Freelance Writing Pros on What They Wish They Knew as Beginners

New freelance writers are full of questions.

• "How do I get started?"
• "Where are the high paying freelance writing jobs?"
• "Should I sign up for freelance marketplaces or find my own clients?"

I hear questions like these all the time. But are they the kinds of things beginner freelance writers really need to know?

To find out, I caught up with some more experienced freelancers -- the type of people I'd personally trust for advice -- and I asked them:

With all that you know now as a successful freelance writer, what one thing do you wish you had known when beginning your freelance writing career?

Here's what they had to say.

Note: The original group of freelance writing pros contributing to this post in 2016 begin with Susan Johnston Taylor. The first set of stories, tips, and advice you'll find below were added in 2023 from additional freelance writing pros on what they wish they knew earlier in their careers.

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Michelle Rafter

Ghostwriter & Freelance Business Reporter

I’ve learned a lot of things the hard way in the course of freelancing a few times over my career as a reporter and now ghostwriter. One of the first was to pay estimated taxes! Waiting to scrap together enough money to pay a year’s worth of income taxes in one lump sum when they’re due is no bueno – especially when you’re starting out and not making much.

Don’t underestimate the time it takes to do something, whether it’s setting up interviews, research, writing, or rewriting. Just because another writer can bang out copy in a matter of hours or do a full week of work in two days doesn’t mean you can. This is why I track my time religiously and include descriptions for what I do in my hours worked. Do this long enough and you’ll improve your estimates for how long certain types of projects take, and the milestones within them. Use that information to come up with more well-informed deadlines and project fees.

Don’t say yes to everything you’re offered without figuring out a realistic schedule for how to get it done – with emphasis on the “realistic schedule.” If you’re a working parent, freelancing as a side gig, or have other time constraints, can you really juggle five, six, eight, or 10 projects at a time without slipping up or letting your non-work life suffer? It’s a question only you can answer. Having a good read on how long it takes to complete specific types of work helps (see above). But don’t say yes only because you’re afraid if you don’t you’ll never get offered another assignment. You will. Building a freelance career that doesn’t burn you out is the key to longevity in this business.

Connect with Michelle on social media: LinkedIn

Visit Michelle's website.

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Terez Howard

Freelance Editor & Writer

I wish I could tell my younger freelancing self to build a support system. I remember that I was just getting my freelance writing business off the ground. I had some regular work, and I was getting new clients while also running my household and being heavily involved in volunteer work. Rather than getting the “you can do it” speech from someone close to me, I got the “you can’t handle this” speech. It discouraged me to the point of scaling back way more than necessary. Looking back, I know I could have handled it. I needed support.

We get caught up in running our business and producing stellar results that we forget that not everyone will be impressed. In short, there will be haters. Sadly, those haters can emerge right in own houses. So I encourage you to build a support system. Make connections, virtually and irl, because when you need that boost after being torn down, it will be there. The cycle continues when you too encourage others to be tenacious and resolute.

Connect with Terez on social media: LinkedIn

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Paula Hendrickson

Television Industry Freelance Writer

I wish I knew the value of networking when I was starting out. This was long before social media, so finding fellow freelancers to connect with was difficult.

I didn’t have a mentor, but I knew a couple other local freelance writers. Most of us wrote for the same magazines. None of us had any corporate clients. It took a lot of legwork to find new clients, plus more research and marketing to land them, so we shared leads. For the most part, anyway.

One writer occasionally shared lower-paying markets, but kept the good ones to herself because she didn’t want extra competition. A little friendly competition is nothing to fear—especially if you’re good at your job. You can even make it fun by doing something like challenging a colleague to see who can land a new client first.

Connecting with fellow freelancers is much easier today, whether it’s through blog posts, social media, or in-person events. We can all learn from each other and help one another succeed. That might mean offering referrals, sharing links to each other’s work, or being a sounding board for someone who’s struggling. It’s also a good way to find an accountability buddy. Mine is Dava Stewart, and at our monthly check-ins I’m constantly impressed and motivated by her work achievements.

I used to think networking meant using others to advance your own career, which is something I’d never do. Sure, there will always be a few people using others as stepping stones, but for most freelancers I’ve met throughout the years—not counting the unnamed freelancer mentioned above—networking is reciprocal. And fun.

Connect with Paula on social media: Twitter | LinkedIn

Visit Paula's website.

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Susan Johnston Taylor

Freelance Journalist & Copywriter

I wish I'd known to focus on building relationships with editors rather than chasing one story at a time.

Early in my career, I'd brainstorm an idea for a market, pitch that market, and then move onto another website or magazine because I didn't have more ideas for the original market.

That's a lot of work to convince that editor, learn their style and invoicing process, then start fresh. Rather than getting a lot of one-off assignments for different markets, it's much more time efficient to focus on markets that have a steady need for the kind stories you want to write. That's my approach now.

Connect with Susan on social media: Twitter | LinkedIn

Visit Susan's website.

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Peter Bowerman

23-Year Veteran Commercial Writer

Don’t deify clients.

If I had it to do all over again as a commercial freelancer (a.k.a. marketing copywriter), I wouldn’t put clients on a pedestal, and assume they were, by definition, so much smarter and savvier than I was. Many are sharp people, but just as many are overextended, have a middling marketing sense, or are even way out of their depth.

Even the sharp ones, overwhelmingly, aren’t over-demanding hard-asses (second misconception I was laboring under). Sure, they have reasonably high expectations, given the prevailing wages for good writers in our field. But again, a large majority of them are good, decent people who sincerely want your help in solving their marketing challenges.

