How to Launch a Freelance Writing Career in More Than One Language in the Midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic

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The coronavirus pandemic has left people around the world out of work. Many of them are turning to new freelance careers to replace lost income streams. In this article, we look at freelance writing as a career – in particular, freelance writing for those who are fluent in two or more languages.

There are plenty of companies out there that employ freelance writers. Translation agencies, for example, provide multilingual content writing services to clients around the globe – and thus employ freelance content writers from across the world. [Read more…]

Things You Only Thought You Knew About Freelance Writing

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Every industry has its horror stories and freelancing is no different. There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about what it’s really like to work as a freelance writer. As a prior manager of a freelance writing pool to a newly converted freelancer myself, I can safely say many of the things I used to hold true about freelancing were anything but.

Freelancing is a Piece of Cake

piece of cakeFreelance writers work incredibly hard for the money they earn. While they have eliminated their daily commute to the office, most freelancers fill those “extra” commuting hours with work. Don’t get me wrong, working as a freelancer is extremely rewarding and flexible, but it’s not the same as working as an employee.

When you’re an employee, your manager cares about your process and your progress; if you’re bombarded with work and are overwhelmed with deadlines, he can ease your workload and reassign tasks to other team members. As a freelancer, your client only cares about your deliverable. It doesn’t matter whether it took you 30 minutes or three hours to complete an article, the finished product is all that matters, and if you’re drowning in deadlines it’s up to you to find a life boat.

You’ll Make Tons of Money

Many freelancer writers are able to make a comfortable income, but that’s not true for everyone. The competition in the writing world can be tough and you have to keep up on what’s current and trending. If you put the work in to get clients and prove yourself you’re likely to do well, but you have to work hard to build a solid pipeline of high paying clients to make a comfortable living.

You Can Work When and Where You Want

While this can be true for some freelance jobs, it’s not always the case with freelance writing. Sure, you select the clients you want to work with and how much work to take on every month, but you still have to make a living. Odds are you’re going to have to take jobs that don’t excite you 100% of the time. Your contract may have specific hours that you need to be available. You can’t work on the beach with a margarita in your hand every day.

Freelancing is Risky

Freelancing doesn’t have to be risky business if you make the transition from working as an employee wisely. There’s usually the feeling of feast and famine in the freelance writing world – either your clients want all of your time or no new projects are coming in. While this may sound chancy, it’s easy to prepare for the famine by stashing extra money aside when you’re enjoying a smorgasbord of work.

You Can Work in Your Pajamas on the Couch

pajamasIt is true freelancers have the flexibility to choose where to work every day. But the truth is, working on the couch and not getting dressed day after day can lead to depression and feelings of loneliness. Working on the couch also ignites the temptation to turn on the TV or take a nap, negatively effecting productivity.

While it might not hurt to work in your pajamas once in awhile, it’s best to get dressed for work every day and carve out a special place in your home to work. That way you can leave your home office at the end of the day and focus on the important things in your life.

What did you assume about being a freelancer before you started working as one?

Sarah is the Content Manager and a Writer at Virtual Vocations, the one-stop shop for telecommuters looking for legit jobs. With several years of marketing and writing experience, Sarah managed a group of freelance writers for a marketing firm before venturing out into the telecommute world. Follow Sarah on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook.

Top 3 Challenges Freelance Writers Face in 2013

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Freelance writing is not an easy profession. While many might connect it with a laid back lifestyle, there are many challenges which writers face on a regular basis, but they are all obstacles which can be overcome.

Hurdle

Competition

There are thousands of freelance writers out there, and for every single job, you will have to fight off plenty of talented writers. You may have to undergo specialist training or have a wealth of experience in a particular field in order to write about specific niches. Of course, if you have this training then you will have less competition, but work in niche fields is by no means constant, so writers end up taking less skilled jobs for less money.

There are increasingly more and more writing markets that will pay nothing, or just enough to cover your costs. While this is okay if you are just starting out in the business and looking for experience, it is not enough to sustain a business. It is up to the individual writer to find the markets which pay the most and which play best to your strengths.

Because there are so many freelance writers out there, it can be incredibly hard to find long-term clients. One key is to set yourself up as a professional business, instead of just working as a small fish in a big pond. Make yourself look professional to stand out from the crowd. If you have a website, make sure you ask previous clients to post feedback and reviews to help improve your reputation online. Nothing helps you to fight off the competition quite like a page full of good references and links to previous work.

