Are you going through your end of the month frenzy of playing catchup and invoicing clients. While I love the first day of the month because it’s so open to possibilities, I’m not a fan of the last few days of the month because of all I have to do to close out the month. I try to schedule all my tasks accordingly, which helps, but the best laid plans aren’t always the best laid plans.
What’s your end of the month ritual?
Leads…
- Personal Finance Blogger – $200/month
- Freelance Writers – Kind of vague…
- Temporary National Editor - Newsweek.com
- Freelance Tech Writers - Bright Hub
- Freelance Proofreader – CArson, CA
- Writing Tutor/Freelance Writer - Brooklyn
- Freelance Development Editor - Austin – $40/hour
- Bloggers for Indian Themed Blog – London UK
- Grant Writer
- Proofreading – Software Manual
- Editing - 80 Page Training Manual – Athens GA
- Newsletter Writer - Alton IL
- Blogger, Community Manager, Editor for Pet Loving Startup
- Editorial Assistant for Adverting Trade Blog
- Copywriter - Content – Denver
- Poetry for Greeting Cards - $50 – $300
- Weightloss Management/Fitness Blogger
- Technical Writer - Toronto – $100+
- Web Content Writer
- Sports Writer
- Writer – Digital Media – Vancouver – Telecommute OK
- Tourism Editor/Writer -Argentina
- Writer Wanted for Book – Atlanta
- Grant Writer - Chicago
- Writers Needed for Arab American Newspaper – California
- Freelance Resume Writer $60/hour
- Seeking Writers – $100
- Adword Copywriters – $50/ad
- Business Plan Needed
- Food blogger - Philadelphia
- Tech Writer for Start Up - Contract – Redwood City
- Freelance Grant Writers Needed
- Writer for Book Project – Washington DC
Good luck!
Deb
Follow me on Twitter @debng- for updates also follow @freelancewj.
Writing Tutor/Freelance Writer – Brooklyn – this is someone looking for a job.
End of the month for me means paying all the bills and the mortgage. Plus, the school year’s wrapping up here, so there are more field trips, the high school is throwing in more half days and my garden is just getting started so that gets thrown into the mix. All of my employers keep track of my writing using Google docs or something similar, so I don’t have to invoice them. I just go in periodically and make sure that they’ve received everything I’ve submitted.
I do have one company switching to monthly payments. I’m not sure I like that system honestly. Bi-weekly was working well. Now I have to wait 6 weeks before my next paycheck and that’s going to be hard when it comes to paying bills.
I was wondering if anyone here has worked for the Examiner website? I’d love some insight about what it’s like to work with them. Is it legitimate? Do they pay a fair rate?
If this is the wrong place to post this kind of question, my apologies!
Beth
May has always seemed like a long month for me because school’s ending in a few weeks and spring/summer weather in northern California. The days a much longer too.
I am noticing a little bit of readjustment from clients. Anne G. mentions clients going from biweekly to monthly payments.
For me, some are sitting on their payments while others are having to cut back because of budget cuts.
The “vague” freelance writer’s ad – it sends you to a HubPages forum that gives a link where you have to go sign up for HubPages. I can’t see that they actually pay a thing other than referral bonuses, which is I’m sure what this person is after. They then suggest you use Adsense programs and join Amazon or Ebay type affiliate programs to gain commissions.
@Beth – I was offered a spot with Examiner.com but turned it down. I know there is another person that frequents the forum who has been working for them, so maybe she’ll make an appearance. For me, Examiner.com was a turn off because it is revenue based and not a flat rate per article.
Hi Beth,
I work for the Examiner and absolutely LOVE IT! In fact, I have two different topics. As a full-time freelance writer, the Examiner is one of my most favorite gigs ever!
