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Topic: How long does it take to "succeed" at freelancing?
| Author | Message |
| flight risk | Posted – 5/5/2008 3:50:50 PM | show profile I don't think enforcing net 30 is particularly realistic in every case. It's not a take it or leave it situation. If net 30 is stated in the contract, that's one thing. This is a sellers market. Some pubs like UTNE Reader are great to work with but pay upon publication. Since they're bimonthly, that could be net 60. If they push the story, a lot longer. That's why I like working with big metro papers. They pay less but tend to pay in about two weeks. Plus some do direct deposit. |
| flight risk | Posted – 5/5/2008 4:00:22 PM | show profile Oops, sent that off too soon. I was just going to say. Rate isn't everything. Two dollars sounds great unless you have to do five revisions and wait 60 days to get your check. |
| Little Fingers | Posted – 5/9/2008 2:12:38 PM | show profile corporate work Wow, what a great thread. Thanks so much to everyone for all the helpful advice and insight. I'm not a journalist (i.e. I don't really try to pitch or write for magazines), and prefer other types of writing and editorial work. I have two questions about the "corporate work" people are mentioning, which seems to be the biggest income generator and also a field where regular gigs are common (perhaps in the form of corporate newsletters? I'm still a little unclear about what, exactly, people are including in this term). 1. Is there anyone making good money doing writing or editorial work for businesses that does *not* have a technical background? In other words, if you haven't worked in the tech field, health field, etc. but you have strong writing and editorial skills (and a resume) is it still possible to get "corporate work?" 2. Is there anyone here who is doing "corporate work" for companies that they did not previously hold some kind of staff job at? I'm curious how one might get these kinds of jobs, who they'd approach, and what kinds of samples you've provided when seeking these assignments out? Thanks! |
| Little Fingers | Posted – 5/9/2008 2:21:31 PM | show profile original poster Oh, and to answer the original post: I barely do any "journalism," sticking mostly to editorial work and writing copy (websites, book proposals, reading group guides, etc.). I was part time my first year while I finished grad school. During my second year I was struggling through a divorce and relocation, which took a lot of time away from work. In that second year I filed for about $17K, not great, but then my third year--my first truly full time--I filed for about twice that amount. I'm hoping to meet or exceed that this year and am feeling pretty good about my record so far. As a start up, I've been measuring my success by how many clients I've retained, how many new clients I've taken on, and the new areas of business I've been able to expand into. I have been focused on earning a liveable income, of course, but more importantly I've been focused on building a solid base for my business and following my growth plan--I guess my philosophy has thus far been to worry less about the dollars and more about "doing it right" so that I'll have a steadier income later. And I'm starting to see the fruits of that plan come to bear. Now I'm able to focus more on the dollars than I was before, since I'm spending less time looking for work and more is coming via referrals, ads, repeat clients, etc. My experience so far has taught me that the people who succeed in freelancing are the people who can stick with it until their networking efforts start to pay off (contacts change jobs and bring you with them, doubling your client base, introduce you to new people, and so forth). Of course skill, professionalism, and all that factor in, too, but I think you get what I mean. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 5/9/2008 3:08:10 PM | show profile About the net 30... Sorry for the delay--been hustling for work (go figure). I get everything in writing up front. I found this to be a helpful model: http://www.the-efa.org/res/sample_agreement.html Check out the fourth paragraph from the end. Note how in the sample agreement, the author uses, "As we agreed" a lot--you have to hash it out with the person, first. You can also put a sentence across the bottom of your invoice reminding your client of the payment schedule, something like, "Payment is due within 30 days. Late payments are subject to late fees and interest." Be prepared for some potential clients to balk when you present them with something in writing. Someone recently contacted me about some work through my freelance profile here. He was all gung-ho until I requested his mailing address so I could send him my signed copy of the agreement, and told him I'd e-mail him a copy for him to sign and return to me. *poof* Haven't heard from him since. I learned the hard way about 14 years ago that open-ended contracts are no good, either. I had one to copyedit a monthly trade pub for a set amount. Out of nowhere, they went from 8 stories per issue to 12 stories per issue--and they refused to discuss increasing compensation for it. "The contract was your idea," they said. "We're just going to get our money's worth." When that contract ran out, that was the end of that relationship. So, always include contingencies in contracts for ongoing projects. If the work increases by X percent, so does your compensation. I've found that professionals will appreciate professionalism, so talking about contracts can be a good way to suss out the pros and scare away those who are out to rip you off. Of course, if you take a look in the Writer's Market or other pub-pub, and they have a policy that they pay 60 days from submission, or "on publication," you might have to accept that that is their policy and that is that--although it doesn't hurt to ask your contact how "firm" the policy is, particularly if your contact is really hot on your idea. I've also found that if your person on the inside is high up enough or well-liked enough, that person will get what he or she wants from the company, as well, which is a good story out of you, even if it means paying within 30 days when they tell everyone else they'll pay 60. It's such a game sometimes. |
| snappiness | Posted – 5/10/2008 10:36:12 PM | show profile more about net 30 Wordy - it sounds like you are generating the contract? It's been years since I've done that, everyone I write for now has their own standard editorial contracts. Sometimes the editor and I agree to make changes to them (well, pretty often, actually), but we're still working from their standard contract. You don't do that? |
| snappiness | Posted – 5/10/2008 10:38:23 PM | show profile "corporate work" Little Fingers - I don't have a technical background. And I haven't ever been employed by any of the clients I write for now. I found corporate work through networking. The stuff I write is custom publishing (companies publishing stuff to send to clients, mostly) and corporate web sites. For me, mainstream editorial pays better, but corporate work pays enough to take it and it broadens my client base and keeps the jobs flowing in. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 5/11/2008 1:02:55 AM | show profile Snappiness, I tell them when they want to hire me what my terms are, and we work it into the contract, theirs or mine. With one client, I helped write the freelance contract when I was an employee, so that helped, too, heh. |
| snappiness | Posted – 5/16/2008 9:58:47 AM | show profile Just wanted to give another shout out to WordyBird for the "net 30" advice. After that, I talked with a publication that had drawn out my expense reimbursement. They had some temporary internal issues, the result was I carried a large balance on a credit card for over 60 days. I explained that and they asked me to submit for the interest, which I did. So, one more lesson learned -- in future I will definitely bring that up with editors if expense reimbursement is taking too long. These guys were really nice and understanding about it. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 5/16/2008 3:27:41 PM | show profile That's great, Snappiness! Glad it worked out for you. Also glad to hear there are businesses and clients out there who are willing to be fair. It has been one of those weeks where 90% of the people I've come into contact with for business purposes wanted to rip me off. |