Rejection

As with any creative profession, your style of writing may not be to everyone’s tastes. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to freelance writing and so it is inevitable that you will face rejection at some point in your freelance writing career. It is sometimes difficult to get back to writing after facing rejection as it can seriously knock your confidence. But just remember that even the best writers get rejected at some point or another. The important thing is to remain professional and focussed.

Some editors will completely butcher your pieces so that they no longer resemble anything that you wrote at all and this can be incredibly frustrating. But it’s important not to take things personally. As a freelance writer, you have to learn from the changes editors make, so that you know exactly what they are looking for in the future. The same goes for any negative feedback you may receive from clients. Take a step back and look at it objectively; you may learn a valuable lesson.

Changing Market

As time goes on, the fashionable styles of writing will inevitably change. It is important for the modern freelance writer to keep up with the times. With so much being done online, the market changes extremely quickly and writers may find themselves having to constantly learn new skills to keep up with demand. New tools and ways of writing are constantly emerging, so no matter how busy you are, it is important to spend a bit of time assessing the market to keep up with the changes as they come along. If you learn more quickly than everyone else, then you will give yourself a definite competitive advantage in the future by staying one step ahead of everyone else.

Alice Jenkins is a writer for How2become.com, a leading career and recruitment specialist. How2become currently offers over 140 different titles across a wide range of careers, providing insider information to help you prepare effectively. 

Image via Tristan Honscheid

Job Security in Freelance Writing

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Dear Readers,

I have been following an interesting discussion on another forum where someone asked whether there was job security in freelance writing. First of all, the words job security and freelance writing really shouldn’t be put together in the same sentence. When you are providing services on a freelance basis, you are not working a job. You are a business owner who has clients.

Can you earn a stable income through your freelance writing business efforts? Yes, you can, and if you are looking for a secure income, you are probably better off making it happen for yourself than by working for an employer.

If you are working for a company, you have a single source of income. If the company is going through a rough patch or someone determines that you don’t fit in, you may well find yourself being told that your services are no longer required. It doesn’t necessarily matter that you have been doing your job well; if the company is looking to cut costs, you may be let go anyway.

A freelance writer ideally has multiple sources of income. It’s not the best idea to have only one client or structure your business so that one client is responsible for providing you with a large percentage of your income. That way, you won’t take as big of a financial hit if that client doesn’t have steady work for you or you choose not to work with him or her anymore.

One of the best things about working on a freelance basis is that you have control over what assignments to take. There will be times when you take on work that wouldn’t necessarily be your first choice but that can generate income to pay bills or buy groceries, and there is nothing wrong with that. Haven’t you ever watched a movie and wondered why an actor decided to take on that particular role? (My suspicion is that sometimes projects get floated around to people who just need to make some money, but I could be mistaken.)

There is no security in working for an employer, no matter how long you have worked there. The days when someone started his or her working life with one company and stayed there until retirement are gone. If you are looking for security, the place to start is with the image you see in the mirror. Start building the type of business you want that can help you reach the goals you have set for yourself.

Sincerely,

Jodee

P.S. Why are you still reading this? Get out there and work on your business! 😉

How Do I Get Started as a Freelance Writer?

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One of our readers left this comment on our 31 Free Online Writing Courses post and I thought it was a great question.

What would you suggest would be the first step in starting towards freelance writing? I keep thinking I should get some sort of degree or something, but looking at your list, I may not have to do that. Where should I begin?

Let me start by saying that if you are asking the question, “How do I get started?,” you are getting a bit ahead of yourself. A better question is to ask yourself what kind of writing you want to do and what your goals are.

If you are starting your writing career on a part-time basis while you are working elsewhere, your needs will be different than someone who is writing full-time. You may be interested in doing content writing or blogging, or you may want to focus your attention on pitching stories to print publications.

There are many, many choices available to people who want to do freelance writing. It is worthwhile to do some homework about the type of work that people in this field do and get an idea of what interests you and where your talents lie. Once you know “what” you want to do, the question of where to start will be much clearer for you.


What Do You Value as a Freelance Writer?

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At first glance, it may not appear that your freelance writing clients and your values are related. The types of gigs you go after, the people you decide you would like to work with and what you have decided is most important to you are very closely related.

