Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer

Moira Allen

• Publisher: Allworth
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781621535591
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Persönliche Entwicklung
• Subtopic: Karriere

"An essential read for freelance writers." — The Writer magazine
Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer, Third Edition, offers a step-by-step guide to launching a successful freelance career. For beginners and experts, full time or part time, Moira Allen explains everything freelancer writers need to know, including how to set up a home office, develop and pitch marketable ideas, approach editors and other clients, and prepare and submit material. In addition, readers will learn the business side of freelancing, such as how to deal with rights and contracts as well as how to manage income, expenses, and taxes. Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer also discusses the ways in which freelancer writers can expand and enhance their writing career. Allen gives essential advice on the use of photos and reprints and discusses how to take advantage of other writing opportunities, such as columns, business and technical writing, and even nonfiction books. Fully updated, this new edition includes:

• A fresh look at the top writing tools to get started in today's Internet environment
  
• The best social media venues for writers and how to use them
  
• Tips on how to expand a copywriting portfolio and clientele with social media writing services
  
• Why a website is still the most important online marketing tool—and how to maximize its effectiveness
  
• How a writer's blog can help your freelancing career
• Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer offers freelancers the tools and information they need to understand this business from the inside out and to become successful freelance writers.

CHAPTER 1

So You Want to Be a Freelance Writer

Writing for publication is one of the most rewarding careers I can think of. It offers opportunities for independence, creativity, and the occasional moment of fame. It gives you a way to speak to (and for) others—to entertain, educate, inspire, motivate, comfort, and assist. It gives you a chance to earn an income by doing something you love. It may even give you a chance to change the world—or at least to change a small part of it by giving readers the tools they need to make their lives better. Plus, there’s nothing like the thrill of seeing your name in print!

Writing is also one of the easier careers to break into. You don’t need any special qualifications—no special degrees or educational background, certification or business license. You can start a career at any age. And thanks to the magic of the Internet, you can launch a writing career from just about anywhere in the world.

At the same time, a career in freelance writing can be arduous and frustrating. It takes time to launch a writing career, and even more time to become a success. The publishing world has always been a hostile environment for writers, and hasn’t gotten better with time. Magazine and newspaper payment rates are often ridiculously low, and many publications haven’t increased those rates in decades. Rejection is inevitable, and something a writer must learn to accept gracefully.

It’s also essential to realize that, though you may be looking for an opportunity to earn money “doing what you love,” freelance writing is a business. Unless you treat your efforts as a business—including doing market research, handling correspondence, and keeping financial records—your career is doomed to failure. Don’t assume that all you need to succeed is to be creative; there’s plenty of dull, mundane “administrivia” involved as well.

The good news is that a writing career is remarkably flexible. It adjusts to your hours, enabling you to invest as few or as many as you are able to spare. Most freelancers begin as moonlighters, writing in their “spare” time while handling a day job or taking care of a family. This gives you a chance to develop your skills, build a portfolio or client base, and establish a nest egg against the day that you decide to go full time. It also gives you a chance to determine, before taking that jump, whether this is right for you. Many writers never do go full time, but freelance as a way to supplement their incomes.

WHAT IS A FREELANCER?

According to Entrepreneur, nearly one-third of the US labor force engaged in some form of freelancing in 2016, and that number is expected to continue to rise. The study found that nearly 70 percent of freelancers are women, and more than half live with someone who has a full-time job. Very few freelance full time; 96 percent, in fact, freelance to supplement their regular income or their family income. Rarely does freelancing pay the rent; only 4 percent of those interviewed earned more than $50,000 a year, and most earned between $2,000 and $50,000.¹

So . . . it’s important to understand that a freelance writing career is not a shortcut to wealth. Very few freelance writers are wealthy. But it can bring in a decent revenue, with the advantage of very little financial outlay and the ability to work from home. This makes freelancing particularly appealing to stay-at-home parents.

Freelancing specifically means marketing your services to clients and customers. A freelancer is self-employed, but not all forms of self-employment are freelancing. For example, if you supplement your income by selling craft items on Etsy, this is self-employment, but not freelancing.

