What I’m listening to: Don’t Stay by X Ambassadors
Over on Anne Wayman’s About Freelance Writing forum, there was a discussion started by a writer who’d reached her breaking point.
Though she may not have realized it, she was having a bit of an epiphany. She had realized how hard she was working and how unsatisfying it was to put in so many hours, taking away from her private time.
She said it — she was re-evaluating what she wanted out of her freelance writing career.
I nearly cheered out loud. Here was a writer who’d just had her lightbulb moment.
Judging by her conversation, her process is a lot like mine was:
- When you’re so pressed for time that it impacts your quality of life, you get a little pissed.
- Then you get a little resentful.
- Then you get a little smarter and charge more.
- Then you lose the deadbeats who won’t pay you much and gain clients who aren’t so damned demanding.
- Then you start making more money in less time.
Her lack of time was her wake-up call.
It was mine, too.
I was a bit more stubborn, however. I was still under the impression that my word was as definite as my deadline. I wasn’t budging on either. Yet on one particularly heinous project (one I’d underbid by about $4000), my husband said “Why are you killing yourself? Tell him you’re not meeting the deadline because the project is bigger than you expected.”
Yes, I was that far gone that he had to tell me the obvious.
But it caused me to do my own re-evaluation of my workload and client portfolio. I was being underpaid on this project — my fault, too. What other projects weren’t paying what they should? Was that a one-time thing, or were the clients regularly underpaying me?
I bumped up my rates that day.
It’s that kind of revelation that makes us better business people. I remember another day — the day two checks came in at the same time — that redefined my client mix.
Check #1 was for an article of 1,200 words. The total — $600.
Check #2 was for an article of the same length. The total — $1,200.
That kind of math made my decision easy — lose client #1 or get them to raise rates (they wouldn’t, so we had to part company).
If you’re sitting there right now thinking you’re so busy you can’t possibly accept one more project (and you know you will anyway), maybe it’s time you look at the impact your workload is having on your quality of life. Ask yourself:
- Are you trying to fit too much into your work day, extending your hours?
- Do you feel stressed at the beginning or end of your day?
- Are you enjoying the projects?
- Do you feel trapped because you don’t want to say no to anyone?
- Do you still enjoy your job?
That feeling right there — that will tell you if you’re doing okay or if you need to make a change. Could be it’s time you raise your rates and lose the clients who aren’t paying you what you need in order to have a better work-life balance.
Writers, what was your epiphany like? How did it come about?
Any advice for writers who feel they’re buckling under the stress of too much work, too little free time?
3 responses to “Your Freelance Writing Wake-up Call”
Over my 20+ years of freelancing, I have steadily increased my rates. I started out hanging tear-off signs around campus and working for $11/hour. For almost that long I’ve worked for a publisher whose books I really admire, and the subject matter is important to me and to the world. They don’t pay top dollar, so although I was thrilled to get the work at first, and they’ve given me several pay raises I’ve asked for, it’s become so I’ll work for them only once or twice a year because it’s work I enjoy and value. Limiting it frees me to pursue more gainful work while still occasionally indulging my love of the subject matter and the publisher’s mission (a nonprofit). Others who are feeling crushed by too much work for too little money might be able to use such a strategy to keep a bit of the work they love for whatever reason.
What a great story, Joy! You continue to impress me. 🙂
I like how you put it — you do the work you love, but you limit it so you can get the work you need to pay the bills. It’s a nice balance.
Mine was a strategic “aha” moment. We’d put out bids to have our kitchen remodeled, and while two of the vendors gave us a firm bid, #3 gave us an estimated range that spelled out all the details and unknowns that could affect the price. They weren’t the cheapest, but they earned my trust with transparency. (Ultimately, they came in under the highest number.) I adopted that strategy and have used it successfully for almost every project in the 16+ years since. The key side benefit is that it gives clients an incentive to be easy to work with, because they know they can keep their cost down!