When it comes to freelance writing work where you have to market yourself to clients, I generally suggest not only specializing, but choosing no more than a few specialties. Beyond that, I suggest choosing specialties with similar markets so your promotional work goes farther. But I have an exception to that rule — when I develop my own sites. I’m not only a freelance writer.
People are always shocked when I tell them I’m a full-time freelance writer. Invariably, they want to know how much I make and how I can afford to pay my bills on the money I make from writing. I don’t blame them. Before I started writing full-time, I was one of those people completely oblivious to the fact that writing was a legitimate source of
We get questions from new writers both here in the forum and on the blog. But when we’ve been at this work for years, sometimes we forget what it was like to be new. So today let’s look back. When you were just starting out in freelance writing, what were the biggest questions you had? For me, the biggest question was “how can I educate
When you work as a freelance writer, you probably don’t have someone who can fill in for you when you become ill. You might have deadlines set well in advance that can’t be re-worked. And when it comes to chronic problems, you probably just have to find a way to work through things. Even the best laid plans could take a serious hit from an
When you work as a freelance writer you will soon find one thing to be true: there are times when you are super busy and it seems like every deadline lands on the same day. Along with this, there are times when you are not nearly as busy and are searching for new work. With this in mind, you may often struggle with the question
I have a bit of a confession to make. I haven’t gone on a real vacation in about ten years. I know. Shoot me now. I do have some good reasons for the lack of travel. My husband is a homebody so he’s not struck with wanderlust. When I do travel, I’m usually going to see family for a few days with plenty of obligations
In the U.S. political space, “outsourcing” has become a dirty word with the focus being companies that outsource American jobs to lower wage countries. But outsourcing in and of itself isn’t bad. It’s frequently done domestically too. You wouldn’t even have a job as a freelance writer if it weren’t for outsourcing — that’s what every one of your clients does every time they hire you.
Taking out a loan, especially a mortgage, when you’re self-employed is hard. Because lenders see self-employment income as risky and unpredictable, the lending standards are a lot harsher for us than for other workers. Before the mortgage crisis, freelancers had an easier time getting major loans. Many banks offered “no doc” or “low doc” loans that required little to no income documentation. Now, you can
One of the biggest perks of freelancing is the fact that we can set our own schedules. But how should you set that schedule? How do you determine what your working hours will be? My “normal” working hours are 5:00 am – 12:00 pm, Monday through Thursday. But that doesn’t mean I always stick to that, especially now that I have my husband’s schedule to think about.
When we work from home as freelancers, sometimes we don’t have much control over our work environment. For example, some writers work from their kitchen tables. A benefit of working in a pre-established area of the home is that you don’t have to worry about furnishing a separate office space. But what if you do have a freelance office, but not a huge budget to furnish it?
The first time you pick up the phone to make a cold call your stomach will likely feel uneasy. Don’t worry, you are not alone – this is quite natural. After all, you are getting involved with something that you are not familiar with. On top of this, the act of cold calling has received a bad reputation over the years. Although you may have
Want to write for a nice glossy magazine? If the answer to that question is a “yes” – I have a question for you… How often do you read them? If you want to make a career out of writing for magazines reading matters. This is especially true if you are hoping to get an essay published in your favorite print publication. Think of it
It’s not an unusual question. We all wonder from time to time if this world of freelancing from home is worth the extra time and effort it takes to be successful. Naturally we usually find plenty of reasons that it is, in fact, worth the hassles and stress. To name a few: freelance writers who work at home enjoy schedule flexibility, more time with family,
Recently I was looking over one of my favorite resources on book outlining — Karen Wiesner’s First Draft in 30 Days. Toward the end of the book she has a section on outlining your career as an author, including a one-year plan and multi-year planning. It was a bit of a kick in the pants (given that I forgot this section existed). You see, I have plenty
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that President Obama’s Affordable Care Act is legal. While there’s still much debate on whether it’s the right move for the people and the economy, the provisions of the law provide significant benefits for self-employed workers like us freelance writers. If you have private health insurance or you’re covered under a spouse’s health insurance, nothing much will change for