They are highly reliable and are hiring! I’d be happy to share some insights and tips for anyone considering writing for them. Send me an email:
jacer@siber-net.com
Beth, I had wondered the same thing about Examiner.com *and have no direct experience with the company*, but I saw an article (hope it’s okay for me to mention it here, Deb) on Angela Hoy’s Writer’s Weekly site that requested Examiner writers to contact her. There’s a good sampling of different viewpoints in the “How Much are Examiner Writers Earning” piece here, http://www.writersweekly.com/the_latest_from_angelahoycom/005364_05132009.html and follow-up comments here: http://www.writersweekly.com/letters_to_the_editor/005378_05202009.html. You could draw your conclusions from that article as well as talking to experienced writers on FWJ who work, or don’t, with Examiner.
Hope this helps! : )
Best,
Leigh
Deb, Thanks, as always, for the leads. One I had found on my own and had already applied; but I also applied for two more from your list.
@Jace: I cannot get past the reading part on the Examiner. I used to follow one blog on Blogger, and then the author moved to the Examiner. Their interface is a complete turn off for me. I don’t comment on YouTube for the same reason: The comments run backwards. It’s very hard to get context when you read comments of comments to comments and you have not yet read the previous comments. The blog also picked up a lot more spam. There also seems to be no way to get emails, which Blogger has.
I’m glad it works for you and your readers. Frankly, it just gives me a headache. And, if I won’t read it, I won’t write for it.
Yeah the end of the month is busy for me as well. I don’t do any invoicing until the month is actually over, but I do tend to have to work a little harder to catch up on any jobs that have a minimum of articles/month.
Hello everyone,
I am really interested in working as a full time freelancer. Can you all give me some tips on how to get started.
Hi John,
Ahh, that’s too bad! They are constantly updating and tweaking the site so maybe some of those annoyances you mention will be fixed shortly?
As a full-time freelancer, it is one of the best gigs out there, in my humble opinion. They are growing by leaps-and-bounds and I only see huge thing for the site in the future!
jacer
I’m another happy examiner girl — but I’m new so we’ll see. I started a couple of weeks ago and it’s been a pretty easy gig. They do make a lot of “suggestions” so it might not be worth the money for some people but I like my topic, it’s something I don’t write about anywhere else and so far it’s making some coin.
I do agree that they need a design rework on the reading side but I think they’ll get there.
Just chiming in to say I just got started at examiner as well. I signed up because a friend of mine has been making between $10 and $20 a day writing the posts he used to put on his personal blog which was making him about $10 a week. He writes a really popular topic though so he may not be the best model. So far I’ve just been enjoying myself and making some money on the side.
As far as the page views go, they start you off at $0.01/page view which is one of the best ppv rate I’ve seen from revenue share. From there it can go down if you aren’t generating much revenue though.
@Sara,
Your first step is to comb all the sites on the FWJ network – last I counted there were six of them, and you’ll find lots of good information here. Also look at the sites run by Anne Wayman (aboutfreelancewriting.com) and Jennifer Mattern (allfreelancewriting.com) – along with Deb Ng (owner of this site) I find the three of them to be very generous in sharing their expertise in how to run a freelancing business.
Contact me through my website if you would like a copy of a simple spreadsheet I devised for tracking income and expenses.
Best of luck to you!
I was also accepted into Examiner, but after hearing so much from other writers about the low payment rate, I emailed them to see if the pay rate is negotiable. It was not. I heard from one other writer who loves working for them, but many others say the time isn’t worth the money made. I think it’s up to the individual writer as to whether or not it is a good fit. For me it was not.
Sara, congratulations on wanting to work as a full time freelance writer. To get started, you must WRITE! And write well.
Learn your craft as well as the business side of writing. Read blogs like this one and others. Pick up Writer’s Digest magazine and absorb it like a sponge. Pop into writer’s forums and learn all you can about what it’s like to be a professional.
To start, you might want to try some of the content sites like Demand Studios and pick up some assignments to see how you do.
Good luck!
- Jeanne
20 year veteran, writer, etc.