Although most people see freelance writing as writing for magazines and websites, there is another area that you may want to consider: fiction. Personally, I do not write a lot of fiction, but I know many freelance writers who make a good living doing so. If you have a creative mind, you may want to consider this option. Even if you only compose fiction pieces from time to time, it can be a great way to break the monotony of fact based content.
I was recently offered a freelance fiction writing job by one of my regular clients. Although I do not have a lot of experience in this area, the project is intriguing to me for a couple of reasons. First off, it will give me the chance to break away from fact based writing and put my creative juices to good use. To go along with this, it is always nice to have both fiction and non-fiction samples. While I have hundreds of non-fiction samples to send out, I lack in the area of fiction. After I complete this project, it is safe to say that I will have plenty of samples for future clients who may be interested in fiction based content.
For me, writing freelance fiction is pretty new. For this reason I do not know a lot about how much I should charge, or how to get a project started. Although this can be intimidating, I am sure to figure it out one way or the next. The fact of the matter is that until I try, I will never know if fiction writing is something that is of interest to me. Who knows, this project could be the time of my life, and I could start concentrating more on fiction in 2008.Â
Personally, I always charge freelance writing clients on a per project basis; very rarely do I rely on hourly pricing. But with that being said, there are times when hourly pricing may be the best option. Here are a few examples when this may hold true.
1. In some cases it can be difficult to charge a per project price. The client may not have precise details, or the project may only be in the planning stages. If you run into this situation, you may want to tell the client that you are willing to work on an hourly basis until more details are ironed out.
2. Depending on the stage of your career, charging hourly rates for small jobs is probably the best option. For example, you would not want to charge the same for a 1,000 word sales letter as you would a 500 word sales letter minor edit. If you do, it is safe to say that your client will consider you crazy. In this case, you could simply tell them the estimated time for completion, and give them an hourly rate. This will help you to stay on track as far as time is concerned, while also giving the client the chance to save money.
3. If you are a freelance writer, there is a good chance that a client will get the impression that you can do it all. For instance, I have been asked to help with everything from social bookmarking to editing to brainstorming on a conference call. If you are going to do work outside of writing, you may want to consider an hourly rate. This is best since you do not really know what you are getting into.
Of course, charging an hourly rate comes with additional responsibility. In fact, there are two things that are important to communicate to your client.
1. First and foremost, tell your client what your hourly rate is. Believe it or not, they may be surprised when you say $50 or $60/hour. If they question this, explain to them that it is a great savings when compared to the per project price.
2. Although not always possible, you should give an estimate on how long the work will take to complete. When doing this, always err on the high side. It is much better to be able to charge a client less than to break it to them that you underestimated and they owe more than they thought.
Finally, to be fair you will want to keep track of the hours that you work. When you are charging by project, you only have to concern yourself with when the job will be done. But when it comes to charging an hourly rate, you need to keep close track of when you work. Not only is this fair to the client, but it will also ensure that you get paid for all of your time.
While I do not like to charge hourly freelance writing rates, there are times when this is the better option.Â
Time and time again I have preached that freelance writers need to treat their work as an actual business. Just because you do not work for somebody else does not mean that you should throw all business theories out the window. One of the many details that go into running an effective business is marketing. Do you know how to market your freelance writing services? Believe it or not, the ways that you market and advertise your services will have a lot to do with your success; at least early in your career.
Here are three of the best methods for freelance writers.
1. You need to have a website which offers the following: a bio, pricing information, samples, and several methods of contact. It is not necessary to spend thousands of dollars on a website; something functional will do just fine. A website will give you a place to send interested clients, while hopefully bringing visitors from the search engines as well.
2. More and more freelance writers are finding that a blog is a great way to market their services. Although the main point of this blog is not to increase my freelance writing workload, I have received several quality jobs from readers. The nice thing about a blog is that clients will be able to get a good feel for who you are, as well as your writing style.
3. It is not fun for most people to make cold calls, but this is a sales and marketing method that freelance writers should not overlook. When you call somebody on the phone they are more or less forced to deal with you on the spot. At the very least you will be able to tell them who you are, and give them some information on yourself. You are not going to be successful with every cold call that you make, but you never know when your big break will come. And remember, just because somebody tells you no the first time you call does not mean that they won’t get in touch when their needs change.
This is not my first post on how to market your freelance writing services. The reason that I talk about this so much is that it is one of the more important aspects of the industry. If you are going to be a successful freelance writer, a lot of it will fall back on how well you market your services. Use the three points above to put together a killer marketing plan for 2008.
