As a freelance writer you can set the number of hours that you work each week. Yes, it is true that you have to work enough to earn an income, but even then it is up to you to decide how often you sit at your computer to work on writing related projects.
More and more aspiring writers have been asking me whether or not I work 40 hours per week. One thing that I like about a freelance writer is the freedom. If I want to work 40 hours this week I can. But if I want to work 35 or 45 next week, that is fine as well. In other words, I do not work an even 40 hours per week. There are times when I work much more than this, and times when I come up short.
Do you need to work at least 40 hours per week to build a successful freelance writing career? In my opinion, the answer is yes. When I started as a freelance writer I was working way more than 40 hours per week. In fact, I would venture to guess it was somewhere closer to 60 hours. On one side of things it was fun to work this much. Since I was new to freelance writing I was always learning something, and was excited at every little detail. On the other hand, 60 hours per week is a lot. Soon enough I was feeling burnt out which was taking its toll both mentally and physically.
Even though being a freelance writer is not your average 9-5 job, I still feel that 40 hours per week is the right amount in most cases. This is what I strive for, but as noted earlier, my actual hours usually fluctuate.
How about you? If you are a full-time freelance writer I would love to hear about your work schedule, and more particularly how many hours you work per week. This information can help all of us set and maintain a better, more efficient schedule.
Is it possible to become a freelance writer overnight? Let me dive into this question a bit further. As of late I have been reading more and more about how easy it is to become a freelance writer. And while there are always low paying content jobs out there, you need to determine what it means to become a freelance writer. Some people think that if they get paid to write that they are in turn a freelance writer. Others feel that there is a certain level that they have to reach before they can join the industry. How do you feel about this?
I am not one to say that you are only a freelance writer when you make so much money or get published in a certain type of publication. But with that in mind, it is difficult to read that some people think becoming a freelance writer overnight is possible. As noted earlier, you can secure a job to write some online content no matter who you are. All you have to do is head for a message board, such as Digital Point, and search for buyers. You are sure to find somebody who will pay, especially if you are offering a low rate.
In my opinion, you cannot become a freelance writer overnight. Yes, you can start a career as a freelance writer in one day, but you must build your career day in and day out if you are going to turn this into a long term gig. There is a big difference between writing articles for the web from time to time and earning a steady, full-time income as a freelance writer. There is nothing wrong with picking up some extra money by taking on small content writing jobs, but this is not the best way to move your career to the next level.
This post is a bit of a rant. I have heard many times how easy it is to become a freelance writer, and that anybody can do it. It is true that the opportunity exists, but if you ask any quality freelance writer they are sure to tell you that there is a lot that goes into starting and sustaining a successful career.Â
Are your freelance writing rates entirely too low? If so, you are not alone. There is one main reason that many writers keep their rates on the low end of the scale: they think that this allows them to garner more business. And while this is true with some clients, others want to hire the best of the best even if it means paying more.
Believe it or not, low freelance writing rates can be a bad thing. Not every buyer shops with price in mind. When I am hiring a web designer I always look at their portfolio and experience first. After that, I then take a closer look at their rates. Just because your rates are lower than the industry average does not mean you are going to obtain more work than those charging more.
What do you think of yourself as a freelance writer? Take this for example. If you charge $2 for a 500 word article potential clients are going to think one thing: the quality must not be that good. You need to think more of yourself, and have confidence that you can get paid a decent rate for what you offer.
You can change your freelance writing rates at any time, but you need to be careful when doing so. Staying with the example above, if you are currently writing at $2 for 500 words it is going to be difficult to begin to charge $15 for the same project. If you attempt to spring this on your client there is a good chance that they are going to cut all ties and move on. You need to slowly increase the rates that you charge current clients.
On the other hand, with new clients you should start out at a higher rate. This will give you the chance to earn what you are worth, and eventually ask for more in the future when you feel comfortable doing so. But even if you never receive a “raise†you will still be earning a nice income.
Increasing your freelance writing rates is never easy. This is something that most freelancers dread because it means a major change to their business model. If you are currently working for pennies and are at the bottom of the industry, you need to make a change. The most important thing to remember is that writers with the lowest rates do not always win. Informed buyers shop for writers with experience and quality samples, and then consider project rates.
I was asked an interesting question yesterday: do freelance writers really have as much freedom as it appears on the surface? This was interesting to me because most people simply believe that freelance writers have tons of freedom, and never really think about whether or not this is the truth.
