Are you at a point in your freelance writing career where you feel like giving up? This happens all too often, but it is part of the game. Although you may feel like cutting ties with your career and moving onto other things, you should consider the following before you take the final step.
1. Ask yourself why you area doing this. Are you giving up because you are not making enough money? Because you just aren’t cut out for being a freelance writer? Because somebody told you that you are making a mistake? Everybody has a reason for becoming a freelance writing, as well as a reason for giving up (if it comes to this). Just make sure you are quitting for all the right reasons.
2. Can I try one last time to make things better? There is a good chance that you don’t need to give up on your dream of being a freelance writer. Instead, all you have to do is change a few things here and there and your career outlook will begin to look better. You cannot expect every aspect of your career to go smooth. Sometimes you need to make changes to realize that you are in the right line of work.
3. Have a plan for the future. You may have already decided that giving up on freelance writing is the best thing to do – there is nothing wrong with this. Just make sure that you have a plan for the future. You don’t want to leave this career path in the dust if you have no idea what you want to do next. By doing this you will find yourself in the same position soon enough.
The point of this post is to make you think twice before giving up on your freelance writing career. Success may be closer than you believe!
As basic as it sounds, some aspiring freelance writers do not know how to learn about the industry they are interested in joining. They have an interest in getting involved with freelance writing, but are unsure of how to learn more about this career and what it offers. Fortunately, this is not something that should slow you down for too long. If you have any sort of research skills you can learn a lot about every aspect of freelance writing. This is even more so the case if you are willing to part with a little bit of money and/or speak with those who are already successful.
One of the best ways to learn about freelance writing is to search and read online for hours on end. This is what I did when I first became interested in being a freelance writer. I spent a lot of time reading freelance writing blogs, websites, articles, and much more. Anything I could get my hands on was something I read. Remember to bookmark any sites that are of interest to you.
What about freelance writing books? There are many good ones out there. Head to Amazon.com and search for books on this topic; you will find hundreds of them. While you don’t want to buy every book on freelance writing, chances are that you will find a few quality ones to purchase. Read the reviews from others before deciding what to spend your money on.
You can also speak with other freelance writers. This is one of the main reasons that I started my freelance writing course. I wanted to give aspiring writers a way to learn the ropes, while also giving them the chance to ask specific questions. If you are looking for a mentor of sorts, you can join my freelance writing course. Do you personally know any freelance writers? If so, ask them if you can pick their brain for a few minutes. You may be surprised at what you can learn in a short period of time.
If you are interested in becoming a freelance writer you should learn as much as you can before making your final decision. A well prepared beginner is one who has a good chance of future success.
As a freelance writer you will get asked for many things by your clients. One of the most common inquiries has to do with your ability to complete a project with a quick turnaround. This can work in your favor in some cases, but against you in others.
There is nothing wrong with accepting a project with a quick turnaround. As noted above, this can be beneficial in many cases including when you do not have a lot of work on your plate at a given time. After all, if you have some spare time there is nothing like knocking out a project in a hurry and helping a client out. Not only will this make you some quick money, but you will be doing something good for your client which is sure to help you in the future.
On the other side of things, if you are loaded with work and a client needs a project quickly you are going to find yourself in a bind. You have to complete the work you already have, but at the same time you do not want to turn down a project. At this crossroads you have three options: 1. Turn down the project and apologize for not being able to help. 2. Negotiate a deadline that is more suited to your current workload. 3. Take on the project as is, and do whatever it takes to complete it. There is no way of saying which option is best. You need to base your decision on what you feel most comfortable with.
I do my best to accommodate every client, even if there request is a bit unreasonable. The way you deal with quick turnaround requests is up to you. You have three options, and it is important to choose the one that will work best for your career and client relationship.
Do you ever get tired during the workday? If so, you know how hard it can be to stay at your desk and forge ahead. Instead of forcing yourself to do so, you may want to take a quick power nap. Even though you are taking time out of your day, once you return to the computer you will feel refreshed.
The main reason that many people don’t take a power nap during the workday is that they are afraid of staying asleep for too long. I like my naps to last approximately 20 to 30 minutes. This is just long enough to rest my mind and body, and to feel refreshed when I begin to work again. If you are worried about “staying under” for too long there is a simple solution: set an alarm. This is easy enough, right?
Another trick I have found to be helpful is sleeping on the couch in my office as opposed to heading for my bed. When I get into bed it feels like I should be there for a long period of time. But when I lay down on the couch I know that I am simply there for a quick nap. Not to mention the fact that I don’t have to walk far to get to my couch.
