মঙ্গলবার, ২৬ ফেব্রুয়ারী, ২০১৩

Why it's So F*ing Hard to Be a Freelance Writer

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With all the useful tips on how to be a freelance writer I?ve posted on this blog, you?d think I could sign off and be done. I just checked, and there are nearly 500 posts on here!

Yet, each week I hear from writers with new questions. Why?

It?s not easy becoming a freelance writer.

Writers are always asking me:

What is the one best, cheapest, low-cost, fastest way for me to market my writing and find great pay?

But there isn?t one single, simple answer to that.

What we?re trying to do isn?t easy ? to find a place for ourselves in a rapidly evolving freelance marketplace.

The challenges of freelancing

Here are some of the common obstacles freelance writers encounter:

  • Your friends and family may not understand or support your decision to freelance.
  • The marketplace is diverse, highly fragmented, and confusing.
  • There are many different possible starting points.
  • Successful marketing usually requires a lot of experimentation. What works for one writer may not work for you.
  • Rates are all over the place, so it?s hard to know what to charge.
  • There are many types of potential business clients, and types of publications, too.
  • You have to face rejection.
  • It can feel scary, and you?ll have to confront those fears to move forward.
  • You need confidence.
  • You need to be enterprising and know how to find information, from credible experts to editors? email addresses.
  • If you write for long, you will make mistakes, it will be embarrassing, and you?ll have to suck it up and carry on.
  • Not everyone will like what you write, and you?ll have to face criticism.
  • A lot of the more ?fun? types of writing ? poetry, creative nonfiction, short stories, personal essays ? generally don?t pay well.
  • Some editors will butcher your work.
  • You may need specialized training for higher-paying writing niches such as direct mail copywriting or technical writing.
  • It?s highly competitive to get in at the great-paying magazines, or to land the lucrative copywriting gigs.
  • Some clients are flaky and end up stiffing you.
  • Some clients are boundary-pushers and want to suck up all your time.
  • You?ll need to find a way to differentiate your writing services and stand out from the crowd.
  • There are a lot of scam writing ?offers? on the Internet you could fall for.
  • Plenty of writing markets that pay little or nothing. It?s up to you to find the better-paying markets.
  • The drive to succeed has to come from you. There?s no boss looking over your shoulder.
  • You need to learn how to negotiate, how to manage your costs?in short, how to run a business.
  • Whenever you think you have the hang of it, changes come and you have to learn more skills.

There is one advantage to the complex world of freelancing ? if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

So that cuts the herd a bit for those of us who have the cunning, the tenacity, and the gumption to make freelance writing our living.

What do you think is the hardest thing about being a freelance writer? Add your reason to the comments.

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Source: http://www.makealivingwriting.com/2013/02/25/fing-hard-freelance-writer/

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