Bonus Point: How I view what we do as commercial writers is very different than what it was at the outset. And when I finally shifted my perspective (explained here), my concern over whether this field “was still a good opportunity”—a question I’ve gotten more times than I can count—vanished forever.

Connect with Peter on social media: Twitter | LinkedIn

Visit Peter's website.

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Francesca Nicasio

Professional Blogger & Web Content Writer

You need a lot of discipline, hustle, and self-motivation to make it as a freelance writer. This is one of the things I wish I knew when I first started out.

While passion and writing talent are important, they're not enough to sustain a thriving freelance writing business. If you want to be successful, you need to show up, market your services, and delivery quality content time and time again. Doing all that consistently can be a challenge, especially if you work from home and don't have a formal "boss" to answer to.

Over the years I've cooked up ways to keep myself motivated and push myself to get work done even if I don't feel like it. Some of the things that work well for me include reading old emails from happy clients and asking myself, "What would future me thank me for?" Had I known about these things when I first started out, I would have been much more productive, and I would've reached my goals sooner.

Bottom line: if you're an aspiring freelance writer, don't get blinded by the joys of working from home and being your own boss. Realize that freelance writing takes work, and you need more discipline and self-motivation than most if you want to succeed.

Connect with Francesca on social media: Twitter | LinkedIn

Visit Francesca's website.

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Sharon Hurley Hall

Freelance Blogger

If I could have known one thing when I started that I know now it's that as a freelancer you have to be in the driving seat for your writing business and writing career.

Like many freelancers, at the start I let clients make the running on everything from deadlines to compensation, often having to pull all nighters to meet impossible delivery dates for low-paid work.

Once I started to think more about what I needed, and to manage my time and value my work, my writing business blossomed. When you value yourself and your time, clients do too. I'd have had an easier and more lucrative first year of freelancing if I'd realized that at the start.

Connect with Sharon on social media: Twitter | LinkedIn

Visit Sharon's website.

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Jake Poinier

Freelance Writer & Consultant

By nature, I enjoy taking risks and experimenting--but looking back, I'd take even more chances.

Here's what I would tell my younger self: Your career is durable.

Short of doing something illegal or unethical, you're not going to break it or damage it. Don't content yourself with new opportunities, throw in the occasional lottery-ticket play just to see what might happen.

On the flip side of that, be smarter and faster about ditching something (whether a client, client project, or personal project) when it becomes clear that it's not going to work out. The sooner you get on to What Comes Next, the better off you'll be.

Connect with Jake on social media: Twitter | LinkedIn

Visit Jake's website.

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Lori Widmer

Freelance Insurance Writer

The one thing I think had the most impact on my career that I wish I’d known at the start was that I’m running a business.

The moment I put my head into the business mindset, not the “freelancer” mindset, everything fell into place. I now had a business, not just a career. That meant every decision I made would impact the success of my business.

It helped me shift my thought process from a personal, emotional one to a professional one.

That mattered because now I was marketing a business, not schmoozing people into hiring me. I wasn’t pestering someone to pay a late invoice – I was following my business’ collection process. Nothing changed except my perspective, which colored everything differently for me.

Connect with Lori on social media: Twitter | LinkedIn

Visit Lori's website.

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Cathy Miller

Freelance Healthcare & Insurance Writer

I wish I had known what being a business owner meant in terms of the administrative side.

I knew how to write. I knew how to network and market.

What I wasn't prepared for was the myriad of time-consuming tasks that could easily distract from my core business.

Dealing with the "mechanics" of my business was a huge learning curve. I first had to understand them to better manage them. Issues like setting up a site sound simple until you look at all that entails.

• Creating and purchasing domain names
• Choosing a web host
• Learning WordPress
• Selecting plugins
• Understanding SEO best practices

And then there is the fallout when things don't work as planned. And, trust me, that will happen. Over and over again. And this is only one aspect.

Other challenges like tax preparation and health insurance are huge considerations. If I knew then what I know now, I would have mapped a better strategy for incorporating administrative management into my business.

Connect with Cathy on social media: Twitter | LinkedIn

Visit Cathy's website.

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Laura Spencer

Freelance Blogger & Copywriter

I'm sure I've been asked this question before and I've probably answered it differently. That's because most people aren't really prepared when they start freelancing. There's so much a new freelancer needs to know.

I think one of the biggest things a new freelancer needs to realize is that freelancing is not a magic fix to life's problems. So many freelancers get into freelancing because they feel it will solve all their problems. It won't. It can't.

Whatever problems you had before you started freelancing, you'll probably still face them as a freelancer.

• If you had trouble getting along with a boss or coworkers, you may have trouble dealing with clients.
• If your budget was tight before freelancing, remember it takes most freelancers several months to earn a decent income.
• If you need more free time, keep in mind that freelancing is a real job. To earn full-time money, you need to work full-time hours.

The best way to prepare yourself for freelancing is to expect to have to deal with problems--those problems you faced before you began freelancing as well as unexpected problems that crop up as a result of being in business for yourself. If you can handle the problems, you can handle freelancing.

Despite all this, freelancing is rewarding if you deal with the challenges. Speaking for myself, I would choose freelancing again if I had to make the decision over again.

Connect with Laura on social media: Twitter | LinkedIn

Visit Laura's website.

This post was originally published on November 30, 2016. It has since been updated with additional freelance writers featured.