There is no point in working when you are dead tired. This can lead to health problems, as well as sub-par work. Both of which are issues that you want to avoid. Instead of forcing yourself to work, take a quick power nap. Once you realize the benefits of doing so you may consider adding this “task” to your daily to-do list!
When I work up this morning I was not feeling well. My neck was stiff, my head hurt, and my stomach was upset. Fortunately, after a few minutes of walking around I began to feel better. During this time I got to thinking about taking sick days as a freelance writer. When you work for a company you can call in sick and forget about your job for the day. Of course, this is not the same if you work as a freelance writer. Since I have so many clients it would be difficult to stay away from the computer for an entire day.
Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with taking a sick day as a freelance writer. If you are not feeling well and know that you cannot do your best writing you should think about staying in bed for the time being. It is better to take the day off than it is to head for the computer and complete work that is not up to your standards.
If you are going to take a sick day make sure you are not missing any deadlines. What if I do have a deadline to meet? In this case, I would suggest either doing your best to get the work to your client on time or contacting the proper party and asking them for a one day extension. All of my clients are more than happy to give me an extra day if I have a good reason. Of course, this is not something I abuse because I strongly believe in turning in all work on time.
Freelance writers can get sick just like everybody else. If you wake up one day and realize that you are not feeling up to par, you may want to think about taking a sick day. Just make sure that your day off is not going to negatively effect your clients.
As a freelance writer you want to stay busy day in and day out. This means that you have a lot of work on your plate, which is always a good thing. But there may come a time when you run into some downtime during your workday. If this happens you need to ask yourself a very important question: how am I going to make the most of this time?
When I have downtime, even though this is not very often, I always turn to my marketing plan. After all, if there is time in my day that is not filled a new client would fit in nicely. The way that I market depends on what has been working for me, how much time I have, etc. For instance, some days I may write a query letter or two. But other days I may spend my time searching online for new clients. Either way, it is important to note that I stay busy in hopes of finding more work.
Some freelance writers who face downtime look at this as a chance to rest. While there is nothing wrong with taking a break, you don’t want to spend all your free time during the workday staring at the television. This is waste of valuable time, and you will find out soon enough that you made a mistake. If you want to take a break, so be it. Just make sure that it does not last too long.
In a perfect world you would be able to work eight hours per day on projects, and then call it quits after that. Of course, this is not the case now and in the life of a freelance writer it probably never will be. When you have down time, time when you are not working on projects, make sure you do something that can better your career.
One of the nicest things about being a freelance writer is that you do not have to spend a lot of money to get started or to maintain your career. That being said, you should be spending some money along the way. I don’t want you to think you should blow through your money, but there are definitely times when you should lay out some cash.
As a general rule of thumb I only spend money on my freelance writing career when I feel that it will bring a nice return. For instance, I recently hired a designer to help with several of my niche blogs as well as a new service site. This is money well spent because it will help me to earn more in the long run. When there is a chance for a return I don’t mind spending money.
Of course, there are times when I spend on supplies as well. This can be everything from a new computer to stamps and paper clips. Even though it is not always fun to buy office supplies, they are necessary to keep things running smoothly. If you are smart about when, where and how you buy these supplies you should be able to get what you want at a reasonable price.
Don’t be afraid to spend money on your freelance writing career. Even though you can go many months without spending too much, there will come a time when you have to part with some cash. As long as you spend your money on something that will improve your career you don’t have anything to worry about.
Do you feel that your freelance writing career is in trouble? There are many situations that may make you feel this way. Fortunately, even if you feel that your career is doomed you can get out of this by making the right moves.
Below are three reasons why you may get the feeling that your career is in bad shape:
1. You are not seeing any growth. This is part of every freelance writer’s career. There will be times when you land new clients day after day and others periods when you hit a slump. You need to work hard to get through these tough times. Just because you are not landing new clients does not mean that your freelance writing career is doomed. If you are worried about this, continue to work harder than ever before at marketing your services.
2. You lost a client. No matter what you offer you are sure to lose clients. This happens to the best of us, and you are not going to be any different. It is very easy to get upset and angry if you lose a client. But guess what? Another one is waiting for you just around the bend. If you lose one client you have the ability to pick up another so that you never miss a beat.
3. A client is not happy with your work. I have had clients ask for revisions in the past. And I am sure that this is going to happen again in the future. If a client is unhappy with your work you should do what you can to address the problem, and then make sure that this does not happen again in the future.
Are you currently facing one of the above situations? If so, you may feel that your freelance writing is doomed. And while there is reason to feel bad, you need to continue forward and realize that a change for the better is on the horizon.
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.
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.
