Table of Contents
Preface
Are you looking for a homebased business that uses your creativity and your willingness to work, offers low overhead, is easy to start, and can be quite lucrative? Welcome to freelance writing. This is a business that offers the opportunity to make more than $100,000 each year. And there is always room for one more writer.
Of course, the public perception is that you earn only a meager wage while working in excess of 100 hours a week. Eccentric and craggy, you are seen as a starving artist. Your friends and family probably think you survive by eating cat food, always leaving each can half full so as to feed your scrawny feline as you try to cobble together another manuscript. You probably have little (if any) heat in the winter. They certainly think you are doomed to be a pauper, but you are doing what you want to do. Its an image helped by many movies and television shows.
In reality, operating a writing business is quite different. You often have the freedom to work the hours you want to work. Your lifestyle, based on income, can be quite good. What determines your income is how well you manage your writing business and how well you manage your time. Within these pages is all the practical advice you need to launch your freelance writing business. Youll be amazed at how easy it is to get started and how soon you can earn money.
The information here gives you the insiders view of the business. Youll learn how to get started, where to find work, what to do, and just as importantly, what not to do. You are going to learn how to establish an internet presence, how to develop a client list, and what you need to get started. You are also going to learn how to expand your freelance writing business in other directions so you can earn more by offering services and informational products.
Freelance WritingToday and Tomorrow
Imagine opening a business that takes very little money to start. You can work in your pajamas, if you want. You do most, if not all, of your work from your own home. You choose your work hours.
Welcome to the world of freelance writing! Here is a business opportunity that offers all of the above, plus many other benefits. You operate your own business, choose assignments, get your work done, and collect your fees. The trip to the bank always makes you smile.
The world of freelance writing is wide, competitive, and open. One of its benefits is the ease of getting started. No matter in what area you choose to work, you can quickly offer your services as a freelancer.
In many businesses it takes weeks or months (if not a year or more) of planning before you can start your enterprise. It doesnt work that way in freelancing. Getting started as a freelancer in most fields, including writing, is fast and easy. You can literally start this morning and be earning income this afternoon. Freelancing is often associated with journalism and the publishing industry because writers, editors, graphic artists, and photographers often work as freelancers. Because its popular in many areas, consultants, coaches, and mentors often work as freelancers. Many computer programmers, database developers, and application consultants work as freelancers. So youll never be alone.
By using the internet to communicate, freelancer writers have extended their services and can seek assignments worldwide. Freelancing today often involves working with clients who are not located nearby. And even when the client is close-athand, e-mail and phone calls are still usually the means of communication between client and freelancer.
Freelancers are often confused with independent or temporary workers. Independent workers are not employees, but they are often bound to one company or client. Freelancers seek work and assignments from various clients. This is what makes a freelancer unique. The freelancer works until a project is complete and moves on, looking for another assignment from another client or source. Many freelance writers, however, do have enduring relationships with some clients.
A freelancer is simply a worker pursuing a profession without a formal commitment to, or employment contract with, any one person or entity. Freelancers develop clients and contacts, and work on projects as needed. Typical freelancers are fiercely independent, choosing to do the project work or assignments during their chosen hours. All freelancers work on a deadline, a predefined time when the work must be completed and turned in to the client. The freelancer is then paid for the work completed. Among those offering freelance writing services, there are part-timers making a few extra dollars, fulltimers making a decent living, and sought-after professionals commanding high fees.
Fun Fact
The term freelancer was first used by Sir Walter Scott (17711832) in his well-known historical romance Ivanhoe to describe a medieval mercenary warrior.
Smart Tip
Many freelancers leave regular employment and enter freelancing to work for myself. Freelancing requires that you work for a client. Your client is your boss. Freelancers soon learn one important fact: they are not working for myself.
Many freelancing assignments include a degree of creativity. While some assignments require exacting work, often freelancers add their own creative inspirations to the finished product. A writer uses words to develop an interesting magazine article. A photographer uses an artistic eye to produce images that convey a message through the photograph. Programmers often use special tricks to make their computer applications easier to use.
Self-employment offers great autonomy, freedom of expression, and flexible scheduling. This is what attracts freelancers to the freelancing lifestyle. However, income can fluctuate and be uncertain at times. The continuous, time-consuming search for new clients can also be stressful.
Earning Potential
Freelancing offers journalists, authors, and writers an excellent earning potential. Yet, many freelancers do not earn as much as they could because they operate their writing businesses poorly. They do not properly market their services or expertise. They fail to seek more lucrative opportunities and overlook obvious assignments that could enhance their income. Freelance writers who properly operate their writing businesses, market themselves as experts, and seek new opportunities can earn more than $100,000 per year.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are vast opportunities for writers, editors, and others working in print media. From reporters to journalists, technical writers to editors, the medium salary ranges from $40K to $75K for those employed by companies and organizations. There is more good news from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It reports that Employment of writers and editors is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2014.