In my opinion, freedom and freelance writing go together hand in hand. If it were not for the freedom of this career it would not be nearly as enjoyable. I think most freelancers agree that freedom is a big benefit, and many of them may say that it is at the top of their list.
Here are three ways freelance writers can experience freedom:
1. You do not have a direct boss. Sure, you have to answer to clients because they are paying you, but you are not an employee but instead a contractor. This means that you can more or less terminate a relationship with a client at any point for any reason. It is nice to know that you don’t have direct report, and don’t have to worry about a boss breathing down your neck.
2. Freedom as a freelance writer means working your own hours. This morning my workday started at 5 am. This is not normal, but I decided to bump my day up a couple hours to get an early start. Of course, this means that I could quit early for the day but I will probably stick around to work on a few projects of my own. The point is that you can start and stop when you want, and work as many hours as you please. If that isn’t freedom I don’t know what is.
3. You have the freedom to work with clients you enjoy. As a freelance writer you and you alone are in charge of your business. I only like to work with clients that treat me right and are easy to get along with. This is not always possible, but it is what I strive for. As you know, when you work an office job you are told what to do and who to speak with.
This is how I answered the inquiring party yesterday, and I am positive that 99 percent of you will agree that freelance writers have tons of freedom within their career.
If you are going to become a freelance writer remember this: you should get paid to write. In other words, you do not want to work for free. Sure, there are some cases when you may want to write a free article or offer free advice, but you should limit these situations. Remember, you are a professional and the only way that you can make a living is to ask for payment from clients. How many professionals do you know that offer free work?
Many people want to get paid to write, but do not know where to start. In other words, they do not know how to set their initial rates. This is a common problem. Some freelance writers are worried about setting their rates too low, and others are worried about going off the high end of the scale. This is common, but it should not hold you back. Every freelance writer runs into this from time to time, and you are not going to be any different.
The best way to set your initial rate is to determine how much money you want/need to earn. For example, if you want to earn $40k/year you should break this down into an hourly rate based on how much you can work each day. For instance, if you know what you will work 40 hours per week, you need to earn approximately $20/hour to hit your income goal. When you break down your career into an hourly rate it is easy to see just how much you should be charging.
It is not as hard as many people think to get paid to write. Does this mean that anybody can do it? Of course not. There is a big difference between getting paid to write a few words and becoming a high quality, successful freelance writer. If you know how to set your rates right, you should be able to earn a solid income while also reaching corresponding goals.Â
Many members of my freelance writing course have expressed how difficult it is for them to successfully negotiate a fair rate. To take this a step further, negotiating freelance writing rates on the phone can be much more difficult than doing so via email. After all, you never know what the other person is going to say and you must be able to think on your feet.
When it comes to negotiating rates on the phone, these three tips should help:
1. Prepare yourself to negotiate. If you have a call setup with a potential client, you should assume that a rate negotiation session is going to take place. It is very important that you are prepared for any questions that come up, and that you have all of the proper information in front of you. Being prepared is the best way to calm your nerves, and to hopefully give you the confidence that you need to negotiate with success.
2. Know why you are worth it. You may have to back up your rate quote with benefits of your service. In other words, how are you going to justify your rates? You may not want to do this, but in many cases the buyer will more or less ask why they should hire you if your rates are higher than the competition. If you are prepared you will not have any problem answering this concern, as well as any follow-up questions that may come into play.
3. Set a minimum in your mind and then stick to your guns. For example, you may head into a conversation knowing that you want to receive $.25/word for the project that you will be discussing. While there is nothing wrong with this, you need to know how low you will go if the client does not accept your initial proposal. Will you work at $.15/word? How about $.10? Some freelance writers never negotiate. They know what they are worth, and they feel that negotiating shows that their initial offer was never solid. This is not the way I operate. While I hope that every client accepts my first offer, I am open to negotiating to a certain degree.
4. Don’t be afraid to say, “I will get back to you.†It can be difficult to quote a price on a project if you are put on the spot. Imagine being unprepared for a conversation and a client asking for a quote on a 2,000 word feature with three interviews due by next week. This is a lot of information to take in. Instead of rushing and quoting the first number that comes to your head, tell the buyer that you will get back to them within the hour with a solid price. This will give you time to break down the project so you can supply an accurate, fair quote.Â
As a freelance writer, negotiating rates on the phone can be a difficult task. But over time, with the help of the four tips above, you will become comfortable doing so.
Like most freelance writers, you are probably interested in landing big time clients that have a lot of work and pay good money. If you don’t feel this way you are the odd man out. And while there is nothing wrong with this way of thinking, you should know that small jobs can turn big in a hurry.
