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The prospect of becoming a freelance writer is both exciting and a little bit scary. Let’s face it: the freelance writing community is a big ocean full of bigger fish (a.k.a. experienced writers) and you as a newbie have to somehow manage to take a deep breath, jump in and hope you don’t immediately sink or become a larger fish’s dinner. The mere thought is enough to make any newbie cower in fear of the unknown.
As someone who has spent a majority of time dangling my toes in the edge of that proverbial ocean, I can wholeheartedly say that the experience is well worth it. However, I have also spent a fair share of time in the freelance ocean struggling against the undertow. There are a lot of things I wish I had known before I started, that would have made my journey a little smoother. But I suppose that’s the blessing of hindsight.
If you are just starting out, I’d like to share with you some things that I learned that just might make your experience a little easier. Before you dive into that intimidating ocean of freelance writers, take some time to familiarize yourself with some life rafts that dot the water.
1. Freelance writing will not be easy, nor will you become rich. Every newbie freelancer has aspirations of becoming the next Carrie Bradshaw or the next assistant at Vogue. These are great fantasies for when you are standing on the line at the bank daydreaming, but they are not reality. Dream jobs do not fall out of the sky. An editor from Conde Nast will not call you at home and ask you to pen a piece on the new Manolos. Not going to happen.
What will happen is work, and a lot of it. You will work on copy for things you have never imagined writing about. Pieces on such varied topics as hybrid vehicles, male enlargement devices and rhinoplasty, will begin to fill your portfolio. You will be paid for these gems, but you certainly won’t be running out with your new found millions and quitting your day job (not yet anyway).
Expect to write about a wide range of subjects, and know how to use the internet to search for reputable sources of information (note: Wikipedia is not a source you want to rely on for your information).
2. You need to know your worth as a writer and you need to know what rates are acceptable. Sure, you’re excited to write and you will take on any project that comes your way. However, it is important that you know the going rates for particular kinds of freelance writing, editing and proofreading jobs so that you are getting what you are entitled to. You wouldn’t be willing to work at McDonald’s if they paid you $2 for every 200 hamburgers you flipped, would you? Well there are a lot of freelancers out there who sell themselves short by taking on writing jobs that require 10 articles at two dollars a pop.
We all have to start somewhere, but being taken advantage of is never a good way to begin. If you are worried about lack of experience or published clips, try writing for a site like Suite101. You will be able to get some web-published clips and some good experience writing for the web. Another good way to build up your portfolio is to offer your writing services to volunteer organizations. While these are commonly non-paying, they are quite reputable and will give you great clips and references for future projects. Even better, you will get to feel all warm and fuzzy inside that you did something nice for someone!
To get an idea of acceptable rates, check with the most current version of the Writer’s Market book. This book will become your bible and it is advised that you spend the $25 each year and pick up the newest version. The book offers a wealth of advice from market listings, freelance market rates and helpful articles pertaining to all things freelance.
3. Providing samples of work means you are giving away your work for free. Working hard to write a quality piece, only to have someone take it from you with nothing more than a thank you is unacceptable. Do not work for free. If a client wants to see how your write, provide him/her with clips of your work (see #2). Freelancing is a job, just like any job, and when you work you are expected to be paid for your services. If a potential client will only work with you under the context of a freebie, walk away.
4. It is much easier and satisfying to write about what you know and what you are interested in. Chances are high that the first piece of writing advice, solicited or otherwise, that you were given regarding your freelancing endeavor, sounded something like this: write what you know. This is a very good piece of advice and should be something you try to adhere to when you can. Of course there will be times when a client wants copy written about colon cleansing or forex trading, and of course you have to write about these topics that you no nothing about and have no particular interest in whatsoever.
However, when pitching ideas, stick to the things you enjoy. It is much easier to write about something that you are personally interested in, not to mention the research behind the piece will be less time-consuming. You are more likely to produce more work of a higher caliber when it is about something you know.
5. Freelance writers who are not organized and cannot manage their time should consider another career path. You will be juggling multiple projects at any given time. It is essential that you keep track of all your deadlines on one central calendar (I find the large desk ones work best). You also need to keep track of payments from clients. You should create a system, even if it is a simple notebook where you devote one page to each project/client, in order to keep up with billing out clients and recording payments.
