These days an awful lot of people are asking me what it takes to be a freelance writer. I must admit, to a nine to five worker the prospect of sitting at home working roughly six hours a day for the same amount of money that they would make loading trucks or sitting in a cubicle is mildly attractive. The question however, is whether or not they can 'hack it', so to say.
If you want to make it in the world of freelance writing there are a few things you need to know. The first thing we will address is your clientele. Any freelance writer is going to need clients, but where do you get clients? Without clients there is no money, and without money there is no business. Without the business you will be back to that nine to five job. So without further delay, let's talk a bit about clients.
Getting the Clients
There are clients everywhere, but that doesn't mean you will be able to convince them to give you work. But why? There are a few reasons actually:
• The client in question already has a good writer.
• You are a new writer and don't have any sample pieces available.
• Your sample pieces were inadequate and you need to rework them.
• You simply aren't approaching the clients properly.
These are a few among many reasons why you might not be finding any work. The first thing you need to consider is reworking your sample pieces. Do you have any sample pieces? If not then now would be a great time to create some, and you can start by writing about what you know. Typically you are going to need a 550 word article that is fairly easy to read, but you also need to check it over for grammatical errors. As you can probably imagine, you shouldn't try getting a job if your work is not up to par.
As far as getting the clients goes, you can search for them on various internet forums. One place you might try is Craigslist or the Warrior Forum. These are both acceptable venues for seeking out clients, and you will find that many people have posted their job requests there. Then again you could also try some place like GAF or Getafreelancer.com.
The best part about GAF is that it actually sends you an e-mail when there is a job available. Will you get the job? That is actually pretty debatable, because as soon as you get the e-mail, you can be sure that there will be 10-20 people bidding on it. The most frustrating thing is that they're actually underbidding and offering prices that you would never dream of writing for. Let's be clear folks, a 1000 word article is worth more than $0.75, and this is especially true if you're doing a pack of 50. Why do people offer such ridiculously low prices? It could be desperation, but then again it could be ignorance. Maybe they don't know how much a 1000 word article is really worth. In any case, it just makes your job harder.
Alternative Solution
You don't absolutely have to do your searching on internet forums. In some cases you might just find content providers that are more than willing to hire you. If you are lucky enough to find yourself hired by one of these places, you will find that your pay is constant, the work flow is good, and there might even be bonuses involved. Sounds great, but what's the catch?
The catch is that you need to be the best at what you do! Content providers stay in business because they provide a top quality product at the best possible price. A friend of mine once told me that websites of this nature are not intended for learning. For this reason, you should learn everything you need to know about web content before you actually pursue a job at one of these places.
Once you establish yourself, you might think that the hard part is over, but you couldn't be more wrong. The hard part is only beginning.
Nuances of Freelance Writing
Before you get started, here are a few things that you need to know when you're doing freelance writing:
• The client is always right.
• You are not going to bed at 9:30, or at least not 9:30 PM.
• Your computer is going to crash.
• You might not be showering today, tomorrow, or even the next day.
• There is never enough money.
• You will not become famous through freelance writing.
The Client
Let's talk about the client for a minute. The client is always right, even when they are wrong. Why is that? It's pretty simple believe it or not: THE CLIENT IS YOUR SOURCE OF INCOME. You could spend time arguing with the client, sure, but in the end, they're the ones who pay you, and unless you have another source of income lined up, you need to follow their instructions. But when do you draw the line? When has the customer finally gone too far?
To answer that question, you need to ask yourself a few more questions. First of all, are you losing money because the client keeps asking you for hundreds of changes? Do you think the client is being unreasonable? Better yet, is this all your fault?
If it is all your fault, you need to own up to it and complete the job. In order to find out if it is your fault or not, you should ask fellow writers, and make sure those writers are fairly impartial. The last thing you want to do is ask someone who is just going to tell you that you're the second coming of the great white handkerchief every time you ask.
Find out, but don't take too much time. Time is money, and money is what keeps your freelance endeavors going.
Overtime
You're not going to bed at 9:30, so don't even bother. As soon as you think you might be done, you'll get an e-mail from a client explaining that you need to make a correction some article or document you composed, and you need to correct it within the next thirty minutes. At this point you've probably worked all day and you can't keep your eyes open. The bed is calling to you, and sleep sounds really, really good. Should you go to bed? Absolutely not! You could of course, but as soon as you wake up in the morning, you're going to look at your ceiling and scream something along the lines of: “WHY DIDN'T I JUST CORRECT IT?!” At which point you check your e-mail and find that you have lost a client.
Computer Failure
When you aren't doing any freelance writing, your computer should behave normally. When you are doing any sort of writing, your computer will fail at some point. You may contract a virus, or perhaps some vital file will vanish. Either way, you might find yourself repairing your computer for an entire day. For this reason, it is important that you know the basics of operating system installation, and of course, back up your files.
On the subject of files, your documents should never be stored on your computer. Ever. You should store them on an external hard drive or at least a flash drive. This will ensure that you always have quick, easy access to your files in the event your client ever asks you for a copy of something you wrote for them six years ago.
You Might Not be Showering
Get used to staying at your computer for long, long periods of time. There might not be time to get up and eat, or you might have to order pizza from your phone and have it brought directly to your desk. I cannot tell you the number of times I've had to send a quick message to Pizza Hut to have them bring me a three topping pizza and a two liter of coke.
Take at least two days off per week, that way you have time to reflect on the previous week and consider what you could do better. Spend that time doing things you enjoy, like playing games, exercising, and talking to friends. These are the days that will help keep you sane, and trust me when I say they go by quickly.
Money Issues
You are without a doubt going to realize that the potential for money making is virtually unlimited in freelance writing. You can take on as many clients as you want, and you can make as much money as you want! But there has to be a line! You have to have a cut off point where enough is enough. If you're making enough money to pay the bills, eat, and put extra back for a rainy day, then you've done well! You don't have to sit at your computer 24/7.
You Won't Get Famous
You heard me right when I said you won't get famous. As a freelance writer, you are doing what is called ghostwriting. Your name will not be on the pieces that you write, and you certainly will not be able to take credit for them. Taking credit for anything you write could lead to the end of your career. Are you ready to sacrifice the credit for your writing for a few hundred dollars at the end of the week? This is a decision you will have to make, and it is one that has caused many people to simply give up.
As you can see, freelance writing is a fast paced job, but whether or not it turns into a career depends on how well you can do it. You could easily use freelance writing as a stepping stone to a different career choice, such as journalism, novel writing, or even sports writing. When it comes to writing the career options are virtually limitless, but you have to stay on top of the game if you want to stay in it.
A wise prophet once wrote a song with these words, and though it refers to music, it applies to freelance writing as well:
I am the entertainer,
And I know just where I stand:
Another serenader,
And another long-haired band.
Today I am your champion.
I may have won your hearts.
But I know the game,
You will forget my name,
And I won't be here
In another year,
If I don't stay on the charts.
Makes sense, right? You have to stay on top of the game if you want to continue in this job. Think about it this way, how many musical artists did you once listen to that you promptly forgot about when they stopped making music? Elvis and Frank Sinatra do not count because they practically pioneered the modern music industry. You can probably think of quite a few artists who just vanished, and the realization you need to come to is that you're more obscure than they were. You have to work to make your name, and you have to keep pushing.
If you really want to get your name out there, you should start writing a blog, or perhaps articles for article directories in which you would be allowed to put your name on them. If you have what it takes, you will push through. If you don't have what it takes, you'll find yourself back in your old cubicle or on an assembly line. It's as simple as that.