Late last year I completed a small job for a client. They wanted me to write 10 “guides†for $500. This was far from a huge job, but it was simple enough and the pay was halfway decent. Although this was the only project they had for me at the time, I continued to stay in touch. Well, my persistence paid off. Last week, this same client got in touch and offered a job of 100 guides for a total of $5k. If I wouldn’t have taken on that first small project I would have never landed this contract.
Not every small job will turn big. Some of them will, some of them won’t, and with some clients you will never know what they are going to send your way in the future. But if you have the time and the pay is right, you should consider completing small projects from time to time. In more than one case this has paid off for me. Don’t be afraid to complete small jobs because you feel that they are not worth it. You never know when something small will turn into the next big thing in your freelance writing career. Â
As of late, more and more clients and potential buyers are asking to speak with me on the phone. For me, this is like a dream come true. I know a lot of freelance writers would hate this, but I enjoy speaking with others in “real time.†Not only does this give me the chance to communicate, which is hard to come by at times as a freelancer, but it also allows me to form a better relationship with the person on the other end of the line. That being said, a phone conversation does not leave a trail of information like email. How are you going to remember what was said?
During every phone conversation, no matter who I am speaking with, I always take notes. Sometimes I do this with a pen and sticky note, and other times, when there is a lot to talk about, I use a text document so that I can save it directly to my computer.
While taking notes is important, make sure that you do not get so caught up in this that you lose track of what is going on. In other words, you need to become proficient at taking quick notes while also keeping up with the conversation. After all, you do not want to miss something important.
Remember, your notes do not have to be perfect. I only write down the important parts of the conversation, and even then I never form full sentences or record information verbatim. Instead, I write as much as I can and then clean things up after the conversation comes to an end.
No matter if you are speaking with a long term client or being interviewed, make sure you take notes. This may sound like a waste of time, but these notes will come in handy in the future.
As a freelance writer you cannot expect to be perfect. Sure, it would be nice to avoid mistakes all the time, but this is simply not possible. You should always strive for perfection, but also realize that you may make a mistake from time to time. And if this happens, you need to be open and honest with your client.
Just last week I made a mistake interpreting what a client wanted. When we first spoke the project was taking one direction, but soon enough he changed his mind and things were moving another way. Unfortunately, I did not grasp the change and more or less stayed on track with the original plan. When it came time to send the completed work to the client I realized what I had done. At that point I had one of two options. I could either blame the client, or be honest and let him know that I made a mistake. Of course, I chose the latter. Fortunately, the client understood the mix up and had no problem giving me a few extra days to get back on track.
Are all clients going to be this nice? Of course not. Some of them will expect you to be perfect at all times. And while you may be able to avoid mistakes most of the time, you never know when this will change. The only thing that you can do is admit your error and tell the client that you will do whatever it takes to fix the problem. In most cases, through my experiences, this is enough to smooth things over.
If you make a mistake there is no reason to feel stupid. Remember, your clients make mistakes as well. If you are open and honest most of them will understand your situation and be willing to give you a chance to fix things.
Mistakes happen, and the way that you deal with them will determine the relationship you have with your client in the future.
Starting a career as a freelance writer is scary for many reasons. One of the most common is fear that your career will not take off soon enough. This is especially true among writers who leave a comfortable day job to chase their dream. While fear is natural, quitting shouldn’t be. In other words, don’t give up on your freelance writing career until you give it your all. And even then you may need to continue to push in order to reach your goals.
It is easier to give up than to work hard day in and day out. I promise you, the most difficult part of becoming a freelance writer is the first two months. Once you settle in and land even one client, you will feel much better about the direction of your career. As I have said many times before, I earned $52 my first month as a freelance writer. Did I think about quitting? I was afraid that I may have made a bad decision, but I never gave up even though it would have been easy to do so.
You have to give your freelance writing career a chance to develop. It takes time to learn the industry, to make contacts, and to land clients. For me, it took three months to really get a grasp on my career and the direction that I wanted to take. Even now I am still learning a lot and working on new ways to increase my income and better myself. If I would have given up after the first month I would not be writing this blog, or earning a decent living as a freelance writer.
Time after time I hear from freelance writers who thank me for assisting them but have decided to move onto another career. The shame of this is that many of them are giving up after a couple of months.
If you are going to chase a career as a freelance writer you need to be patient. Over time your career will develop if you stick in there and work hard. Â