Thought this might be useful as well, info regarding Consumer Search. I’d definitely like to try my luck with them as soon as I have some free time, as it seems as if this is very time-intensive and research heavy:
ConsumerSearch.com, part of the New York Times / About.com family of companies, is actively seeking writers and editors to join our team. Multiple freelance and full-time writers and editors are being hired during the spring and summer of 2008. Interested writers and editors are urged to apply.
ConsumerSearch writing requires uncommon research and analysis skills but no specific background is required. Assignments are research-heavy in a ‘leave-no-stone-unturned’ kind of way. Because the skill levels required are high, we are open to any talented writers who can do what we do well. Writers with a background in competitive product analysis or product reviews can sometimes benefit from that background, but such a background is by no means required. Are you the kind of person that has spent spends 25 hours researching toasters or MP3 players before buying one? If so, that’s a good hint that ConsumerSearch writing is something you’d be good at, and that would appeal to you.
Contributors need to be detail oriented, critical and organized, and must be able to adapt to our format and tone. Resourcefulness, strong research abilities and fact-finding skills are required. Enthusiasm and a love of writing are also part of the package. If you have a particular area of interest or expertise, we’d love to hear about it, but that’s not a requirement.
Read a report or two on our site to see what we do. Be sure to visit the Fast Answers, Full Story and All Reviews sections in each category, which comprise the three main sections of a ConsumerSearch report. See our About Us and FAQs pages for more on how we compile the most comprehensive product reviews online.
Work at home. ConsumerSearch is mainly a virtual company. Make your own hours and work in your pajamas if you like. As long as you’re bringing great research and content to the table, we don’t care what you wear.
Join a supportive team. ConsumerSearch editors work closely with writers to create the best possible content. Editors are available for questions at any point and are here to help you make the most of your research.
Work a lot, work a little.Once you’re established as a reliable ConsumerSearch freelance writer, assignments are ongoing. No commitment is required.
Earnings Potential. We generally pay by the report. Rates vary according to the writer and the report, but are never less than $350 and can often be double this amount, or more, depending on how much work is required and depending on talent of the writer. To us, talent is everything, and we set our pay scales accordingly. A disciplined writer can produce one or sometimes two reports per week, especially after becoming familiar with how to write our reports and with their subject areas. A new writer will often take much longer than this to get their first few reports off the ground. Salaried editors and writers make about as much as editors and writers at a large metropolitan newspaper. ConsumerSearch does pay a kill fee for work that we cannot publish.
How to begin working with ConsumerSearch
Writers and editors are invited to apply by preparing a Sample Report intended to help us understand your analysis and writing style. We may ask for a revision of your work along the way. Completion of the sample report is not paid. At the conclusion of your sample report, we will be able to provide some tentative estimates of whether you would be a good fit for ConsumerSearch, and if the prognosis is good, we will also make a further, paid, writing assignment. Our report structure is pretty rigid — some writers really like working within this structure, but others really don’t. It’s hard to tell until you try it. Some people become totally addicted to writing for us.
Other opportunities. If you are an expert in a particular topic, consider checking the jobs page at About.com to see if a Guide is needed in your area of expertise. Accepted About.com Guides are paid a minimum of $725 per month.
In case anyone is wondering, I have not been posting each time I publish a new article on Suite. It seems kind of time-consuming to do that. Just check out my Writing Sample link, as I am pretty good about keeping that current. It’s also very organized, so you can search by topic and not have to read through any articles that are not interesting to you.
I have a confession, somewhere way back in my mind is the thought that I could write content for a well-known site. Enter about.com and consumersearch.com, both owned by The New York Times. Pay on both sites is pretty good but their training/application process is very daunting. I’ll love to get a steady gig through one (or both!) of these sites as that would be a nice and steady stream of extra income. But alas, I am swamped with heavy duty book project. Not to mention that a past client contacted me today to proof and edit another document for him. No rest for the weary so they say.
Has anyone written for about or consumer search? Has anyone applied for either of these sites? Share the details. Was it really as time consuming as I’ve heard? What’s the workload like? Inquiring minds want to know!
**UPDATE-/Note-to-Self: Lifewire is also a NYT owned company that uses freelance writers.
photo courtesy of Jupiter Images