This can be confusing to writers, who often think of themselves as creating a “product”—such as a written article—and selling that product to a publication. If you think of freelancing as providing a service rather than just a product, however, you’re likely to improve your chances of success. Instead of thinking of editors as customers for products that you create, think of them as clients for your writing services. When you think of yourself providing a writing service—by reviewing a market’s guidelines and understanding its needs and readership—you’re much more likely to generate sales. Once you have impressed an editor, you may begin receiving assignments from that publication, which means that you will indeed be providing a writing service rather than developing “products” on your own.

Freelance writing can include a variety of writing activities, services, markets, and clients. This book addresses the following:

• Writing for print magazines. Nonfiction magazines represent the largest, most accessible, and highest-paying market for freelancers. Thousands of print magazines accept freelance material in the US alone, and there are also hundreds of international markets. Though many predicted that the Internet would bring an end to print magazine publishing, many readers still prefer them—and advertisers still find magazines the best way to reach customers. The downside is that magazines work well in advance, so when you sell a piece, it may not be published for months or even a year.

• Writing for online publications. There are many types of online publications, including websites (which may publish material at any time); web zines, e-zines, and email newsletters, which usually publish on a periodical (e.g., weekly or monthly) basis; columns and blogs; and sites associated with commercial enterprises. Many print publications also have an expanded online presence, and may purchase additional material that is only used online. Most online markets don’t pay as well as print markets. This marketplace has also shrunk in the last few years. Many publishers rushed to establish e-zines, thinking to cash in on subscriptions and advertising money, only to find that both were hard to come by; consequently many online publications established a decade ago have vanished. Paying markets can still be found, however. Some online markets publish material fairly quickly, but periodicals are likely to take nearly as long to publish a piece as a print magazine.

• Writing for newspapers. There are at least as many newspapers in the US as magazines, if not more, and many accept freelance contributions. As Sue Fagalde Lick explains in chapter 17, newspapers generally seek both a local angle and a news angle (e.g., what makes this article timely and useful to readers in our service area?). Most local and regional papers pay less than magazines, but it’s often possible to sell the same piece to other noncompeting papers. Newspapers work on a much faster schedule than magazines, often publishing material within days of acceptance. Newspapers may also have an extended online presence, offering additional opportunities for freelancers.

• Writing nonfiction books. While few freelancers start their careers by writing nonfiction books, many find this a logical step after publishing a number of articles or columns on a particular subject, or becoming a subject-matter expert. An agent is generally not needed. Plus, with a good proposal, you may get a go-ahead and an advance before you actually complete the book.

• Writing and editing for businesses. Writing business and corporate materials, such as press releases, brochures, advertising flyers, and social media copy, can provide steadier work and a larger, more reliable income than writing for periodicals. The difference is that in this marketplace, you’re not being asked to write creative pieces or come up with your own ideas. Instead, your material is dictated by the customer. This type of freelancing (generally called “copywriting”) requires good editing skills, the ability to interact directly with your client, and sometimes some business or technical expertise. Fortunately, thanks to the Internet, it’s now possible to write for businesses outside your local area.

Other freelance activities include editing (such as developmental editing, technical editing, copyediting, and proofreading); speechwriting; resume writing; teaching and speaking; writing educational and curriculum materials; writing humor and personal essays; and even illustrating and cartooning. Many of these, however, are better suited for the experienced freelancer; they’re not the place to start your freelancing career.

You might be wondering whether writing short fiction or novels qualifies as freelance writing. The answer (as you’ll often find in this book) is “it depends.” The term “freelancing” implies an active attempt to earn money from your efforts. While a novel can bring you an advance and royalties once it is accepted by a publisher, it won’t earn you a penny during the months or even years that you’re working on it. Writing short fiction is more likely to qualify as freelancing if you can find paying markets for that fiction. However, such markets are few, low paying, and highly competitive, so this is not a good choice if your primary goal is to supplement your income. Poetry offers even fewer opportunities to make money; in fact, many poetry markets expect you to pay them.

