One thing that I have learned since starting my freelance writing career is that my income will vary from month to month. While it may always be in the same range, there is no way of predicting when a big month will arrive. For me, one of those big months happened to be October.
Generally speaking, I did not do anything special during October to boost my income. In fact, I worked with the same clients as always, and only added two new projects. The only thing that I changed was putting a little bit more time into writing. At this point, I am beginning to feel more comfortable with breaking down my time between freelance writing, blogging, and other start-ups.
Here are my freelance writing income stats for October 2007.
Number of Completed Projects: 24
Payment by PayPal: 20
Payment by Check: 3
Payment by Bank Wire: 1
Total Income: $7,047.84
As you can see, I just eclipsed the $7,000 mark last month. Since beginning to chart my income in July, this is my biggest month. This is not my most profitable month ever, but definitely ranks somewhere in the top 10.
It is hard to predict if I will be able to make as much or more money in November. As mentioned above, a freelance writing income is one that will vary from month to month. The way that I best get around this is by setting a basic goal of $4,500/month, and then working my best to beat that by as much as possible.
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Like always, I would be glad to answer any specific questions. Leave a comment, or send me an email!
To make more money as a freelance writer, you can simply raise your project fees or hourly rate. As you can imagine, when you begin to charge more you will begin to earn more as well. Of course, there are some things to keep in mind when it comes to raising freelance writing rates.
1. Never increase your rates too much. In my opinion, anything more than a 10 percent increase at a time is probably too much. Could you get away with more? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But in the interest of not annoying clients, you do not want to get out of control.
2. You cannot get away with increasing your rates every month. Instead, make sure that you only do so once a year at the most. Many freelance writers have a set month each year when they consider raising their rates. For the most part, the best month of the year to do this is January; but it is up to you.
3. When current clients ask why your rates have increased, make sure that you have a good answer. You can’t say, “Because I felt like it.†If you are rude to clients who ask this question, they may decide to move onto another writer.
4. What will you do when a client says that your new rates are too high for them? Will you cut them a break, or stick to your guns? Remember, if you immediately offer them the old rate just to keep their business, they will think that they are not subject to any changes in the future. This is not to say that you should never negotiate, but be very careful with what you say and do.
5. Before you raise your rates, research the industry as well as what other freelance writers are charging. Even if you are a great writer, charging more than everybody else may not get you very far. When your rates are among the highest of the high, you can only attract a special type of clientele.
Simply put, when you raise your freelance writing rates you will see an increase in income. The only way that this will not work out is if your current clients begin to drop you because you have asked for too much. Keep the above tips in mind so that you can increase your rates each year without putting anybody off.Â
There used to be a day when freelance writers had to send query letters to editors via snail mail. While this is still commonplace to a certain extent, in most cases you should be able to make contact via email. This is always easier than sending regular mail, but along with this form of communication comes several do’s and don’ts.
Here are three tips for successfully communicating with editors via email.
1. Your initial email needs to be perfect. This means that your query letter should include all of the proper information, and just as importantly, it needs to be free of typos. If you are going to find your contacts in Writer’s Market, you will also be able to find information on what to include in your query letter.
On a side not, you should personalize every email that you send. In other words, do not use a generic email for every editor that you contact. If you do, they will see right through this and it will greatly hurt your chances of a response.
2. Many people would rather email editors because it is quicker and simpler than snail mail. But unless you know for sure that the editor accepts email queries, you do not want to go this route. Remember, not every editor likes to receive tons of email. Many of them prefer the old fashion query letter sent through the mail.
3. Make sure that you include all of your contact information in your first email to an editor. When sending a letter by mail, this is something that most people remember 99 percent of the time. But when it comes to email, they often times forget. In addition to your email address, you will also want to include your phone number and mailing address. This way, the editor has all of the information they need to get in touch with you in a number of different ways.
Keep these tips in mind when communicating with editors via email. They are particularly useful for the initial contact with an editor.
