Wouldn’t it be nice if we could keep all of the money that we earn from freelance writing? While this is a nice dream, it will never happen. Taxes are a way of life, and you need to come to grips with this. Believe it or not, many people think that they can hide their freelance writing income from the IRS. This is not something that you want to try; unless you want to get into a lot of trouble that is.
There are two types of freelance writing careers: full-time or part-time. The way that you treat your writing will depend on how you proceed with paying taxes. Obviously, both ways have their own set of complications. For this reason, I suggest that you see a tax professional when it is time to file your year end return. Additionally, they can also help you set up quarterly tax payments both on the federal and state level. Remember, there is no employer to withhold taxes, so you are responsible for sending in the appropriate payment four times per year.
As you may know from experience, it is always nice to get a tax rebate as opposed to owing more money to the IRS. Of course, not everybody is this lucky. Even if you stay on top of your quarterly payments, you may not do enough to garner a rebate. Luckily, as you get used to your freelance writing income, you will be able to make the necessary adjustments.
Dealing with taxes month in and month out is one of the biggest drawbacks of being self-employed. While this may not bother some people, I see it as a drain on my time. Although it can be annoying, I know that it is something I must do if I want to work for myself. After all, being in charge of my own taxes is much better than working for somebody else!
Since signing up for the online edition of Writer’s Market, I have had access to thousands of publications that accept work from freelance writers. While I usually send out three or so queries per week, my acceptance rate has not been very high as of late. It can be disappointing to get turned down, but you need to keep one thing in mind: this is not a direct slam against you or your work. In many cases a publication may have enough freelance work for the time being, or your idea may have been covered in the recent past.
When a publication turns you down, it is important that you do not forget about them in the future. I have two folders on my computer. One is full of publications that I have worked with, and the other with those who turned me down in the past. While I always stay in touch with past clients, I do the same with those who told me no. Just because they did not like my idea a few months back does not mean that this will hold true in the future. And in many cases, the editor will send back a note telling me to query again in a few months. If you get this sort of open invitation, it is very important to take advantage of it.
It would be easy to get down on yourself when you receive rejection after rejection. This week alone I have received three emails from publications that I queried. Two of them told me that they recently covered my idea, and the other I am still speaking with. One out of three is not great, but I’ll take it. Would it be easy to get frustrated over this? For sure. I have gone through long draughts in the past where everybody seems to say no. But when I finally land an assignment after those rough times, it feels great!
Wouldn’t it be nice if every query letter resulted in a new job? Sure it would. But this is not realistic. The way that you deal with rejections is an important aspect of your freelance writing career. Do not let this get you down.
As a freelance writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about what clients want. After all, giving clients what they want is the name of the game. Not only does this help you to pick up the initial project, but when you deliver what is asked of you, your chances of more work increases exponentially.
If I were hiring a freelance writer, there are three things that I would consider.
1. What type of experience does the writer have? If I was hiring somebody to compose a sales letter, obviously I would want a writer who has done this type of work in the past. This is not to say that the writer with the most experience would get the job, but it is always nice to know what you are getting to a certain extent.
2. To go along with number one, samples are a must. When I apply for a job or query a publication, samples usually come into play. Sure, there are rare circumstances when samples are not required, but it is not common. Just as I always send out my best samples, I would expect writers that I was hiring to do the same.
3. Communication is essential in the proper and timely completion of any freelance writing project. Personally, I always make myself available to each and every one of my clients. Not only do they know that they can reach me via email, but I always slip in my phone number just in case they want to talk in real time. It is always nice to be able to speak about the progress of a project, bumps in the road, changes, etc.
Over the past few years I have hired a few freelance writers by keeping the above considerations in mind. All but once I achieved a high level of success. The one time that I failed I ended up with a writer who was too pushy. She slacked on the deadline, but then wanted paid within five minutes of completing the job. Of course, I wanted to check over the work before sending payment.
Within the next month or so I am going to be searching for a freelance writer to team up with on a new project. By using the tips above, I am confident that I will find the right person for the job!