Another type of writing that does not qualify as freelancing is any form of self-publishing that does not generate an income. Writing a blog, for example, is not freelancing. Blogging has benefits, and you may find opportunities to get paid as a blogger or guest blogger, but if you’re not getting paid, it’s not freelancing.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU EARN?

How much a freelancer can earn depends on a variety of factors, including skill, areas of expertise, business acumen, the amount of time available for writing, and more.

The first thing to understand is that freelancers rarely have the freedom to set their own rates. If you write for periodicals, you are expected to accept whatever pay range a market offers. If the market doesn’t pay enough, don’t write for that market. Some markets pay flat rates (e.g., $200 for a feature article) while others pay by the word. Many have a rate range, depending on the author’s experience and the complexity of the article. New contributors are usually paid at the lower end of the range, and aren’t likely to earn more until they’ve sold several pieces to that market.

When new writers look at market listings, they tend to make one of two mistakes. The first is to think, “Wow! I can sell an article for $1,000! I’ll be rich!” I call this the Redbook syndrome. It affects writers who are familiar with glossy women’s magazines sold at grocery checkout stands. If the first market that pops into your head when you think about where to send an article is Cosmopolitan or Woman’s Day, think again. These magazines can afford to work with pros with years of experience and hefty portfolios. While new writers can occasionally break into these markets, the odds are against you. This is not the way to launch your career, and leads to frustration and disappointment.

A second and equally damaging mistake, however, is to assume that because you are a new writer, you can write only for low-paying markets. While smaller markets are more open to new and inexperienced writers (because most experienced writers won’t bother with them), that doesn’t mean you have no choice but to write for a penny a word. The best markets for beginners are somewhere in between, and consist primarily of special-interest magazines. The key to cracking this type of market is often your personal background and expertise rather than writing experience.

To determine how much you can realistically hope to earn as you’re starting out, consider the following questions:

1. What type of markets are you best qualified to write for? Look for publications that match your interests and experience. If you’re an animal lover, look for pet publications. If you travel, look at travel markets. Later, as you build a portfolio and gain experience in interviewing experts, you’ll be able to pitch articles on topics that you don’t necessarily know a lot about, but that’s not the best place to start.

2. How much do publications in this niche pay? Check Writer’s Market to determine the pay ranges of your chosen markets. Which magazines pay the most? Which pay the least? I recommend submitting to the highest-paying markets on your list first. You can always work your way down if your article doesn’t sell—but if you start with the lowest market and your piece does sell, you’ve lost the opportunity to do better.

3. How much time does it take to write an article? Obviously you’ll be able to write more articles if you can complete a piece in five hours rather than ten—but writing fast doesn’t always mean creating a better product. Knowing how long it takes, however, is key to determining how much your writing can earn. For example, a two-hour article that you sell for $50 is actually worth more than a ten-hour article that you sell for $100. This is why tracking your time, particularly when you are starting out, is vitally important.

4. How much time can you invest? If you can invest five hours a week in your freelancing career, and it takes five hours to write a feature article that you can sell for $200, that’s an earnings potential of $200 per week. However, you’ll also need time for market research, queries, correspondence, research, and administration—so you may only be able to produce an article every other week, dropping that potential to $100 per week. In addition, remember that writing an article per week doesn’t guarantee that you will sell an article per week.

It’s also important to remember that freelance income doesn’t start arriving right away. There’s a start-up period, during which you’re conducting market research and sending out your first queries and submissions. Then, since many publications take weeks or even months to respond, it can still take awhile before you make your first sale or see your first check. It’s wise to assume that it will be at least six months before you start to see any steady income from your efforts.

With so many variables involved, there are no hard-and-fast figures on how much a freelance writer can expect to earn at any career stage. It’s not unrealistic, however, to hope for revenues of $5,000 or more in your first year, and a steady increase thereafter.

SHOULD YOU WRITE F...