As I have mentioned before, there are many different types of freelance writing projects available. The more that you are willing to consider the better chance there is that you will get your career moving in the right direction. With that being said, one common question comes to mind: what is better, writing for the web or print publications? As you can imagine, the answer to this question varies greatly. The best way to answer this question is to consider the factors that are tied to each option.
Additionally, many freelance writers find it much easier to locate work online. In most cases, work can be found on forums such as DigitalPoint, bidding sites such as GetAFreelancer, or through a personal website. This is in contrast to print jobs that usually only come from a query letter of some sort.
On the down side of things, most of the work that is completed online will be in a ghostwriting capacity. In other words, your name usually will not appear on the work. If this is going to be a problem for you, staying away from writing for the web may be a good idea.
When it comes to print publications, you will almost always receive a byline. In fact, I have never written a magazine or newspaper article in which my name has not appeared next to the work. If you like to see your name in print, this is the way to go.
Additionally, many people feel that they are not a “real†freelance writer unless they can physically show off their work. While this is far from being the truth, it is the mind frame that many writers have.
On the downside of things, as noted earlier, it can be more difficult to break into print publications. Not only can it be more difficult to break in, but the work that goes into this can be quite extensive. After all, it can take a lot of time to write a killer query letter.
But which one pays better?
When it comes down to it, most new freelance writers will opt for the markets that pay the best. Although this feeling usually goes away after you are established, there will always be something inside telling you to chase the highest paying jobs.
Generally speaking, there is no way of saying which pays better, web or print. At this time, I have one web client that pays me $.20/word for daily content. Is this my best paying job? No. But with that being said, it offers a lot because the work is not backbreaking.
Of course, there are hundreds of print publications that pay better than $1/word. As you can imagine, this is just about as good as it gets. But even though the pay is great, you need to weigh the time and effort it will take you to break into these markets.
Personally, I like to keep a good mix of both web and print clients. This gives me the ability to work on a wide range of projects, while also taking advantage of the benefits of both options.
Last month, my freelance writing income totaled $7,532.21; a number that I was quite happy with. While I would love to earn this much every month, you are probably well aware that there is no such thing as a steady income when you are working as a freelance writer.
Historically, the internet tends to slow down during this time of the year. This is due in large part to the weather warming up, and more people spending time away from their computer. With that being said, my income usually stays pretty much the same during the spring and summer months. After all, people always need content, right?
My April income came up short when compared to last month, but did work out to my second highest total of 2008:
Number of Completed Projects: 11
Payment by PayPal: 10
Payment by Check: 0
Payment by Bank Wire: 1
Total Income: $5,842.42
As you can see, my income was approximately $1,700 less in April than March. What do I attribute this to, you may ask? Well, the first thing that I see is a drop off in the number of completed projects. This month I was only paid for 11 projects, whereas last month this number was more than 20. With that being said, the level of work that I completed in April was pretty much the same as always. The only difference was that some clients did not send payment as quickly as usual. As I am happy with the clients that I am currently working with, there was no reason to pressure them for payment. I am 100 percent confident that they will send the money this month.
What is in store for May? At this point, I am reasonably confident that I will exceed $7k in income this month. Is this going to be easy? Of course not. But with that being said, as noted earlier, I do have some payments coming this month for projects that I completed at the end of April. Even though $7k or more would be nice, as long as I hit $4,500 you won’t hear any complaining from me!
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Many people are under the impression that they need a lot of past experience in order to become a freelance writer. While there is no denying that this can help, it is far from being a prerequisite. Experience is one of the most common topics that aspiring writers want to discuss with me. Everybody has a unique background, some with experience and some without, but my answer to them is always the same: experience can help you early on, but it is not necessary in becoming a freelance writer.
But prospective clients are asking for samples?
This can be a difficult issue to deal with. As you probably know, before a client will bring you onboard they usually ask for samples of your work. If you have nothing to send them because you are new to the industry, how do you get around this? Even if you have never been a freelance writer before, there is a chance that you still have some samples lying around. Have you ever written a term paper for school? How about an article for a past employer? Anything that you have composed in the past can be used as a sample; it does not have to be a past freelance writing project.
Additionally, there is nothing wrong with writing a sample or two before you start to search for clients. No, you do not have anybody asking for these pieces and you won’t get paid, but it would work to your advantage to have a variety of samples that you can send on demand. Chances are that a client will want to see your style and ability; in most cases they will not care who you completed the work for.
Do you have a lot of Experience?
Of course, if you have a lot of past experience, you will definitely want to play this up when you are jumping into freelance writing. For instance, many people who have experience writing for a daily paper before eventually move into freelance writing. If you have this type of experience, you definitely want to let clients know about it. The same thing holds true if you were responsible for writing related tasks at past jobs.
As noted earlier, writing experience is not necessary, but it can be used to your advantage. There is nothing wrong with touting yourself as an experienced writer if you think that it can help you to more easily transition into the freelance writing world.
There is no reason that a lack of experience should hold you back from chasing a career as a freelance writer. Anybody can put together a few samples, and in turn begin to build a career from scratch. Â
