Last week I received a couple of emails about the cost of being a freelance writer. These people wanted to know how much money it costs to start a career in this industry, as well as what I spend from month to month. While this is different for everybody, you should know one thing: freelance writing is a relatively inexpensive career. This is not a career that will suck your bank account dry from one month to the next. Of course, you have to be smart about how you spend and save.
Starting a freelance writing career can be semi-expensive, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. The biggest expenses you will face are for a computer, printer, and internet connection. Do you have all three of these things already? If so, you are way ahead of the game and pretty much ready to start your career without spending more than a few bucks on some office supplies, etc. Those who don’t have the above three items should shop for them on a budget. In my experience you can buy a quality computer and printer for roughly $500. This may not buy you the best of the best, but it is more than enough to get your career started.
I don’t spend much money on a monthly basis to further my career. My biggest expenses are for offices supplies, such as printer paper, as well as my internet connection. To go along with these, I also spend a bit on domain names, hosting, design work, and other things for some of my own projects.
All in all, it is not expensive to start a career as a freelance writer. If you are interested in becoming a freelance writer you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to get started. Most people already have what they need.
As a freelance writer, every minute that you work should put you closer to reaching your goals. There are many time wasters that can hold you back from achieving success. I try to keep these out of my career as much as possible, but they always try sneaking back in.
Yesterday morning I spend entirely too long checking and responding to emails. For whatever reason, I had five or so miscellaneous emails that bogged me down for roughly 30 minutes at the start of my day. While this may not seem like a big deal it pushed back my entire morning.
Every freelance writer who I speak to says the same thing about checking and responding to email: it can be a huge waste of time! Notice the word can. Even though you can waste a lot of time checking and responding to email, it is something that you have to do. But remember, you don’t want to go overboard. I am a big believer in getting back to people as quickly as possible. Checking my email is top priority, but only during certain times of the day. You should have designated times for checking and responding to email, and then stick to this schedule no matter what it takes.
While there are other time wasters that come into play, I have found email to be the number one killer. It may not seem like a waste of time, but if you check your email 12 times per day at five minutes per session it equals one hour that you will never get back. Imagine how much work you could have completed in that same time frame.
Everything you do during the day should help you advance your freelance writing career. Don’t waste time. I know this is easier said than done, but it is something you should always be thinking about.
Has a client recently decided to part ways with you? This is never an easy situation to deal with. Every client is valuable, and you want to stay in good standing with as many of them as possible. That being said, if a client does leave you need to find out why no matter what it takes.
Here are three common reasons why a client may decide to go in another direction:
1. You did something that upset them. This could be anything from missing a deadline to not providing quality work. Even though it may be hard to hear, you still want to know if this is what caused the relationship to end. At the very least you can learn from this situation to ensure that you do not make the same mistake in the future.
2. They simply don’t need you any longer. Believe it or not, there are times when clients no longer need freelancers. You didn’t do anything wrong. Your client’s situation changed, and they decided to cut you out of the equation.
3. They found somebody better. Remember, you are not the only freelance writer around. At anytime a client can begin to look for somebody else. Maybe they want somebody with a different style. Maybe they are searching for a lower price. You should strive to provide quality work at all times so your client never thinks twice about comparison shopping.
If the information is not offered you should always ask a client why they are moving on. Chances are that the reason will fit into one of the three categories above. Even though it is never good to lose a client, you should do your best to learn from the experience.Â
