Freelance Writing Job or Freelance Writing Hobby?
October 29, 2009 by Deb Ng
Filed under Freelance Writing
When I was at BlogWorld a couple of weeks ago, I got into a discussion with a few members of the freelance writing jobs community. The discussion had to do with the types of freelance writing jobs and whether or not they were for everyone. The answer, of course, is that not all jobs were for everyone.
The discussion took a more interesting turn when one of the writers in our group said she’s not a freelance writer by trade. She’s an attorney but she writes for a couple of blogging residual sites because they’re a fun hobby and she earns a couple of dollar for each post, making it a hobby that pays. She’s not interested in traditional freelancing, she’s under no pressure and she wanted me to understand that there are writers enjoying these types of places because there’s no pressure. She also added she sometimes resents the implication that she has no place in the writing world.
I wondered how many other freelance writing hobbyists are a part of the FWJ community. How many of you come here not because you have to make ends meet, but because you just feel like writing and it’s nice to earn a little change while doing so?
Who are out hobbyists? Tell us your thoughts about freelance writing and the opportunities that are available for you.
I am a full-time student with two part-time jobs who also freelances on the side. I wouldn’t call it a “hobby” but it’s definitely not my main source of income. Not even close. I would like it to be one day, though!
I have a full-time job and it has nothing to do with writing. Writing is not my source of income and it doesn’t pay any bills. I am 49-years old. I would more than anything like to become a writer (specifically an aviation writer). To be able to support myself and my family with income solely from writing about aviation is my dream and goal.
Writing is not my main source of income. Actually, I am in risk management. However, I have always enjoyed writing, both for myself and for profit. I have a few clients now; so there is more pressure to meet deadlines before.
I’ve been a hobbyist for around two years. Then freelance writing became a secondary income source for me. Finally, it became my #1 income source. This doesn’t necessarily mean this situation will last forever. I may go for a career change in the future; that being the case, I’ll certainly keep on writing, but as a hobbyist again.
As I see it, hobbyist writers deserve as much respect as anyone else. The do have a place in the writing world, that’s for sure.
I am currently teaching English and Technical Communication in the community college and university environments, and I write articles on the side. Regardless of what people think, being a part-time college instructor does not pay the bills well, so I need that extra income. For right now, my income’s bulk comes from my teaching job, but I am working to make writing my main source of income and to keep teaching as a side job.
I think writing for a living is a VERY different thing from writing for pleasure, or to fulfill a creative need.
The biggest difference, IMHO, is that writing for a living is all about “business” – managing clients, marketing, deadlines, invoices… and the “product” is a customized publication written for a purpose and a client.
When you write “for yourself,” at least in theory, you have the freedom to pursue your own interests, write in your own voice, and take your time at it.
Different worlds. It’s like the difference between being a fine artist and an illustrator: both are talented, but where one is creating art, the other is producing product.
Of course, a lot of us do both!
Lisa
Many so called writing hobbyists who write for next to nothing continue to perpetuate all of the low paying crap jobs to keep circulating. Yet many of these hobbyist writers hope to write as professionals one day. Well, when that day comes it won’t happen because of the penny or two a word that has now become standard thanks to so many people agreeing to write for that.
I’m a full time writer with 4 years experience. When I started, I could find $30 – 50 an hour writing gigs on Craiglist. Now, most are for $10 an hour or less. Way to shoot us all in the feet hobbyists!
I am a freelancer on the side to get a little extra cash. My main source of income is from an office job. I’m also writing a novel to quench that creative urge. I’ve always been a writer however, it’s not a very stable business until you make it big. Knowing this, I went to school to learn another trade in the event writing didn’t pay the bills and guess what, I was right!
I agree with Sheri, a majority of the jobs out there are horrible. But outsourcing is usually the culprit. People in 3rd world countries can live off of 2 cents a word. Most freelance writers are left in the cold which is why I’m throwing most of my time in my book. It’ll pay off WAY more than a slew of articles at 2 cents a word!
Ouch Sheri!
I respectfully disagree that low-paying work is that detrimental to a freelancer’s career. Yes, paying a writer $10 or less for even a 250 word article is an insult, unless that writer is going to keep earning income on that article for the rest of their lives.
While that $30 payout would be very nice, the client who paid you will be able to earn on your work forever, long after their original $30 investment has been returned. With sites that pay you a percentage of the earnings your work generates what you write becomes not a product but an investment, and you earn on it as long as the site stays active. If and when it does close down your rights to your articles don’t go with it.
I’ve wanted to be a full-time writer most of my life, but quite frankly I’m not yet good enough. Outside of my small, specialized niche I don’t feel comfortable saying to an editor “Yes, I’m sure I can do this. I know I won’t let you down.”
So I guess that makes me a hobbyist. But my “hobby” is writing for a website that has paid me to write and continues to pay me to write every day. Not much, of course, but it does pay, and the more articles I write the faster my money grows. If I were a professional writer who could devote eight hours a day to this I’m confident that in the span of a just a few months I could be making as much as any professional going after $30-$50 jobs. Eventually I will.
Given what I know about business (and it’s a little more than I know about writing) I think the days of $50 writing gigs are disappearing not because casual and part-time writers oversaturating the labour pool but rather pragmatic businesses looking for cheaper, more efficient ways to meet their content needs.
I don’t know if this forum allows it, but I’d like to invite you to check out my profile on Helium.com, and see for yourself how this “hobbyist” is embracing, not rejecting what might be the new normal for freelance writers.
Eric, I can tell you from experience that it’s definitely possible to go to higher paying jobs in a couple of months. I started freelance writing full-time on Helium five months ago, with zero experience, simply because I couldn’t find a job. The first few months the pay was terrible, but this month I’ve made $700 and have figured out how to double that for next month. For people just starting out who don’t feel comfortable asking for $50 an article, or who don’t have the connections and experience to get those jobs, lower-paying sites and “hobby writing” can provide the experience and portfolio necessary to get higher-paying jobs.
Writing is a good matter for starting as a hobby and turning into a job later. Why? Because especially by writing there is a need to do it with your heart. Many jobs are taken only for the money. I don’t think this would work with writing.
I’m going to side with Lisa on that matter.
There is NO NEED to write from the heart to make money as a writer. I speak with firsthand experience from that. Does writing from your heart make your writing better? It can. It does not have to, and I’m mostly speaking about journalism-type writing. And if you’re doing SEO-type writing, I can’t imagine why on earth writing from your heart would be relevant at all!
That being said….welcome to all the hobbyists! I certainly don’t think you have to write full-time or as your main source of income to be considered a real writer.
Oh, my, Andreas Susana. Writers, too, work for money.
It’s true that few novelists, poets, playwrites or short story writers are in it for the money – but that’s mainly because they can’t MAKE money as a writer/artist. You can make money as a writer for hire and ALSO write from the heart, but that’s a different matter.
If you intend to make a living as a writer, the huge majority of us have found that simply writing “from your heart” is a sure way to the poor house.
Lisa