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Topic: question for full-time freelancers
| Author | Message |
| renny | Posted – 5/11/2006 10:08:59 AM | show profile I've been freelancing full time since January, tho' I have done it PT for five years. I write primarily about food for national food mags, regional mags, and in-flights. Right now I'm trying to pace myself for this for the long haul, and I'm wondering how many projects you tend to juggle at once. Right now I'm finding that a couple of 3,000 word features already keeps me plenty busy, but of course that does not a living make. Just wondering what everyone else's project load is like: How many balls are you juggling at once? |
| mkelly | Posted – 5/11/2006 10:17:19 AM | show profile When I was in the game (I got out in January after five years), it would not at all be unusual for me to have six or seven assignments on my calendar for any given month. But I tended to go with the shorter, easier, lesser-paying assignments and made income on volume. |
| JimmyG | Posted – 5/11/2006 10:30:34 AM | show profile At the least I have about two weeks of my time taken up with a contract gig for a web site, writing about 20-25 reports, with four quick print assignments each month, also under regular contract. I might have anywhere from zero to one or two other assignments on top of those at a time. Oddly, I find I'm making better money doing more shorter assginments I can churn out at a blinding pace than when I was going after the 3000-word investigative gigs that involved two weeks of work and another two weeks of rewrites. |
| maphop | Posted – 5/11/2006 10:53:11 AM | show profile Six-seven assignments at any given time (subject to length, I suppose...you wouldn't want all of them to be 3,000+ word count) is about normal. I complete and file about two stories a week. |
| belinda | Posted – 5/11/2006 10:59:08 AM | show profile I believe in my deepest heart that the key to making a freelance living is lining up some regular jobs for income you can count on. If it weren't for them, I'd worry a lot more every month about income and outgo. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 5/11/2006 11:58:29 AM | show profile | email poster After a year of full-time freelancing, I continue to diversify so if one customer packs it up, I'm not all in. Sometimes it gets a little crazy -- I've started doing copy editing for a couple magazines, too, and find it a nice break. Having had it with lean months, I started doing more marketing (querying) and now my cup runneth over. This week I did six articles and edited a total of 10 for two different magazine. I also sent out at least 8 queries, and accepted 5 new clients (more than normal, a direct result of stepped up querying.) I can't keep that pace up -- but I don't expect my plate to remain that full. Although it might -- and I can use the money. I love big assignments that require tons of research -- but I'm starting to realize I can churn out many smaller pieces and make the money differently. To me, the key is to keep the money flowing in at a regular pace. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 5/11/2006 12:19:37 PM | show profile | email poster I've also just acquired theatrical rights option on a book I am starting a play on, and have 2 nonfiction book proposals submitted and am preparing to submit proposals on two different novels. I like to keep busy. |
| clare04 | Posted – 5/11/2006 3:07:36 PM | show profile left the game-o Hey mkellee so what are you upto these days ? Just curious. |
| flipflap | Posted – 5/12/2006 7:43:54 AM | show profile overthehill re this weeks's work--how many hours did it take? I could use some time-managment tips when it comes to juggling heavy workloads. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 5/12/2006 12:42:18 PM | show profile | email poster good question, flip. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 5/12/2006 12:49:55 PM | show profile | email poster Good question, flip. I'll try and roughly guesstimate here what this week's plate looked like: Querying -- 3 hours Invoicing/client communications - 3 hours Planning -- 1 hour Research -- 26 hours Writing -- 16 hours editing -- 8 hours working on play -- 5 hours education -- seminars, internet research on my field, media bistro -- 4 hours I am not sure these are exactly right. Everything certainly does blur together. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 5/12/2006 12:50:26 PM | show profile | email poster Good question, flip. I'll try and roughly guesstimate here what this week's plate looked like: Querying -- 3 hours Invoicing/client communications - 3 hours Planning -- 1 hour Research -- 26 hours Writing -- 16 hours editing -- 8 hours working on play -- 5 hours education -- seminars, internet research on my field, media bistro -- 4 hours I am not sure these are exactly right. Everything certainly does blur together. |
| jersey11 | Posted – 5/18/2006 1:14:50 PM | show profile Great question, flip, anyone else? |
| bananarama | Posted – 5/18/2006 1:47:31 PM | show profile Can I ask the profilic freelancers what type of publications you are writing are- are they well known national mags or smaller, regional stuff, or corporate/tech writing? I've been freelancing FT for about a year and a half and find it extremely difficult financially, but I am only targeting the better known publications. I'm quite picky but wondering if that;s my downfall. I'm hesitant to start doing copy writing or marketing or the more technical, corporate stuff because its not where I want to be, career-wise. |
| tws111 | Posted – 5/18/2006 2:01:52 PM | show profile The less interesting stuff "pays" for the fun, major market stuff. I couldn't live on consumer work either, but by taking on other projects I free up time/money for the stories I really want to do. Just like any job, really. ------ Run, climb, hike, etc. www.timsprinkle.com |
| anonynony | Posted – 5/18/2006 5:22:37 PM | show profile I agree with TWS. Don't discount corporate marketing/copywriting. So what if it doesn't have the cache? It's very lucrative and doesn't have the up-front costs (in terms of time spent pitching) that magazine writing does. Corporations have deep pockets--and we freelancers often have empty wallets. |
