There are many ways to get paid as a freelance writer. The ones that I am most familiar with are PayPal, bank wire, and check. Many freelancers do not like to be paid by check, but I have found this to be quite popular among many clients. Even though there are both pros and cons of payment by check, I usually don’t have any problem with this.
Pros
1. You don’t have to pay any sort of fees. When I receive payment via PayPal or bank wire I have to pay a fee. Even though it is only a few dollars here and there, it does add up over the course of the month. In fact, there are some months when I pay more than $200 in fees. This is the cost of doing business, so I don’t fret over it. That being said, with payment by check this never comes into play.
2. It is a simple process. Receiving a check is easy to do. Tell your client who to make the check out to and your address, and you will receive payment in a few days. This is easier when compared to other options, such as a bank wire, which requires bank account information.
Cons
1. It is not instant. Unlike PayPal and bank wires, payment by check takes a little bit more time. Of course, the mail is pretty quick in the United States. Even clients on the other side of the country can usually get me a check within three days. But all in all, you still have to wait.
2. You have to go to the bank to deposit the money. This is not a huge disadvantage, but something that you will have to do when you receive payment by check. With PayPal and bank wires the money arrives in your account without ever having to leave home; many freelance writers love this.
There are pros and cons of payment by check. Even though you may not like this payment option as much as the others, you should never turn it down. It is better to get paid by check than not at all.
Sometimes I think that people make starting a freelance writing career more difficult than it has to be. In the past, I have probably been one of these people in more than one case. Fortunately, there are some basics that can bring you back to earth and show you just how simple it can be.
Here are three basics of starting a freelance writing career:
1. Make sure you love writing. You can have everything else going for you, but if you don’t love to write you should avoid becoming a freelancer in this industry. There is no reason good enough to write day in and day out if you do not thoroughly enjoy doing so.
2. Go all in when you are ready. I have met entirely too many aspiring freelance writers who never met their goals because they were afraid of fully moving into this career. If you feel that you have what it takes to succeed as a freelance writer, and you are truly interested in this career path, you have to take the leap soon enough. You don’t want to let time pass you by as you continually think about becoming a freelance writer but never act on this feeling.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. As a new freelance writer I had a couple of mentors who guided me and showed me what to do next. This is something you should do as well. When you ask for help, no matter who the person be, you are going to get something of quality in return. Learning is a big part of becoming a successful freelance writer. And asking for help is a great way to increase your knowledge base.
I hope this post shows that starting a freelance writing career does not have to be overly complicated.
I get asked a lot of questions about freelance writing. Some from people I know, some from people I have never met, and others from members of my freelance writing course. One of the strangest questions as of late was: when is the best month to start a freelance writing career? This is not something I have thought about a lot.
Is there one month that is better than another? I had to think about this question for a bit before answering. In short, I don’t think that you should wait until one month in particular to start a freelance writing career. This may be something you do for a personal reason, but overall I cannot think of any advantages. Sure, you may want to start in January so you can get off to a fresh start and make things as simple as possible from a tax point of view. But again, this is not a necessity by any means.
I think aspiring freelance writers should take the plunge when they are ready to do so. This is the case no matter what month it is. If you are ready to take the next step you should stop thinking and do it. Continually saying that you will wait until the next month is not going to do you any good. Instead, it will hold you back and soon enough you will realize just how much time has gone by.
There is no right and wrong month to start a freelance writing career. If you have a preference and don’t mind waiting, that is fine. Otherwise, start your career when you are 100 percent sure that this is what you want to do. The month won’t have much to do with the steps you take or the success you achieve.Â
