Wouldn’t it be nice if you could trust everybody? If this was the case your career as a freelance writer would be much less stressful. But of course, you know that this is not the case and never will be. No matter what industry you work in there are always going to be people who you cannot trust. And as a freelance writer you need to beware of bad clients who are lurking around every corner. I don’t want to sound paranoid, but there are people out there who will take you for all you are worth if you let them.
There are two types of bad clients that you may face as a freelance writer:
1. Those that don’t pay. I have worked with clients who say they will pay, but then receive the content and run. Of course, this does not happen nearly as much now that I ask for at least 50 percent pay upfront. By doing this you will quickly scare away anybody who is thinking about scamming you.
2. Clients that treat you with no respect. What is worse, a client who doesn’t pay or one who treats your poorly? In my book they are about the same, but I will say one thing: clients who are disrespectful can be difficult to get along with. I am lucky that all my current clients are easy going and professional no matter what they are up against. That being said, there have been clients in the past who wanted nothing more than to argue, day in and day out. These people are not worth your time when there are so many high quality clients in need of top notch freelance writers.
This is one topic that has been beaten to death; I am well aware of that. In fact, I have talked about this very subject many times on this blog. But even though every freelance writer knows there are bad clients many of them still fall prey to them. The more you think about this topic the less chance there is that you will get mixed up with the wrong people. Don’t be paranoid, but be smart about which clients you choose to work with.Â
What are you passionate about? Once you answer this question your career as a freelance writer will be much more successful, profitable, and enjoyable. I found out early on that writing about my passion is the way to have a good time, day in and day out. If I am writing about something I enjoy it is easy to get excited.
No matter who you are you are passionate about something. For me, this is sports, travel, and business. In turn, anytime I have the chance to work on a project based around these subjects I snap up the opportunity. And of course, when I send out query letters it is usually to publications in these niches.
But I don’t know what my passion is? This is a common problem among many new freelance writers. You may not think you know what you are passionate about, but you are wrong. Sit down and take a closer look at your life and you will be able to find your calling in no time at all. Do you enjoy raising your kids? If so, you are passionate about parenting and there is a huge market for this. Do you enjoy watching football on Sunday? If so, look into starting a blog based around this sport or your favorite team.
Anytime you can write about your passion you should do so. If you don’t know what you are passionate about it is time to do a self-evaluation. In the end you will have a list of topics that inspire you to do your best.Â
For years I have been helping people who want to get involved in the freelance writing industry. This is something that I take great pride in, and for me it is a lot of fun. This is one of the main reasons that I started my freelance writing course. But before you decide that you want to get involved you need to ask yourself one very important question: is it what you really want? Some people only see the benefits of becoming a freelance writer and never consider the fact that they may run into hard times along the way.
Here are three things to think about if you are ready to make the leap. Over the past few months of my course these are details that I have been discussing with members time and time again:
1. No benefits or steady paycheck. If you come from a job with benefits, such as health insurance and a retirement plan, it can be difficult to transition into the freelance writing industry. Difficult yes, but far from impossible. To go along with this, every aspiring freelancer should note that they will no longer receive a steady paycheck. Instead of receiving a check on the 1st and 15th of every month you will now get paid when you complete work and when your clients decide to send the money.
2. Scary at first. My first few months as a freelance writer were very scary. Am I going to make it? Did I make the wrong decision? Should I begin searching for a 9 -5 job again? These are questions that I dealt with, and probably some of the same that you will ask yourself. One thing I found is that fear can be a good thing. If you are scared of failing you will work harder than ever before to succeed.
3. Doubts from others. Will you be able to deal with others doubting your decision? This can come from family members, friends, past co-workers, etc. Many people let this doubt creep into their mind which in turn shuts them out of a career as a freelance writer. Will you be able to stand strong and prove your doubters wrong?
If you really want to become a freelance writer you will know it. The above three points are not meant to scare you, but instead to educate you on what you may run into early in your career.
