What’s on the iPod: Skinny Love by Birdy
Quite the busy week. I’m deep into a sizable project and doing well with it. I’m hoping to deliver it to the client by next Friday, when I suspect we’ll go through a round or two of revisions. After that, I may have another project in the wings. I’ll know more on Monday, but if so, I’ll be busy through December.
That doesn’t mean I won’t market. My LOIs are still going out. I don’t stop everything for a maybe. I continue to work and look for work.
That’s just one of the things I learned about this business, this career, that has helped me keep me afloat financially. There are plenty of things we writers learn as we go. Some of those hard facts are a little tougher to swallow than others, but they’re essential to know, especially if you plan to be at this freelancing thing for a while.
Here are some of the hard facts I’ve come to realize:
It’s a tough job. Really tough, though not always. One day you’re making money hand over fist, and the next you could be wrestling money out of non-paying clients in court.You own the business. That means you do all the work, including marketing and promotion of your skills. If you’re not willing to do that, you’re not going to last.
You will never stop learning. Actually, I think that’s a bonus, but for those who are wanting an easy career, this is not the one. What you know to be true today may not hold water tomorrow. You have to learn that social media you’ve been avoiding, learn those new grammar rules, learn how to put together that specialized project you’ve turned down twice, and keep your career and your skills fresh.
The work is cyclical. For example, I spent most of the summer without work. Right now, I’m busy ten hours a day. It’s like that quite a lot for freelance writers. You can’t count on today’s workload being replicated tomorrow (unless you plan well and market even better). A healthy bank account is the best safety net.
You can never just coast. Forget selling that hit novel or getting that terrific retainer gig. Yes, it could happen that you write the best-selling blockbuster that nets you millions or even hundreds of thousands, but the odds are you’ll eke it out like the rest of us. And those retainer gigs? Even a sure thing like that dries up eventually. The longest I’ve had a retainer gig was just over six months. Nothing is permanent.
Passive income streams aren’t all that passive. If you’re looking for that passive income stream, know that it comes with a shit-ton of work on the front end before you ever see anything remotely passive. Otherwise, you’re just piecing it together, which will show in your results.
You will deal with angry clients. Unless you’re truly blessed by the gods and you spout halos and rainbows, you will come across a client (or ten) who, for whatever reason, isn’t happy. You need to know how to discern whether the anger is justified and not an attempt to avoid payment, and you need to know how you’ll handle the disagreements as they arise.
You have to be creative. Yes, there are writers who let this piece of it slide. You can see it in their work, too. If you’re bored with the topic or project assigned and you do nothing to get interested in it, it will show. Even if you’re writing about the most mundane, dry topic on earth, there’s always an element of interest if you look for it. Ideas are a dime a dozen – what you do with those ideas to make them uniquely yours is what will sustain you.
You could be cheating yourself. Because you set your rates, there’s a good chance you undervalue yourself. A little homework, a little asking around and you’ll see what others are charging and be able to trust your price a bit more.
Haphazard marketing will slow you down. At first, you behave like a hockey player — if you always shoot the puck, eventually you’ll get lucky and score. However, that’s not going to sustain you in the long term. Selling someone today may net you a one-time gig that pays well, but the real money is in building a relationship and learning how to please each client. Your marketing plan should be targeted, intentional, and consistent.
You have to suck it up and behave professionally. I don’t care if that client never paid, isn’t following their own directions, or has said something profoundly insulting. You cannot react with anything other than a business demeanor (no emotional outbursts). If you rant back at them or scold them for not owning up to their agreement, congratulations. You’ve just made it easy for them to trash you to other potential clients. And you’ve lowered yourself right into the mud with them.
Writers, what hard facts have you discovered about this writing career?
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