Good Income

As a freelance writer, if you have made a decision that you want to make a lot of money (and there is absolutely nothing wrong with deciding that making a high income is one of your goals), you will make a point of seeking out clients who have deep pockets. To reach your goal, and get the thing that you value, you may decide that you are willing to do whatever it takes to attract and retain the types of clients who are willing to pay what you have decided you want to charge.

You may need to work longer hours to get the amount of money coming in that you have decided you want to make. Your marketing efforts may need to be directed toward a specific market to make it happen.

You would have to make choices about the kinds of writing you are going to take on. If making a lot of money is your goal, you will also need to be firm when someone approaches you about a project and isn’t willing or able to meet your financial requirements.

Flexible Schedule

Some people are drawn to freelance writing because they want to have a flexible schedule. They may be going to school or looking after young children or their parents. Since they value flexibility, they may want to work on short-term projects that they don’t need to devote much time to. They will target clients who can provide them with this type of work.

Building Relationships

Another type of freelance writer is a person who is interested in developing long-term relationships with clients. This is someone who may be more willing than the person whose main focus is on making money to work with a client’s budget when quoting for a project.

Start-ups and small business owners may not be able to pay huge amounts of money for writing, but if/when their business takes off, they will remember the people they worked with at the beginning who were willing to be flexible about pricing. As they are able to pay more, they will do so, and they are more likely to contact someone they have an existing relationship with than a person they don’t know.

These are examples of how your values shape how you run your freelance writing business. Whether you are conscious of it or not, you choose the opportunities you want to pursue based on your values. One is not better than the other; and a person can value different things at different points in his or her life.

When you are looking for clients or answering ads, what kinds of things do you value? I know that one thing that I value is my independence, so a client who wants to micromanage things wouldn’t be a good fit for me – no matter how much they were willing to pay. I also value the relationships I have with people I work with, and I try to be as flexible as I can when they need to make changes to the type of work, the volume or rates (without selling myself short).

When you are thinking about things that you value, don’t forget to put yourself on the list.

The Perfect Time to Launch Your Freelance Writing Career (or Take the Next Step)

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You may have heard that timing is everything in life. Being in the right place at the right time is crucial, and you need to make sure that you’re “ready” to either stick your toe into the freelance writing pool, raise rates or send a pitch to a client you are dying to work with.

I have a bit of a different take on this subject. If you wait for everything to line up perfectly and for the perfect moment to take action, you’ll never do anything. This is especially true if you decide that you won’t apply for any freelance writing jobs unless you feel super confident in your self and your ability to do the job.

If you are looking for a sign that now is the time to jump in, you will be waiting forever. There is no one, perfect time to get started or to go for the kinds of opportunities you want. This is good news: it means that you get as many chances as you create for yourself.

There is no better time than right now to get going to either start on the road to getting your first freelance writing gig or to take whatever you decide is the next step in your career. Don’t wait to be invited to the party – just come on in.

What are you doing to create the freelance writing career you want?

Nine Tips to Get the Most from Your Freelance Writing Mentor

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A writing mentor can help you jumpstart your freelance writing career. But, like any other resource, a writing mentor will help you the most if you approach your mentoring resource wisely.

An experienced writing counselor can often provide that valuable second opinion that so many of us want about our decisions and our writing.

Using the wrong mentor, or approaching your mentor ineffectively, could mean that mentoring won’t be as beneficial to your writing career as you had hoped.

Nine Tips for Mentees

Are you a mentee? Do you have a writing mentor already? If so, this post should help you make the most of the mentoring experience.

Here are nine tips for mentees:

  1. Choose the right writing advisor for you. Writing is one of those umbrella professions. There are many different types of professional writers and not all of them have the same knowledge or skill set. Try to find someone in a writing field that is close to the one that you wish to pursue.
  2. Understand up front what your writing counselor is offering. Will they be coaching you on your writing skills, discussing freelance business strategies, or providing both types of advice? When (and how often) will the mentor be available? It is particularly important to nail down these details if you are paying a professional writing coach to act as your writing role model.
  3. Phrase your questions carefully. The more specific you are with your questions, the better your advisor will be able to help you. The very vague “something’s wrong with my writing business” is less likely to result in a helpful response as “I don’t understand why my clients always pay me late.”
  4. Be honest. Presumably, your mentor is someone that you admire (or will come to admire), so there is a very real temptation to gloss over your problems in an attempt to impress your chosen counselor. Don’t do it. He or she is committed to your future success, but they can only help you if they fully understand your situation (and that includes all of the problems that you are having).
  5. Be open to new ideas and even constructive criticism. A good writing teacher may have to tell you some things that you don’t wish to hear. Remember that it’s for your own good. Give those new ideas and that constructive criticism a fair chance. You’ll be better for it in the long run.
  6. Follow through. Don’t just absorb feedback. Remember, you’re more than just a sponge. Take positive steps to actively apply the concepts and ideas from your mentor to your freelance writing. Schedule some personal time to review the information your writing counselor has given you.
  7. Remember that your writing mentor is human. Be respectful of his or her time. Ask what the best method is for making contact–some advisors may prefer email over face-to-face meetings or phone calls. For others, the opposite may be true.
  8. Let your writing coach know how well his or her ideas worked. One of the most rewarding parts of being a mentor is watching the success of those who you help. Make sure to give your own writing advisor feedback on how their advice helped you become a better writer. This will also help your mentor improve their mentoring skills.
  9. Don’t forget to say “thank-you.” Not only is it polite, it’s also the right thing to do if your mentor has been helpful to you.

Next week, I’ll talk about how to be a good mentor.

Feedback Time

In the meantime, share your thoughts. Do you have a writing mentor? If so, how did you select them?

Are you a writing mentor? What advice would you offer to would-be mentees?

Stretch Yourself When Applying for Freelance Writing Jobs

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Most people, whether they are working for an employer or freelancing, want to feel like they are working toward something better. They may be trying to get a better salary or qualify for a promotion. Whatever the individual’s personal “carrot” hanging on a stick in front of them, they need something to keep them motivated on the job.

The same thing is true for freelance writers. We have an idea of what “success” means to us, and while what it looks like is as unique as the writers themselves, part of it usually involves a writer stretching him or herself in their work. Very few people would be content doing the same kind of work day in, day out, for the rest of their working lives – especially if the rate of pay stays the same.

If you want to get the higher paying freelance writing jobs, you need to stretch yourself. Going after a bigger or better-paying gig can be a bit nerve-wracking, but this is a good sign. You need to get outside your comfort zone if you’re going to grow as a writer, and if you wait until you have no butterflies to do it, you will have missed out on some wonderful opportunities.

Sometimes you need to seek out these opportunities by sending out pitches to clients you would like to work with or applying for gigs that pay more than what you are currently getting. At other times, the chance to stretch as a freelance writer comes to you when a client asks if you are interested in taking on a type of project you haven’t tackled before.

When that happens, try not to get too hung up on the “what if I mess this up?” thoughts. If the client didn’t think you could handle it, they wouldn’t have approached you. Ask questions to make sure you understand what the client wants, and give it your best shot.

One of the advantages of doing this kind of work is that we have variety in the projects we can work on. If we don’t give ourselves permission to try something new every so often, we will just stagnate in our working lives.

What projects have been a stretch for you and how did you feel once they were completed?

Newspapers: A Source of Freelance Writing Jobs Leads

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NewspaperDid you know that your daily newspaper can be a good source of leads for freelance writing jobs? I’m not necessarily talking about the job ads, either, in case you are wondering.

If you are looking for work from local clients, the newspaper is a good way to find out what’s happening with businesses and organizations in your community. Check out the business section to find out which companies are introducing new products or hiring more staff. A business that is launching a new product may be interested in your pitch to update their marketing materials or web site to showcase the new addition to their line. The company newsletter may need to be redrafted – or the company may be interested in starting one for staff or loyal customers.

A business that is on a hiring drive may need the assistance of a writer to draft updated job descriptions or ads for new workers. The employee manual may need a facelift, or the “Careers” page on the company web site may need to be updated.

The newspaper may also profile new businesses in your area. Carefully studying the profile will give you some valuable information. You will find out exactly what the company does and who the owner’s target market is. The most important piece of information you will find in a newspaper profile is the owner’s name and contact information.

You may want to mention that you saw the profile in the newspaper and include a clip of the page when you make your pitch. The fact that you took the time to do so will get the recipient’s attention and make them more receptive to the services you can offer to the company.

Have you ever used the newspaper as a source of leads for your freelance writing business?

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