After posting my monthly freelance writing income report, I always receive a large number of emails asking a variety of questions. This time around, it seems as if the most popular question is: which freelance writing topics are most profitable? As you can imagine, most writers want to get involved with the industries/topics that pay the most. But in my opinion, this is a mistake. Instead, I feel that you should work on topics that are of interest to you, and then find ways to make them profitable.
If you only chase projects and topics that pay well, you are going to find out soon enough that you are not having as much fun as you could. When I started my freelance writing career, I stuck to a handful of topics that were of great interest to me. They included sports, travel, and real estate. Anytime that I would receive a project on one of these topics I knew that I would enjoy it. For this reason, I spent a lot of time querying publications that fit into these categories in one way or the next.
Of course, expanding over time is very important. Although I still dabble in the three topics that I started my career with, I deal with many others on a regular basis as well. Generally speaking, you want to narrow in on a few subjects that you enjoy, but make sure that you do not back yourself into a corner.
Are there are topics that pay better than the rest? Over my time as a writer, I have not really found an answer to this question. I write for some sports magazines that pay $.25/word and others that pay at a rate of $.10/word. It is not so much the subject you are writing on than it is the company or publication that you are working for. If you want to make more money you do not need to change what you write about, but instead find companies and publications that are willing to pay you what you are worth.
Just like me, you will find that pinpointing the most profitable freelance writing subjects is next to impossible. Do not spend your time chasing after the jobs that you “think†will be the most profitable. Instead, make a list of topics that you enjoy, and then find the best paying clients within those industries.Â
Like many other freelancers I have spoken with, the first two months of 2008 were relatively slow for me. With that being said, things were not as bad as they could have been. My freelance writing income in January exceeded $5,200, and in February I went over $5,600. While I would have been semi-happy with another month in this range, I really pushed for more in March. When everything was said and done, I ended up posting a nice number:
Number of Completed Projects: 21
Payment by PayPal: 18
Payment by Check: 2
Payment by Bank Wire: 1
Total Income: $7,532.21
To what do I attribute my March income success? Generally speaking, I do not have a concrete answer as to why my income jumped nearly $2k. When looking at the numbers, you will see that I completed three fewer projects this month than last. To go along with this, I only added a couple new clients to the mix. The easiest way to explain this increase is that my regular clients sent more work my way during the month of March. There is a chance that this could stay the same in April, or that things could fall off to the workload that I was taking on during the first two months of the year.
At the end of the first quarter of 2008, I am quite pleased with my overall progress. Although I had hoped to average $7k/month through the first quarter, I am on pace to earn more this year than last. But with nine months to go there is no way of knowing how things will shape up.
What is my income goal for April? Like always, I hope to break $4,500. It would be nice to capsize this month’s income, but doing so will be a tough task. Of course, I’ll try my hardest and let you guys and gals know how things go!
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As a freelance writer, you are a self-employed professional. For this reason, you have the right to accept or decline any project that comes your way. If you are like most, you are probably most comfortable writing on particular topics. Personally, I try to stay within my knowledge base because it not only makes the work easier, but it also goes a long way in ensuring that the client will enjoy the finished result. Of course, there are times when I decide to accept projects that I don’t know much about. The question is: is this a good idea for me or any other freelance writer?
I have written about everything from airplane technology to dog breeds over my years as a freelance writer. Any topic in which I lack knowledge, I spend some time familiarizing myself before accepting or declining the project. With the help of the internet, I can usually get a good idea of what obstacles I will be faced with if I decide to take on a topic that is new to me.
There is nothing wrong with accepting projects that you do not know a lot about. Even though it can take some time to learn the material and finish the job, you should keep in mind that you will be expanding your knowledge; and as a freelance writer this is always a good thing. The first time that I wrote about dog breeds I was unsure of what I was doing. But now when a client asks me to take on a project under this topic, I have much more confidence. The bottom line is that more knowledge can never hurt your freelance writing career. This is not to say that you should attempt to specialize in every topic, but there is no reason to turn down a good learning opportunity if you are confident in your skills.
I do not always accept projects that I don’t know a lot about. With that being said, it is not because I am afraid of the challenge or don’t want to learn more. I may have other things going on, or simply feel that I am not the best person for the job.
If you have the time and do not mind doing some research, you should consider taking on jobs that may not be right up your alley but ones that you are more than capable of completing. Who knows, you may find a new subject that you thoroughly enjoy!Â
