance writing career. It is common to start by writing for regional publications that pay $.05/word. But as your career and portfolio grow, it will be much easier for you to command higher rates.

Earning $1/word is possible. Many freelance writers balk at anything that pays less than this. Although I am not one of them, this is a mark that I strive to hit on a regular basis. When you begin to break into markets that pay $1/word, it is safe to say that you will be earning a solid freelance writing income.

Day after day I receive emails from aspiring freelance writers begging for work. Some of them have even gone as far as offering to work for as little as $1/word. While you may want to get started on your way to freelance writing success, you should never beg for work. The reason for this is simple: you do not have to beg in order to find clients and achieve success. There is enough work to go around, and if you continue to market your skills you will find clients.

There are a couple of things working against you when you beg for work. First and foremost, the person who you are directing your inquiry is not going to understand what you are getting at. Personally, I can never figure out what somebody really wants when they send me an email asking for work. It would be much easier if they would just outline their experience, tell me their goals, and ask if I can help.

Moving on, the time that you spend begging for work is time that you could spend on other tasks. An email is an email. Why not spend your time getting in touch with editors who are looking to take on new freelance writers? You will be much better off targeting people who are hiring writers, as opposed to hoping that you can beg a job from somebody else.

Simply put, you do not need to beg for freelance writing work. Instead, use your skills to obtain projects from companies and webmasters who are hiring. 

As a freelance writer in today’s day and age, you are more than likely using email the majority of the time. Sure, you may have some phone conversations from time to time, but they are usually few and far between. Although you may think that communicating via email is straight forward, there are some things that you need to keep in mind.

First things first, you should always be professional when exchanging emails. This holds true no matter if you are dealing with a client, or somebody who is thinking about working with you. This means that you should properly address the other party, while keeping a professional tone throughout. On top of this, make sure that you never use any curse words. Time after time I receive emails that are full of off-color words that should not be used in a professional environment.

As a freelance writer, clients expect you to catch any spelling and/or grammar mistakes. This is more important when you are exchanging email with potential clients. You need to prove to these people that you are capable of working for them. If your first email is full of errors, you are not putting your skills in good light.

This may not sound like a big deal to you, but it is important to a successful freelance writing career. If you are going to send emails, you might as well do things right. This means being professional, no curse words, and no grammar/spelling mistakes. Surely this is something you can handle, right? After all, you are a writer!

Is your freelance writing career at a stand still? Has your progress stalled as of late? If so, you need to keep one thing in mind: this is something that every freelance writer has to deal with. Although you want to keep these slow times to a minimum, it is tough to keep them out of your business altogether. Fortunately, when your freelance writing career stalls there are certain measures that you can take.

1. Call or email past clients if you are having a difficult time drumming up new business. They may not have anything for you at the moment, but at the very least you will be fresh in their mind. On several different occasions I have emailed a past client which resulted in a project by the next day. Sometimes all somebody needs is a little push. If you give them the nudge, it will help you to get out of your funk.

2. Market, market, market. When your freelance writing career stalls, begin to market your services extensively. Not only should you do this as you always have, but try to think of new techniques for expanding your reach. For instance, do you have a blog? If not, you may want to start one as a way of kicking your freelance writing career into high gear. Marketing is a big part of your success, but only if your plan results in increased projects and income.

3. Be patient, and wait for something to break your way. But remember, while you are being patient you still need to push forward. Sitting around and hoping for a big break is not going to get you far. While it is important to be patient, you need to make your own luck.

If you run into a roadblock, there is no reason to give up on your career or become satisfied with earning less. Instead, call on past clients, market your services, and stay patient. In no time at all you will begin to move forward once again!

As a freelance writer, you need to be programmed to “go with the flow.” There are times when business will be booming, and times when you will have a hard time drumming up new clients. The way that you deal with the ups and downs of the freelance writing industry will determine how much success you have. As a general rule of thumb, you should never get too high when things are going good, and on the same token, never get too low when things are going bad.

If you are quick to get down on yourself, you may find yourself changing careers the first time that the freelance writing industry throws you a curve. Giving up is never going to get you to where you want to be. Sure, it can be difficult to get through times when there seems to be no work, or clients are holding back payment, but every successful freelance writer has to deal with this from time to time. Simply put, this is not a career path that is going to be easy going and steady day in and day out.

On the other side of things, you never want to get too excited when you are having a good month. There are some months when I earn in excess of $7k and others when I only earn $4,500. While it is always nice to earn as much as possible, I always keep in mind that this will change from month to month. Simply put, you should be proud of yourself when going through good times, but never get caught thinking that things will never change.

Being a freelance writer is like riding a roller coaster. You will be up one day, down the next, and somewhere in between by the end of the week. The way that you deal with these fluctuations has a lot to do with how successful you become. There are many benefits of being a freelance writer. You can make a lot of money, work from home, and control your own business. But always keep in mind that this is not a steady career by any stretch of the imagination. 

I have been working as a full-time freelance writer for quite some time, but yesterday I experienced a first. A client that I have been working with for a couple of months sent me an email asking me to copy work from another site. At first, I thought that I may have misunderstood the email. In order to clear things up I responded to the client asking for some clarification. And much to my surprise, they wrote back asking me to plagiarize from several sources on the net.

As you can imagine, it took me a couple of minutes to gather my thoughts. This client had been good to me for over a month, and seemed to enjoy my work. So when he asked me to plagiarize, it took me by surprise.

Obviously, I wrote back to the client explaining the situation. I told him that I am strongly opposed to plagiarism, and that it could get both of us in trouble with the original content producer.

At this point, I have yet to hear back from the client. Even if he decides that he wants to continue without copying the work of others, I am going to turn down the offer. Sure, he is offering good rates, but it is not in my best interest to work with somebody who is dishonest.

What would you do if presented with this situation? Hopefully I am not the only one who would ditch this client. Even though the pay was good, it is important to draw the line somewhere. Not being able to trust this client will make a long term relationship next to impossible.

What do you think?