Recently there have been some complaints in a community I help moderate. We changed some things in the marketplace, and some sellers don’t like it because they can’t keep bumping their offers to the top of the board. I’m not here to get into that change today, but it did bring up a recurring theme that I think is pretty relevant to freelance Web writers.
A few people have tried the guilt trip / “woe is me” approach, saying that we’re making it too difficult for people in other countries to support their families now because they relied on those cheap gigs getting bumped constantly (let’s face it – a $5 article writer will get bumped much more than a quality $50+ article writer simply because their overall client numbers are greater).
Here’s what I have to say about that: I don’t care.
Your Problems Are Not My Problems
No matter where you choose to advertise or promote your services, you have no right to expect people to hand you things or make it easy for you. Being in business is not easy. I’m sorry if you’re having a rough time. I really am. But it’s not my problem. It’s not my responsibility to help you earn that money either. It’s yours.
My responsibility is to take care of my own business and adapt when changes come my way. I wouldn’t expect other writers (or my clients, or owners of services I use, or my contractors, or anyone else) to go out of their way to get me more gigs or help me save more money just because I happened to be in a rough spot (and I’ve had plenty of rough times over the years). When that happens, it’s usually at the expense of someone else, and that’s just not right.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I’m not sympathetic. I’m not saying you should never try to help another writer in need. But the fact is that the best help is often showing them how to help themselves. You know what they say about giving a man a fish versus teaching him to fish, and the same applies to freelancing.
If You Want to be in Business…
You have to learn to adapt. Your circumstances and your surroundings could change at any time and on any day. If you aren’t prepared to cope with changes, then you’re not prepared to be in business.
You might enjoy freelance writing. It might pay the bills for now. But if you can’t survive through changes, you’re not going to last. More importantly, if you’re in such a desperate situation you shouldn’t be putting your family’s future on that freelance work.
Go out and get a job at McDonald’s, babysitting, etc. I don’t care what. Just do something that will bring in more stable income. Then supplement it with freelance writing. But if you don’t know how to handle the business side, you’re not prepared to do this full-time, and you shouldn’t expect anyone else to feel sorry for you because of that.
Look, I’m not heartless. I try to help other writers out all the time. But I’m really sick and tired of the constant pity party. If you aren’t willing to work your ass off and adapt to the business environment you chose to put yourself in, then save everyone a headache and just stop.
Freelancing is fantastic, but that doesn’t mean everyone is cut out for it. Are you sure you are?
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Cathy Miller
Amandah
Andrew Kardon
Lori
Amelia Ramstead
Jennifer,
This is excellent. People should be responsible for themselves and not blame anyone else. Opportunities abound for people who are willing to work hard to achieve them. If you are not where you want to be in life look in the mirror because you are the one holding yourself back. When you acknowledge this, you can move on and accomplish something.
Freelance writing is a tough business, and it requires more than the average person’s share of fortitude and tenacity. I am grateful to everyone who helped me when I first started my business. I received invaluable business and writing advice from people with solid gold experience. I am always more than happy to help new writers who have questions, or want to network. That being said, however, I am still in this business to make money to support my family. I donate to my church and certain charities I like, so I am not going to play the part of charitable organization to give new freelancers a hand up. A sense of achievement comes from working hard and “doing it” yourself. It’s important for new writers to remember this is not a regular job. Like any other self-starter, each person is responsible for building business and clientele, and learning what they have to know in order to survive in the freelancing world. New freelancers should learn right off the bat to be prepared to work hard, and face disappointments and constant change.
Jennifer, it’s always good to read these “kick in the ass” posts. Since I quit my fulltime job nearly 2 years ago (for reasons that aren’t important here), I’ve been temping to make ends meet. When my last temp gig ended at the beginning of May, I needed a break. So I figured it was about time to put up or shut and focus on getting my writing career in gear.
I’ve done a ton of work on my blog and social networking and I think I’m making some headway there. It’s the business part that’s tough: figuring out the markets, types of writing, etc. I recently purchased your “Launching a Successful Freelance Web Writing Career” e-book and have been working through that.
Wish me luck as I figure all of this out. :)
James – That’s exactly right. It’s easy to blame others, and because of that some people always will. It’s unfortunate. Of course they also won’t amount to much in the industry over time. Karma’s a bitch like that.
Trina – I think that’s a part of the problem. Too many people still look at freelancing as “easy” – if not that it is easy, then that they feel it should be.
Jim – I absolutely wish you the best of luck with it! And I hope the e-book and worksheets help you navigate through the less-than-exciting targeting aspects. I’ve been thinking about this recently. I’ve always considered AFW to be rather marketing / PR-heavy compared to other writing blogs, but maybe it’s not focused on those things enough. Maybe a month-long “marketing bootcamp” is in order. I’ll have to consider it and lay out some ideas, but maybe we’ll do that next month.
Oh, a Marketing Bootcamp would be awesome. :) I’m so terrible at marketing myself. :( I guess I just lack confidence. I’m good at promoting others, but I suck at promoting myself. As always, you rock! :)