Amanda Hackwith - Freelance Confidential

There are so many great resources out there for freelancers, I could never list them all. This isn't intended to be a comprehensive list, or even hit every well-known popular resource out there. Instead, I'm providing select reading, resources, and events that have helped me with my career and could help you expand yours. Enjoy!

The Wealthy Freelancer by Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage, and Ed Gandia. Alpha, 2010.

The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burell. Marion Street Press, 2005.

How to Build a Successful Blog Business by Collis Ta'eed. Rockable Press, 2010.

The Unlimited Freelancer by Mason Hipp and James Chartrand. Freelance Folder. http://freelancefolder.com/book/

How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy. Princeton Architectural Press, 2010.

How to Be a Rockstar Freelancer by Cyan and Collis Ta'eed. Rockable Press, 2008.

An Event Apart http://aneventapart.com/

HOW Design Conference http://www.howconference.com/

Adobe MAX http://max.adobe.com/

Creative Freelancer Conference http://www.creativefreelancerconference.com/

Freelancers' Union http://www.freelancersunion.org/

AIGA http://www.aiga.org/

American Illustration and American Photography http://www.ai-ap.com/

TutsNetwork http://tutsplus.com/

FreelanceReview http://www.freelancereview.net/

FreelanceSwitch http://www.freelanceswitch.com/

International Freelancers Academy http://internationalfreelancersacademy.com/

Web Worker Daily http://gigaom.com/collaboration/

FreelanceAdvisor http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/

Location Independent http://locationindependent.com/

MenWithPens http://menwithpens.ca/

Copyblogger http://www.copyblogger.com/

A List Apart http://www.alistapart.com/

Dreamstime http://www.dreamstime.com/

iStockPhoto http://www.istockphoto.com/

Veer http://www.veer.com/

Crestock http://www.crestock.com/

Fotolia http://www.fotolia.com/

ThemeForest http://www.themeforest.net/

ActiveDen http://www.activeden.net/

GraphicRiver http://www.graphicriver.net/

CodeCanyon http://www.codecanyon.net/

AudioJungle http://www.audiojungle.net/

VideoHive http://www.videohive.net/

3DOcean http://www.3docean.net/

Lulu http://www.lulu.com/

Amazon Digital Text Platform https://dtp.amazon.com/

CreateSpace (formerly BookSurge) https://www.createspace.com/

Barnes and Noble's PubIt! http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/

FastPencil http://www.fastpencil.com/

FreelanceSwitch Radio http://freelanceswitch.com/podcasts/

Freelance Advisor Podcast http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/category/podcast/

Freelance Life http://itunes.apple.com/kz/podcast/the-freelance-life/id326472474

FreelanceSwitch Forums http://freelanceswitch.com/

FreelanceFolder Forums http://freelancefolder.com/

Forrst http://forrst.com/

StackOverflow http://stackoverflow.com/

DesignersTalk Forums http://www.designerstalk.com/forums/

FreelanceSwitch Jobs http://jobs.freelanceswitch.com/

Elance http://www.elance.com/

oDesk http://www.odesk.com/

Creattica http://creattica.com/

The CSS Awards http://www.thecssawards.com/

Coroflot portfolio space http://www.coroflot.com/

CarbonMade http://carbonmade.com/

Krop Creative Database http://www.krop.com/creativedatabase/

Viewbook http://www.viewbook.com/

SmugMug http://www.smugmug.com/

Portfolio Inspiration Round-Ups

5 Popular Design Portfolio Website Styles http://sixrevisions.com/web_design/five-popular-design-portfolio-website-styles/

50 Excellent Design Portfolio Sites http://designm.ag/inspiration/portfolio-sites/

25 of the Best Photographer Portfolio Sites http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/best-photographer-websites/

9 Insane Portfolio Designs to Make You Drool http://freelanceswitch.com/designer/9-insane-portfolio-designs- to-make-you-drool/

101 Awesome Portfolio Sites http://designm.ag/inspiration/101-awesome-portfolio-sites/

50 Fresh Portfolio Websites for Your Inspiration http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/07/30/50-fresh-portfolio-websites-for-your-inspiration/

Amanda Hackwith is the Editor of FreelanceSwitch (freelanceswitch.com), a freelancing blog and home to a growing community of expert freelancers from around the world. She also is Site Manager for GraphicRiver (graphicriver.net), a creative stock marketplace for graphic design files. In her free time, she blogs about web-working and media at her personal blog.

Amanda lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her husband, Levi, and a family of cats and dogs. When she isn't writing, she's an avid gamer and likely to be found playing the latest MMORPG or tactics game. Amanda got her start designing and writing about new media in college and never looked back. You can find out more about Amanda on her blog: http://www.amandahackwith.com.

Freelance Freedom appears courtesy of the artist, N.C. Winters. http://www.ncwinters.com

This chapter will compare results between the 2007 and 2010 global freelancer surveys and discuss the changes in the make-up of the freelance market. In particular, we'll look at:

• Changes in the basic demographics of gender, age, and location.
• Differences in experience and background.
• Tips you can take away from the survey to improve your own business.

Before we can dive into the attributes and behaviors that will give you an edge in your business, we need to take a step back and see where we are as a whole. To know where we're going, we have to know where we are and where we've been. Consider it our "You Are Here" map for the trip. (If the demographics of your fellow freelancers don't interest you, feel free to skip ahead to the .)

Over 3,200 freelancers responded to our Global Freelancing Survey and provided a complete portrait on freelancing, which we can compare to the 2007 edition and see some interesting developments. It's been a big year (or three). 2010 saw a significant rise in self-employed individuals. Ed Gandia, freelance copywriter and founder of International Freelancers Day, thinks changes are here to stay: