Anne Wayman on the 5 Biggest Mistakes Freelancers Make...

You’ve sold a book, or several articles, or you’ve worked inside publishing someplace and you long to declare yourself a freelance writer and go home and write. Or maybe you’ve already made the leap. Either way, here are the five biggest mistakes writers make when they transition to freelancing – avoid these and you increase your chances of success immeasurably.

1. Not treating your writing as a business.
The idea of freelancing may seem romantic, but the truth is you must treat your freelance writing like a business if you are to succeed. This means setting goals, tracking income and expenses, paying self-employment taxes and all the other things that go into making a business work. This isn’t glamorous but it’s necessary. And once you get the business side organized it’s not too onerous.

2. Not determining how much to charge.
Determining how much money you need to charge is imperative. If you don’t you won’t know how to answer the question, “how much do you charge?” The place to start is with your monthly expenses. Then add about a third and work that out to an hourly rate based on how many hours you can realistically expect to write five days a week. I can manage about four hours of real writing every day. The rest of my time is prep, marketing and the business stuff. It will take awhile to really know how much time writing jobs will actually take you, but knowing your hourly rate will help you not under charge. And yes, you’ll make mistakes – which is okay. Just learn from them.

3. Not insisting on a written agreement.
I can’t count the number of writers who have contacted me with what they call problem clients and it turns out there’s no contract or written agreement. It’s not the client that’s the problem; it’s the lack of a clear, written understanding between you and your client that causes most of the grief. Contracts (which can be simple but clear emails) need to describe the work, describe the deadlines, explain the method of payment and say what to do when there’s a problem. You don’t need a lawyer, just a clear agreement.

4. Not implementing a marketing plan.
Yes, you need to market your writing. The plan can be simple – like three queries a week, or five cold calls a day, or two blog posts on the blog that markets you, or developing your own website or ordering and using business cards. There are at least a gazillion things you can do to market yourself and your writing. Get one small one done a day and you’re sure to be a success.

5. Not respecting your time.
Folks, all of us have the same 24 hours in every day – if you don’t respect, even cherish, your time no one else will. Train yourself and your family and friends to honor your writing time. Don’t answer the door, turn off the phone – do what you have to so you can write and conduct your freelance writing business. One of my most successful writing friends hired a nanny just so she can write every day. Do what it takes and you’ll see positive results.
On the other hand, if you work out how to avoid each of these problem areas you’re likely to wake up one morning and realize you truly are a successful freelance writer.
What else would you add to this list?

BIO:
Anne Wayman is a writing coach, ghostwriter and blogger who has been writing longer than she now cares to admit. AboutFreelanceWriting is where she blogs about writing. She blogs about 12 Step recovery at PowerfullyRecovered.com, about money at DollarsandDebt.com and life at WhenGrandmotherSpeaks.com

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Is Freelance Writing Recession-Proof?

In today's tumultuous economic climate, it's hard not to be impacted by the things that are going on around us, no matter where we hang our hats and call home.
Though comparatively some areas have it better than others, and some industries are hurting less in terms of unemployment and a decline in business, I think that we can all attest to the fact that we are headed for some "challenging" times.

For those of us that are freelancers, our dynamics may be a little bit different.
But that doesn't mean that we are immune to the devastation of the day.

Which brings me to these relevant questions...

How are your freelancing finances? Are you taking on projects you wouldn't have in the past?
Are you finding less work?
Are clients paying later? Less money?

Are you more inclined to seek the security of a "9 to 5" from fear?
Are you living "leaner and meaner"?
Or are you pretty much the same as you have been?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Talk to me and let me know what's on your mind.


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Premature Emancipation: Should You Quit Your Job to Freelance Full-time?

There’s no doubt about it. Freedom is a seductive mistress. So much so, that her allure causes many to fantasize, and make impulsive and uninformed decisions to court her and experience her sweet embrace.

Especially when it comes to the life of a freelancer.
Folks idolize it. They envision countless hours of leisure, Margaritas in the mid-afternoon, and liberation from oppressive bosses.
Perhaps you’re one of them.

Well, I’ve got some good news and some bad, before you abandon your job or your senses.

But, first let’s rewind to how this blog post became a topic of conversation…

It was a sunny summer Sunday.
In my weekly blog hop and general site surfing, I was reading a post “penned” by a fellow writer who had decided to forego “job security” and benefits to go full-time as a freelancer. From what I had read, they’ve been writing for a few years, with a few bylines to boast.

Now, I don’t know this person personally. In fact, I’ve never even posted a comment to their site. But, I’m rooting that they’ll be able to make a go of things. Really.
After all, everybody loves a winner. Right?

Anyhow, I don’t think it was a smart move. Courageous maybe, but not very business savvy.
And since I don’t know this person well enough for them to give a crap about my two cents, I figured I’d share it with you, my “blog family.”
So, read and heed. ;-)

Okay, as I was saying here… Contrary to popular opinion, freelance writing is hard, folks.
It’s even harder when it’s your bread and butter occupation, and moreso in today’s age of the Internet, when everybody and their momma wants a piece of the action.

It’s even harder if you’re unmarried and have only one source of income.
It’s even harder in an economy with a high unemployment rate and high uncertainty in terms of economic direction. It’s even harder amid a climate with a myriad of changes in the publishing industry.

It’s even harder if you have no business management background from which to draw.
Are you with me here?

So, what’s the moral of the story?

Proceed with caution.
In the words of court T.V. Judge, Mablean, “Look deep before you leap!”

Despite stories of people who have landed lucrative contracts, had “overnight success”, and hit it big, the reality is, very few of us will reach the heights and widths of Elizabeth Barrett-Browning, J.K. Rowling, Nicholas Sparks, and other famous authors and poets.
Is it possible? You betcha.
But not likely.
The odds are as much against it as Keanu Reeves proposing marriage to me.

(Side bar---for new readers to my blog, my celebrity crushes are bad-boy rapper 50 Cent and Keanu Reeves).


So, with this being said, here as I promised at the beginning of this journey, are the good and bad things about freelancing full time, and what you can hope to expect. Word up!


1. Freelancing gives a whole new meaning to the famous line of Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. “ Some weeks you’ll dine to steak and lobster, other weeks you’ll be praying that the expiration date on your few refrigerated items is just a “guideline” and not gospel. In lean times, the cupboard may be as bare as a baby’s bottom. Don’t say I didn’t warn
you.:-)

2. Along with more freedom is less medical coverage. Are you prepared? Do you have a back-up plan in the event of illness, accidents, or an unexpected surgery? (Look into your homeowner’s plan as a viable option).

3. Expect to have more discipline than an athlete in training. Why? Unlike some are afforded on a regular gig, you can’t “fake” productivity by looking busy. And you can’t take “mental health days” without detriment. Typically you’re a one person show. No work means no pay. You’ll have to resist the urge to play computer games, or spend hours watching the “soaps”, or talking to your mom on the phone about family issues with Aunt Gertrude. You have to buckle down to move up!

4. Know that “love is not enough”. No matter how much you “love” writing, (and trust me, I really, really do), tough decisions have to be made, and a reality check is needed. Think about it. How many times have you been in love but the relationship didn’t go the distance due to incompatibility, or timing, or other stuff? True?

5. Know that there is a right way to jump ship. For example, author and Funds For Writers creator, Hope Clark, shares that before she took the plunge, she had been offered an early retirement and had some financial security in which to fall back on. Not to mention a detective hubby.

Do you need the same? Nope. But in the infamous words of Mr. "T",
"I pity the fool." :-)

Thoughts? Anybody here take the plunge successfully? Do tell.

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