Yay, Joy!!

And just look at how your business has grown this past year, Joy. It’s inspiring!

See, Mary? You’re more than ready. The only thing stopping you, I suspect, is fear.

Refer to this particular quote of yours: ” It takes hard work to dig the gems out of the pile of trash on those types of sites…”

So why not redirect that hard work toward something with better-paying odds?

It’s pre-existing, Cathy. Anything that exists before whatever replaces ACA is pre-existing. Forget that hangnail surgery. 😉

Thanks once again, Jake. I really love this post. It’s a good primer for writers looking for a better way.

Thanks for your comment, Mary. I totally understand the difficulty involved. By my reckoning, it was a solid five years (see: Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule) as a freelancer before I truly knew what I was doing. If you’ve got a solid base of writing, your business investments in cold calling, LOIs, etc., will ultimately pay off–as will reading blogs like this one. Best of luck as you make that shift–you can do it!

Thank you, Cathy. I always wonder *why* that’s the mindset that people get stuck in. There are so many resources, readily found, that allow an escape–yet I suspect it’s easier to just blame the market than accepting that success is far more about business and hustle than writing/editing talent. Frankly, that’s why Peter Bowerman’s “Well-Fed Writer” psychological positioning has always rung so true to me.

And as far as FFFS, nope, there’s no coverage, pill, surgery, or app for that! 🙂

I’m learning a lot from this blog already. 🙂

Great perspective, Jake. I would venture to say many freelancers who use the first set of resources as their sole source of work do so because they think they can’t compete on their terms. Yet, as you point out, they have actually contributed to that state by throwing themselves into a situation that invites a depressed market. Love this post, Jake.